Translate[Archived] Question # 04: How many streets are named after Confederate generals, soldiers or political figures in Alexandria, and what would it cost to rename each one?
Question:
How many streets are named after Confederate generals, soldiers or political figures in Alexandria, and what would it cost to rename each one? (Councilman Aguirre)
Response:
The Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names was provided an updated list of Confederate Streets (Attachment 1 prepared by the City's Office of Historic Alexandria) in February 2016. There are 61 streets in Alexandria named after Confederate generals, soldiers or political figures. The estimated cost to replace confederate street signage and IT related changes based on this 2016 list is broken up into "Confederate Namesakes" (Page 1-2) and "Possible Confederate Namesakes" (Page 3-4). The estimated cost to replace publicly maintained signage associated with the 31 "Confederate Namesakes" is $144,000 (Attachment 2 prepared by the City's Department of Transportation and Environmental Services). The estimated cost to replace publicly maintained signage associated with the 30 "Possible Confederate Namesakes" is $66,750. Estimated IT costs associated with updating various systems (such as CAD, GIS, Finance) amount to $42,000. This assumes that all street names are changed at the same time, and additional costs would be incurred if changes were phased in over time. The Department of Emergency Communications does not anticipate additional costs since ITS will update the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The estimated grand total for signage replacement and IT related changes if both namesakes and possible namesakes are replaced is $252,750. This estimate does not include staffing costs associated with public outreach, additional Confederate name research, the selection of replacement street names, and the notification of residents and businesses of the new street names.