Author: David Taube

Arlington Forest Homeowner’s New Tree Sculpture Depicts Greek Myth

By David Taube

A sugar maple has turned into a breathtaking wood-carved sculpture.

Local artist Andrew Mallon, known for similar artwork in the area, created the Greek mythological scene that shows when Daphne fled from Apollo and turned into a tree.

It’s on a side yard of Mary Maruca’s home on N. Park Drive, in the Arlington Forest neighborhood near Lubber Run Amphitheater.

“The decision to create the sculpture came as I wrestled with the pain of taking down the last of the three old trees that had lived in my yard before I bought my house,” she tells ARLnow.

Sugar maples can live for hundreds of years, and Maruca estimates this was one was a mere 80 years old. But an arborist diagnosed a fungus on it, so she needed to intervene due to its location between her and her neighbor’s homes.

Days before she was going to have the tree removed, she thought about turning it into a sculpture and reached out to Mallon. The timing seemed magical.

Maruca was always struck by illustrator Arthur Rackham’s depiction of Daphne’s escape, and Mallon did his own research, too. Mallon has turned dead and felled trees into sculptures of animals and more. He and Maruca collaborated with their ideas before the artist turned the tree into the art.

“After Andrew completed the sculpture, I also had a sense of another level of its significance — that it also made a state about times of change and what they require of us,” Maruca said. “Indeed, forms may change but beauty remains, and struggle is definitely part of that process.”

Though Daphne is depicted in a state of undress, unlike Rackham’s depiction Mallon gave her some strategic coverings, using meticulously sculpted leaves and part of the tree trunk. That should be more palatable to neighbors than the famous topless mermaid sculpture in Leeway-Overlee — the work of a Frederick, Md. sculptor — which attracted national media attention before being cut down in 2011.

Photos via Andrew Mallon/Facebook

County Looks at $1M to Expand Post-Pandemic Virtual Meeting Options

By David Taube

Arlington County is taking steps toward making virtual meeting participation a post-pandemic option for residents, staff and local officials.

“We are all trying to figure out what worked really well about virtual engagement and adapting it,” County Board Vice Chair Katie Cristol tells ARLnow.

The board expects to transition back to in-person meetings in June or July, Cristol said. But hybrid formats, such as in-person board and commission meetings with virtual public comments, could be here to stay.

County staff are working on securing funding to expand virtual and hybrid meeting options as part of the three-year Capital Improvement Plan, which the County Board is slated to adopt in July. The plan includes $1 million for adding or enhancing audio and visual capabilities in conference rooms.

The upgrades would help broaden public participation, “making in-person meetings accessible virtually by others unable to participate” in-person, according to a staff presentation.

Last year, Gov. Ralph Northam issued an emergency order and legislators changed state law to allow for online government meetings during the pandemic. Legislation approved in March will allow local officials to be exempt from in-person meeting standards during emergencies declared by local governing bodies, in addition to ones declared by the governor.

State open-meeting laws also allow officials on an individual, limited basis to attend a meeting virtually in certain circumstances, such as a temporary disability or personal matter.

The new legislation is not as robust as some officials advocated for last year, however. County Board member Libby Garvey and other women in politics testified before the Virginia Freedom of Information Association Council — a state agency that helps resolve disputes over Freedom of Information issues — and signed a joint letter supporting more flexible rules governing virtual attendance for public officials.

Now, Arlington County officials are looking to keep some virtual meeting adaptations in place, noting that other governmental bodies benefited from gathering virtually.

Cristol said many people, including appointed commission members who aren’t compensated for their time, can face difficulties with participating in meetings when juggling children’s needs, work and other issues.

She said in an email that the capital improvement proposal would be a foundational step toward “being able to livestream every commission and committee meeting.”

Pre-pandemic, Arlington County live-streamed only key meetings, including those of the County Board, Planning Commission and Transportation Commission.

After Pandemic Hiatus, Arlington County Fair Returns

By David Taube

The county fair, a longstanding event and summer staple, is returning to Arlington this August.

Last year, organizers canceled the fair and took some events online due to the pandemic.

Now set for Aug. 18-22, the annual event will feature goat yoga and a beer garden — both of which debuted at the 2019 fair — as well as carnival rides, vendors, exhibits, music, and fair food. It will return to the Thomas Jefferson Community Center and grounds, at 3501 2nd Street S.

“2021 is the 45th anniversary of the Arlington County Fair!” said Barbi Broadus, chair of the Arlington County Fair board of directors. “We are planning a full fair experience for our fairgoers.”

And fairgoers are ready to experience fairs in all their glory, according to Broadus.

“Our ride vendor, RC Cole of Cole Shows, has been providing rides for fairs on the East Coast and said he was surprised by the enormous turnout he is seeing,” she said.

The news comes as other local programming, from food events to college commencements, are returning to normal.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now say that fully vaccinated people don’t have to wear a mask even at crowded events. Virginia ended distancing requirements Friday, but businesses can still impose restrictions. Some exceptions still apply for wearing masks, such as health care facilities, public transit and indoors in Virginia schools.

The fair’s schedule is “coming soon,” according to its website.

Civic Federation Mulls Possible Reforms to Arlington Government, Elections

By David Taube

Arlington County’s form of government has largely stayed the same since 1930. Now, a local civic organization is inviting Arlingtonians to consider possible reforms.

The Arlington County Civic Federation, a nonprofit that provides a forum for about 90 civic groups to discuss community topics, is holding a series of Zoom meetings to discuss reforms, from changing the number of County Board members and their term limits to moving to ward-based Board representation to using ranked-choice voting.

“We are excited to engage in this important work of exploring ways to make our already well-functioning government even better and more representative of the communities it serves,” said Chris Wimbush, who chairs the subgroup looking into these changes.

That subgroup is the Task Force in Governance and Election Reform (TiGER), which was formed to look into implementing ranked-choice voting and other electoral reforms. CivFed launched the group after the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation allowing ranked-choice voting in local elections.

The committee’s deep dive includes these discussions, which kicked off May 17 and will continue every Monday through July, except Memorial Day. These meetings will evaluate the current state of Arlington elections, its form of government and public input structures, as well as models for reform.

“Arlington citizens can expect that the TiGER will, over the next year, conduct public fora and meetings regarding the current state of Arlington’s form of government and electoral system,” according to a press release. “TiGER will regularly report to the Arlington County Board, the Arlington School Board, community and civic groups, and the CivFed membership.”

The subgroup is also tasked with improving representation on the County Board and evaluating district representation rather than county-wide board elections. Already, the discussions have drawn people who want to see changes.

“I think in Arlington we’re so heavily Democratic,” attendee Douglas MacIvor said during the first meeting. “I like the district concept in order to get… different communities represented, but then I would worry that each district would end up becoming more polarized if we don’t have some mechanism to try to push towards more moderation from those candidates.”

Another meeting attendee, Michael Beer, said Arlington is diverse in ethnicity, gender and age but “where we’re falling short substantially is in competitive races.”

Ranked-choice voting, the main reason why TiGER was formed, is one of the biggest changes being discussed. People would rank their top County Board and School Board candidates and in cascading series of rounds the candidate with the fewest number of votes would be eliminated until a winner is selected.

Proponents say it can help more minorities get elected and reduce the impact of “spoiler” candidates who “siphon” votes away from leading ones. Still, some communities have repealed the election format after adopting it.

George Mason University’s Mark Rozell, the dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government, told ARLnow that ranked-choice voting can help more centrist candidates but not always.

“I give the edge to candidates who have broader rather than intensive factional support,” Rozell said about the people who benefit from instant runoffs.

Ranked-choice voting has already been tested in Arlington. Last year, the Arlington County Democratic caucus used it, resulting in Takis Karantonis leapfrogging to victory in the third round to capture the party’s County Board nomination. He went on to win a seat on the board last July.

This change would require the County Board to pass an ordinance but local officials are still waiting on more state guidance. Gretchen Reinemeyer, the county’s general registrar, said guidelines could be discussed in June by the Virginia State Board of Elections.

One TiGER member, Chanda Choun, is stepping aside while he challenges Karantonis in his bid for the County Board.

It’s not just civically-involved residents who have argued for changes to the way Arlington is governed. Longtime former Arlington County Board member Jay Fisette said shortly before his retirement that he thinks Arlington’s form of government should be changed from that of a county, governed by an elected County Board and managed by an unelected County Manager, to that of a city, with an elected mayor and city council.

In 2010, an attempt to change Arlington’s form of government, to one in which County Board members are elected by districts rather than at-large, failed to gather enough valid petition signatures.

Streetlight Sensors Coming to Clarendon Next Month for Safety Project

By David Taube

A technology initiative to help Arlington emergency responders — by relying on the heat mapping of crowds — is expected to ramp up next month.

The pilot program looks to equip streetlights with sensors on the 2900 block of Wilson Blvd, feeding information to county emergency operations staff and allowing them to monitor potential incidents while helping first responders.

“This means that emergency responders will have more information and more knowledge about an event when arriving upon a situation,” Holly Hartell, assistant chief information officer for strategic initiatives with Arlington County, said in an email.

The sensors won’t provide images of individuals but instead will help with counting people, bicycles and vehicles, according to the county. The devices in the pilot will also be able to gather changes in temperature, relative humidity and air quality, the county says.

Sketch images will be gathered during a one-week testing period to compare actual crowd sizes to an algorithm connected to the sensors, but no images will be captured after that time, Hartell said.

The sensors will be on a wireless network, and non-visual metadata will be anonymized, aggregated and eventually sent to the county’s Open Data Portal and Emergency Operations Center watch desk, a room next to the county’s main dispatch floor that’s typically used for monitoring larger events.

Hartell said the installation and testing of the sensors are scheduled for mid- to late-June. Information gathered by the sensors could be shared on the county’s Open Data Portal as early as this fall.

The project initially considered gathering other kinds of data, such as logging information from nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices like mobile phones, but decided on optical sensors to maximize privacy protection, a county FAQ guide says.

“Arlington County has ownership and full authority over what data is collected,” the county noted in the FAQ.

The county says the technology could improve medical and other public safety response times, as well as awareness of erratic and unexpected incidents.

The project comes through a partnership with Comcast, the nonprofit U.S. Ignite and the state-funded Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.

“To launch the demonstration project, the County is accepting a donation of approximately $90,000 from the project partners,” the county said. “The County’s estimated contribution to the project is $13,601 for contractual services needed to mount and maintain the proposed light fixtures throughout the demonstration project.”

The yearlong demo could also help county officials consider using the technology at other locations in the future.

Photo 1 via Google Maps, photo 2 via Arlington County

County Attorney Leaving for New Job at VRE

By David Taube

Arlington County Attorney Steve MacIsaac is leaving his position after two decades with the county government.

“Our attorney, Mr. MacIsaac, is going to be leaving us to return to where he started — to work for the Virginia Railway Express,” Matt de Ferranti, County Board Chair, said May 18 during a county meeting. “We will certainly miss Mr. MacIsaac.”

MacIsaac will be returning for a newly-created, full-time position as general counsel at Virginia Railway Express (VRE).

“It’s been for me a real pleasure to work with you,” MacIsaac said after County Board members gave him accolades during the meeting. “It’s really been enjoyable to work with you.”

VRE is owned by two parent authorities, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission.

MacIsaac spent 21 years with the county as its county attorney, said County Board Vice-Chair Katie Cristol, who as Chair of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission helped lead others to create the new position at VRE.

“We are losing, in my opinion, the finest county attorney in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” County Board member Christian Dorsey said. “That is a tough pill to swallow.”

MacIsaac has served as part-time counsel to VRE since planning for the commuter rail service began in the mid-1980s.

Before working for Arlington County, McIsaac spent 18 years at the County Attorney’s Office in nearby Prince William County, which VRE services.

VRE connects D.C. with Manassas and I-95 corridor communities — such as Fredericksburg and beyond — with commuter rail service. A revamped Crystal City station is part of VRE’s future expansion plans. VRE is planning on expanding with weekday evening and weekend service, and has existing plans to double its daily train passengers by 2040.

Prince William County Supervisor Margaret Franklin, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission Chair, said MacIsaac’s “in-depth knowledge of VRE and the jurisdictions it serves will allow us to chart a course for the future that will better serve our communities and passengers.”

The County Board has appointed deputy county attorney MinhChau Corr as acting attorney after MacIsaac leaves. A search for his permanent replacement is expected to begin sometime this summer, county spokeswoman Cara O’Donnell said in an email.

MacIsaac’s last day will be this Friday, May 28. He’ll start his new position next week.

“Thank you,” MacIsaac said. “It’s been a great ride.”

County Lawsuit Over Opioid Harm Seeks More Than $150 Million

By David Taube

Arlington County has hit a setback in its fight against the opioid epidemic, as a high-stakes legal battle is mired in a squabble over where the case should be tried.

The county is currently suing dozens of businesses, such as CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, McKesson Corporation and Express Scripts. In its lawsuit, the county says these manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies were key players in the opioid problem.

The County Board is seeking “at least” $150 million plus other damages — punitive damages of $350,000 per defendant.

The suit argues that the epidemic has harmed the Arlington community in myriad ways, ranging from more babies exposed to the drugs and increased health care costs to impacts on everything from courts to schools’ treatment centers and employee benefit plans.

“‘Arlington County has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic,’ with increasing rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome and Hepatitis C since 2011,” notes a court document. “Moreover, the rate of overdose deaths in Arlington County has approximately tripled during the period of 1999 to 2016.”

The suit alleges that businesses caused harm by “misrepresenting the dangers of opioids, by failing in their obligations to report suspicious orders of opioid drugs, by working with their related pharmaceutical benefit manager entities to increase the usage of opioids, by flooding the country (and Arlington County)” with addictive drugs and more, lawyers for the county previously said in a court filing.

In court, the county has accused the defendants of gross negligence, unjust enrichment, conspiracy and more, saying prescription drug manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies have created this epidemic.

Lawyers for the county said the addictive pain medications — sometimes prescribed for everyday conditions such as knee pain, headaches and dental pain — can act as a gateway drug to heroin and more.

As the suit has worked its way through the legal system since 2019, the county and the defendants have tangled over which court should hear the case, with the county pushing for state court, and at least one defendant arguing for federal court as the venue. Earlier this month the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to the lower federal court for further proceedings.

In appealing a U.S. district court decision about the venue selection, two defendants, Express Scripts Pharmacy Inc. and ESI Mail Pharmacy Service Inc., have argued they were administering a mail order pharmacy as part of the military’s TRICARE health program, thus making it a federal case, the appeals court said.

Those two affiliated defendants did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The county said pharmacy benefit managers, including Express Scripts and others, are gatekeepers to the vast majority of opioid prescriptions in the U.S. and therefore influence prescription drug utilization, suggesting responsibility for monitoring and guarding against misconduct.

Photo by Joe Gratz/Flickr

Three-Ton Bell Hoisted into the Netherlands Carillon Near Rosslyn

By David Taube

A music-producing memorial tied to World War II received some fanfare this morning, as part of a restoration effort that began in 2019.

The towering Netherlands Carillon, located near the Marine Corps War Memorial and a short walk from Rosslyn, had its bells removed and shipped back to the Netherlands for restoration and tuning. The country gifted the memorial to the U.S. for its help during and after the war.

On Thursday morning, a new bell weighing over three tons was raised by a crane, in a ceremony that featured the U.S. and Dutch anthems as well as speakers including André Haspels, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The hoisted George C. Marshall Bell is named after the former secretary of state who under President Harry Truman helped Western Europe rebuild with the Marshall Plan.

The bell, along with two other new bells, were cast in 2020 in the Netherlands.

The carillon was first installed in D.C. in West Potomac Park before being relocated next to the war memorial in Arlington in 1960.

The three new bells will make it a grand carillon — a term for the musical instruments that have more than 50 bells.

The other two bells will be added later, and the National Park Service expects the restoration to be complete by this fall. Those other bells are being named in honor of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Another Independent Is Running for Arlington County Board

By David Taube

Mike Cantwell is seeking an Arlington County Board seat.

Arlington’s elections office confirmed Wednesday morning that Cantwell indicated by email his intention to run but hadn’t yet filed paperwork.

Cantwell told ARLnow.com that he’s running as an independent.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he’s held positions with the federal government and currently works for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency as a branch chief. He has two graduate degrees, including one from the U.S. Naval War College.

Cantwell said he wants to “end one-party rule” in Arlington, focus on core services, curb rapid urbanization, support small businesses by lowering taxes, and better fund the county auditor’s office.

He will face the Democratic nominee, either County Board incumbent Takis Karantonis or challenger Chanda Choun, as well as independent Audrey Clement, a frequent candidate for local office.

Democrats will choose their nominee through a June 8 primary. Arlington Republicans have until June 13 to nominate a candidate for the general election.

Cantwell and his wife have three children, ages 21, 19 and 16.

Among his numerous activities within the community, he’s the president of the Yorktown Civic Association and former board member of the Lee Highway Alliance that’s sought to revitalize the corridor to benefit businesses and neighborhoods.

Cantwell has been active with the nonprofit Arlington County Civic Federation, but resigned from his position on the federation’s board last month to pursue a run for County Board. He is also the vice president of FairVote Virginia, an organization seeking election reform, particularly with ranked-choice voting.

The five-person County Board, whose members serve four-year terms, currently consists entirely of Democrats. The last time an independent candidate won a seat there was John Vihstadt in 2014.

Karantonis secured a partial term to the seat in a July 2020 special election, following the death of former Board member Erik Gutshall.

Cantwell and the other three candidates are set to appear together via Zoom for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s annual County Board Candidate Forum this coming Tuesday, May 25.

Photo courtesy Mike Cantwell

New Vet and Pet Play Center Debuting at Ballston Quarter

By David Taube

A new combination veterinarian service, dog daycare and grooming business is being unveiled at the Ballston Quarter.

Heart + Paw’s grand opening is this Saturday, at 700 N. Randolph Street, marking the company’s first location in Virginia. Company co-founder George Melillo said the spot was a natural choice.

“Our vision has been to create a destination that has multiple pet care services in one location, led by the most trusted partner in animal care, the veterinarian,” Melillo, who is also the company’s chief veterinary officer, said in an email.

People and their leashed pets are invited to check out the new facility and meet the staff there from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are required, and $50 discounts and other rewards are available, including a grand prize worth $500 for your pet.

“We are looking forward to offering our services at the vibrant, pet-friendly Ballston Quarter,” Dr. Noon Kampani, the location’s partner doctor, said in a news release. “As families transition back to normalcy and return to the office, Heart + Paw is here to be a part of making sure your pet is well cared for.”

The location was slated to open in 2020, but the business delayed the debut so people could see the new center firsthand.

“Throughout the pandemic, Heart + Paw has continued to grow,” Melillo told ARLnow.com, noting that “we slowed down our expansion in order to assure that we were balancing the needs of existing essential care providers: keeping our people safe, the public safe and serving the pet care needs of our communities.”

The location is next to LensCrafters on the first floor of the retail center’s open-air row of shops. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Photo courtesy Heart + Paw

Mural Ideas Wanted for Crystal City Metro Station Entrance

By David Taube

A blank canvas awaits artists next to a busy Metro entrance.

The National Landing Business Improvement District is looking for designs for a Crystal City Metro station project: creating a mural on a blank retaining wall to greet travelers.

The winner will have a space about 115 feet long and 20 feet high for their artwork.

The art project comes amid an overhaul of the station plaza with new seating, a more open layout and other changes to the landscape and area planned for this year, according to the BID.

Other imminent changes slated for the area include a second entrance for the Metro station closer to Crystal Drive as well as the ongoing construction of Amazon’s HQ2 several blocks away.

“As more residents, workers and visitors engage with our community in the coming months, our hope is that this mural, along with the BID’s other art initiatives and creative programming, reflect the exciting and welcoming environment that we are fostering in National Landing,” said BID president Tracy Sayegh Gabriel.

Formerly known as the Crystal City BID, the business improvement district has placed an emphasis on art over the years. In 2020, it held a #LoveNationalLanding art campaign and also sponsored a mural contest in 2019 that transformed the Synetic Theater.

The new mural project calls for “iconic imagery,” providing an Instagram-worthy moment to passersby, and being welcoming to all, according to the project’s request for proposals.

An artist or team of artists must submit a proposal along with an application for consideration by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1. Finalists will be interviewed and receive a stipend for designs.

Photos (1) and (3) via Google Maps, (2) courtesy of National Landing BID

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