City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 6, 2015
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing and Consideration of the Recommendation from the City Council Naming Committee on the Proposal to Rename 1 & 7 E. Del Ray Pocket Park the Judy Lowe Neighborhood Park.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Renaming of the 1 & 7 E. Del Ray Pocket Park to the Judy Lowe Neighborhood Park.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council hold a public hearing and adopt the recommendation of the City Council Naming Committee for the naming of 1 & 7 E. Del Ray Pocket Park to the Judy Lowe Neighborhood Park.
BACKGROUND: Judith "Judy" Utterback Lowe loved Alexandria and the Del Ray neighborhood. She believed intensely in preserving and enhancing a sense of community.
Ms. Lowe was well known as the "First Lady of Del Ray," because of her involvement in many civic activities. While alive, Ms. Lowe appreciated the fact that it was a grassroots effort of neighborhood activists who convinced the City to buy the land at 1 & 7 E. Del Ray Ave. for the creation of a neighborhood pocket park.
After her death, the Del Ray Citizens Association collected $7,500 for a memorial to Ms. Lowe, and Del Ray Citizens Association members agreed that investing the money in the pocket park would be the type of neighborhood-oriented decision Ms. Lowe would have championed. In 2013, the Del Ray Citizens Association and the City agreed to a public-private partnership to pay for further construction of the community-supported park design.
DISCUSSION: In response to the proposal from the Del Ray Citizens Association (Attachment 1), the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) solicited public comment on the proposed park renaming from June 23, 2014 through July 25, 2014 (Attachment 2).
Community members rece...
Click here for full text