There will be a town hall meeting next week to discuss January’s sewage spill in the Potomac River, Mayor Alyia Gaskins has announced.
On Jan. 19, a collapsed pipe caused hundreds of millions of gallons of wastewater to flow into the Potomac, prompting the Virginia Department of Health to issue a recreational water advisory. That advisory was partially lifted earlier this month when VDH found that bacteria concentrations were “at levels acceptable for all recreational water use.”
The City of Alexandria is expected to provide an update next week about ongoing plans to replace the Old Town Pool.
City staff will share updates on the project’s design and construction timeline, and attendees will be able to provide feedback at the meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at the Oswald Durant Center (1605 Cameron Street).
Alexandria’s draft plan to address city housing needs between through 2040 will be available for public review at an open house this Saturday.
The Office of Housing is hosting the free open house to discuss the Housing 2040 draft recommendations and strategies at the Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center (1108 Jefferson Street), with interactive stations and breakout sessions from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
A proposal for new bike lanes, enhancements to pedestrian crossings and shorter crossing distances at key intersections on Braddock Road are up for review this month by Alexandria’s Traffic and Parking Board.
A city-recommended design concept calls for several Braddock Road upgrades between Russell Road and West Street. The city has worked on the Braddock Road Trail Access and Corridor Improvements project since last year as a response to concerns from Alex311, the 2023 Safe Routes to School walk audit at George Washington Middle School and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Alexandria will host a design update meeting for a storm sewer improvement project in Potomac West on Wednesday night.
The Clifford, Fulton and Manning Storm Sewer Project has been in the planning and design stages for nearly three years, with construction anticipated to start this May. The city will present final proposed drainage improvements and potential construction impacts at the meeting, which will be held from 7-8 p.m. at Mount Vernon Recreation Center (2701 Commonwealth Avenue). Attendees can also watch it on Zoom.
After a now-fired Alexandria City Public Schools administrator was found with a second job, the Alexandria City School Board is considering updates to its second job policy.
On Thursday, the School Board will review a policy update for employees' additional jobs beyond their school district employment. The proposed addition calls for no second jobs for ACPS chiefs, executive directors or directors unless the superintendent gives approval. It would apply for second jobs with an average of 10 hours per week for at least a month.
The National Park Service is seeking input on a proposal to redesign intersections, add new trail connections and expand waterfront access in Old Town North, among other changes.
The agency is planning a slate of future upgrades along the GW Parkway, Mount Vernon Trail and Potomac waterfront, aiming to make the areas “safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable for everyone,” according to a press release. Plans include trail bridge replacement, new bike lanes and crosswalks and “improved views” of the waterfront.
The city of Alexandria will host a virtual meeting this Thursday covering the pre-construction phase of renovations at City Hall and Market Square.
Currently in its architectural and engineering design phase, the multimillion-dollar project includes renovations at City Hall, a redesign of Market Square and an underground parking garage. More than 300 city employees have already relocated to temporary swing spaces, and the rest are expected to do so by the end of the month, according to a city announcement.
In a roundtable near Alexandria today, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said there is a small chance that the Senate will coalesce around a deal to prevent premium health care hikes for millions of Americans before next month.
Kaine made the statement surrounded by health care professionals at a Neighborhood Health clinic just south of Alexandria, in the wake of Thursday’s rejection of health care bills in the U.S. Senate to extend Affordable Care Act subsidy extensions passed in 2021 that will expire at the end of this year.
In an effort to increase transparency and inform the public, the Alexandria City School Board wants to launch its own website.
The School Board will discuss the development at its meeting tomorrow (Thursday). According to a draft proposal, Board Chair Michelle Rief would designate two board members to be co-editors to manage content, and that all content not republished from the Alexandria City Public Schools website would have to be approved by the school system’s attorney before publication.
City staff laid out numerous possible policies for preserving affordable housing in Alexandria and preventing tenant displacement at a meeting yesterday (Monday).
The city is seeking to update its 12-year-old Housing Master Plan with solutions to address needs over the next 15 years. In a virtual seminar on the Housing 2040 Master Plan, Housing Program Manager Tamara Jovovic and other staff members discussed dozens of possibilities based on input from stakeholders, literature reviews, public meetings and a survey of roughly 1,200 residents.
