Coraggio Consulting
Manassas City Council 4/14/2025

Date: Monday, April 14, 2025
Place: Manassas City Council, Virginia
Length: 1h 24m (video)
Official meeting video (Wistia / RegionalWebTV): https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/e2da4law05

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-17. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:00] You hear me? April 14th to order. Mr. Smith please call the roll. Mayor Davis Younger. Present. Vice Mayor Wolf. Here. Councilmember Ellis. Here. Councilmember Smith. Here. Councilmember Osina. Councilmember Vasquez Luna. Presente. Councilmember Hudson. Here. McCormish present. Thank you very much. If you are able to please stand with me for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.

[00:00:24] Dear God, thank you for another opportunity for us to gather together to provide service to the residents of our city. We are most thankful for the residents in our community and for those who continue to work so hard for our success.

[00:00:41] Please continue to protect our staff, our men and women in uniform, and everyone who chooses to call Manassas home. Thank you for a dedicated council who always shows up to provide service, and especially for those who put the needs of the community first above their own gains. We remain thankful for all things. Amen.

[00:00:59] Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:01:15] You may be seated. Thank you. Next on the agenda, we have Council Time. We'll start with Vice Mayor Wolfe. Thank you. I just want to take the moment to remark on the passing of a person who, though not a Manassas resident, had a tremendous impact, and that was Bill Reeder, who was the dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts for George Mason University, and is the reason why the Hilton Performing Arts Center exists today.

[00:01:48] And I bring it up, A, because Bill was a tremendous person, and he made an impact on our community, which will last long and long after, frankly, we are all gone, because the Hilton established new parameters of what Manassas is and can be.

[00:02:05] But I also wanted to mention, because I'm the only one here when the Hilton was built, Hilton was built during and just after the Great Recession, and it's proof that there's never a good time or right time to do something.

[00:02:22] There's only right things to do, and you do them when you can do them. We did that with the Hilton. We've reaped the benefits for them ever since then, and hopefully we'll continue to do that for other things.

[00:02:33] But God bless Bill Reeder. Thank you. Thank you. Councilman Ellis. Thank you Mayor. Just a couple of things. We got notice on Friday at the city that the city of Manassas actually in northern Virginia is on a drought watch. And what this means is the city is going to be working with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to make sure that we are conserving water.

[00:03:03] So if you are a water user, which I think all of us are, especially outside, you know, this is where I'm going to do a plug for the Bee Festival. Manassas Bee Festival is coming, which is sponsored by the city, UVA Health, the Rotary Club, or some of the early Manassas Garden Club is also participating as a sponsor.

[00:03:25] And it's Saturday, June 21st, 10 to 2, at our historic Liberia House and Grounds, which is right on Portner Avenue. we're a Bee City USA and because of that designation which is actually a lot of work for for our staff to submit reports on what we're doing to show that we are planning native as much as we can also supporting our our pollinators that are suffering the bee population there was a report that the winter up to 70

[00:04:00] percent of the honeybee population declined. They're very important to our food source, for our growing food source. So it all kind of ties into that. But our native bees and pollinators are more important, and people forget about them. Harriet. I'm a past trained master gardener, so we have some master gardeners here. Thank you. They're really important, and you know, they just

[00:04:32] like hide in the ground, under leaves, in cracks and crevices out in our garden. So try not to spray as much as you would, especially with what's happening. The spring is coming. You're seeing dandelions. They love them. Our bees love them. And plant native plants. That's plants that thrive in Virginia. That will be a better plant to actually put out there for the drought. So that's all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Councilman Smith. Thank you, Madam Mayor. One item to

[00:05:08] It's relative to our first item on your presentation on the agenda and that's a shout out and a thank you and a recognition. And I'm pleased to be able to get this in before anyone departs because I'm always praising my friends at social services and I welcome them here.

[00:05:29] And as you know, one of the proclamations tonight is on National Child Abuse Prevention Month. And I proudly display the pinwheel. You'll find them strategically placed around the city and among the council here.

[00:05:48] But they do a tremendous job recognizing and calling attention and reminding us about the child abuse issue and the need for all of us to get involved and pay attention. The pinwheel serves as a symbol of the child abuse prevention,

[00:06:11] And it represents that we need to ensure that there's a life without children, the life they deserve, and the role we all can play in providing, being supportive, and ensuring that our environments are supportive for the children that are in our lives.

[00:06:33] So I thank you, social services, for the role you're playing, and I encourage everyone to pay special attention to the proclamation. And again, thank you to our social service that's doing a great job for the city.

[00:06:50] Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Smith. Councilman Messina. Thank you, Mayor. Well, I'm glad Councilwoman Ellis is now given approval that I can have as many dandelions in my lawn right now, and I don't have to do any raking or preparing my yard like everybody else yet.

[00:07:10] Though I do think my HOA will eventually come after me. If there was an award handed out for Master Gardener of Weeds, I'd probably have it right now along the way. A few things I did want to share and recognize.

[00:07:25] I had the opportunity to attend the career fair at Mayfield Intermediate School last Friday. I was impressed by the number of local businesses who showed up to share information about their businesses and their careers. And there were many of the CTE programs from Osborne High School were represented by students who are enrolled over there.

[00:07:49] So all in all, the students there got a real flavor of all these possibilities of careers and jobs out there along the way. And it was just an outstanding event to see that taking place where our community comes out and helps our students there.

[00:08:06] Major kudos to our city's parks, recreation, and culture staff, along with Manassas Baptist Church volunteers for putting together an outstanding eggstravaganza and community conversation at the Manassas Community Center last Saturday, this past Saturday here.

[00:08:26] It was a great way to see how this property can be used for community events, and it was very, very active both inside and out. Farmers markets are now open on Thursdays and Saturdays in Old Town. Reminder that the SNAP benefit match has been increased to 40% when buying fresh food, fruit, and vegetables at the markets.

[00:08:49] I wanted to thank HMI for continuing these popular events. Oh, $40. Excuse me. Thank you. This is why I'm surrounded by these ladies here. They know more than I do, it seems, at times here. If you're wondering what's going on in Manassas on any particular day, I recommend that you check out the City of Manassas website, where a city and partners event calendar is now posted here.

[00:09:17] It makes it very easy to know what city meetings are going on on any particular day, as well as various community events. It's very extensive, and so I recommend you take an opportunity to look at that. It's on the homepage, the landing page there, and you'll be able to just scroll down and see what's going on.

[00:09:39] With warmer weather upon us, I told the city arborist I was going to make mention about planting trees here. Many residents are planting, and did you know that the city electric department gives residents a $10 utility bill credit for each approved tree planted?

[00:09:59] There are more details available on the city website. You put in the words electric power, and then you scroll down until you see the tree power tab. And there's a list of trees there that are approved for which you can get the credit, but you do have to be inspected before you do get that credit.

[00:10:21] But I thought it was a wonderful way to encourage native plants, native trees, to help us all and increase our tree canopy in the city. And lastly, Mayor, Easter is coming this Sunday, so I have a question.

[00:10:38] What does the Easter bunny do after he takes a shower? He uses a hair dryer. So, happy Easter, everybody. Mayor, thank you. Okay. Thank you, Councilman Osina.

[00:10:57] Councilwoman Vasquez Luna, hard to follow that, I know. Good evening, sir. Well done, sir. Well done. Well, good evening, everyone, and welcome. It's always great to see each one of you here that make time to come, whether it's in person or online, or when some of the residents watch later the recordings.

[00:11:25] It's beautiful out there. I don't know if you are suffering from the allergies that are going around, but it's, you know, beautiful, beautiful, the tulips and everything that is going on. And with that, you know, the better weather is here, and we are having a lot of activities.

[00:11:43] As Councilman Osina mentioned, the website has most of the events. I will say the city connections, it's very important. You can find it on the website, too, and you can find most of the events in the back.

[00:11:59] I will mention some of them later on, but right now I just want to refer. If you're trying to reach any of us, you can reach all of us via email at themayorincouncil at manassasvirginia.gov.

[00:12:14] But you can also reach us over the phone, and all the phone numbers are right in the back of the Connection newsletter. Right now is the April 2025, and I wanted to make sure that you know how to reach us out, especially with, we have on the 20, I lost it, we have our hearing coming up.

[00:12:42] We continue to work really hard on our, on the budget, and I believe, you know, tough decisions are ahead, and I would love to hear from you, whether it's via email in person at the next meetings or any time when it works for you.

[00:13:02] Moving from there, there's a lot of happenings. I want to, before I start in this month, I want to thank everyone that attended the Q&A. Councilwoman Hudson and myself, we had a Q&A right here in City Hall.

[00:13:22] I believe it was a special time, so thanks everybody that made time to attend. We were able to talk and honor many different women. They have served Manassas, which is only 11 so far, and some of them are right here.

[00:13:40] We continue to have a female minority council, which makes me proud, but it didn't start when I got here. It was before, so as the month wrapped up, we wanted to make sure that we had an opportunity to do that. But it's also another way to tell you we're here to hear from you and we want to find other spaces that work for you and they are more interactive.

[00:14:08] We have a lot, I serve the transportation committee. I also serve the BRE and with this weather, you know, maybe it makes you feel more comfortable to try to use different routes.

[00:14:23] As you go to your destination, I will say, remember, there is information here at City Hall, or you can go online to check the Omni ride, and also you can check the BRE. There is different ways to get to your destination.

[00:14:41] Next month, the exciting things coming up are going to be the transportation. And so the biking and all other things that will be happening that I would like to mention as well. Before I go too far, many of you are here for the exciting times of the proclamations.

[00:15:02] The first one is the National Child Abuse Prevention Month. And as my councilman took my thunder, I appreciate it. He has it right there. And, you know, it is a good way to remember, you know, make you smile and remind you, you know, as a city to come together to make sure that we are helping to prevent the child abuse.

[00:15:26] There is also the Arbor Day. Arbor Day will be celebrated at Ginny Dean Park on April 25th at 10 o'clock. I'm looking forward to all those who have worked hard to win their awards. And I can wait to see it.

[00:15:42] I will try to attend and to be there. And everybody that participates on that, you know, congratulations. And so many years that we continue to have our Arbor Day. And I'm really happy to see that you are here for that. And I don't know if you have missed the big sign on Grand Avenue, the 9-11.

[00:16:01] It's the National Telecommunicators Week. And our police department has a great sign to thank everybody that works there. Hopefully we don't have to make that call. but if you do, you know there's great people that will answer the phone and they will help you to connect you with the right people.

[00:16:20] And as we know in any emergency, the time, it's very important as you want them to get there as soon as possible. So congratulations on the National Telecommunicators Week. The 12, we had our first event on Marstela Park, the extravaganza.

[00:16:42] I'm really happy to see that the weather gave, so it could be a great event. I attended on Thursday the Raven Cutting for the historic, for the farmer's market.

[00:17:03] There was another one on Saturday, too. Please don't forget, there are so many great opportunities there, Whether you're looking for a beautiful or a nice piece of jewelry for the gift, Mother's Day will be coming up.

[00:17:22] Please, you know, think about that being a possibility for you. It's great produce and great products, but you can also have great findings that make it unique for that special person in your life. your mom or other people in your life, but they have great choices.

[00:17:43] I hope you think about them. Early this month, we also had the household hazards. If you are going on your spring cleaning, that one already passed, but there's also the next one in May 3rd that is coming, and it will have shredding, too, which doesn't happen all the time.

[00:18:05] So just if you are in your spring cleaning mode right now, just save your shredding and you'll be able to do it for free at the 8305 Quarry Road. A few things.

[00:18:24] I'm almost done. I want to remind you if you are a volunteer, April the 29th is the reception and I hope to see all our volunteers. We have so many boards and commissions.

[00:18:40] And this is the annual day to come together and celebrate and share, you know, what's beautiful, what makes you a volunteer, and, you know, why we all love Manassas so much. So I hope to see you there.

[00:18:55] I don't want to forget to remind you the deadline for the annual breakfast. If you have a business in Manassas, you get one ticket. Make sure that you sign up before the 25th of April. and you can attend the annual breakfast for old Manassas businesses.

[00:19:13] The line is coming up. And the last thing, I know it's a little bit early, but I want to make sure that everybody has time to think about it. May the 3rd, there will be a class that is called Learn About Bike and Pediatric Improvements at the Farmer's Market, so you can attend and learn more about that.

[00:19:42] On May 7th, we're going to be celebrating the Bike to School Day. One of my kids liked to bike to school, so is that something that you would like to do or your student would like to join? May 7th will be the opportunity.

[00:19:58] May 10th is when they will have an adult class. So if you want to learn to ride a bike but you have never done it, you can look in the Manassas City Bike Month website, and you'll be able to find all those opportunities.

[00:20:16] The biggest event, I think, is when our mayor comes to the pit stop in Manassas Beard, and that will take place on May 15. I know that's early, but I just wanted to make sure that I get an opportunity to for you to set the time for that and lastly, I would like to remind the residents that speak Spanish.

[00:21:00] No, para que usted tenga la información también está, ah, hay una, una aplicación en web, en, en WhatsApp, donde ustedes pueden inscribirse y tener más información, ah, en cuanto a los, a lo que estamos haciendo, ah, solo tiene que, ya sea escanear un código que está aquí en, en, afuera de, de la ciudad, de, de la entrada de la ciudad, o pueden buscar el canal, ah, que se llama Manazas.

[00:21:30] Manasa City, todo está en español. Así es que espero que ustedes puedan tener la oportunidad. Recuerden de saber sus derechos y recuerden, por favor, conectarse. Si necesitan llamarnos, pueden también encontrar la conexión.

[00:21:47] También es traducido en español y también está en el website para que sepan qué es lo que está pasando y cuándo están pasando las cosas. Hay muchas actividades que ustedes pueden ser parte. - Thank you, Madam Mayor. - Thank you, Councilwoman Hudson.

[00:22:03] - Thank you, Madam Mayor. Good evening, everybody. Thank you for joining us tonight. Just a couple quick items. I had the pleasure of visiting a Baldwin Elementary fourth grade class a couple weeks ago, Ms. Anna Demarius class. I was interested to see kind of just how a lesson plan plays out for today's youth.

[00:22:20] And I was also interested to see how lunchtime played out for the students. I think there's been a lot of conversation about the food that's in the school. So I sat down with a group of fourth graders and I asked them their opinions. They shared with me that they did enjoy especially the pizza and the chicken nuggets.

[00:22:37] The only item that they could name for me that they did not enjoy was salad. So our schools are serving salad to the fourth graders. So that was an interesting visit. Thank you, Mr. Marriott, for the opportunity. Another thing I'd like to share, I serve on behalf of Manassas on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.

[00:22:56] We had a meeting a few weeks ago where we were joined by the executive director of Virginia Career Works, a representative from Northern Virginia Community College, as well as the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The focus of that meeting was the impacts of federal layoffs on all of our localities.

[00:23:16] And what the main takeaway, at least from, I mean, of course, I think everybody is aware that it's about 10% of our community here that is being impacted by these layoffs. But what people might not know is that there are a lot of different resources available for folks to train, to change skill bases, just a lot of different things that are out there helping that group of people.

[00:23:37] So please look at Northern Virginia Community College's website. You can also look at Virginia Career Works for different opportunities for career fairs and career upskilling for the folks that are impacted by federal layoffs. Those groups do also have resources for people who are not impacted by federal layoffs, but They do also have special programs right now.

[00:23:58] As folks have mentioned, our farmer's market has started. And probably many of you have heard that the construction on the pavilion has been delayed. So please check out the farmer's market in the pavilion on Thursdays and then back in the main parking lot on Saturdays.

[00:24:14] And then I would like to give a shout out to Osborne's work-based coordinator. Is that your title, Eric? Specialist, because he's more special coordinator, whatever, that Osborne will be having their career fair on April 28th. It's always a great event for our students to learn about different businesses. I've participated from the business side and gotten to meet a lot of awesome students and you know it's really cool to get to ask them what their plans are for after high school and kind of help explore that opportunity with them. So if you are available on the morning of April 28th, definitely visit with Eric because it's going to be a great career fair

[00:24:52] and as other folks have mentioned as well there's a lot going on in the city as spring has come so do check out our website for other upcoming events and that is all. Thank you Mayor. Thank you. For my time everybody covered everything I think we do have the public hearing on the budget on the 28th so please make sure that you mark your calendars and come out for that as well and I was able to get out on Saturday to the extravaganza and it was great and thank the staff so much for being out there it was cold but we made it through it It was just so great to see everyone out.

[00:25:24] That community center is proving to be a great asset for the community, and that is exactly what we intended it to be. So looking forward to the comments that were shared, hopefully at the community conversation that took place, and so that way we can improve programming.

[00:25:40] And as we move along further with that community center, it does live up to what I know what I want it to be and what I want it to serve as, and that is a resource for the entire community. So thank you all for bringing your kids out, your families out on Saturday.

[00:25:55] It was great to see everybody out there. I also was honored to be able to do the Pledge of Allegiance and welcome folks to the Osborne Alumni Association, the Hall of Fame Inductee Banquet. That's always a great event that the association puts on.

[00:26:11] It's wonderful to see the folks get inducted every year. So thank you for inviting me to that. We also have the Hilton Gala on the 26th. I don't know if anybody had mentioned that, so we'll be attending that. We have a work session on the 21st, and I will end with wishing everyone who celebrates a happy Easter.

[00:26:30] Enjoy your family time. It is precious. Each and every day, it seems as if I'm hearing of someone being sick or have been sick or, you know, you just never know. So you want to make sure that you're spending time with your family and sharing, making memories and sharing special time.

[00:26:46] and especially the egg hunts for Easter. Got to get that in. So with that, I'll turn it over to the city manager. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'm proud to announce tonight that we have appointed Mike Morgan as our Director of Public Works. Mike has been serving as our Interim Director since February, and the promotion becomes effective April 21st.

[00:27:14] Mike has been with the city since July of 1996 and has been in various positions within our fleet management division, most recently serving as its division manager. And I'd like to thank Mike for helping me during the time that he's been our interim director, and I look forward to working with him going forward.

[00:27:33] Our public affairs department is finishing up our brick-by-brick economic development report, and that will be added to our website and social media in the very near future. Following some citizen requests to receive updates as far as city development projects, we've been working to develop that monthly report so that folks will be aware of what's going on in the city.

[00:27:59] The leveling out at Old Town Inn has been completed, and paving should be starting this week, weather permitting, And our hope is to have the parking lot completed by the first week of May. We also, as Councilwoman Hudson indicated, the work that we had planned to do at the Harris Pavilion has been delayed.

[00:28:23] Our contractor was informed that a lot of the piping that was necessary to replace the cooling equipment has a long lead time that they weren't aware of. So we are delaying that project. They are ordering the equipment so that it will be here, and we plan to proceed with that project in January of 2026.

[00:28:46] Our police department, fire department, and social services departments are also working with our public affairs department to develop a monthly list of all the major events and initiatives, and we also will be adding that to our website and social media in the very near future.

[00:29:02] A few items that they will be reporting on April 9th, there was a suspicious item located by a contractor that was conducting the stream restoration project at the Liberia House property. This item appears to have been an undetonated 3-inch shankle artillery shell from the Civil War.

[00:29:25] The shell was recovered and removed by the Virginia State Police, and they are in the process of neutralizing it, and they will return it to the city so that we will hopefully be able to display it as we celebrate the anniversary, 150th? 200th anniversary of the Liberia House this year.

[00:29:46] Our Police and Fire Department also responded to a gas leak on April 9th on Godwin Drive. A construction company had struck a high-pressure 8-inch gas main, which resulted in several repairs by Washington Gas. Our fire and police department were on the scene beginning at 2.30 and were there until about 4 a.m. the next day.

[00:30:11] No injuries were reported, thankfully. This Saturday, members of the Fire and Rescue Department, along with volunteers from Manassas Volunteer Fire Company, the Greater Manassas Volunteer Rescue Squad, and our Community Emergency Response Team, CERT.

[00:30:27] We'll be visiting the Bristow Station community to install smoke detectors in homes that don't have them and to replace detectors that are older than 10 years, as well as replace missing batteries. We would also like to invite our residents to review and provide comment on our Mobility Master Plan by visiting our website at www.manassasva.gov forward slash MMP.

[00:30:55] This will give us the opportunity to hear from you about how we should better plan our transportation programs. We'd also like you to visit our website and provide comment on the city's watershed TMDL action plan. This is part of our stormwater program that we're required to do as an MS4 community.

[00:31:14] And again, it's trying to get input from our community about how we should best serve the stormwater needs. We will be conducting our annual citywide fire hydrant flushing program. If you experience cloudy water following a hydrant in your area being flushed, please run your cold water for a few minutes until the water clears.

[00:31:34] This week is National Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week. And I would like to thank all of the staff involved at our city's animal control operations and our shelter. And we would invite everyone to visit the shelter at 10039 Dean Drive.

[00:31:52] Residents are also advised that we will begin our annual paving program with the milling and resurfacing of Liberia Avenue from Centerville south to the city limits. That work is anticipated to occur at night, so we're trying to minimize disruption of Liberia Avenue traffic.

[00:32:08] We will also be shutting down Sudley Road, a portion of it, to one-lane traffic in each direction from Centerville Road to Portner Avenue from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. this Tuesday and Wednesday night for the installation of a new water line along Mathis Avenue.

[00:32:30] Mathis Avenue will also be closed during this work. And then finally, Winterset Park Playground will be closed beginning tomorrow through April 25th so that we can install new equipment and rubberized surfacing. And that's all that I have, Madam Mayor.

[00:32:46] Thank you. Any questions for City Manager Burke? Mr. Osuna, oh Lord, is this a joke? No, I'm just kidding. No. The Winterset Park closing, is that for installing playground equipment as well?

[00:33:07] It's solely for playground equipment and the rubberized surfacing around it, yes, sir. And this playground equipment is the result of last year's community conversation plan a park project that was done with the neighborhood there, right?

[00:33:27] Yes, sir. Okay, very good. Thank you. Any other questions for City Manager? Okay, if not, next on the agenda is presentations. The first is a proclamation for National Child Abuse Prevention Month. And I'll have Ms. Curvin, social services, want to come down?

[00:33:43] Got everybody looking cute. Hello. And I did not get the memo, but I still wore the blue.

[00:34:01] So that's great. That's awesome. So come on now. I had them in order. Social services. Beautiful.

[00:34:18] Beautiful. I love it. And I think Mr. Smith already talked about it so eloquently. Thank you for that. So I won't prolong it, but I'll read the proclamation, which simply says, Whereas child abuse affects 133,775 families in Virginia, documented through reports to the city of Manassas Department of Social Services and 119 other local departments of social services here in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

[00:34:50] And whereas children are the foundation of a sustainable and prosperous society and our welfare as a city, a commonwealth and a nation is built on a foundation of safe and healthy child development. And whereas every child is entitled to love and care in a safe and nurturing environment, free from abuse and neglect, with equitable access to resources to grow and community support needed to help them thrive.

[00:35:19] And whereas all citizens should become involved in supporting families in raising their children in a safe, nurturing environment. And whereas preventing child abuse and neglect is a community problem. Creating communities where families are supported and strengthened through meaningful partnerships between social services agencies, schools, health services, inclusive of mental health support, community and faith-based organizations, businesses and law enforcement can prevent child abuse and neglect.

[00:35:53] Now, therefore, I, Michelle Davis Younger, Mayor of the City of Manassas, Virginia, and on behalf of the Manassas City Council, hereby proclaim the month of April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in the City of Manassas and call upon all citizens, community agencies, faith groups, medical facilities, and businesses to increase their participation in our efforts to support families, thereby preventing child abuse and neglect and strengthening the communities in which we live, and call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens.

[00:36:27] Thank you very much. I just wanted to say a few words of saying thank you all. Pretty much I wanted to really let everybody look at our team.

[00:36:43] They work hard day in and day out, weekends, nights, holidays, good, bad, indifferent, but they make it work. We are a small but strong and mighty team, and we take each opportunity to look forward as to what the future could bring for our children.

[00:37:03] We also look forward as to looking at the families and giving them the opportunity as well to wrap around those supports. And when we talk about families, we're not just talking about, you know, biological families. we the beautiful thing about the city of Anastas is that we all are family we take that we take it very seriously and that being said I always like to have the opportunity to kind of give that back to my team letting them know how well and what efforts and how hard that they work and to let them know that I really truly appreciate every every effort each day in and day out all the toiling that you do so just wanted to hand this over a little bit thank you very much I'll be

[00:37:43] brief. I stay up here. As Mr. Smith pointed out, when you travel throughout the city, you'll see the blue pinwheels, the symbol of child abuse prevention. And when you guys see those pinwheels, I would like you to think about two things. First thing is going to be some stats I'm going to share with you, and I'll be super brief. Each year in Virginia, we receive over 80,000 reports of child abuse or neglect. Every 81 minutes in Virginia, a child is abused or neglected. Every 69 minutes,

[00:38:15] a child drops out of school. Every 25 minutes, a child becomes homeless in Virginia. And sadly, every 13 days, a child dies due to abuse or neglect. So when you see those pinwheels, I want you to keep those stats in mind. And the second thing I want you to think about when you see those pinwheels are the staff that's up here today. These are the guys that work tirelessly day in and day out, like Ms. Curvin said, to combat some of these stats. But we don't do this work in a vacuum. We work very closely with different organizations. And two that we work

[00:38:50] very closely with is the police department and the school system. So on behalf of the department, I would like to thank the police department and the school system for the work they do in combating child abuse and neglect. And lastly, I want to thank you guys for recognizing us. Due to the nature of our job, it's hard for us to toot our own horn sometimes. So the recognition is greatly

[00:39:10] appreciated. Thank you very much. Smile, Ralph. Smile, Ralph. Absolutely. Thank you all.

[00:39:57] Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you all so much for being here and taking part in that proclamation.

[00:40:19] Next up, I believe, is Mr. Spoden for Arbor Month proclamation. If you want to come on down, anybody else you want to have with you? Oh, a whole bunch of y'all. Come on down. I have a group. That's awesome.

[00:40:35] Thank you so much for being here. All right. The proclamation for Arbor Month. Whereas, the planting of trees not only enhances the beauty of our city, but also contributes to energy conservation, helps to purify the air and water, and provides homes for wildlife, insects, and other creatures.

[00:41:00] And whereas, the annual celebration of Arbor Day promotes the recognition of the value trees offer to our community and gives citizens an opportunity to participate in the renewal of the forests, while Arbor Day programs and schools educate our youth about the importance and benefits of trees.

[00:41:18] And whereas Arbor Day was begun in 1872 by agricultural realist Julius Sterling Morton, who sought to instruct people in the modern techniques of farming and forestry and improve agricultural techniques in his adoptive state of Nebraska, and was the first to propose to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special date be set aside for the planting of trees and whereas the first annual manassas city arbor day was celebrated on april 26 1984 and was held at nelson park with honorary chairman

[00:41:54] mayor harry parish delivering the arbor day address and this event has been observed continuously in the city for the past 37 years and whereas 2025 is the 35th year the city of manassas has earned the national designation as a tree city USA community for its commitment to urban forestry and whereas in order for the city of manassas to achieve this special designation it was necessary to meet four strict standards as well as have a tree board or department a tree care ordinance a comprehensive community forestry program and an arbor day observance and proclamation

[00:42:33] and whereas the arbor day foundation commends the city of manassas its elected officials volunteers and citizens for providing such vital care for its urban forest now therefore i michelle davis younger mayor of the city of manassas virginia and on behalf of the manassas city council proclaim the month of april 2025 as arbor month and proclaims april 25 2025 as the 41st annual Manassas City Arbor Day in full appreciation of all the values that trees offer to the citizens

[00:43:06] of the city of Manassas. Congratulations. Thank you Madam Mayor. Thank you Council for this recognition. We really appreciate it. I just want to say very quickly that Arbor Day celebration will be held at the new athletic fields at Jenny Dean Park this year on April 25th at 10 a.m.

[00:43:33] So you all are invited, okay, and we hope we see you there. Also, I'd just like to say thanks to the members of the beautification committee for all they do in helping to get this program together.

[00:43:49] We have poster contests that we have at all the elementary schools, and they get them all together, judge them, and award the winners. so I just want to thank you all for all you do and thank you again and everybody plant trees thank

[00:44:10] you all so much for being here appreciate it all right last proclamation for the evening but certainly not least national telecommunications week so I know I got folks here to come on down

[00:44:41] for that one too it's hi thanks for being here tonight all right the proclamation for national Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, whereas emergencies can occur at any time that require police, fire, or emergency medical services, and whereas when an emergency occurs, the

[00:45:16] prompt response of police officers is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property, and whereas the safety of our police officers is dependent upon the quality and accuracy of information obtained from citizens who telephone the city of Manassas Public Safety Communication Center and whereas public safety telecommunicators are the first and most critical contact our citizens have with emergency services and whereas public safety telecommunicators are the single vital link for our police officers by monitoring their activities

[00:45:51] by radio, providing them information and ensuring their safety and whereas public safety telecommunicators of the City of Manassas have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals and the safety of our police officers and citizens.

[00:46:08] And whereas each public safety communication specialist, i.e. dispatchers, has exhibited compassion, understanding, and professionalism during the performance of his or her job in the past year. Now, therefore, I'm Michelle Davis Younger, Mayor of the City of Manassas, Virginia, and behalf of the manassas city council proclaim the week of april 13 to 19 2025 as national public safety telecommunicators week in the city of manassas in honor of the men and women whose diligence and professionalism keep our city and citizens safe thank you very much for what you do

[00:46:45] for our citizens congratulations so i would just want to say thank you mayor and thank you council men and women and Mr. Burke the first response is always of an emergency is call our dispatchers and we oftentimes forget about you and we appreciate you it is the calm voice that comes when there's an emergency for our citizens and if you're we don't tell you often as sworn officers but you're the calm voice on the radio is when we hear you when we're going to chaos so from

[00:47:22] Chief Keene and the police department, we appreciate everything that you guys do. You are valued, and everything that you do that we forget to mention every day, not just this week, but every day we should thank you for the services that you do for the city of Manassas and the police department. Thank you.

[00:47:39] Thank you all very much.

[00:48:05] Okay, thank you all so much for that. I'll call on Vice Mayor Wolfe for the consent agenda motion, please. Madam Mayor, I move the consent agenda be approved and the reading of the ordinance is dismissed with.

[00:48:23] Second. May the motion by Vice Mayor Wolf, seconded by Councilman Vasquez Luna, to approve our consent agenda. Any discussion? Hearing and seeing none. Mr. Smith, please call the roll. Vice Mayor Wolf? Yes. Council Member Vasquez Luna?

[00:48:40] Yes. Council Member Ellis? Yes. Council Member Smith? Yes. Council Member Osina? Yes. Council Member Hudson? Yes. Motion carries. All right. Thank you so much for that. This moves us forward to item three on the agenda, public hearing. We have a sign-up sheet in the front of the dais, I believe, over on this side.

[00:48:58] I'm not sure if anyone signed up, but we'll check on that. And it's separate from the public comment sheet. So I'll go over the procedure for public hearings. I'll read the newspaper ad certification for public hearings, and then staff will present the issue for consideration. And then the council has the opportunity to ask questions, and then I will open the public hearing for public comments, and we'll make sure not to miss anyone who wishes to speak regarding a public hearing item.

[00:49:23] and then the public hearing will be either closed which requires a motion of vote or continue to be taken up at a next regularly scheduled council meeting and with that i will read the newspaper advertisement certification for public hearing as the mayor i certify that newspaper advertisements for the public hearings listed on tonight's agenda were published in conformance with the requirements of general law and city ordinances as the mayor i sort of i further certify that an affidavit of publication is before me, which is signed by an authorized representative of the Prince William Times newspaper, which states that the advertisements appeared

[00:50:01] on the required dates. And we have staff here to cover this item for us. Item 3.1. Yes. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Good evening, Council Members. So before you, first up tonight, we have Special Use Permit 2025-0003 for the Access Star Community Living Services, and it is their Beacon 2 location. The property is located at 8705 Stonewall Road, Units 1C and 2C. The request before you is for an adult daycare center to be located in an

[00:50:37] approximately 2,800 square foot office building. The current zoning is B1 Business Office and it is designated in the Sudley Medical Care Area of the Comprehensive Plan. Surrounding land uses include single-family residential, general medical offices and the post office. So a little bit of background, the building was constructed in about 1984 as part of the Manassas Office Center.

[00:51:02] The applicant's proposal is for a maximum of 38 attendees and seven employees a day. Programs will be offered from Monday to Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the programs and activities offered are for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Before you is their general development plan. The subject building is on the top portion and the remainder is the business condo property. This is their internal layout. You'll see that there's just activity rooms and a kitchen area. So staff's analysis finds that the proposed use does not

[00:51:39] have a significant impact on surrounding uses and any impacts are addressed by the conditions of approval. The proposed use of an adult daycare center is classified as an institutional use and is appropriate in the Sudley Medical Character area. There were no significant traffic or concerns, and a TIA was not required.

[00:51:59] On-site, there are 49 shared parking spaces, and that does meet the parking requirements, and the applicant is providing internal bicycle parking facilities. Before you, is the list of conditions for this. So condition one, we'll limit it to an adult daycare center.

[00:52:15] Condition two, requires substantial conformance with the special use permit plan. Condition three, requires that the applicant improve the accessible routes through the parking lot and the access to the building. Condition four addresses exterior lighting. Condition five prohibits an exterior public address or bill system.

[00:52:31] Condition six requires the conditions to be included with any lease agreements and with city permit applications. Condition seven requires the ongoing compliance with federal, state, and local laws. And condition eight requires the applicant to obtain a certificate of occupancy and building permit prior to occupying the premises.

[00:52:48] So with that, the applicant's proposal the proposed mitigating conditions sufficiently mitigates negative land use impacts on the existing patterns of development. The Planning Commission did unanimously recommend approval at their April 2nd meeting, and staff also recommends approval of the requested special use permit as conditioned. And with that, I stand ready for any questions.

[00:53:07] Thank you, Angela. Any questions, Council Members? Thank you. You mentioned the 48 or so parking spaces. Yes, the 49 parking spaces outside. It'll be shared by the other architects.

[00:53:24] But there will also be a limitation on the number of attendees expected at the center, right? Yes. Under 40 or somewhere, 45 or so? Yes. So according to their application, they would have about 38 attendees.

[00:53:41] That would be their maximum. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Vice Mayor. Yeah, the current use of that space is medical offices? The current use of that space right now is office. The other units in that condo are medical offices.

[00:53:56] Okay, I remember being there. Okay, very good. Thank you. Any other questions? Ms. Vasquez-Luna. I think the answer is no, but there's no other adult daycare centers there or nearby, right? In that area?

[00:54:11] Nearby. Yeah. In the same location? Not to my knowledge. I know that there is a special use permit, I believe it was in 2020, I want to say, for an adult daycare center, but I don't believe that's still in operation. All right, the public hearing is now open.

[00:54:33] Thank you so much for that. If anyone, we don't have anyone signed up, but if there's anyone here that wishes to speak on this item, please come forward at this time. Okay, motion. Madam Mayor, seeing no one, I move to close the public hearing and schedule for vote at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the council.

[00:54:51] Second. I have the motion by Vice Mayor. We'll second it by Councilman Smith to close the public hearing and move this item to agenda on the next council meeting. Any discussion? Herring and Seema, Mr. Smith, please call the roll.

[00:55:07] Vice Mayor Wolfe? Yes. Council Member Smith? Yes. Council Member Ellis? Yes. Council Member Osina? Yes. Council Member Vasquez Luna? Yes. Council Member Hudson? Yes. The motion carries. All right. Thank you. And item 3.2, Audra gets to do again.

[00:55:24] Thank you. This is O-2025-710 for Liberia Associates, LLC, Signal Hill Condominium Association. You have the floor. All right. Thank you again, Madam Mayor, and hello again, council members. So up now, we have a rezoning 2025-003 for Liberia Associates.

[00:55:43] This property is located at 9161 Liberia Avenue. This is a city-initiated rezoning to rezone the property from I-2 Heavy Industrial to B-1 Business Office. It is approximately 1.4 acres in size. And it is designated in the general business area of the comprehensive plan and along a corridor.

[00:56:02] Surrounding land uses, you will see that the Walmart is to the south along with restaurants, the Mayfield Historic Site, multifamily residential, warehousing distribution, motor vehicle repair, and also some single-family residential uses. So the building here was constructed in about 2006.

[00:56:21] It is one building, four stories, containing about 22 separate condo units. It's primarily used as an office building and it does have some existing non-conforming uses in it. So the I2 zoning district was intended for industrial uses and does not permit uses typically associated with this pattern of development of an office building.

[00:56:42] Examples include financial institutions, medical offices, and personal professional services. So the city initiated rezoning request is to put it to the B1 zoning so it has more compatible uses and enables some additional flexibility on the property.

[00:56:58] The Planning Commission did initiate this request at their March 5th meeting. To bring your attention to our comprehensive plan, Land Use 3.2.4, we are eliminating the industrial zoning from residential and downtown character areas and removing the heavy industrial zoning throughout the city by working proactively with the property owners to initiate the rezonings, which is what is before you tonight.

[00:57:20] The Planning Commission did unanimously recommend approval at their April 2nd hearing also and And staff recommends approval of the rezoning 2025-0003. And with that, I stand ready for any questions. Thank you. Any questions? Ms. Hudson. Can you touch on the difference between industrial and heavy industrial?

[00:57:39] So we have two different zoning districts that are industrial. We have a light industrial zoning district and a heavy industrial zoning district. The heavy industrial is more intensive than the light industrial. And typically you will find that for warehousing and distribution along with manufacturing.

[00:57:56] Any other questions? Ms. Vasquez-Lin. Thank you, Morta, for coming. I was at the last meeting, and I just want to thank the commissioners and the staff, you know, as they bring these things forward. Whether it's a new owner or a new people coming to rent, it can create a false, I will say, they think they can put, you know, a business there that they are not able to.

[00:58:24] So I really, you know, I just want to say they really work really hard. And I'm sure that you're all aware, but I just want to shout out to the department and all the commissioners. They make sure these things happen and make our city better. Any other questions?

[00:58:43] Public hearing open on this item as well. I don't believe anyone signed up, but if anyone's present to speak on this item, please come forward. Okay. If not, I'll let it. Oh, were you coming down? I'm sorry, sir. You can give us your name, please.

[00:59:01] Madam Mayor, council members, my name is Robin Bode. I am the CEO of the PWC Employees Federal Credit Union. We are one of the newest owners of the Bottle Floor Condo Unit. In this building, we are looking to open our Manassas branch in that building.

[00:59:21] We are hoping to support the city of Manassas, all their employees, as we are a specific credit union for county employees, city employees. We're here to support those, the police officers, telecommunication workers. So we're excited to open this branch. We're excited to bring the new services. The specific area was originally a bank branch that ended up closing being turned into a dental office. We're bringing it back. So I just want to let you know that we are excited to bring

[00:59:57] our branch, provide more services for the city, and I urge you to approve this. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, sir. Anyone else? Just to make a comment. If not, okay, I'll entertain a motion. Madam Mayor, I move to close the public hearing for 0-0-20-25-7-1-0, Liberia Associates, LLC.

[01:00:20] Second. We have the motion by Councilman Vasquez-Luna, seconded by Councilman Osina to close the public hearing on this item. Any discussion? Hearing and seeing none, Mr. Smith, please call the roll. Councilmember Vasquez-Luna?

[01:00:35] Yes. Councilmember Osina? Yes. Vice Mayor Wolfe? Yes. Councilmember Ellis? Yes. Councilmember Smith? Yes. Council Member Hudson? Yes. The motion carries. All right. Thank you so much for that. That moves us forward to item four on the agenda, ordinances and resolutions. Item 4.1 is resolution number 2025-690, amending R-2023-55, Georgetown South Parking District. And you got it. Mr. Burke.

[01:01:04] Yes, ma'am. Resolution 2023-55 established two different time periods for Georgetown South parking district permits, a January time to purchase your two normal and then July to purchase the available third parking permits. Your treasurer has determined that it would be preferred if they could consolidate to just a single January purchase of all permits associated with that.

[01:01:33] And as such, this resolution, 2025-690, will supplement and establish the single period as requested by the Treasurer. And I'm ready to answer any questions. Thank you. Any questions?

[01:01:51] None, Mr. Ossina. Ms. Vesquez-Luma. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I believe this has been in place, and I'm really glad to hear, you know, the recommendation from our treasurer, Patricia Richard Fox, who's trying to make sure there is a smooth for those who are coming, but it's also the employees are able to handle the work.

[01:02:16] So I'm really thankful for this, and I hope everybody supports it. Mr. Osina. I do have a question. So, Mr. Burke, the Georgetown South Community Council Board has been informed of this resolution coming up?

[01:02:37] We've notified Ms. Carroll, and she was comfortable so long as part of the provision of this resolution, any existing third permits within the Georgetown South that would have otherwise expired July are now extended to January so that there is no impact to any of the residents, and it does simplify how those residents in Georgetown South can then, in the future, obtain their parking permits.

[01:03:06] Thank you so much. And, Mayor, if I may make a motion to approve Resolution 2025-690. Second. Fair the motion by Councilman Ocina, seconded by Councilwoman Vasquez-Luna to approve Resolution No. 2025-690.

[01:03:25] any discussion. Hearing and seeing you, Mr. Smith, please call the roll. Council Member Ocina. Yes. Council Member Vasquez Luna. Yes. Vice Mayor Wolfe. Yes. Council Member Ellis. Council Member Smith. Council Member Hudson. Yes. The motion carries. All right. Thank you for that. Next on the agenda is our public comment time. At this time, we welcome residents who wish to speak about services, policies, and affairs of the city of Manassas government because we want to ensure we hear from everyone. We provided a timer and ask that comments be limited to three minutes. We appreciate the time you have taken to be here. We treat resident

[01:04:02] comments as like a public hearing. We do not engage in back and forth conversations with speakers. The lack of immediate response to your comments from the mayor, council members, or city manager from the die should not be taken as a lack of interest or concern. We have staff members who are taking notes of your concerns and will address them accordingly. We ask that you please be respectful when presenting your comments if have anybody signed up no one signed up if there's anyone present who wishes to come forward please do so at this time mr. roe and gentlemen here

[01:04:35] coming evening sir edgar e chip roar 9115 yule street old town manassas and i did actually call ahead and thought i was signed up for public comment tonight so maybe something got maybe I didn't do it to the right person. At any rate, first of all, I would like to thank everybody on

[01:05:07] council for your service. As you know, my dad was involved for many years, 26. You may not know my mother's father, E.R. Connor, also served 25 years on the town council. So I understand what it involves, and I certainly appreciate everything that you do, truly. Also, the fact that you support our police so well because we think particularly in Old Town Manassas the police

[01:05:40] are very valuable and we know that they're paying attention to Old Town Manassas. I'd like to thank particularly the Mayor and Councilman Orsena for being at so many Old Town Business Association meetings and City Manager Burke and and I know a lot of the others of you are there but I know the two that are there the most, so I've got to give them a little tip of my hat.

[01:06:07] I'm here tonight to ask City Council to seriously see what you can do to limit the number of festivals that are going on, particularly at the Manassas Museum. I know that, and the ones that are not done through HMI. I'm sure you all know I'm a very big supporter of HMI. I think it's invaluable to Old Town Manassas. I know there's a budget increase this year. I certainly hope you're going to support that since it's the first one in about

[01:06:47] 10 years. And HMI desperately needs that support. So that's my other little thing to talk to you about tonight. But the festivals, as you know, I own buildings. I talk to a lot of the retailers in Old Town, not just my own.

[01:07:06] And the festivals take up so much parking in Old Town because people are coming to go to the food festivals that there's no place for the customers, and those people don't do much business with particularly the retailers.

[01:07:22] And certainly if it's a food festival, they're going to the food festival for food. That's not going to help our restaurants. So I think they need to be limited. We may need to think about non-profits being favored.

[01:07:40] We may think of ethnic ones that are not food festivals but are actually ethnic festivals first and limit the food festivals because obviously they're competing with our restaurants. And I think there should be a limit for the amount of times the same group can have festivals within a year.

[01:08:09] And I don't like to come and complain if I don't have a solution. So I think I've offered some solutions that you should consider. But parking is a big deal. I don't think it's a matter of whether the festival is at the museum or in the pavilion.

[01:08:30] Most of what we have in the pavilion has been things that are non-profits and so forth. And again, there's a limit of the same thing is what we need. Thank you very much for your time, and thank you again for everything that you do for the city of Manassas.

[01:08:51] Thank you, sir. Next. Come on down. Good evening, sir. Good evening, Mayor. Mark Phillips, 10349, Tudel Court, graduate of Osborne High School, 05, a lifelong resident, born and raised.

[01:09:09] Good evening, Mayor and Council. First off, Councilwoman Ellis, Councilman Asina, thank you for showing up for the GMBL opening day and Ms. Ellis having a perfect pitch, not hit the dirt. My name is Mark Phillips. I was born and raised here in the city of Manassas.

[01:09:26] I have three sons and my wife. I'm raising my family here in the very house I grew up in. My father and I actually renovated it when I came home from active duty in Afghanistan when I was stationed in Texas. So who knew that I'd come back home? My oldest son has played four seasons of baseball at GMBL and is quickly becoming something he loves to do.

[01:09:46] It's only a matter of time before I have all three boys playing at the same fields that I once played. Even my little brother played there. There's a sense of pride as a father watching my sons play in the same fields I did. When my parents come to watch their grandchildren play, they reminisce on the memories of me and my brother playing in the same fields.

[01:10:06] It's truly a full circle moment when my father reminds me of a ground ball I took to the nose and bloodied it up. still made the play at first base. The GMBL complex is invaluable to the families in this community. It's not just baseball fields. It's the snack bar. It's the restrooms. It's the facilities, the community, and the history that make the complex so special. It's convenient to have the fields where multiple siblings can be playing at once and allows for all families to watch each child. This complex is a vital part of the community and should remain where it is as it is.

[01:10:38] With the growth of the Manassas Airport, GMBL really sits as a great cornerstone for the entrance to our city. Since the additions of all the data centers that everybody talks about in the city and county in that area, we should preserve the fields, green space, and represent our city with history for our community and the future.

[01:11:00] There should be no further talks to sell or move this property. Our city needs to stop buying real estate, raising our taxes, and start investing back into our community and consider the lives of all of our local families instead of just being a business. There's so much support for GMBL. I love living here in Manassas and value that while we're still growing in this small town.

[01:11:19] I go to Old Town and feel a sense of community and local support all around. I'm sure there's a way for the city government and local businesses or restaurants to rally together and generate even more support and revenue to GMBL that gets put back into the city. If local restaurants set up food trucks on Saturdays and pledged to donate a percentage of sales back to GMBL would support youth as well as local businesses.

[01:11:42] It's not only Manasseh's residents to play there, it's the surrounding cities, counties as well. These people will play here and will come back to dine and shop and maybe even live here. I urge the mayor and city council to reconsider ever giving up this piece of land and to consider the community instead.

[01:11:58] Thank you for your time. God bless. Thank you, Mr. Phillips. Anyone else wish to address council? Good evening, Mayor and Council.

[01:12:16] Lynn Forkel Gray, Manasseh City resident. I wasn't going to speak tonight, but I seem to say that every night. You made a couple comments tonight that I just want to talk about in your council time. So one, to what Mr. Phillips was saying, you know, you purchased Merstellar for green space and community center space, and yet at the very same time you're considering getting rid of GMBL and the green space that was donated.

[01:12:40] And somebody who was here, Mr. Wolf, you were on the board when IBM so graciously donated that land. So I really am asking all of, oh, so sorry, are you okay? I'm fine Really I'm asking the entire council to consider not ever selling this land that was donated there's a contract that states that all proceeds from the sale of this land would go back into parks and recreation and so any ideas that this would actually go to other issues in the city is not there and I think it's really important that our residents and our council know that

[01:13:17] Secondly With regards to Arbor Day and our stormwater management, my backyard is a very wide window into a loss of trees and green space that is a butt to a nature trail by a school.

[01:13:37] And so while I support stormwater management, I'm pretty disappointed as a resident and a neighbor to a project where I was not told every single tree was going to be annihilated. So I would like to know, I would like my neighborhood to know, I'm in the Lee Manor neighborhood, to know what's going on on the stormwater management side of Godwin and how long we have.

[01:13:58] I think it was a year-long project, but I don't recall what was going to happen with the tree replacement. And I think I'm a little bit nervous since there was an approved 28-unit townhouse development that I was told I would never, ever see those tall buildings ever.

[01:14:20] And yet only one councilman voted against that development. And here I sit with my backyard staring right at all of it. And now our neighbors who send their children to round have told me that perhaps the nature trail has been affected by these projects.

[01:14:35] So I would like for you to look into that, please, because I do not have the time to look at that project also. So if you could figure that out and let us know that the nature trail is being supported, not affected. That would be really important to my neighbors. And then finally, I would just like to say, obviously, I am for you trying your best to not raise our taxes in any way, shape, or form.

[01:14:56] I think you know that, but everyone is suffering in our city. Our business owners are suffering. I passed through Old Town coming here tonight, and our restaurants are not as full as they used to be, and so we really need to be as fiscally responsible as we can be, even though we have lots of needs to meet, so please consider that as you continue your discussions.

[01:15:16] Thank you so much. Thank you. Anyone else wish to address council? If not, that will move us forward in the agenda to item six, authorizing a closed meeting. I'll call on Mr. Brown for that.

[01:15:35] Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of council. You have one item scheduled for a closed meeting tonight, and that is a discussion of the qualifications of applicants for appointment to city boards and commissions. That is a discussion that can take place in a closed meeting to convene a closed meeting, I would recommend your adoption of Resolution No. R-2025-717, Resolution Authorizing a Closed Meeting of City Council.

[01:16:05] Thank you, Mr. Brown. Madam Mayor, so moved. Second. Thank you. We have the motion by Vice Mayor Wolfe, seconded by Councilwoman Vasquez-Luna, approving Resolution No. R-2025-717, authorizing a closed meeting. Any discussion? Hearing and seeing none, Mr. Smith, please call the roll.

[01:16:23] Vice Mayor Wolfe? Yes. Council Member Vasquez Luna? Yes. Council Member Ellis? Council Member Smith? Yes. Council Member Osina? Yes. Council Member Hudson? Yes. The motion carries. Okay. Thank you so much.

[01:16:43] Madam Mayor, members of council, as you know, immediately following the closed session,

[01:22:35] the state law requires you to certify that the only matters that you discussed were those which were identified in the motion convening the closed session, and which are exempt under state law from the open meeting requirements. That certification is included in resolution number R-2025-719, resolution certifying a closed meeting of city council, which I recommend for council's adoption.

[01:23:02] Thank you, sir. Vice Mayor. Madam Mayor, I move adoption resolution 2025-719, certifying the closed session. Second. I fare the motion by Vice Mayor Wolfe, seconded by Councilman Osina, approving resolution number R 2025-719, certifying our closed meeting.

[01:23:18] Any discussion? Hearing and seeing none, Mr. Smith, please call the vote. Vice Mayor Wolfe? Yes. Council Member Osina? Yes. Council Member Ellis? Yes. Council Member Smith? Yes. Council Member Vasquez-Luna? Yes. Council Member Hudson? Yes. The motion carries.

[01:23:34] Thank you for that. I'll call on Mr. Osina for the motion for appointments. Thank you, Mayor. I'd like to move adoption of R-2025-718. That Manassas City Council approved the following recommendations from the appointments committee to appoint Travis Nembhard to the Manassas Regional Airport Commission as a regular member as the Prince William County appointee for partial term ending June 30th, 2026.

[01:24:00] Reappoint William Bacchus to the Historic Resources Board as a regular member for a full term ending June 30, 2029. And reappointing Keith Mueller to the Prince William Library Board as a regular member for a full term ending June 30, 2029.

[01:24:18] Seconded. Thank you. Thank you. We have the motion by Councilman Ossina, seconded by Vice Mayor Wolf to approve the appointments as read. Any discussion, hearing and seeing none, Mr. Smith, please call roll.

[01:24:34] Councilmember Osina. Yes. Vice Mayor Wolf. Yes. Councilmember Ellis. Councilmember Smith. Yes. Councilmember Vasquez Luna. Yes. Councilmember Hudson. Yes. Motion carries. Thank you for that. Is there anything else to come before the council for the good of the residents?

[01:24:49] If not, we are adjourned. Thank you.

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