Steve Randolph is kinda like our unofficial Council historian. He brings the coolest things that he find in old newspapers in from time to time. I don’t remember the exact date of the clipping but there was a pretty long and indignant article in a clipping from the 40’s about lousy parking in Old Town. Steve’s point might be that some things never change but it might not be….I’ll go with the latter and, at the risk of proving him right, I’m going to repost something I wrote in 2007. It’s as true today (writing might have gotten marginally better) as it was then and it’ll probably be true when I’m off the Council in the future. So, without further ado:
“I’ll start of with a blinding flash of insight: Manassas is a City. Cities are interesting things as they have many different features and tend to attract a different kind of people than do more suburban or rural areas. It is my belief that these people may also be somewhat different in their politics than their rural cousins but, in Manassas, I’m not sure how much it matters. It is also my suspicion that these “city folk” tend to have different expectations of their government: more and different amenities, solid schools, good jobs in or around the City and the list goes on. Real tax rates also tend to be higher in cities to support those things – anywhere from 25%-100% higher. This isn’t terribly surprising as there tend to be more people in a smaller space and there are those other things to pay for.
In a tough budget year, priorities have to be established and spending targeted towards those things that are thought to be more important. In good years, those projects move ahead but the fundamental question is always “how much is enough”? How many City-maintained parks, schools with specialty programs and money spent towards economic development is enough? What kind of expenditure is the most important? So this, gentle people is my question to you. What is important to you? What makes Manassas different and a good place to live? What are you willing to see your money spent on?”
Well, how about it?
October 8, 2010 at 8:49 am
Infrastructure is always a good thing to maintain. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” i.e. Fire, Rescue, Police, Utilities, Garbage pick-up etc etc.
Keeping the youth active, this helps to keep down crime.
Controlling blight…enforce what is on the books.
Marketing, marketing, marketing, marketing. If nobody knows we’re here, they won’t come spend their money.
Also, sometimes trying to fix something that is broken is like, peeing in the wind. It becomes messy. Know when to cut your loss and drop it. If it is THAT important, come back to it another day.
Community business involment; Asking the community business leaders to help us, help them…think outside the box. We don’t always have to spend extra tax payer money to come with solutions.
Last but not least…back in the days of Quality Management…it’s OK to pass during discussions! I think of it as…sometimes silence is the best answer…
I KNOW, don’t beat me up too bad. You asked for input……………………
October 8, 2010 at 9:15 am
Schools, schools, schools….
Good schools = housing appreciation = other problems go away = good schools get even better.
Good schools attract companies = increased tax base.
First question anyone asks when moving from elsewhere and looking for a house in Northern Virginia: “How are the schools?”
Location, location, location = schools, schools, schools.
October 8, 2010 at 9:45 am
Andy, I’ve always been intrigued by both the issues
that seem to continue, in one form or other, through
our history plus how many of the challenges we
share are also faced by other local jurisdictions.
“When the economy tanks, there’s nothing for
local governments to do except scratch, claw
and tick people off to cut expected services or
find more money.” Mike DeBonis column
in today’s Wapo about Montgomery County.
“Manassas Presses County For Zoning Restrictions
To Protect Town Airport” – MJM headline 10-6-1960.
Fifty years later, that continues to be an issue,
attempting to keep new residential property out
of the “noise overlay”.
One of favorites is headlined “Make Manassas
Well Ordered – Should Enforce Ordinances”.
– ” Manassas is suffering in many ways at the hands
of the Railroad Company … Whistles are blown
for long periods at all hours of the night … crossings
are often blocked.
But in other ways our town can stand improvement.
Automobiles and motorcycles whizz along the streets
and around corners at a dangerous rate of speed.
Stray dogs are quite numerous. The streets and
sidewalks are frequently used as a playground by
children. These and other things I am sure all
have observed.
Now what is the corrective? Does the Railroad
run the town? Are the streets without regulation?
Are other grievances sanctioned by law? If we have
ordinances why are they not enforced? Everyone
likes a well-ordered town. Why cannot Manassas be well
ordered? We hope the day is near at hand when
Manassas can be proud of itself; its laws, and
their enforcement.
W.C. Wagener ”
( Manassas Democrat, 9-25-1913)
– In October 2010 the RR is working on Manassas
crossings to allow a whistle “quiet zone” at night.
– Mr Wagener was a former Mayor of Manassas when
he wrote the letter and also owned a hardware
store on Battle Street near the RR tracks.
October 8, 2010 at 10:23 am
I’d like to see another round of neighborhood improvement circles, since they’ve led to cleaner neighborhoods and more civic involvement. Point of Woods has their Fall Festival this Sunday, Oct. 10 from 12 to 4 pm — events like this grew out of the original circle we did there.
Lynchburg does study circles as a city and have started their fourth round this fall, to the improvement of race relations.
http://www.lynchburgva.gov/Index.aspx?page=4149
Montgomery County has done more than 90 over the past five years in their public school system, and has seen test scores go up and more parent involvement.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studycircles/
It’s not a whole lot of money ($1800 spent on the first round to train facilitators, chart paper, supplies, etc.). More time intensive. With staff lead, we could pull together volunteers.
Also, a plug for arts spending, after hearing Dr. Nikki Giovanni speak at the Virginia State Neighborhood Conference in Roanoke:
“For every dollar spent on the arts, nearly $4 are generated in additional spending.”
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
Keep supporting the Center for the Arts, the Hylton Center, the Manassas Ballet, etc. That’s what attracts business and people to our city.
October 8, 2010 at 11:37 am
I remember a conversation I had with I had with Steve (The Gentleman from Quarry Station) Randolph, where he really hit me with a blast from the past. The topic was taxes, and he pointed out that if you go back to the Bible, people were complaining about taxes. Point taken.
October 8, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Maybe if we changed the circles to beer summits, more people would sign up. I can see a natural sponsor there, too. 🙂
October 8, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Hey Cindy, care to commit about the shooting last night in GTS? I see all the work outsiders did there has done a lot of good. As I said, you can’t turn around a neighborhood if the people that live there do not want it to be turned around.
We need better school leadership, a 75% graduation rate is a very poor showing. It’s even lower for illegals and els students, whose costs are much higher than non els students. Every member of the school board and school leadership should either be fired or resign. How can we ask our students to be held accountable for their school work, if those leading our schools are not willing to accept accountability for their jobs?
Open Lake Manassas(after the lawsuit is finished).
October 8, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Lot’s of folks take pot shots at the school board but few step up to run at election time. Good leadership is very hard to find.
Who should we replace them with? Very few citizens have the qualifications; even fewer run. If there is someone who is just terrific and can make a difference, please,Citizen, tell us about them.
October 8, 2010 at 9:10 pm
And, the answer is…
Did you attend any of the school board forums? I did, and it was pretty sad to hear that not a single one of them mentioned a concern with the large number of illegals and ESL students we have.
It’s not a hard job. We cut esl spending(again if any of the leadership had a clue, they would know the Supreme Court ruled last year in favor of an Arizona school district in their attempt to lower the costs of esl classes. The Court upheld their right, in spite of being sued by parents of esl students.
That right there saves millions of dollars for the City. We end elected school board members, and return the power to the City Council to appoint members to the school board. That does two things, it ends the horrible funding share we do with the school system that allows them to have a certain amount of money regardless of they really need it or not, and it allows the Council much more control of what is spent by the school system.
I doubt I would get much support when I believe we should do away with school buses, esl classes, etc. Tough times call for tough measures. It appears our school “leadership” only cares about the teachers unions, and not saving money, or even grade results.
October 9, 2010 at 6:42 am
Sure, I’ll comment. It’s not what happens in a neighborhood, it’s how people react.
Two shootings happened in my Weems neighborhood. We responded with doubling the size of our neighborhood watch, organizing a street cleanup, putting on a block party. Has crime stopped? No, but maybe we’ve prevented some.
The fires happened in Sumner Lakes, followed by lootings. How did that neighborhood respond? They also have increased their Neighborhood Watch membership and pulled together a fund and donations drive in their community center.
If you want to meet the residents who are making change happen in Georgetown South, stop by their next Community Leaders Training on Oct. 20 at 7:30 pm at the community center. Or the ribbon cutting on their new outside pavilion on Nov. 6. Or look around you. I was at the Hylton Performing Arts Center last week and one of the ushers greeting me was a resident of Georgetown South.
Come to the Point of Woods Fall Festival Sunday from 12 to 4 and see some more neighbors helping themselves.
October 9, 2010 at 9:25 am
“The benign government of Manassas may have worked
itself into a fix. About three months ago, merchants
with stores in downtown Manassas griped that there
were so many shopping centers springing up in
Manassas’ booming suburbs that folks didn’t seem to
get downtown to shop much any more. The town
was dying from the inside out they said. So town council
had all the parking meters on downtown streets removed.
That, it was reasoned, would lure the reluctant shoppers.
The police said curbs would be ‘choked’ with
traffic. It hasn’t worked out that way. As a matter of fact,
business hasn’t picked up either and, so far, the town
is out about $7,000 in revenue. A town spokesman
wearily says, now folks “will be madder than hops
if we replace those meters … it’s a dilemma.”
Manassas Journal-Messenger (April 23, 1959)
– When I moved to Manassas in the mid-1970’s,
there were still a few meters on West St. near the
Post Office.
– .Meters had been installed in the late 1940’s at
the request on downtown stores to help open
up parking spaces for customers. It was done
with great fanfare that included a ribbon cutting.
An emergency meeting of the town council, though,
had to be called the next day when it was
pointed out by a anti-meter citizen that the
town had never passed an ordinance requiring
the use the new parking meters.
October 9, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Cindy,
Is wearing a bulletproof vest optional for the meeting? How long has GTS been a bad neighborhood? thirty years? How many community meetings have been held? How many outsiders have gone in to do work, only to see it fizzle out? GTS is a lost cause. We should do what Chicago has done to some lost cause neighborhoods, buy out the owners and knock every last house down. Redevelop the property into single family homes, a park, etc.
October 9, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Let’s assume there are 700 houses in GS (I don’t know the number but I assume one more more readers here do). At an average of $100k per unit current market (an assumption), that’s $7,000,000.
Eminent domain could work for lots converted to park land or other public use. Let’s assume that half of the houses could be purchased using eminent domain. Using the above assumed figures that would equal $3,500,000 to obtain the property. Then let’s assume it would cost a minimum of another $10,000,000 to convert the land into an actual park. Let’s also assume $1,000,000 to address lawsuits. My numbers are likely way, way off, but that totals $14.5 million (it seems way low to me).
That would still leave the other half of the property. Eminent domain could not be used to tear down houses in order to build new private homes so negotiations would then be in order. The private sector would need to step up for that. Let’s assume another $14.5 million. Another assumption ( I wish someone who actually knows about these numbers woud step up and blog a bit).
And while we are at it, how about the Old Town Inn. Is there a public purposeold to which eminent domain could be applied there? Any entrepreneurs willing to step up?
In any e critical question is whether city voters would support these expenditures.
October 9, 2010 at 2:32 pm
COM,
Your gratuitous anonymous attacks on GTS
serve what purpose? Suggest you speak at
citizen’s time during the next city council meeting
explaining your “plan” to buy out 850 homes and
“knock every house down”. Stop hiding in the
bushes and throwing rocks – time for you to
step out of the shadows and come before the public
with your ideas if they are so great.
GTS isn’t perfect, but it is far better than it would
have been if the residents of that community hadn’t
continued to work with their fellow citizens to help
improve their neighborhood. I support Cindy and
everyone else who has a reasoned positive plan
to help our city. An estimated 3,000 Manassas
citizens live in GTS and they deserve our support,
not condemnation.
October 9, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Steve,
COM aside, many good citizens do fear GTS. Without condeming the entire populations of gTS, that fear is often justifiable. Sure, many people in GTS are good people who work hard for little pay. But without question it is a relatively dangerous area owned by slumlords and it is a net drain on the city. As a result, many (indeed may I say most?) citizens would undoubtedly prefer something other than GTS where GTS now stands.
I often disagree with COM on principle and tone, but I do think many people would prefer the end result of his suggestion (while also prefering to describe it in a gentler way).
New York City turned a slum area (where West Side Story was filmed) into Lincoln Center. New York City also took similar action several miles to the south in the area that later became the World Trade Center. My point here being that there are good examples of legitimate actions taken elsewhere.
At the same time, we cannot turn our backs on those who are less fortunate, but there needs to be a balance. Compared to other jurisdictions we already appear to be doing more than our fair share to the detriment of our social infrastructure(i.e. sschools, police, etc.). Dare I suggest that even people living in GTS would prefer a smaller critical mass of poverty around them? This could be accomplished if some of GTS was converted to other uses.
No disrepect here intended to anyone (and especially not to Steve, whom I greatly admire), just sharing ideas.
October 9, 2010 at 4:55 pm
RM,
Thank you for your observations.
But note the numbers don’t back up the
contention that GTS is an especially dangerous
neighborhood today. At one time, over
a decade ago, it was a really rough spot,
but that changed through a massive amount of
work by residents of goodwill and the City of
Manassas. The reality changed, but sadly
not all the negative perceptions – yet.
Remember walking with a Citizens Watch every
weekend night for over a year and standing
in the middle of open air drug makets to discourage
sells. (And how happy we were when GTS passed
the “Pizza Hut test” – it became safe enough for them
to allow delivery drivers back into the neigborhood).
While all blog “ratings/stats” need to be taken with
a grain of salt, I suggest looking at “neighborhood
scout.com” Their crime numbers, as do those
of the MPCD, show GTS, while not perfect, having
a lower rate than many other areas in the
surrounding area.
As to “converting part of GTS” to other uses –
“I Wonder” describes just the peak of a massive
fiscal and legal iceberg. Could be wrong,
but I simply don’t see that happening soon,
especially without a much improved economy.
We need to continue to work with and support
all our neighborhoods in 2010 and the years
ahead.
October 9, 2010 at 7:00 pm
I am a resident of GTS. I have lived here for 3 years now and have been very active in the neighborhood. There are bad areas in the neighborhood, but all neighborhoods have them. We have 9-10% of the population of Manassas, and comprise between 8-12% of the crime rate. The shooting that happened Thursday night was between two brothers. They obviously didn’t know how to handle themselves.
Workshop meetings are held the 1st Tuesday of the month, and actual meetings are held quarterly (March, June, September and December) the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. We also help our residents combat these slumlords you speak of. Nobody wants them there, so stand beside us and help us rid Manassas of them.
October 10, 2010 at 12:27 am
Rich and COM brought up the Schools, and so shall I.
Agree with Schools are an attractor – 16 years ago, when deciding where to buy a house in the area, the MCPS was one of the big deciders. Of course, at that time, I was not fully aware of all the ins and outs of School Board vs. School Operation. Thinking at that time this being an independent City, figured the Board was a subset of the Council. Live and learn. That said, here is where I agree with COM, and have also said some of this during Annual Budget Public Hearings.
First, let’s get rid of the Board and make the School Divison a full part of City Government. Virgina Code allows for this, and even with having to put it to a voter ballot, is doable. Several of the Cities across the Commonwealth have flipped their elected boards into appointed boards and found improvement & cost savings. Across the USA, New York City is the best example of finding both cost savings, and also maximum use of assets.
Our CIty Charter already says the Council approves the election of the Board. Let’s invoke the Code and return it to an appointed board.
One of those assets in NYC Schools now being used more fully than just for a couple hours each day, has been the buses. They now are used to transport older adults to Senior Centers and medical/other appointments, and also used to transport children to a variety of activity centers not related to schools.
WSGFN addressed keeping kids active – think of using those buses to transport kids to the B&G Club for which we contribute.
Budget – have had trouble with that percentile thing the School gets for years now. Let’s start seeing a more controlled aspect to it versus here is the percentage. Since Virginia produces a report card based on performance, move it to a performance based budget.
Also, if it was a School Divison, maybe then the appointed board would remember to maintain a constant CIP identifying all the issues. Baldwin seems to be on one year, off the next. Hmmm, if interegrated more fully into City Government, then that would mean instead of a SEPERATE improperly maintained CIP, it would be an INTEGRATED one under Econ/Community Development. What a concept!!!
One integrated Public Works Division for the City. Work Orders are submitted, and then, similar to what occurs on Military Bases for buildings, when there are no work orders, Base Engineer sends out a combined team of plumbers, electricians, and general maintenance folks to walk through each building and check them. Called Preventive Maintenance (PM).
Aside from a scheduled PM, there would be the work orders. If an electrician normally assigned to other City Buildings or whatever is available, and the electrician who is assigned to “school” is not available, the job order is completed.
Improved maintenance and work order, plus reduction in the duplicity of vehicles and equipment, is a cost savings right there alone in calculating depreciation and replacement over the life cycle of the items.
Maximum use of assets: for the 2009 Neighborhood Conference, I suggested using a school bus (one of the small ones designed for transport of the disabled) to bring older adults or disabled individuals to the conference. Even suggested a small charge of say $2 for a round trip could be used. My son Andy suggested, since videotaping was wanted, to make use of OHS assets and even student volunteers. All shot down…
The Board said it was not doable for the buses because of who would pay for the driver and the bus. Told too late to get the request in to OHS for use of equipment and find student volunteers.
If this was truly an integrated School Division, both of those would have been non-issues. This is one City – let’s make it so all City assets can be used to support our City.
October 10, 2010 at 10:38 am
Ray, the Neighborhood Conference planning committee meets Wed, Oct 13 at 10 am at the Boys & Girls Club. If you can’t be there, talk to Christen Zenich, 703-257-8315 about the transportation & videotaping.
I used volunteer photographers from NOVA, OHS and Manassas Assembly of God for 1 By Youth, and American University students did the video. We have so many resources we haven’t even tapped.
I miss the community Thanksgiving meal Marion Stephens & Independent Bank, OHS and others put on at the high school. Wish someone would take the lead on that for Nov. 2011 for anyone who doesn’t have a place to celebrate. It brought together everyone — schools, government, neighborhoods.
October 10, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Many of the people who are grousing about the schools are only looking at one side. You need to look at what the schools’ obligations are from the state and federal government before dishing out too much criticism.
As for GTS, If you get rid of it, then some other neighborhood will take its place. That’s just how it works. When the City went from town to City back in the 70’s, my neighborhood took a huge tumble. We finally figured out why. People wanted to stay on the county dole rather than starting over with the City. It was easier to move.
Needless to say, I haul-tailed it out of there.
October 10, 2010 at 6:21 pm
If it were my neighborhood, I’d fight for it. Eminent domain isn’t an option for this kind of thing in VA (thank the state gov’t for that) so you have to fight for it. Say what you will about Randolph and White, it’s one thing to put some angry blog post and something quite different to actually get off your a** and do something about it.
Thankful we have folks like Steve and Col. White.
October 10, 2010 at 8:49 pm
More on Budget (as Andy opened a topic I just love to pontificate on):
Priorities: maintain the Number One things to fund -those that serve most “at-risk”. Since the big one within Internal Sovereignty is Police Powers, that should be a must fund. This extends also to Fire & Rescue as both are linchpins of our Emergency Management.
“At-risk” could also extend to Public Works and maintenance of infrastructure. Water & Sewer are instrumental, and so is refuse collection. Aside from serving the home, they serve the community in terms of Public Health.
Mandates are a tricky thing – some of those are bundled into both “at risk” and “must do”. Wise budgeting says fund what ensures public safety and health, but if the mandates exceed local capacity to do or fund, the one issuing the mandate needs to bring the checkbook along with them.
Be willing to innovate within the boundries of what the City can do within its Internal Sovereignty. The example of the Schools I gave to create a MEO, is one example.
Be willing, as a Council, when there are mandates such as the Community Action Program, to realize there are people we have appointed to Boards/Commissions/Committees who can act for the Council when the mandate asks for an “appointed” person. We who are appointed to those various BCCs are subject to Virginia Privacy Act; have a report card turned in to the Personnel Committee every six months; and some are subject to Disclosure Statements. Lot of talent can assist the Council in their governance responsibilites.
Make use of GMU. There are studies or projects that the EMBA, MBA or MPA cohorts are always looking for. Free research and report…well, almost free as Staff & Council time (and maybe a few select volunteers depending on the study). This worked once years ago when Roger Snyder was Director of Community Development. A MBA canditate did a survey of the Faith-Based Organizations in Manassas and what they could under Federal/State law to assist the government and citizens.
October 10, 2010 at 8:55 pm
@Cindy
Your wish for a Thanksgiving Day meal by a community leader has been granted. The VFW, in conjuction with Greater Way Life Ministries & Sharing Hearts Ministries, is offering a free dinner to anyone in the community. VFW is looking for volunteers to assist and for donations.
October 10, 2010 at 8:56 pm
What a great weekend for the Utility Dept open house yesterday, and the Point of Woods 1, 2 & 3 Fall Festival today. At POW I met folks who have emigrated from Lebanon, Croatia and other countries. Music, moonbounce, popcorn machine borrowed from the Boys & Girls Club, grilled food and barbecue, facepainting and sand art and even pony rides, all on the empty 3-acre field close to Stonewall Park. A dozen people signed up for neighborhood watch and 15 more for community meetings about the 1 By Youth project on May 14, 2011. I saw some guy in a pickup yell out his window, and then park and have some tense words with the guy griilling food, but he seemed to get control of himself and walked away. Things aren’t perfect in any neighborhood, but some folks are trying to make things better.
I took some Halloween cookies to my new neighbors — the house across from me has been vacant for more than two years through all this housing boom and bust. Finally, a nice military couple from California with two dogs moved in. Life is good.
October 10, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Good news, Ray. Thanks!
October 10, 2010 at 9:07 pm
I’ll back GTS revitilization efforts any day of the week. Only have watched it for 16 years, but the last two years of effort has shown improvements.
I am also aware of the number of low-income individuals who live there, and the number of HUD Section 8 housing vouchers. These are hardworking people trying to make it, and doing a dang good job of it.
There is also quite a few of our older/elderly population living there, along with those who are disabled. Been working with Mickey Rhodes, our City Housing Manager, for the last month trying to aid three brothers who have disability issues.
A little fact about GTS not many know: it is on the recommended list at Fort Belvoir for off-base housing, especially for those in the ranks of Private to Sergeant (E-5). If it is so bad there, GTS would not even be on that list. And I know the rules of Base Housing having grown up in them, lived in them, and served for three years at Fort Monmouth NJ as an Area Coordinator overseeing 160 units.
October 11, 2010 at 4:25 am
Good info, Ray, and a good reminder too.
October 11, 2010 at 7:59 am
Remember Col. White and I arriving at the
the GTS office parking lot to join another
Sat. night Neigborhood Watch walk through
the community and being warmly greeted
by the walkers except for one fellow who
observed “See you two didn’t drive your
good cars here”. We were a little taken back,
because we each drove the only vehicles
we owned, but, through the years, it has
become a running joke between “Zerk” and
myself whenever we meet – “So, did you drive
your good car ?”.
October 11, 2010 at 8:21 am
“When will we get back to that system of six hour’s of
work in the school room and an assignment of lessons
to be prepared at home? Enough new fangled fads!
We need more arithmetic and spelling and fewer paper
flowers, more geography and fewer meteorlogical
fancies, more history and language lessons and fewer
devices for entertainment.”
Manassas Democrat ( 1-25-1907)
“Discipline is the greatest responsibility now resting upon
the teacher, because of the woeful neglect in the
average home.”
Manassas Democrat ( 9-24- 1915)
“The Crisis in Manassas Schools” – front page editorial
by Miss E.H. Osbourn in the 4-21-1921 Manassas
Journal called for more financial support, ” before
we lose our best teachers”.
“Taxes and Teacher’s Pay Are Major 1947 Problems”
Manassas Messenger headline (1-9-1947).
“School Nearly Blows Up Again!
Osbourn Students Flee Bad Boilers ”
Manassas Messenger (11-14-1950)
October 11, 2010 at 10:19 am
A school teacher at church yesterday was lamenting cell phones w/cameras. She had to give two zeroes — one to the student who photographed test answers and the other to the student the phone was passed to — and make calls home to parents. Technology advances, but the same old behaviors move into the new tech.
Other great facts about GTS – you can practically walk to every school, K-12, and there are 22 acres of green space.
From the News & Messenger, thanks to Ray:
A free Thanksgiving Dinner will be available to the community on Nov. 25 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 9304 Centreville Road, Manassas.
Thanksgiving Day is special for families, but many local residents will find themselves homeless this Thanksgiving with no means, no one or no place to spend the holiday.
Greater Way of Life Ministries, in conjunction with Sharing Hearts Ministries and the VFW, has extended a special invitation for those to join them for dinner with all the trimmings. No sign-up is required.
Anyone who would like to volunteer, a business or agency, and would like to make a donation, call Michelle Miller at 703-881-1933 or Lolie Akon at 571-285-6284.
October 11, 2010 at 10:51 am
Cindy, There are many positives in GTS – starting
with the number of great people who live there and
care deeply about their community.
October 11, 2010 at 12:03 pm
– Virginia localities were given the option to
have elected school boards by the General Assembly
on April 1, 1992. Locally, Manassas and PWC
voters approved the move while Manassas Park
voters didn’t. Any change would have to be
approved by the voters in a general election.
Dave Brickley, a PWC Delegate, introduced the
option plan for 17 straight years in the GA before
it was approved. Many in his Woodbridge area
district were upset about overcrowded conditions
and apparently felt the appointed board wasn’t
responsive enough.
October 11, 2010 at 1:45 pm
I’ll put a seperate post on this but we’ve had some initial consultations about the forcast and I’ve got a couple of interesting tidbits: The past four years (I think it’s four) we have maintained a flat residential BILL.
Commercial real estate values look to be falling so If we strive to maintain that flat residential bill again this year, we will have to cut about $1.5 million from the budget.
This is a significant issue as I doubt that it will end there: the state will amost certainly send some cuts our way as well. The economy hasn’t improved that much and they have spent the bulk of their rainy day fund….
October 11, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Yeah, the State sending some cuts is a sure bet….with the first move the Assembly trying to get through is reducing the Corporate Income Tax rate from 6% to 5.75%.
They figure it will make the State attractive for business. Least we forget, the move to kill the M&T tax and still waiting to be picked up is changing BPOL rates.
October 12, 2010 at 7:24 am
“Citing some specific problems of policy and practice
as well as laws and engineering, Mayor Harry Davis
indicated that because of the failure of the average
citizen to weigh all the responsibilities of the Council
in relation to some greviance, the lot of a town
official ‘is often not a happy one’ “.
Manassas Journal (12-1-1949)
October 12, 2010 at 11:24 am
Steve,
I’ve spoken at citizens time more than a few times on issues ranging from illegals to the “Tonys 7” incident.
At one time GTS was a great neighborhood. How much more of our limited(tax revenue, etc) resources are going to keep going into a neighborhood that is way past it’s prime?
We’ll be talking about GTS turning the corner five years from and ten years from now. Nothing is going to change from now and then, that will make GTS a neighborhood where families want to move to because of what it has to offer.
It’s funny how some things never change. I”ll wager though, the discipline issues facing the schools in 1915 come nowhere close to the ones now. Though, I’m sure there was sex going on in school in 1915, drugs being sold, etc. Illegals taking up much needed resources.
October 12, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Steve, your quote from ’49 sounds like that old song about “A Policeman’s Lot is not a happy one”. Guess Mayor Davis was a Gilbert & Sullivan fan!
January 24, 2011 at 5:58 am
http://fishonforum.com
February 21, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. An excellent read. I’ll definitely be back.