<sh>Arlington Signs Sister City Agreement with Reims, France
<bt>Arlington County Board Chair Barbara Favola recently signed an agreement formalizing the Sister City relationship between Arlington and Reims.
Held in the city's historic Salle des Fêtes, built in 1627, the ceremony was attended by more than 200 French, German and American citizens, including a delegation from Arlington.
"Today's ceremony marks both the culmination of seven years of hard work by Sister City committees in Reims and Arlington and the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between our two communities," said Favola. Arlington has had an informal relationship with Reims for several years.
For more information about Reims, visit www.ville-reims.com (click on the United Kingdom flag icon for English). To learn about the Arlington Sister City Association, visit www.arlingtonsistercity.org.
<sh>Arlington Approves Design Funding for Sept. 11 Memorial Grove
<bt>Arlington's September 11th Memorial Grove moved a step closer to reality last week, when the County Board approved design funding for the project to honor the victims of the 2001 attack on the Pentagon.
The site, located along Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50) between Washington Boulevard and 10th Street N., will consist of 184 trees, one for each victim of the attack.The project and other proposed improvements are designed to improve the appearance of the 5.25 miles of Arlington Boulevard within the County.
The Board approved a contract of up to $182,900 to RTKL Associates, Inc.
In addition to the Memorial Grove project, RTKL will provide design services for landscaping for the 10th Street and North Courthouse Road interchanges with Arlington Boulevard. The contract includes the development of a set of design guidelines for landscaping, lighting, signage and other physical elements for the length of Arlington Boulevard in the County.
Working with VDOT and the County, RTKL will complete a landscape design for the interchange project. The landscape design will be done in conjunction with VDOT's final engineering design for that project. This process also will involve meetings with residents, commissions and civic groups; final approval of the project design is required by both the County and VDOT.
Designs are expected within 6-8 months of execution of the contract and notice to proceed.
<sh>Arlingtonians Can Now Register Vehicles Online with Enhanced Payment Portal
<bt> Vehicle registration from home is a new feature recently added to Arlington County's online Payment Portal.
The site also allows county residents to purchase a decal online and have it mailed, pay more kinds of County accounts, and check your online payment history and balances. The website is located at http://payment.co.arlington.va.us.
Secure payments can be made via credit card or e-check. Your credit card or bank account information is not stored on the web, and the Payment Portal does not retain this information any longer than necessary to complete your transactions. E-check transactions are free; there is a small service fee for credit card payments.