Port City Dispatches: Eminent Domain, National Science Foundation, ACPS, Taft Sellers and Knitting

Here are some of this week's important, interesting and fun stories concerning Alexandria and its people.

From Alexandria Patch sites:

Alexandria Puts Eminent Domain on Table in Pursuit of Old Dominion Boat Club Lot, by Drew Hansen

In an effort to close a longstanding conflict with the Old Dominion Boat Club, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille and City Manager Rashad Young announced the scheduling of a special public hearing to discuss options for implementing the city’s waterfront plan in regards to the boat club’s parking lot and adjacent areas, including the use of eminent domain.

Located near the foot of King Street, Euille called the parking lot “the missing link” in the city’s plan for waterfront redevelopment, crucial for assuring connectivity and public access along the shore of the Potomac River.

Following more than a decade of negotiations, the city offered a compromise to the boat club over the summer.

Euille said there has been no response.

“It just seems like we’re never going to get there,” said Euille, who had previously said he opposed using eminent domain. “After 10 years, I need to change my approach.”

More:

• NSF in Alexandria: Setting a Bad Precedent? By Drew Hansen
• Alexandria NAACP Chapter Says 'The Time is Now' to Work on Housing, Health Challenges By Drew Hansen
• ACPS Names New Interim Superintendent by Sharon McLoone
• Alexandria Police Investigating Armed Robbery at Marino's by Drew Hansen
• Police Reports: Assaults, Vehicle Thefts in the Del Ray Area by Drew Hansen
• Police Reports: Assaults, DUI Arrests in the Old Town Area by Drew Hansen
• Alexandria Ranks Among Top 10 Places in Virginia for Job Seekers by Drew Hansen
• Whistle Stop Hobbies Moves Again by Sharon McLoone
• Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill's Pumpkin Sale is Underway by Drew Hansen
• Track Equipment Hits Metro Train Passing Through Potomac Yard by Drew Hansen
• Karate Studio Opens Fourth Alexandria Location by Sharon McLoone
• Art on the Avenue: A Look Back by Drew Hansen

The man whom police officers shot dead during a February standoff had a history of mental health issues and was between depression medications when the fatal confrontation occurred.

The troubled mental state of Taft Sellers came into focus as Lt. Monica Lisle, commander of internal investigations for the Alexandria Police Department, laid out the findings from her review of the incident during a public meeting with the city human rights commission October 3.

Four days prior to the police shooting, Sellers, a 30-year-old former Marine, was taken off his depression medication in favor of a new prescription, Lisle said. But his new drug regimen, which was mail-ordered, had not yet arrived.

“It’s important to remember that officers were unaware of his history of depression [during the standoff],” she said.

More:

• Water Taxis in Washington Could Be Viable, Study Finds by Patricia Sullivan, The Washington Post
• Furloughed Workers Mend the Shutdown Blues with Store’s Free Knitting Class by Bettina Lanyi, The Washington Post
• Soccer and Society: kids vs. cancer by Steve Goff, The Washington Post
• Grand Reopening Planned for Potomac Yard Harris Teeter ARLnow
• Circle of Stars: USO Honors Top Corporate Donors by Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette Packet
• Alexandria General Registrar To Retire by Carla Branch, AlexandriaNews.Org