A sign reading “Halsey Minor’s Big Failed Erection” bravely sits underneath the inactive Landmark Hotel construction site. Some prankster(s) plastered these signs across the entire front facade of the Landmark Hotel site. With a bankrupt construction bank and lawsuits between Minor and his development partner, Danielson, it looks like we aren’t going to experience a Charlottesville luxury hotel anytime in the near future.
On Saturday, May 2nd, from 9 to 3PM, PVCC will hold its Second Annual Construction Rodeo and Equipment Show. The Rodeo will be a total construction exposition where those in the industry can display and promote their products and skills.
The Rodeo Competition includes backhoe, skid steer and mini-excavator events where operators can demonstrate their skill (or lack thereof) in equipment safety, object placement and obstacle navigation. This year, there are two new events: a carpentry competition and masonry demonstration.
Amateurs are welcome, so have fun trying out a backhoe. Also, it’s FREE.
The events are put on by AGCVA’s Piedmont District Safety Alliance and PVCC’s Construction Academy and proceeds from food and drink sales will benefit Youth Learning Academy (YLA), a program focused on developing students’ academic skills through vocational training.
[for more info, click here]
From the City…
The bricking work of the Downtown Mall Restoration that began in January has now passed the midway point with four out of the seven blocks complete. Café space is now opening at many restaurants where the blocks have been completed and the Block Parties to announce completion of specific blocks continues through April. Significant completion of the project is on schedule to be met by May 1st.
The next phase of the project will include work to add protective grates to the trees as well as lighting in the tree canopy to span the entire mall. In addition, the light system will be upgraded and the fountains will be refurbished. Significant work will need to be done at the two cross-over streets, 2nd Street West and 4th Street, that will require the City to close the two streets beginning the first week of April and lasting most of the month. CTS bus traffic at 2nd Street will be re-routed during that period and local traffic will have limited access to those side streets but will not be able to cross the Mall during that period. Here is an update on some other enhancements with the restoration project:
Public Safety Improvements – Many of the changes on the Downtown Mall have been designed to improve the access of the Fire Department and improve their ability to fight fires if necessary:
Halsey Minor, the Landmark Hotel investor, has just filed suit against his former local developer partner, Lee Danielson. He’s already fired the guy, and now he is demanding $100,000 in compensatory and $350,000 in punitive damages. But, the most important details, is that Minor wants OUT of his obligation in the development agreement which is probably worth a whole lot more than the half million in the suit.
Will they settle and let Minor out of the agreement? Who knows, but it sounds like we are going to have a monster ghost building on the mall for the next two years. Anyone remember when the local government bailed out the Omni construction? You think Charlottesville will bail out the Landmark? Time will tell.
[via seevile]
The downtown mall renovations are no stranger to any of us. We all knew we would go through some annoying times with construction and all, but for the most part, the downtown mall is a PITA to walk through at the moment. Streets are blocked off, construction detours on the actual walking part of the mall make a 5 min walk 10 minutes. When will the madness end?
I spoke with a couple business owners and for the most part things are slower. Speaking about this with some friends we wonder if the city compensates its tax paying businesses in any way, shape or form for the downturn in business caused by this construction. I know, the economy also is in the pooper right now, but I am sure the construction doesn’t make it any better. What about class action lawsuits against the city for being the cause of a loss of business?
[pic from PatHayes on flickr]
From the city…
In an effort to recoup some public money in the Downtown Mall Restoration project and reduce the final cost of the project, the City of Charlottesville will sell to the public original mall bricks from the 33 year old Downtown Mall while supplies last. City officials realizes a larger demand once the project began in January and have sought to find ways to offer bricks to buyers that would not be cost-prohibitive or challenge the administrative constraints of the City. The original plan was to sell only 8,000 cleaned bricks but the unexpected demand will result in more bricks being reused rather than recycled. The City estimates that there are around 360,000 bricks on the nationally-acclaimed Downtown urban park and the goal is to have no removed bricks go unused and enter a landfill. The City plans to offer several opportunities to soon to be builders and souvenir recipients:
* Special souvenir bricks will be sold at the City’s monthly surplus property sale beginning next month on March 6th at the City Warehouse on 4th Street (WHO) for $5.00/brick (limit of 5 per customer). The WHO is open the 1st Friday of each month from Noon – 3:00 p.m. In addition pallets of 200 cleaned bricks will be sold at a reduced price at this auction.
* An online auction of un-cleaned bricks to the highest bidder through GovDeals.com and available at the Transit Center on Avon Street at future dates to be determined, and
* Sealed bid to the highest bidder (see Purchasing Department for specifics).
Bricks not sold will be ground to be used at trails throughout the city with the largest commitment of bed material for the future Route 250 trail near McIntire Park. For more information on the program, buyers can call Shannon Morris at 434-970-3865. For more information on City purchasing: www.charlottesville.org/purchasing. For an update on the restoration effort, visit www.mydowntownmall.com.
A birdie sends in this question:
Anyone know why there is a second crane at the Landmark Construction Site? Are they taking down the original crane or speeding up construction?
We just got a big letter from a Brandon Collins (presumably) complaining about the downtown mall re-bricking. It’s a very big issue and thought it should be shared with all cVillains. What do you think? We haven’t confirmed these names, so this could be a complete hoax. The letter…
Honorable members of Charlottesville City Council and City Manager Gary O’Connell,
We concerned citizens, taxpayers, and working people of Charlottesville call on you to cancel or alter the planned re-bricking and renovation of the Downtown Mall. It is our belief that maintenance and repair, rather than complete replacement, of the mall bricks can be done with less impact on business and workers, at a lesser cost to taxpayers.
Furthermore, we call for the 7.5 million dollars made available for the re-bricking project to be diverted, along with the attentions of city council and city manager, to an effort to seriously address the cost of housing in our city.
Many of you complained about our nighttime pictures from the top of the crane because the quality wasn’t so good. Hey, what can you expect with a bunch of hoodlums? We’ve had an official member of the construction site provide us with some of the sweetest pictures from the top of the crane. He said we had a better chance of winning the lottery than getting to the top, but provided these pictures instead.
Also, he reminds you that the crane is very dangerous, so don’t try to climb to the top! The first picture in the slideshow is of 560 ft VA Beach Behemoth which would tower over our little 160 ft baby beast. The rest are from Charlottesville’s Landmark Hotel Construction Site!
Pictures after the break…
We got an email from someone who didn’t like us posting pictures of someone crawling to the top of the downtown mall crane. It read:
The nighttime pictures from the top of the tower crane in C-Ville are a disservice to the community.
The pictures only invite others to try the same thing…[personally identifiable information redacted] I find your posting of the pictures irresponsible.
Will you be as quick to post the pictures of someone who falls to their death trying to copy the stunt ?
We obviously don’t want to make you guys mad, so stuff like this is your call…
