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From YouTube: County Board Wrap-Up: May 2017
Description
ATV's monthly chat with Board Chair Jay Fisette on actions the Board took at its most recent meeting. In this edition we discuss the Triple AAA bond rating, the $185 million in bond sales, Neighborhood Conservation funding, Affordable Housing, the Westover Beer garden, Neighborhood College Graduation, and Jay Fisette's Sister Cities trip to the Ukraine
A
Hello
and
welcome
to
County
Board
wrap-up
I'm,
your
host
Cara
O'donnell
and
today
we'll
take
a
look
at
what
went
into
some
of
the
key
actions.
The
County
Board
took
at
its
main
meeting
the
decisions
that
affect
you,
your
neighborhood
and
our
community.
We're
joined
today,
as
always
by
county
board,
chair
Jay
success
and
today's
special
guests
vice
chair
Katie
crystal
thank
you
both
for
joining
us
today,
now
we're
starting
off
with
not
something
from
the
board
meeting
per
se,
but
cement.
A
B
Happens
every
year
it
happens
over
year,
the
manager
and
his
team
go
down,
go
to
New
York
and
talk
to
the
rating
agencies
and
make
their
pitch
to
explain
the
fiscal
management
of
this
community
and
ask
for
that
highest
of
rating
set,
which
we've
had
for
16
17
years.
The
triple
triple
a
bond
rating
from
each
of
the
three
rating
agencies-
and
we
just
heard
came
back
that
we
were
awarded
that
highest
ranking
again,
which
essentially
means
we
can
borrow
money
at
the
lowest
possible
interest
rate
really
on
the
planet.
B
B
You
know
like
everybody
in
your
family
life,
you
borrow
sometimes
maybe
for
your
home,
maybe
for
a
car
in
local
government
here.
This
community
has
set
some
very
stringent
standards
on
ourselves
that
we
want,
for
example,
spend
more
than
10%
of
our
operating
budget
on
interest,
so
we
can
borrow
and
do
those
big
capital
projects
we
need,
but
we
will
never
go
over
that
line
and
the
rating
agencies
like
that
we
set
those
limits.
They
like
that.
B
A
B
Know
what
that
means
is,
as
we
look
at
our
capital
plan
and
the
projects
that
are
queued
up
over
the
next
couple
of
years,
we've
given
the
manager,
the
authority
to
go,
sell,
185
million
dollars
worth
of
bonds
and
as
time
as
those
projects
come
due,
he
will
make
the
final
decision
about
whether
or
not
it's
the
right
time.
You
don't
want
to
go,
sell
those
bonds
and
then
start
paying
the
interest
if
in
fact,
you're
not
going
to
implement
for
three
or
four
years
down
the
road.
A
B
Yeah
some
of
those
actually
are
increasing.
So
you
know
managing
that
capital
plan
which
the
board
does
every
two
years.
We
go
back
and
revisit
the
plan.
It's
a
ten-year
plan,
but
the
out
years
are
nowhere
near
as
definitive
as
the
first
two
years.
So
every
two
years
we
go
back.
We
engage
the
community,
the
matter
comes
forward
with
new
proposals
and
we
revisit
the
same
ten-year
plan
and
it's
the
first
two
years
that
are
really
the
most
most
significant.
Okay.
A
C
So
neighborhood
conservation
projects,
some
ones
that
will
receive
five
and
a
half
million
dollars
as
of
last
night.
They
are
projects
that
start
from
the
ground
up
in
our
neighborhoods
in
order
for
a
neighborhood
conservation
project
to
be
eligible.
That
neighborhood
has
to
come
together
and
agree
and
create
a
neighborhood
conservation
plan
that
targets
the
vision
for
their
community,
the
infrastructure
they
want,
the
beautification
and
other
opportunities
for
neighborhood
improvement.
They
see
and
once
they've
had
a
plan
accepted
by
the
county
board.
C
They
then
become
eligible
and
funding
rounds
for
projects
where
they
compete
against
other
neighborhoods
in
front
of
neighborhood
conservation
advisory
committee
and
that
helps
prioritize
the
projects
because
there
are
always
more
applicants
than
there
are
enough
funds.
So
we
were
delighted
to
award
a
series
of
projects
on
Tuesday
night
on
things
like
streetlights
curbs
and
gutters
signs
and
park
improvements.
One
of
the
projects
were
most
excited
about
will
go
into
the
Long
Branch
Creek
neighborhood,
which
passed
its
very
first
neighborhood
conservation
plan
last
year,
was
accepted
by
the
board
last
summer.
C
A
B
One
of
the
great
benefits
of
this
program,
which
is
pretty
unique
in
the
country,
is
that
it
build
community
I
mean
you
are
investing
a
lot
of
those
decisions
in
the
neighborhoods
in
the
residents
and
they
work
among
one
another
and
they
to
get
that
plan
together.
That
Katie
was
just
talking
about.
You
actually
are
building
community,
creating
networks
you're
creating
relationships
among
them
an
investment
in
their
neighborhood,
which
is
a
very
valuable
outcome,
regardless
really.
B
C
Sometimes
resolving
disputes
I
think
people
will
be
surprised
to
know
how
often
sidewalks,
for
example,
can
be
controversial
and
so
for
neighbors
to
sort
that
out
among
themselves
and
way
competing
agendas
and
initiatives
and
priorities
within
their
own
neighborhood
and
bring
us
the
answer.
That
is
right
for
their
neighborhood,
rather
than
somebody
at
the
county
office.
Determining
and
imposing
it
on
them
is
a
really
democratic
thing.
How.
B
This
one
funding
round
and
normally
there
are
two
funding
rounds
a
year
and
then
the
total
amount
of
money
is
through
the
capital
improvement
plan.
That
I
was
telling
you
about
for
ten
years.
So
every
you
know
every
round
of
the
capital
of
the
CIP
we
put
more
money
in,
but
I
think
they
come
forward
with
projects
normally
twice
a
year.
Well,.
A
A
A
Welcome
back
to
County
Board
wrap-up,
where
each
month
we
chat
with
members
of
the
county
board
about
some
of
the
important
decisions
they
took
at
their
public
meeting
with
us
today.
Our
County
Board
Chair,
Jay
Fassett
and
Vice
Chair
Katie
crystal,
and
we
were
talking
neighborhoods
in
the
last
segment.
But
let's
turn
now
to
a
different
neighborhoods
and
specifically
Columbia
Pike,
where
the
board
took
some
action
on
an
affordable
housing
project.
We.
C
C
Absolutely
well,
in
addition
to
being
a
wonderful
project
for
this
part
of
the
pike
neighborhood
and
bringing
much-needed,
affordable
housing
to
our
community.
It's
exciting
because
it
represents
a
partnership
of
sorts
between
not
only
the
county
and
the
Arlington
Partnership
for
affordable
housing,
but
also
with
the
Presbyterian
Church,
which,
as
their
membership
began,
declining
found
itself
at
a
crossroads
and
really
went
through
an
extensive
process
with
their
congregation
to
reflect
on
what
they
wanted,
the
future
of
their
property
to
be
so.
C
A
B
This
is
the
best
way
we
have
found
to
actually
create
substantial
amounts
of
affordable
housing.
In
this
case
the
beauty
of
it
is
you
had
a
church
property,
so
they
actually
discounted
the
real
fair
market
value
of
that
to
allow
a
non-profit,
that's
committed
to
building
affordable
housing
to
step
in
and
part
create.
B
This
space
now
couldn't
happen
again
without
the
county
and
without
the
Virginia
Housing
Development
Authority,
as
well
leveraging
federal
dollars
and
tax
credits,
but
our
County,
as
Katie
said,
put
in
a
good
amount
of
money
as
a
loan
remember,
their
affordable
housing
investment
fund
is
not
a
gift.
It's
not
a
grant.
It's
a
loan
so
over
time
that
allows
this
subsidy
of
these
units
to
occur,
but
over
time
that
money
gets
paid
back,
it's
built
into
their
finances
and
it
will
come
back
to
the
county
to
allow
more
affordable
housing
to
happen.
What.
C
This
is
really
exciting
for
the
pike,
which
is
my
neighborhood,
because
it
shows
that
we
can
continue
to
grow
and
evolve
and
become
more
dynamic
without
losing
some
of
the
values
that
have
made
the
pike
so
special
and
one
of
them
is
affordability.
You
know
the
way
we
are
losing
affordability
and
affordable
housing
on
the
pike
is
pretty
undramatic
and
in
fact
it
can
go
unnoticed
because
it's
not
often
the
affordable
units
or
market
rate,
affordable
units
are
lost
to
major
redevelopment
projects.
What
happens?
C
Is
the
rents
start
creeping
up
year
after
year,
and
so
we're
not
seeing
necessarily
the
changes
to
the
built
environments,
but
families
are
really
feeling
the
squeeze
and
some
of
them
worried
about
their
ability
to
stay
on
the
pike
and
stay
in
Arlington
and
to
continue
to
contribute
to
that
vibrancy.
That
has
made
Columbia
Pike
so
special,
so
to
be
able
to
take
this
affirmative
stand
for
173
new,
affordable
units
in
a
central
and
growing
area
of
Columbia.
Pike
is
really
an
exciting
thing
and.
A
A
B
B
The
idea
of
putting
a
beer
garden
in
Rosslyn,
however,
was
to
some
people
associated
with
the
can
turns
that
exist
around
the
west
over
beer
garden,
so
the
difference
being
in
Rosslyn.
It's
a
site
plan,
it's
governed
by
site
plan
process,
so
the
board
had
flexibility.
There
are
more
seats
outside
than
inside
the
establishment
there,
whereas
it
west
over.
B
There
has
been
a
concern
because
the
number
of
seats
on
the
outside
is
limited
and
the
board
does
not
have
flexibility
to
change
that
number
and
create
more
than
the
number
of
seats
on
the
inside
of
the
building.
That's
because
it's
governed
not
by
a
site
plan
but
by
a
use
permit.
All
this
is
our
king
zoning
and
planning
language,
but
the
reality
is
people
in
Westover
were
led
to
believe
that
the
board
was
trying
to
reduce
the
number
of
seats.
B
The
fact
of
the
matter
is
the
number
of
seats
that
have
been
used
at
the
west
of
a
beer
garden
for
a
number
of
years
have
been
illegal.
The
app
the
owner
of
the
property
applied
for
a
certain
number
that
were
permitted.
He
got
them
and
then,
over
the
years
more
seed
starts
showing
up.
So
somebody
complained.
Somebody
in
the
neighborhood
complained
the
code
enforcement
had
to
go
measure
count.
B
There
were
too
many
seats,
so
they
are
being
temporarily
held
to
comply
with
the
law,
comply
with
what
we
have
no
flexibility
to
change,
so
what
the
board
did-
and
this
is
I-
think
the
big
action
regarding
west
over
beer
garden.
We
got
a
lot
of
complaints,
we
got
a
lot
of
people,
misunderstanding
or
angry
and
thinking
there
were
other
things
being
done.
We
have
decided
to
direct
the
manager
which
we
did
on
Tuesday.
B
We
directed
the
manager
to
go
back
to
the
law
to
the
code
and
revise
it
again,
assess
it
and
revise
it
so
that
the
county
board
does
have
more
flexibility
as
it
relates
to
the
west
over
beer
garden.
We
don't
know
what
the
appropriate
amount
of
outdoor
seats
will
be
on
the
end,
but
at
least
we
will
have
an
ability
to
hear
the
neighbors
weigh
the
issues,
look
at
all
the
various
factors
and
actually
have
an
ability
to
allow
more
seats
than
we
currently
bylaw
or
allowed
to
have.
B
Low
has
been
real
owing
in
Arlington,
we
love
them
and
it
helps
create
a
vibrant
community,
whether
it's
along
the
RV
corridor,
in
this
case
out
in
Westover,
which
is
a
very
different
most
in
residential
area
and
honestly,
when
the
west
over
beer
garden
came
forward
about
five
or
six
six
years
ago
and
asked
for
some
outdoor
entertainment,
etc.
There
was
a
lot
of
mixed
feeling
in
the
neighborhood
we
worked
it
through,
we
allowed
it
will
enhanced
it
will
out
more
and
more
and
the
truth
is
its
beloved.
Everybody
loves.
C
It's
worth
highlighting
this
is
a
fairly
extraordinary
action
that
we're
taking
we're
looking
to
change
the
law
that
governs
all
of
Arlington
County
to
potentially
protect
and
allow
this
business
to
expand.
And
it's
because
we
know
how
beloved
this
institution
is
to
the
community.
So
we
know
that
people
who
are
following
along
don't
really
care
about
the
minutiae
of
our
zoning
ordinance,
what's
accessible
to
us
to
have
jurisdiction
over
with
the
use
permit
versus
where
we
don't
have
flexibility.
C
B
A
A
Welcome
back
for
our
final
segment
of
this
month's
county
board,
wrap-up
with
board
chair,
J
Cosette
and
his
guest
vice
chair,
Katie
crystal
and
for
our
final
segment,
we're
going
to
take
a
little
break
from
policy
and
construction
projects
and
we're
going
to
talk
about
some
of
the
other
activities.
The
board
members
participate
in
and
a
high
point
of
this
meeting.
Puck
came
with
the
neighborhood
college
graduates.
First
of
all,
what
is
neighborhood
college
neighborhood.
C
College
is
a
leadership
training
program
that
is
sponsored
by
the
county
that
exposes
County
residents
from
all
over
all
walks
of
life,
to
both
the
mechanics
of
County
government,
lots
of
different
departments
and
information
about
individual
neighborhoods
and
also
endowed
them
with
some
leadership,
skills,
trains
them
on
public
speaking
and
facilitation
of
meetings,
as
well
as
important
skills
like
listening.
There.
A
C
Of
the
above,
so
one
of
the
most
wonderful
things
I
think
about
neighborhood
college
is
that
it
brings
people
from
all
walks
of
life
in
Arlington.
So
you
have
folks
who
maybe
have
been
neighborhood
Civic,
Association
presidents
and
then
you've
got
folks
who
maybe
have
only
been
in
the
county
for
a
few
years
and
were
inspired
to
get
more
involved.
How.
C
You
can
find
application
information
on
the
website
for
neighborhood
college.
They
do
one
semester
when
they
do
one
class
when
they
do
one
session
a
year
and
they
do
a
really
intentional
job
of
recruiting
to
show
the
full
diversity
of
Arlington
County,
including
residents
who
might
participate
through
translation
services.
Oh
so.
C
Were
celebrating
celebrating
the
graduates
and
their
accomplishments
and
all
that
we
know
it,
they
will
go
on
to
do.
We
are
very
inspired
to
see
what's
next
for
them.
I
myself
am
a
graduate
of
Neighborhood
College
class
of
2012
and
I
can
tell
you
that
my
classmates
and
colleagues
went
on
to
do
all
kinds
of
fabulous
things.
One
now
leaves
walk
Arlington
for
the
community.
One
is
a
fabulous
realtor
who
is
traveling
by
bike
through
all
different
neighborhoods
of
the
county.
C
A
B
Been
around
ten
years,
doesn't
your
something
like
that,
and
it
really
generates
from
the
value
that
we've
had
some
some
call
t
arlington
way.
I
actually
liked
the
term.
Well,
it
means
different
things
to
different
people.
It's
a
culture
that
we
value,
trying
to
create
an
opportunity
for
everyone
in
this
community
to
have
a
voice
to
have
an
ability
to
influence
a
decision,
and
some
people
are
less
advantaged
or
have
less
time
or
have
less
of
anna.
B
They
didn't
grow
up
in
a
way
that
they
understood
how
to
connect,
how
to
make
a
difference,
whether
it's
in
the
neighborhood
or
with
a
non-profit
or
with
the
government
itself.
This
was
created
by
the
government
to
help
train,
inform
sort
of
introduce
people
to
civic
activism,
organizing
and
having
a
role
in
your
community,
and
I
think
it's
sort
of
a
model
project
honestly
and
to
see
the
graduates
come
through
every
year
from
across
the
county
from
all
the
various
neighborhoods.
B
A
A
B
First
of
all,
the
Arlington
sister
city
organization,
I,
think
started
over
20
years
ago.
Right
now
we
have
five
sister
cities,
one
in
Germany,
one
in
France,
one
in
El
Salvador,
one
in
Mexico
and
one
the
most
recent
in
the
Ukraine
in
Eastern
Europe,
and
it
was
generated.
The
assister
city
in
Ukraine,
Ivana
Franky's,
was
put
on
the
table
and
explored
through
citizens
in
Arlington
and
in
the
Ukrainian
city.
I
had
never
been,
they
were
having
their
three
hundred
and
fifty
fifth
anniversary,
quite
an
old
city,
and
they
have
twenty
six.
B
Unlike
us,
they
have
twenty-six
mr.
Sinise,
many
of
them
in
Eastern
Europe
we're
the
most
as
I
say
exotic
across
the
Atlantic.
There
were
no
others
in
the
United
States,
so
but
most
of
those
sister
cities
showed
up
with
representative
the
mayor
or
someone
high
up
in
the
organization
to
help
them
celebrate,
and
so
I
had
the
opportunity
to
to
meet
a
lot
of
students
to
meet
a
lot
of
people
in
the
government
to
meet
a
lot
of
people
in
the
community.
B
Many
of
them
were
very
interested
in
in
Arlington.
Some
had
been
here
through
student
exchanges
in
the
past
other
types
of
exchanges
and
that's
the
beauty
of
this
organization,
the
sister
city
organization,
honestly,
each
sister
city
relationship
is
only
as
strong
as
the
citizens
that
form
the
committee
in
the
two
cities
and
how
much
they
choose
to
invest
in
organizing
student
exchanges
and
other
exchanges
among
professionals,
for
example.
But
there's
a
lot
to
learn:
it's
not
it's
not
a
one-way
street.
B
Certainly
I
came
away
anyone
from
Arlington
that
would
have
an
interest
in
another
part
of
the
world,
a
very
different
part
of
the
world
that
had
been
under
occupation
for
a
long
time.
They've
only
been
a
free
country,
an
independent
country
for
26
years.
They
had
to
fight
really
hard
three
years
ago
to
stay
on
that
track
and
they
revolted
and
they
pushed
their
leader
out
because
he
was
getting
too
close
to
Vladimir
Putin
we've
all
heard
of
lad.
B
Amir
Putin
rates
lately
right,
he's
sort
of
a
big
troublemaker
out
there
and
he's
doing
more
than
make
trouble.
He's
they've
got
a
war
going
on
in
the
eastern
side
of
the
country,
so
we've
all
heard
about
Crimea,
but
the
truth
is
the
people
in
Ukraine
are
hungry
for
building
their
democracy,
they're
hungry,
for
engagement
with
free
places
and
places
that
have
a
neighborhood
college
that
have
advisory
committees
when
those
citizens
never
had
an
opportunity
under
the
Soviet
system
to
participate
in
their
government
to
shape
their
decisions.
B
B
Because
I
was
just
in
the
Ukraine
alright,
so
we
are
not
perfect.
We
got
plenty
of
things
to
work
on,
but
the
reality
is
there's
great
benefit
to
the
folks
over
there
and
to
are
linked
onehans
to
have
those
kind
of
relationships
and
see
how
we
can
learn
from
one
another
and
support
one.
Another
yeah.
A
B
B
Why
I
say
it's
not
one-way?
The
young
people
that
I
met
with
are
so
energetic
some
of
the
older
folks,
it's
hard
to
to
be
free
when
you're
under
the
yoke
of
the
Soviets.
You
want
to
be
quiet,
you
want
to
be
out
of
sight
and
invisible
and
in
our
country
you
know
freedom
and
democracy,
it's
a
responsibility
and
hopefully
to
be
constructive,
but
a
great
benefit,
and
there
are
many
people
there
struggling
to
find
that
and
to
enhance
the
democratic
institutions
in
their
country.
A
Right
well
on
that
note,
that
will
do
it
for
this
month's
County
Board
wrap
up.
We
hope
you've
gotten
some
insight
into
the
key
decisions.
The
board
took
this
month
that
affect
you,
your
family,
your
neighborhood
and
your
county,
to
learn
how
you
can
get
involved
or
make
yourself
heard
on
the
issues
visit
topics,
Arlington
Va
us
/,
engage
on
the
county
website,
that's
our
civic
engagement
web
page
and
that's
where
you
can
share
your
ideas
and
learn
how
to
get
involved
in
the
county
issues.
We'll
see
you
next
month.