Archives: ‘EcoNews’

The Virginia Department of Transportation has agreed to sequence the Fall 2010, construction of Jones Point Park to allow portions of the park to remain open to the public. VDOT agreed to the phased approach after a July 13, community meeting. At that meeting, Virginia Congressman Jim Moran (D-8), Alexandria City Council members and City residents voiced their displeasure of plans that would close most of the park for 18 months. VDOT and National Park Service officials rejected the idea of phasing at the meeting because of additional costs.

When the National Park Service selected the new design for Jones Point Park, the compromise choice did not make neighborhood residents or City officials happy. Now that the time has come to implement the design, park users, members of the Alexandria City Council and Virginia Congressman Jim Moran (D-8) are angry that construction may close the park for up to 18 months.

At its June 22nd meeting, City Council received the draft Phase II project prepared by the Engineer Worley Parsons and endorsed Mirant Community Monitoring Group’s recommendations made at the MCMG meeting on May 13, 2010.

At the Ruby Tucker Family Center, children, adults and senior citizens are doing their part to help the neighborhood. The vegetable community garden project is getting people involved.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled that federal law preempts Alexandria’s attempt to regulate Norfolk-Southern’s transloading and transfer of ethanol at its Van Dorn Yard. In 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District ruled that Norfolk-Southern was not subject to restrictive haul routes designated by the City. Alexandria appealed the decision and maintained that the ruling still allowed City regulation of the trucks.