Bill Text: VA SJR198 | 2010 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Virginia Senate Joint Resolution 198 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Commending the City of Alexandria's Archaeological Protection Code on the occasion of its 20th anniv

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2010-03-14 - Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ198ER) [SJR198 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2010-SJR198-Enrolled.html

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 198 Commending the City of Alexandria's Archaeological Protection Code on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. Agreed to by the Senate, February 25, 2010 Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 5, 2010

WHEREAS, in 2009, the City of Alexandria celebrated the 20th anniversary of the nation's first municipal archaeological protection code; and

WHEREAS, the development of the Archaeological Protection Code (the Code) began in the mid-1980s, when members of the Alexandria Archaeological Commission discussed the need for a public-private partnership to save archaeological information that was being lost to development; and

WHEREAS, development attorneys, the City Attorney's Office, and the Chamber of Commerce worked together to create a relationship among the city archaeologist, consulting cultural resource management firms, and applicants to the development process; and

WHEREAS, the city council passed the Archaeological Protection Code in an effort to discover, study, and preserve the past at a time of rapid growth and development; and

WHEREAS, most documentary studies and excavations are done by professional archaeology companies, which results in the preservation of artifacts and important documentation about the city's past; and

WHEREAS, since the inception of the Code, the City of Alexandria has received more than 100 reports from private cultural resource management firms and developers have donated tens of thousands of artifacts to the city; and

WHEREAS, the City of Alexandria has been able to learn more about its history, including evidence of American Indian sites at Stonegate in the West End, early wharf businesses, Civil War encampments, and a slave jail; and

WHEREAS, the City Council of Alexandria, the Archaeological Commission, several city departments, and developers, working with information from the Code and in conjunction with federal and state regulations, have cooperated also to create and enhance open space that preserves the past; and

WHEREAS, the efforts of the city to preserve its historic and architectural past serve as a boon to the local economy, attracting tourists, residents, and businesses; and

WHEREAS, a national leader in historic and architectural preservation, the City of Alexandria established the third American historic district in 1946 and the nation's first municipal archaeological protection code in 1989; the city continues to be a leader in the use of geographic information systems, geomorphological testing, and the protection of historic sites; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly commend the City of Alexandria's Archaeological Protection Code on the occasion of its 20th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mayor William D. Euille as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the City of Alexandria's pioneering efforts in developing a municipal archaeological code.