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From YouTube: County Board Wrap-Up: January 2018
Description
ATV's monthly conversation with County Board members on the major issues discussed at January's Board meeting.
County Board Chair Katie Cristol and Vice-Chair Christian Dorsey discuss the Childcare Initiative, General Assembly priorities, Clarendon Renovations, Short Bridge Park, and a Scholarship for residents seeking citizenship
A
Hi
I'm
Tara
O'donnell,
and
this
is
County
Board
wrap
up
each
month,
the
County
Board
Chair
and
her
guest
another
board
member
answer
our
questions
about
the
key
decisions
that
the
board
takes
at
its
monthly
meetings.
Today,
we're
joined
by
newly
named
board
chaired
Katie
crystal
and
newly
named
Vice
Chair
Christian
Dorsey,
both
of
you.
Thank
you
very
much
for
joining
us
and
congratulations
and
welcome.
Our
discussion
today
is
going
to
touch
on
the
chairs
child
care
initiative.
A
B
Well,
we've
got
a
good
team
continuing
we
have
a
new
colleague
Eric
gut
Shaw,
but
otherwise
it's
a
it's
a
great
dynamic
I
think
we
had
a
nice
successful
first
meeting,
we'll
see
how
it
goes
when
things
start
to
heat
up,
especially
with
budget
sessions
and
the
budget
season
later
in
the
year,
but
for
now
I
think
we're
off
to
a
strong
start.
One.
A
B
Yeah,
so
this
work
has
been
underway
in
some
former
fashion
for
probably
about
a
year
now
we
started
last
year
with
the
approval
of
a
new
full-time
employee
in
our
community
planning,
housing
and
development
team,
as
well
as
designating
a
series
of
actions
we
were
looking
for
this
year.
The
the
child
care
initiative
is
now
in
the
incredibly
competent
hands
of
some
leadership
from
the
Department
of
Human
Services,
who
have
brought
together
both
a
leadership
team
and
a
working
group
that
draws
on
I
believe
over
25
different
agencies
and
organizations.
B
They
have
created
a
draft
action
plan
for
us
organized
around
the
goals
of
accessibility,
availability
and
quality,
as
our
three
guiding
lights
for
how
we
want
to
seek
to
expand
the
childcare
supply
in
Arlington,
County
and
last
20.
Less
Thursday,
January
25th
was
an
opportunity
to
roll
out
that
action
plan
and
start
to
get
some
feedback
from
the
community.
It
was
really
an
exciting
night.
B
A
large
turnout,
an
enthusiastic
turnout,
I
think
it
turned
out
that
actually
reflected
the
full
diversity
of
Arlington
County,
which
was
inspiring
to
see,
and
a
lot
of
people
have
a
lot
of
opinions
and
experiences
and
feedback
for
us
about
where
we
need
to
go
to
be
expanding,
supply
and
affordable
quality
supply
of
child
care.
In
Arlington.
Now.
A
B
Sure
so
affordability,
of
course,
is
one
of
the
biggest
challenges
and,
what's
interesting
is
that's
all
the
way
up
and
down
the
economic
spectrum.
You
know
even
for
middle-class
and
upper-class
families,
you
have
child
care,
especially
if
you're
looking
at
more
than
one
child
or
a
very
young
child
that
cost
more
than
rent
or
a
mortgage
payment
on
a
monthly
basis.
So
as
we
seek
to
expand
supply,
one
of
our
biggest
challenges
is
going
to
be.
B
How
do
we,
as
government
or
with
partners,
try
to
tackle
some
of
the
biggest
drivers
of
cost,
which
of
course
comes
back
to
rent,
so
we'll
be
looking
in
a
series
of
potential
land-use
or
regulatory
strategies
that
might
help
us
tackle
that,
and
one
of
the
challenges
as
well
to
starting
a
child
care
center
can
sometimes
be
the
regulatory
burden.
We
want
to
keep
quality
high.
C
You
know
I
applaud
the
chair
for
coming
up
with
this
as
a
focus
of
our
County,
because
you
know
it's
often
overlooked
how
unique
childcare
is
as
being
a
disproportionately
expensive
thing
for
families.
You
know,
while
everything
is
expensive
in
Arlington
we're
a
high-cost
area,
we
also
happen
to
be
a
region
that
has
the
most
expensive
childcare
in
the
entire
country,
and
you
know
eating
up
a
disproportionate
number
of
a
disproportionate
amount
of
a
family's
budget
means
that
this
is
a
huge
concern
and
it
has
real-world
effects.
C
It
means
that
sometimes
parents
who
would
prefer
to
be
in
the
labor
force
cannot
because
they
have
to
actually
be
home.
That's
the
more
affordable
version
of
childcare
that
they
can
actually
access.
So
it
really
distorts
a
lot
of
things
in
our
economy
and
in
our
community
and
disrupts
families
to
a
tremendous
degree,
and
you
know
if
we
can
do
anything
to
sort
of
help,
bridge
that
gap
between
the
supply
and
the
demand
and
make
things
at
least
more
stable
from
a
cost
perspective,
we'll
be
knowing
a
great
service
for
our
residents.
What.
A
C
You
know
I
think
the
the
focus
on
supply
is
really
key,
because
there
clearly
is
a
demand
deficit.
There
is
a
gap
and
that
gap
certainly
puts
upward
pressures
on
prices
and
if
we
can
figure
out
how
through
doning
and
permitting
and
facilitating
the
creation
of
more
childcare,
coming
up
with
innovative
solutions
that
maybe
involve
the
business
community
and
underutilized
building
resources,
then
we
can,
you
know,
deal
with
affordability
and
supply
at
the
same
time,
and
just
you
know,
take
the
stress
out:
I
can
tell
you
as
someone
who's
put
two
kids
through
through
childcare.
B
I
think
that's
exactly
right
and
there's
some
connecting
we
can
do
between
supply
and
demand.
You
know
I
think
people
are
sometimes
surprised
to
know
that
there
is
no
centralized
point
of
access
between
consumers
and
providers
or
coordination
of
wait
list
or
slot
lists,
and
so
you
know
for
a
parent,
every
bit
sort
of
every
man
and
woman
for
themselves
and
trying
to
figure
it
out.
A
Switching
gears
a
little
bit
from
child
care
priorities
to
legislative
priorities
as
the
General
Assembly
kind
of
works
through
its
priorities.
Arlington,
of
course,
has
a
lot
of
issues
at
the
table.
What
role
does
really
the
County
Board
play
in
influencing
or
coordinating
with
the
General
Assembly
in
Richmond.
B
Absolutely
so
the
legislative
session
is
hallmark
is
that
it
is
short
they
consider
literally
thousands
of
bills
in
a
matter
of
weeks,
and
so
one
of
the
most
important
roles
that
we
can
play
is
trying
to
organize
ourselves
in
advance
and
trying
to
have
that
conversation
with
our
legends
leaders
in
advance
about
what
some
of
our
priorities
are.
Every
year
in
the
fall
or
early
winter
timeframe.
B
C
Mean
you
know,
Metro
is
consumed
so
much
oxygen
over
the
course
of
last
couple
of
years
and
that's
going
to
continue
in
this
session
and
and
really
for
a
good
reason.
It's
not
just
an
important
priority
for
Arlington.
It's
it's
an
important
priority
for
all
of
Northern
Virginia
and
what
we're
trying
to
make
the
case
to
the
General
Assembly.
C
So
you
know
that's
well
known
to
everybody
around
here,
less
well
known
in
the
General
Assembly,
but
I
think
people
are
coming
together
and
understanding
that
something
needs
to
be
done,
and
the
outgoing
governor
has
shown
good
leadership
in
putting
something
forward
that
could
be
discussed
and
the
current
governor
is
maintained.
I
think
that
priority
focus
we've
got
details,
important
details
to
work
out,
but
it
is
something
that
we
are
going
to
see
through
till
the
end.
A
A
A
Welcome
back
to
County
Board
wrap-up,
our
monthly
chat
with
the
county
board
members
about
some
of
the
important
actions
they
took
at
their
monthly
meetings,
actions
that
affect
you,
your
neighbors
and
your
community
with
us
here
today.
Our
board
chair,
Katie
crystal
and
vice-chair
Christian
Dorsey.
Thank
you
once
again
for
being
here.
Let's
talk
about
Clarendon
we're
gonna
start
seeing
a
lot
of
changes
in
the
coming
years,
specifically
with
market
comment.
Yeah.
C
C
Market
common,
the
owners
of
it,
an
outfit
that
is
primarily
focused
on
retail
and
shopping
centers
across
the
country,
has
some
plans
for
a
Phase
two
to
develop
some
always
plan
for,
but
not
yet
completed.
Improvements
to
the
market
common
blocks,
just
west
of
Whole
Foods.
We
have
the
former
education
building,
which
you
know.
It's
got
this
kind
of
old
industrial.
C
Look
that
they're
going
to
rehab
with
some
newer
windows
and
give
it
a
newer
architectural
treatment,
but
also
that
pays
homage
to
the
past,
but,
more
importantly,
they're
going
to
have
that
building
serve
a
few
key
functions
that
will
really
improve
the
neighborhood,
creating
some
wider
sidewalks
on
Wilson
Boulevard.
Anyone
who's
been
there
knows
that
those
are
just
a
couple
of
feet
in
some
places,
it's
awful
right.
C
C
So
you
know
from
a
historical
preservation
standpoint
we
we
have
in
a
previous
process
years
ago
determined
that
that
building
was
an
essential
piece
of
our
historic
inventory
and
fortunately
it
worked
well
within
a
plan
to
preserve
that
facade
with
some
improvements
and
they're
gonna
make
a
really
funky
area.
I,
like
it.
B
So
you
know
this
was
a
project,
much
like
any
of
our
site
plans
or
site
plans,
amendments
that
are
engaged
and
really
shepherded
by
the
site
plan
review
committee,
which
is
brings
together
members
of
the
Planning
Commission
Commission.
In
this
case
the
historic
affairs
and
landmark
review
board,
as
well
as
folks,
like
the
pedestrian
advisory
groups,
who
are
really
interested
in
as
Christiane
was
mentioning
the
sidewalk
improvements.
There
was
also
significant
involvement
from
the
neighboring
civic
associations,
which
we
appreciate.
You
know
we
know,
for
example,
anytime.
Your
potential
roof
deck
use.
B
That
definitely
brings
some
some
concerns
to
the
four
and
so,
and
these
processes
are
really
designed
to
have
an
opportunity
to
hash
through
some
of
those
but
I
think.
What's
probably
one
of
the
most
exciting
things
here
as
Christiane
was
talking
about,
was
really
this
opportunity
to
enliven
the
the
retail
environment
in
Clarendon.
You
know
we
certainly
watch
with
a
keen
eye
and
interest
some
of
the
transitions
that
might.
A
B
Happening
in
the
retail
area
and
Clarendon,
you
know
we
know
it
can
be
a
challenging
environments
for
restaurants,
sometimes
to
thrive
and
to
stay
to
say
nothing
of
the
changes
in
retail
overall
right,
as
we
all
start
buying
our
hammers
from
amazon.com.
We're
now
we're
now
seeing
fewer
hardware
stores,
for
example,
and
I,
think
what
this
site
really
embodies.
B
Is
this
notion
that
one
of
the
best
ways
we
can
support
retail
is
to
create
environments
that
are
attractive
for
pedestrians
to
come
to
stay,
to
linger,
whether
it's
in
the
new
arcade
that
we'll
see
there
that
would
be
enlivened
by
you,
know,
lights
and
activity
or
whether
it's
something
as
simple
but
as
fundamental
as
Christian
was
describing
as
this
wider
sidewalks.
So
it's
really
about
trying
to
create
a
physical
place
that
supports
those
retail
more.
B
A
A
C
What's
exciting
about
all
of
these
examples
that
you
mentioned
Kara,
we
have
owners
developers
of
these
properties,
which
really
know
the
industry
and
are
at
the
forefront
of
the
industry.
So,
while
retail
is
a
great
concern,
for
you
know
many
of
us
in
terms
of
the
policies
that
we've
instituted
beforehand,
the
very
least
the
operators
of
these
destination
establishments
are
really
thinking
about
what
retail
is
going
to
look
like
in
the
future,
so
that
the
improvements
that
they
make
today
will
be
lasting
and
we
won't
be
dealing
with.
C
A
C
Short
bridge
we
went
via
to
actions
where
we
actually
named
recommended
or
accepted
the
recommendation
from
I
guess
it
was
Parks
and
Recreation
Commission,
along
with
the
H
al
RB
to
this
area
that
we're
going
to
master
plan,
calling
it
short
bridge,
Park
and
homage
if
you
will
to
long
bridge
Park.
So
that's
that's
the
sort
of
counterbalance
there
and
you
know
it
makes
sense
in
in
in
the
sense
that
there
is
a
decommissioned
railroad
bridge.
Even
though
no
one
really
would
know
it
is
one
but
that's
sort
of
a
central
feature.
C
B
C
This
is
a
this
is
a
great
way
where
we
do
the
best,
with
what
we
we
can
in
terms
of
limited
spaces.
We've
got
an
area,
that's
right
by
formal
run
near
the
river
adjacent
to
the
city
of
Alexandria
and
the
Potomac
yard
area.
We
have
longed
desired,
that
this
be
a
park
and
there's
been
some
modest
improvements
put
on
it
to
date
to
make
it
function
as
one
but
really
not
adequate.
So
we
are
going
to
you
enliven.
C
The
trails
create
a
connection
to
the
water,
create
a
really
useable
park
that
will
hopefully
one
day
of
the
city
of
Alexandria.
Moves
forward
with
their
development
processes,
create
really
a
very
large
natural,
interesting
part
of
our
park
system
regional
park
system
that
hopefully,
will
be
a
destination
for
many.
C
A
B
A
A
A
A
Welcome
back
to
County
Board
wrap-up
for
each
month
we
take
a
closer
look
at
some
of
the
key
decisions.
The
board
takes
at
its
monthly
meeting
joining
us
today
is
County
Board,
Chair,
Katie
crystal
and
vice
chair,
Christian
Dorsey.
Thank
you
both.
Once
again
now
the
board
approved
a
donation
for
the
so
called
citizenship
scholarship,
which
is
a
little
bit
of
a
tongue,
twister
I'm,
going
to
admit,
but
I
love
this
story.
This
is
just
the
sweetest
thing
ever
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
this
donation.
We.
B
Some
residents
may
know
some
may
not
that
when
you
want
to
become
an
American
citizen,
there
is
a
filing
fee
to
do
so,
a
federal
filing
fee
of
seven
hundred
and
twenty-five
dollars,
and
for
some
folks
in
our
community
that
can
be
prohibitively
expensive
and
when
it
is
expensive
to
someone
who
can't
afford
it.
They
delay
becoming
a
citizen
and
we
have
a
resident
who
saw
that
gap
and
stepped
in
to
fill
it
and
to
create
a
citizens.
C
And
not
just
a
resident
of
our
community
doing
filling
a
need
that
exists
and
coming
up
with
just
a
really
great
way
to
do
it.
You
know,
since
our
Department
of
Human
Services
is
already
in
the
business
of
doing
income
certifications.
This
money
can
truly
be
directed
to
those
new
Americans
who
are
in
need,
and
this
resident
can
be,
can
rest
a
rest
with
the
comfort
of
knowing
that
her
generosity,
her
philanthropy
is
actually
connecting
filling
a
gap.
C
People
who
are
otherwise
qualified
and
ready
to
become
new
Americans
making
sure
that
can
happen
is
expeditiously
as
possible.
You
know
everybody
who's
heard
about.
This
has
had
the
same
reaction.
They
love
this
story.
They
love
this
anonymous
donor
and
I.
Think
probably
what
I
don't
love
is
that
we
can't
acknowledge
or
publicly,
because
that's
just
it's
a
tremendously
helpful
thing
and.
B
Absolutely
so
first
we
should
say
anybody
who
thinks
they
may
qualify.
We
hope
they'll
visit
the
county
website
and
search
immigration
scholarship
where
they
can
find
more
in
details
and
information
about
how
to
embark,
but
at
a
high
level
to
qualify,
you'll
need
to
live
in
Arlington
and
meet
an
income
limit
to
do
so.
But
you
know
our
Department
of
Human.
Services
is
also
a
great
place
to
learn
about
all
kinds
of
services
that
might
be
available
for
our
new
American
population.
This
is,
of
course,
the
conversation.
B
We've
had
quite
a
bit
in
recent
months,
given
the
national
conversation,
but
we
do
have
an
immigration
webpage
on
our
County
homepage
as
well.
That
provides
information
about
English
language
classes,
citizenship
classes,
legal
services
for
immigrants,
as
well
as
a
place
where
you
can
find
some
of
the
board
statements
over
the
past
couple
of
years
about
how
we
truly
believe
that
immigrants
make
our
community
stronger
and
better,
and
we
think
this
action.
The
citizen,
really
reinforces
that
core
belief
about
who
Arlington
is
real.
A
C
I
mean
this
it's
available
for
people
who
were
otherwise
meeting
the
criteria
which
which
are
stated
and
and
laid
out
where
Katie
indicated
and
it's
exciting.
Hopefully,
some
point
soon
we'll
hear
reports
of
people
who've
been
able
to
take
advantage
of
this
scholarship
and
accelerate
their
their
process
of
becoming
becoming
citizens.
C
As
we
all
know,
it's
a
process
that
takes
a
very
long
time-
and
you
know
this-
this
resident
had
the
foresight
to
recognize
it's
it's
an
extra
indignity
if,
at
the
end
of
that
process,
or
at
some
point
during
that
process,
you
know
it's
a
filing
fee
which
becomes
a
barrier
towards
your
continuing
and
just
a
tremendous
way
to
fill.
That
gap
did.
A
B
You
know
this
is
someone
who's
chosen
to
to
to
make
their
gift
and
and
not
to
say
a
whole
lot
more,
but
my
hope
at
least,
is
that
no
matter
who
you
are
in
Arlington,
you
can
look
to
her
example
and
draw
some
inspiration
about
how
you
can
help
and
whatever
that
issue
might
be,
or
whatever
the
means
that
you
have
to
put
towards
it.
Maybe
it's
your
time
instead
of
money
that
you'll
be
inspired
by
whatever
motivates
you
just
as
whatever
motivated
her
to
step
up
and
help
serve
others
and.
C
We
should
probably
be
clear:
you
know
in
this
case
the
money
is
being
administered
by
our
Department
of
Human
Services.
The
lesson
here
is
not
that
you
give
to
government.
The
lesson
is
that
you
give
to
your
passion
and
wherever
that
need
is
being
filled
in
the
nonprofit
community
or
wherever
else.
That's
what
we
encourage.
That's
what's
heartwarming
in
this
case.
Actually,
our
Department
of
Human
Services
is
the
best
equipped
to
actually
administer
this,
but
I
don't
want
people
to
feel
like.
C
A
A
B
A
Well,
that
sounds
like
a
perfect
note
to
end
on
for
this
particular
episode.
We
have
come
to
the
end
of
another
County
Board
wrap-up,
Thank,
You,
Katie
and
Christian
for
joining
us
to
kick
off
2018
with
some
special
insights
into
the
board's
actions
from
the
January
meeting.
We'll
see
you
again
next
month
when
the
chair
and
her
guests
will
be
discussing
the
proposed
budget
for
fiscal
year,
2019,
which
the
county
manager
will
present
at
its
February
meeting,
you
can
watch
County,
Board
meetings
live
streamed
or
archived
on
our
website.