Councilman Fred Howe, working with local architect Raymond Herlong, has put forward another option to consider to meet future court needs. The plan calls for renovating and adding onto the Executive Plaza and renovating the existing Circuit Court building. As reported in the Free-Lance Star http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/072010/07302010/564970 a work session on the proposal is being scheduled for the end of August. I have lost count of the number of work sessions and meetings Council has had on the courts issue.

What I do know is that to date the residents of Fredericksburg, who will ultimately have to foot the bill for whatever option is decided upon, has not been given a forum in which to express their thoughts on the project. Nor has the impact of this project on the City been adequately explained.

When the City embarked on another large capital project--the construction of two new schools--Council went to great lengths to explain to the public the need for the schools, the cost to city taxpayers, and the impact on future budgets and capital projects. They also sought public input.

This has not happened in the case of the courts project in part because a majority on the Council feel we are mandated to build new facilities by the local judiciary. I have posted links to previous blog posts on the subject of the courts project which shows that this is not the case. Also for the past year a moratorium has been in place against any court action. A moratorium Council refused to support.

But even if we were to accept the view that we are facing a court order does that justify not explaining to the public the impact this project will have on their tax rates, city services, schools, and other capital projects? Should city residents not have an opportunity to get answers to their questions and concerns? And should they not have the opportunity to voice their opinions on whether the city should move forward at the current pace?

At the Council meeting of November 24, 2009 Resolution 09-118, Approving a Concept for Courthouse Development and Authorizing the City Manager to Initiate Various Pre-Development Activities (D09-612), was discussed. It was to set the City timeline on moving the downtown fire station and using the existing site for a court complex.

I moved to defer taking action on the resolution until which time, "Council address the following with the public: financing, impact on operating budget and what the City can and cannot do with the courts project." The motion was seconded by Councilman Ellis but was defeated 4-2 with the Vice Mayor being absent. I voted against the resolution which passed on a 5-1 vote.

After the vote members of Council stated that the public would have opportunities to provide public comment as the process continued such as when funds were voted on and when plans were brought forward for approval. But what about a presentation to the public explaining the impact of the project on the city and residents?

Before another vote is taken by City Council on the courts project a public hearing and presentation should be made to explain the project's impact on the tax rate, its impact on future capital projects, additional operating costs, and its impact on other city services such as public safety and schools.

Also, those members of City Council who support moving the courts project forward need to explain why they support this project. If they believe the project is being forced on the city provide specifics as to why that is the case. What are the benefits to city residents in moving this project forward now?

Some members of Council have stated that moving forward on the courts is a, "moral obligation." They need to explain how this obligation compares to the city's obligations to schools, public safety, city services and other city needs.

City residents are facing significant tax increases during a major downturn in the economy. They should expect to have the opportunity to get answers to their questions and concerns in an open forum. Council members need to provide a detailed explanation on the long term costs of the project to the city, and their reasons for moving this project forward at this time.

How do you view the process Council has taken in moving the court project forward?

This article provides a pretty clear explanation of the unusual link between El Nino and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) that caused the tremendous snows in our area this past winter.  The last time the NAO was similar to this past winter was 1995-96, which was also a snowy winter for the Mid-Atlantic, but the depth of this past winter's snow was enhanced by the extra moisture that El Nino pumped into our region. 

So far we've missed the storms that have passed through the area.  Several prolific rain producers formed just east of town and tracked away from us, but there are a few more cells still off to the north and west that may yet find their way to us.
I did manage to "chase" this afternoon in King George county, seeing only heavy rain and some lightning.  I mainly enjoyed the vistas I was blessed enough to witness, including a southern view of two separate cells with a rain free base between them over the Rappahannock River valley:
Turning around to the north I watched as an outflow boundary from a cell over the Potomac River snaked its way toward me, made visible by a ragged roll cloud that clearly exhibited upward movement along its leading edge and downward motion along the trailing edge:
As this feature passed over me a breeze cooled me down as I waited for the boundary to interact with the cells to the south.  I thought I saw the beginnings of a lowering but the storms were well on their way eastward at that point.
I headed home to check radar and promptly scooted out the driveway again to check out a local cell that was passing just to our north.  It appeared to show a lowering from a rain free base back of the rain shaft, but nothing clearly jumped out at me:

All in all I enjoyed this afternoon's storms, but nothing that I saw gave evidence to the severe TS watch we were under.

I got an email from Vanguard asking me to log into my IRA account and check out their new user interface. It is in beta and they were looking for feedback, it would only take 5 minutes, etc. When I logged in I got a pop up asking me if I or a member of my family had worked in financial services or web design in last 10 years. I checked web design and submitted the form.

Then I was informed that they didn’t want the opinion of people with a web design background, and I wasn’t allowed into the beta. That makes perfect sense, given that they are beta testing a fracking web site! Not to mention that utter cluelessness of emailing a customer and asking for their opinion, and after said customer committing to helping out an organization that he generally admires, telling said customer his opinion isn’t important.

Well played Vanguard, well played.

For various reasons I've been off the Fredericksburg Weather grid for the past few days and am just now returning to it.  Thank goodness for the relief from the triple digit heat of the past weekend.  Even though today was uncomfortably hot and humid it was nowhere near as brutal as Saturday was.  The good news is the forecast of a pretty decent cold front passage tomorrow afternoon which will likely bring some strong storms and rain to the area followed by some really nice late July weather.  In fact the forecast high temperature for Saturday is 85 degrees, only a couple of degrees higher than last Saturday's low temperature! 
The Climate Prediction Center forecast shows Virginia having decent chances for above average temperatures and precipitation over the next 8-14 days, so it sounds like the dog days of August are upon us.  Enjoy this coming weekend's weather as it may be the coolest it'll be for a while!

This easy-to-make dessert recipe can quickly be added to your low-point, food-list favorites and is sure to be enjoyed by all Banana Cream pie lovers everywhere! 
This recipe did not call for the Keebler Ready-Made Reduced-Fat Crust; but I thought it would taste better with a crust. However, if you make it without, it's only 2 pts. per slice. With the crust, it's 4 points. Whichever way you decide to make it, it's delicious. (Note: If you put this dessert in the refrigerator, it will be soft and more of a pudding pie. I froze mine until about an hour before indulging, and it was a bit more firm and more refreshing on a hot summer day!) :)
Low-Point Banana Cream Pie with Strawberries and Kiwi
Ingredients:
1 oz. fat-free, sugar-free instant banana pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
1 medium kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
1 Keebler Ready-Made, Reduced-Fat pie crust
Prepare pudding according to package recipe but use fat-free evaporated milk instead of regular skim milk. Cover bottom of pie crust with layer of sliced strawberries. Pour prepared pudding on top and garnish with remaining strawberries and kiwi slices. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Total Servings = 8
Serving size = 1
Points per serving = 4 pts.
If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this refreshing dessert, Click Here.

I have always been fascinated with true stories about hope and peace. There's something very intriguing and special listening to stories about loved ones who are ailing and still finding peace and comfort from God, even at the end of their life's journey. That is why I especially loved reading "Glimpses from Heaven", by Trudy Harris.
Trudy was a hospice nurse who has visited countless patients and witnessed their spiritual journey from life into death. The divine stories she shares from experiencing such beautiful moments is almost unexplainable but leaves you feeling honored to have shared such holiness through Trudy's experiences.
What an amazing blessing for Trudy to be a part of people's lives in such a way that few people can ever imagine; and what a blessing for Trudy's patients to have had such an extraordinary hospice nurse gently and lovingly care for them and their families at the most meaningful time in their life.
I hope you get a chance to read this beautiful book. It will quickly become very dear to your heart.

I did give chase to a convective line this afternoon...AFTER I verified that at least some storms survived their Appalachian crossing.  Unfortunately the portion of this line - associated with a front that dropped Shannon Airport's temperature into the mid-80's after a high of 104 degrees F - that passed through Fredericksburg fell apart, with the southernmost cell dumping prodigious amounts of rain juuuuuuuust north of town.  I first intercepted the line in central Stafford county where I wound up juxtaposed between the last and the next-to-last cell under a rain free base.  Keeping an eye on that base for any signs of storm organization I retreated in front of the line to the Stafford Regional Airport location where I stopped and watched as the northern cell spit out rain and lightning as the southern cell headed directly for me:
I never saw any organization, nor did I observe any lightning from the above cell, but I enjoyed the sight of the onrushing rain shaft as it approached my position:

After the rain lessened I headed south on Route 1, reaching totally dry pavement about a half-mile south of the Stafford Airport intersection.  Soooo close, but no rain for the city.  Oh, and all the decent storm activity stayed to the north as well.

What beautiful scenery. Fantastic talent. Wow, check out the cinematography….Awesome ….. Oh, what’d he say?

 I’ve watched my fair share of indie films and judging by the DVD shelf that just crashed to earth, perhaps collected a few too many. So when my movie arrived fresh from purchase I did not expect the sound to, well…. stink. (Is this mix grammatically and spiritually excusable in a blog? Dunno. I am throwing down the gauntlet and forging ahead anyway with my complaint, err, um – point! Yes, I meant to say point.)

Sound demands as much consideration as other elements. As a movie watcher I can comment freely: rain should sound exactly like rain and church bells should never sound like a cell phone ringtone. People tend to snicker in places where sentiment was the intention. How to affect quality sound is another matter and a topic best left to the experts, which I am clearly not. Heaven knows the sound police found blunders in my little student (aka free) film.

What I know for sure is that quality sound is not achieved by wishing for it or hocus pocus. I’ll have to leave my soapbox now (my minute rice is burning) and I’ll sign off with a helpful link which could be called: How to Make Sound for a Movie 101. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuJR1ND2CDM

 Why pay grad school when there’s YouTube?

~Peace,

Tina

I went to the Orange County Fair the other day to shoot a feature on the annual womanless beauty pageant. Rednecks country boys in drag, essentially. It was pretty funny, the guys were good sports but the light was terrible. And because it was 1000 degrees with 110% humidity I wanted to travel light, so I just slung two cameras with two zooms over my shoulders and was off. Stupidly, I left the strobe in the car and instead of going to get it, I tried to make do with the D300′s ISO capability. It wasn’t too bad, if you don’t mind a little digital noise.