city government | ALXnow

Morning Notes

Published June 21, 2021 at 5:00AM

220-year-old garden wall at Lee-Fendall House collapses — “About 69 tons of 220-year-old bricks are lying in a pile behind the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden after the property’s thick, historic garden wall collapsed following a torrential downpour earlier this month. This weekend, volunteers carefully moved bricks to make space for a temporary, protective wall around the rubble — and launched a fundraising campaign for the $125,000 or more it will take to rebuild the historic structure.” [Alexandria Living]

Retiring police chief to be recognized by City Council Tuesday — Retiring Police Chief Michael Brown will be recognized Tuesday by City Council, and the city proclamation says that Brown has “dutifully served for four-and one-half years.” [ALXnow]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 18, 2021 at 5:00AM

Alexandria government drops mask requirement — “Starting on June 15, fully vaccinated visitors and employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear a mask or practice physical distancing in City of Alexandria government facilities. Individuals who wish to wear a mask or practice physical distancing may continue to do so. Those who have not been fully vaccinated should continue to wear a mask and maintain six feet of physical distancing in city government facilities.” [Patch]

Captain Gregory’s eyes expansion — “The popular spot is expanding, looking to add about a dozen more seats… They’ll make use of unused kitchen space and likely complete the additional space by the fall.” [Alexandria Living]

Opinion

Poll: Where should Alexandria prioritize its American Rescue Plan Act funds?

By Vernon Miles

Published June 17, 2021 at 3:45PM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

This Saturday, the Alexandria City Council will vote on where it should allocate the first installment of its $59.6 million federal funding package.

Nine items round out the list of “Tier 1” priorities and nine additional items are listed as “Tier 2” priorities. All of these are considered projects and programs that will have the most immediate impact, are considered highly important, and are “shovel-ready.”

News

New flood mitigation committee sizes up deluge of city stormwater problems

By Vernon Miles

Published June 16, 2021 at 4:45PM

After literal flooding from record-breaking rainfall and proverbial floods of frustrated local citizens, an ad hoc committee has started gathering for a multi-year overview of what’s been going wrong and needs changing regarding flood control in Alexandria.

The Ad Hoc Stormwater Utility and Flood Mitigation Advisory Group met for the first time last week and, in addition to the usual groundwork for committees, also discussed the state of the city’s stormwater projects.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published June 11, 2021 at 3:35PM | Updated June 11, 2021 at 6:27PM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson speaks at a vigil against police brutality at the Charles Houston Recreation Center in Old Town on June 4, 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

History was made this week in Alexandria.

Our top story was on Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday, defeating former Mayor Allison Silberberg. Alexandria historically votes for democratic mayors, and Wilson faces off against Republican candidate Annetta Catchings in November.

News

City Manager names Don Hayes as Alexandria’s Acting Police Chief

By James Cullum

Published June 11, 2021 at 9:30AM | Updated June 11, 2021 at 1:29PM

Police Chief Michael Brown (on left) and Assistant Chief Don Hayes at the annual APD wreath laying ceremony for fallen officers, May 10, 2021. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Assistant Chief Don Hayes has been named the temporary successor to retiring Police Chief Michael Brown, the City announced after business hours Thursday night.

Hayes, a 40-year veteran of the department, will take over as Acting Chief on June 25, according to City Manager Mark Jinks.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 11, 2021 at 5:00AM

Playing at Four Mile Run Park in Arlandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

ACPS wants input on how to spend COVID relief funds — “Feedback on use of the American Rescue Plan Act’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief can be provided through June 18, while the Equity for All Climate Survey is open through June 20.” [Patch]

Memorial bike ride Sunday at for bicyclist killed — “Join FABB’s memorial ride in honor of Fatima Del Carmen Alvarez Romero this Sunday, June 13, at 10:00 am at Huntington Metro kiss and ride lot. Ride to crash site for a moment of remembrance and to call for much-needed safety measures. Please wear white and bring signs.” [Twitter]

News

Here’s how Alexandria is planning on spending its American Rescue Plan Act funding

By James Cullum

Published June 10, 2021 at 2:40PM | Updated June 10, 2021 at 3:08PM

Alexandria is planning on spending a portion of its American Rescue Plan Act funding on supporting a childcare wellness program, commercial business districts around the city, flooding mitigation and hiring bilingual city staffers to help residents facing eviction.

Those are just four of nine prioritized recommendations that the Alexandria City Council received Wednesday night on how to spend its first tranche of funding. After getting more than 1,300 recommendations from the community, spending has been categorized into tiers, with projects scored by staff. The Tier 1 and 2 projects would be handled with the first allocation, followed by the Tiers 3 and 4 with the second.

Opinion

Poll: Did you vote in Alexandria’s Democratic primary?

By Vernon Miles

Published June 9, 2021 at 4:45PM

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker casts her vote on primary day, June 8, 2021, at Matthew Maury Elementary School. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Months of campaigning came to a head last night as Mayor Justin Wilson and three City Council incumbents held onto their seats despite opposition and the three new members of the City Council were among those most closely aligned with the incumbents.

The city also had relatively high levels of voter turnout for a non-Presidential election year, with 23% of registered voters showing up to the polls.

News

BREAKING: Wilson wins Democratic mayoral primary, Silberberg concedes

By James Cullum

Published June 8, 2021 at 9:15PM | Updated June 8, 2021 at 11:06PM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson speaks at a vigil against police brutality at the Charles Houston Recreation Center in Old Town on June 4, 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated 11 p.m.) Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson defeated his political rival, former Mayor Allison Silberberg, in Tuesday night’s Democratic primary.

“Thank you Alexandria,” Wilson said at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray. “When the voters of Alexandrians get a choice between a list of things that they are against and a positive vision for the future for our city, they choose the positive vision of the future every single day of the week.”

News

Pride flags torn down outside City Hall and thrown into fountain at Market Square

By James Cullum

Published June 7, 2021 at 4:45PM | Updated June 7, 2021 at 6:25PM

Pride flags were torn down outside City Hall and thrown into the fountain at Market Square. (Courtesy photo)

Alexandria Police are investigating the destruction of several Pride flags that were thrown into the fountain at Market Square outside City Hall (301 King Street).

On Sunday evening, approximately half of the multicolored flags mostly erected on light posts around Market Square to commemorate Pride Month were thrown into the fountain, Alexandria Police told ALXnow.