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Update: Most of Alexandria’s primary roadways plowed, fire department reports no unusual calls for service from snowstorm

A day after 10 inches of snow was dumped on the region, 95% of Alexandria’s primary roadways are now “passable”, according to the City’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services.

The Department also tweeted that 65% of the city’s secondary streets are passable, and that crews are working toward intermediate streets. There are also still three open requests to clear away snow from the city’s Arlandria neighborhood, according to the city.

The storm led to a two-day closure of the city government and virtual learning for Alexandria City Public Schools.

Still, the Alexandria Fire Department says the were no “unusual” storm-related calls for service.

“Like our neighboring mutual aid partners, AFD was very busy on Jan. 3 during the heavy snow,” AFD Senior Public Information Officer Raytevia Evans told ALXnow. “With our Logistics Section running the snow plow and our maintenance shop available to work through any mechanical issues that came up, we were able to work through delays due to the weather.”

Evans continued, “There were no particularly unusual calls related to weather, but the department remained busy throughout the day.”

Photo via John Antonielli

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DASH and other city services return post-snow, but with some exceptions

One day after a severe snowstorm hit Alexandria, some things are returning to normal while other services remain closed.

Alexandria bus service DASH suspended service yesterday, but has since returned with snow routes — adjusted routes following more thoroughly cleared sections of roadway.

https://twitter.com/DASHBus/status/1478381102976978948

City facilities had a delayed reopening at 10 a.m. today with local courts remaining closed. Alexandria libraries scheduled to open at 10 a.m. will instead be opening at noon to give staff time to clear off the sidewalks. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is open by-appointment starting at noon.

Alexandria City Public Schools has moved to virtual schooling for the second day in a row.

Those who set their trash, recycling, yard waste or leaf collection out today may have already discovered this, but the Monday collection has slid to Wednesday, Jan. 5., with every day offset by two after that.

Meanwhile, the city said in a press release that road and sidewalk clearing is still underway and property owners should be clearing sidewalks.

“Roads are plowed by priority,” the city said. “Snow emergency routes are plowed first, followed by secondary routes, intermediate routes, and then residential streets… Clearing sidewalks, driveways, and entrances is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner, occupant, community association, or business. The recent storm event has been declared Level 2. As a result, responsible parties have 48 hours from the end of snowfall at 2 p.m. on Monday, January 3 to clear paths. The deadline for clearing paths and walkways is Wednesday, January 5, at 2 p.m.”

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Morning Notes

Alexandria engine 209 working in the snow on the corner of Mount Ida and Sanford, photo courtesy John Antonelli

Federal workers and Alexandria students didn’t get much of a snow day — “The logic of days off for inclement weather has fundamentally changed during the pandemic.” [Washingtonian]

Your Photos: Alexandria’s biggest snowstorm in years — “About 8 inches of wet, heavy snow blanketed Alexandria Monday.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

Alexandria police mourn veteran officer who shared community spirit — “Police in Alexandria, Virginia, mourn the death of Sergeant Charlette Mitchell, a veteran member of the department known for her service to the community.” [WTOP]

New Year’s millionaire raffle $1M ticket bought in Belle Haven — “One of four tickets with a $1 million prize was bought at the Belle View Shopping Center, according to the Virginia Lottery.” [Patch]

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Virtual learning at Alexandria schools extended to Tuesday

Today (Monday) marked a return to virutal learning due to a severe snow storm, and with many roads still dangerous or impassable, Alexandria City Public Schools has announced that tomorrow will be a virtual day as well.

ACPS announced late last year that snow days might be a thing of the past after the school division became relatively proficient in virtual learning — a necessity caused by COVID-19.

Even as crews work to recover from today’s heavy snowfall, it’s expected to snow again Thursday evening.

The full ACPS press release is below:

Due to winter weather conditions, all ACPS schools and offices will be closed for in-person learning and activities on Tues., Jan 4, 2022. Per our previous communications to families on winter weather decisions, schools will implement virtual learning on Tues., Jan. 4, 2022.

Class times will include virtual teacher-led office hours and asynchronous instruction times. Asynchronous learning happens when students learn the same material but at different times and locations without live instruction.

Please see https://www.acps.k12.va.us/weather for updates, details and answers to frequently asked questions. Students should have their computers/learning devices at home with them. Attendance will be taken through logging into Clever and Canvas. No new content will be taught and grades should not be assigned on virtual learning days.

Elementary School Students: Virtual learning at the elementary level is intended to keep students engaged academically when inclement weather prevents in-person learning. Time on task with the curriculum-based apps and computer-adaptive programs that students access routinely at school is the primary means of providing a meaningful virtual experience on snow and inclement weather days. Although there will be no delivery of new content, students will be able to devote time to completion of projects and assignments already in progress as posted on Canvas and Clever.Teachers will host office hours ranging from 30 to 60 minutes at the beginning of each day. We do not expect students to operate on a time schedule, but aim for two hours of asynchronous learning in grades Pre-K – 1 and up to four hours in grades 2 – 5.

Middle School Students: Each middle school will follow its normal schedule in regard to asynchronous work completion and specific teacher office hours. The blocks of time will be asynchronous with teachers being available during each block they teach for office hours and student support during the first 45 minutes of each class. Students may access the zoom link for office hours from each teacher’s Canvas page.  Elective teachers who have daily classes will be available for office hours for the first 20 minutes of each class. Advisory teachers will be available during the first 15 minutes of the advisory period to assist students with questions and organization.

High School Students: The high school will follow its normal schedule. The blocks of time will be asynchronous with teachers being available during each block they teach for office hours and student support. During these timeframes, students will work on assignments posted on Canvas. The work will be done asynchronously and the “amount” of work should not exceed the length of the traditional class period. The teacher will be available for at least 45 mins during each period for office hours to assist students.

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PHOTOS: Scenes from today’s snowstorm in Alexandria

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Walking in snow-covered streets, shoveling out submerged cars and all the other telltale signs of a snowstorm were seen in Alexandria on Monday (Jan. 3).

Nearly one foot of snow fell on Alexandria from the morning throughout the afternoon, prompting the closure of the city government and virtual learning for Alexandria City Public Schools. Many eateries throughout the city are still open, including in Del Ray and Old Town.

The National Weather Service’s Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 4 p.m., and Tuesday is expected to be sunny with a high of 37 degrees.

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Power outage hits North Ridge neighborhood as weather topples trees and power lines

Power outage in North Ridge on 1/3/2022, photo via Dominion Power

There have been sporadic power outages throughout the region during today’s snowstorm, but the North Ridge neighborhood is the hardest hit in Alexandria with an estimated 1,665 residents without power.

The Dominion Power website says a work crew has been dispatched and the cause of the outage is under investigation but it’s almost certain the heavy snowfall today is likely to blame.

There are reports coming in on social media and the emergency services scanner citywide of fallen trees and damaged power lines. Emergency services have identified a handful of intersections where traffic lights are non-operational as a result of local outages.

There are islands across the city where around a hundred residents per spot are without power, like on Seminary Hill near Inova Alexandria Hospital where a street was closed after wires fell and a transformer blew out.

Besides North Ridge, one of the other heavily-impacted areas are the affordable housing units just northeast of William Ramsay Elementary School, where residents have already been struggling with unsanitary living conditions. There are currently roughly 404 residents in that dense area currently without power.

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DASH service suspended and emergency services responding to downed wires

(Updated 12:30 p.m.) Alexandria’s bus service DASH has suspended all service due to the heavy snow, while emergency services are across town responding to stuck vehicles and downed wires.

DASH said in an alert that service would be suspended due to road conditions and would remain suspended until tomorrow (Tuesday).

https://twitter.com/DASHBus/status/1478054381618663426

“DASH bus service is temporarily suspended to due worsening road conditions,” DASH said. “For the safety of our passengers and operators, DASH will continue monitoring conditions and provide updates as they become available.”

Meanwhile, it’s been a busy morning on the emergency services scanner in Alexandria. City plow trucks shifted from treating to focusing entirely on plowing around 10 a.m.

There are accidents and temporary road closures reported across town, from a two-vehicle crash at Duke Street and S. Pitt to a truck blocking traffic on Braddock Road just east of Van Dorn Street. Crash investigations are currently suspended.

The Fire Department has also been responding to calls of fallen power lines closing streets. At Seminary Hill, fallen power cables closed Peacock Avenue near the Inova Alexandria Hospital. Transformers just “popped” in the area, so residents nearby can expect an unpleasant burning smell.

The snow is expected to continue falling until this afternoon, with a winter weather advisory in effect until 4 p.m. Looking ahead, more snow is expected again later this week.

https://twitter.com/patpend/status/1478016422483828745

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DEVELOPING: Winter weather conditions shut down city services and some streets

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It’s snowing pretty heavily in Alexandria, with a winter weather warning in effect until 4 p.m. today (Monday). With that has come a round of closures across town.

The weather has impacted travel around Alexandria. The Alexandria Police Department said the southbound lanes of Quaker Lane from Duke Street to Seminary Road are closed due to hazardous conditions.

There is also a road closure on Beauregard Street from Seminary Road to Fillmore Avenue due to a downed tree.

While Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) are closed, students are still in virtual learning classes today.

The city government announced this morning that all government facilities and courts will be closed today. Included in that are the COVID-19 testing kiosks at Charles Houston Rec Center (901 Wythe Street) and Ben Brenman Park (4800 Brenman Park Drive).

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria announced that it would be closed today as well due to inclement weather today.

Other city services, including yard waste collection, leaf collection, trash and recycling collection are also suspended today.

Photo via Josephine Everly/Twitter

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ACPS goes to virtual schooling Monday ahead of expected snow

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) will be closed for in-person instruction tomorrow (Monday) with classes shifted to virtual learning.

With a winter storm warning in effect for tomorrow from 1 a.m.-4 p.m., ACPS announced at 6 p.m. on Sunday that Monday would be a virtual learning day.

It’s the fulfillment of warnings that snow days — as a reprieve from schoolwork — could be a thing of the past for students in ACPS.

On Mon., Jan. 3, 2022, all ACPS schools and offices will be closed for in-person learning & activities,” ACPS said on its website. ACPS schools will provide virtual learning on Jan. 3, 2022.”

ACPS has guidance for parents on the school system’s website for how to handle virtual learning days. No new content is taught on virtual learning days are not assigned, but attendance is taken.

Photo via ACPS/Facebook

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ALXnow’s Top Stories of the Week in Alexandria

It was a cold and snowy week in Alexandria.

Our top story this week was on plans to redevelop the GenOn power plant in Old Town North. It looks like deconstruction of the plant will start in 2023 and developers are looking at converting it into an urban, mixed-use property with housing.

The short work week started with news that Alexandria reached 10,000 cases of COVID-19. The latest figures show that there are 10,113 cases and 104 total deaths in the city, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The city’s seven-day moving average is now 35.1 cases.

A 49-year-old homeless woman was found dead in Arlandria on Tuesday morning, and the mayor told us that homelessness is on the rise in the city. ALXnow is following up with the city on the issue.

Tuesday morning also brought news that Alexandria City Councilman Mo Seifeldein abandoned his run for mayor and will not seek reelection to council. Seifeldein was hired as a trial lawyer by the U.S. Department of Labor in Jan. 2020, and while he can finish out his term on council, he can not run unless he files as an independent candidate.

In other election news, the race for city council is starting to get crowded, as Bill Rossello, a co-founder of the Bring Integrity Back to Alexandria Facebook Group, just threw his hat into the ring.

On the vaccine front, the waiting list has surpassed 45,000 and it may be until late summer that the vaccine is widely available in the city. On Thursday, Mayor Justin Wilson also asked the governor to open vaccine eligibility for restaurant, personal care and retail workers.

More than 200 people responded to this week’s poll on power outages. There have been a number of outages over tha last year, and 73% of respondents reported experiencing an outage, while 26% report that their homes haven’t been impacted.

In case you missed them, here are some other important stories this week:

Here are our top stories of the week in Alexandria:

  1. Developers Lay Out Multi-Year Timeline for GenOn Plant Redevelopment
  2. BREAKING: Homeless Woman Found Dead on Mount Vernon Avenue
  3. Alexandria Boxer Troy Isley Goes Pro With Big Fight Next Week
  4. Seifeldein Not Running for Mayor, Leaving Alexandria City Council
  5. ALXnow’s Top Stories this Week in Alexandria
  6. Director of Finance: Alexandria’s Real Estate Assessments Are a ‘Tale of Two Markets’
  7. Local Business Owner Robbed of Car While Pumping Gas at Old Town Gas Station
  8. Torpedo Factory Overhaul Heads to City Council Next Month
  9. Snow: Up to 6 Inches of Snow and Ice Expected in Alexandria
  10. BREAKING: Alexandria Police Investigate Second Car Stolen While Owner Pumps Gas
  11. Local Facebook Watchdog Group Founder Bill Rossello Announces Run for City Council

Have a safe weekend!

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