Highlights from Tuesday's City Council Meeting

1. Council Votes to Keep July Fourth Fireworks

The body voted unanimously  Tuesday  to have the city's annual July 4 fireworks display, despite staff recommendations to the contrary.

The possibility of not having a fireworks display was mentioned March 15 when Manassas Park City Manager Jim Zumwalt presented his proposed city budget.

Zumwalt said not having the fireworks would save the city about $28,000.

 City Council had to vote on the matter Tuesday because the deadline for signing the contract for this year’s fireworks display is today.

City staff said as many as 12,000 people gather to watch the city’s fireworks, Zumwalt said.

While the fireworks do bring the community together, Zumwalt said he would recommend not having the fireworks show because of safety and liability issues.

Manassas Park Fire Marshal Mark Joyner addressed council Tuesday and said a new law will require fireworks operators to be licensed through the state fire marshals office.

A new law also has increased the minimal distance between fireworks spectators and fireworks operators.

Last year, spectators had to be at least 420 feet from the fireworks—now they have to be at least 600 feet away, he said.  The new rule will effect parking and viewing areas for the event at Signal Hill Park.

There was some discussion Tuesday about moving the show from Signal Hill Park, but no council members wanted to have it downtown near City Center Apartments again.  

Manassas Park Department of Parks and Recreation Director Catherine Morretta said she wouldn’t recommend having it at Costello Park.

 2. Departing Manassas Park Fire Chief Honored.

 Manassas Park Fire Chief John O’Neal was honored Tuesday with a certificate of appreciation by the Manassas Park Social Services Advisory Board.  O’Neal served on the board for more than three years and is known as an “officer and a gentleman” by the those who served alongside him.

 Advisory board members said O’Neal is dedicated, much appreciated and will be very missed.

O’Neal has accepted a job in Addison, Texas a city just North of Dallas and will be leaving this month.

3. 2010 Manassas Park Fire Department Report

 The fire department reports an increase in overall call volume. There were 278 more calls in 2010 than 2009, but this can be attributed to an increase in  the city’s population, O’Neal said.

 The fire department’s reliability rate is at 88.2 percent, which means it is fully staffed for 88 percent of its calls, he said.  With cross staffing of fire and rescue, the reliability rate increases to 94.4 percent.

 4. Council Approves $86,000 Payment to Prince William County for Consolidated E-911 Services.

 Council voted to pay the $86,217 invoice received from the county for  E-911 services. Prince William County began dispatching Manassas Park fire and rescue personnel last year.  Police are still dispatched by the city.

 With the consolidation of Manassas Park fire and rescue dispatch with Prince William County, services have improved, O’Neal said.  Residents can call E-911 and receive pre-arrival instructions because the dispatchers in Prince William County are trained in emergency medical dispatch. For example, a caller can receive instructions on how to deliver a baby or how to give CPR while the call is being dispatched to emergency officials.

 5. Manassas Park City School Presents its Budget to Council

 Manassas Park City Schools officially presented its $36 million operating budget to city council Tuesday.

 The budget was approved by the Manassas Park City Schools school board on March 21.

Manassas Park Mayor Frank Jones said there has been some discussion about the budget, but Tuesday night was when it was officially presented to council.

 When broken down by expenditures by function, 62 percent of the budget is spent on instruction, followed by 13 percent on debt service.

The remaining is spent on administration, transportation, food service, technology, health, facilities and maintenance.

 School officials highlighted that data from the 2007-2008 school year shows that Manassas Park has the most efficient school system in the Washington area, based on its spending patterns and test scores.

 About 51 percent of the school division’s students are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

About 28 percent are classified as English language learners according to school officials.

6. Northern Virginia Community College May Offer Classes at Community Center.

 Northern Virginia Community College officials said they will consider using the Manassas Park Community Center’s commercial kitchen as a classroom for its culinary arts program.

Community college officials said the community center’s use depends on need and the potential for cooperation from Manassas Park High School.

7. April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

 Councilman Suhas Naddoni said he is working to bring Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to end childhood hunger, to Virginia.

 The group has been working within a couple of states and DC and he believes the program will be good for Virgnia, Naddoni said after a short film on Share Our Strengh.

 He recently met with the director of the program for the state of Maryland and will continue working with the group over the next few weeks, Naddoni said.

 Manassas Park Department of Social Services Director Addie Whitaker said Naddoni’s presentation was well timed, as April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Children not being provided with adequate food is a form of neglect, she said  

here are currently about 523 cases of Manassas Park residents receiving food stamps, Whitaker said. This number is low compared to neighboring jurisdictions, she said.

8.  Grant Could Bring New Sidewalk to Euclid Avenue

 There is a possibility that the city could get a federal grant to build a sidewalk on Euclid Avenue in an effort to make it easier for students of Manassas Park Middle and High Schools to walk or bike to the campuses.

 If built, the sidewalk would began at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Manassas Drive and run all the way to the schools.

 The grant is through Safe Routes to Schools, a program administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

 As a prerequisite, the city must produce a Safe Routes to Schools Travel Plan that encourages biking and walking to school for all students.

 Public commenting for the project begins today and will continue for two weeks.  Residents should call 703-335-0019 or send comments to c.odell@manassasparkva.gov.

A team has already been put together to get the travel plan done by the April 29 deadline.  Councilman Brian Leeper is working with that team.

More information on the project is available at mpark.net.

9.  Julia Drake Named 2010 City Employee of the Year.

 City employee Julia Drake was recognized as the city’s employee of the year Tuesday.

 Drake received four nominations for employee of the year.  Officials said Drake has done many honorable things, such as organizing a city “paint party” to paint the walls in city hall.

Officials said Tuesday that Drake is very professional, has good work ethic and volunteers her time.

 10. Storm Water Assessment Implementation Team Named  2010 City Team of the Year

 Nine people, including two honorable mentions, were recognized Tuesday for their work on the city’s storm water assessment project.

 The team was selected as winners by the 2009 team of the year.

The  seven-member team was honored because they managed to establish the assessments in a very short time period.

 Every person on the team worked hard to ensure that the city was able to began collecting revenue to support the storm water management program, officials said Tuesday.