Greene Tourism Council to ask Supervisors to fund several projects

The five-member Greene County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the administration building in Stanardsville for a closed session followed by a regular session at 6:30 p.m. (agenda)

The meeting will begin with a presentation from Dave Hundelt, the director of water and sewer. Note that there is no longer an interim by his name. Hundelt took over in that capacity back in April after two previous department heads left. Did he get the official nod? 

That will be followed by a presentation from the Tourism Council. The group wants Supervisors to designate them as the entity that advises on how to use some of the revenue collected through the transient occupancy tax. State law requires revenue collected that exceeds the transient tax rate of two percent be used for tourism marketing or other initiatives intended to increase travel. (staff report)

Greene County recently increased their transient occupancy rate to eight percent of all hotel and short-term rental bills. Of this amount, three percent is to go tourism and the other five go to the county’s general fund. 

In June, the Tourism Council approved a list of projects they wanted to request be paid for through the transient occupancy tax. These include $15,000 for informational kiosks, $100,000 for bathrooms at Greene Commons, and $100,000 for improvements to the water tower in Ruckersville on Route 29 that would allow the painting of a logo. 

Other potential ideas that don’t have dollar amounts tied to them: 

• The Tourism Council proposes working with the developer of Creekside to access Preddy Creek Park in Albemarle
• Purchase of developable land in the foothills along U.S. 33 for future low impact hiking and biking trails
• Planning for a public park along the future White Run Reservoir, if it is built
• Purchase of land on the border of Shenandoah National Park to increase access

On the consent agenda there are few interesting items: 

The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission seeks a letter of support for a grant application from “Virginia Housing” for a “Regional Housing Needs Assessment and Strategies Study.” There’s both Virginia Housing and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The two are separate. Virginia Housing recently dropped the words Development Authority from its official title in a rebranding that leads to situations like this. 

In this case there’s a third entity involved. According to the letter from Board Chair Marie Durrer, the assessment would be conducted by the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech. That entity is located within the College of Engineering. 

“The insights gained from this assessment will be instrumental in guiding our future housing policies and strategies,” Durrer writes. “It will help us to identify current and projected housing needs, prioritize areas for development, and create a more inclusive housing environment for all residents.” 

Also on the consent agenda is another grant application being pursued by Albemarle County’s Broadband Accessibility and Affordability Office for all localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. They’re seeking funding from the DHCD for a digital inclusion planning grant.

“The funds will aid the localities in developing strategies for addressing the communities’ broadband needs,” reads the cover letter

Finally on the consent agenda is an authorization to spend $51,757 in proffered funds to complete engineering work for the new emergency medical services building as well as the vehicle maintenance facility school bus parking lot. This includes purchase of nutrient credits. (read the letter) (meeting info) 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the July 22, 2024 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.