City Council Brings Town Hall Meeting to Weems #1 Community

Last night I went to the Town Hall meeting for Weems No. 1 Community, part of Manassas City’s “Communicating with our Residents” program. 

It's basically a municipality in a microcosm at the Weems Elementary school gym.  All city departments, such as Community Services and Fire and Rescue, had a display.  My neighbors got the chance to talk one on one with many different people, from School Board members Tim Demeria and Pam Sebesky, Refuse and Recycling Coordinator Sue Lhotka and Utilities Services Manager Ana Davis.  Community police Lt. Tim Kotlowski shared Weems Community No. 1's unofficial crime stats through June 2011 that showed there have been: 29 cases of vandalism, 11 vehicle thefts, six home burglaries and four robberies.

The agenda was more relaxed than a regular council meeting. School Superintendent Gail Pope introduced Weems Elementary Principal Angela Burnett, who gave a lively update on the school’s .  The initiative prompted 150 families to read Jacqueline Davies’ book together and send volunteer parent-teacher-student teams to sell lemonade to benefit Northern Virginia Family Service's SERVE program.  Student Alexander Hernandez shared his favorite part of the book (when the characters were caught selling lemonade without a permit) and Burnett announced that the next school-wide book choice for Fall will be the sequel, “The Lemonade Crime.” 

Several residents asked questions during the Citizen's Time portion of the meeting.

One person asked about the status of Lake Manassas. City staff said it is still closed and a lawsuit with the developer is pending.

Another person asked for a traffic study in the 8900 block of Fort Drive, where commercial vehicle parking and heavy school bus and commuter traffic cause some safety problems.

One person said there appears to be a holdup in the city's job application process.

Some residents complimented City Manager Lawrence Hughes for his years of service and the City and Historic Manassas Inc.’s outstanding job managing the sesquicentennial events of July 21-24.

During the Open House part of the meeting I talked to folks and cruised the displays, determined to learn 10 things I didn’t know.  Here's what I found out:

1. Weems Elementary will present a check for $850 from lemonade stand donations to SERVE this fall.
2. Manassas City Fire and Rescue is giving away smoke detectors.  To have a firefighter deliver and install a smoke detector in your home, call 703-257-8458.
3. Stop in at the Fire Station on Centreville Road or the Rescue station on Center Street to get a free ICE sticker for your cell phone.  The sticker alerts emergency workers to look for the ICE (In Case of Emergency) entry in your cell phone listing of saved phone numbers so that they can reach individuals you have selected for emergency contact.
4. The city uses Roam Secure Alert Network technology to immediately contact you by cell phone, e-mail, text pager, BlackBerry and wireless PDA during a major crisis or emergency.  To join this free subscription signup, go to www.manassascity.org.
5. To report graffiti on public property, call the Manassas City Police at 703-257-8000.  To report graffiti on private property, call Neighborhood Services at 703-257-8278. Or, visit www.manassascity.org and click on “Service Request.”  When reporting graffiti you can remain anonymous.
6. City Council seeks to appoint an engineer, architect or builder to a vacancy on the City Building Inspections Board of Appeals.  To apply, call the City Clerk’s office at 703-257-8211.
7. The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service has a horticulture help line for your questions.  Call 703-792-7747 or e-mail master_gardener@pwcgov.org.
8. The City has 11 parks you can rent for your picnic or event (even weddings!), ranging from $50 to $80 for a three-hour minimum ($70 to $100 for non-residents) and $15 to $20 for each additional hour ($25 to $30 for non-residents).   To reserve a park, go to www.manassascity.org.
9. The next regular City Council meeting (and the last one in August) is Monday, August 8 at City Hall, beginning at 5:30 pm.
10. The next Town Hall meeting is for Weems Community No. 2 at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at Weems Elementary School.  Weems No. 2 includes Georgian Hamlet Condo Association and Point of Woods 1, 2, 3 and 4 homeowners associations.

I enjoyed seeing my neighbors and connecting with my city.  When the council comes to your neighborhood, make sure you take advantage of this timeless hallmark of democracy.