REMINDER
Please do not respond directly to this email, as the email address is not monitored. If you wish to reply, please email me at my City government email address.
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While, technically, it's still Winter, the weather isn't so sure whether it wants to be Winter or Spring.
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Black History Month of Celebration and Honor
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There are a myriad of things to learn, see, and do in the City this month – and every month – to celebrate and honor the history, achievements, injustices, and contributions of African Americans – past and present – in Fredericksburg. I invite you to click here to find out about many of them.
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Civil Rights Trail Unveiling
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Last Thursday, a most remarkable thing happened. The new Civil Rights Trail was unveiled. This was an incredibly moving event that you can watch in its entirety here. The Civil Rights Trail will quickly become a beloved and key feature of the Fredericksburg community. It weaves its way through the City and highlights important places, people and moments in African American History and the struggle for civil rights.
To say that this is a professional product with a serious WOW factor, would be an understatement. There are joys and tears along the way, where you will find knowledge, insights, inspiration, and solace. You might even recognize some folks you know.
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The Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail is entitled “Freedom, a Work in Progress” and it has two distinct parts, each of which is presented by a Story Map:
Part 1 – Downtown core area (2.6 miles)
Part 2 – UMW, Shiloh Cemetery and Dorothy Hart Community Center (2.4 miles)
As the Story Map explains: “Each stop features information about the people and events that constitute the unfinished story of Black residents in Fredericksburg striving for civil rights. The accompanying maps highlight the route to each stop. In many places, you'll find links (underlined text) to additional information.”
There is a digital version of the trail, including the complete Story Map, where you can follow step-by-step from the comfort of your favorite chair at home … or use it as a guided tour on your mobile phone while you are out exploring the trail.
Chris Williams, the Assistant Director of UMW’s James Farmer Multicultural Center, and Victoria Matthews, the Tourism Sales Manager for the City of Fredericksburg, collaborated with each other and a number of folks over a period of two years to make the trail a reality. Chris conducted in-person interviews while UMW professors Christine Henry, Erin Devlin and others did historical records research. The stories they collected, including the interviews, are archived at UMW.
Geography students at UMW under the leadership of Professor Steve Hanna developed the GIS component of the trail which dovetails with the online story board. Eventually, you will be able to listen to the in-person interviews via your smartphone while you are out and about exploring the trail.
To learn more about the Civil Rights Trail, check out the excellent Free Lance-Star article here.
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"Meet the Artists" at the Visitor Center
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What better way to celebrate and honor the talented African Americans in our community than to experience their brilliance firsthand. I hope you will join me at the Meet the Artists Event at the Visitor Center (706 Caroline Street) on Friday March 3rd (which is easy to do since it’s First Friday) when we will all have the unique opportunity to talk to the wonderful artists I told you about in my last newsletter. Sheila Jones, a Deputy in Fredericksburg’s Sheriff’s Office is an amazing photographer and Leroy Brown is a truly gifted artist. There will be noshes and beverages and beauty all around!
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Getting Ready for Women's History Month
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As we pass from February into March, a great way to start thinking about the women of Fredericksburg is to begin at the Mary Washington House (1200 Charles Street) on March 11th at 6:00 PM and 6:45 PM, where a 45-minute guided tour will take you through the lives of the enslaved women and girls who lived in Mary Washington’s home between 1772 and 1789 – and then through the tenancies of women who lived there many years later. Click here to learn more.
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Oyster Roast Annual Benefit
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For 38 years, a consortium of churches, companies, and individuals have held an oyster roast to cover the medical expenses and other costs when a catastrophic event or illness has happened to a family or an individual in our community. This year, the Oyster Roast is being held on March 4th from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds, and there are two recipients: Kathy Crabtree Staples and Katrina “Kat” Packard, both of whom have endured life changing medical conditions that have had devastating financial consequences.
Over the years, the Oyster Roast has raised $1.2M. There is no fee to get into the event, although donations are happily accepted. All donations will go to the recipients. To learn more, please click here.
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Tomorrow's City Council Meetings
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You can attend the City Council meetings in person. You can also watch the Regular City Council meeting online, or on Cox Channel 84 and Verizon Channel 42.
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Work Session: 5:30 PM, Large Conference Room, City Hall, 2nd floor
City Council will hear a report on the Area 10 Small Area Plan and discuss the possibility of using Ranked Choice Voting (see discussion below) for the November 2023 City Council election. Both items also appear on the Regular Session agenda (see below). The Work Session Agenda is here.
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Regular Session: 7:30 PM, City Council Chambers, City Hall
The agenda for the Regular Session is here. Among other things, we will:
- receive an update on the City’s Environmental Program by the City’s Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, Mackenzie Belliman
- vote on a resolution (first reading) to amend the FY 2023 Budget to appropriate funds to advance energy savings work on select public buildings under the Performance Contract with ABM, Inc. as part of reaching the City’s goal of powering municipal operations with 100% renewable energy by 2035 or earlier
- vote on a resolution (second reading) to amend the FY 2023 Budget to recognize a grant award of $112,225 for the Rappahannock Criminal Justice Academy through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (this item is on the Consent Agenda)
- vote on a resolution (one reading required) to authorize VDOT to use the existing right-of-way and park land for the construction and relocation of utilities associated with the Twin Lakes Kensington Shared Use Path project (this item is on the Consent Agenda)
- receive the transmittal of the Small Area Plan Report for Area 10 from the consultant, Rhodeside Harwell, Inc. (this item is on the Consent Agenda)
- vote to amend (first and second reading) the Unified Development Ordinance to repeal the Floodplain Overlay District, and adopt the model VA Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Floodplain Management Ordinance in its stead, allowing the City to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program under the new FEMA flood maps
- hear a status update and take public comment on developing the City’s 2023-20234 Annual Action Plan under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
- vote on a resolution (one reading required) to approve the City’s participation in the proposed settlement of some cases in the opioid-related litigation (more on this below)
- hear an update on the current status of using Ranked Choice Voting for this November’s City Council elections, and decide whether to move forward by directing City Staff to schedule a public hearing on the matter (see discussion below)
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About Public Comments
Citizens who wish to participate in the public hearing or public comment period during a Regular City Council meeting (not a Work Session) will be able to speak in person or send their comments in writing. Please click here for public comment guidelines.
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- School Board Meeting: Monday, March 6th 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. When available you can find the agenda here.
- Planning Commission Meeting: Wednesday, March 8th at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. When available, you can find the agenda here.
- Economic Development Authority (EDA) Meeting: Monday, March 13th at 8:30 AM at the Executive Plaza, Third Floor (601 Caroline Street). When available, you can find the agenda here.
- Architectural Review Board (ARB) Meeting: Monday, March 13th at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. When available, you can find the agenda here.
- After tonight, the next City Council meeting is on Tuesday, March 14th at 5:30 PM (Work Session) and 7:30 PM (Regular Meeting). When available, you can access the agendas here.
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photo by Mark Lennihan, Associated Press
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The opioid litigation by participating states against drug companies and distributors continues, and more settlements are expected as the defendants attempt to resolve their liabilities in what originally was more than 3,000 lawsuits.
The City could receive nearly $1M in settlement funds by end of FY 2039. That’s in addition to significant chunks of money that will go to our neighbors: Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, and Caroline Counties. The actual yearly amounts will be determined based upon adjustments made across the various states at the national level before funds are distributed to Virginia. As of last month, there are three settlements that have or will result in payments to Virginia:
- $13 Million from McKinsey (consulting/marketing company)
- a share (to be determined) of a maximum of $21 Billion from the “big three” McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen (opioid wholesale distributors)
- a share (to be determined) of a maximum of $5 Billion from Janssen Pharmaceutical (opioid manufacturer)
The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) administers Virginia’s share of the settlement monies. As explained on OAA’s website, its purpose is to abate and remediate the opioid epidemic in Virginia through financial support from the Fund. OAA does this in the form of grants, donations, and other assistance that helps in the efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid use disorder and the misuse of opioids in Virginia.
These efforts revolve largely around partnerships with stakeholder agencies and service providers who help patients struggling with opioid use, through education, prevention, treatment, and recovery supports.
An excellent overview of the opioid settlement and what it means for the Fredericksburg area is found in Cathy Dyson’s piece in the Free Lance-Star. For an even deeper dive, check out this page on OAA’s website.
Currently, the City is participating in the proposed settlement against defendants Teva, Allergan, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and their related corporate entities. To learn more about the City’s role in these opioid-related litigation settlements, read the City Attorney’s memo here.
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New Middle School Progress Report
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Dr. Matthew Eberhart, Deputy Superintendent of the Fredericksburg City Schools, has been providing updates at School Board meetings on the progress of building the new middle school in Idlewild (See January 9th update here at about 1:09:00 and February 6th update here at about 2:43:00). Although there a couple small hurdles still to get through, it appears that everything is pretty much on track. The project manager has been working with the City to get the appropriate site plan approvals on February 27th. The team also met with the Idlewild Homeowners Association to review the design and building materials plan. Assuming all goes well, it looks like groundbreaking will occur in early Spring.
Whether the City will receive funds from the State and how much remains in question, but a budget amendment to increase our funding eligibility from 10% to 20% of the cost was added to the proposed budget by Virginia House Delegate Tara Durant. Fingers crossed.
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Tomorrow night, City Council will decide whether to further explore the possibility of adopting Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for the upcoming November City Council Election. If we do move forward, a public hearing process would be started, and we would look for the Electoral Board to weigh in as well.
RCV is an innovative way to vote. Instead of marking your pick for only one candidate – which is the way ballots in Fredericksburg work today – you get to rank your picks in order of your preference if there is more than one candidate to choose from. If there are more than two candidates to choose from, and if no candidate gets a majority of the votes, the ballot counting software performs an automatic run-off of the candidates who got the most votes, using the rankings that all voters marked on their ballots (in each round of the automatic run-off, the candidate with the least number of votes gets eliminated). Confused? No problem, I was too the first time I heard it explained. Here is a great video that shows how RCV works, and I hope you’ll check it out.
RCV has some important positives:
- nonpartisan support for RCV in Virginia
- provides the voters with more choices
- voting for the lesser of two evils is not as common
- more positive campaign messaging/less negative advertising
- candidate coalitions can form among like-minded candidates
- more candidates run for office, giving voters more choices
I think the two greatest challenges of RCV are its cost, and conducting public education about how RCV works. The State would pick up much of the cost of RCV, which is very good news. Here in Fredericksburg, our estimated cost is around $43,356 broken out into four buckets:
- $11,622 for Software and Laptop (after year 1, $5,321 annual license fee)
- $2,475 for increase in Ballot Printing
- $2,059 for Mock Election
- $27,200 for Local Public Education Campaign
To learn more, watch tomorrow night’s City Council Meeting starting at 7:30 PM, and check out the Staff Memo here. If Council decides to move forward with RCV, which would involve a public hearing process, I hope you will give us your thoughts and opinions.
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Public engagement continues on the draft ADU ordinance. Here is the latest schedule of community meetings and public hearings. I am attending each of the Community Sessions and Public Hearings to see for myself what information is being provided and what the public is concerned about.
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I’ve talked about ADUs quite a bit lately because there’s a fair amount of public curiosity, concerns, and confusion about them. You can check out the pros and cons from my newsletter here. Also, please remember that the City has a webpage devoted exclusively to the proposed ADU ordinance. It also includes some Frequently Asked Questions, and a ton of information about how other localities in Virginia are regulating ADUs. You can read the current draft of the ADU ordinance here, along with an analysis by City Staff and an on-street parking analysis.
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Folks have been asking how our draft ADU ordinance compares to the ADU ordinances that were enacted in Alexandria and Arlington. City Staff is updating the comparison, and the current version is shown below.
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If you are interested in the details about ADUs, I strongly recommend that you attend one of the meetings. City Staff is always there to provide updates and answer every question posed to them.
I still have not decided how I’ll vote on this as we are still in the information gathering stage. I have been getting emails – both for and against ADUs – which I welcome. I’m very interested in what you think.
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I often talk about making sure, as our City grows, that we preserve the “special sauce” that makes Fredericksburg unique. Folks have different ways of describing the “special sauce” and its ingredients. To be sure, there are lots of things that go into making our City so special.
One of them is the cooperation you see among our small local businesses. This is a rare thing. In most cities, competition for customers is intense, and you don’t see much in the way of businesses collaborating with each other. Here in Fredericksburg, however, it’s very different.
I think the pandemic really shined a light on the bonds shared among our small businesses, partly due to our City’s small size and overall strong sense of community. When things got shut down, local businesses pivoted and found creative ways to continue – and they reached out to each other to share ideas and help execute each other’s plans. As a result of that (and many other things), today our small business community is strong and growing.
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photo from Anita Crossfield
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Another ingredient in the “special sauce” is the vital role local business owners play in making Fredericksburg a compassionate yet thriving place. There are many, many untold stories of local business owners who devote their efforts to the betterment of our community. One such person is my dear friend Anita Crossfield (of Italian Station) who fielded a team in Saturday’s CONY (Coldest Night of the Year) walk, where she and her teammates on the Pay It Forward Team raised over $10,000 to support Micah’s efforts to help the homeless (#3 in the country!). I was proud to be on her team. And Anita isn’t the only one. Chip Taylor’s (of Long & Foster of Fredericksburg and Stafford) Ray of Light Team raised over $15,000 (#2 in the country!). In fact, many local businesses stepped up to create an unprecedented force to help the homeless on Saturday – all told, there were 650 walkers who raised over $163,000 for Micah. I invite you to check out how amazing our small businesses are here.
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Here's another good example of how competition has been replaced with cooperation in our little City: on February 19th, there was a “She Said Yes” wedding expo at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center. I hear it was a great success, as many of the trade shows at the Expo & Conference Center are. At this one, a few of our small businesses – 718 Venue, Duly Noted, and Centerpiece Boutique + Studio – joined together to create a booth that demonstrated some of the great teamwork that can come together to create an amazing event in our City. This is just one of many examples of small businesses coming together to create something magical. Do you remember the great Galentines Day event in February and the Cookie Crawl in December when lots of our amazing small businesses teamed up to create really fun nights downtown?
Our Main Street organization is another fantastic example. I sit on the Board of Main Street as the City Council representative, and every month I am super-impressed with the caliber of thought, talent, and cooperation that exists among the small businesses. I truly believe that there’s nothing our small businesses can’t do when they put their minds to it!
If you have your own stories to tell about how local business owners are helping to make Fredericksburg such a special place, please share them with me. I’d love to hear about it.
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Meet Lewis Rogers: Our New NPS Superintendent
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photo from the National Park Service
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I have been a volunteer with the National Park Service (NPS) here for many years and love what the NPS brings to our City. I recently met the new Superintendent, Lewis Rogers, and came away very impressed. He has 38 years of experience with NPS, having seen the agency from every level. I was struck by his commitment to telling the entire “story and place” of our special park. I think we’ve been incredibly blessed with the NPS staff here in the Fredericksburg area and I’m very excited to see what the future holds in store.
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February First Friday and Sip + Stroll
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First Friday along with Sip + Stroll is happening this Friday! If you’ve come downtown on a recent First Friday, you know that Sip + Stroll creates a great vibe downtown. Adults (21+) who come downtown for First Friday can buy alcoholic beverages from local, participating restaurants to enjoy while they stroll through the wonderful art galleries and shops of Fredericksburg. Hope to see you downtown this Friday, March 3rd for the next great experience. Click here to see which restaurants are participating in Sip + Stroll and which art galleries and shops are staying open late. This would be a good time to sign up to volunteer for First Friday. I’ll be out there and would love to see you there, too.
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image from the FCPS Newsletter
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There’s a new great way to get news about what’s happening in our school division. Each Thursday, FCPS will send you a terrific recap of everything going on. Please send an email to Sandy Gillenwater if you’d like to receive it and she’ll gladly put you on the list.
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No one loves March Madness more than I do. And I can’t imagine a better way to enjoy a whole new take on March Madness than to see our school kids compete on the basketball court.
Here are the details:
- Admission is free
- Location: James Monroe High School
- Times: 5:30 PM (Doors Open) and 6:00 PM (Game Start)
- Game Dates:
- March 8th: Preschool/James Monroe High vs. Lafayette Elementary
- March 23rd: Hugh Mercer Elementary vs. Walker-Grant Middle School
- March 29th: Championship
- 2020 throwback t-shirts will be available for sale (cash ONLY $10).
- Parent groups will be selling snacks and drinks.
- Join the 50/50 raffle
- Enjoy the half-time shows
- Questions? Contact Sandy Gillenwater by email or phone: (540-372-1130)
- Learn more here
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- 72nd Fine Arts Show & Sale: This is your reminder that the Fredericksburg Fine Arts Show & Sale takes place at Dorothy Hart Community Center from March 10th through March 12th. Lots of beautiful art pieces for sale, with proceeds benefiting The Women’s Club of Fredericksburg’s charitable programs and the City’s Parks, Recreation, and Events Department. More information here.
- Commissioner of the Revenue New Hours: The City Commissioner of the Revenue’s office, located in City Hall, 715 Princess Anne Street, will begin closing at 4:00 p.m. effective Wednesday, February 1st. In addition, for the months of February, March, and April, the office will be closed to the public on Monday at noon and all day Thursdays.
- Play Ball: Only 40 days until the FredNats season opener at the Virginia Credit Union Stadium on April 7th. Click here for the schedule and click here for tickets. And if you want to audition to sing the National Anthem at one of the Frednats home games, you can sign up to do that here.
- FXBG.com: There’s no way to cover everything to see and do in the City in this Newsletter. Click here to learn about more great things to do.
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Feel free to reach out to me anytime. I want to hear your ideas, priorities, and concerns.
One of the things I love about being on City Council is the opportunity to help folks navigate through problems to find solutions. Sometimes, my legal training comes in handy too. Case in point: recently I was asked to find the deed to Shiloh Cemetery as part of supporting a grant application to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for maintenance and repair efforts at this historic site.
Working with Jeff Small (Clerk of the Fredericksburg Circuit Court) and his staff and volunteers, we discovered that no deed to the cemetery was ever recorded. However, they did find a 1933 plat that addressed ownership. As additional evidence, I asked Lois Jacob (Commissioner of the Revenue) for her written opinion about its ownership, knowing the cemetery is church-related and would be exempt from paying real estate taxes. In the end, I was able to provide the Department of Historic Resources with satisfactory evidence of ownership, meaning that the grant application can now move forward. It’s a great feeling to help out like this and, by the way, Shiloh Cemetery is Stop #5 (on Part 2) of the City’s new Civil Rights Trail. I hope you’ll check it out.
The next newsletter is scheduled to come out on March 13th. Previous editions of my newsletter can be found here.
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As always, take care and be good to each other,
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Note the email address from which this newsletter was sent is not monitored. If you wish to email me, please use my City government email address. I’d be happy to talk to you about your priorities for the City.
Please be aware that all email correspondence to and from my City government email address is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the Virginia Public Records Act which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties.
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