City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
City Council Public Hearing and Consideration to Name the Four Mile Run Park Edison Street Entrance in Honor of Betty King.
BODY
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ISSUE: City Council Public Hearing and consideration to name the Four Mile Run Park Edison Street Entrance in honor of Betty King.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council hold a public hearing and adopt the recommendation of the City Naming Committee to name the Four Mile Run Park Edison Street Entrance in honor of Betty King.
BACKGROUND: Betty King was a longtime resident of Hume Springs from 1985-2016 and her home overlooked Four Mile Run Park, where she enjoyed long walks in the park on a daily basis. Mrs. King served the City as a member of the Arlandria Small Area Planning Group; Four Mile Run Restoration Joint Task Force; and played an instrumental role in the partnership between residents and Alexandria Police Department to eject drug dealers from the Hume Springs neighborhood in the 1990s.
Mrs. King’s passion was contributing to her community. Mrs. King was a longtime member and past officer of Hume Springs Citizens Association; volunteered as a science tutor to elementary and middle school neighborhood children for the Hume Springs Citizens Association’s Thursday Night Tutoring Program; and ran for Alexandria City Council as an independent in 1991.
DISCUSSION: In response to the proposal from the Hume Springs Civic Association (Attachment 1), the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) solicited public comment on the proposed naming of the Four Mile Run Park Edison Street Entrance in honor of Betty King from May 2, 2017 through May 31, 2017 (Attachment 2). Community members received notifications of the public comment period by City eNews, neighborhood canvassing of the eNews release, the RPCA website, and through “word of mouth”.
On July 17, 2017, the City Council Naming Committee (Councilwoman Del Pepper, Chair; Councilman Timothy Lovain; and Lance Mallamo (Absent), Director, Office of Historic Alexandria) held a meeting with representatives from the Hume Springs Civic Association to discuss the proposed naming of the Four Mile Run Park Edison Street Entrance in honor of Betty King and to review public comment received (Attachment 3). The City Council Naming Committee voted unanimously to recommend to City Council that the Four Mile Run Park Edison Street Entrance in honor of Betty King.
FISCAL IMPACT: None. Improvements to the Edison Street entrance of Four Mile Run Park is an approved and funded project in the CIP resulting from a recommendation in the Neighborhood Park Plan. Improvements include the installation of a City standard park sign.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Hume Springs Proposal
2. Public Notice
3. Public comments received
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
James Spengler, Director, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities
Jack Browand, Division, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities