Albemarle County was presented with a Virginia Association of Counties Achievement Award for 2021 today, for the Court Square Community Conversation and At Ready Statue Removal project.
VACo Achievement Awards recognize excellence in local government programs.
“I want to thank VACo for recognizing Albemarle County’s Court Square Community Conversation and At Ready Statue Removal project with this award. As I witnessed this effort firsthand, I saw how the intentional community engagement process, strong logistics planning, and coordinated public safety framework contributed to a statue removal that allowed the community to participate safely and without incident,” said Ned Gallaway, Chair of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.
The Court Square Community Conversations launched in February 2020 and consisted of a series of tours, facilitated conversations, and learning around memorialization and public memory in public space and Albemarle County’s historic Court Square.
The community engagement process was designed to inform the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors decision-making around whether to remove, move, or contextualize the At Ready monument located in Court Square. At Ready was removed on Sept. 12, 2020.
“I want to thank all who participated in the 19th year of the Achievement Awards,” VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch said. “Our counties face challenges every day, and those challenges are written in these program submissions. What’s also written are the innovative solutions that overcome these obstacles to make life better for communities across the Commonwealth. We celebrate these victories with all who participated.”
Albemarle County was one of 30 recipients, out of 102 submissions.
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