By JIM BUTLER
Malcolm Larvadain has what could be termed a political trifecta on today’s Alexandria City Council agenda.
The District 1 councilman’s proposals include breaking bond with GAEDA, overhauling a storied baseball field and creating a juvenile crime prevention program.
Larvadain has on the consent agenda introduction of an ordinance to rescind the November 2024 one authorizing the mayor to enter intergovernmental agreement with the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority for “purposes of cooperative economic development,” general services and related agreement.
That ordinance came a month before the election of Larvadain and other council members seemingly shifted the council perspective on GAEDA.
Today’s proposal puts renewed focus on the status of the city-GAEDA relationship, including reimbursements to the city under an existing contract, one held in disdain by GAEDA’s counsel.
Whether those payments are current is not known. Larvadain’s resolution doesn’t indicate whether it has been discussed with the administration.
A second proposal calls for redesign and reconstruction of Cheatham Park to include a new baseball field with locker rooms, weight rooms, dugouts, batting cage, along with a parking lot that includes tailgating lot for recreational vehicles.
(The Community Affairs, Services and Events Committee will get a Cheatham Park Pavillon update at its meeting preceding the full Council session.) The administration’s 2026-27 budget proposal to be introduced today includes $2 million for the field complex in Year 5 of the five-year capital outlay plan.
(The budget from Mayor Jacques Roy includes another call for the Council to take what he considers necessary fiscal action.)
Larvadain’s third proposal is an ordinance authorizing creation, with the School Board, of a program to address juvenile crime “that
includes but is not limited to building a community and fitness center” on board property adjacent to Alexandria Middle Magnet and Huddle Elementary schools.
Two other committee meetings are scheduled today.
The Architects & Engineers panel will hear proposals for West Alexandria Wastewater Capacity & Planning Study at 4 p.m. and the Utility Committee will review proposed extreme weather service cutoff prohibitions at 4:45.