Regular Meeting
Tuesday, November 10, 1998 - - 7:30 p.m.


* * * * *

(A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 3, 1998, is on file in the office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 13; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.

A copy of an Informal Memorandum explaining ordinance is on file in the office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 2 of Item No. 13; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.

A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council present 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. 3 of Item No. 13; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.)

14. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of AN ORDINANCE to amend Section 7-1600 of the Zoning Ordinance to change the requirements for the construction of more than eight townhouses in a row.

(A copy of an Informal Memorandum explaining ordinance is on file in the office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 14; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.

A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council present 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. 14; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.)

16. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of AN ORDINANCE vacating a public right-of-way consisting of the interior court of the fire station property located at the corner of Powhatan and Second Streets, in the City of Alexandria.

(A copy of an Informal Memorandum explaining ordinance is on file in the office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 16; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.




A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council present 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. 16; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.)

17. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of AN ORDINANCE to authorize an encroachment for window wells into the public right-of-way at 113 South Columbus Street, in the City of Alexandria.

(A copy of an Informal Memorandum explaining ordinance is on file in the office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 17; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.

A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council present 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. 17; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.)

END OF CONSENT CALENDAR

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Pepper, seconded by Councilman Speck and carried unanimously by all those present, City Council approved the Consent Calendar as presented with the exception of docket item nos. 12 and 15 which were considered under separate motions. The City Manager's recommendations are as follows:

9. City Council received the following resignations with regret: (a) Richard Edgecombe from the Alexandria Affordable Housing Advisory Committee; (b) William Monahan from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts; (c) Joseph W. Lee from the Alexandria Community Services Board; (d) Verda F. Johnson from the Alexandria Landlord-Tenant Relations Board; (e) Judith Wiegand Ferris from the Alexandria Potomac West Alliance Board of Directors; and (f) Katherine Riddile from the Alexandria Task Force on AIDS; requested the Executive Secretary to send the appropriate letters of appreciation and to advertise the vacancies in the usual manner.

10. City Council (a) appointed Donald P. Burchell as a Member Nominated by the Alexandria Chapter of the American Red Cross and Patricia Rodgers as a Member Nominated by the Alexandria United Way to the Ad Hoc Alexandria Year 2000 Census Complete Count Committee; (b) reappointed Lois Kebe as a Tenant From an Affordable Housing Complex to the Alexandria Affordable Housing Advisory Committee; (c) appointed Lillie Finklea as a Representative From Planning District I to the Alexandria Archaeological Commission; (d) appointed Diann Baker and reappointed Anna McCaffery as Citizen Members to the Alexandria Building Code Board of Appeals; (e) appointed Molly Theobald as a Member From the Field of Urban Planning to the Alexandria Environmental Policy Commission; (f) appointed Bonnie Fairbank as a Member Nominated by the Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations and Richard Corson as a Member Nominated by the American Legion to the Alexandria George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee; (g) appointed Sharon MacDonald as a Representative From the Historic Alexandria Foundation and Clarence Henley as a Representative From the Alexandria Public Records Advisory Commission to the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission; (h) reappointed Lynette Robinson-Hart as a Member From Planning District II to the Alexandria Park and Recreation Commission; (i) appointed Charmayne Macon as a Citizen Member to the Alexandria Transportation Coordinating Council's Citizens Advisory Committee; and (j) reappointed Fay Menacker as a Representative of the Alexandria Public Health Advisory Commission to the Alexandria Youth Policy Commission.

11. City Council (1) authorized the City Manager to submit the grant application, which would, if approved, help address several law enforcement concerns identified by City Council Members over the past several years; (2) authorized an increase in the authorized strength of the Police Department by 3 officers (2 school resource officers for the T.C. Williams High School and the Minnie Howard School for ninth grade students, and 1 Residential Police Officer for the S. Whiting Street community). This authorization would be for a three-year period from the time of grant approval; and (3) designated $79,703 of FY 1999 contingent reserves for the City share of this grant in its first year. The City share includes $35,703 to match 25% of the salary and benefit cost for 3 new police officers, and a one-time expense of $44,000 to fund two police cruisers needed to equip these positions.

13. City Council introduced and passed the ordinance on its First Reading; set it for Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage on Saturday, November 14, 1998.

14. City Council introduced and passed the ordinance on its First Reading; set it for Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage on Saturday, November 14, 1998.

16. City Council introduced and passed the ordinance on its First Reading; set it for Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage on Saturday, November 14, 1998.

17. City Council introduced and passed the ordinance on its First Reading; set it for Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage on Saturday, November 14, 1998.

END OF CONSENT CALENDAR

The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Euille "aye"
Speck "aye" Cleveland absent
Donley "aye" Rich "aye"
Walker "aye"

12. Receipt of the Annual Report of the Alexandria Commission on Aging, and Thanking the Commission for Its Work.

(A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated November 3, 1998, is on file in the office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 12; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.)

Councilwoman Pepper called attention to the Commission's co-sponsorship of both the successful Aging Expo in May, and its participation in the cable program, Maturity. She thanked the members for an excellent job.



WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Pepper, seconded by Vice Mayor Euille and carried unanimously by all those present, City Council received the Annual Report, thanked Commission Chair Lois Van Valkenburgh for writing the report and thanked all of the members of the Commission on Aging for their dedicated work on behalf of Alexandria's senior citizens. The voting was as follows:

Pepper "aye" Cleveland absent
Euille "aye" Rich "aye"
Donley "aye" Speck "aye"
Walker "aye"

15. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of AN ORDINANCE to amend the Zoning Ordinance to allow exterior automatic teller machines and other technological machines in the Old and Historic Alexandria District and Parker Gray Historic District.

(A copy of an Informal Memorandum explaining ordinance is on file in the office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 15; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.

A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council present 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. 15; 11/10/98, and is incorporated herewith as part of this record by reference.)

Mayor Donley, due to the nature of his employment with Virginia Commerce Bank in Alexandria, recused himself from consideration of this matter on first reading, and turned the meeting over to Vice Mayor Euille.

Planning and Zoning Director Lynn explained the essence of the ordinance.

WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Speck, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried on a vote of 5-to-0, City Council introduced and passed the ordinance on its First Reading; set it for Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage on Saturday, November 14, 1998. The voting was as follows:

Speck "aye" Euille "aye"
Pepper "aye" Cleveland absent
Donley out of room Rich "aye"
Walker "aye"

REPORTS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES

None

New Business Item No. 3: Mayor Donley announced that Dr. Josh Lipsman, Director of our Health Department, is leaving the City to become Executive Director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, Inc. Mayor Donley, the Members of City Council, and the City Manager spoke to Dr. Lipsman's excellent leadership and wished him well in his new position.


ORAL PRESENTATIONS BY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL

(a) Councilman Speck noted that none of us expected to read about our Police Department in the Style section of the Washington Post with respect to the recent Wilson Bridge incident. In reading this article and talking about the efforts of Officer Jill Lingle, and Detectives Derek Gaunt and Dana Lawhorne, he was struck by two things. One is the terrific professionalism and training that they have and the way they demonstrated this during a long and protracted incident, and two was how refreshing, maybe ironic, but refreshing nonetheless, that it was their comments that reminded us of what we are dealing with here, human life, troubled human life, and the efforts that are made to deal with that. Councilman Speck was really moved by the comments made by the officers, and he wanted to tell Chief Samarra that they did this City proud in the way it was represented as to their training and their efforts. He requested Chief Samarra to convey his comments and thanks to them and to all of the officers who were involved in this. It was a nice thing for us to read and to be reminded of what was at stake here.

(b) Councilman Speck noted that he observed a leaf vacuum truck inside the grounds of the Virginia Theological Seminary picking up leaves. He wanted to know if the City was doing this as a service to them or are they paying for that as a service that we provide.

Transportation and Environmental Services Director O'Kane spoke to this.

Councilman Speck would like, in the context of the budget, for Council to review whether the City is providing seasonal services that are specifically identified as services that appropriately would have some cost associated with them if we are providing them to a tax-exempt organization. We need to review this and if we are doing it in other places we need to review that as well. There are two reasons for doing this, one is the cost of services, and the second is that Council needs to make it clear as a message to the entire community that we all need to be exercising more scrutiny over the things that we have become accustomed to because they have been done that way over time at a moment in our history when we know that it has been difficult to pay for a lot of these services.

Councilman Speck wanted it known that we are not talking about taxing tax-exempt properties, but we are talking about instances where there are fees for services, or could be fees for services, and this is one that should be reviewed.

City Manager Lawson noted this will be discussed at a work session next spring in the context of the budget. She also spoke to the forthcoming recommendation relating to Goodwin House.

(c) Councilman Speck noted that on the Braddock Road bridge by the Metro station going east on Braddock Road there is a clearance sign indicating 11 feet; however, going west there is a clearance sign indicating 11 feet 7 inches.

Transportation and Environmental Services Director O'Kane will look into this.







(d) Councilman Speck spoke to the new trash cans that have appeared and they look terrific. He noted that because these trash cans are more expensive and we are in the process of trying to do some replacement that this is the time to begin to develop some effort between the Chamber and the City to see if there is some way that we can begin going to the businesses in conjunction with the City's support to invite contributions to help pay for them and to identify the support of the various businesses that are doing so. He also questioned what the City did with the old cans.

Transportation and Environmental Services Director O'Kane indicated that the cans are refurbished and replace damaged cans throughout the City.

City Manager Lawson noted that a meeting will be set up with Kathy Snyder and anyone else from the Chamber, and Councilman Speck to discuss this issue.

(e) Councilman Speck spoke to a memorandum dated November 10, 1998, to the City Manager from Mayor Donley, Vice Mayor Euille and himself with respect to the creation of an Alexandria Community Foundation and Development Office; a copy of the memorandum is on file in the office of the City Clerk.

Mayor Donley, Vice Mayor Euille and Council Member Rich participated in the discussion.

City Manager noted that she spoke with the Mayor today about how best to proceed before the work session. She indicated that it's very important that this be structured correctly from the very beginning so that it succeeds.

(f) Councilwoman Pepper stated that she was very interested in the memorandum about the creation of an Alexandria Community Foundation and Development Office. She faxed it on to Mary Means, coordinator of the Quality of Life Summit, which was very successful. She commended all of those who participated and all those who worked so hard to make it possible, particularly, the Environmental Policy Commission. Councilwoman Pepper noted that one of the things that came out of the summit was the recommendation that we put together something called "A Thousand Friends of Alexandria". One of its missions would be to put together a land bank and to gather money that might go for acquisition of trees, etc. She indicated that she will be talking with Mary Means about how Ms. Means will be fitting this in with "A Thousand Friends of Alexandria."

(g) Councilwoman Pepper reminded everyone that this Friday, November 13, is the kickoff gala for the City's 250th Anniversary, from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Torpedo Factory.

(h) Councilwoman Pepper noted that on November 20, a jungle auction will be sponsored by Polk School from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

(i) Councilwoman Pepper announced that there had been plans for December 12, for a cornerstone laying before the public hearing at 8:30 a.m. at the Beatley Library. The Masons were going to lay our stone; however, this has been delayed until the spring.





(j) Vice Mayor Euille thanked the City Manager, staff, and City Council for their support and the citizens for coming out to participate in the kickoff of the Call to Community initiative on November 8. This was a very successful event. The next community forum will be held at 7:00 p.m. on December 1, at Francis C. Hammond Middle School. Another one is planned for George Washington Middle School sometime after the first of the year.

(k) Vice Mayor Euille expressed concern about the inadequate lighting provided at the Braddock Road Metro bridge. Citizens have complained about the inadequate lighting for pedestrians walking under the overpass, and it is conducive to some potential crime activity. Staff was asked to have VDOT to correct this situation if they have not done so already.

(l) Vice Mayor Euille also expressed concern about the poor lighting at our public schools. He indicated that you cannot see to walk up walkways into school buildings, and you can't see how to climb stairs into the buildings. He requested that before there is another election in the City this is a matter that needs to be addressed with the schools as well as our own facilities to ensure to our citizenry that these facilities will be well lighted for their protection and safety.

(m) Council Member Walker announced how proud she was to accompany the Mayor to Mt. Vernon last Friday to plant a tree naming the Potomac as an American Heritage River. They took a bucket of dirt from Gadsby's Tavern, George's drinking place, down to his home in Mt. Vernon and Congressman Moran poured the dirt around the tree.

(n) Council Member Rich thanked Tom Tyler and Peyton Robertson and the rest of the Environmental Policy Commission, as well as City staff, for a successful Quality of Life Summit.

Council Member Rich also thanked Special Assistant to the City Manager Ransom and his staff for an incredible job of putting together the successful Call to Community Kickoff.

(o) Mayor Donley noted that Councilman Cleveland was absent from this evening's Council meeting because he had his tonsils and adenoids removed, and is doing well.

(p) Mayor Donley spoke to an innovative speed or traffic calming measure and requested staff to take a look at it. He indicated that it is his understanding that it is under study by Triple A. What they do is to paint lines in the street and as you go along the street the lines get closer together and what it does is create an optical illusion that you are going faster and so consequently you slow down and slow down naturally. Staff was requested to take a look at it to see if it has some utility, and if it does, maybe we can look at trying it out on a street in Alexandria.