1. Here’s an article on the Agnes Meyer awards. Congratulations are in order for our own Mrs. Demeria as she was selected as a recipient this year. Doubtless this was in spite of Tim’s involvement in things.
2. The 1BY you project has release a video of their activities in Manassas and Cindy has blasted me a link: http://vimeo.com/11560334
3. Finance meeting tonight.
4. You think sewage treatment costs a lot now? Take a look at this and weep.
May 12, 2010 at 2:55 pm
How right you are brother!
May 12, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Andy, I shall not weep over the cost of the sweage treatment go up – ONLY if the City tightens the noose around controlling runoff. We have good rules about soil runoff, but there is another issue that is not in our Code.
We have all those nice markers on the storm drains which I suppose overall do their job. What is not happening is all the “Saturday Afternoon Mechanics” who work on their cars and brake fluid, antifreeze, and other noxious fluids drip on the driveway – or when working on a public street such as in my cul-de-sac – let it all soak into the street.
Now, instead of putting down kitty litter or other absornant to catch it and then dispose of that, they either hose down their drive way, use something like chlorine bleach to clean it up, or just let it lay and the rain washes it into the storm drains.
The City needs to put teeth into our ordinances and just ban it altogether. No vehicle maintenance except those things that do not cause fluids to spill or drip; and if a lawn mower, take every reasonable precaution you can.
May as well start exporing it because the day is coming when the EPA will tighten and costs will go up. At least if there were some Code and hard fines associated, maybe at least the City can show it is trying to ensure all water to the Bay coming out of here is better than it is now.
May 13, 2010 at 7:20 am
Hey Tim,
Since you are in favor of educting illegals and have a soft spot for diversity, where you happy when five American high school students were sent home for wearing the American Flag on the fake holiday of cinco de mayo because it pissed off the illegals and upset the diversity crowd?
May 13, 2010 at 9:07 am
“All amateur observers in Manassas were left
to do Tuesday was scratch their heads and
wonder why voter turnout was the lowest of
any election since the city was incorporated
in 1975. Only 21.8 percent of the city’s
12,683 registered voters bothered to cast
a ballot. This in a year when Manassas residents
could vote for school board members for the
first time.”
Manassas Journal-Messenger
(May 4, 1994)
May 4, 2010 – 8.7% of 19,546 registered voters
went to the polls.
May 13, 2010 at 11:34 am
Neighborhood eco-teams — five to ten households working together to live more ecologically. Started in the 90s, and now more than 40,000 people in 18 countries are on teams.
http://www.greendecade.org/ecoteams.html
That way a group of city residents could learn and teach each other, everything from stormwater management and when and how much to fertilize your lawn to proper trash & recycling & disposal of household hazardous waste.
Try a pilot — one city block — one summer. Offer money off on utility bills for everyone who participates in the pilot.
(idea from The Great Neighborhood Book, page 116, by Jay Walliasper)
May 13, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Mr. Beverage,
The city already has addressed this issue in the streets in the city code.
Sec. 114-503. Washing or greasing vehicle on or near street or sidewalk.
(a) No person shall wash, polish or grease a vehicle upon a street, highway or sidewalk, nor shall the owner of a vehicle permit it to be washed, polished or greased upon a street, highway or sidewalk.
(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to permit any water used for washing a vehicle on private property to flow across any sidewalk or into any street or street gutter before the water has passed through a settling well or tank so constructed that the suspended mud is precipitated before such water reaches the street or street gutter.
(Code 1978, § 17-364)
Now, If you want to invade my property and tell me I can’t maintain my automobile or any other piece of my equipment on the property I own, we are going to have a fight on our hands.
As a responsible auto enthusiast I find your statement a bit offensive .
“What is not happening is “all” the “Saturday Afternoon Mechanics” who work on their cars and brake fluid, antifreeze, and other noxious fluids drip on the driveway – or when working on a public street such as in my cul-de-sac – let it all soak into the street”.
I employ several methods to contain spills and there are many places in town to take your waste oils. You are more than welcome to come down to my house on Weir st. and look for any “noxious fluids”
Working on my own vehicles (and the house also) has saved me thousands of dollars and allowed my family and I to enjoy a better lifestyle and the ability to live in a nice town like Manassas.
If you have a problem on your street ( I can understand your frustration) in relation to the code above I would recommend reporting it before you group every auto enthusiast as a gross polluter which could not be farther from the truth.
Thank You, Bud
May 13, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Bud, a very big THANK YOU for your reminding me there are very responsible folks who make the efforts.
I extend my apology to you and others who read my frustration. My poor choice of words skewed my intended point and for that, I am sorry.
Interesting you post that section of our Code. Now, let me share you the contradiction regarding washing your car that is in our Code. It is down the list in subparagraph (b)(11) and (13):
Sec. 118-370. Unlawful discharge to the stormwater system and waters of the city.
(a) It shall be a violation of this subdivision for any person to discharge or deposit:
(1) Any wastes, trash, garbage, or any matter causing or aiding pollution on any property in the city in any manner so as to allow such to be washed into any stormwater system by storm or flood water.
(2) Any grass clippings, mulch, or yard waste, animal carcasses and other wastes into the stormwater system, or do any injury to the stormwater system or in an manner pollute the stormwater system.
(3) Any discharge of gasoline, oil waste, antifreeze, or other automotive, motor or equipment fluids into the stormwater system.
(4) Discharge process water, wash water, or unpermitted discharge into any stormwater system by any commercial, industrial, or manufacturing entity.
(5) Anything that impedes or interferes with the free flow of stormwater in any gutter, ditch, storm drain, or other drainage area in the city.
(6) Chlorinated swimming pool water without dissipating chlorine.
(b) Subject to the provisions of this section below, the following activities shall not be unlawful discharges:
(1) Discharges pursuant to a VPDES or NPDES permit;
(2) Discharges resulting from fire fighting activities;
(3) Water line flushing;
(4) Landscape irrigation;
(5) Diverted stream flows or rising groundwater;
(6) Infiltration of uncontaminated groundwater;
(7) Pumping of uncontaminated groundwater;
(8) Discharges from potable water sources, foundation drains, irrigation water, springs, water from crawl spaces or footing drains;
(9) Air conditioning condensation;
(10) Lawn watering;
(11) Residential car washing;
(12) Dechlorinated swimming pool discharges; and
(13) Public street washing.
(Ord. No. O-2006-17, § 1, 2-27-2006)
The portion you cite says we have to collect the water; the portion regarding sewers says its ok to wash cars. Confusing, no?
I suppose my point I was trying to make was our Code needs to be looked and and defined on what “greasing” is and that discharge into the sewer system includes what is driveway runoff and just allowed to drip/spill/etc. on the street. Some may read the portion above and think that dischage means one would literally have to dump it in a sewer drain.
Your quoted section is contained in “Stopping, Standing, and Parking” of Traffice and Vehicles; mine in the part on sewer and sewer system. For the record, when I do wash my cars here on King Carter, I sorta kinda bend the rule a bit and park the car on the grass – I figure at least the water paid for can go to another use, plus the lawn catches the dirt, soap et al.
Again, Bud (and others), I apologize for my poor choice in making the generalization.
May 14, 2010 at 4:46 pm
The 17th Annual City of Manassas Volunteer
Recognition Reception was held last night at
the Harris Pavilion.
Selected as Outstanding Volunteers for 2010:
Harry Bowman – Utility Commission
Cindy Brookshire – Neighborhood Services
Marina Jackson – Museum
Janie Jennell – Museum
Dwayne Lynch- Neighborhood Services
Joe Martin – Christmas Parade
May 14, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Some interesting RE data from John Grzejka,
Manassas Commissioner of Revenue,
for the first quarter of this year.
2010 2009
Units sold 158 253
Average Price $181,700 $148,500
Average Days
on Market 33 89
Properties on
Market (March 31st) 2008 – 630
2009 – 131
2010 – 55
Foreclosures 2010 – 28
2009 -91
June 14, 2010 at 7:49 pm
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