Seminary Road Repaving, Douglas MacArthur Committee Nominations, Annual Meeting
The milling and repaving of Seminary Road have now begun. The first segment being repaved is from Library Lane to North Howard Street and will be a night paving operation this week between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. The contractors are obviously working under a noise ordinance variance from the city in order to complete the work more quickly. Once weather conditions allow this segment to be completed, the City will begin resurfacing the 2nd segment of Seminary Road, from North Howard to North Quaker Lane. This work is expected to take place from October 21-October 28 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. We are advised there will be "short term" lane closures and some parking restrictions on side streets. After the repaving is complete, work will continue to ensure that the final roadway will reflect what the City Council voted for. The changes will take the road from 4 travel lanes to 2 travel lanes, with a center turn lane, including concrete pedestrian refuge islands at the new pedestrian crosswalks, and buffered bike lanes. The crosswalks will use the yellow flashing beacons, not the red light HAWK signals, as would have been the case if the roadway had retained 4 travel lanes. In addition, the lanes and lights at the Quaker Lane and Seminary Road intersection will be changed to prohibit all right turns on red at all times, and the left lane will be for left turns and through traffic. The City states that these turning restrictions and changes at the intersection will make the intersection more effective once they are "optimized" and will help reduce traffic backups. I have not been able to obtain information about where or how these lanes will begin as drivers come down going eastbound on Seminary Road. The City advises us to expect delays during the road resurfacing and says T&ES staff will be on-site during the duration of the project. The City "appreciates our patience and support as we work to improve the City's infrastructure."
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is forming an Advisory Committee to "guide and provide feedback to the design team that is made up of ACPS staff members and architects." They have asked Seminary Hill Association to recommend 3 residents to serve on the committee and they will choose one member from our list to serve on the committee. The Committee expects to meet once a month and the SHA representative will be a conduit between the schools and our community. The school has indicated they prefer we recommend a parent or someone connected to the school to serve. So if you are interested in serving, please contact me immediately at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. this week. We have to submit our names by October 21st. I apologize for the short notice, but I needed to clarify what this committee's role is and why the school has decided they should choose who will represent us, which is not standard practice in such committees. Finally, if you are interested in learning more about the MacArthur project, there will be a meeting on Tuesday, October 29th from 6-8 p.m. at MacArthur School where you can meet the design team and the newly-formed Advisory Committee, and participate in a listening session focused on "community values for the new school.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone that Thursday, November 14th at 7:30 p.m. will be the Seminary Hill Association Annual Meeting at Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill. All SHA residents are welcome to come and meet your neighbors, enjoy some refreshments, ratify our revised bylaws, and elect your board representatives for the coming year. The slate is being prepared now and will be posted here before the Annual Meeting. Dues are not required for SHA, but we will appreciate the suggested $20 a year donation to keep the organization running!
Thank you for your interest in the Seminary Hill Association.
Carter Flemming, President, Seminary Hill Association
