The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - UVA Board Of Visitors Meeting Wednesday-Friday; Will Board Of Visitors Make Big Changes At UVA

Episode Date: June 3, 2025

The I Love CVille Show headlines: UVA Board Of Visitors Meeting Wednesday-Friday Will Board Of Visitors Make Big Changes At UVA When Tubby’s Closes, What Will Replace It? Uplift Gym & Wellness Club Opening Downtown Downtown Mall To Receive Taxpayer Funding City Council Considering Utilities Rate Increases Neil Williamson & Emily Kilroy, 1015am Friday Downtown Executive Offices For Rent (Contact Us) Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible, Rumble and iLoveCVille.com.

Welcome to the I Love Seville show. Viewers and listeners, thank you kindly for joining us. Good Tuesday afternoon to you and thank you kindly for joining us on a program that's the water cooler of conversation for Charlottesville, Almara County and Central Virginia, a dynamic region, a region led by the University of Virginia, a brand that is searching for its soul, it's searching for its heartbeat, it's searching for its path for a near future and its path for a long-term future.

The UVA Board of Visitors, which is basically the bosses of the University of Virginia, the folks that the president, Jim Ryan, reports to. The BOV meets tomorrow. The BOV meets Wednesday, which is tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. So over these next three days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we will potentially have some changes announced by the Glenn Yonkin appointed majority controlled board of visitors. Are those changes going to yield change atop the totem pole with Jim Ryan? Will

the president be replaced? There's monumental, monumental rumor mill around Jim Ryan's job status right now. So much so that retired faculty, retired deans and one retired athletic director, Craig Littlepage, signed a letter and released it to the media yesterday, voicing their support of Jim Ryan and frankly throwing significant shade at the Jefferson council. There was also a ‑‑ what was the ‑‑ I've now lost the phrase that Jim Ryan's underlink ‑‑

Sign‑on letter. There was a sign‑on letter also created over the weekend and released yesterday to the public by a Jim Ryan lieutenant and this sign on letter basically crowd sourced support for the president and again tried to throw some shade at the Jefferson council. Goodness gracious. We now in two separate efforts have nearly 20 retired faculty deans and one retired athletic director creating and authoring a letter supporting Jim Ryan while at the very same time an effort

made by a Jim Ryan lieutenant to crowd source support for the president and get folks to digitally sign a letter online to support the embattled skipper of the University of Virginia, all happening at the very same time that the Board of Visitors is meeting tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, all happening at the very same time that Brian O'Connor divorces the University of Virginia, leaves the University of Virginia in a demoralized, disheartened, depressed and downtrodded state as he heads to the Southeastern Conference. Goodness gracious, the storylines are significant here on the I Love Seaville Network, which its studio is just two miles from Davenport, The Dish, the John Paul Jones Arena, Scott Stadium, Jim Ryan's office and the University of Virginia.

A lot we're going to cover on the program. We ask you, the viewer and listener, to like and share the show. We work hard for you. The only thing we ask in return, you hit that like button, you share the show, you help us spread the gospel. A lot I want to cover on the program, including tubbies. We broke that news for you yesterday. Ladies and gentlemen, the institutional sandwich eatery and deli ‑‑ I mean, goodness gracious, it's a bit what? Deli, a bit sandwich eatery, a bit diner. Been around since 1982. June 27th, the final day of operation for Tubby's. June 28th in auction for the East High Street icon where the equipment is basically on fire sale. Pennies on the dollars, nickels on the dollars, dimes

on the dollars, you can buy that equipment. What is the best use for Tubby's on East High Street when this icon finally closes its doors later this month? We'll talk about that on the I Love Seville show today. I want to highlight a new business opening in downtown Charlottesville on today's program, Uplift Gym and Wellness Club. I walk by it often while on the downtown mall. I'll highlight Conan Owen if he's watching the program for putting this on my radar. Interesting concept. An upscale gym, Judah, in the old silver chair building location, also a wellness club and some co-working space at this particular location. How is an upscale gym, wellness club, co-working space going to impact the downtown mall. Positively, we all hope a 19-year-old entrepreneur behind

this significant renovation of the former Silver Chair headquarters on the downtown mall, a 19-year-old, the CEO of Uplift, he's investing a boatload of money, buying a boat load of gym equipment, a boat load of recovery equipment, and a boat load of equipment associated to co‑working spaces in a building that was previously a headquarters for a ‑‑ how would you characterize Silver Chair and what they were doing? They did like educational databases, digital databases for knowledge, digital organization, software is what Silver Chair did. I'm curious to see how uplift plays out. I'm very curious to see how this business model materializes without parking at its doorstep. Generally parking and gyms go hand in hand. Maybe that's different here

with uplift. A lot we're going to cover on the program, ladies and gentlemen, including taking your questions. We will talk city council looking to raise taxes. Yet again, this one on utility rates. And how about Sam Sanders, the city manager in the news. He says we're going to allocate money from our city budget, from taxpayer dollars to the downtown mall to improve the experience of downtown Charlottesville. What is the experience downtown Charlottesville needs to improve upon? I have a clear‑cut answer for that. It's going to get me in trouble with some activists that watch the program, but folks, my skin is quite thick. If you want to make the downtown mall better, you clean up the homeless population that's

going on in downtown Charlottesville. You want to make the downtown mall a little bit better, you make it safer. You make it more appealing for families. You create more experiences in downtown Charlottesville. That's the first step, Sam Sanders. We'll highlight what the city manager is doing and how he's looking to improve downtown Charlottesville. So much to cover on the I Love Seville show including ladies and gentlemen, on Friday at 10.15 a.m. on this very network, Neil Williamson

will join us, the president of the free enterprise forum, and he's welcoming Emily Kilroy, Albemarle County's economic development director in studio on the I Love Seaville Network, Neil Williamson, and the economic development director of Albemarle County, Emily Kilroy. Judah Wickauer on a two-shot. The jack of all trades, the jack of all wits, the wizard of the I Love Seaville Network, which headline most intrigues you today today and why Judah Wickauer? I think it's sad that we're losing Tubby's, but I'm curious about who will ‑‑ who finds the

space attractive. Chad Wood, Margie King Collins, Kevin Yancey, welcome to the broadcast. Print media, television media, radio media, welcome to the broadcast, media in Richmond, Virginia, welcome to the broadcast. Tubby's is a unique place. It is large from a square foot standpoint. You have a sit down restaurant in Tubby's. It doesn't have table service. There's a pickup window.

You bring it to your table. The food and beverage business is transitioning to much smaller footprints. We highlighted this yesterday on the Monday edition of the I Love Seville Show. When Buffalo Wild Wings, BW3's, announces in the Charlottesville market, it's transitioning its concept to a BW3 go concept, which is delivery and takeout only, and away from what made BW3's popular, massive restaurants, huge bar, TVs everywhere for viewing sports,

draft beer and wings, an in-person experience, it suggests that maybe the Tubby's location is a dinosaur, maybe the Yellow Pages, maybe Morse Code, maybe the Carrier Pigeon, maybe the dial phone that you put a quarter in and you call somebody from. Does the Tubby space need to be chopped up, ladies and gentlemen? We saw that on the downtown mall during the pandemic, post COVID. Wilson Richie, the late great entrepreneur and restaurateur, known for revolutionary soup, known for the whiskey jar, known for hog waller brewing, Wilsonitchie, Cafe Frank, Wilson Ritchie, Duner's Restaurant, Wilson Ritchie.

He bought the downtown grill, the building on the downtown mall. And one of the things he did, and ladies and gentlemen, I said when the downtown grill closed during COVID, I was the first to say that these big restaurants, like the downtown grill, like Wild Wing Cafe, need to be chopped into smaller spaces. The late great Wilson Ritchie, a guest on the I Love Sevo show, routinely would watch and listen to the I Love Sevo show,

and a gentleman with a sharp acumen. He did just that. He bought the downtown grill building, he cut it in half, now home to the Bebedera, which he was a founder of, along with River Hawkins and Rockfish Brewery. Does the Tubby's location need to be cut and chopped down to help from an overhead standpoint? We'll talk about that today on the I Love Seaville Show.

And speaking of East High Street, goodness gracious, one of the best businesses out there, Charlottesville Sanitary Supply, 61 years in the game. John Vermillion, Andrew Vermillion, Charlottesville Sanitary Supply, 61 years in the game. John Vermillion, Andrew Vermillion, Charlottesville Sanitary Supply is what keeps the Miller Pool, our pool, my family pool, clean and looking super duper blue. The water quality A plus thanks to

Charlottesville Sanitary Supply. Ladies and gentlemen, online at charlottesvillesanitarysupply.com and located on East High Street, Charlottesville Sanitary Supply, the Vermillion family, multigenerational here in Alamaro County. One-shot me, Judah, I'll weave you in as you make that one-shot dynamic. The Board of Visitors meets tomorrow, Thursday and Friday right here in Charlottesville, Virginia.

And the chitter-chatter, the scuttlebutt, the rumor mill, the water cooler conversation, not just here on the I Love Seville show, but in circles all over the city, all over Alamaro County, has Jim Ryan on a seat so hot that Tony Elliott would say, wow, mine is cooled compared to you, Jimbo. Does the Board of Visitors make a move with the President of the University of Virginia? Glenn Youngkin's got majority control on the BOV. And Jim Ryan supporters right now in very vocal and visible fashion are going to bat for their guy. And I appreciate their effort. I applaud them for their effort. You got former faculty, former deans,

a former athletic director, authoring a letter and sending it to the media, vocalizing their support for Jim Ryan while throwing the Jefferson Council under the bus. You got a Jim Ryan lieutenant that is circulating across all social media platforms a call to action, asking whoever reads it to sign a digital letter in support,

crowd sourcing support for Jim Ryan, the embattled president of the University of Virginia. Does the BOV make a move tomorrow, Thursday and Friday? The timing is extremely compelling, coincidental, damning, because in the last couple of days, Brian O'Connor, the baseball coach, paid $1,400,000 a year, has divorced himself from the University of Virginia from Carla Williams in a baseball program that he's led for 22 straight years, a national champion, Brian O'Connor, and he's heading for the Southeastern Conference. If you did not listen to the Jerry and Jerry show this morning, you missed one of the best pieces of content

that I've ever been a part of. Jerry Hootie Radcliffe was magnificent. During that show, I relayed a firsthand perspective story that I was a part of. When I attended the University of Virginia, prior to my third year at UVA, I took a part-time job at the Daily Progress.

I was a good writer. I loved sports. I did not have a single newspaper clip on my resume. Nothing for the Cavalier Daily, nothing for a high school newspaper. I went into the Daily Progress with a couple of essays that I had written for a creative writing class En-Warr at the University of Virginia during my second year. I saw Hootie Radcliffe at

one of the cubicles right when you walked into the newsroom. I recognized Jerry Radcliffe because his photo was in the newspaper next to his columns. I said, goodness gracious, here's the man I need to impress. I said, Mr. Ratcliffe, here are my creative writing clips. I don't have any newspaper clips. I like a part-time job with you, sir. He got my creative writing essays, hard copy paper, put them down on a stack of newspapers next to his desk. He was eating a Wendy's combo meal at the time, a big bacon classic. He said, why don't you sit down, son? The sports editor of the newspaper pulls a chair over for me, sits me down next to him in his cubicle. He says, tell me about

yourself. I let him know I'm from Williamsburg. I let him know I went to a Catholic school. I let him know I was a sports fan. I let him know I had a gift for writing and love to write. And I said I'd do whatever it take, whatever it took to get a job working for him. He said I appreciate your hustle. I remember it clear as day. I appreciate your hustle. I'll give you a chance. Ten days later I was covering a volleyball game at the Covenant School, a girls' volleyball game, ladies and gentlemen. I worked my ass off. I showed up early, I stayed late, I tried my best to every day do what was expected of me and more. I started to gain trust of Jerry Radcliffe. He starts giving me other assignments. And just after coming on the

job as a stringer, as a part-timer, it's called a stringer in the newspaper business, where I was making $30 a story, ladies and gentlemen, plus being reimbursed from my mileage to and from the event, Jerry Radcliffe, during the dog days of Virginia baseball, sent me to Davenport Field to the dish. Neither name was present at that point. Neither donation was made for naming rights.

He said, look, the beat rider for Virginia sports is on a lacrosse assignment. And I have some recruiting work that I need to do. I want you to go to that baseball diamond over there at the University of Virginia and to go to this press box and the press box at the time was an absolute shack on stilts and he said I want you to cover the the the head coach that's coming to take over for Dennis Womack his name is Brian O'Connor he's in his early 30s and he used to be the pitching coach at Notre Dame and now he's taken over for

this team that well really there's like 20, 30 fans that go to the baseball game. I said, you know what, I'm on it. And I got there early. I went to the press box that was a shack. It was a shanty town. It was falling down. It was on stilts.

I walked up into the press box and I said, good God, the Louisa County football team, the Lions Den has a press box that's better than this. I'm waiting there, I'm the only person there. Then Jeff White, the beat writer for UVA Sports walks in from the Richmond Times Dispatch. Jeff White, an icon in the game, now a sports information or content creator,

sports information director or content creator for UVA Athletics, Jeff White. He walks in. I'm sitting there in a room with no one else, with one of the icons in the game, Jeff White, who I believe still lives in Crozet. Then Mike Colley, the sports information director for UVA athletics, he's since passed away,

Mike Colley walks in. And Brian O'Connor is right behind him. Coach O'Connor was probably 32 years old. Young, no gray hair, super skinny, did not have the stress of being a head coach for 22 years in the Atlanta Coast Conference, yet on his face. And for the next hour, me, a peon at the Daily Progress working for $30 a story, Jeff White of the Richmond Times Dispatch,

who everyone read in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Mike Colley, the Sports Information Director, and Brian O'Connor, who did not really know a damn thing about Virginia baseball at the time, not who UVA's rivals were, not anything about Charlottesville, Virginia. We spent the next hour talking. And in that meeting, on one of his first days in Charlottesville I fell

in love with Brian O'Connor. I fell in love with his straightforwardness, his honesty, his commitment to hard work, his passion for baseball. It was obvious the guy had leadership talent and skill set. It was contagious to be around Brian O'Connor and I had the luxury of covering Brian O'Connor's first day on the job. This was literally his introductory press conference. Twenty-two years later, the man is a national championship head coach and a guy who's capable of taking a couple of loaves of bread and some fishes and feeding the thousands. Today he's in Starkville, Mississippi, divorced from the Virginia baseball program with all signs pointing to the athletic

director Carla Williams as being the problem. And as I highlighted on the Jerry and Jerry show this morning, when you're the CEO of a company and you're making over a million dollars a year in compensation and $250,000 of additional money in performance bonuses, when your football program has the worst record of any of the programs in power football over the last three years, which Carla's does. When you have a Scott Stadium attendance that on a good day has 25,000 or 30,000 people at it, it seats 60, so it's not even half full.

When you lose your national championship basketball coach in Tony Bennett, when your basketball team fails to make the NCAA tournament, when you lose your national championship baseball coach, when your baseball team fails to make the NCAA tournament the postseason, when your men's lacrosse team finishes with a sub 500 record, when your athletic department says to fans, you will pay us more money if you want seats at the John Paul Jones arena and if you don't give us more money, screw you, we'll give it to the highest bidder. All that is

happening at the same time Carla Williams got a clandestine contract extension and more additional money. And her bulletproof vests, her Teflon, her protection is Jim Ryan. And the president of the University of Virginia, ladies and gentlemen, right now is on a seat so hot that Donald Trump is looking over at him and saying, goodness gracious, my job is a piece of cake to yours, Jim Bo Ryan. Will the University of Virginia's board of visitors

in the next 72 hours, 96 hours, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, make changes at the top of the totem pole and how far do they trickle down? Do they trickle to the athletic department and the AD? Do they trickle to a new coaching search with the baseball program? These are questions we have to ask. And I'll tell you right now, if you're the Jefferson Council, you're running out of time, because there are not that many meetings left.

And Glenn Youngkin's term as governor of the Commonwealth is in the bottom of the eighth inning. So you're running out of time as well. What a time to be alive in Charlottesville, Virginia, ladies and gentlemen. I have never in my 25 years of living in Charlottesville, Virginia, 25 years gentlemen. I have never in my 25 years of living in Charlottesville, Virginia, 25 years, I attended UVA as a first year. I'm now a father and a married man.

My wife and I are eighth wedding anniversary today. Been together 10 years, married eight, two wonderful boys. I've been following the University of Virginia my entire life, more than 40 years. And never have been following the University of Virginia my entire life, more than 40 years, and never have I seen the University of Virginia in this kind of brand purgatory, this kind of soul searching, this kind of image crossroads,

this kind of tumultuous activity. And it's about damn time that the head of the University of Virginia figures out how to right the ship and be the North Star. And if the head of the University of Virginia does not have the skillset to say, look, I have the effing compass in my hand, and the direction to hope and positivity,

the direction to stable C is this way, follow me to freedom. If we don't have that now, it's about damn time that a change is made. Carly Wagner, thank you for the happy wedding anniversary comment. Eight years for my wife and I, two crazy boys that we are so proud of, a seven-year-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old. We figured out who our two-and-a-half-year-old most reminds us of over the weekend when another couple visited us with their four-year-old boy and their one-year-old daughter. Our youngest son reminds

us of the honey badger. Honey badger don't care. Honey badger don't care. And that is our youngest boy. Whether he is urinating on the deck and trying to lap it up like a back alley cat licking dumpster milk or he's running around our house ripping the leather off our couch, trying to jump off the deck, parachute off his bed, climb the steps knowing he's not ready to do so, jump in our pool without swimmies on, eating us out of house and home, we are challenged but we wouldn't have life any other way. And no, ma'am, Carly Wagner, it is not time for number three. That I can say with confidence and conviction. So many comments coming in on the Tuesday edition of the I Love Seaville show. Judy Woodcower studio camera on

a two shot. The Board of Visitors, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Judy Woodcower, if you were a betting man, will we see significant change made or announced by close of business this week? Are they going to have trouble with the fact they still have the previous rector? Robert Hardy. He sets the agenda. He controls the meeting. He's without question in the agenda. He controls the meeting. He's without question in the minority a Ralph

Northrum appointment, 13 of the board Yonkin appointments. It's a good question. I'm not sure if they've got what it takes to oust Jim Ryan without those last two appointments. Viewers and listeners, let us know your thoughts. Jason Noble, thank you for the happy anniversary comments. Marge King Collins, thank you for the happy anniversary comments. And I believe Cuccinelli is proposing something that would essentially leave

Jim Ryan less power in a small way. Ken Cuccinelli, C Kuch, ladies and gentlemen, in the crossfire of UVA students as a petition is circulated by UVA students opposing the appointment of Kuch to the Board of Visitors. John Blair on LinkedIn, congratulations on your anniversary. As to the Jefferson Council, John Blair

says, I'm curious, who exactly do they think will get to replace Jim Ryan if he's terminated? I ask this because higher education is a very left of center field. Does the Jefferson Council believe they will find someone right of center? I am not making any statement about Jim Ryan, good or bad, or whether he should be retained. But as you know, when it comes to football coaches, you don't change personnel unless you have a good replacement in mind. Great question. Chad Wood, thank you for the happy anniversary wishes. Especially with Ian Balcom, the provost of UVA now at Middlebury College. Who would replace Jim Ryan? Here's a better question. Who would want to? Here's a better question.

Does Jim Ryan still want the job? Has there been any more difficult job in Charlottesville or Alamaro County than what Jim Ryan has gone through? Three football players murdered on grounds under his watch. A UVA hospital saga of documentary, Netflix documentary proportions. Alleged white collar racketeering, fraudulent billing, medical chart changing, bullying, cronyism, backroom dealing, all changing, bullying, cronyism, backroom dealing, all in the name of more money, more money, more money. All in the name of more power, more power, more power. Jim Ryan knew about this well before the news broke. Well before 128 anonymous physicians went on record with our network. I had a bottle of top shelf scotch outside my studio with a letter, a card next to it signed, thank you for the support, signed 128 because we've been covering this story. Ryan knew about this all along. Ryan knew about a football, former football player who got in trouble at his hometown

with a weapon. UVA knew all along that Chris Darnall Jones was a troublemaker and had links to weapons and guns. Nothing was done. Two days ago, May 2024, students are pepper sprayed by the militarized state police in a pro-Palestine pepper spraying protest. The Darden school cheating, the alleged level of cheating at the Darden school of the University of Virginia is so prolific and so tangible and obvious that an investigation was launched

into a cheating scandal at the Darden school and that investigation, the results were so damning that they literally got the report like this, the investigative cheating report and they did this. They crumpled it out and they threw it away because they didn't want anyone to see what it was. »» They've gone, I believe they've gone back to paper tests. Ladies and gentlemen, the man has gotten the most stressful job in Charlottesville. And he doesn't ‑‑ look, I want to cut to the chase here. He makes a million dollars a year, a million plus with pomp and circumstance and bonus. But I want you to put a photo of Jim Ryan on screen when he took the job and a photo of Jim Ryan on screen right now. And the 58-year-old man in his time in Charlottesville has aged exponentially.

I mean, goodness gracious, great balls of fire. The ninth president of the University of Virginia, has anyone asked him if he wants the job? He has said on record making a living as a school president is not, is as difficult as it gets. And the BOV in closed session will be talking about him tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday, ladies and gentlemen. Carly Wagner, I do not follow sports much, but is the root cause of this larger than beyond the control of UVA? Are the coaches leaving because of the new rules about paying student athletes and coaches and players heading to schools with better media deals? Is ESPN the one ruining college sports? Also Also maybe academics could become the focus of schools again. I'm probably too wishful and naive, she says. Jeff Kamrath, friend of the program, Jeff Kamrath,

who's an absolute unit in the weight room. He owns the AquaClean car washes around town. Dude is a beast in the weight room. Puts up steel like nobody's business. Jeff Kamraff left this comment, published this comment on the Jerry and Jerry show this morning. He played college baseball for UVA for Brian O'Connor. He said this, people need to ask why a guy who built the UVA program has 22 years invested into the UVA program, 22 years invested into Charlottesville, a guy who raised his family in Charlottesville,

a guy who still has a son in a local high school here in Charlottesville, a guy who has 917 victories in Charlottesville, a guy who could have his number retired in Charlottesville, could have his name on the field in Charlottesville. A guy who could have his number retired in Charlottesville, could have his name on the field in Charlottesville. A guy who is top ten in his sport in college baseball and yearly compensation at $1.4 million or more. Why a guy like this would choose to leave, go halfway across the country to a completely new job that's a pressure cooker situation to get compensated basically the same amount of money. He knows the donors in Charlottesville, he knows the alumni in Charlottesville, he knows

the former players in Charlottesville, he has a home in Charlottesville, his kid's still in high school in Charlottesville where he plays for Billy Wagner at the Miller School. The guy can go into Riverside, the guy can go into Hogwaller Brewery, Salvage Brewery, Vivace, the guy can go into the whiskey jar, the guy can go into the Lazy Parrot Grill, and everyone would buy him a beer. Why, this guy leaves a setting like that to go to a pressure cooker situation in Starkville, Mississippi, where no one knows his name. He goes from Cheers to basically a nightclub in Manhattan,

where you walk in and you're just a small fish in a really big ocean. And Charlottesville, he was the shark, the shark in the Ravana River. Make it make sense. And eventually we need to start asking ourselves this question. If we see the football program having the third worst record of any power conference school over the last three years, a team that can't even get Scott Stadium half full.

We got a basketball coach who quit just a few weeks before the season, and a basketball team failed to make the big dance. A baseball coach who quit and did not make the big dance. A lacrosse team who finished with a sub-500 record. An athletic department who tells the fans, we want more money if you want to keep your seats at the John Paul Jones arena. All this happening under the watch of two people. Carla Williams and Jim Ryan.

And you know what? I'm completely, completely comfortable with my commentary here. Carter Shaver watching the program. Word on the street, Carter Shaver says, they upped the rent on the Tubby's building from $4,500 to $6,200 and that's why they're closing. I've heard similar words on the street. That's rough. I've heard similar words on the street. And the 6200 a month rent for tubbies, probably much closer to actual market value than the

4500 a month rent. Because that restaurant ain't small. And you talk about chopping restaurants into smaller pieces as you're rotating lower thirds on screen. Judah Wickhauer, Wild Wing Cafe still hasn't opened since it closed during COVID. One of the largest restaurants in the city of Charlottesville. What restaurant is larger than Wild Wing Cafe in the city of Charlottesville? Curtis Sha is larger than Wild Wing Cafe in the city of

Charlottesville? Curtis Shaver, that is right up your alley. What restaurant in the city of Charlottesville, specifically the city, is larger in size, square feet, than Wild Wing Cafe? Maybe Three Notch Brewing Company, Enix Park, maybe. Kevin Yancey, Carly Wagner, Chad Wood, Vanessa Park Hill. What restaurant in square feet, Owen Brenner, Barbara Bekertillie, is larger in size than Wild Wing Cafe? Jason Noble, Spencer Puschard? Three notched? Is three notched larger than Wild Wing? I sincerely don't have that answer. Is

three notched larger than Wild Wing? You're not gonna be able to find that square feet online, Judah. Yeah, I know. This is an eye test instinct hunch comment right there. And Wild Wing still is empty. Is it Alan Kajine and the late, great Gabe Silverman that owns Wild Wing Cafe? I chopped that bad boy up into two smaller, three smaller ones. Kevin Yancey says maybe the one on the corner, are you talking Boylan Heights, the former orbit Kevin Yancey says maybe the one on the corner, are you talking Boylan Heights, the former orbit Kevin Yancey? No way that's bigger than Wild Wing Cafe. No way Jose. The only thing that is consistent in life, the only thing that is predictable in life, the only thing that is constant in life is what, Judah?

Change? Death, taxes and some nagging from your wife. Just kidding, sweetheart. Happy anniversary. Death and taxes. Change is absolutely also correct. And we cannot stay stuck in a world that once was. And the world that once was, Virginia baseball would trot out and put nine in the starting lineup, contend for an ACC championship and make it to Omaha. In the world that once was, the pack line defense was effective and an offense that drained 32 seconds out of a 35 second shot clock was effective. And it yielded ACC championships and NCAA tournament berths.

In the world that once was, La Crosse could recruit the best talent in the country and contend for national championships, easy peasy, Sunday breezy. In the world that once was, 55 to 60,000 people would fill Scott Stadium and watch a five and seven football team because they had nothing else better to do on a Saturday afternoon.

In a world that once was, on Thursday night football, Friday night college football, Saturday college football, Sunday NFL football, and Monday night NFL football, Wild Wing Cafe would be packed to the bone, all levels full. In the world that once was, Tubby's has a line outside the door, breakfast and lunch served seven days a week. East High Street traffic not a concern. In the world that once was, the president of the University of Virginia was a golden god, John Castine-esque,

a man that can do no wrong despite doing a lot of things that anyone who's been in this program for so long knew that he did was wrong. Skeletons in the closet, absolutely. In the world that once was, Craig Little Page would drive around Charlottesville, Virginia in a beautiful UVA blue Tahoe with UVA trim on the side of the Tahoe.

A man, a former basketball coach, assistant under Terry Holland, a guy who had the mightest touch in everything he did. In the world that once was, the UVA brand was a brand that was synonymous with excellence, synonymous with class, world class, synonymous with neutrality, politically, political neutrality, synonymous with passion and support. But ladies and gentlemen, in June the 3rd of 2025, all those have changed. Every single one. Siri agrees. Good old Siri. Next headline, Judy Wichower on the Tuesday edition of the I Love Seaville show. Uplift? There's a new gym co-working space and wellness club that's opening on the downtown

mall in the old Silver Chair headquarters. This is smack dab on the downtown mall. Silver Chair was a software platform for professional and scholarly publishers. They have gone hybrid or remote with their staff. And as a result, Silver Chair, the old hardware store ‑‑ was that the old hardware store, Silver Chair? No, it was the old ‑‑ what was the clothing store on the downtown mall that was a chain? Urban Outfitters? Urban outfitters. Massive space.

Urban outfitters never fit for the motif or theme of the downtown mall. Five guys never fit for the motif or theme of the downtown mall. I thought 10,000 villages was out of place for the theme and motif of the downtown mall. Urban outfitters, five guys, 10,000 villages, all chains. I'm not even sure how CVS is surviving on the downtown mall. I was buying an anniversary card yesterday from my wife at CVS. The front door of CVS has been shattered and is now a wood plank. It's plywood for the front door. CVS is the home to, the homeless of Charlottesville as they go in and steal left and right at a CVS knowing there's no ramifications for the theft in Charlottesville. You talk to the staff at CVS in downtown Charlottesville, stealing

is so rampant, so rampant that it's expected now in downtown Charlottesville. And the little old ladies that are working the front desk, the front cash register at CVS are trying to help the patrons and the self-serve checkout line said well literally I was there the other day well there goes another $50 from our store that guy just walked out with with the 12 pack of beer I said aren't you gonna do something she said to me look at me yeah what am I gonna do right she's 73 years old. She says, look at me, honey. What am I going to do? Uplift Wellness Club, Social Club, a gym in the old silver chair urban outfitters location.

I hope this business, which is helmed by a 19-year-old entrepreneur, the brain child, the vision of a 19-year-old entrepreneur who is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into this business, you don't start a gym, wellness and social club in a space that is vast without investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into your operation. Businesses like this, we call moat businesses. Do you know what a moat business is? Not exactly. The startup costs are so significant, it's as if you have a moat of protection around your business. A moat, the water that offers protection around a castle. The startup costs so significant that you have a moat of safety or protection from competition

around your business. Because the startup costs are so significant. I have a lot of questions for this 19‑year‑old entrepreneur. First, big‑time props to you for following your dreams, especially at such a young age. Second, your access to capital at this point of your life is impressive and also has me wondering where did you get the money as a 19‑year‑old to start a company that requires this much capital up front? Fair question. Third, I love the idea that you're creating an experience for downtown Charlottesville. You're not selling

widgets on a self. You're creating an experience. I love that. Next question, how are you going to compete with ACAC that's just right around the corner for you in downtown Charlottesville? Follow a question to that. How are you specifically going to compete with ACAC that's a couple blocks from you, when ACAC has parking on site and you do not? Follow-up question, most gyms have parking on site. There's not enough density downtown to not have accessible parking for a gym and wellness club. These are fair questions. Regardless, kudos and props to the 19-year-old founder. Uplift in the old Silver Chair Urban Outfitters location. Big ups and big time props to you. I wish you nothing but success. Next question I have. What do you do with the old tubby's location? Do you chop

it up, Judah? » I probably have to. Especially if they've raised the rates. » Rent. » Rent, yeah. And I don't know who would take over that place, especially as a restaurant. We've seen the headwinds recently. There may be somebody out there that can brave them, but... This is what Tuppies has going for itself. Parking lot is humongous.

I'm looking at it on Google maps. It's got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 25 to 30 parking spaces. It's got density, walkable density, pedestrian density, drivable density right around the business. It's on a critical artery in Charlottesville. High Street is critical to Charlottesville. It connects Almaro County to Charlottesville. It connects the downtown to Pantops. High Street is as important a corridor as you're going to find in the city of Charlottesville as any. But ladies and gentlemen, a restaurant that is significant in size that

has scuttlebutt on the street, 6200 a month in rent. At a time when the food and beverage business has seen icons, Blue Moon Diner clothes, Mousses clothes, Mel's Cafe clothes, Lumpkin's clothes, Tubbies clothes, End Zone clothes, Belmont Pizza clothes. At a time where every Tom, Dick and Harry knows F&B has headwinds. At a time when Buffalo Wild Wings is going take out and to go and not sit down sports beer and wings. Chop it up. John Blair says maybe wood grill buffet is larger than Wild Wing Cafe. That's a great guess. Is that in the city, wood grill buffet is larger than wild wing cafe. That's a great guess. Is that in the city wood grill?

I don't think it is. That is right on the line. Is wood grill buffet in the city? Is it right on the line? Is that Alamaro County? What's that line? Right around Stonefield? Wood grill buffet in the city of Charlottesville, Alamaro County, viewers and listeners. It's on Branchlands Boulevard. Is Branchlands Albemarle County or City of Charlestown? I wouldn't think it was. Judah Wichaur says Albemarle County. I say that is right on the line.

Jeremy Wilson in eastern Tennessee says a Knoxville, Tennessee TV station had a segment on restaurants and stores closing in downtown Knoxville. The reasons were a change in people not going out for dinner and shopping as much and a lack of staff, very much like Charlottesville. James Watson watching the program. Carly Wagner says that's Albemarle County. Marge King Collins says that's Albemarle County. Neil Williamson says that's Albemarle County. Thank you viewers and listeners. I'll stand on this hill and I'll stand on this hill comfortably. The largest restaurant from a square foot standpoint is Wild Wing Cafe. Downtown Grill has been chopped in half, three notch maybe second, maybe first.

But then you're going to have the question, does that count as a restaurant? Because it's a brewery. Neil Williamson, for what it's worth, Hibachi Grill is right on the city county line. And Margie King-Collin says the city county line is right past the main post office on 29. That's a great benchmark. Chad Wooden-Crosay says that's the county. Let's remember that benchmark, Judah Wickhauer, the 29 post office as the city county line. office as the city county line. Next headline on the program. What do you got? Well, we're not really going in order, but the downtown mall is receiving taxpayer funding. All right. Viewers and listeners, giddy up and get ready for this. Sam Sanders, the city manager, in a meeting that happened yesterday, $8.7 million of the CIP, capital improvement program contingency fund, $8.7 million is going to be allocated

to various capital improvement projects in the city. Among the biggest receivers of that $8.7 million is the downtown mall. Sam Sanders said last night during a city council meeting, quote, what I wanted to do is just interrupt what we have as the experience on the mall, making it a better experience regardless of what it is that is detracting from that today. experience regardless of what it is that is detracting from that amount of money within the timeline that we are allocating?

Judah Wickhauer, how do you make the downtown mall better? Right now you have let's say $5 million. How do you make the downtown mall better? Well going into summer, I would add some shade. They've cut down some trees recently. I think more shade would help. I think seating would be helpful. I know they've taken it out

before. But ‑‑ I'm going to try the question again. You have $5 million. What are the three most important things you would do with the $5 million to make the downtown mall improved? Go ahead. What are the three most important things you would do? I don't have a direct answer. Like I said ‑‑ There's no wrong answer for this. I started the answer. You say shade and add seats. There's no wrong answer I said. I'm not going to throw shade at what you just said. She just says add shade and seats to the downtown mall. There's no wrong answer.

Thank you for your answer. What I would do if I had $5 million and I had to make the downtown mall better, revitalize the mall that clearly has not returned to its prominence since 2019 prior to the pandemic, is I would, and I'm going to catch arrows in the chest for saying this, I would figure out an immediate solution with the homeless population in downtown Charlottesville. The storefronts, the vestibules are not the homes for the houseless. You've got two dozen vestibules and storefronts that are being used as homes for homeless people. That's not how it works. The small business owners shouldn't have to deal with this. The shoppers, the patrons, the families, the moms, the dads and the kids don't have to deal with this or shouldn't have to deal with this. So what's the $5 million spent on? The $5 million spent is on a program that without question cleans up the mall. And is on a program that without question cleans up the mall.

And that cleanup process would be maybe personnel overnight that is patrolling the mall, saying you can't trespass here anymore. Maybe it's spent on a joint venture with Alamaro County to create the homeless campus that I've been talking about where there's shelter, showers, a computer lab, a laundry facility, drug and alcohol recovery programs, resume building, some kind of transitionary center, hand up, not hand out. But what you got in downtown Charlottesville is a shadow of what you had in downtown Charlottesville is a shadow of what you had in downtown Charlottesville in 2019.

During COVID, especially the years 2020 and 2021, the government told us to stay home. They gave us hundreds and thousands of dollars to stay home and not to go out and be the social butterflies that humans are meant to be. And during 2020 and 2021, the downtown mall transitioned from a beehive of activity into a dried up, disregarded, afterthought colonnade. And when it dried up, it became disregarded because the government told us to be recluses. We had a shift in human behavior

in downtown Charlottesville. And that's when the houseless population became brazen with the most important eight blocks in a region. And Chief Cotchis is going on this show and says, our hands are tied. We cannot do anything here. Well it's up to Sam Sanders and City Council to do something. Because I'm going to tell you right now, the legacies of people like Michael Payne, the legacies of people like Lloyd Snook, the legacies of people like Juan Diego Wade and Brian Pinkston, the legacies of Natalie Oshrin, City Council, those legacies will be cemented forever with the drop in quality of life in downtown Charlottesville if they are not careful. For every good that City Council has done, a visible bad that has happened under City Council's watch is the deterioration of the

most important eight blocks in the region, period. I would take some of this money and give it to Friends of Seaville. I would have Friends of Seaville do more in-person events, more experiences in downtown Charlottesville. I love the train that they are doing right now in downtown Charlottesville. I love the fact that they found a genius storage facility for their train in downtown Charlottesville, right off the mall. A storage facility and garage where they can store their holiday decorations. Whoever brokered that deal was a genius.

Give some of the money to the friends of Seville nonprofit. Create more omni-experiential events. They've been doing a great job with the flower baskets. They've been doing a great job with gnomes on the downtown mall. All that adds to what the mall has to offer. And I'm going to straight up say this, OK? And I'll catch some arrows for this, but I don't give a... I don't care. I don't care.

You can say we need to clean up the downtown mall and we need to figure out a solution for the houseless without being a dick, without being lacking empathy. Yeah. I can say that these eight blocks for shopping, commerce, experiences, restaurants, music and family time are not the position for the houseless or where the houseless should congregate

without being a dick. Right? Don't let activists in this community label you a dick by saying you are lacking EQ, emotional intelligence, when you suggest the epicenter of commerce for a 300,000 person region should return back to experiences in commerce. That is called common sense. And for too long in our community and too long in our region and too long in our Commonwealth

and too long in our country. People that speak with common sense are labeled racists or labeled dicks or labeled lacking emotional intelligence. If somebody was sleeping on your front stoop, nobody would argue with you when you said they don't belong there. But here we've got people sleeping in the front doors of businesses on the downtown mall. Marriott tools, I love tools jewelers. Marriott tools has rules with the houseless individuals that sleep in front of tools jewelers. No, you can stay here unless you pee, unless you don't pee, puke, or poop. Explain to me why a classy, sophisticated,

successful entrepreneur who's committed to what's best for Charlottesville, Elmorrow County, and Central Virginia by doing positive business at tools has to have the conversation with the houseless population in front of her storefront that you can't pee or puke here. Think about that. And I'll tell you what, a lot of Sam Sanders's legacy is going to be on the downtown mall. You watch the show, a lot of Sam Sanders' legacy is going to be downtown Charlottesville. Chad Wood, spot on Jerry Miller.

Olivia Branch at a visitor center with clean safe restrooms, offer incentives for small businesses to open on the mall. Olivia Branch, bring it lady, you're absolutely right. The visitor center on the downtown mall before it closed was the most unwelcoming visitor center in the history of visitor centers. It was a shanty town, the old train station in downtown Charlottesville. And it's a beautiful building. It's a beautiful building.

And now it's what? Now it's like the... Nothing. Yeah. Sad. Conan Owen, welcome to the broadcast. I owe you some logos, Conan Owen. All right. It's 1.34.

We got to go make some money. We're trying to broker some deals over here. If you need executive office space, there's no one that has more executive office space at his disposal than yours truly. We cover all utilities, ladies and gentlemen, including Ting Fiber Internet, executive office space from $350 all the way up over $1,000. We have all shapes and sizes, windows, nod windows, furniture, your furniture, all utilities included, you name

it, we got it. Reach out to me if you need executive office space around downtown Charlottesville or in Almaro County. We got you covered. Neil Williamson is on Friday's edition of Real Talk with Keith Smith, the president of the Free Enterprise Forum. He's bringing Emily Kilroy, the head of economic development in Almaro County with him. 10.15 a.m. real talk with Keith Smith. That's the Tuesday edition of the I Love CIVIL show. Board of visitors meet Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Judah Wickhauer behind the camera, on the camera. He's as consistent as a metronome and that's one of my most favorite qualities of Judah Wickhauer. I know what I get every single day with Judah Wichower.

That's a positive quality. The older I get, the more I realize how positive being consistent in your demeanor and personality and mood and temperament is. I'm the absolute opposite of that. I am the passionate, emotional, volatile, live-in-the-moment Jerry Miller. Thank you kindly for joining us. So long, everybody. the passionate, emotional, volatile, live in the moment Jerry Miller. Thank you kindly for joining us. So long everybody.