Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Walk Audits Portal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Charlottesville Area Alliance pitches citywide walk‑audit portal; BPAC asked to weigh roles
Summary
A representative from the Charlottesville Area Alliance proposed a public portal to house walk audits, and BPAC members discussed staffing, training and how audits would feed city planning.
A representative from the Charlottesville Area Alliance outlined a proposal to create a public portal cataloging walk audits so city staff and residents could identify quick-build improvements and track follow-up.
The presenter said the project would need five roles: a coordinator, a community liaison, a field captain, a data person/mapper and a city liaison. The presenter described the coordinator as the person who would “set the calendar, running the sign ups and waivers, sending the summaries, writing the report that eventually gets filed into this catalog, and then helps to create an online portal.”
Why it matters: committee members said a catalog of standardized walk audits could speed decision-making when a new planning opportunity arises and improve transparency about which neighborhood recommendations were advanced, queued or deferred.
Implementation details discussed: The field captain would use an AARP walk-audit checklist to capture observations and geo-tag photos; the data person would maintain maps and a Google form of sign-ups; a city liaison (Tommy) would confirm feasibility and, where possible, queue quick-build requests. The presenter emphasized the need for follow-up: “Tommy's also saying, here's the walk audit that helps this quick build get to this number on the on the list. Hey, neighborhood. Just wanted to make you aware of that.”
Committee concerns and suggestions: Members raised questions about staffing, training and whether BPAC or another organization should host and sustain the effort. One member suggested the city could partner with local universities or public health graduate programs to provide trained teams. Another recommended that audits be repeated in multiple seasons and tailored to local planning cycles so the data can feed prioritization.
Next steps: The presenter said she will circulate a written draft for BPAC comment and asked members to flag which roles they would be willing to play. BPAC did not adopt the proposal or authorize funding at the meeting.
Ending: The presenter will send the draft workflow and role descriptions to committee members for two rounds of comments; BPAC will consider whether and how to participate at a future meeting.
