RCA Newsletter: April 2025

Virginia Elections

The Virginia primary elections for the offices of Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Senator, State Delegate, Commonwealth’s Attorney, and Sheriff will be held on Tuesday, June 17.  Early voting will start on May 2, and the voter registration deadline is May 27.  For more information, please visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/Elections.

PELT Committee Update

Can I refill a “Gator Bag” on a tree in the curb strip?

We have all seen them around the neighborhood — especially on saplings planted by the City on that forsaken strip of grass between the curb and the sidewalk. Gator Bags are the green plastic bags intended to slowly release water to the roots of the newly-planted tree.

The PELT Committee has noticed several dry Gator Bags around Rosemont. So, we asked Alexandria’s Arborist: “who is responsible for refilling the water in the bags and how long should the bags stay in place?”

Here is what we found out:

1. The bags are placed on the trees when they are first planted. The bags are intended to stay in place throughout the tree’s first year.

2. The bags hold 15 to 20 gallons of water that is slowly released over about a week or ten days.

3. City staff is only able to refill the bags about twice per year.

By now, I am sure you have done the math. The average Gator Bag is empty most of the time.

The Arborist said it is certainly OK for residents to refill a dry Gator Bag. In fact, I got the impression it would be welcomed, especially during the blazing hot days of summer when the ground is parched and the young tree is struggling to take root.

Next RCA Meeting

Please join us for the next RCA meeting on Wednesday, May 21 at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 100 West Luray Avenue, at 7pm.

We will be joined by Helen McIlvaine and Tamara Jovivic of the Office of Housing to discuss updates to the City’s Master Housing Plan.  The plan was last revised in 2013; this update is intended to set out the City’s goals and workplace through 2040.  (Note that this separate from the “Zoning for Housing” initiative discussed last year, although there may be some conceptual overlap.)  For background information, please visit https://www.alexandriava.gov/HousingPlan.  The agenda also will include website, infrastructure, and other updates.

Resources from Alexandria Sheriff’s Office

The Alexandria Sheriff’s office offers a house-watching service (https://www.alexandriava.gov/sheriff/away-from-home-check).  Additionally, the Sheriff continue to offer “Project Lifesaver” to help track adults and children with special needs (https://www.alexandriava.gov/sheriff/project-lifesaver) and will offer another edition of its “academy” introducing community members to its operations in March 2025 (https://www.alexandriava.gov/academies/sheriffs-community-academy).