Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Casa Chirilagua Seeking Public Help for Thanksgiving

Published November 24, 2020 at 4:30PM

Local nonprofit Casa Chirilagua is planning to keep with the spirit of Thanksgiving by distributing meals to those in need, but needs some public help for setup and distribution.

“We are distributing 500 meals for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, Nov. 25,” said the organization, which provides assistance in the Chirilagua and Arlandria neighborhood. “The setup will begin at 1:30 p.m. and the distribution will begin at 2:00 p.m.”

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Vice Mayor Proposes Expand Public Comment Options

By Vernon Miles

Published November 24, 2020 at 2:30PM | Updated November 24, 2020 at 2:53PM

Alexandria Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (on left) and City Councilwoman Amy Jackson at City Hall (Staff photo by James Cullum)

As the city continues to adapt to primarily virtual meetings, Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker is spearheading an effort to open up new ways for the public to provide input on city affairs.

While the move coincides with the extended online-only year of city governance, Bennett-Parker said the issue also taps into earlier lack of online access for city residents.

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Lee-Fendall House Opens Winter Victorian Tours

By Vernon Miles

Published November 24, 2020 at 11:30AM

With the approach of the yuletide season, the Lee-Fendall House (614 Oronoco Street) in Alexandria has decked out the home in full 19th century regalia for candlelight tours.

“Celebrate the holiday season with evening candlelight tours of the Lee-Fendall House decked out in Victorian splendor,” the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden said on Facebook. “Our antique toy exhibit will also be on view.”

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Goodbye ‘T.C. Williams’ High School and ‘Matthew Maury’ Elementary School

By Vernon Miles

Published November 24, 2020 at 10:30AM

After a unanimous vote at the Alexandria School Board meeting last night, the names T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School were voted out — with the replacements still to be decided.

Over the next few months, the School Board will seek public feedback before settling on a new pair of names. The new names will be chosen by the Board in the spring and go into effect at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year.

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Morning Notes

By Vernon Miles

Published November 24, 2020 at 9:00AM

Alexandria Library Offers New Online Learning Tool — “During this time of school closures, expanded online learning, and social distancing recommendations, access to premium research tools that provide access to information from reliable sources is important. Alexandria Library Offers Online Resource Tool EZProxy to make access to these resources easier to use.” [Zebra]

Southern Living Profiles Alexandria at Christmas — “Although it may look the part, Alexandria, Virginia, is not the kind of Hallmark-movie small town where all the locals grew up together and you’ll undoubtedly run into your high school sweetheart while picking up a fresh baguette at the neighborhood bakery. The community here is tight-knit, but anyone can join.” [Southern Living]

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COVID Killed Scooter Use in Alexandria, New Report Shows

By Vernon Miles

Published November 23, 2020 at 3:30PM

Just as the scooter program was starting to take off in Alexandria and the electric vehicles became ubiquitous on Old Town streets, new data shows the pandemic tanked scooter usage in the city throughout 2020.

A report going to the City Council tomorrow (Tuesday) showed that while scooter usage exceeded 2019 levels in January and February of 2020, by March the pandemic had started to hit scooter usage. In April and May — during the stay-at-home order, ridership tanked to near non-existence in the months that had been the peak of ridership in 2019.

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What’s Next for Robinson Terminal North?

By Vernon Miles

Published November 23, 2020 at 2:45PM | Updated November 23, 2020 at 4:19PM

The old Robinson Terminal North, once the abrupt northern end to the Old Town waterfront, is no more.

Demolition was mostly wrapped up this weekend after a quick tear-down, and the plan is to make the location part of the broader effort to reform Old Town’s sewer system called the RiverRenew program.

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New Parker-Gray Development Raises Architectural Crowding Concerns from Neighbors

By Vernon Miles

Published November 23, 2020 at 1:30PM

1415 Princess Street (photo via Google Maps)

Old Town neighbors raised eyebrows at a proposed development at 1415 Princess Street that staff said would fit all the zoning requirements, but still puts nearby residents in a tight bind.

Viewed from the street, 1415 Princess Street appears to be a house-sized vacant lot on the largely residential street in the Parker-Gray neighborhood. But the empty space at 1415 Princess Street is actually part of a three lot segment, two of which came forward to the Board of Architectural Review as part of a proposed development that would rub right up against the front doors of neighboring homes.

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Pedestrian Killed in Old Town Crash Last Week

By Vernon Miles

Published November 23, 2020 at 10:15AM

Police announced yesterday that local resident Justin Benedict (55) had died as a result of injuries from a vehicle crash in Old Town on Friday.

“The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a vehicle crash that occurred on Friday, November 20, 2020, at S. Washington Street and Wilkes Street,” Alexandria police said in a press release. “At approximately 4 p.m., police responded to a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian.”

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Morning Notes

By Vernon Miles

Published November 23, 2020 at 9:10AM

Alexandria Featured in Profiles on Region’s Oldest Homes — “One of the interesting aspects of the Ball-Sellers House is that some of the original roof is protected under a later roof. That’s also the case with the oldest surviving house in Alexandria: 517 Prince St., or what’s known as the Murray-Dick-Fawcett House. The oldest part of the house dates to 1772. There is access to the space between the old roof and the roof that was later built above it at a less-severe pitch.” [Washington Post]

West End Contractor Wins Big Missile System Contract — “The U.S. Navy awarded Alexandria-based Systems Planning and Analysis Inc. (SPA) an $85 million contract to provide technical support for the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile system, the company announced this week.” [Virginia Business]

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New Report Outlines Scope of Body Worn Camera Program in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published November 20, 2020 at 3:45PM

For over four years, Alexandria Police have failed to get body worn cameras off the ground. A new report going to City Council this Tuesday outlines the costs and staffing issues that have played a part in that extended delay.

“Oftentimes, jurisdictions do not realize the true extent of costs to implement a program that is based on deploying technology devices,” City staff said in a report. “The belief that the costs are solely the devices and associated licensing fees leads to disastrous results when the ripple effects of that technology are felt. The proliferation of cloud-based technology solutions actually adds to the impression that the cost of the desired ‘e-widget’ is all that is needed for consideration. In few areas could the purchase of technology in one agency have a huge impact across many others the way that BWC programs do.”