Two years after historic floods wiped out swaths of the Holmes Run Trail, Alexandria is hosting a community meeting next week to provide an update on long-term repair efforts.
Parts of the trail in Dora Kelley Park have been inaccessible since flooding in 2018, but much of the rest of the trail has been in a state of disrepair since floods in 2019 undermined the structural integrity of two of the bridges and three stretches of trail.
Alexandria will spend millions on emergency financial support programs, stormwater repair, childcare and dozens of other projects as part of its first portion of American Rescue Plan Act funding.
“Now the really hard work begins,” Mayor Justin Wilson said after Council’s unanimous passage of a plan Tuesday night. “I think this is an opportunity to make some transformational investments.”
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.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Alexandria until 2 a.m.
Additionally, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect until 11 p.m. Expect 60 mile-per-hour wind gusts and hail the size of a quarter, according to the National Weather Service.
The Alexandria Fire Department has rescued a woman in a stalled car near the Alexandria waterfront, as the City contends with a continuing Flash Flood Watch and rising water levels.
The driver called 911 at 10:46 a.m. after getting stuck on Strand Street, and said that she couldn’t open her car door because of the rising water, according to AFD Senior Public Information Officer Raytevia Evans.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Alexandria and the surrounding area until midnight.
An incoming cold front could result in two-to-four inches of rain from thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, according to NWS.
It’s been nearly ten years since Republicans had a spot on the City Council, but Republican City Council candidate Darryl Nirenberg is hoping several divisive issues that have cropped up over the last couple years can help break the blue stranglehold on the city this November.
“Prospects for a Republican are better now than they have been for years,” Nirenberg said. “The issues facing our city, such as divisive plans to house adults on school grounds; road diets; promoting more density in the midst of a pandemic; neglect of our storm drains and infrastructure; and destroying green space — are not partisan.”
With no more mayoral debates, now it all boils down to the Democratic primary on June 8.
Like the main event at a boxing match, Mayor Justin Wilson and former Mayor Allison Silberberg on Thursday night maneuvered through a series of questions in the final of four Seminary Ridge Civic Association candidate forums.
In a crowded City Council election, the Alexandria Democratic Committee split the candidates into two groups for moderated debates, which posted Tuesday night.
Alexandria journalist Michael Lee Pope moderated the discussion, which touched on critical talking issues in city races over the last few years, from parking to broadband to — of course — Seminary Road. Interestingly, the coronavirus pandemic was not a main topic of discussion.
To go along with a recent increase in the stormwater utility fee, Alexandria’s City Council is broadening the scope of what that can be covered by that fee.
At a City Council meeting on Saturday, the Council voted unanimously in favor of expanding the uses of the fee to help combat some of the rampant flooding that’s plagued the city over the last few years.
In the latest adaptation of Brewster’s Millions, Alexandria is sorting through how to make the most of $59.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding coming to the city over the next two years with an emphasis on not leaving a penny unspent.
The challenge for Alexandria is sorting through some ill-defined language. According to the city, funding can be allocated in the following ways:
