RCA Updates (March 2017)
As always, please share these updates with neighbors who may not be receiving the information (and let us know if email addresses need to be updated, etc.).
Meeting Notes. The association met at the Commonwealth Baptist Church on March 2.
* Our police liaison, Lt. Bartholomew Bailey, provided an update – there have been six “Part 1” crimes reported in Rosemont since the start of the year – mostly thefts from unlocked cars. He also introduced Officer Hughes, one of the two officers usually assigned to the afternoon/night shift in Rosemont.
* Our sheriff liaison, Capt. Shelbert Williams, also provided an update, and also discussed Project Lifesaver, which is intended to help protect and track individuals with cognitive disabilities – for some background about the program, please see https://www.alexandriava.gov/news_display-13376.html.
* City Deputy Assessor Jeff Bandy gave a presentation on the Alexandria real estate assessment process, and answered questions about how homes are valued and how assessments may be appealed (note that the deadline is March 15). For a copy of the presentation (which previously was used at City Council), please see https://alexandria.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=4960833&GUID=CBAC5776-3E76-4F33-BA49-B5C615E59E8F.
* Some general resources mentioned at the meeting: The City’s database of real estate assessments is available at https://realestate.alexandriava.gov. The City’s “GIS” system with other real property information is available at https://www.alexandriava.gov/gis/info/default.aspx?id=7654. the Alexandria Library and Archives also have various historical resources, including photos and building permits. See https://alexlibraryva.org/client/en_US/home/?rm=LOCAL+HISTORY+0%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7Ctrue.
Yates in the News. Jason Yates – proprietor of Yates Automotive and Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza – recently has been profiled in both the Washington Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/02/23/the-family-behind-alexandrias-yates-corner-is.html) and the Alexandria Zebra (http://digital.thezebra.org/?issueID=10&pageID=1).
Upcoming Events.
* The City Council will be holding a hearing on its 2018 budget on March 13. For more information, please visit http://legistar.granicus.com/alexandria/meetings/2017/3/1671_A_City_Council_Special_Meeting_17-03-13_Docket.pdf.
* The Mount Vernon Community School will be holding a fundraising event at the George Washington Middle School field on Saturday, April 1. Please see http://www2.acps.k12.va.us/events/main.php?view=event&eventid=1484345103401 for more information.
SafeTrack. In case you haven’t noticed, during Surge #13 (March 4-April 9), there will be single tracking south of Braddock Road, and major reductions in service. Please consider alternatives, such as the “Metroway” bus between Braddock Road and Crystal City. For more information, please visit https://www.wmata.com/service/status/details/Surge-13.cfm.
Keeping Informed. We try to provide regular updates on local news, Rosemont history, and general happenings in Alexandria via our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RosemontCitizensiation/), cross-posted to Twitter (https://twitter.com/RosemontCitizen) and our web page (http://RosemontCitizens.org/facebook/). Please consider following one or another (as well as the Rosemont email list, https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/rosemontva/info).
Volunteers Needed. We can always use another hand – thinking ahead to events such as the Fourth of July (which hopefully can return to the Maury Elementary School) but also ongoing items, ranging from pending matters (school redistricting, development, etc.) to general issues (neighborhood beautification, Rosemont history, etc.). If you have an interest, please let us know.
