Letter: Internship Program Focuses on Great Falls History
Letter to the Editor
It has happened only too often that a property is on the verge of demolition when the question is asked: Is this property historically significant? This question was asked when the Toll House was about to be demolished on Georgetown Road, as well as just before Thelma’s Store was demolished on Colvin Run Road, and now the question is being asked about the "purple house" on Walker Road. Many Great Falls residents have asked us this question about their own homes.
Column: Off Topic, Almost
If only it were that simple. And as much I’d like to turn the cancer switch off, finding that switch has proven to be extremely challenging.
Poetry: Memorial Day
in the shopping center at I Love Nails the window
Must Consider The Source
To the Editor: As a devoted fan of the Mount Vernon Gazette, I was disappointed at the May 17 editorial, “Most Endangered?”. That piece merely parroted unsubstantiated claims by American Rivers, Inc., that the Potomac River has somehow shot to the top of the list of the nation’s most endangered rivers, and urged readers to join that group’s fight to keep Congress from reining in the EPA.
Unfair Advantage?
To the Editor: On May 17, Mr. H. Jay Spiegel goes through his listing of people and organizations supporting the off leash dog park or OLDA at Westgrove Park. “Those in support of the OLDA proposal include the MVCCA.” I find it ironic that Mr. Spiegel has for the past several years devoted much time and attention writing editorials in this paper making claims that the MVCCA does not represent the broad consensus of the majority of the citizens of the district. Just this past March he wrote “the MVCCA does not represent the Mount Vernon community. It only represents the small percentage of residents whose neighborhood associations are MVCCA members. At that, insofar as community association representatives do not vote in accordance with the consensus of their respective communities, the MVCCA doesn't even represent them.
Room for Many Views
To the Editor: My letter in the May 10 Gazette expressed my strong support for a plan, proposed by the National Park Service (NPS), to restore 30 acres of Dyke Marsh, including construction of a promontory wall to dissipate forces generated by tidal surges. I went a step further, advocating additional filling of a few more acres north of the wall to assure that the goal of dissipating those forces will be achieved. I also expressed my opposition to other NPS proposals that would include filling 130 or 180 acres of the Potomac River, respectively, because those proposals would destroy a year-round habitat for fish and result in the closure of Belle Haven Marina.
Sign Blight On Route 1
To the Editor: Someone should sue VDOT for not enforcing its own laws. Yes, there is a law on the books that forbids commercial or other advertising signs along Virginia roads (unless they get permission to do so). The fine is $100 for each sign. If one drives along the Route 1 Corridor from the intersection of I-495/Fort Hunt Road south until Walmart (near where the new Costco will go) there are at least 50 or more signs. Let's do the math: 50 times $100 = $5000. I know VDOT doesn't have the manpower to keep up, but they could hire a firm which would be paid out of the fines — make it a revenue-sharing deal. Win-win for everyone — our community, VDOT and the contractor. In the end, these illegal signs are a blight along this stretch of road that continuously strives to improve. You don't see these signs put up along road in Great Falls or McLean — why should Route 1 or anywhere?
Don’t Text And Drive
To the Editor: We are Cadette Girls Scouts from Carl Sandburg Middle School and Walt Whitman Middle School and want to alert the community to an issue that is important to us: The dangers of cell phone use while driving. We will be driving in just a few short years and think it is important that the roads are as safe as possible. We urge drivers today to make a commitment to not text or use any handheld device while driving. We also hope that our law makers will support a law that bans drivers from talking, texting, or using handheld devices while driving. We have made this commitment ourselves for when we will be new drivers. We also have produced car bumper magnets to promote “Keep Both Eyes on the Road, Don’t Text and Drive.”
Letter: Where’s Data For New Trolley?
To the Editor: It’s time to take a closer look at the proposed free Del Ray trolley service to determine whether it’s politics or data-centric analysis that is driving this $700,000 project.
Letter: Stop Ignoring The Obvious
To the Editor: Last Friday night, the Alexandria Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted 6-1 to ask the city to provide them with independent legal counsel as they face the city's high priced legal team in court. The city government, led astray again by the City attorney, Mr. James Banks, is determined to fight both the citizens on the BZA and the citizens who correctly filed the petition which challenged city zoning actions on the waterfront. This is worth reviewing.
Letter: Bike Share Now Needs City Money
To the Editor: On May 14, I met with the other members of the Waterfront Commission. The city’s new bike share program headlined the docket. It seems that last October the City Council voted unanimously to authorize Alexandria to join the regional Capital Bike Share Network. Rich Baier’s pilot program was to be jump started using some $400,000 of federal grant funds so we wouldn’t ever have to pay anything. However, now we find out that on April 13, 2012 the Federal Highway Administration announced that federal funds could not be used for operating expenses associated with bike share programs. Therefore, the city intends to use $186,000 out of its Transportation Improvement budget to fund bike share’s operating expenses through Fiscal Year 2013. The actual cost of the bikes is $411,000 which is funded with two other grants. This latest information was not shared with the Waterfront Commission or anyone else for that matter until the Council Docket for May 22 was published. This total lack of transparency pales the imagination.
Letter: Best for Alexandria
To the Editor: I have been following with interest some of the letters and blogs about the various PACs that have been formed to endorse candidates for the June 12 Democratic primary for City Council (Disclosure: I am part of one of those PAC’s, Securing Alexandria’s Future). The genesis of these groups is the unprecedented nature of the election: (1) This is the first time in modern history that the general election will not be in May, but in November, which coincides with the presidential election and very high voter turnout; (2) It is the first time in my recollection that the contest to decide who become the Democratic nominees is being determined by a State-run primary, rather than a party-run caucus; (3) There has never been a contest for the Democratic nomination in which 14 qualified candidates have vied for six places on the ballot; and (4) The outcome of the Democratic primary will be highly determinative of who is likely to be serving on the next City Council (that is not a partisan comment, but it is one based on the political reality of the Alexandria electorate).
Letter: Add to City Greenery
To the Editor: There are many sites in Alexandria, especially in Old Town, which could benefit from the Congressional legislation urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act. It couldn't come at a better time. There's a new sense of urgency to develop urban/suburban greenery, from pocket parks to miles-long green ways. This is a renewal of the 19th C. movement called "lungs of the City."
Letter: Moving in Right Direction
To the Editor: Imagine the perfect boyfriend (or whatever applies as your preference). Rich. Great family. Cultured. Shares your values. Educated. Treats you like a queen. The perfect boyfriend. Problem is, due to no fault of his own he’s not perfect for you right now. You’ve got problems that you need to resolve and as a result, you are not ready to receive him. This is my issue with the Beauregard Small Area Plan.
Letter: Greening of The Waterfront
To the Editor: Over the last week, the media and local activists have tried use an environmental group’s ranking of the Potomac as “America’s #1 Endangered River” as evidence against the City’s Waterfront Plan. To set the record straight: the Waterfront Plan comprehensively addresses the major threats to the health of the Potomac River. In fact, each of the Plan’s major initiatives will substantially reduce, not increase, negative impacts on the environment.