October 2007 Newsletter


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October 2007 Newsletter
 
It has been a while since my last newsletter in May. I have spent the last two months converting to a new e-mail and newsletter system, so I wasn't able to send my summer newsletter. I have tried to use some of that content in this newsletter, but if you want to see it all, you can read it at End of Summer 2007 Newsletter
 
A lot has happened in my personal life over the last few months. I started a new day job as Vice President for Corporate Development at RevolutionHealth.com, my oldest daughter started kindergarten and my wife’s second book came out this month and she has been getting a lot of attention for it (Book Review). Life has been fun, but a little bit busier than normal, to say the least.
 
There is a lot to talk about this month, from our new transportation master plan, to the city capital budget challenges, to Governor Kaine’s Pre-K initiatives, to a local small business that has brought some great recognition to our City. Read on. And as always, I look forward to hearing from you.
 
Sincerely,
 
Rob Krupicka
 

P.S. I hope to see you at Art on the Avenue this Saturday on Mt. Vernon Avenue! Art on the Avenue Web Site

P.P.S Keep your eyes open for an invitation to the annual Krupicka Halloween Party on Sunday, October 28th after the Mt. Vernon Avenue Halloween Parade.   The party should start around 4:00 PM.

 

(I do not want to spam anyone. If you would like to be removed from the list, simply send a message to newsletter@krupicka.com with “Remove” in subject line. Or, if you or others want to be added to the list, send a message to the same address with “Add Krupicka List” in the subject line.)
 
 
1) Volunteering in our Community with the AVB
 
I am happy to serve as this year’s Honorary Chair of An Evening in the Heart of Alexandria, a long tradition and the major fundraising event for the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau, will be held this year at historic Gadsby’s Tavern on October 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.  This promises to be the perfect setting to enjoy good food and drink, great company, and a showcase of one-of-a-kind and must-have items from local artists, businesses, restaurants and sports teams. Long-time AVB supporter Kerry Donley will lend his special flair as auctioneer extraordinaire for the live auction. And, of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without honoring the volunteers that are the heart and soul of the city’s social service, health, and arts communities. AVB will present awards to two volunteers who have typified the spirit of service and civic involvement that AVB supports.

The proceeds from last year’s Silent Auction helped AVB to make great strides, including:

 

-     expanding their Volunteer Clearinghouse;
-     launching a new dynamic and accessible Web site 
-     linkingwith the 1-800-VOLUNTEER national volunteer database, which allows volunteers to interact online and find opportunities suited to their individual skills;
-     developing new ways to involve youth in service to Alexandria;
-     improving the Alternative Community Service court referral program; and
-     establishing a system of recruiting and managing emergency volunteers.
 
I hope you will join me and many other AVB supporters on October 17th -- find out more at www.AlexandriaVolunteerBureau.org;
 
2) Capital Budget Shortfall Dominates Council’s September Schedule
 
The Council has been busy this fall. We spent a few meetings in September focused on the looming $85 million dollar budget shortfall in our capital budget. Over the next two years, there are about $85 million more dollars of capital projects than we have revenues to support. These projects include things like fixing our police center (right now we lease space and when the leases expire we expect the cost of leasing to go up significantly), building a new west-end fire station so that response capacity is consistent with the rest of the city, improving EMS capacity for the central part of the city to bring response capabilities in line with the rest of the city, sewer upgrades, storm water improvements to prevent flooding, transportation improvements, power-line undergrounding, recreation center upgrades and many other projects. We will have to look at every option to close this gap. The current forecasts for flat or modest revenues growth as well as declining state revenues make this situation even more difficult. We have a lot of hard decisions in front of us. You can be sure you will hear more about this over the coming months. To see the City presentation on this issue, Capital Budget Presentation Fall 2007
 
 
3) Governor Kaine’s Pre-K Initiative: A Sophisticated Plan to Improve Education in VA
 

I spent a lot of my time during the last 14 months working on the Governor’s Start Strong Council. We looked comprehensively at pre-k programs around the country to come up with recommendations for how we can improve the success of our children, our schools and our economic competitiveness by expanding access to pre-school. The Governor has proposed we expand access to pre-k by focusing on those children with the least ability to afford quality pre-school.

 

Contrary to press reports about the Governor’s plan for pre-k, he is not scaling back his goal of expanding access to pre-k. The only thing that has changed is that the Governor’s proposal is a sophisticated blending of private, public and for-profit programs rather than a one-size-fits-all, government-only effort.To my mind, that is a good thing. When the Governor’s plan is fully realized, over 75% of Virginia Children will have access to a quality pre-k experience and will therefore have a better chance of showing up for school ready to learn. That’s better than almost every state in the Country.

 
Virginia is not alone in seeing pre-k as an important part of our long-term competitiveness. We are far from being the first state to talk about expanding pre-k in a big way. Conservative states like Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, and North Carolina have been leading the expansion into Pre-K for many years because they see it as an important investment in the future of their states, the success of their children and as one of the best ways to improve school results and to lower long-term social costs. Countries like China are investing heavily in pre-k because they see it as critical to building a competitive workforce.   This Virginian Pilot story does a great job of looking at other states: (see Virginian Pilot).  This issue is about the long term competitiveness of our state and our country.
 
As we work in Alexandria to improve our schools and to meet the increasingly stringent standards of No Child Left Behind, expanding access to pre-k has to be one of our key strategies. Economists, including the Federal Reserve, believe it a good investment, creating positive economic returns of anywhere from $7 to $13 per dollar invested. And by helping children prepare for school, we make it easier for them to succeed in school and we help ensure that our school resources are being used as wisely as possible. 
 
The Governor’s goal is to improve the number of children that pass the third grade reading test. Passing that test is a strong predictor of a child’s long term success in school. Quality pre-k is an important part of that. Kids need to hit the ground running at kindergarten, not spend the year trying to catch-up.  The future of our commonwealth is brighter with quality pre-k on our horizon.
 
Start Strong Initiative Overview:
 
News from around the State:
 
 
 
 
4) Kick Off for New Soft Play Room a Big Success
 
Alexandria’s Natural Exploreum organization and a large group of parents are working with the city to create a safe, indoor playroom for young children similar to those found in Fairfax County. Alexandria lacks some basic recreation services for young children, which forces families to head to Fairfax or Arlington for programs. The City has agreed to provide the space for the soft room. Now, much like with the skate board park or other playgrounds, parents are raising funds to help pay for the equipment. Patty Donmoyer led the organizing for the group's first fundraiser kick-off last weekend, and it was a huge success. Hundreds of kids and families came out to support a safe place for kids to play. You can learn more and also donate at Soft Play Room Web Site or you can e-mail Patty at softplayroom@gmail.com
 
 
5) Community Pathways Update: Safe Routes to School
 
Wednesday is Walk to School day in Alexandria. Our goal, though, is that every day is walk to school day. As a continuation to the Community Pathways pedestrian and bicycle policy adopted by the Council, the City recently received a large grant from the State of Virginia to make it easier and safer for children to walk to school. The $517,000 grant is meant to help encourage bike-riding and walking to School. This is a continuation of the Community Pathways policy that Councilman Smedberg and I first put forward. City Staff worked hard to win this state grant and it will go a long way to help improve the connections between our neighborhoods and our schools.
 
 
Or
 
6) Transportation Master Plan: Draft for Your Comments
 
The City’s Ad Hoc Transportation Task Force has released a draft of the transportation master plan update and would appreciate receiving your comments and feedback on this draft document.  The plan puts a big emphasis on a new, efficient and convenient mass transit system for Alexandria. The draft plan for public comment is available on the web at:

http://alexandriava.gov/tes/policy_and_program/

Comments on the draft plan can be e-mailed to the task force at:
transtaskforce@alexandriava.gov

or mailed to:
Transportation Task Force
c/o Transportation and Environmental Services
City of Alexandria
301 King Street, Room 4100
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Tom Culpepper, Deputy Director
Transportation & Environmental Services
City of Alexandria, Virginia
703.838.4966  Phone
 
7) Alexandria Small Business Wins Statewide Award: A Show of Hands Named Retailer of the Year!

A Show of Hands has been named the Virginia Retail Merchants Association Retailer of the Year www.ashowofhands.biz. The Virginia Retail Merchants Association is a not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 5,400 Virginia retailers and local merchants. For the last 48 years, the VRMA has recognized a retail merchant in Virginia for their contributions to the industry and to the community, state or nation. State Delegate Adam Ebbin nominated this fantastic shop in Alexandria.  
 
 
8) Giving Back: Mentoring Can Change a Child’s Life

Both youth and adult members of our community have expressed their desire to see more mentors in our area. Mentoring is a research based best practice in preventing crime, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, poor school performance, and gang involvement. The Alexandria Mentoring Partnership is a collaborative of 15 mentor programs, volunteers and staff working together to recruit, train and support adults so that every child in need or want of a mentor can be offered one.  Right now, there is a shortage of at least 200 adults. No prior experience is necessary: the mentoring partnership will train you.  

I'm interested: what do I do?

Please go to www.alexandriava.gov/mentoring to peruse information about mentoring; including specific program information.  Should you find a program that is interesting, feel free to contact that specific Program Coordinator directly to begin the process.  Please also feel very welcomed to contact Mike Mackey, City of Alexandria Gang Prevention & Intervention Coordinator/Coordinator of Mentoring Partnership, at mentoring@alexandriava.gov or 703-838-4180, x 242.  Mike will answer questions you may have and will work to make the process friendly, supportive and seamless.

Please help.  Please tell others of our need. Mentor a child. Change two lives.
 
(I do not want to spam anyone. If you would like to be removed from the list, simply send a message to newsletter@krupicka.com with “Remove” in subject line. Or, if you or others want to be added to the list, send a message to the same address with “Add Krupicka List” in the subject line.)

Paid for and Authorized by Friends of Rob Krupicka and Rob Krupicka