Nation Steps Left, Virginia Goes Far Right

Alanna

According to the Inside Nova, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-11th, who once hoped to be the Republican nominee for Senate, will not attend this weekends nominating convention in Richmond. From the chatter on the local conservative blogs it appears that Marshall has a lock on the nomination. Apparently, Gilmore’s more centrist stance which would actually help win him the election has been shunned. Of course, this approach will backfire in November and Mark Warner will win the Senate seat but the Republican Party will maintain their ‘principles.’

So anyways, it will be interesting to see what transpires today at the Convention.

PWC Foreclosure Meeting Update

Alanna

Thanks to Cindy B. for attending the County’s foreclosure meeting and reporting back to us! Here is what her report:

There were only about 13 people there, most had only heard about it from the newspaper article. It was supposed to have been a meeting in their series of Neighborhood Leader Training sessions and the subject was supposed to be vehicles and parking, but because of the tall grass crisis, they changed the topic and got the word out as best they could. This information is also the same as what Michelle Casciato presented to the BOCS meeting last week (you can listen to the audio on the county website). She also showed a map of the county as part of her presentation that showed dots where the worst clusters of vacant houses are. There are almost 7000 “distressed properties” – or vacant houses in the county (doesn’t include occupied houses that are for sale). The county has, to date this year, received 400 tall grass complaints and 400 graffiti complaints. Because of the problem the county has suspended the popsicle sign program to put all inspectors’ time on the vacant house/tall grass issue. In fact, the TOP 5 priority code enforcement issues (putting health, safety and welfare first) are:

1. Unsafe/unfit properties (open to criminal activity)
2. Unsecured pools
3. Unsecured buildings (hazardous conditions)
4. Tall grass/weeds
5. Building maintenance (serious/extremely run down)

The county is looking into training volunteers to pull up popsicle signs

Legal action the county is pursuing:
1. Write ordinance to allow county agents to enter private property to abate graffiti
2. Amend Chapter 22 to allow public works to issue emergency notices for trash/debris at vacant properties and recover costs through tax lien
3. Pursue major property owners/lenders in court for noncompliance with county ordinance

Technically it is trespassing to remove trash on a property or mow the lawn. Call the agent/owner and ask permission.

County can’t afford to paint over all graffiti on private property. City of San Jose spends $2 million a year to clean up graffiti. PWC Clean Community Council uses a special formula to get rid of graffiti, but even they can’t go on private property without permission. County would like to get rid of graffiti within 3 days, but still dealing with obstacles.

County is working to streamline the process of an inspector going out to confirm tall grass, getting a contractor to do an estimate to mow, then mowing, then inspector following up.

If you see a lawn is mowed, call and let Neighborhood Services know.

County is disseminating this information to Neighborhood Watches, HOAs, etc.:

Neighborhood Network Activation

  • Vacant house check list for health, safety and welfare issues
  • Disseminate to groups such as established neighborhood groups, neighborhood watches, and other concerned citizen groups upon request
  • Solicit neighborhood volunteers to monitor vacant houses in neighborhoods to report unsafe conditions
  • Neighborhood Services to address reported unsafe conditions from volunteers

    • Go ahead and ask the realtor if you can mow the grass. Someone in audience (about 13 people attended) admitted to just mowing a vacant property. She said when she did, the neighbors came up and asked if she was moving in, and then once they saw It was okay for her to do it, they helped out.

    County calls realtors to explain to them how much it costs the county to mow a lawn and how that will go on a lien against the property and that may drive a buyer away.

    If you get together as a group to take care of a vacant house (and get permission from the owner/real estate agent/bank), remember to greet the new neighbor when they move in and make sure they feel welcome, but also explain what the standards are for living in the neighborhood, such as regularly mowed lawns, etc.

    County wants you to do this:
    Citizen Action

    • Call police if you observe any illegal activity at a vacant property
    • Consider starting or joining a Neighborhood Watch
    • Volunteer to watch a home for a realtor. Establish a relationship, notify them when the grass is tall and notify them when the house has a structural problem (siding down, broken shutter or window, open doors, etc.)
    • Volunteer to mow (avoid trespassing – obtain permission from the owner or call the realtor on the For Sale sign. Use the county “Mapper” on the county website to ID who the owner is.
    • Report property code violations to Neighborhood Services (and call if the grass gets mowed)
    • Complete the “Eyes and Ears” Checklist (this is on the county website)

    20Questions

    Alanna

    This is too good not to share. Now I’ve been told that I need to get out more because this game(20Q) has been on the market for many years but it’s the first that I’ve seen of it. If you’d like to get an idea how it works, visit – http://www.20q.net, select ‘Think in American’ then ‘Classic 20q’ on the bottom left-hand row; it’s unnecessary to fill the stuff in at the top of the page. The computer game and the hand-held version are very similar but I have to admit there’s something freaky about the handheld one.

    Mark Your Calendars

    Alanna

    Tonight – 5/21 attend a 7 PM Corridor Planning meeting May 21 at Brentsville Courthouse concerning ‘The Journey thru Hollow Ground’ designation.

    Tomorrow – 5/22 Virginia Commission on Immigration

    2 – 5pm and 6 – 9pm; sign-ups start at 1:00pm
    George Mason University Campus – Johnson Center Cinema
    4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030

    See you there.

    Stewart Asks to Change Resolution Again!

    Alanna

    News Channel 4 reported yesterday that Corey wants to ‘strengthen’ the resolution and would like it done immediately, claiming that he already has the 7 votes required to alter the resolution. Doesn’t the County have any other business to address? Stewart & Stirrup just voted to strengthen the resolution and now they need to strengthen it again? This is one of the oddest displays of public governence that I have ever witnessed. This smells of desperation on their part and it will be interesting to see what happens.

    Update: Looks like we should show up again for the 2:00pm session. If you can’t make it please consider sending an email to the following Supervisors:

    [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

    Marty Nohe, Wally Covington, Maureen Caddigan, John Jenkins, Mike May, Frank Principi

    Update #2:  Corey made a statement at the beginning of the meeting saying the resolution would not be voted upon today.  So, that’s that.  I don’t think it’s necessary to plan on speaking to the issue this evening.  I will keep you informed.

    PWCBOS 05/20/08 Meeting

    Alanna

    The Board will have both a 2:oopm & 7:30pm session tomorrow. Tomorrow’s agenda has the regular hodge podge of quick take, rezoning, special use permits, public hearings, budget amendments etc…

    However, the rumor mill has it that the dead horse will be beat again. Apparently, Corey and John want to continue the “probable cause” portion of the “Immigration Resolution”, so stay tuned. We should have more information after the 2:00pm session, so check back to see if you should plan to speak at the 7:30pm meeting.

    Here’s the agenda for the meeting.

    Route 15 & The Journey Through Hallowed Ground

    Alanna

    Rescue Prince William County’s Rt. 15 for The Journey Through Hallowed Ground
    This message is sent by The Friends of Rt. 15 in PWC

    Development & History can coexist with “Context Sensitive Solutions”

    Despite the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voting one year ago to be involved in The Journey Through Hallowed Ground, Rt. 15, also known as James Madison Highway in Prince William County is being rapidly suburbanized with new, thoughtless growth. The Journey is a National Heritage Area running the 175 miles along Rt. 15 from Gettysburg , PA to Thomas Jefferson’s home “ Monticello ” near Charlottesville , VA. This area contains more American history than any other. This means money for PWC from Heritage Tourism. The Journey will also give us federal funds to beautify and protect the rural, historic viewshed, roadbed and roadside along Rt. 15. At this time, those that organized The Journey are saying that without improvements, the Journey will bypass most of Prince William County. If this happens…

    Rt. 15 will continue with its ugly growth.

    Most of us using Rt. 15 daily are appalled at the ugliness that is unnecessarily being created. Prince William has much history to be proud of in its Rural Crescent and it is getting lost. There are ways of hiding the new development, such as berms (earthen hills), set backs, landscaping, putting wires underground, having planted road mediums, etc. (all called Context Sensitive Solutions). If a road needs to be four lanes it can look like a parkway. People will be paid to leave their woods uncut. Now the Board of Supervisors must put some bite into their declaration one year ago that they want to be a part of The Journey, a decision that gives our county some desirable class, increases the value of our homes and improves the quality of our lives.

    Messages of concern can be sent to:

    John Stirrup, Gainesville District at [email protected] or

    Wally Covington, Brentsville District at [email protected] and/or

    Corey Stewart, Chairman At-Large, at [email protected]

    This message is sent by The Friends of Rt. 15 in PWC

    WashPost: “The Problem Next Door”

    Alanna

    Great article in yesterday’s Washington Post concerning relationships between neighbors in economic downturns with suggestions on how to effectively communicate so that issues get resolved.

    The potential for conflicts between neighbors can deepen during a housing slump like this one. Homeowners worried about their property values are prone to get more agitated more quickly about smaller things. Add to that today’s mounting economic worries, and the likelihood for disputes grows because people have fewer financial or emotional reserves to tap.

    Great suggestions in the article include:

  • Avoid gossiping with other neighbors
  • Talking face-to-face with your neighbor, do not send an email.
  • Try starting a friendly conversation then transition into discussing your concerns.
  • If one-on-one negotiations don’t go well, try using a third party.
  • Contact zoning officials.

    • Disaster Preparedness

    Alanna

    After the torrential rains and local tornado, the County is considering ways to become better prepared in the event of a disaster. Specifically mentioned were sirens or other similar methods of alerting the public especially through the night when people are sleeping. Hopefully, at some point the County could invest in a service which calls homes in a particular geographic neighborhood with a warning message which is already in use in parts of California to notify residents about wildfires. It’s similar to the computer phone messages that we receive from the school system when there’s some event. Perhaps the county already owns the technology but would need to adapt it to focus on zipcodes or neighborhoods. Another suggestion is to sign-up for text messages through the County’s website which offers a 24 hour weather alert system. Being prepared in the case of an emergency is crucial, now with the news about the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar, it should give us pause to consider how to better equip ourselves for when we are faced with another disaster.

    Prophetic Words

    Alanna

    9500Liberty has released another new video, this is a flashback to the marathon session from October 16th. This gentleman’s words are rather prophetic, the struggle did continue after the vote, by other Americans who think like him.

    I want to make this very clear, I oppose illegal immigration. I especially do not want anybody risking life or limb to gain entry to this country. However, I recognize many injustices in our immigration policy, and it is my opinion, in order to resolve the problem, it will, in part, require that undocumented individuals become legalized.

    Update: BVBL claims this gentleman is Jeff Winder. I have no first-hand knowledge of whether or not this is true. BVBL posts it as a question, so perhaps he’s not convinced either. I don’t know Jeff Winder, his affiliations or idealogy. I will say, the picture that BVBL has posted does bear a striking resemblance to the gentleman in the video. If they are, in fact, one in the same, obviously I do not subscribe to everything that someone believes in when I agree with them for 3 minutes. Apparently, BVBL desperately wants to categorize me, I’ll make it easy, call me a Republican.

    I stand by what I said concerning this gentleman Citizens’ Time comments. I’ve reviewed the video and find nothing overly objectionable in his content or delivery.

    Non-specific Threat made to PRTC Buses

    Alanna

    According to WTOP,

    Tighter security on Prince William County buses
    May 11, 2008 – 6:44pm

    WASHINGTON– If you ride the bus in Prince William County, you may notice tighter security Monday.
    Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the agency, that operates buses in Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park has been on heightened alert since Saturday night.

    Police say they received a call from somebody who made threatening references to the buses and the President of the United States. The caller mentioned something happening on Monday.

    “Although the threat was non-specific and the police described the call as kind of rambling it did specifically mention PRTC buses,” says Christine Rodrigo of the agency.

    She says the agency and police are taking the threat very seriously.

    PRTC averages almost a daily ridership of 7,279 on its commuter bus services and an average daily ridership of 3,700 on its weekday local bus services.

    Officials say bus services will operate as normal on Monday.

    Police will be at the main transit center and bus drivers have been told to be extra observant on their routes tomorrow.

    (Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)