The Snow of Jan. 29 - 30, 2010

Above, the Snow of  Fri. & Sat., Jan. 29 - 30, 2010, as seen late on Mon., Feb.1.      BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL WALKING OR DRIVING; BEWARE OF BLACK ICE (which is almost invisible).

The deep snow of Dec.18 was almost (but not quite) all gone when the deep snow of Jan. 29 - 30 arrived. Most of it will probably still be with us when the predicted snow of Feb. 5 - 6 arrives (and more snow/mix is forecast for Feb. 9 & 10). And we have so often bragged to our Northern friends and relatives that, "it hardly ever snow in Virginia, and when it does, it is all gone in a day or two."

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Arts Center Bonds May Be Issued In 2011

In 2004, Chesterfield County citizens approved a bond referendum specifying $5.9M for the Chesterfield Center for the Arts, later increased to $6.9M, with the general community challenged to raise $1,081,000 in private donations to meet a target of c. $8,000,000, with a construction date of 2010.

In the light of the current downturn of the economy, the County may put off the sale of the bonds until 2012 (not 2016, as eronneously reported) with construction to also begin in 2012, with completion the same year.

The next step is to obtain funding for a capital campaign to raise the required private donations.

Proposed Electronic Signs: A Professional Engineer's View

The following remarks were given in response to a proposed electronic message sign in front of the new Firestone out near WalMart on Route 10. The topic is also pertinent to the discussion concerning  the one proposed for the corner of Chester Village Drive & Rt. 10:

January 19, 2009

Case Number: 10SN0158 Bermuda Magisterial District, HOLIDAY SIGNS

Remarks from Mike Sawyer, PE
Vice President Chester Community Association

Good Evening Mr. Chairman,

My name is Mike Sawyer and I live in Chester,VA. I am a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a highway safety expert.

I believe this case has several engineering decisions that need to be signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in the commonwealth of Virginia.

Professional Engineers review and approve plans based upon known traffic safety engineering principles to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the traveling public from hazards. Electronic Advertising Signs are a relatively new technology and recent national research has shown that there is cause for concern related to these advertising signs and their effect on driver behavior.

This research has identified and provided guidance on several traffic engineering decisions. These include, but not limited to:

Crash history and crash trends
Roadway geometrics
Sight Distance
Speed Limit
Visual clutter with existing traffic control signal operations
Size of the proposed sign
Amount of Information on the sign at any one time
Message display duration
Proximity to other signs
Text size
Message sequencing
Visual effects between messages

I would encourage you to follow the Code of Virginia tonight and require that a professional engineer sign and seal these engineering decisions from a highway safety perspective and require a report on how these engineering requirements were applied to the specific case and context. Each evaluation is independent and the professional engineer’s recommendation should lead the discussion, not be an afterthought. The health, safety, and welfare of the traveling public can ask for no less.

This case is on a dangerous corridor and as far as I know there is no professional engineering seal on the plans; therefore I strongly oppose this case. These engineering decisions should not be left to the whims of salesmen and advertisers.

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Report on Jan. 6, 2010, Board Meeting

Our Home Owners' Association Board of Directors met at 7:00 PM, Wed., Jan. 6, in the Arts Center office.

Board members present: Howard Corey (Pres.), Jack Mayer (Treasurer), Arlene Ripp (Secretary), & Andrew MCauley, and Florence Harrison (Asso. Mgr,). Absent: Robert Tierney (Vice Pres.). Eleven home owners were also present.


1) Treasurer's report: There is sufficient uncommitted cash available to take care of all current needs. Since snow removal in the current contract with Unlimited Landscaping was changed to billing-per-incident, the Dec. snow removal cost $8,225. Snow was removed quickly and efficiently.
 
2) Minutes of the Dec. meeting were approved as read by the Secretary.
 
3) Current concerns: 
    The Goose problem --Mitchell Patterson reported on a meeting with the owner of a company that specializes in controlling goose populations. The owner submitted material describing varkious options. They will now be asked to submit a specific proposal based on our specific situation.
    The fountain --It is not presently operating because of an electrical short related to icing. From now on it will be turned off from Dec. 15 - March 15.
    The proposed electronic sign for the corner of Rt. 10 & Chester Village Dr. --Business owners will meet and draw up a broad, inclusive list of concderns to be added to our concerns before a letter is sent to our county supervisor.
 
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Neighborhood Watch Police Report for CVG