environment | ALXnow

Published May 12, 2021 at 1:00PM

Master gardener Joyce Hylton was awarded the Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award by the Alexandria City Council on Tuesday night.

Hylton, a local training coordinator for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program, received the award during a virtual City Council meeting. The award, which is the top environmental honor given in the city, is usually handed out in person at the annual Earth Day celebration and cleanup on April 22, but the pandemic forced the event to shift to a virtual format.

News

Stopping Midstream: City Council sends stream restoration projects back for further study

By Vernon Miles

Published April 28, 2021 at 4:45PM | Updated April 29, 2021 at 12:09PM

Taylor Run (Photo via City of Alexandria)

Near the end of a nearly eight-hour meeting, the City Council opted last night to send aspects of the city’s controversial stream restoration projects back to the drawing board in light of widespread public criticism.

Stream restoration became something of a surprise Seminary Road-like issue last year. Many recurring public complaints — namely over a lack of communication from staff and concerns regarding city studies — resurfaced during the Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration debates.

News

JUST IN: City Councilman Chapman to ask colleagues to stop Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project

By James Cullum

Published April 27, 2021 at 10:45AM | Updated April 27, 2021 at 12:00PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

After touring the area and meeting with residents, Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman will ask his colleagues tonight to stop the Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project.

The move is a decisive blow against the project, which city staff defend as the most cost effective alternative to keep up with its Chesapeake Bay Watershed credit requirements. Last month, Chapman and Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker requested a legislative meeting to discuss the Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects, which critics say disrupt natural habitats.

News

Alexandria celebrates Earth Day virtually

By James Cullum

Published April 22, 2021 at 9:45AM

Today is Earth Day, and for the second year in a row Alexandria is celebrating virtually.

The theme of the 51st annual celebration is “Restore Our Earth,” and residents are encouraged to participate with projects on the city website, including restoration efforts around water, land, air quality and climate.

News

City says Taylor Run alternatives could cost far more than current estimates

By Vernon Miles

Published April 9, 2021 at 11:00AM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

City staff have launched a defense of the embattled Taylor Run Stream Restoration Project — criticized by some environmental activists and the city’s Natural Resources Manager Rod Simmons

As part of the budget query process, Vice-Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker asked staff to look into other options as alternatives to the project. Despite reluctance towards the Taylor Run restoration project starting to take hold in the City Council, staff said in a response to Bennett-Parker they believe the current course to be the most effective one.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published March 25, 2021 at 5:00AM

Virginia abolishes death penalty — “Today, Virginia ended its 400-year history of carrying out executions, becoming the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty. Signing this law is the moral thing to do.” [Facebook]

City Council condemns Asian hate — “The resolution highlights the significant contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to Alexandria’s cultural, educational and economic fabric. It condemns the acts of violence and harassment that have increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including efforts to scapegoat people of Asian descent for the virus.” [Zebra]

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published March 23, 2021 at 5:00AM

Free Krispy Kreme doughnut offered to vaccinated people — “Anyone who has received one or two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can request one free glazed doughnut. A COVID-19 vaccination record card must be shown to receive the offer.” [Patch]

Waterfront art exhibit ‘Groundswell’ on display — “The installation features a ground mural depicting the floor of the Potomac River and more than 100 wood pilings throughout the site. They will range in heights from 12 to 42 inches, in accordance with the river floor topography or bathymetry. Each 14-inch-diameter piling is topped with a cobalt blue mirrored surface etched with growth rings that suggest the passing of time.” [Alexandria Living]

News

Council to review Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects this spring

By James Cullum

Published March 16, 2021 at 2:15PM

Critics of the Taylor Run and Strawberry Run stream restoration projects will get some of their questions answered this spring.

A recent City Council memo is asking staff to schedule a legislative meeting — preferably in April — for an update on the projects, which a growing chorus say disrupt natural habitats. The issue would be raised during the oral reports portion of the Council meeting.

News

City Council member and Environmental Commission join opposition to Taylor Run Restoration

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2021 at 3:30PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

Critics of the city’s plans to restore Taylor Run secured a new voice — City Councilwoman Amy Jackson — to their side when the Environmental Policy Commission (EPC) of Alexandria recently announced its opposition to the current project.

The EPC is an independent body established by the city in 1970 and reviews issues like water quality and environmental conservation.

News

City and Environmental Activists Get Into the Mud on Taylor Run Restoration Debate

By Vernon Miles

Published March 8, 2021 at 2:30PM | Updated March 9, 2021 at 9:27AM

(Updated 3/9/21) Under growing pressure from local environmental activists like the Environmental Council of Alexandria to halt the planned Taylor Run Stream Restoration, city staff have fired back with a 10-page response to criticisms of the project.

Opponents say the city is overstating the level of pollution in the creek and the proposed overhaul of the stream bed would damage the health of the watershed by removing foliage, though the city says many of the trees being removed are dead and that more will be replanted.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published February 25, 2021 at 9:00AM

Virginia Rolls Back Some Restrictions on Dining, Outdoor Gatherings — Effective Mar. 1, Virginians will be able to buy and drink alcohol at restaurants, food courts, breweries, distilleries, and wineries until they are required to close at midnight. The changes to the current executive order come amid declining rates of hospitalizations and infections and rising vaccination rates in the Commonwealth, Northam said during a press conference this morning (Wednesday).” [Reston Now]

Alexandria Black History Museum Launches Online Exhibition — “Following George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020, the Alexandria Black History Museum (ABHM) requested that Alexandria residents share their thoughts, artwork, and more. ABHM wanted to document the Alexandria community’s response of this tragic event and preserve it for future generations. An online exhibition featuring the items received so far launched recently on the Historic Alexandria Online portal. The items collectively are called the Black Lives Remembered Collection.” [Zebra]