Miss Representation and Miss Informed promenade the Downtown Mall seeking 500 signatures for a petition to correct the portrayal of Lewis and Clark guide Sacagawea in the statue at Ridge and West Main.

“We object to the sexist and inaccurate representation,” says Miss Informed (Kelly Silliman). “She’d never cower.”

Miss Representation (Jen Hoyt-Tidwell) has spoken before City Council, and the pair want due respect for and a proper accounting of the woman who, despite toting a newborn baby, assisted the L&C expedition to the Pacific.

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Charlottesville’s Head of Parks and Rec Mike Svetz gave a lesson on the three “r”s tonight, but he wasn’t talking readin’, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic. Svetz’s r’s stand for repair, renovation, and replacement, and his pupils were city and county swimmers upset at the notion that the 32-year-old Smith and Crow pools may soon be history.

For nearly 30 minutes in City Council Chambers, Svetz outlined his department’s potential plan to build a 25-30,000 square-foot aquatic and fitness center at the current site of Smith pool at Buford Middle School on Cherry Avenue. The facility would be built adjacent to the parcel where the Boys and Girls Club, which has a land lease from the city, is also planning to build a new recreation center.

In addition to four dedicated lap lanes, the City’s new aquatic center pool would feature (more)

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The spicas, spinner bowls, and edge climbing structure have all arrived at McGuffey Park as part of its $679,000-plus renovation. But according to City spokesperson Ric Barrick, the park renovation is about 24 days behind schedule and $10,000 to $20,000 over budget because of some “unexpected masonry work” and the loss of about 10 newly planted trees due to the drought conditions this summer.

“The retaining wall along High Street turned out to be more difficult than expected,” says Barrick, “…the contractor didn’t quite have the expertise they needed.” Update 1:55pm: Barrick wishes to clarify this statment, saying he meant that “the contractor didn’t anticipate the complexity of the work.”

Still, Barrick says the City has “high hopes” that the fancy new park, which includes a round basketball court and a “weeping water wall,” will be finished by October 26.

Barrick also announced a joint City/Friends of McGuffey Park dedication ceremony in early November. The McGuffey Friends, a group founded by downtown moms Elvira Tate Hoskins, Kristen Suokko, and Charlottesville Community Design Center founder Katie Swenson, privately raised over $279,000 for the renovation (the city kicked in $400,000), and were given an “outstanding neighborhood effort” award by the City Planning Commission earlier this year. (more)

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This past weekend at the Charlottesville Community Design Center, the general public and a selected jury had a chance to vote on their favorite designs for the Water Street parking lots. It was all part of a design contest the City sponsored to generate ideas for a potential developer. Although the City does not own the lots (they own a very small portion, actually), and no future developer will be required to use the winning design, the City elected to pay the CCDC $103,000 for organizing the contest, with a $25,000 cash prize going to the winner.

The CCDC received over 60 entries, but we’ve selected a few for your viewing pleasure. Which one do you like? Cast your vote in the comment section!

One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine/ Ten / Eleven / Twelve

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Boredom never stands a chance when L. Douglas Wilder is running the show, but his City Hall in Richmond has soared to new heights… or new lows, according to these stories in Style Weekly and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

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Three former Department of Game and Inland Fisheries officials were indicted September 12 for misuse of public funds. Nelson County residents Lee and Paulette Albright played a role in the case through their persistent Freedom of Information Act requests to understand why a popular fish hatchery near their Montebello home had been closed. Michael G. Caison, Terry C. Bradbery and William L. Woodfin Jr. are accused of using state credit cards for purchases on a private trip to Africa in 2004.

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