city government | ALXnow

Alexandria teens would get mental health first aid training in new recreation center program

Published January 8, 2024 at 3:30PM | Updated January 8, 2024 at 7:52PM

Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe Street) in Old Town (via City of Alexandria)

(Updated at 5 p.m.) One-on-one therapy, an art program and mental health first aid training are just a few of the new offerings in a proposed mental health program pilot at Alexandria recreation centers.

City Council will review the six-month, $75,000 pilot program with the city’s Department of Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Activities (RPCA) at its meeting Tuesday night. The program would run at three recreation centers — Charles Houston (901 Wythe Street), William Ramsay (5650 Sanger Avenue) and Patrick Henry (4650 Taney Avenue).

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Key endorsements heat up Jan. 9 Alexandria School Board special election

By James Cullum

Published January 4, 2024 at 10:45AM | Updated January 4, 2024 at 11:54AM

Tim Beaty and Gina Baum, the candidates in the Alexandria School Board's Jan. 9 special election for the open District A seat (staff photos by James Cullum)

There’s less than a week to go until the Jan. 9 special election for Alexandria’s open District A School Board seat, and things are getting interesting.

With a focus on helping Alexandria City Public Schools craft a collective bargaining agreement with staff, retired labor leader Tim Beaty has secured key endorsements from the two other School Board Members in District A — Board Chair Michelle Rief and Jacinta Greene, as well as from City Council Members Canek Aguirre and Kirk McPike, Sheriff Sean Casey, NOVA Labor and the Education Association of Alexandria teachers union.

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The Alexandria City Council’s democratic primary field is getting crowded

By James Cullum

Published January 4, 2024 at 9:30AM | Updated January 4, 2024 at 3:01PM

(Clockwise from top left) Alexandria City Council candidates Charlotte Scherer, City Council Member John Taylor Chapman, City Council Member Sarah Bagley, School Board Member Abdel Elnoubi, Council Member Kirk McPike and James Lewis announce their candidacies to the Alexandria Democratic Committee on Jan. 2, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) The field of candidates is getting crowded in Alexandria’s Democratic primary for City Council.

The list of nine candidates includes four incumbents, two School Board Members, two community leaders and a former magistrate, who, if elected would be the first transgender City Council member.

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High vacancy prompts office-to-apartment conversion proposal in Old Town North

By James Cullum

Published December 27, 2023 at 2:45PM | Updated December 27, 2023 at 5:27PM

1201 E. Abingdon Drive in Old Town North (via Google Maps)

(Updated 5:25 p.m.) The owner of an aging office building in Old Town North wants it converted into a 136-unit apartment building, and credits the decision to the “ongoing and diminished office market and current high vacancy rate.”

The five-story, 112,000-square-foot office building was built in 1983. It’s owned by Principal Life Insurance Co. of Des Moines, Iowa, and managed by PF III Abingdon LLC, an affiliate of the D.C.-based real estate investment firm the Pinkard Group.

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Alexandria Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee members resign after criticizing ACPS superintendent

By James Cullum

Published December 27, 2023 at 9:55AM

ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt speaks at the ribbon cutting for Douglas MacArthur Elementary School, Aug. 18, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Two longtime members of the city’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee (BFAAC) resigned earlier this month after severely criticizing the leadership of Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt during a meeting.

BFAAC Vice Chair Kathy Stenzel resigned on Dec. 14 and Board Member Karen Graf resigned on Dec. 16 without providing a reason, according to the city. Graf was chair of the Alexandria School Board in 2013 and 2014, and was a School Board member for six years.

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Alexandria discloses list of ‘racially restrictive’ covenants on city-owned properties

By James Cullum

Published December 8, 2023 at 10:55AM | Updated December 8, 2023 at 5:42PM

Alexandria City Hall sign (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria has identified dozens of racially restrictive zoning covenants, many of which have been on the books for more than 100 years.

Next Tuesday, City Council will review a report on racially restrictive covenants that, during much of the 20th century, prohibited non-white residents from moving into subdivisions and neighborhoods throughout the city. City staff are also asking Council to review a process for a property owner to get the illegal covenant by filing for a certificate of release from the Alexandria Circuit Court.

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Alexandria’s Natural Resources Manager ‘retires early in frustration’ after battles within city government

By Vernon Miles

Published December 6, 2023 at 3:30PM

Alexandria Natural Resources Manager Rod Simmons (courtesy photo)

Alexandria Natural Resources Manager Rod Simmons has been a prominent voice for environmental concerns around the city in recent years, but Simmons told ALXnow that battles behind the scenes have led him to retire after 27 years in city government.

Simmons, a city employee with the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs, was at the center of controversies related to Taylor Run and other projects.

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‘I’ve done what I could do for the City of Alexandria,’ says retiring Fire Chief Corey Smedley

By James Cullum

Published December 6, 2023 at 2:05PM | Updated December 6, 2023 at 3:03PM

Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley (on left) and Sheriff Sean Casey at the George Washington Birthday Parade in Old Town, Feb. 20, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Mutual respect, growth, and an ability to be vulnerable: That’s the kind of relationship retiring Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley wants with his next job, wherever that might be.

Smedley says he wants purpose, not a position, and that he’d like for the right opportunity to find him.

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Here’s who’s running in the Alexandria School Board’s special election (so far)

By James Cullum

Published December 5, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated December 5, 2023 at 5:04PM

Voting at Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) By the time this story is published, candidates will have just an hour-and-a-half to file the necessary paperwork to run in the Jan. 9 special election to fill the vacant seat on the Alexandria School Board.

The deadline is 5 p.m. to file the following with the city’s Office of Voter Registration & Elections:

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Check out our photos of the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published December 4, 2023 at 3:45PM | Updated December 4, 2023 at 9:36PM

Santa Claus waves at the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade in Old Town on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated 9:35 p.m.) It was overcast and cool — the perfect weather for the Campagna Center’s 52nd Scottish Christmas Walk Parade.

The parade is one of the most popular events in the city, bringing thousands of participants, including Irish dancers, historic reenactors and the City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums. It is considered the highlight of a weekend full of events.

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Longtime Alexandria City Academy leader Elaine Scott retiring

By Vernon Miles

Published December 1, 2023 at 10:50AM | Updated December 1, 2023 at 5:20PM

Senior Community Liaison Elaine Scott (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Mayor Justin Wilson isn’t the only one leaving city government: after 25 years working for the city, Senior Community Liaison Elaine Scott is retiring.

Scott has run the City Academy — a nine-week program that teaches anyone interested in city government the ins and outs of city departments and operations — since 2009.