There's a happy ending to the picnic table story at Hunter-Miller Park, despite the ICCA leaders' desperate attempt to spin the issue. The members who turned up for Wednesday’s meeting voted overwhelmingly to keep the picnic tables out of the Queen & N. Fayette Street park for the time being.
Kids 1, crackheads 0. That's the kind of "score" the Growler likes.
It was a common sense issue. If the police say that crack dealers and their customers are using the tables to conduct business, the tables need to stay out. Plus there's agreement that the park has enjoyed a boom in use by children and parents since the tables and bleachers left.
As for the spin, ICCA officers clearly must have worried they were starting to look like crack dealers' best buddies by insisting on a vote. At Wednesday's meeting the new party line was that ICCA was forced by Recreation & Parks to take a vote because the City was fielding complaints from office workers who missed the picnic table at lunch time. Right...
Some skeptical members pointed out that there are few if any office workers who regularly use the park. And when pressed, ICCA leaders couldn't state how many calls the City received or which local businesses these callers represented.
Naturally, the Growler suspects something else is at work here. It's hard to picture the Parks folks hell-bent on returning the old tables and twisting ICCA's arm to hold a vote, since it was the police themselves who requested them to remove the tables some two months ago. And why would Recreation & Parks staff be catering to the whining of office workers, who probably don't live in Alexandria and who use the park only two hours a day, if at all.
You can bet we haven't heard the last of these tables. It's a sure thing that they will be brought up again at ICCA, well before FY 2008 when the park is scheduled for an official redesign.
But for now we can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of children laughing and playing joyously in the park.
16 comments:
Seriously can someone explain the purpose of the ICCA?
What the hell do they do for Parker Gray?
I cant figure out why they even have a vote over the picnic tables or why they get to sponsor candidate forums?
This just seems totally screwed up. Its as if they dont want people to know about the local crime wave and have been lost when it comes to getting the Braddock Road Metro Area Plan in motion.
We still arent on the docket for Harris Teeter with P&Z. WHERE THE HECK IS ICCA on that?
On a better note, though, it looks like someone wrote an angry letter in the Times about Parker Gray:
My View
Erik Pupo
Alexandria Times (May 11-18)
I am writing to respond to your editorial on the recent voter turnout in Alexandria and this concern over voter apathy that the low turnout shows.
What does the City Council expect? Why should any of us vote for the candidates, Democrat or Republican, when we know that our concerns and interests are not going to be addressed? As you stated in another article on the elections, Alexandria is the only city/county in Virginia where the candidates don’t represent districts or wards. As such, what we are stuck with are at-large candidates who do not represent any one area, but purport to represent the whole city or specific issues. Sadly, these vote totals show me that there is an increasing realization that the candidates only represent Old Town and Del Ray and that other areas of the city are sorely neglected for representation. Furthermore, the idea that this somehow represents a “mandate” for the status quo is sorely mistaken.
People aren’t fed up with issues like taxes, spending, overdevelopment, or affordable housing enough to simply vote people out of office. What they are fed up with is the total lack of interest for specific areas of the city that are not being met. The Democrats may try to avoid the issue, but this is a city of many diverse areas and interests. This is not a “one size fits all” city where every issue can be packaged and sold to all of us, to be accepted with a smile. What we really want is representation by area, so that each area of the city gets equal attention, rather than solely focusing on Old Town and certain areas of Del Ray. In places like Arlington County, Montgomery County, and Washington, D.C., have a chance to vote for representatives who understand the areas and constituents who are voting them into office. Here, we are represented more by special interest group candidates than by true representation by area.
Look at Parker Gray. You have citizens up in arms about continuing criminal activity in the area, trash all over the streets, serious quality-of-life issues like noise at all hours of the night, and increasing concern about the slow pace of redevelopment. And all we get is a 10 a.m. community walk that is almost laughable (no criminals out at 10 a.m., Mr. Mayor) continued trash all over the street, and a continued crime wave that severely impacts our quality of life. Which one of these council members represents us and our interests? How many even know that these types of problems exist or are doing something to show they care? We lack a representative in council to stand up for us, fight for change, and bring attention to these issues. Instead we read and hear about the same special interest problems that are constantly requiring more money or attention.
If the City Council just wants to pander to special interest groups, then that’s all they are going to inspire to vote. When they start listening to more than just the special interests, they will get more than just 19.7 percent participation.
"Seriously can someone explain the purpose of the ICCA?"
The ICCA is an arrogant group, working for board members' business, they ask no one anything because the Board is all wise. Board members coopt the cops, one officer's nose is brown, and when taken together they overwhelm. The few pretty much rule the many. Except this time the membership cared about the children.
Your description is over the top. ICCA members stood firm and gave the President a migraine in the process. Now let's move on to another topic.
330 N. Washington St. 05-12/ 11:09 a.m. The Wachovia Bank was robbed by a lone suspect. The suspect entered the bank and approached a teller. The suspect demanded money and the victim complied. No weapon was displayed and no one was injured. The suspect then fled from the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect is described as a black male in his early 30s, 5'6"-5'7" tall with a thin build. He has a salt and pepper beard and was wearing a red sweatshirt, dark jeans, a white baseball cap, and sunglasses with dark rims.
900 blk. of N. Alfred St. 05-13/ 11:00 p.m. The victim, a 49-year-old Alexandria woman, was approached by a black female and a small group of black males. The female suspect demanded money and then assaulted the victim while the male suspects stood by. After removing the woman's wallet, the suspects fled from the area on foot. The female suspect is described as being 25-30 years old, 5'7"-5'8", 140-150 pounds and was wearing a tan shirt, black pants and black shoes. There was no further description on the men.
1000 blk. of N. Henry St. 05-12/ between 1:22 a.m. and 1:29 a.m. Someone entered the business by force though a rear door. Once inside, the suspect stole money.
1000 blk. of N. Henry St. 05-12/ between 10:10 p.m. and 10:14 p.m. Someone entered the business by force though a side door. Nothing was reported missing.
442 N. Henry St. 05-13/ 3:58 a.m. Someone entered the business by force through a front door. Once inside, the suspect stole money.
Unit blk. of Cameron St. 05-13/ between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Someone entered the business by force through a side door. Once inside, the suspect stole money.
I dont even know where to start with this weekends crime wave. 4 robberies over the weekend, a bank robbery, and another beating in the projects.
Lovely start to the summer....
Growler, maybe you should change your heading to "Crooks 6, Parker Gray 0"
It's important to clarify that the ICCA isn't really representative of Parker Gray -- significant portions of the Parker Gray district are outside of the ICCA boundaries. Thus, individuals in those portions of Parker Gray can't vote at ICCA meetings. Of course, the ICCA doesn't confine its discussions to those areas within the ICCA boundaries. And ICCA leadership is very adamant about insisting that only ICCA members vote (though anyone can join the discussion). Just another way to compound the frustrations of Parker Gray residents...
Aren't the ICCA boundaries Columbus, Cameron, West, and Wythe Streets? Some streets split between Old Town, Braddock Station and a sorta defunct Civic Association? Mostly the ICCA goes anywhere development attorney Bud Hart has a client.
Did you bother to call and ask the Rec department about this before making your claim? Call the director, then you will have your answers.
What cflaim? That the ICCA veep wants the basketball courts gone>?
Anonymous said...
What cflaim? That the ICCA veep wants the basketball courts gone>?
The claim that there was something behind the vote other than the Rec department asking for it. Again, call the director, ask people who know the facts. It is more difficult than speculation but I thought that the truth was what was being sought.
Why the attacks on Bud Hart? At leats he is trying to get some redevelopment going near the Metro to clean up the neighborhood....
Never any attacks on Fogarty or Smedberg or Euielle or Dearman or Miller. Just Hart and the ICCA....oh, and the police
Someone is doing a lot of protesting. Like I said before, let's get another topic.
Wasn't Hart's Braddock Place project mostly rejected by the locals living nearby? Only then did he ask the ICCA for support?
It is amusing to watch your neighborhood squabble. You only sink yourselves.
Who is Miller?
"Never any attacks on Fogarty - only Hart, the ICCA, oh, and the police."
Growler:
Have you not attacked Fogarty? What is your picnic tables posting if not a compliment to the police? Hart, I can compliment. He smiles nicely.
Now, let's all get on with life!
Who is Miller?
ARHA Commissioner....
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