Author: Coy Barefoot

Investigative journalist David Kirby is the author of Evidence of Harm, a 2005 book that explores the possible relationships between autism and mercury contained in thimerosal, a preservative uses in some vaccines. In this interview from June 27, 2008, Kirby claims that the Centers for Disease Control used faulty data on one key study of vaccines. Read his article on the Huffington Post for more.

On the June 19, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville-Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with Pat Enright, CEO of local developer Dominion Development Resources, LLC (DDR). Enright discussed two major projects his firm has been involved in recently, the Northtown Center development on behalf of developer Wendell Wood, and the proposed dredging of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir.

• Northtown Center approved – Phase I of the Northtown shopping center will contain a bank and other retail. Enright described his job as”really trying to align what the client needs, with what they’re allowed to do, with what the residents are going to be impacted by.”
• Dredging – DDR has proposed that an active quarry 3,000 feet from the reservoir be used as the disposal site for dirt removed from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir. Enright admits that his company has a financial stake in that piece of land, but argues that this shouldn’t prevent citizens and government from looking at the merits of the proposal. Enright estimates the approximate cost of removing the 2 million cubic yards of dirt currently in the reservoir to be between $24-29 million dollars.

(links are to stories on Charlottesville Tomorrow)

On the June 10 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville-Right Now!” Coy Barefoot hosts a call-in discussion of the housing market with local Realtor Jim Duncan, who blogs at http://www.realcentralva.com/. The topics include:

• Duncan’s analysis of the current housing market in Central Virginia.
• Tips on how to price your house to sell in the current market.
• Public transportation- The impact of the lack of public transportation on potential buyers in the area.
• The desirability of urban living and its effect on housing prices

On the June 10 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville-Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with Brian Wheeler, the Executive Director of Charlottesville Tomorrow. The topics include:

• Meadowcreek Parkway– City Council has identified their preferred interchange design for the intersection of the proposed parkway and the Route 250 Bypass; Brian and Coy discuss the government strategy of treating each portion of the parkway as a separate project, potentially in order to avoid review of the project as a whole.
• Rivanna Station Military Base– The military is proposing the construction of a DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) facility that will accompany the expansion of the National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC). The Joint Use Intelligence Analysis Facility (JUIAF) would involve the expanded NGIC, the DIA facility, and civilian support offices built by local developer Wendell Wood.
• Light Rail transportation to Washington DC– The State of Virginia is looking into competing proposals for rail transportation from Charlottesville to Washington DC. According to Kevin Page, Chief of Rail Transportation for Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), said that the largest obstacle at the moment is the lack of funding.
• County Board of Supervisors to vote on dredging and conservation– The Board of Supervisors will vote on a resolution to explore dredging and increase water conservation efforts that will bring the Board’s intent in line with the City Council’s.
• Albemarle County Board of Supervisors considering change to minutes- County staff currently publish verbatim minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings, but the Board is set to discuss the possibility of publishing “action minutes”, a greatly condensed version, in order to save money.

On the June 9 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville-Right Now!” Coy Barefoot spoke with Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris on a variety of topics including:

• The 50 Year Community Water Supply Plan- Mayor Norris pointed out that one of the missions of the planners was supposed to be the restoration of natural stream flow to the Moormans River, and that “if you take that goal out of the equation, and say we’re not going to restore natural stream flows to the Moormans river, then it opens a whole other set of possibilities, in which dredging makes a whole lot more sense.”

• Affordable housing developments- Norris addressed concerns about the lack of affordable housing in Charlottesville, saying “every developer I’ve met with in Charlottesville gets it…the Chamber of Commerce here, for four or five years in a row has said the lack of affordable housing is the number one public policy priority in this community, so it’s not just the social justice people that are saying this is a need, the business community gets it, the employers get it, the developers get it.”
• Woolen Mills trail proposal- Norris and Barefoot also discussed a new trail in the beginning stages of development that would allow residents to “hop on your bike or walk or run up to Monticello from Downtown Charlottesville.”

On the May 27 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with Brian Wheeler, the Executive Director of Charlottesville Tomorrow. The topics include:

• Higher gas prices affect those whose children are on traveling athletic teams, and how older gas pumps can’t charge more than $3.999 a gallon.
• Local planning body holds transportation summit – how can where you live affect how much you’ll pay in gasoline costs? How will our roads and rails be planned accordingly?
• Water supply conversation continues – City Council to vote June 2 on water plan
• Fredericksburg area seeing enabling authority for regional transportation authority – Charlottesville MPO hears details
• Hillsdale Drive funding delayed
• Camelot wastewater facility running out of capacity
• New development across from Lowe’s on 29 North?