A proposal to add artificial turf fields at Darden Towe Park has been an issue in this year’s 2022 –23 budget discussions in Albemarle County. In a work session on March 23, 2022, county staff presented information to the Board regarding playing fields inventory and existing needs assessment. Staff also presented a history of the proposal to add synthetic turf fields and lighting at Darden Towe Park, including a pre-design study conducted before the project was paused during the pandemic and an update on the evolution of the approach for athletic fields. On April 27, 2022, the BOS convened another work session for final discussion of the athletic fields. County staff presented a summary of responses to Board questions regarding, among other topics, natural grass turf fields vs. synthetic turf fields.
In the public hearing prior to the Board discussion and vote, Kirk Bowers, representing the
Piedmont group, expressed opposition to artificial turf because it is damaging to the local environment. Artificial turf is made of plastic,is difficult to recycle and reuse, and when it breaks down, chemicals and plastic materials escape into the environment. It compacts the soil and creates an inhospitable environment for organisms living there. The other commenter, representing the Soccer Organization of Charlottesville Albemarle (SOCA), spoke in support of using artificial turf.
Following a debate about funding of artificial turf and lighting at soccer fields, voting resulted in a tie, which led to the decision to take no action. The Piedmont Chapter thanks Supervisors Ann Mallek, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley and Jim Andrews for their votes in opposition to authorizing funds for artificial turf.
Kirk A Bowers, PE, Conservation Chair
Plastic pollution is a major problem plaguing Virginia’s environment. In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly authorized cities and counties to adopt a 5-cent tax on disposable plastic bags, with the proceeds going toward environmental cleanup, educational efforts to reduce pollution, and to provide reusable bags for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) benefits. Several Virginia municipalities have enacted enabling ordinances. The Piedmont Group of the VA Chapter of the Sierra Club has been working to persuade the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County to adopt a plastic bag tax. We are happy to announce that in May 2022, Albemarle County adopted an ordinance that will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
The Piedmont Group formed an ad hoc plastic bag tax committee in the summer of 2021, which received help from a UVA class that researched plastic bag pollution and measures to combat it. The committee collaborated with other environmental groups, as well as with municipalities who were in the process of developing a bag tax proposal. Relying in part on great work done in northern VA communities, we developed a set of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to send to the County and City.
Members of the committee made presentations to the City Council and the Albemarle Board of Supervisors, requesting passage of an ordinance and ensuring our support for its implementation. The County has adopted an ordinance that will go into effect at the beginning of next year. We continue to urge the City Council to adopt a similar measure.
Representatives of both municipalities expressed concern about the impact of a bag tax on our area’s lower income residents. In partial response, the Piedmont Group ExComm authorized purchase of reusable bags for free distribution. In early May, Piedmont members Michael Pillow and Spencer Phillips distributed 40 reusable cloth bags at the Loaves and Fishes food pantry (see photo.) We also distributed bags at the Farmers’ Market on June 11. We intend to schedule additional distributions, as well as work with the County on further preparing residents for the implementation of the tax.
Michael Pillow
In 2007, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution that September 15th of each year be observed as International Day of Democracy. The Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the state of our democracy and have discourse on issues currently facing our Democracy. With approval and support from the Piedmont Group and Virginia Chapter, a plan was initiated and developed to organize an event to honor and recognize International Day of Democracy on September 10, 2022.
America is reeling from the effects of the January 6 insurrection. But the damage to our democracy did not stop after January 6, 2021. State legislatures passed waves of voter suppression laws across the United States putting us all at risk for election of authoritarian public officials.
Online ecosystems are rife with misinformation and disinformation, and continue to sow distrust among our citizens and threaten many of our democratic institutions. These trends have raised questions about whether the public has begun to lose faith in democracy, and have led many of us to ask what can be done to strengthen popular understanding of and support for democracy.
At this very divisive time in the history of this nation, we cannot take our freedoms for granted—we have to work for them. Our democracy is undergoing a struggle to determine the future direction of this country. Many of the laws and rights outlined in the Constitution, and many of our traditions and institutions are being attacked, distorted, misrepresented, and challenged by extremist groups, elected officials and the courts.
Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by individuals, communities, governing bodies and all of civil society, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality. Our actions today will have a significant impact on whether our democracy continues.
A diverse group of local organizations has joined together to plan an event and prepare local government proclamations for International Democracy Day. Further details of the event will be broadcast in the next edition of this newsletter. You are invited to join in a collaborative effort to promote and celebrate our democracy, which is increasingly and alarmingly being threatened at all levels of government. Contact Kirk Bowers for questions and information.
Kirk Bowers, PE, Conservation Chair, Piedmont Group