Fredericksburg.com - City Beat

If you live in the city, you have probably seen people putting plastic chairs, cones and other place-holders in the street to hold onto the precious parking spaces they have spent hours of back-breaking labor digging out.

There's no written rule against stealing someone else's cleared spot, but when all the other spots are bordered by three-foot ice walls, it is definitely not the neighborly thing to do.

If you have witnessed some interesting space-saving attempts or confrontations in your city neighborhood, or if you have any other advice to offer on other areas of "snow etiquette," then send me an e-mail at ebattle@freelancestar.com or call me at 540/374-5413.

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Tags: snow

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Don't shovel your snow back into the street! by Big Al

Morning Buzz - Feb. 9, 2010

Feb. 9, 2010 10:34 am

A daily digest of what's going on in Fredericksburg, and what news from elsewhere is relevant here. Send suggestions to ebattle@freelancestar.com.

IS IT SPRING YET? The weather forecast gets worse every time I look at it, kind of like North Carolina's basketball team. A winter storm warning officially starts at noon in our area. Snow is expected to start falling sometime this morning, and will be heaviest tonight and tomorrow morning. A total of 6 to 10 inches could fall. Some people have showed me forecasts that say we could get more than that, but I am going to pretend I didn't hear that. Wind gusts up to 30 mph are expected as well.

City offices are open today. Schools are closed. FREDericksburg Regional Transit will suspend service at 2:00 pm today in Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties, and will suspend service at 2:30 pm today in the City. There is no FRED service today in Caroline and King George Counties.

City Council is supposed to meet at 7:30 tonight. On the agenda is a public hearing on new rules that would regulate how big a new house or addition on a city lot can be. There's a 6 p.m. work session scheduled to talk about a new policy for closing downtown streets for special events. I have not heard anything about weather cancellations, but keep checking back today for more information.

Don't forget to clear snow away from the fire hydrant closest to your house, and remember that it's your responsibility--not the city's--to clear the sidewalk in front of your property. Oh yeah, and just because there is snow on the ground doesn't mean you get a pass from picking up after your dog.

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Tags: Morning Buzz, snow

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Morning Buzz - Feb. 8, 2010

Feb. 8, 2010 8:28 am

A daily digest of what's going on in Fredericksburg, and what news from elsewhere is relevant here. Send suggestions to ebattle@freelancestar.com.

Closings and cancellations in Fredericksburg today:

- City offices are closed.

- FRED bus service is not operating.

- The city Visitors Center is closed.

- City schools are closed.

- The Economic Development Authority meeting scheduled for noon today has been cancelled.

- The General District Court will open at 11 a.m., and the clerk's office will open at 10:30 a.m.

- The "Via Colori" meeting that was supposed to happen at the area museum tonight will be rescheduled. (Via Colori is a street-painting festival that is being planned for September by the Arts Commission.)

Read Kelly Hannon's report on the progress being made to clear area roads here.

In non-snow news, Bill Freehling reports on his blog that the new tenant that will be moving into the old University Cafe space is Las Palmas, a Caribbean restaurant that had been operating out of a space on Caroline Street.

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Tags: Morning Buzz, snow

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City offices, FRED buses shut down Monday

Feb. 7, 2010 12:32 pm

City offices will be closed Monday, and FRED buses will not run.

Our full snow coverage continues here today.

Here is the latest update from the city's public works department:

SNOW OPERATIONS UPDATE

FEBRUARY 7, 2010 11:30 AM

Significant progress was made overnight in clearing streets, including those in residential neighborhoods. All City streets that have not been cleared are on the schedule for either Public Works crews or contractors' crews to clear them today (Sunday). Please note that "clear" means that the road is passable for experienced drivers; it does not mean that the road is free from snow and ice. The City has a limited but adequate supply of road salt and will be applying salt to main streets today with the intention of plowing these streets again after melting occurs. Deliveries of road salt from the City's supplier are expected to resume tomorrow.

Residents whose streets have not been plowed or cleared by 6:00 PM Sunday may call the Public Works Department at 372-1023 and leave a message. Messages will be retrieved from the answering machine regularly throughout the evening.

Temperatures are predicted to fall into the single digits again tonight. Such low temperatures significantly reduce the effectiveness of both plowing and salt operations. Snow removal operations between dusk this evening and daylight on Monday morning will be confined primarily to the "load and haul" removal of snow from downtown streets. Parking will be prohibited on these streets during the load and haul operation, and "No Parking" signs have been posted.

Information will be posted this evening related to refuse and recycling operations for Monday.

IMPORTANT: Residents are asked to please assist the City by clearing snow away from fire hydrants after the plows and equipment come through the neighborhood. Also, because of the wet and heavy nature of this high-volume snow, residents are urged to exercise caution while clearing their sidewalks and driveways. DO NOT IGNORE SIGNS OF PHYSICAL DISTRESS.

Motorists are urged to avoid non-essential travel. Motorists must give snowplows and other snow removal equipment ample room to maneuver, and drivers are reminded to watch for pedestrians in the street.

For road conditions, go to www.511virginia.org

For information on emergency shelters or assistance for the elderly or those at risk, dial 211 or go to www.211Virginia.org

For general safety information, go to www.ReadyVirginia.gov

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Tags: snow

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Blizzard

Feb. 6, 2010 2:31 pm

It's been snowing all day, and Fredericksburg residents have been reporting power going on and off around town. Even the newspaper partially lost power earlier today. Full snow coverage, including updates from around the area, can be found here. Please stay home and stay safe.

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Tags: snow

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Anticipating Friday's storm

Feb. 4, 2010 7:03 pm

(Cheese aisle at Wegman's this afternoon)

People are not messing around with the forecast for tomorrow.

City Hall has already announced that all city offices will close at noon Friday, as forecasters are calling for the heavy snow to begin around mid-morning. The official storm warning for the area begins at 10 a.m.

Fredericksburg public schools have announced they will be closed Friday, and all after-school activities for tomorrow were cancelled earlier today. Check our closings page for information on other school closings.

FREDericksburg Regional Transit has announced the following about weekend service:

On Friday, FREDericksburg Regional Transit will have no morning or evening VRE Feeder
Service or D6, and all FRED service (including FRED Express) will cease at 12:00 noon. For
Saturday and Sunday, there will be no FRED Express weekend service.

The city has also posted this notice declaring a local emergency and urging residents to take extreme caution during tomorrow's storm.

If you're still thinking you're going to be out and about tomorrow afternoon, this blog post from Kelly Hannon might change your mind. Hannon reports that visibility on area roads will be almost nonexistent tomorrow afternoon.

If all the winter snow-shoveling has taken a toll on your back, read Janet Marshall's latest blog post, which offers tips on safe shoveling.

I took a trip to Wegman's late this afternoon. Almost all the carts were in circulation, whole shelves of things like produce and packaged cheese were empty and there were so many people in there you had to be very careful about pushing a cart. The woman who checked me out said business has been much heavier ahead of this storm than it was before other storms this winter.

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Tags: snow

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Local emergency declared in Fredericksburg ahead of Friday storm

Feb. 4, 2010 6:51 pm

The following was released by the city Police Department this afternoon:

City of Fredericksburg Declares Local Emergency

In expectation of the severe weather forecast, City Manager Beverly Cameron has declared a local emergency for the City of Fredericksburg. The declaration invokes “in full force and effect in Fredericksburg, Virginia, all laws and statutes of the State of Virginia, for the exercise of all necessary emergency authority for the protection of life and property…”

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning beginning at 10:00 am on Friday, February 5 and lasting through 10:00 pm Saturday, February 6. Snow accumulations could be as heavy as 18-28 inches, and strong winds are also expected. Due to the expected weather conditions, City offices will close on Friday at 12:00 noon.

On Friday, FREDericksburg Regional Transit will have no morning or evening VRE Feeder Service or D6, and all FRED service (including FRED Express) will cease at 12:00 noon. For Saturday and Sunday, there will be no FRED Express weekend service.

Citizens of Fredericksburg should heed the following recommendations:

• Once freezing rain or snow begins to fall, stay off the roads. Only travel if absolutely necessary, and all occupants of the vehicle should wear a safety belt.
• If you must drive, know road conditions before you leave. Current road conditions are available by calling 5-1-1 or visiting 511Virginia.gov.
• Do not pass or impede snowplows.
• Have emergency supplies in your car. If you become stranded, you will need water, food, blankets, a radio, flashlight and extra batteries. Stay with your car. The Virginia Department of Transportation recommends running the car engine for heat for 10 minutes and then turning off the engine for 20 minutes.
• At home, be prepared to shelter in place for a minimum of three days. Have on hand adequate supplies of bottled water, food, medicine, and provisions for those with special needs.
• If outside, wear loose layers and a hat. Avoid overexertion during snow clean up, no matter your age or physical condition. When shoveling snow, please remember to pile snow to the right of your driveway (when facing the street) to avoid having plows redepositing the snow across the driveway entrance.
• Clear snow from around fire hydrants, and make sure your downspouts are free from snow and ice.

In an emergency, dial 911. For non-emergencies, call the Police Department at (540)373-3122.
For power outages, the Dominion Power Service Center is 1-888-667-3000.

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Tags: snow

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Out-of-scale houses proposal coming back

Feb. 4, 2010 12:23 pm

Back before the recession, a lot of people were concerned about the proliferation of what they called "McMansions" in older city neighborhoods. So City Council set out to develop rules that would govern how big a new house could be.

The Planning Commission came up with this proposal.

Back in March of 2008, in the midst of election season, council members tabled it without really saying why.

Faced with the very same proposal again a few months later, they just kind of did nothing.

Then the recession hit, homebuilding slowed down, and a lot of people stopped talking about this as a problem.

A few months ago, Matt Kelly, who is leaving the council in June, asked that the issue be brought back for a vote.

So on Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m., council members will hold a public hearing on the very same set of rules they sent back for more study two years ago.

You can read more in the weekend papers about whether attitudes have changed, and the reservations some council members have with the approach these rules take to the problem.

In the meantime, if you want to speak on Tuesday, you can review the proposal here.

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Tags: planning, neighborhoods

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Morning Buzz - Feb. 4, 2010

Feb. 4, 2010 10:06 am

A daily digest of what's going on in Fredericksburg, and what news from elsewhere is relevant here. Send suggestions to ebattle@freelancestar.com.

It is not snowing today! The sun is out! Kids are going to school! But since more bad stuff is on the way this weekend, here's a note from the city on how it affects trash collection:

In periods of snowy/icy weather, please be aware our crews will not be able to collect trash/recycling from an area other than the curb...particularly if the pathways to the trash location are not clear of snow/ice. The purpose of this policy is to prevent injury to City crews and protect property owners from potential liability associated with an employee falling or otherwise being injured on private property.

In Richmond yesterday, the two lobbying groups that represent local government - the Virginia Municipal League and the Virginia Association of Counties - made a plea to House Speaker Bill Howell for the General Assembly to avoid legislation that would require them to provide more services or limit their ability to collect revenues. Read a Times-Dispatch story on the efforts here. Another big question for localities is what the legislature will do to replace former Gov. Kaine's proposed income tax increase, which was voted down two weeks ago. That increase was intended to provide money for the reimbursement the state makes to localities to keep all of our car taxes down. If lamakers can't find $950 million in cuts to keep these reimbursements going, then most localities would probably assess car owners the full tax bill, since their budgets can't handle a hit that big.

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Tags: Morning Buzz

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Teacher raises. Really?

Feb. 3, 2010 2:16 pm

In the weeks since Superintendent David Melton first announced to School Board members that he would propose a budget that includes 2 percent pay increases for the schools system, I have had plenty of questions from folks wanting to know how likely that is to happen.

A friend who knows teachers in several area school systems told me he was getting calls from teachers in Prince William County asking what was going on down here that Fredericksburg was able to give raises in a year when just about every other headline you read about school budgeting is about cutting staff, cutting pay or cutting programs.

Here are some things to keep in mind about this proposal:

- It's important to remember, as Melton said in making his budget presentation, that the process has just started. The state budget process is ongoing, and depending on how that goes, schools might have to make more cuts.

- The biggest wild card, though, is the city budget. About three-quarters of the schools budget comes from local tax dollars. City Council members decide how much local money the schools have to spend, but they can't dictate how the School Board spends that money.

- The plan to give schools employees raises is part of a budget that depends on $24.8 million in city money. That's $745,000 more than the city gave the schools this year, although board members point out that it's roughly the same amount of money the city contributed in the 2009 budget. The raises alone would cost $500,000.

- The city budget is the smallest it has been since fiscal year 2007.

- Both the city and the schools budgets for this year used reserves, or "rainy day fund" money, to balance. That means that spending exceeded recurring revenue. That makes it even harder to find money for new things, like salary increases. City Manager Beverly Cameron said as much in this story.

- One penny on the real estate tax brings in roughly $340,000.

- I am hearing a great degree of skepticism from council members about the likelihood of the city having $745,000 in additional funds to give the schools next year. Councilman Brad Ellis just said in an interview today that he was surprised by the proposal for raises. In particular, he said he was opposed to raises for administrative staff or employees making $75,000 or more (anyone in that category in City Hall took a half-percent pay cut this year). He mentioned that he would entertain the possibility of looking at the cost of raises for classroom teachers only, and trying to gauge public support for a tax increase intended specifically to support those raises. Again, the City Council cannot tell the School Board how to spend local money, but you often hear council members express discomfort with giving the schools money for teacher raises when they can't give city employees any more money.

If I were a city teacher, I wouldn't count on that extra money just yet.

The next step: Watch for City Manager Beverly Cameron's budget proposal March 9.

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Tags: schools, budget

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Loose dog alert

Feb. 3, 2010 11:53 am

From the Fredericksburg Police daily crime report:

1000 block Idlewild Blvd, 2/2 4:00 pm. A couple walking in the neighborhood
encountered another dog running loose. When the husband attempted to discourage the loose
dog from following them, the dog attacked him, biting him in the face and forearm. The wife
also received less severe bites and abrasions on her face. Both victims required treatment at
Mary Washington Hospital for their injuries. The dog was described as medium to large in
size, with brindle coloring and wearing a brown or black collar with tags. The victims
described the dog as possibly being a mixed breed pit bull, but the shape of the dog’s nose was
longer and narrower than a typical pit bull. Anyone with information regarding this animal
should contact the Fredericksburg Police Department at (540)373-3122.

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Tags: police

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nice by Agentofchange
Sounds like A Lab by tuggboat

Morning Buzz - Feb. 3, 2010

Feb. 3, 2010 9:13 am

A daily digest of what's going on in Fredericksburg, and what news from elsewhere is relevant here. Send suggestions to ebattle@freelancestar.com.

Schools are closed today. If your kids have maxed out on video games, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library opens at 10 a.m. today.

City offices are open normal hours today.

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Tags: Morning Buzz

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