1. Calling the Roll. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Euille, and the City Clerk called the roll; all members of Council were present, with the exception of Councilman Krupicka, who was absent. 2. Moment of Silence and Pledge of Allegiance. City Council observed a moment of silence and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Reading and Acting Upon the Minutes of the Following Meeting of City Council: None. RECOGNITION OF YOUTH BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL 4. Recognition of Anna Paez, Who Organized Clean-up of Four Mile Run Park. City Council recognized Anna Paez for her work on cleaning up Four Mile Run Park. NEW BUSINESS ITEM NO. 1: Recognition of students from Bishop Ireton High School Wind Ensemble. City Council recognized the students from the Bishop Ireton High School Wind Ensemble. PROCLAMATIONS 5. Presentation of a Proclamation Declaring Saturday, March 6, 2010 as St. Patrick's Day Parade Day and the Month of March as Irish-American Heritage Month. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Pepper, seconded by Councilman Fannon and carried unanimously, City Council endorsed the proclamation. The voting was as follows: Pepper "aye" Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Smedberg "aye" REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER CONSENT CALENDAR (6-8) (Resignations and Uncontested Appointments) 6. Uncontested Appointments to Boards, Commissions and Committees: (a) Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee 1 Citizen member (b) Alexandria Transportation Commission 1 Member From the Planning Commission, Nominated by the Planning Commission (c) Beautification Commission 1 Citizen Member (d) Early Childhood Commission 1 Developmental Pediatrician Representing Alexandria Hospital (e) Environmental Policy Commission 1 Member From the Alexandria Business Community (f) Landlord-Tenant Relations Board 1 Landlord or Representative of Landlords (g) Park and Recreation Commission 1 Member From Planning District I 1 Member from Planning District II (h) Social Services Advisory Board 1 Citizen Member (A copy of the above appointments is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked collectively as Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 6 (a-h); 2/23/10 and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) (Reports and Recommendations of the City Manager) 7. Consideration of Authorization of Recommended Capital Project Allocations and Planned Expenditures. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated February 17, 2010, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 7; 2/23/10, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) 8. Consideration of an Application by the Court Services Unit for Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women Grant Funds for a Supervised Visitation and Safe Child Exchange Program. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated February 17, 2010, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 8; 2/23/10, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) END OF CONSENT CALENDAR WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council adopted the consent calendar, as follows (item #7 was reconsidered later in the evening and was removed from the consent calendar.) 6. City Council made the following appointments to boards and commissions: (a) appointed Steffanie L. Feuer as the one citizen member to the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee; (b) reappointed Donna Fossum as the one member from the Planning Commission, nominated by the Commission, to the Alexandria Transportation Commission; (c) reappointed Jill Chiarello as the one citizen member to the Beautification Commission; (d) appointed Samantha Ahdoot as the one developmental pediatrician representing Alexandria Hospital to the Early Childhood Commission; (e) appointed Kristopher Croghan as the one member from the Alexandria business community to the Environmental Policy Commission; (f) reappointed Joann Poladian as the one landlord or representative of landlords to the Landlord-Tenant Relations Board; (g) reappointed William Cromley as the one member from Planning District I and reappointed Ripley Forbes as the one member from Planning District II to the Park and Recreation Commission; and (h) appointed DeAnn Hughes as the one citizen member to the Social Services Advisory Board. 8. This item was withdrawn at the request of staff. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Pepper "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Smedberg "aye" CONTESTED APPOINTMENTS 9. Commission on HIV/AIDS 1 Member From and Representing the Alexandria Hospital (The following person volunteered for appointment to the above Commission) NAME: ENDORSED BY: Rachael E. Chieza (Material pertaining to the above appointment is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 9; 2/16/10, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, ballots were distributed, tellers were appointed and the ballots were tallied with the following results: City Council waived the residency requirement and appointed Rachael E. Chieza as the one member from and representing Alexandria Hospital to the Commission on HIV/AIDS. The voting was as follows: Euille - Chieza Donley - Chieza Fannon - Chieza Hughes - Chieza Krupicka - absent Pepper - Chieza Smedberg - Chieza REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER FOR DISCUSSION 10. Consideration of Recommendations and Status Report on Legislation Introduced at the 2010 General Assembly Session. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated February 22, 2010, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 10; 2/23/10, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Legislative Director Caton made a presentation of the legislation introduced in the General Assembly and responded to questions and comments of City Council. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilman Smedberg and carried unanimously, City Council received the report. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Smedberg "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Pepper "aye" REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES None ORAL REPORTS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL and ORAL PRESENTATIONS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL (a) Mayor Euille said that between March 15-17, citizens will be receiving the 2010 census questionnaires, and he encouraged citizens to complete the forms. * * * * * * Councilwoman Hughes said that looking at docket item #7 she had some questions and wished to reconsider it, as it could affect her vote. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Hughes, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, asked for reconsideration of docket item #7. The voting was as follows: Hughes "aye" Donley "aye" Pepper "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Smedberg "aye" 7. Consideration of Authorization of Recommended Capital Project Allocations and Planned Expenditures. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated February 17, 2010, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 7; 2/23/10, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Councilwoman Hughes said of the $2.8 million, $2.2 million was approved for the direct acquisition of North Henry Street, which leaves $620,000, and she asked how much of the $620,000 will be going to consultant fees and for negotiations. Deputy City Manager Jinks said the purchase price is $2.4 million, which leaves $420,000. The open space coordinators salary and benefits is about $100,000, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is $50,000, and he didn't have the figures on the site improvement work. The consultants are used to do the negotiations themselves, which is less than $35,000, and the environmental assessment is the second piece, which is to do a phase one and phase two, and that is to go on site with drills and testing machines to see what they are buying. In this case, the seller will be setting aside a certain dollar amount based on what they find in those studies. Councilman Fannon asked for clarification on the $2.8 million and if the money was contributed from the development area. Deputy City Manager Jinks said the source of the dollars are from the dedicated open space monies from the one cent that Council had dedicated of the real estate tax rate for open space acquisition. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Hughes, seconded by Vice Mayor Donley and carried unanimously, City Council authorized $2,945,000 for capital project allocations and planned expenditures for the capital projects as detailed in the Capital Improvement Expenditure Summary. The voting was as follows: Hughes "aye" Fannon "aye" Donley "aye" Krupicka absent Euille "aye" Pepper "aye" Smedberg "aye" * * * * * * ORAL REPORTS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL (continued) and ORAL PRESENTATIONS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL (continued) (b) Vice Mayor Donley thanked Bill Reagan and the Small Business Development Center, as he and Councilman Fannon met with about ten small businesses to talk about their issues. He said it was a good opportunity for he and Councilman Fannon to have a good dialogue with business owners. (c) Councilwoman Hughes said that last Friday she attended the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Public Safety and Health Committee meeting and the topic of discussion dealt with the census and efforts for the census to make sure that everyone gets counted. There are very creative things going on in a number of jurisdictions to get folks out and she has received a comprehensive report that she will circulate to Council. Councilwoman Hughes said there are several things individual members of Council can do and as a collective body to support the census efforts. (d) Councilwoman Hughes noted that February is Black History Month and the NAACP will have its annual black history program at the Charles Houston Recreation Center at 2:00 this Sunday. There will be a discussion and mixer held by the Urban League and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority to focus on family issues or issues of the black family, and she would host a screening at the Old Town Theatre on Thursday at 9:30 p.m., of a movie called Black and Married with Kidsby filmmaker and Alexandria native LaMarr Tyler. ORAL REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER (a) City Manager Hartmann announced that today the City was notified that it received the LEED Gold Award for the new DASH facility. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS 11. Consideration of a Resolution to Reauthorize the BRAC-133 Advisory Group. [ROLL-CALL VOTE] (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated February 17, 2010, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 11; 2/23/10, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Councilman Smedberg questioned the third recommendation and asked if there was precedence for the approach where it leaves it open ended with no specific number of additional members. Deputy City Manager Jinks said that for City Manager appointed groups the times and issues change and expand, which can be done by Council action or the BRAC group so they can add additional members. It was amended to require the Mayor's concurrence so it is not open-ended. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Smedberg, seconded by Councilwoman Hughes and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council: 1. repealed resolution 2322 and adopted the resolution which extends the term of the BRAC Advisory Group and the appointments of the existing members of the group for an additional year; 2. approved an additional member nominated by and representing the Beauregard Heights Civic Association; and 3. allowed for additional members representing stakeholder organizations in the geographic area of the BRAC-133 project to be added to the group upon the request of the chairperson with the agreement of the City Council. The voting was as follows: Smedberg "aye" Donley "aye" Hughes "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Pepper "aye" The resolution reads as follows:
WHEREAS, this BRAC-133 office building will entail 1,380,000 square feet of office space, house approximately 6,400 employees, and provide approximately 3,900 parking spaces; and
WHEREAS, this proposed BRAC-133 office building, while similar in overall square footage to the Mark Winkler office buildings the City approved for this site in 2004, is substantially different in overall design; and
WHEREAS, there are transportation improvements that can potentially mitigate the impact of transportation and traffic issues associated with the BRAC-133 office project on the nearby neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the creation of an advisory group can create a forum for developing ideas and recommendations relating to transportation improvements and other issues associated with the BRAC-133 office building, as well as to serve as a communications forum among all parties; and
WHEREAS, there are significant issues with the BRAC-133 project that still remain unresolved.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA THAT:
1. The term of the BRAC/Mark Center Advisory Group ("Advisory Group") and its members shall be extended for an additional to twelve months.
2. This Advisory Group’s original membership shall be expanded by one to consist of members appointed by the Mayor, including 11 representatives nominated by the following groups and civic associations:
Brookville-Seminary Valley Lincolnia Hills/Heywood Glen Parkside of Alexandria Seminary Heights Seminary Park Seminary Ridge Seminary West Seminary Hill Beauregard Heights Civic Association Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) West End Business Association (WEBA)
3. In addition, the Mayor shall request the participation in the Advisory Group of one representative of the DoD and one representative of Duke Realty.
4. In addition, the Mayor shall appoint to the Advisory Group one member of the Alexandria Planning Commission, one member of the Alexandria Transportation Commission, and one to two at-large members.
5. Additional members representing stakeholder organizations in the geographic area of the BRAC-133 project may be added to the group, if requested by the Advisory Group Chairperson, with the agreement of the City Council.
6. The Advisory Group shall meet periodically, as it deems necessary, with its meetings open to the public.
7. Administrative and technical staff assistance to the Advisory Group shall be provided by the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services and supplemented by staff from other City agencies, as necessary. 12. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading and Second Reading of an Ordinance to Adopt Supplement Number 92 of the City Code. [ROLL-CALL VOTE] (A copy of the informal memorandum explaining the ordinance is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 12; 2/23/10, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council received a copy not less than 24 hours before said introduction, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 2 of Item No. 12; 2/23/10 and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilman Smedberg and carried 6-0 by roll-call vote, City Council passed the ordinance on first and second reading to adopt supplement number 92 of the City Code. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Smedberg "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka absent Pepper "aye" The ordinance reads as follows: