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Columbia Pike Streetcar 'not dead,' says Fairfax County official

April 24, 2013, 12:10 pm
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The Columbia Pike Streetcar line would serve the Skyline Center in Bailey's Crossroads.

The Columbia Pike Streetcar project is “not dead,” even though the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) turned down a request for funding, Fairfax County transportation planning director Leonard Wolfenstein told participants at a Bailey’s Crossroads Business Breakfast April 24.

Arlington and Fairfax counties had jointly requested $75 million from the FTA’s Small Starts program.

The two counties “struggled to bring the costs down” so the project would fit into the Small Starts program, which funds projects with a total cost of $250 million or less, Wolfenstein said. The FTA reviewed the cost estimates, and “they think there’s enough uncertainty” that the project would cost more than $250 million so they recommended it be resubmitted to the New Starts program, which doesn’t have a minimum funding limit.


“The project is continuing at this time,” Wolfenstein said. Both Fairfax and Arlington are still committed to the project. “It’s common for proposed projects to go through several rounds before funding is approved,” he said. Due to the funding constraints at FTA because of sequestration, he added, the agency is only approving funds for ongoing projects in the current round, rather than new ones.

Another factor is the transportation authorization bill passed by Congress last summer, which requires the FTA to issue new regulations. The Columbia Pike streetcar funding application was submitted under the old rules and will have to be revised to conform with the new rules, which are expected to be published this summer.

Fairfax County will work with Arlington on how to proceed, he said. Arlington County is taking the lead on the project because that’s where the bulk of the streetcar line would be located. A small section along South Jefferson Street and the terminal at the Skyline Center in Bailey’s Crossroads would be in Fairfax County.

In response to a question from the audience about why the streetcar line is worth doing, Wolfenstein said, “It’s really about the future.” Bailey’s Crossroads is one of Fairfax County’s major “activity centers,” which is expected to experience strong population growth and new business investment.
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Annandale stakeholders consider needs of local youths

April 25, 2013, 2:56 pm
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Youths walk along Medford Drive in Annandale.
After several meetings, the Annandale Youth Engagement Community Planning Group has come up with lots of good ideas, but which ones should they focus limited resources on? What do young people really need? What assets already exist in the community? And should they develop a long-term or short-term project, or both? Those are some of the questions the group discussed at its April 24 meeting.

The planning group, facilitated by the Fairfax County Department of Community and Neighborhood Services, consists of people from various aspects of the Annandale community: students, the police department, nonprofits, religious organizations, businesses, neighborhood groups, and others.

For committee member Rev. Clarence Brown, senior pastor at the Annandale United Methodist Church, the key questions should be “what do young people want? And what would they be excited about?” He suggested the students members conduct an informal survey of their peers.

One short-term project proposed the group’s co-chair, Steve Lee, is a “taste of Annandale” event, organized with student input, that could not only bring the community together but help raise funds for a longer-term project. Committee members appeared to like that idea but also expressed an interest in doing something more long term.

Lee invited Fairfax County School Board Chair Ilryong Moon to the meeting to give his perspective on youth issues.

Moon said the recent suicide of a Woodson High School student underscores the need to “reach out to youth.” Ethan Griffith, 17, jumped to his death from a parking deck. The prevalence of youth suicide “saddens me,” Moon said, but there is no easy answer.

The school board had formed a committee to recommend changes to the FCPS discipline policies following complaints that the current policies are too harsh. An overly punitive response to another Woodson student’s behavior issue, in fact, was blamed on his suicide just over two years ago. That student’s father, Steve Stuban, chairs the Ad Hoc Community Committee on Student Rights and Responsibilities.

According to Moon, there is conflict within the committee between FCPS staff and parents around two key issues: whether parents should be notified before a student who violates the rules is questioned or asked to give a statement and whether the school system should take a more lenient approach to students involved with a first-time drug-related offense.

The committee is supposed to release its final recommendations in May. Lee, who is also a member of that committee, said he was disappointed that only a handful of parents showed up at public outreach meetings.

Moon said he’s been thinking about youth engagement for a long time. When his parents moved to Northern Virginia from Korea in 1974 when he was 17, he found it difficult making friends with non-Korean teens. Even though Annandale is much more diverse than it was back then, “that pattern still remains,” he said. Whether because of outside impediments or because people choose to stay within their own group, it’s still hard to form diverse social connections.

“I truly believe in the strength of diversity,” he said. “By bringing people together, we can make Annandale better.” He suggested a program to encourage retirees to serve as mentors to help families from other countries learn about American culture and help them improve their English language skills.

One of the students in the planning group, Lena Nour, an Annandale High School graduate now at George Mason University, said mentors are important, because young people are more likely to accept advice when it comes from someone other than a parent. Nour suggested young people be encouraged to take part in community service projects. AHS student Alex Lewis agreed that is a good idea but said it would be difficult to get teens to do it.

Moon expressed disappointment in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ decision to approve a budget for next year that provides $32 million less for FCPS than requested. Figuring out how to cut $32 million is going to be a “difficult challenge,” he said, noting that salaries will be frozen.

The school board voted unanimously April 18 to hire Karen Garza as the new superintendent. She will officially start work July 1, but Moon said she will begin meeting with staff and groups of constituents earlier.

According to Moon, there was some discussion among the board over whether Garza’s previous position, as superintendent of the 30,000-student Lubbock, Texas, school system, qualifies her to lead FCPS, the nation’s 11 largest district with 181,500 students. But Moon noted that before heading the Lubbock system, she was the number-two person at the Houston public schools, the nation’s seven largest district, with 200,000 students.
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Students at Montessori School plant donated trees

April 26, 2013, 6:59 pm
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Students at the Falls Church campus of the Montessori School of Northern Virginia celebrated Arbor Day a bit early, as they helped plant trees donated by Casey Trees, a Washington, D.C.-based  non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the tree canopy.

Casey has planted over 12,000 trees in the District since its founding in 2002. The trees are grown on Casey Tree Farm in Berryville, Va. Schools can apply for some trees, and if selected, students learn how to plant and maintain them.

“One of my favorite parts was naming our tree,” said MSNV student Hermela Samuel. “We named ours MonTree, a mix between Montessori and Tree.” Student Charlie Palmer said, “it was  fun because I got to use a pickax.”

“This was a great opportunity for both Casey Trees and our school,” said teacher Jackie Savage, who organized the project. “Both organizations have a deep commitment to making our world a better place by educating and promoting not just a love of nature, but ways to make a difference.”

MSNV students planted several native Virginia trees, including American Basswood, White Pine, American Holly, Sweetbay Magnolia, and Arborvitae.
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VDOT chief will consider I-395 ramp but won't delay the project

April 27, 2013, 6:46 am
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At the ramp site, left to right: VDOT Chief Engineer Garrett Moore, Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton, Alexandria Mayor William Euille, and Fairfax County Chair Sharon Bulova.

Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton told residents of the Landmark area opposed to a ramp on Interstate 395 April 26 that he will consider their request to consider alternative locations for the ramp but made no commitment to delay the project.

The issue, said Connaughton, is to explore the possibility of moving the ramp or adding another ramp. “I understand the concerns,” he said. “If there’s a way to balance out the traffic, we should look at that.”

People who live in Overlook, Landmark Mews, and other communities in the area formed the group Concerned Residents of Landmark to oppose the I-395 ramp because of concerns about health risks caused by increased air pollution. They have urged the Virginia Department of Transportation to stop the ramp construction until a thorough analysis is done that conforms to federal requirements.

The ramp is already under construction.
Concerned Residents had been pushing for a meeting with VDOT for months. Three weeks ago they staged a rally on Stevenson Street with empty chairs symbolizing the public officials who were invited to speak but declined to show up.

Yesterday, Connaughton and other government officials came to the same spot overlooking the ramp construction, then walked to a meeting at the home of Concerned Residents co-founder Mary Hasty in Landmark Mews, a stone’s throw from the ramp.

Hasty told Connaughton that residents didn’t know about the ramp until they saw a VDOT truck. “We started asking questions. We never got any answers,” she said. When ramp opponents commissioned their own study about the impact of the ramp on air quality, “we were absolutely shocked” by the findings.

Once the ramp is finished, the increased traffic congestion will create a “toxic corridor affecting the health of 75,000 people,” Hasty said. She asked Connaughton to halt the project until further studies are conducted, adding, “this is a big red flag that must be addressed.”

Seated at the table in Mary Hasty's house, left to right: air quality expert Maureen Barrett, Mary Hasty, Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton, Fairfax County Chair Sharon Bulova, and Alexandria Mayor William Euille.
Maureen Barrett of Air Expertise Colorado, the author of the study commission by Concerned Residents, said the environmental study conducted by VDOT failed to use the models and procedures mandated by the federal Clean Air Act and the Federal Highway Administration.  

All drivers paying tolls to use the express lanes under construction on I-395 must exit at that ramp onto the regular lanes, because that’s where the express lanes end. Barrett said VDOT failed to take into account the fact that those cars will be idling as they wait to change lanes, which will cause more emissions and more air pollution.

Connaughton raised the issue of whether adding another ramp farther north, possibly at Seminary Road near the Mark Center, could help solve the problem by spreading out the traffic congestion. 

That idea did not sit well with the Alexandria officials at the meeting. “I can’t say Alexandria would accept that,” said Mayor William Euille. “You’ll get that community all riled up.” The concern for Alexandria is the possibility of increased cut-through traffic on side streets, such as Beauregard. He urged Connaughton to “look south as opposed to north.”

When asked whether the ramp could be moved farther south, Connaughton said that would be “almost impossible.” 

“This is an approved project,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. “It’s been through the environmental studies and the contract has been let. If we decide not to do it at this late date, what else is there to do?” She noted that both Alexandria and Arlington are opposed to extending the express lanes all the way to Washington.

“Just because there isn’t another option, that doesn’t make this option the right one,” said a resident.

Dr. Michel Bryce, a public health expert who lives near the ramp, said, “if this proceeds, the impact will be severe.” Health risks include coughing and trouble breathing over the short term and chronic lung disease over the long term. “This will be impacting the health of a community for a lifetime,” she said. “That’s pretty serious.”

There will be air pollution from I-395 whether the ramp is built or not, Connaughton said. Bryce responded that the ramp will add 4,000 extra cars in a two to three-hour period every day, which will greatly increase the amount of toxins in the air.

After Connaughton left, Hasty said, “he listened to residents’ concerns and agreed to look at alternatives, so that was encouraging.”

Following that meeting, VDOT officials were scheduled to have a lengthier discussion with Barrett about the details of her environmental study. VDOT was given the study six weeks ago, and is only now getting around to reviewing it, Hasty said. “VDOT has not been an honest broker in this process. There has been a lot of stalling and foot dragging.”
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Craft Gallery showcases work of Annandale artisans

April 28, 2013, 1:59 pm
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The Artisans United Craft Gallery at 4022 Hummer Road, Annandale, displays amazing pieces by incredibly talented artists and crafters from Annandale and throughout the region. It also happens to be a great place to find a special gift for Mother’s Day.

An open house at the gallery Saturday showcased work from the National Capital Art Glass Guild. Future open houses will focus on artists from the other 10 guilds that are part of Artisans United. The guilds specialize in weaving, knitting, carving, woodturning, fiber arts, quilting, polymer clay, basketry, and handcrafting, as well as glass.


Scarves and a hat by Robin Milburn of Annandale, the director of the Craft Gallery.
“As a non-profit organization designed to help raise awareness of handcrafted arts in Fairfax County, we serve as a way for these separate guilds to function as a group, sharing resources and coordinating outreach to the community,” said Cindy Carlson, co-president of Artisans United. The other co-president, Dan Burke, a woodworker who lives in Annandale, was featured in the Annandale Blog in November.


The Craft Gallery only accepts for sale works that are approved by a jury. It is operated as a co-op, and artisans are expected to contribute volunteer hours working in the gallery. Thirty percent of sales proceeds are used to maintain the gallery. It is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Turned-wood pens by Bob Kahane of Annandale are $40 to $60.
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More citizen involvement urged in Fairfax County planning process

April 29, 2013, 7:00 am
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Fifteen houses are being built on this property on Backlick Road in Annandale, despite neighborhood opposition.
The new Fairfax County land use planning process known as Fairfax Forward could lead to more strategic thinking about development, but only if the plan is revised to strengthen provisions on citizen involvement.

That’s the view of  Providence District Council (PDC) Chair Charlie Hall, who submitted comments on Fairfax Forward to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) last week. The Mason District Council supports the position of the PDC.

A staff report on Fairfax Forward issued in February “was disturbingly silent on several critical avenues of citizen and community involvement in reviewing land use proposals,” states PDC’s comments. “Without amended language to ensure full and meaningful community review, PDC fears that Fairfax Forward could be construed in a way that reduces, rather than expands, community involvement in charting Fairfax’s future.”

The BOS had originally scheduled a hearing on Fairfax Forward for April 30, but Chair Sharon Bulova postponed it until July 9. Bulova told the Annandale Blog she supports Fairfax Forward, but “it’s important to take our time with it to ensure everyone is in support of change. I don’t want to lose the citizen engagement piece in the APR [Area Plans Review] process.” Bulova referred the plan to the board’s Development Process Committee, which is scheduled to discuss it June 11.

According to Hall, despite several public meetings over the past year, “Fairfax Forward has gotten very far along without a lot of clarity about what it would do. Even though it’s been around for a couple of years, people are only now starting to focus on it, he said. “Outreach never brought clarity.” At an informational session on Fairfax Forward during a Mason District Land Use Committee meeting last June, for example, there was a lot of confusion about how it would change the planning process.

According to Hall, there were both good and bad aspects to the APR system. On the positive side, there was a very clear timetable of when new projects will be considered. But what is not good, is that “every project was reviewed one at a time, never in context,” he said.

When it comes to what Fairfax County calls “activity centers,” like Annandale and Seven Corners, Hall notes that Fairfax Forward would require a review of all the secondary impacts of redevelopment, such as increased traffic and pressures on school enrollment. “That would be a big plus,” Hall said. “It is important to look at all the consequences of development.”

Public input crucial

What’s absolutely crucial to Hall, is that Fairfax Forward be revised to ensure there is a strong requirement for public involvement.

While the plan calls for the creation of task forces at the early stages of the planning process, the PDC urges Fairfax Forward to also require “all final proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan be subject to a back-end review by a broadly based representative citizen body, such as the traditional APR task force or a districtwide land use committee. This would ensure that any new planning visions mesh with those of resident stakeholders.”

According to the PDC, the suggestion in the staff report that the current model be replaced with “focus groups” would be a “major step backward.”

“No matter what kind of study you do, when a proposal gets to the point when it is submitted to the Planning Commission, there needs to be an opportunity for the public to take another look at it,” Hall said. “Does it really serve the community or a developer’s narrow interest? We’re calling for a back-end check.” 

Hall is also concerned about the need for strong public outreach. “Any public process is only good if people know it’s happening,” he said. “It’s very hard to get people to focus on development issues in time. When people come to the process too late in the game, it’s too hard to slow down the project.”

Neighborhood stability

Whether Fairfax Forward makes it easier for developer’s to carry out infill projects within established neighborhoods “remains to be seen,” Hall said.

PDC would like Fairfax Forward to include “a reaffirmation that there be a commitment to preserving stable neighborhoods—not just from redevelopment, but from constant redevelopment battles.” A case in point is the conflict over the Peace Valley Lane project in Ravenwood Park. The PDC also urges the county to preserve the “North-South County planning calendar” to prevent developers from trying to “aggressively use the out-of-turn planning process,” which is what happened at Peace Valley Lane.

It’s “very traumatic” when neighborhood groups have to constantly engage in battles against developers,” Hall said. “It’s like a horror movie; you beat it down and it comes back again and again.”

Another important issue involves projects that fall into more than one magisterial district. The recently approved Brightview assisted living project on Gallows Road, for example, is in Mason District but close to Providence. The PDC calls for a broad notification process so all affected stakeholders can learn about a proposed development even if it’s in another district.

“We welcome a more thoughtful approach, but will this actually work from a community perspective? Neighborhoods feel outgunned by more sophisticated developers,” Hall said. “It feels too much like an insider’s game.”

Developers want to get their projects approved as quickly as possible. On the other hand, neighborhood groups and local residents often don’t understand what’s going on and don’t get involved until it’s too late. With Fairfax Forward, “there should be more opportunities to have front-end input,” Hall said.

Getting it right is crucial, Hall said. “Land use is forever. It’s not like a tax increase where citizens can vote supervisors out of office.”
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Volunteers fix up Annandale house for mentally ill tenants

April 30, 2013, 6:30 am
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The residents of 4553 King Edward Court in Annandale probably wouldn’t have been able to live there if it wasn’t for the assistance provided by the Brain Foundation. All four men are affected by mental illness.

They also need help with home repairs and maintenance. So more than 25 volunteers from Temple Rodef Shalomin Falls Church and Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington spent the last two Sundays fixing up the house.

The volunteers repaired a stair railing, installed additional banisters, painted all the rooms, replaced a microwave, removed an old non-working trash compactor to provide more space in the kitchen, put a grate covering on a sump pump, and replaced a bedroom door that had been damaged by an angry resident. The home repair effort was just one of dozens of community service projects carried out by temple members this month. 
Volunteers from Temple Rodef Shalom fix an awning to be installed over the basement stairs. Left to right: Fred Abbey, Hal Gluskokter, and Russ Roseman.

Over the past 10 years, the non-profit Brain Foundation purchased seven townhouses and rented them to people with brain diseases, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Two of the houses are on the same street in Annandale, three are in Fairfax, one is in Reston, and one is in Fair Lakes.

Brain Foundation founder and board chair Trudy Harsh prefers the term “brain disease,” because “mental illness has such a stigma and there is no real definition of it. The brain is an organ and is subject to disease just like the heart and kidney,” she says.

Pathway Homes, a mental health services organization based in Fairfax, selects the tenants and provides counseling and other services to them, such as advice on handling money and getting along with roommates.

There’s a huge waiting list for assistance. According to Harsh, there are 500 people with brain diseases in Fairfax County who need housing.

Dinez Bilgen and George Rogers of Temple Rodef Shalom paint a hallway.
The residents of 4553 King Edward Court include a 56-year-old man who works at a grocery store, a man in his 20s who works at a recreation center, and two who rely on federal Supplemental Security Income. They weren’t home when the volunteers worked on their house.

All of the tenants in the Brain Foundation program contribute rent—set at 30 percent of income. The foundation pays the utility bills and HOA fees. The furnishings are donated by churches, synagogues, and individuals.
The Brain Foundation purchases houses that are within walking distance of a grocery store and public transportation, Harsh says. Each house has four bedrooms and four tenants, which allows everyone to have some privacy. The two houses in Annandale are all male; some of the other houses are all female.

Before they received housing from the Brain Foundation, many of the tenants of these houses were homeless. Others were in mental health facilities or lived with their aging parents. In some cases, they had trouble finding an apartment because of previous trouble with the law.

While there have been instances where tenants of Brain Foundation houses have been evicted because of behavior problems, Harsh said the only complaint from neighbors of the Annandale houses had to do with the TV being too loud.

Harsh calls the homes provided by the Brain Foundation “Laura’s Houses,” in honor of her daughter, who had suffered brain injury at age 8 caused by surgery to remove a tumor. Laura struggled with physical and emotional issues for the next 30 years, and Harsh saw how difficult it is for people with brain injuries to find housing. “I saw a failing system. I don’t think we’re getting much better,” she says.
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Four charged in armed robbery in Annandale

April 30, 2013, 9:50 am
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Fairfax County police officers arrested four men for armed robbery at the Little River Plaza Shopping Center in Annandale last night.

According to a news release from the Mason Police Distinct, the men, all from Prince Georges County, Md., were in the process of robbing a 15-year-old boy at gunpoint, when the officer while on patrol in the 7400 block of Little River Turnpike, noticed a car creeping toward him with its lights turned off.

The boy had placed an online ad to sell a pair of Nike sneakers and had scheduled to meet a prospective buyer at around 10:50 p.m. The teen was a passenger in the vehicle and signaled his distress to the officer. The officer, along with back-ups, enacted a high-risk stop.

The four suspects, Marion Kenneth Allen Jr., 22; Cye Adam Penn, 22; Bryant Robinson, 19; and Xavier Hall, 22, were taken into custody and were charged with robbery, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and abduction.

The police remind buyers and sellers using online services to proceed with caution. They should meet during daylight hours, never alone, and in a public place.
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Firehouse Subs donates gear to police and fire departments at Annandale event

May 1, 2013, 6:00 am
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Firehouse Subs founder Robin Sorenson (left) with firefighters and police officers at Pinecrest Plaza in Annandale.

Firefighters and police officers from Arlington and Falls Church gathered at Firehouse Subs in Pinecrest Plaza, Annandale, April 30 to accept a donation of equipment worth more than $39,000 from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

The foundation donated two explosive ordnance disposal tactical protective suits worth more than $19,700 to the Arlington County Fire Department and an Avatar II search and rescue robot worth more than $19,300 to the City of Falls Church Police Department.

The Avatar robot with (left to right) Firehouse Subs employee Khalid Kandah, Falls Church Police officer Alex Cruzvergara, and franchisee Pamela Pitkin.

The robot will allow law enforcement to remotely inspect dangerous situations and gather video and audio intelligence while keeping personnel safe. The donated suits will help protect the department’s bomb technicians and canine handlers in explosive-related situations.

The Firehouse Subs foundation has donated more than $6.3 million to first responders and public safety entities across the nation since it was established in 2005, said Robin Sorenson, who founded Firehouse Subs in 1994 in Jacksonville, Fla., with his brother Chris and serves as president of the foundation.

Both of them, and their father, were firefighters, and the restaurants have a firefighting theme, with uniforms, hats, and axes on the wall and items like the “hook and ladder sub” on the menu. 

Most of the foundation’s funding comes from customer donations, with the balance from employees and franchisees. The company has 613 franchise-run restaurants in 35 states and Puerto Rico and plans to add 140 more this year. There are 15 in Northern Virginia.

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Hess convenience store under construction in central Annandale

May 1, 2013, 12:00 pm
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The new convenience store at the Hess gas station on the corner of Little River Turnpike and John Marr Drive in Annandale was delivered in three pieces from Georgia on April 26 and is being assembled on site. It is expected to be ready to open in July.

The Hess Express store will have the typical items usually found in a 7-Eleven, plus self-serve Dunkin’ Donuts and a Blimpie sub shop, said construction supervisor Barry Eskert with the Mid Atlantic Construction Group, the same company building the Walgreens a few blocks west on Little River Turnike. Outside, there will be eight gas pumps under a canopy, air pumps, vacuums, and, surprisingly, a phone booth.
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Falls Church HS parents express frustration over lack of renovation funds

May 2, 2013, 7:00 am
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A grungy sink in a science lab.
There was a huge amount of frustration vented at a Falls Church High School PTSA meeting May 1 over the lack of progress in getting funds for a badly needed renovation.

School board members Sandy Evans (Mason) and Patty Reed (Providence) listened patiently as parent after parent complained about how their children are stuck in outdated, unsafe science labs and subjected to overheated classrooms with inadequate wiring that precludes the use of smartboards and other technology.

Despite those problems, FCHS is near the bottom on Fairfax County Public Schools’ “renovation queue,” which means it won’t be renovated until 2024. The renovation queue criteria is being changed, though, but even the best-case scenario would only move up the renovation a couple of years.

At the most recent school board meeting, Evans tried to get the board to agree to put some extra money aside for FCHS if there is anything left over in the bond issue going on the November 2013 ballot. There wasn’t enough support for that, even though it wouldn’t affect any school projects already covered by the bond. So, instead, Evans moved to delay a school board vote on the bond issue. That passed by one vote.

Evans is considering a plan to ensure that special consideration be given to the “legacy schools,” the five high schools built in the 1960s. FCHS is the only one that either hasn’t had a major renovation or is not on the next bond.

Renovation queue changes

The reason FCHS was placed so far down the queue, despite its obvious needs, is because the criteria were biased against FCHS’s particular capacity and space issues and because the independent consultant using the criteria on a walk-through of the school didn’t do a good enough job identifying problem areas.

As a result, the school was ranked way lower than expected. One parent at the meeting called it a  “fraudulent analysis” and asked whether anything can be done now to rectify that. The answer appeared to be no; once the queue is done, no “queue jumping” is allowed, said Reed. Any remedies must go forward from this point on.

As the school board begins to discuss revising the renovation queue criteria, “our challenge is to change the criteria in a way that it will help Falls Church,” Evans said, “but that is not as easy as it seems.” She and  Reed plan meet with Jeffrey Platenberg, FCPS assistant superintendent for facilities and transportation services, next week to see how this can be done.

The board will discuss the renovation queue at a May 13 school board work session. Members of the public won’t have an opportunity to speak, but Evans said it will be helpful if lots of FCHS parents show up. The new criteria will be adopted in June, and a walk-through of FCHS is expected to take place this summer.

During the walk-through, Evans said it’s crucial that school staff and parents, if allowed, monitor the assessment to make sure nothing is missed.

Lynne Petrazzuolo, one of the parents who founded UPROAR, a group formed to focus attention on the need for renovation, noted that the last walk-through was done incorrectly, which hurt FCPS in the rankings. For example, the consultant determined that the school has a band room plus a chorus room, when in fact both functions use the same room.

A negative message

Evans agreed with a parent’s contention that the schools inside the beltway are becoming increasingly segregated and that the deterioration of FCHS is causing more middle-class parents to pupil-place their children into other schools with fewer poor kids and minorities.

FCHS Principal Cathy Benner said the school lost 139 students last year. FCHS actually outperformed many other FCPS schools on a recent international assessment, but Benner noted that having inadequate facilities and a poorly maintained appearance sends a negative message.

Also, Benner said, the lack of space means FCPS can’t offer some instructional programs, such as TV production and a full complement of music classes, and that puts FCHS at a disadvantage against other schools.

The school board has been able to use some extra funds left over from a previous bond to fix up some of the school’s bathrooms and install new auditorium seating. FCHS also will be getting two new synthetic turf fields.

Several parents pressed for additional funds for emergency repairs, but there was some concern over the possibility that short-term fixes would hurt the school in the long run by making the need for a major renovation seem less urgent. There was also some discussion about whether FCPS should do simpler renovations on more schools, rather than wait for the money to have a major renovation.

Thanks in part to parents’ strong advocacy on the issue, the school board and administrators recognize the need to renovate FCHS, Evans said. The incoming superintendent, Karen Garza, had lunch at FCHS and toured the school on a recent visit to the county. According to Evans, “Falls Church is on everyone’s radar now.”
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Rafael’s Laura: a woman of mystery

May 3, 2013, 7:00 am
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By Annandale humorist Robert Schwaninger

I recently attended a local, political event where people gather to talk politics but wound up talking about nearly anything else. When you are in a room full of folks who are politically adroit and generally in agreement, then every utterance seems redundant or simply obvious. So, thankfully, there are people there who skillfully avoid politics and just try to have a good time.

These functions do make it possible to catch up on people’s personal lives. For example, I discovered that my friend, Rafael, has a new girlfriend. Given that this girlfriend does not require a foot pump, I was quite impressed by this information. His otherwise lone wolf status is being challenged and we who wish him well are pleased.


But more important, his new semi-attached status made us curious about what lucky woman had caught his eye. Although he may secretly be a modern-day Cesar Romero, his reputation does not lend itself to comparisons to Don Juan. Dom Deluise, maybe.

Although he gave general facts readily, when pressed he did not provide much other data about the lady in his life. For example, he did not wish to provide the lady’s age. This, of course, led to the conclusion that he had either met her at Chuck E. Cheese’s or the Lincolnia Senior Center. We couldn’t decide if he was spending evenings playing with “My Little Pony” or engaging in rousing games of “Hide the Teeth.”

We also never discovered what the lady does for a living. Again, we were left with pure speculation and rumor. I personally started the rumor that she was a door-to-door ferret saleswoman. This is because I like rumors that involve things that squeak and claw, like Michelle Bachmann. 

Now Rafael was a bit forthcoming. We learned that the lady’s name is Laura. Since I have a sister name Laura, I made a quick call to confirm that it wasn’t her and that she and her partner are still gay. I like Rafael, but a little miscommunication could have had embarrassing results.

We also found out that Laura plays the oboe. I don’t know where you stand on this particular instrument that, as I recall, was essential to the classic “Peter and the Wolf.”  But it is in that category of instruments where nobody knows any famous player. Try to name the top three oboist of the last century. You can’t. The same goes for the bassoon, French horn, tuba, and the B-flat flugelhorn. 

So, Laura has chosen an instrument that guarantees that she will remain somewhat anonymous.  She is in life’s orchestra, but hiding behind an undersized didgeridoo where she can enjoy privacy while still in full view.  And so she was this past week.

As you may have guessed, Laura did not attend this week’s event. Although the buzz surrounded words of her existence, she continued to be an enigma left to the imagination of Rafael’s friends.  Yet, her mention created enough stimulating speculation that we forgot about politics for a time and concentrated solely on unsuccessfully pumping Rafael for information.

Laura, if you do indeed exist and are not simply a chimera of Rafael’s desperate imagination, I wish to thank you publicly. You were the life of the party. And though we can only guess about you, it was more fun than discussing politics. Which is like saying it was more fun than debating drywall versus sheet rock. 
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D.C. man shot in Landmark area

May 3, 2013, 9:01 am
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Police are investigating a shooting that occurred Friday, May 3, in the Landmark area of the Mason District.

A 21-year-old man from Washington, D.C., was walking through a parking garage on Little River Turnpike when he was approached from behind and shot in the upper body, according to a notice from the Fairfax County Police Department. The victim did not see the suspect but reports hearing more than one person flee on foot. The victim was transported to a local hospital and currently is in stable condition.

According to the police, this appears to be an isolated incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers, 866/411-TIPS/8477, or the police, 703/691-2131.
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Annandale Walgreens to open this fall

May 4, 2013, 9:45 am
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The new Walgreens under construction between Little River Turnpike, Columbia Pike, and Backlick Road is scheduled to open this fall. The 12,878-square foot building will have a drive-through pharmacy, and about 20 to 25 employees, said Walgreens spokesperson Robert  Elfinger.

Even before it opens, Walgreens is showing an interest in the community. There are tentative plans for Walgreens to participate in a health fair with the ACCA Child Development Center in late May or early June.

The new Walgreens going up on Annandale Road near Route 50 will be larger, 14,550 square feet, and will also have a drive-through pharmacy, said Elfinger. That store is expected to open in summer 2014.

When deciding on new store locations, Elfinger said, Walgreens considers census data, population density, demographics, and vehicular and pedestrian traffic. “We want great corner locations that allow us to serve as many residents as we can,” he said, noting that the existence of a CVS or other drug store across the street isn’t a disadvantage.
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Young boy in street killed by car

May 5, 2013, 9:25 am
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A four-year-old boy was killed as he was attempting to cross the street at the 6300 block of Stevenson Avenue in the west end of Alexandria Saturday, May 4, the Alexandria Police Department reports.

According to a police department news release, an 84-year-old man was driving a 2010 Jeep Commander eastbound on Stevenson Avenue when the boy ran into the street. The boy’s mother ran after him and both of them were struck by the Jeep at 11:05 a.m. Both were transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead. The mother sustained non-life threatening injuries.

A report in the Washington Post, however, says that while the mother was part of the group getting ready to cross the street, it was the boy’s aunt who was injured and who also protected a 3-year-old relative.

The police department’s Crash Reconstruction Team is investigating the incident. Witnesses are asked to call the police, 703/746-4444.

The accident occurred close to where the I-395 ramp is being constructed.
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Lots of candidates running in the Virginia primaries

May 6, 2013, 6:30 am
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State Sen. Ralph Northam, a candidate for lieutenant governor, speaks at a campaign event in Annandale May 5. Standing next to him are Del. Kaye Kory and Sen. Dick Saslaw.
We’ve got a whole slew of candidates running for statewide offices in the primaries this year. Seven candidates for lieutenant governor and two candidates for attorney general are facing off in the Republican primary June 11. The Democratic primary, also June 11, will have two lieutenant governor and two attorney general candidates on the ballot.

There won’t be a primary in the race for governor, as there is just one candidate from each party: Republican  Ken Cuccinelli, the current attorney general and a Tea Party favorite, vs. Democrat Terry McAuliffe, former chair of the Democratic Party and co-chair of President Clinton’s re-election campaign. Cuccinelli is currently embroiled in Gov. Bob McDonnell’s troubles with Star Scientific, which is the subject of an FBI investigation.

Here’s a list of the candidates in the primaries.

Lieutenant governor – Republicans

Jeannemarie Davis– Former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate; lives in Vienna; married to former Republican congressman Tom Davis.

E.W. Jackson– Christian conservative activist; Marine veteran; lawyer; manager of gospel radio station;  founder of Exodus Faith Ministries in Chesapeake, Va.

Scott Lingamfelter– Represented Prince William and Fauquier counties in the House of Delegates since 2001; Army veteran; wants to reduce “intrusion of all levels of government in the lives of our hardworking citizens and the businesses that employ them.”

Steve Martin– Represented Chesterfield County, Amelia County, and Colonial Heights in the state Senate since 1994; served in the House of Delegates from 1987 to 1994.

Pete Snyder–Founder and former CEO of New Media Strategies and founder of Disruptor Capital; Fox News contributor; lives in Fairfax County; describes himself as pro-life and “ardent defender of the Second Amendment.”

Corey Stewart– Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors; endorsed by the Virginia Tea Party Patriots; takes credit for “implementing the nation’s toughest crackdown on illegal immigration” and says he is “100 percent pro life and believes in traditional marriage.”

Susan Stimson– Chair of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors; describes herself as “100 percent pro-life” and “100 percent defender of gun rights”; vows to cut state spending.

Lieutenant governor – Democrats

Aneesh Chopra– Appointed Virginia secretary of technology by Gov. Tim Kaine; appointed the nation’s first chief technology officer by President Obama in 2009; lives in Arlington; believes “state government can be faster, smarter, better, and fairer.”

Ralph Northam– Represented the Norfolk area in the Virginia Senate since 2007; pediatric neurologist; Army veteran; supports reproductive rights for women and a ban on assault rifles.

Attorney general – Democrats

Justin Fairfax– Former assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in the major crimes and narcotics division; lives Northern Virginia; won straw poll by Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia.

Mark Herring– Served in the Virginia Senate since 2006, representing parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties; opposes efforts to take away women’s rights and efforts to roll back voting rights.

Attorney general – Republicans

Rob Bell– Represented Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Rockingham counties in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2001.

Mark Obenshain– Served in the Senate since 2003, representing Harrisonburg and parts of surrounding counties. Endorsed by the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation

Voting information

Check your voter registration status and polling location on the Virginia State Board of Elections website. For information about absentee voting, see the Fairfax County Office of Elections website.
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Five Annandale neighborhoods jointly host yard sales next Saturday

May 6, 2013, 11:52 am
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For the first time, five west Annandale neighborhoods have gotten together to host simultaneous yard sales. The yard sales take place next Saturday, May 11, 8 a.m.-noon, rain or shine, in the cul-de-sacs and driveways throughout Chapel Square, Chapel Square West,  Chapel Lakes, Oak Hill, and Chapel Hill.

The neighborhoods are accessible from Wakefield Chapel Road (via Little River Turnpike by NOVA or Braddock Road). From there, drive along Braeburn Drive, Tollhouse Road, Queen Elizabeth Boulevard (north side), Duncan Drive, and Holborn Road—plus nearby side streets. The yard sales are cash only.  
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Historic marker commemorates Bog Wallow Ambush

May 7, 2013, 6:00 am
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A new historic marker was unveiled May 5 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Dunleigh Drive in Burke to commemorate a Civil War skirmish known as the “Bog Wallow Ambush.” The marker is just outside Annandale, between Rolling Road and Guinea Road.

The unveiling was conducted by descendants of the Union scout who planned the ambush of Confederate cavalry and was severely wounded during the attack. Following the ceremony, participants were invited for refreshments at the historic Oak Hill house on Wakefield Chapel Road in Annandale, which was the home of David Fitzhugh at the time of the skirmish and played a significant role in the Bog Wallow incident.

Here’s the text of the Bog Wallow Ambush historic marker:

“On 4 December 1861, fifty-five men of the 3rd New Jersey Infantry, Col. George W. Taylorcommanding, set an ambush nearby in retaliation for attacks on Union pickets. They stretched two telegraph wires across Braddock Road at the eastern end of a “perfect bog hole” to dismount riders. Near midnight, twenty-four Georgia Hussars cavalrymen, led by Capt. J. Fred. Waring, entered the trap from the west. A “sheet of fire” erupted from the tree line along the swamp's edge. The Confederates returned fire and escaped with four men wounded and one captured. Union losses were one killed, two wounded and one captured.”
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VDOT is failing to play fair in the I-395 ramp pollution issue

May 7, 2013, 8:52 am
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Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton (left) with local residents at the ramp site.
Residents of the Landmark area are “deeply disappointed” in VDOT’s failure to address their concerns about the impact of dangerously high levels of pollution resulting from a new ramp on Interstate 395.

Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton, Fairfax County Chair Sharon Bulova, Alexandria Mayor William Euille, and other public officials met with members of Concerned Residents of Landmark (CROL) April 26.

“While several potential alternative locations [for the ramp] were raised during the discussion, the crux of our concerns—and the reason our group exists—were not fully addressed,” CROL  co-founder Mary Hasty wrote to in the letter to Connaughton. “Our primary concern remains the devastating effect this project will have on the public health of over 75,000 Alexandria and Fairfax County residents.”



CROL is unhappy that a planned in-depth meeting with VDOT officials and CROL’s air quality expert, Maureen Barrett, took place after, rather than before, CROL’s visit with Connaughton. At that session, Connaughton and the other public officials walked to the ramp site then met in Hasty’s house, where local residents talked about their concerns with the ramp.

During the subsequent meeting on air quality, Maureen Barrett, the author of the independent study commissioned by CROL, met with Jim Ponticello and John Lynch of VDOT. While VDOT “quibbled over numbers and approaches, none of VDOT’s comments challenged the core findings of our study—that the project will result in a serious public health hazard due to dramatically increased local congestion and resultant spikes in specific pollutants,” states the letter from CROL to Connaughton.

Further, “the meeting revealed troubling indications of VDOT’s minimalist approach to its responsibility to determine the impact of its project on local residents prior to construction,” CROL charges. VDOT violated federal regulations by failing to conduct an impact analysis at the site of the ramp by Turkeycock Run. In addition, Ponticello repeatedly admitted that VDOT did not use up-to-date modeling tools and did not analyze the localized impacts of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and participate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), which can cause short and long-term lung disease.

According to CROL, “VDOT has placed construction deadlines and the collection of tolls over the protection of people’s health.”

Hasty blames VDOT for being “shameless in its dirty tactics” in refusing to meet with Barrett before the larger meeting so she could have pointed out to Connaughton the lack of substance in VDOT’s claims against her study.  VDOT refused to give her a summary of their points of contention with her study prior to the meeting so she could prepare, even though VDOT had previously promised to do so.

VDOT has had Barrett’s study since January but kept delaying an analysis of its validity. Eventually, VDOT hired two private firms to review the study, even though both firms have had multiple contracts with VDOT, which Hasty calls a “glaring conflict of interest.”

“ While it may be cynical, some among us think that the reason the review took so long was because the initial review revealed no damning results and VDOT demanded a redo so the companies could come up with ‘the right answer,’" Hasty charges.

VDOT openly admitted to choosing the least precise methods in its air quality study, relied on EPA guidance from the 1980s rather than using federally approved up-to-date models, and conducted an analysis of air quality at a location four miles away from where the ramp is being built.

“We believe that this least-common-denominator approach was intentional,” Hasty says, “because had VDOT conducted a proper analysis of the local site, had they conducted analysis of two of the most dangerous vehicle-produced pollutants (NO2 and PM 2.5), and had they used the most up-to-date and precise modeling tools and methods, the danger and health impact would have been impossible to ignore and the project would not have been approved. “
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Pedestrian improvements under way at Little River/Heritage intersection

May 8, 2013, 6:00 am
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Pedestrian improvements are under way at the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Hummer/Heritage roads in Annandale.

The project involves a new crosswalk painted across Little River, new walk signals, handicapped ramps and sidewalks from Americana Drive to Little River, and other improvements, said Giles Njumbe, construction manager at VDOT.  The work should be completed in September.
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