Author: Hallie LeTendre

VHC Health opens outpatient pavilion after some three years of construction

By Hallie LeTendre
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VHC Health celebrated the completion of its new outpatient pavilion yesterday afternoon.

The ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday marked the opening of the $250 million, 250,000-square foot facility at 1851 N. Edison Street in the Hall’s Hill/High View Park neighborhood.

There, VHC Health — formerly Virginia Hospital Center — will provide outpatient surgery, endoscopy, physical therapy, women’s health and imaging, per a press release. There will also be a pharmacy.

Christopher Lane, the hospital’s president and CEO, said during the ceremony that providing these various services makes it easier to coordinate patient care.

“By bringing outpatient services together under one roof, patients can now be conveniently scheduled for diverse healthcare services and can be seen within the same facility, often on the same day,” Lane said.

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey told ARLnow the ease of getting care will greatly benefit residents.

“This facility will expand the ability for people who need services that don’t require staying in the hospital and getting the most expensive form of care, being emergency services, to get what they need here in Arlington,” Dorsey said. “The pavilion will reduce patient frustration, reduce errors and be a huge benefit to our community.”

State Sen. Barbara Favola applauded VHC Health’s effort to reduce emergency visits for Virginians.

“VHC Health has embraced this mission,” she said during the ceremony. “Our outpatient facility will in fact divert individuals from going into emergency care.”

Discussions of a new pavilion began in 2017 and VHC Health proposed an expansion in 2018. The County Board initially voted to delay approving the project so that the hospital could address the concerns of homeowners who live around the hospital.

The Board narrowly approved the plans two months later and the facility broke ground in the fourth quarter of 2019. Work became a source of consternation for nearby residents, who dealt with about a year of poor water quality tied to construction activity.

The hospital already has plans for a future expansion. Next up could be a mental health and rehabilitation facility on the site of its old urgent care facility, intended to address the strain on private hospital emergency rooms to receive psychiatric patients as well as troubling trends in substance use and mental health among teens.

Nearly $2.5 million in intersection upgrades approved by County Board

By Hallie LeTendre
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The Arlington County Board has approved a $2.8 million contract to upgrade traffic signals and streetscapes at three major intersections.

During its meeting on Saturday, the Board accepted plans to update Washington Blvd at N. Glebe Road in the Ballston area, Washington Blvd at N. Patrick Henry Drive in Westover, and S. Glebe Road at S. Eads Street near Crystal City.

The contract for the project stands at about $2.4 million with a contingency of nearly $375,000.

The county currently has a traffic signal infrastructure upgrades program in progress, with a goal of replacing all outdated traffic lights and signals, as explained on the project webpage.

For the three latest intersections, outdated traffic lights will be replaced and pedestrian safety improvements will be installed, the staff report said.

The project webpage notes that traffic signals at many Arlington intersections have “exceeded their intended service life” and that new traffic lights will “meet current Federal and County standards and specifications.”

So far there’s no word yet on when the intersection construction projects will begin. Updates will be provided via email lists, a construction letter, the project’s webpage and NextDoor for interested residents, according to the county.

New bridge over Lubber Run to replace two destroyed in 2019 flooding

By Hallie LeTendre
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Arlington County is working on a replacement for the two bridges over Lubber Run destroyed in severe flash flooding four years ago.

The Arlington County Board is set to discuss a $360,000 construction contract for a new pedestrian bridge at its meeting this weekend.

Flash flooding in 2019 washed away six pedestrian bridges in Arlington, including two in Lubber Run Park and four in Glencarlyn Park. The overall damage to county property was estimated at $6 million at the time.

On Saturday, the Board will consider approving the new bridge in Lubber Run, in place of the two that were destroyed. The contract — of about $329,000 with a $33,000 contingency — is expected to go to Fairfax-based Bright Masonry.

A lower bidder — by just over $30,000 — was “deemed nonresponsive” by county staff, according to a report to the Board.

The project’s goal is to “design one new bridge in the most suitable location for enhancing accessibility around the park,” the staff report said.

One of the bridges in Glencarlyn Park that was washed away was replaced in February of last year.

The proposed construction for Lubber Run involves building one new bridge in the southwest portion of the park to replace the previous two, as explained in the county’s project webpage.

“Through our community engagement and engineers’ analysis, we have found that this location will provide a significant, positive impact on park users and supports the community’s interest,” the webpage noted.

For parkgoers, the proposed bridge will provide access from Lubber Run to Edison Park, staff said. The bridge would also provide a connection between the southwest portion of the park and its east side.

Construction is estimated by staff to take around 12 months and seeks to minimize environmental harm.

“One tree, with exposed roots on the bank, will need to be removed. It already has a very low chance of survival due to its current condition,” the project webpage said. “We will plant healthy trees in the same general areas, which will better support our tree canopy in the long term.”

County Board set to consider $2 million contract for Sparrow Pond restoration

By Hallie LeTendre
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A $2.1 million contract to restore Sparrow Pond in Glencarlyn Park is set for Arlington County Board consideration this weekend.

The planning of the Sparrow Pond restoration project began in the spring of 2019. It will add new stormwater management facilities while restoring the sediment-laden pond.

At its upcoming Saturday meeting, the Board is set to consider a contract with construction company Triangle Contracting that includes a base of about $1.8 million and a contingency of around $300,000.

Construction is now projected to take six to nine months to complete, wrapping up sometime in 2024, according to the county’s project webpage. With the project’s permitting phase now complete, construction is anticipated to start by the end of this summer or early this fall.

The work is necessary because the pond has become filled with sediment and overgrown vegetation since being built in 2001-2002, according to county staff.

“The project will convert the pond to a constructed wetland to restore its stormwater management functions, as well as improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and restore native plant species,” a staff report to the County Board said.

“Planned improvements include adding a forebay to accommodate accumulation and removal of sediments, a maintenance access path, a riser structure, and an outfall culvert to safely convey the stormwater runoff to the Four Mile Run stream during high storm events,” staff noted.

A community meeting, open to the public, will be held regarding construction plans before the project begins. The specific date of the meeting will be posted on the project webpage.

The restoration will benefit residents in the area of the pond, county staff said, along with W&OD Trail users and local wildlife.

Reducing sediment infiltration from stormwater and improving water quality will “restore the pond to the original depth,” the county said, and improve the “habitat for herons, ducks, turtles, frogs and fish.”

Insect damage jeopardizes the oldest building in Arlington

By Hallie LeTendre
The Ball-Sellers House (image via Google Maps)

The oldest home in Arlington is in jeopardy of being destroyed, the Arlington Historical Society says, and insects are to blame.

The Ball-Sellers House was originally built in the 18th century, sometime within the mid-1700s, according to the historical society.

The home is a Virginia state historical landmark and has a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, an Arlington Historical Society article said.

Despite weathering several centuries, the house is now being threatened by something just about a quarter of an inch long: powderpost beetles.

“The beetles eat the wood the house is made of and make it become like sawdust,” Annette Benbow, who serves on the Ball-Sellers House Committee and the Arlington Historical Society board, tells ARLnow.

Benbow says she believes the beetles have been caught in time to save the home. However, money needs to be raised to cover the cost.

The Arlington Historical Society created a GoFundMe page that has raised, as of Tuesday morning, $1,375 of its $6,000 goal.

“We need to spray the home with a very expensive material that will not hurt the house, but will prevent the furthering of damage that the beetles have caused,” Benbow said.

The house remains open to the public — from 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays, April through October, according to the historical society. It is located on 5620 3rd Street S., in the Glencarlyn neighborhood.

If the $6,000 is not raised online, the Arlington Historical Society will still pay for the spray, but the expense would affect the society’s budget and take away funds for other projects and historic buildings, Benbow said.

“We do not get money from any governmental level. All of our money comes from donations or membership dues,” she said. “The house must be saved as it is a structural and historical artifact that is irreplaceable and rare.”

Image via Google Maps