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Alexandria Inside Gazette Packet 25 Cents Vol Alexandria inside Gazette Packet 25 Cents Vol. CCXXV, No. 42 Serving Alexandria for over 200 years • A Connection Newspaper October 22, 2009 Don’t Cut Here Council hears request for services while weighing budget shortfall. By Michael Lee Pope vice president of the Alexandria Gazette Packet Arts Forum. “They come around too often and they are not very ith stimulus funds much fun.” set to run out next Budget officials, elected leaders Wyear and the state and city residents are preparing for budget revenues another round of budget discus- continuing to constrict, city offi- sions that is certain to be short on cials are going to have one heck fun. City revenue collection is of a budget season facing them down in several areas. Personal over the next few months. The bad property tax collection is down 30 news is that City Council will be percent so far this year from faced with a choice of raising taxes $613,000 last year compared to or additional cuts to services that $517,000 this year, and the motor have already been reduced. The vehicle license tax revenues are good news? According a speakers down 47 percent from $269,000 who participated in a public hear- to $143,000. Overall, the city has ing on the budget last weekend, collected about $800,000 less than Callie Terrell sings America the Beautiful during the memorial service for City of there is no good news. last year according to a year-to- Alexandria Fire/EMS career and volunteer personnel held Oct. 9 at Ivy Hill Cemetery. “These hearings are kind of like my birthday,” said Sherry Brown, See Yes, We Have, Page 10 Honoring Firefighters Education Policies Divide Candidates Merit pay and support for private schools separate Democrats from Republicans. Retired Alexandria Firefighters Cecil By Michael Lee Pope private schools. Democrats are “Bonedust” Carr and Stewart “Apples” Firefighter Matthew Craig plays Taps. Gazette Packet opposed to merit pay, and they are DeHaven. opposed to any effort to use pub- n Election Day, voters in lic money for private schools. Ul- OAlexandria will be timately voters will have the last choosing between can- say on the issue when they cast didates with vastly different opin- their ballots, although the elected ions about public education. Re- leaders will still have to scramble Alexandria Pipes publicans support merit for teach- for funding schools in an increas and Drums piper ers and efforts to provide more Homer Babcock competition between public and See Education, Page 4 performs as the honor guard pre- sents the colors. 22314 VA Alexandria, To: 1604 King St., King 1604 To: ted Address Service Reques Service Address material. Time-sensitive Postmaster: Attention Photos by Permit #482 Permit Louise Krafft/ VA Alexandria, PAID Gazette Packet Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ October 22-28, 2009 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ October 22-28, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com News Council Notebook Demolition Countdown The old American Legion Hall on North Fayette Street has six months to find a buyer. Failing that, the 1940s-era building origi- nally constructed as a nursery will be demolished to make way for an eight-unit condominium building planned by developer George Bill Cromley. Washington Members of the Alexandria City Council voted five-to-one Sat- Middle urday to deny an appeal to the Parker Gray Board of Architec- School stu- tural Review’s decision to grant Cromley a demolition permit. dent Ella Historic preservationist Boyd Walker filed the appeal, arguing Boissonnault the structure should be saved because it spoke to an era when has been African-American women were part of the workforce during World studying War II. “It may be a simple, modest building,” said Walker, chair- ballet for man of the Greater Alexandria Preservation Alliance. “But there’s eight years. not another one like it.” Councilwoman Del Pepper was the only member to vote against the majority. She pointed out that denying Cromley’s demolition permit would not necessarily save the building; it Photos by would only create a one-year window for the property to be sold Louise Krafft/ at real-market value. Yet the majority of the City Council sided Gazette Packet with the developer, who is a former member of the Parker Gray Board of Architectural Review. Although the council members approved the demolition permit, they also insisted on a six-month grace period for someone to step forward and offer to move the building or purchase the property. Alexandria Ballet Needs Funds “Six months in an economy like this — it’s almost mission im- possible,” said Pepper. “Six months doesn’t really give anyone an BRITTON’S TEACHING methods allow her to in- opportunity to really get anything done in this kind of a climate.” Holiday show for clude young students in her production of The Nut- children cancelled. cracker. Some of the characters they dance include Making the Case the mice, a little tea girl, and the guards. One of those young students was Mary Kate Battle Vice Mayor Kerry Donley knows a good argument when he By Sandy Levitz Lunner who started studying with “Miss Virginia” when she hears one. After serving on the City Council from 1988 to 1996 The Gazette was 8 years old. She’s a senior at Notre Dame now, and then as mayor from 1996 to 2003, Donley has heard it all. So and she still takes dance lessons a couple of times a when speakers arrive at City Hall for a public hearing, Donley here will be no Sugar Plum Fairy twirl- week — for fun, according to her father, attorney wants to hear a solid case. And he’s not afraid to make sugges- ing or Mouse King leaping for Alexandria Tim Battle of Mount Vernon. tions. When a contractor asked for an exemption from fire-code children this holiday season. The Alex- “Mary Kate was thrilled to be part of The Nut- regulations because Alexandria was the only jurisdiction to en- T andria Ballet has cancelled the 2009 Nut- cracker, first as a guard with a moustache. She just force fire-code regulation, Donley didn’t hesitate to offer his ad- cracker performances, another victim of the eco- stood there, and she loved it,” the father shared. vice for a better argument. “Be careful,” warned the vice mayor. nomic downturn. “The next year she was a guard without a mous- “I don’t think you want to say it’s not being enforced in other In the past, Virginia Britton, owner and artistic tache. She moved up and up until she was one of the jurisdictions. It’s just being enforced in a different manner.” director of the ballet, has been able to count on the flowers dancing on stage with the professionals. She Later that afternoon, when a resident of the Carlyle neighbor- kindness of “angels” to donate the $25,000 price tag still says it was the hardest thing she’s ever done, hood announced that he would file an application for a concealed of the seasonal favorite. This year, however, Britton’s but she kept up with the others and did a great job weapon permit as a result of City Council’s decision to approve a angels had to tighten their purse strings, and ballet up on point for 4-1/2 minutes.” special-use permit application for a 7-Eleven on John Carlyle didn’t make the cut. Battle says he’s disappointed Britton’s Nutcracker Street, Donley didn’t like what he was hearing. The vice mayor According to Britton, ticket sales could generate isn’t happening this year. said he was willing to hear the case against noise, loitering and enough money for the company’s professional danc- “It’s really a nice thing for the community,” he said. alcohol sales. But he didn’t think concealed weapons should be ers. However, the up-front expense of renting the “It reaches a lot of people who might not be able to part of the discussion. “I just don’t buy the hyperbolic argument studio for rehearsals and performances would still afford the Kennedy Center for a ballet.” of you feeling the need to arm yourself because a 7-Eleven is need to be covered. Another disappointed ballet lover is 13-year old coming in there,” Donley told the speaker. “I think that line of “If a large amount of money did come in at once, I Ella Boissonnault, a student at George Washington reasoning isn’t helping your argument one bit.” don’t think it’s too late to salvage The Nutcracker Middle School. She’s been taking classes at The Al this year,” she said. “Most of the performers have Election Uncertainty danced it before. Everything’s done except rehearsal See Ballet, Page 22 for the young children in her classes With City Council members set to consider the slate of issues who haven’t performed it yet.” they will seek in the next General Assembly next week, members Britton’s version of The Nut- are divided on potential changes to municipal elections. Three cracker, geared to young audiences, members led by Councilman Rob Krupicka want staggered has been performed in this region terms. But three other members led by Councilman Frank for 19 years, many of those at The Fannon want to keep the current system of electing all the mem- Atheneum in Old Town. For the past bers at once. After considering the issue several times, the council’s three years she’s been teaching legislative committee was not able to come up with a recommen- classes and performing The Nut- dation.
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