[Archived] City Receives "Gold" Chesapeake Bay Partner Award For Environmental Efforts


Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Tuesday, February 1, 2000
Contact:	Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300

City Receives "Gold" Chesapeake Bay Partner Award For Environmental Efforts

The Local Government Advisory Committee of the Chesapeake Bay Program recently named the City of Alexandria a recipient of its "Gold" Chesapeake Bay Community Partner Award, in recognition of the City’s numerous efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Alexandria is the only jurisdiction in the Washington metropolitan area and one of only two localities in the state chosen to receive the "Gold" award this year. The City of Norfolk, located in the Tidewater region, also received a "Gold" award.

"The City has implemented many programs to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, including the innovative Ultra-Urban B.M.P. Program and the Targets of Opportunity Stormwater Retrofit Program," Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley said. "This award is a tribute to the continued commitment and stewardship of the Alexandria City Council, the citizens of Alexandria and City staff to ensuring a clean and healthy Chesapeake Bay community."

The environmental awards, presented annually by the Chesapeake Bay Program, recognize, encourage and support local governments that implement multi-dimensional programs to restore and improve the Chesapeake Bay. Jurisdictions are evaluated based on sustainable development, pollution prevention, living resource conservation, community and cultural heritage preservation, tree protection and community participation. In order to receive the award, Alexandria had to achieve more than 80% of the benchmarks in each category.

City Council Member Lois Walker, a member of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Chesapeake Bay Policy Committee, encouraged the City to apply for the award.

"I think it’s a wonderful award," Council Member Walker said. "I’m really pleased that the City has been able to qualify as a Chesapeake Bay city.

"It shows that we are really paying attention to the environment," she added.

Approximately 1,650 Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions are eligible to receive a Community Partnership Award. Not all jurisdictions apply for the award. There are three designations available to successful applicants --- Gold, Silver and Bronze. This year, four Gold honors were presented out of a total of 13 awards conferred Bay-wide. Fauquier, Isle of Wight and Gloucester counties also received recognition in Virginia.

The award will be presented to Mayor Kerry J. Donley and Members of City Council by Gloria Fisher, a member of the Local Government Advisory Committee, who will make a special presentation during tonight’s City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers.

"The City is clearly leading the effort to advance the fields of cost effective and efficient stormwater management practices," said Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson. "As an urban community, the City must continue to assume its share of the responsibility in protecting essential natural resources."

The Innovative Ultra-Urban B.M.P. Program was created in 1993 to develop new stormwater management solutions for the ultra-urban environment. City staff published research papers, wrote manuals, conducted lectures, classes, tours and seminars. The program advanced the field of stormwater management by creating new designs, improving existing designs and sharing this information with other localities.

In 1997, the City received a Chesapeake Bay Community Innovation Award for its Targets of Opportunity Stormwater Retrofit Program, which was created to enhance the effectiveness of existing mandatory requirements of the local Chesapeake Bay Program by identifying and modifying existing stormwater facilities to treat previously developed land areas.

###