|
|
LOVE in Hurkamp Park
|
|
In this edition, I am covering:
Weather Woes
The Fredericksburg Alert System
Swearing-in Ceremonies
Newsletter Changes
City Council Agenda and other City meetings
Jayem PRIDE
Wastewater Treatment Plant Funding
Plastic Bag Tax
First Fridays Sip & Stroll
Winter Restaurant Week
Weather Woes
We certainly got an interesting start to 2022 with a major snowstorm that hit us on January 3rd.
|
|
|
In the end, we got around 14 inches of snow, 4,000 homes lost power, and there were downed trees and felled tree limbs throughout the City. Add to that, we had major traffic jams on Route 1 and elsewhere in the City caused by the shutdown of I-95. Schools were closed for the week. As time went on, I received numerous calls and messages from people who still didn’t have their power restored after days of sub-freezing temperatures. It was a very difficult situation for many people.
Thankfully, our City crews worked tirelessly around-the-clock to clear our roadways and remove fallen tree limbs from our streets and sidewalks. The businesses were open again by the weekend, people were safely out and about, and trash pickup is resuming today. When you see a member of the Public Works crew, Police and Fire Department, please take a moment to thank them for their hard work!
Fred Alerts
|
|
This is a good time to remind people to sign up for Fred Alert. The City of Fredericksburg uses the Fred Alert system to deliver important emergency alerts, notifications, and updates to you on all your registered devices, including email accounts, cell phone (Text and/or voice), office and home phones.
You should register enough devices to ensure that you will notice an alert. For example, I use my cell phone (voice and text alerts) and my email address (text alerts).
Weather Alerts are driven by location only. You must give an accurate address to receive accurate alerts. These are routed through the Fredericksburg Alert system by the National Weather Service.
If you haven’t already, please sign up for Fredericksburg Alert here.
It Begins...
|
|
I was supposed to get sworn in on January 3rd, but the snow made that impossible, so the swearing-in of City Ward Councilors was postponed (twice) until 5 PM tomorrow – right before my first meeting begins. Jason Graham (Ward 1), Tim Duffy (Ward 3), and Chuck Frye (Ward 4) are also being sworn in. I look forward to working with each of them, the other City Council members, and the Mayor. I am optimistic that we will work well together to find creative solutions to the issues we face.
Likewise, the swearing-in of new School Board member Matt Rowe (Ward 1), and incumbents Katie Pomeroy (Ward 2), Jennifer Boyd (Ward 3), and Malvina Kay (Ward 4) was postponed until tonight at 6 PM before the School Board meeting. I sincerely congratulate each one and look forward to working with them.
|
|
I would also like to thank my predecessor, Billy Withers, for his many years of devoted service to the City. Billy was well-prepared for every City Council meeting, and he often asked some excellent questions and provided invaluable guidance to City staff and his constituents. I’m sure I will be calling on Billy for his thoughts and perspectives from time to time. Institutional memory is important to maintain as we move forward.
Newsletter Changes
|
|
First, I will continue to send out newsletters before each City Council Meeting. Please note, however, that, because of legal requirements under the Freedom of Information Act, you will not be able to respond directly to the email address from which the newsletter is sent.
But I do want to hear from you if you have any questions or comments. Feel free to email me at jagerlach@fredericksburgva.gov. You can also reach me by phone regarding City matters at: (540) 360-6774.
Please note that all email correspondence to and from my City government email address and texts to and from my phone are subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the Virginia Public Records Act which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement.
ON THE AGENDA
City Council Meetings
|
|
Work Session
5:30 PM, Council Chambers at City Hall
Council will interview applicants for vacancies on the Architectural Review Board. There will be an update on the Wastewater Treatment Plant project, including possible new funding sources, and a discussion of recent updates to the draft Small Area 1 Plan (Central Park and Celebrate South), which involves amending the Comprehensive Plan. A public hearing on the Small Area 1 Plan will occur at Council’s Regular Meeting on January 25th. The updated Small Area 1 Plan draft is found here.
You can access the Work Session Agenda here.
Regular Session
7:30 PM, Council Chambers at City Hall
The Regular Meeting is rather light this week. Among other items, Fire Chief Jones will brief everyone on the current COVID-19 situation, and Council will consider which City Redistricting Plan to accept.
City Council is being asked to decide between four local redistricting plans, including one plan submitted by a City resident. Each plan would place all UMW Student Housing into Ward Two (my Ward), which will significantly ease confusion about where students go to vote (previously they were split between three Wards). The four plans, along with demographics, can be found here.
You can attend the City Council meetings in person (please wear a face covering), or online. The agenda is here.
About Public Comments
Citizens who wish to participate in a meeting’s public hearing or public comment period during a regular City Council meeting (not a Work Session) will be able to speak in person during the public comment period or send their comments in writing. Please click here for public comment instructions.
Other Upcoming Meetings
- School Board Meeting – Tonight, January 10th at 6:30 PM (closed session) and 7:30 PM (open session) in the School Board Chambers at the Walker-Grant Center, 210 Ferdinand Street. You can access the agenda here.
- Architectural Review Board (ARB) meeting: Tonight, January 10th at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. You can access the agenda here.
- Planning Commission Meeting – Wednesday, January 12th at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. You can access the agenda here.
- Joint City Council and School Board Meeting, Thursday, January 13th at 7:00 PM at James Monroe High School, 2300 Washington Avenue.
- The next City Council meetings are on January 25th at 5:30 PM (Work Session) and 7:30 PM (Regular Meeting) in the City Council Chambers in City Hall.
ON THE ISSUES
Jayem PRIDE
|
|
When I toured our five City schools last month, I had the privilege of meeting with Tony Lewis, FCPS Teacher and former JMHS Varsity Men’s Basketball coach. Tony is passionate about mentoring our youth and making sure they have the skills and mindset needed to transition into successful careers after graduation.
Tony is a Student Support Specialist in the Jayem PRIDE program at JMHS. This program aims to improve the graduation rate, reduce student drop-out, and help students transition from high school to a career job.
The program partners with Jobs for Virginia Graduates, a statewide nonprofit which has a proven track record of success (95% graduation rate, for example). Learn more here.
Student Support Specialists in Jayem PRIDE work closely with students both in-school and out-of-school, focusing on these critical areas:
- Academic Support - make sure students are staying on task while maintaining credits needed for graduation;
- Workplace Readiness - mentor students on career skills such as decision making, self development, personal, and leadership skills;
- Career Exploration – students connect with local employers, explore career possibilities, and discover how they might fit in to an actual career based on personal interests;
- Mentorship – through community partnerships, students receive a mentor to support their career and academic progress; and
- Post-Grad Follow-Up – each Jayem PRIDE graduate receives 12 months of follow-up assistance to support their career transition
Kudos to everyone who participates in Jayem PRIDE. It’s a great program that makes a positive difference in the lives of students and families here in Fredericksburg.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Funding
|
|
|
photo by Mike Morones
The City recently announced that Governor Ralph Northam has included funding of $27M for the City of Fredericksburg’s wastewater needs. If this makes it through the upcoming General Assembly session, in whole or in part, it will help relieve the City taxpayer share of the $80M (or more) Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade. This upgrade represents the largest public works project in our City’s history. It will result in one of the most technologically advanced wastewater facilities in Virginia. The upgrade must be completed by early 2026. Learn more here.
Plastic Bag Tax
|
|
The Plastic Bag tax went into effect January 1st. The tax is collected at the point of purchase (grocery store, convenience store, drug store). State law requires that all City revenue collected from the Plastic Bag Tax be used for environmental cleanup, providing education programs designed to reduce environmental waste, mitigating pollution and litter, and providing reusable bags to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) benefits. More on the Plastic Bag Tax here.
IN THE CITY
First Fridays Sip & Stroll
|
|
|
Fredericksburg Main Street has obtained a special ABC license for a brand-new First Friday event called “Sip & Stroll”. Sip & Stroll allows people of legal drinking age to stroll within a designated area using logo cups from participating restaurants. Boundaries will be marked by signs, trash cans and clearly marked on the official event map. See the map above for participating businesses and boundaries.
The first Sip & Stroll First Friday event will run from 5-9 PM on Friday, February 4th. Participating restaurants will set up their own internal Sip & Stroll stations and will provide a logo cup and create one-of-a-kind drink specials.
Sip & Strollers will be given a wristband to wear during the event. Drinks from one location must be consumed before entering another participating location, and all drinks must be disposed of before 9:00 PM.
More on this event here.
Winter Restaurant Week
|
|
One of my favorite weeks of the year – Winter Restaurant Week – begins on January 14th and goes through the 23rd. This is a great opportunity to check out our wonderful eateries and support your local businesses! Find the list of participating restaurants here.
AND FINALLY …
Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at my City government email address: jagerlach@fredericksburgva.gov. I’d be happy to talk to you about your priorities for the City.
Also, please note that all email correspondence to and from my City government email address is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and to the Virginia Public Records Act which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement.
Please note that the email address from which this newsletter was sent is not monitored (nor is my old election campaign email address). If you wish to email me, please use my City government email address shown above.
|
|
|
As always, take care and be good to each other.
|
|
|
|
