December 2004

The year has passed quickly.  I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and is looking forward to a peaceful holiday season.  It is always good to hear from you.  So please keep sending along your thoughts and ideas about how we can move Alexandria forward.

Happy Holidays!

Rob Krupicka

Rob@Krupicka.com

www.krupicka.com

(If you or others want to be added to  my e-mail list, send a message to Rob@Krupicka.com with ADD List in the subject line)

New City Manager Appointed

I am happy to report that the Council unanimously agreed to hire Mr. James Hartman as our next City Manager. This was a great process for the entire City Council and I especially want to thank the Mayor for his leadership. Change of any kind brings uncertainty.  It also brings opportunity.  Thanks to the efforts of City Staff, Phil Sunderland and Alexandria residents, we have a strategic plan and vision for our City.  With Mr. Hartman we gain his broad experience from his work in South Carolina, Colorado and Florida, new energy, and his commitment to community involvement to help us refine and achieve the many important goals of our City.  I look forward to his advice and leadership.  His tenure begins on January 10^th.

City Council Retreat Wrap-up

The City Council recently completed its annual strategic retreat.  Below are some very brief highlights.  Feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss any of these further.

Economic and Budget Outlook:

City revenues are growing pretty much across the board.  Residential property values (residential property tax represents about 30% of Alexandria’s revenue) continue to grow at a rapid clip.  We must cut the property tax rate this year – too many residents are seeing their taxes rise much faster than their incomes and it is squeezing their ability to cover everything from child care to even more basic necessities.  While our economic strength is good news, we are seeing some of the same signs that came at the end of the last real estate run-up in the late 80’s – condo conversions (changing apartments to condos) are on the increase, to name just one.  And not all revenue categories are growing -- car tax revenues are down as new and old cars are depreciating faster.  While our economy is still strong, it is a good time to plan ahead to ensure the continued sustainability of our government.

The status quo (no new services) cost of government in Alexandria requires between 6 and 7 percent growth a year. In order lower this rate to more sustainable levels, the City will start a regular program audit, review and benchmark setting for all City departments. The first two departments reviewed will be the Fire Department and Transportation and Environmental Services.  These reviews will be completed by the middle of next year.  Council will review the findings and consider program changes next fall.  This should be the beginning of a regular process of evaluating City programs and determining which are working, which are not, which are consistent with the City’s strategic plan and which don’t rise to the same level of priority.

As we plan for the next budget, what are your thoughts about City priorities?

Police Update: 

The Police gave a strong report on the decline in Crime in the City, efforts to increase communication with residents about incidents (and the resolution of various incidents in the City) and overall activities in the department.  The department works hard to ensure officers are on the street.  Per capita as well as overall crime is down in Alexandria.  We are getting better and better at using crime data to solve and prevent crime – strong data analysis contributed to the recent arrest of the Old Town burglar.   We discussed the fact that too many cars are stolen because the cars are not locked.  This isn’t the case for every crime, but all of us have a part to play in keeping ourselves safe – lock those doors.  We will continue to keep our eyes on Citywide and neighborhood trends to ensure our community is safe.

Economic Development Overview: 

At the retreat we had a conversation about the many economic development tools of the city – Tourism and retail marketing, small business development, planning and zoning.  There are a number of organizations performing different aspects of these functions.  The retreat discussion was twofold.  First, how do we organize economic development so as to get the best bang for the buck?  Second, what is the overarching goal and broader vision for all economic development activities in the City – what are our top economic development priorities?  There will be continued conversation about these two topics.

Pedestrian Safety

A new national report, Mean Streets (http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=235) finds that 17% of traffic fatalities (1 in 6) in the Washington area are pedestrians, yet Maryland and Virginia are only spending ½ % of their federal transportation funds on pedestrian safety.

Federal data shows that at least 40% of pedestrian fatalities occur where no crosswalk is present, demonstrating the drastic need for safer streets and communities that are designed for all users, including pedestrians.

Alexandria was the second safest pedestrian jurisdiction in Northern Virginia.  Arlington was first.  Out of 19 regional jurisdictions, Alexandria was the 5^th safest.

2002/2003 pedestrian Fatalities: 2

% of Traffic Fatalities that are Pedestrians: 38%

% of Residents that Walk to Work: 3%

We clearly have work to do to make Alexandria safer and more convenient for pedestrians, bikers and other residents that choose to get a round without a car.  The Potomac Yard efforts, the landmark mall study and the upcoming Braddock Road planning efforts will all provide opportunities for us.

The City works each year to expand and improve sidewalks -- take a look at the new sidewalk on the north side of Braddock Road.  These improvements make it easier and safer to walk, jog, and stroll along Braddock.

We also need to look at enhancing existing city programs. The City Traffic Calming Program is designed to make neighborhoods safer for kids and adults on bikes, walking dogs, strolling with kids and to generally make our neighborhoods safer for pedestrians.  Changes in Federal funding may impact our ability to continue this program at its current funding levels.  The City turns away more program applications each year as the funding levels for this important and popular neighborhood program have not changed in recent years.

How important are Alexandria’s traffic calming /pedestrian safety initiatives to you?

TC Groundbreaking

Last Saturday we broke ground for the new TC Williams High School.  The TC institution has a very special place in Alexandria civic life.  We are a City with just one public high school – one place that brings together young adults from around the City and ties them back to their community.  The new TC will continue that tradition.  It will be Alexandria’s first environmentally designed building – with features that will cut down on power and water usage and will also improve the learning environment for our kids.  The new TC will include a school within a school learning concept that breaks students into “houses” or “schools” providing them with a more intimate learning atmosphere.  Under this model, students spend most of their time with their “school” and then participate with other schools in classes and programs where economies of scale are needed.  The school board and school administration has a huge responsibility to ensure this project is completed on time and within budget.  They have hired one of the best contractors in the country and we are all watching closely to ensure this comes off as it should.

To stay on top of this project go to:  http://www.acps.k12va.us/construction/index.php

New Feature: The Spirit of Alexandria -- Small Business Recognition

With my next newsletter, I’d like to start recognizing small businesses that provide a valuable service to the community, demonstrates the uniqueness of our City, or that otherwise make Alexandria a better place to be.  Please send me your nominations and your explanation of why the business makes Alexandria special.

Update: Costumes for Kids

Thank YOU! Community Partners for Children has received many costumes over the last month.  If you have not done so yet, please consider giving your used costumes to them so that they can clean them and fix them up to give to kids next year.  This is a great way to ensure every child can have a happy Halloween and that nobody is left out.  To donate a costume, put it in a plastic bag and drop it off at the Caboose Café on Mt. Vernon Avenue.  For more information, please contact Pat Miller at 703-683-1012 or pmiller@freedomsanswer.net.

Holiday Ideas:  Nutcracker in Alexandria

The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association is sponsoring children’s shows of the Nutcracker.  These 45 minute presentations are great for the whole family.  My daughters (age 2 and a half and nine months) both loved it. Performances are held at the Anthenaeum at 201 Prince Street. For more information, contact 703-548-0035 or www.nvfaa.org

For additional ideas about fun things to do during the holidays, visit www.funside.com

Habitat For Humanity Re-Store Needs Help:

Archstone Property Management in Northwest Washington, DC has made a large donation of nearly-new appliances to the Habitat ReStore in Alexandria. This donation consists of refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, and microwaves--a total of 307 appliances! This extremely generous gift will bring tens of thousands of dollars to Habitat through resale, helping us to build decent, affordable homes for families in need in Northern Virginia.

There is, however, a challenge accompanying this gift: HFHNV has to pick up the appliances, they can only be picked up on weekdays, and we have to pick them up by December 20. To accomplish this, they need your help! Do you own or have access to a van, truck, or SUV?

If you are able and willing to help with this effort in any way, please contact Steve Greene, HFHNV Director of Volunteers and Marketing Communications, at (703) 521-9890 ext. 101 or by email at sgreene@hfhnv.org. Thank you in advance for your help, and thank you for all you do for Habitat. Happy Holidays! 

3:58:07 PM