Ainsley Kirby, Elizabeth Tarkington Lee,
Carrielyn Rhea & Rebecca Sudduth
December 2011
Fluvanna County, Virginia
Using Anderson & McFarlane’s Community-As-Partner Model
and the Assessment Wheel
HISTORY & DEMOGRAPHICS
History
• Formed in the 1st year of the Commonwealth of
Virginia on June 19, 1777
• Fluvanna is Latin for river or flowing Anne
• Local museums: Old Stone Jail Museum, Fork Union
Military Academy Museum, Pace Family Museum
• National Register of Historic Places: Bremo
Plantations, Bremo Slave Chapel, Fluvanna County
Courthouse Historic District, Glen Arvon, Point of
Fork, Point of Fork Arsenal
(Bearr, 1998)
2010 Demographics
• Population: 25,691 people (Va = 8,001,024)
• 28.2% population increase since the 2000
census, is the fastest growing county in
Virginia
• Ethnicity:
– White = 80.7%
(Va = 68.6%)
– Black = 15.3%
(Va = 19.4%)
– Hispanic or Latino = 3.0% (Va = 7.9%)
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51/51065.html
2010 Demographics - 2
• Gender: Females = 53.8% (Va = 50.9%)
• Age:
– 6.2% under the age of 5
(Va = 6.4%)
– 23% under the age of 18
(Va = 23.2%)
– 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older
(Va = 12.2%)
– The median age was 38 years
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51/51065.html
THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
2010 Statistics
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•
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Total land area = 286.01 sq. mi (Va = 42,774.2 sq mi)
Natural water = 2.8 sq. mi
Persons/sq. mile = 89.8 (Va = 202.6)
Housing units = 8,018 (Va = 3,364,939)
Persons below poverty level = 7.2% (Va = 10.6%)
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51/51065.html
Physical Environment
• Towns: Palmyra, Fork Union, Bremo Bluff,
Columbia, Dixie, Troy, Carysbrook, and a small
part of Scottsville
• Beautiful rolling hills, dense with trees and
waterways
• Large areas of valuable farmland
• Great air quality
• Fair water quality
• Quiet and peaceful
Windshield survey, 2011
Community profile, 2007
Lake Monticello
• A large gated community located in Palmyra
• Originated as a retirement community in 1970s
and later opened to people of all ages
• Population: 6,852 people Size: 8.78 sq. miles
• Has its own man-made lake with 5 sandy
beaches, golf course, stocked fishing pond,
several playgrounds, swimming pool, tennis,
basketball, & bocce courts, marina, clubhouse
with dining, walking track, full-time security, an
on location fire and rescue
• Majority of businesses in Fluvanna
County are located outside of the
gates of Lake Monticello
http://lmoa.org/index.htm
Physical Environment: Land Use
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Farmland = 25.6%
Forested land = 74.2%
Open space = 1%
Water = 0.5%
http://www.co.fluvanna.va.us/compplan/Comp%20Plan%202009/ch2%20-%20Land%20Use.pdf
EDUCATION
Fluvanna County Schools
• Public School:
• 3 Elementary schools (Columbia, Cunningham, and Central)
• 1 Middle school (Fluvanna MS)
• 1 High school (Fluvanna HS)
• Preschools
• 11 preschools throughout county
• Institutions of Higher Education
• Close proximity to UVA and Piedmont
Community College
• Private Schools
• 4 Private schools
www.co.fluvanna.va.us
Public Schools
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•
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•
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3,705 students enrolled
All schools fully accredited
Highest on-time graduation rate in state (93.3%)
Second lowest drop out rate in state (2.68%)
76% of high school graduates go on to further
education
• All classrooms equipped with
computers
• New high school building due
to open in 2012
http://www.fluco.org
SAFETY & GOVERNMENT
Transportation & Safety
• 79% of residents commute to work
• Average commute is 29.5 minutes
• Fluvanna County offers other options for
commuting, such as:
• Rideshare
• JAUNT
• These options are
under-utilized
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/print/virgini
a/fluvanna
Transportation & Safety - 2
• Road conditions:
• Two lane roads with no shoulders in most of
the county
• Poor or no lighting
• Limited amount of guardrails
• High motor vehicle crash death rate in
Fluvanna County
(27 per 100,000 people vs.
13 per 100,000 for the state)
Windshield survey, 2011
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/print/virginia/fluvanna
Safety & Rescue
Fluvanna County has the following safety
departments:
• Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office
• Virginia State Police
• Lake Monticello Police Department
• Fire and Rescue
• Local Emergency Planning
Committee
http://www.co.fluvanna.va.us/compplan
Politics & Government
• County Seat: Palmyra
• Board of Supervisors: 7 elected members
• Administration of state laws in the county
• Approve and enforce county ordinances
• Approve annual county budget
• Determine and levy county taxes
• Supervise county governmental affairs
http://www.co.fluvanna.va.us/planning/plancomm.htm
Politics & Government - 2
• Constitutional Officers – elected; serve
Virginia and Fluvanna County
• Committees and Commissions – appointed by
Board of Supervisors, includes the Planning
Commission
• School Board – 7 elected members serve the
Fluvanna County Public Schools
• 16,745 registered voters in county
http://lwvfluvannacounty.org/Federal_Officials.html
HEALTH
Health & Social Services - 2
• 52 Healthcare providers including family
medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics,
dentists, psychiatrists, physical therapists &
optometrists
• PCP: citizen ratio is 1,968:1 (Va = 806:1)
• No hospitals in county; close proximity to
Martha Jefferson Hospital and UVA Medical
Center
• County Health Department
• Department of Social Services
• In the Thomas Jefferson Health
District
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/virginia/fluvanna/
Health Statistics
• Life expectancy = 77.1 (US = 76.5)
• Binge drinking = 15%
(Va = 17%)
• Drunk driving fatalities 15 per 100,000
(Va = 5 per 100,000)
• Obesity = 28%
(Va = 27%)
• Smoking = 10%
(Va = 20%)
• Teen pregnancy = 30 per 1,000
(Va = 36 per 1,000)
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/virginia/fluvanna/
COMMUNICATION, ECONOMICS &
RECREATION
Communication
• Four Newspapers
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The Daily Progress
Fluvanna Review
The Central Virginian
The Rural Virginian
• Informal: telephone, internet, limited cell phone
service & cable tv
• Social gatherings at churches, schools, library, sporting
events, and commercial centers
• Board of Supervisors meetings and decisions
are published
• 5 Post Offices
www.co.fluvanna.va.us/econdev/FluvannaJan07.pdf
Economics
• Most residents commute outside the county to work
• Number of new businesses in the county is rising faster
than anywhere else in Central Virginia
• Rotating door of local businesses within the county
• Major employers within the county include local
schools, jail, Fork Union Military Academy, forestry,
family farms
• Unemployment rate 5.2% (Va = 6.3% & US = 9.1%)
• Cost of living index = 86.9 (US = 100)
http://www.city-data.com/county/Fluvanna_County-VA.html
Recreation
• Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation offers:
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Youth and Adult Sports
Driver Improvement classes
CPR classes
Fitness and wellness classes for adults and seniors
Preschool socialization and education classes
Seasonal movie nights, workshops, & celebration
Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation, 2011
Recreation - 2
• Camp Friendship – retreat center & youth and
adult camps
• Fluvanna Heritage Trail – walking, biking, &
equestrian trails
• Farm activities – apple, peach, & pumpkin
picking, seasonal farm festivals, Old Farm Day
• Carysbrook - plays and music shows
• Several waterways & parks for
recreational activities
STRENGTHS & STRESSORS
Strengths of Fluvanna County
• Environment
– Good air quality
– Variety of natural resources
– Recreational opportunities
• Education
– Well-funded
– High graduation rate
– Most students go on to further education and have
several nearby institutions to choose from
• Low cost of living
• Low unemployment rate
• Longer life expectancy
Stressors in Fluvanna County
• Limited transportation options
• High binge drinking rate, high drunk driving
rate, & high MVA rate
• Poor water quality
• Low PCP to citizen ratio and lack of specialists
• Shortage of major employers in the county
• Population growth threatens small
government infrastructure &
environmental development
Community Diagnoses
I.
Potential for increase or lack of improvement in rate
of motor vehicle crashes in Fluvanna County related
to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
2 lane roads with no shoulders
Poor or no lighting
Limited guardrails
Non-enforcement of speed limits
High rate of drunk driving and binge drinking
Limited transportation options outside of private vehicles
As demonstrated by:
• Motor vehicle crash death rate of 27 per 100,000 (Va =
13 per 100,000)
• Resident concern
• Limited county police patrols
Community Diagnoses - 2
II. Risk for Contamination: Community:
Accentuated risk of exposure to environmental
contaminants from water contamination in
doses sufficient to cause adverse health effects
in Fluvanna County residents as reflected by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Cases of folliculitis from swimming in Lake Monticello seen
in area health clinics
High coliform count in Lake Monticello
Soil erosion from county wide logging
Use of private vehicles as mode of transportation
Aging septic systems
Sustained high rate of population growth and housing
development
Community Diagnoses - 3
As demonstrated by:
• Water quality score of Lake Monticello
2.1 out of 10
• Most common household well/spring/cistern
water quality found high sodium and
manganese, low pH, and presence of coliform
bacteria
• Worsening water quality in bodies of water
when water has high flows. Water has high
phosphorus, total suspended solids, and fecal
coliform
References
Bearr, D.W.C. ed. (1998). Historic Fluvanna in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Fluvanna County Historical
Society. Palmyra Press, Palmyra, VA.
Community profile: Fluvanna county, VA (2007). Retrieved from http://www.co.fluvanna.va.us
Fall recreation program guide. (2011). [Data Source]. Fluvanna County Parks and Recreation
Fluvanna County 2011 Census Data. Retrieved on October 5, 2011 from http://quickfacts.census.gov.
Fluvanna County City Data. Retrieved on November 11, 2011 from http://citydata.com/county/Fluvanna_County-VA.html.
Fluvanna County Comprehensive Plan 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2011 from
http://www.co.fluvanna.va.us.
Fluvanna County Health Rankings. Retrieved on October 5, 2011 from
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/virginia/fluvanna/.
Fluvanna County Planning Commission. Retrieved on November 11, 2011 from
http://www.co.fluvanna.va.us/planning/plancomm.htm.
Fluvanna County Public Schools. Retrieved on November 6, 2011 from http://www.fluco.org/.
Lake Monticello: Lake management plan. (2004). Retrieved from http:// www.lmoa.com
Windshield Survey (October 2011). Old Farm Days on October 1 and drive around Fluvanna County on
October 4 by assessment group members.