A summary of the Rosemont Citizens Association meeting held on November 10 at the Commonwealth Baptist Church:
By acclamation, the new officers were elected: Jol Silversmith, President; Karla Springer, First Vice-President; Garrett Erdle, Second Vice-President; John Leary, Secretary; Tom Holland, Treasurer; and Marguerite Lang, President Emeritus.
Captain Shelbert Williams provided an update from the Sheriff’s Office; the office will be sponsoring winter toy and coat drives, and he also discussed Project Lifesaver (http://beta9.alexandriava.gov/sheriff/info/default.aspx?id=65892) which assists in tracking children and adults with special needs.
Lieutenant Bartholomew Bailey provided an update from the Police Department (which, as part of its community outreach program, will be sponsoring winter toy and turkey events). Since the start of the year, 45 serious crimes have been reported in Rosemont, mostly larcenies from automobiles. In October, two individuals were arrested with stolen bikes, who are being investigated for possible links to other recent crimes in the area. Especially as the holiday season approaches, it is important to secure property (and report suspicious activity) to prevent crimes of opportunity.
Robert Garbacz, Division Chief of the Transportation and Environmental Services Department, took questions and provided feedback about traffic concerns in Rosemont. He noted that in December, the City Council is expected to approve signage prohibiting through trucks on the unit block of West Linden Street, as well as an overall traffic study for Rosemont, but congestion is a growing problem throughout the City with no easy solutions. Community members raised issues such as evening traffic back-ups heading south on Russell Road, and the possibility of “don’t block the box” signage or street markings. They also asked that King Street be included in the study, to the extent it is part of Rosemont. Generally, Garbacz encouraged feedback to TES, since enforcement activities tend to be based on the volume of complaints received. Garbacz can be contacted at bob.garbacz@alexandriava.gov.
