Newsletter — August 2021

Each month is special in Williamsburg for its own reason, but September is a favorite of mine. We still have August’s heat at the beginning, but it subsides to a cooler October and soon-to-be changing leaves. Today, I’m writing this particular newsletter from DoG St, where it’s much more enjoyable to sit outside in 80, rather than 90, degrees!

Here are some updates from the last month:

• Workforce Housing Taskforce: One of the items I campaigned on was finding opportunities for more affordable housing. I’m glad to be on the tail end of months of work with our Workforce Housing Taskforce. Just yesterday, Friday, we finalized voting on policies to pursue in Williamsburg. Our committee will review these one more time before recommending our findings to the full City Council, likely in October.
• ARPA Funding: I’ve had a few people reach out to me regarding the American Rescue Plan Act funding Williamsburg will receive. We are fortunate to be receiving a total of $18.4 million in two tranches, with one having arrived in July. There will certainly be an opportunity for public input on the use of these funds. That survey will come out in October and I will highlight it’s release then.
• SHOW Day: This past week, I enjoyed talking with new William & Mary students during their SHOW (Students Helping Out Williamsburg) Day. This is an annual event meant to introduce students to the broader Williamsburg community. I settled down in our beautiful Bicentennial Park (pictured) as students went around town in a scavenger hunt format.
• Comprehensive Plan: Every five years, Williamsburg reviews and releases a new Comprehensive Plan (see: Unfinished Business, Item A) focused on our land use. This 2018 Comp Plan (purposefully released after its title year) will be reviewed by Council in this upcoming week. If you have any comments on the plan, please come to our meeting to provide input!
• Cycle the Commonwealth: Lastly, I will leave for a cross-state bike ride in one week! I’m very excited for this adventure. Training is done, logistics are set, now only the pedaling is left. All in all, the route maps out to 447 miles from Bristol, VA back to Williamsburg. Along the ride, I’ll be highlighting some pretty views and pretty cool people each night in short interviews with other Climate Ambassadors with the Global Youth Climate Network.

That’s all for August. I hope you will have a great start to Fall and thank you, as always, for reading along!

With gratitude,

Caleb

*This newsletter is mine alone and does not represent the full input of Council