Dear Mr. Barry:

Good questions which point to the need for the candidates to be specific and have a proven record of making good ideas work. A few comments on my record and then to specifics that face us today. I worked in the City Manager's office from 71-76 leaving as Deputy City Manager and played a key leadership role in the following projects:

1. Downtown Mall - I was the acting City Manager the night it was approved and recommended the shortened all pedestrian solution which was approved and also oversaw design and construction with the help of 3 local volunteer architects.

2. McGuffey School - I proposed its preservation, worked out its current use and gained City Council support, thus saving it from demolition.

3. Farmer's market - proposed its creation

4. Housing rehab - a leader in making this an ongoing part of the city operations

5. Flower Beds - started this program

6. Workforce Integration - led this effort inside the organization

7. Neighborhood traffic - recommended an 85% reduction in new roads proposed in the VDOT plan with 4 exceptions: 5th St., Preston Ave, Free Bridge and Meadowcreek Parkway.

8. CTS - instrumental in its establishment and early bus line configuration

Platform for the Future:

To make good ideas workable we will need to be more efficient and use our money more wisely. Much of our current debate evolves around the lack of funds for capital maintenance, building replacement and new construction.

We should be spending 10% of the $80m General Fund on capital projects or $8m per year. We are only spending $4.3 million. I would push to increase this to 10% in a minimum of 5 years by increasing our annual, ongoing expenditures each year in addition to any surplus that we might generate.The City Council should direct the City Manager to develop a strategy to implement this policy.

Secondly, we should direct the CM to institute an ongoing Efficiency Program which requires the Dept Heads to a continuous commitment to improvement and public disclosure of their progress. Finally, direct the CM to develop a 5 year ongoing budget.

I have personally operated and managed all of these programs.

Make it an historic landmark, continue the existing preschool program, fund improvements for the preschool with a bond, partner with a private developer so we can take advantage of Historic Tax Credits and find uses for some of the other areas of the building. One approach I used in 1982, in another city, was to convince the State to combine their scattered offices into one building and use the lease payments to pay the annual debt payment for a 20 year bond which financed the renovation of the building. We saved a building and the state saved on lease payments. It might work here for a portion of
the building. But the preschool is the number one priority along with parenting education.

Require that 25% of all new housing be affordable. This means for rent 50% of Household median income and for purchase 80%. The legal cost of applying for this assistance from the VHDA is very high and complicated. Because most of our projects in the city are very small we need to give legal assistance to developers in the form of legal application assistance. This would help make this option more attractive to developers.

Please see this mornings DP for a story on my proposed Natural Area Preservation Alignment alternative for the MP. The current proposal shows the need to give clear direction and statement to our priorities. We should have done a better job on this.

I also suggest combining the UVA Bus system and CTS just as was done in Blacksburg with the town system and VA Tech in the 80s. Additionally, we need a city wide system of interconnected sidewalks and bike paths.

We should map the natural areas left in the city and along our borders. Then decide which ones to save and put a preservation plan in place and benchmark our progress. This should be added to the Comprehensive Plan.

The Richmond metro has a centralized program run by their Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the large private employers, which assesses the job skills of applicants, offers remedial training, and certifies individuals qualified for employment and then refers them to specific employers. This eliminates the depressing situation many people end up in by being repeatedly denied employment and not being told why. This system helps people in a direct and professional way. I think such a program makes sense and should be incorporated in the TJPD's current program.

I received a Certificate of Commendation from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States in 1983 for 5 years of preservation projects in Roanoke. I was one of 27 national recipients. Preservation is accomplished one building at a time. It is always more expensive to completely renovate an historic building than it is to build a new one. Those who use cost as the sole justification miss the point especially when in an Historic area such as the mall. The total building context creates
value for all. A request to tear down a half block and build new shouldn't be allowed as it is skimming the cream from their neighbors historic preservation efforts. A city wide policy of preservation is required.

I have a lot of experience in this area. Our efforts in 2 communities generated more than 2,000 jobs and $1 billion dollars of investment. That said, I believe the current approach on many of the projects sponsored by the City will undermine the quality of life in our community, especially by increasing traffic congestion, noise, night time light into neighborhoods and air pollution. Some of the proposed projects make no economic sense for developers without deep subsidies from the city in the form of parking garages and other improvements. I understand the finances of development both from the city and the developers side. We must be very careful and respectful of our neighborhoods and quality of life.

We should seriously consider moving the Saturday market to the new plaza proposed in front of City Hall. During the week a smaller market could be put adjacent to the new building. Inside the building a retail incubator space could be developed for food and office uses. I have experience in developing such a space.

Thanks for your questions and I hope to have a chance to talk to you in person.

Bern Ewert (electronic mail, February 3, 2002)