City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 21, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: GRETCHEN BULOVA, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF HISTORIC ALEXANDRIA
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the Acceptance of a Deed of Quitclaim to Douglass Cemetery.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of the acceptance of a one-quarter interest Deed of Quitclaim in the case of the ownership of historic Douglass Cemetery, 1421 Wilkes Street, in order for critical stormwater issues to be resolved and preservation actions be undertaken.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council authorize the City Manager to approve and accept the Deed of Quitclaim from a current owner of real property located at 1421 Wilkes Street in the City of Alexandria also known as Douglass Cemetery.
BACKGROUND: Douglass Cemetery sits on approximately 1.4 acres in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex. It was established in 1895 by the Douglass Cemetery Association as a segregated, nondenominational African American cemetery and named in memory of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). Records suggest over 2,200 people may have been buried at Douglass Cemetery making it Alexandria’s largest African American cemetery. The last known burial at the cemetery was in 1975 and the work of the Douglass Cemetery Association ended at some time prior. Mowing was then assumed by the City, through the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities.
Beginning in at least 2018, the Cemetery started experiencing severe flooding. With no organization or apparent property owner to maintain the cemetery, family members of those buried in the cemetery and community members contacted City Staff about the increasing damage to the landscape and remaining headstones with each storm. This contact was facilitated through the leadership of the Friends of Douglass Cemetery and the Social Responsibility Group. The Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) has been monitoring conditions, identifying the location and condition of graves, soliciting grant funds to support the cemetery preservation, and working with the community and descendants to keep them informed about the preservation work. OHA and descendants and stakeholders have started a community history project based on oral histories.
OHA received FY 2023 funds from the State through the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to work with stormwater engineering consultants to develop designs and plans to resolve drainage and flooding issues. The status of the project is regularly communicated on the City website <https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic-sites/douglass-memorial-cemetery> and through descendant and stakeholder meetings. Stormwater consultants to date have completed the following work:
• Diagnosed root causes of flooding (which include clogged inlets and existing drainpipe; overland flow from Wilkes Street; slow draining soils; and local undersized stormwater pipes);
• Evaluated need and implications for field investigations;
• Conducted field work to investigate pipe/structure conditions;
• Developed grading plan to provide overland drainage relief without excavation;
• Prepared two concept design alternatives that:
o Mitigate flooding
o Estimate construction costs
o Protect historic resources and minimize construction impacts
o Minimize construction impacts to residents and cemetery visitors; and
• Worked with subconsultants and OHA to develop a scope of work for archaeological testing within the utility corridor in advance of construction.
Future stormwater improvement work will include the replacement of existing pipe to provide capacity for 10-year design storm, replacement of inlets and terracotta pipe on Wilkes Street, regrading existing drainage swale and berm, and leveling low areas within the cemetery.
Due to the extensive nature of the stormwater solutions proposed by engineering consultants and permit and access requirements, the City will need to seek and obtain title to the property before proceeding. The City of Alexandria has authority under the City Charter and the Code of Virginia to acquire, own, maintain, and operate cemeteries. City staff have investigated methods to acquire Douglass Cemetery since early 2022.
DISCUSSION: With the acceptance of this Deed of Quitclaim, City Council accepts partial ownership of the Douglass Cemetery, and with this ownership may undertake the stormwater solutions described above. This ownership stake, while shared with other cemetery owners, authorizes the City to take the actions outlined above in order to safeguard the Douglass Cemetery and properties surrounding it. This ownership interest also allows the City to obtain required permitting from the Commonwealth of Virginia necessary for the City’s work. The City would still have paths available in order to pursue full ownership of the Cemetery after accepting this partial ownership stake.
Staff have heard the interest and aims of the Friends of Douglass Cemetery and the Social Responsibility Group in ensuring that Douglass Cemetery be preserved as a historic cemetery and a sacred space that will be preserved in perpetuity, in partnership with the descendants of those for whom this is a final resting place. The acceptance of this ownership stake allows for the mitigation of the immediate risk of flooding and further damage, which is an important and immediate step toward this end.
TIMELINE: Once the Deed of Quitclaim is approved, the following steps will be taken for project completion.
1. Archaeology: OHA will submit an anticipatory burial permit application to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for the archaeological testing phase to be undertaken by archaeology consultants. Archaeological test trenches will be excavated to ensure that no burial features would be impacted by the stormwater improvement project. Concurrently, the stormwater consultant develops the stormwater design. Once excavations determine that no burials or human remains are found, the project will proceed to final design. Archaeological Testing Anticipated March 2024.
2. Design: The stormwater consultant will finalize the grading design plans and submit them for permit approval. Anticipated late March/early April 2024.
3. Construction: City will solicit bids in early fall of 2024, and construction activities will start upon the bid is awarded in late fall 2024. Construction is expected to be completed in late spring of 2025 assuming no human remains and burials are found.
4. Cemetery Restoration: OHA, in collaboration with descendants and stakeholders, works to preserve and restore historic Douglass cemetery landscape to its original vision. This work will be ongoing through 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact in the acceptance of this Deed of Quitclaim. CIP funding of $2.6 million, including grants funds, in available funds for the preservation and restoration work and OHA is currently seeking an additional $500,000 through the FY 2025 General Assembly budget process to fully fund the project.
ATTACHMENT: Executed Deed of Quitclaim
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager