After a series of community meetings, a public hearing is scheduled next week for a plan that could radically reshape how the city’s DASH bus network operates.
The big selling point of the new plan is that it would increase the frequency of buses in the city’s current and planned high-density corridors, like Potomac Yard and the Landmark/Van Dorn Corridor. In many of these locations, buses would be running at least every 15 minutes all day, every day.
More buses in the higher-density corridors would also increase access to the frequent bus service in concentrations of low-income residents, giving nine out of every ten low-income residents in Alexandria access to frequent bus service, according to a press release.
But the other side of that shift towards rapid-service corridors is that the plan will reduce or, in some places, entirely eliminate bus routes through the residential neighborhoods in Alexandria’s core. Routes like AT2, which runs through the heart of Seminary Hill and connects to Old Town, would be removed from DASH service — though the bus service is still attempting to negotiate with the Department of Defense to open up an express line that connects the King Street Metro station to the Mark Center for nearby residents.
The Alexandria Transit Company Board is scheduled to meet next Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 5:30 in the Council workroom inside City Hall (301 King Street). The public is invited to the meeting to express their thoughts on the changes.
An online survey about the changes is also available for interested residents and riders to fill out.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
The community engagement process for a new Douglas MacArthur Elementary School project has kicked off.
The new, more modern Douglas MacArthur Elementary School (1101 Janneys Lane) is scheduled to open in January 2023. Students will start using swing space in the former Patrick Henry Elementary School after the current, 1940s-era MacArthur Elementary is demolished in June 2020. The new project has a total budget of $56.6 million.
The manager of the project spoke at a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 29. One of the recurring topics from people in attendance was greater community use for the building, including “space inside for community use” and a suggestion that “the school needs to feel like a community asset.”
The commentary comes as the City Council and School Board have been engaged in a long-running discussion over how much space in school projects should be used for non-school purposes, like administrative offices or affordable housing. The discussions have grown more urgent over the years as the city begins running out of space to locate new projects.
A timeline at the Tuesday meeting showed the school’s concept design finishing up at the end of the month, with the rest of the design phase running from December 2019 to the end of 2020. Construction of the new project is scheduled to start in September 2020 and finish November 2022.
Some parents at the meeting expressed confusion that other school projects had been finished in one year, or slightly over, and wanted to know why construction for MacArthur was expected to take nearly two years. Staff explained that the extra time accounted for working through the city approval process with some time allotted for demolition at the start of the project.
Another community discussion, intended to help shape the ultimate design of the school, is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m.-noon at the MacArthur Elementary library.
The power is out in part of Alexandria’s Seminary Hill neighborhood.
Dominion is reporting just under 1,400 customers without electricity as a result of a broken pole, according to the company’s outage map.
The power is expected to be restored between 3-6 p.m., just in time for Halloween trick-or-treating. (Though expected severe storms will bring the possibility of additional outages tonight.)
The Washington Capitals are hosting a free street hockey class for children in Alexandria.
The class is planned for the Seminary Road Roller Rink at Francis C. Hammond Middle School (4646 Seminary Road) in Alexandria tomorrow (Wednesday). The class will run from 4:45-5:45 p.m. after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The class is part of a series that the Capitals have hosted across the region celebrating refurbished outdoor rinks. The Capitals renovated the rink at Hammond Middle School, replacing the boards around the rink and adding a new scoreboard.
The class is aimed at children between ages 8-14. Equipment for the clinic will be provided and all participants will receive a free hockey stick.
If you’re over 14 but still intrigued by the new roller hockey rink, there is an adult league with leagues varying from novices to advanced levels.
Photo via Facebook/ACPS
Alexandria is getting its first laser tag arena this winter.
Doyle’s Outpost will be located in the Seminary Plaza Shopping Center in the former AMF Seminary Lanes Bowling Alley at 4620-A Kenmore Ave.
“We’re aiming to open in mid-December,” said owner Kevin Fagan, who formerly owned the Planet Fitness adjacent to the upcoming arena. “But we’ll definitely [be open] before the end of the year.”
Fagan spent $700,000 renovating the space, per construction records filed with the City of Alexandria. In addition to a massive, DC-themed laser tag arena, the 15,400 square-foot space will be home to over 30 arcade games, a Hologate virtual reality center, and a communal space for events and parties.
And for the hungry laser-taggers, Doyle’s Outpost is planning to establish a full-service bar and kitchen with over 25 televisions.
“We’ll have a full kitchen with an elevated menu,” Fagan said. “[And a menu featuring] appetizers, salads, flatbreads, panini sandwiches, craft hot dogs, bowls, and baked pastas.”
According to records with Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control, Doyle’s Outpost applied for a wine and beer permit last November.
Once open, a round of laser tag will cost around $8, Fagan said, with plans to incorporate bundled arcade games-virtual reality-laser offers along with weekday specials.
The nearest laser tag arena to Alexandria is ShadowLand on Franconia Road, south of Four Mile Run in Fairfax County. (Despite its Alexandria mailing address, it is, in fact, in Fairfax). There’s also an UltraZone laser arena in Baileys Crossroads in Arlington.
A relay at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, a private school in the Seminary Hill neighborhood, is planned this weekend to help raise money for early childhood education in Alexandria.
This is the second year for the relay, which raises money for Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC). The organization has raised $31,120 so far but aims to raise $120,000 to help provide free pre-kindergarten to at-risk children in Alexandria.
The organization says it costs approximately $12,000 per year, per child for a Pre-K education.
According to Relay for Pre-K’s website:
“Our families make just too much to qualify for Head Start, but not nearly enough to afford private preschool. A child’s ability to be ready for school impacts their life’s future. Getting them ready for school is one of the only changes we can make in a child’s life that will change the odds that predict who they will become when they are middle-aged adults. The path that determines who a child becomes links all the way back to preschool. When you invest in CFNC, you are investing in the child, the family, and the City of Alexandria.”
Registration for the event opens at 9 a.m., with the walk starting at 10 a.m. Teams can register in advance online.
Photo via Amy Jackson/Facebook