City of Winchester Strives For "Green"

The City of Winchester is participating in the Virginia Municipal League's (VML) "Go Green Virginia" Initiative. 

 

This is a friendly competition among VML member local governments to encourage the implementation of specific environmental policies and practical actions that reduce the carbon emissions generated by both the local government and the broader community.  The City wants to lead by example and strives to become a certified "Green Government". 

 

The challenge ends on September 30, 2008, but the City will continue to make changes to the way it does business in order to reduce it's carbon footprint and improve the quality of life within the city. 

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The City's water treatment plant has earned a "2007 Excellence in Granular Media Filter Water Treatment Plant Performance Award" from the Virginia Department of Health.

 

The award is presented to water treatment facilities that demonstrate high performance in meeting all water quality requirements mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act.  For the year, the City's treatment facility's finished water turbidity was 70 percent lower, on average, than the maximum allowed by the State.

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Don't miss the grand opening of the new Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District Civil War Orientation Center on May 12 at 10:00 a.m. 

 

The newly constructed 3,000+ square foot visitor center, located at 1400 South Pleasant Valley Road, houses the Visitor Center, Civil War Orientation Center, and space for SU student-created exhibits.  Located upstairs is the Shenandoah University History Department with classrooms, meeting space and offices for history faculty. 

 

The Civil War Orientation Center will be unveiled during the opening.  It is the second of five planned Civil War Orientation Centers to be located throughout the eight-county Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.

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The City strives to prevent blight and deteriorating conditions in Winchester everyday. One issue the City has been dealing with recently is an increased number of properties vandalized with graffiti.

 

The City plans to identify and quickly abate graffiti, however, current provisions of the City Code inadequately address the abatement of graffiti vandalism. Unfortunately, there is an inability of the adopted provisions of the property maintenance code to effectively address graffiti nuisances.  Therefore, the City's Zoning Official is proposing that Council adopt a graffiti abatement ordinance into the City Code.  Having such an ordinance will also provide the City an opportunity to offer incentives to property owners and occupants who quickly remove or otherwise obscure graffiti nuisances, in lieu of the City assuming the repsonsibility of graffiti abatement on private property. 

 

The new graffiti abatement ordinance will go to Council for first reading in May.

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Congratulations Olivia DeArment, a John Kerr Elementary School fourth grader, who won a pizza party with her classmates and a tree planted at her school for winning the Arbor Day Essay Contest sponsored by the Winchester Tree Commission.  The 2008 essay theme was "Trees Make a World of Difference".

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Construction on improvements at the water treatment plant is underway.  The City's water treatment plant was constructed over 50 years ago.  Much of the original equipment in the facility is still in operation and is at the end of its useful life.  This project consists of replacing much of the original equipment to ensure that the treatment plant continues to provide a reliable and high quality water supply for Winchester's future.

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Green Circle Construction Continues

The City has submitted 90 percent design plans to VDOT for the continued construction of the Green Circle Trail and pedestrian signal and city-wide traffic signal improvements. 

 

This 1-mile section of the Green Cirlce consists of a 10-foot wide pedestrian/bicycle shared use path that will start near the instersection of Pall Mall and Kent Streets and generally follows Town Run, crosses Pleasant Valley at the intersection of Hollingsworth, and then continues beside Wilkins Lake.  The trail will terminate near the tennis courts adjacent to Shenandoah University.  The Green Circle project is funded 80 percent by a federal grant and 20 percent with City of Winchester matching funds.

 

Once comments have been received by VDOT, the Green Circle and the traffic signal improvement projects will be advertised for bids.