Plans on cutting down a 150-year-old oak tree at T.C. Williams High School to make way for an expanded concession stand are going forward, with the contractor reportedly cutting down the tree at an undetermined time this month.
Activist Paul Alan Friedman has talked with the contractor, who told him that the tree will be taken down in August.
“The concession stand project is budgeted at $5 million, as I understand it,” Friedman said. “If you can afford to spend five million on a project like this, you can afford to save the tree. We don’t blame the contractor, but this is about putting pressure on the school board to change their approach. It’s the fault of the people making the policy.”
Alexandria City Public Schools, however, said that the tree can not be saved and that when all is said and done that the new facility will include landscaping and 31 newly planted trees.
“We empathize with the members of the community who wish to see the tree remain and worked with the architects right from the beginning to see if this tree could be saved,” ACPS spokeswoman Helen Lloyd told ALXnow. “Unfortunately, it was realized early in this process back in early 2018 that saving the tree was not feasible with the site constraints (square footage, setbacks, contours and storm water management). Construction would occur in the tree’s drip line, damaging roots and compromising the health of the tree. The plans have shown the removal of the tree since submission in 2018 with additional plantings around the periphery of the development.”
The property around the tree was acquired via urban renewal in the 1960s, and much of it once belonged to the Wood family. Jason Wood, who now lives in the house his father built behind T.C., used to play under the tree as a child.
“What a gorgeous tree,” Wood said. “It just doesn’t make sense to me. When you look around this area here with all the rest of this land to put the concession stand somewhere else, they always tend to come into this Black neighborhood and want to put something next right behind someone’s back door.”
Alexandria Living Legend Rosa Byrd attended a recent meeting at the tree and said that the plan for the concession stand should be changed.
“I’m sure they can angle it another way so that don’t have to destroy this tree,” she said.
Help me save the Titan tree. It will provide oxygen to the future athletes on this new field. 1500 hundred people have…
Posted by Boyd Walker on Sunday, August 2, 2020
Courtesy photo by Boyd Walker
Recent Stories
An upcoming meeting will give locals a chance to weigh in on the city’s plans to make changes to King Street where it runs past the Bradlee Shopping Center. The…
The Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is most often in the news as a hurdle for local property owners, but the Board had nothing but praise for local restaurant Hard…
A major redevelopment of deteriorating townhomes on upper King Street in Old Town is heading to the Planning Commission. Dechantal Associates LLC wants to convert the five dilapidated townhouse properties…
The Office of Historic Alexandria will celebrate Marquis de Lafayette, the acclaimed Hero of Two Worlds, with a concert and lecture marking 200 years since the city first threw its…
Finding a gift for moms can be difficult. Google “Mother’s Day gifts,” and you’ll scroll through endless lists of beauty products, candles and fuzzy robes. Sure, those are sweet, but sometimes it’s fun to surprise loved ones with something a little more, well, practical!
Here’s one idea: Give her a gift certificate for a home cleaning from Well-Paid Maids. It’s the perfect “thank you,” “I love you” or “you’ve got this” for any mom. She can schedule the home cleaning at her convenience and breathe easy knowing she has one less thing to do.
Our cleaners will take care of everything, including vacuuming and mopping as well as cleaning and dusting countertops, tables, mirrors, appliances and more. Sinks, toilets, showers and appliance exteriors also get a good scrub.
Plus, when you buy a gift certificate from Well-Paid Maids, you’re supporting a living-wage cleaning company. That means cleaners get paid a starting wage of $24 an hour and get access to benefits, like 24 days of PTO and health insurance.
Good news, D.C. area. You can save money on your next home cleaning with Well-Paid Maids. It’s easy!
We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
For weekly cleans, get $30 off each cleaning.
Alexandria NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, DPC to hold City Council…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club to hold the City Council Candidate Forum for ALL Candidates in the City of Alexandria Virginia. The event is Free of Charge and Open to The
