For Immediate Release: July 8, 2022

At a Special Session held on June 1, the Virginia General Assembly approved the Commonwealth’s Biennial Budget for FY 2023-2024, which was signed by Governor Glen Youngkin on June 22. The budget included projects of direct impact to the City of Alexandria.

The budget bill, House Bill 30, included:

• $40 million for the City’s Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project.
• $500,000 for the restoration of Douglass Memorial Cemetery.
• $4 million for the construction of the Senator John Warner Maritime Heritage Center at the City’s waterfront.

An amendment to the bill revising the current budget, House Bill 29, ensures AlexRenew, the City’s wastewater authority responsible for the CSO project, can receive $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding previously appropriated to the project.

“We are grateful to Alexandria’s General Assembly Delegation – Senator Richard Saslaw, Senator George Barker, Senator Adam Ebbin, Delegate Charniele Herring and Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker – for their tireless work this session to ensure Alexandria’s funding priorities received the attention and the support of the members of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees,” said Mayor Justin Wilson.

“We are especially grateful to the members of the money committees, particularly the budget conferees tasked with reconciling the differences between the House and Senate budgets, for fulfilling the General Assembly’s commitment to Alexandria’s CSO project with a ‘last and final’ payment of $40 million to AlexRenew in this budget. The State’s investment in this legislatively mandated, generational infrastructure project – which will total $140 million – will assist AlexRenew in reducing the impact of this $615 million water quality project on ratepayers.”

The $40 million for the City’s CSO project will help reduce “rate shock” to local ratepayers, as significant rate increases to AlexRenew customers were necessary to fully fund the project within the General Assembly-imposed 2025 completion deadline.

The $500,000 for the Douglass Memorial Cemetery project will be appropriated to the City to preserve this historic African American cemetery, including investigating and resolving the drainage problem, restoring headstones, renewing the physical site, and interpreting the site for visitors. The City estimates the total project cost to be $3 million.

The $4 million for the construction of the Senator John Warner Maritime Heritage Center at Alexandria’s waterfront will be appropriated to the City. The City will work with the Tall Ship Providence Foundation to ensure this funding supports a permanent home for the Tall Ship Providence, as well as an interactive experience for visitors at the City’s Waterfront Park near King Street.

Visit alexandriava.gov/Legislative or linked webpage name for more information.

For inquiries from the news media only, contact the Office of Communications & Public Information at [email protected] or 703.746.3969.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact sarah.taylor@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.3963, Virginia Relay 711.

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This news release is available at alexandriava.gov/go/3755.