Author: Katie Pyzyk

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

B-R Corridor at Sunset (photo by Jason OX4)

Va. Sq. Giant Celebrates Changes —  The Virginia Square Giant grocery store (3450 Washington Blvd) is celebrating its “grand reopening” following recent renovations. A representative for Giant says new features include a redesigned produce department with a better fruit and vegetable assortment, a new gourmet cheese case, a new bakery and an expanded natural foods section. Customers at that location will have the opportunity to take part in tastings, raffles and prize giveaways over the next four weekends.

Event Examines Seniors’ Transportation Needs — A Mobility Lab regional symposium held at George Mason University yesterday focused on the transportation needs of residents aged 65 and older. Speakers voiced the need for better coordination of senior transportation programs that would keep seniors mobile in their communities. Suggestions for improvement included better marketing and promotion, using volunteers and issuing performance surveys. [Mobility Lab]

Streetcar Debate Focuses on Types of Riders — At the Arlington Committee of 100 streetcar forum on Wednesday, speakers addressed which riders prefer different modes of transit. Speakers debated whether the Columbia Pike streetcar or a bus rapid transit system would better draw in “choice riders” — those who have access to a car but could be persuaded to take transit under the right circumstances. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Jason OX4

Plans Underway for Police Shooting Range

By Katie Pyzyk

Police Firearm Training Facility at Dulles (photo courtesy MWAA)Proposals are in the works for constructing a permanent firearms training facility for the Arlington County Police Department and Sheriff’s Office. The preferred plan involves upgrading and expanding a facility on the Dulles International Airport property, which Arlington police currently shared with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) police.

Arlington does not have its own facility for such training, and had been sharing Alexandria’s until 2008. At that time, it was determined that Alexandria’s use had grown to such a point that it could no longer accommodate the more than 350 ACPD members and more than 100 Sheriff’s Office members as well. Arlington has been using the MWAA police shooting range since then.

The Dulles facility is said to need upgrades and an expansion. Right now, it houses a 15 point outdoor range, but under the new plan would expand to include two 25 point firing ranges and a 300 yard rifle deck. The facility currently has no shelter from weather, no running water or fixed restrooms and no classroom space.

An alternative to upgrading the Dulles range would be to find enough land on which to build a training facility within the Arlington County limits. That, however, does not appear to be a viable option, according to Deputy County Manager Mark Schwartz.

“We don’t have the land to do it. Having a firing range within the confines of the county would present some difficulties,” said Schwartz. “Try to find 21 acres in Arlington and just think of the cost.”

Arlington County lists the project in its 2013-2022 Capital Improvement Plan. The proposed price tag of $12 million, $7 million of which would be provided by Arlington County, may seem daunting to some, such as former Arlington County Board candidate Audrey Clement. She spoke at the County Board Public Budget Hearing last Tuesday (March 26), likening the firing range to other county funded projects she considers wasteful, such as Artisphere, the aquatics center at Long Bridge Park and the Columbia Pike streetcar.

“The project’s justification says that the firing range is needed because the one currently in use at Dulles lacks running water, fixed restroom facilities and covered firing points,” she said. “Does providing those facilities actually cost seven million plus dollars? If so, the NRA has a state-of-the-art shooting range just off the I-66, Route 50 exit that offers training for law enforcement personnel. If this range works for the NRA, and they are highly successful, why won’t it work for Arlington police?”

Partnering with the NRA is not feasible, according to Schwartz.

“That comment, I could spend an hour telling you why her suggestion was impractical,” Schwartz said. “I really think the perception would be that this is a ‘nice to have thing.’ I don’t think the county manager or the police chief or sheriffs think this is a ‘nice to have thing.’ This is a very basic part of their training and skills that they need to have.”

ACPD Deputy Chief Jay Farr added that the current cost is a good deal when taking into consideration that MWAA is footing $5 million of the total bill, in addition to supplying the land, which Schwartz estimates to be worth at least $5 million.

(more…)

Construction Begins on Glebe Road Pedestrian Improvements

By Katie Pyzyk

Construction at Glebe Road and N. Fairfax DriveWork has begun in Ballston on one of the three Glebe Road intersections slated to receive safety upgrades this year.

Last week, workers began construction on the intersection of Glebe Road and N. Fairfax Drive. The improvements are part of a pedestrian safety improvement project along Glebe Road that will spread to the Wilson Blvd and Carlin Springs Road intersections later this year.

The upgrades include installing new traffic signals, pedestrian crossing signals, street lights and trees. The intersections will also be reconfigured to improve safety. For example, the pedestrian “pork chop island” will be removed in front of Marymount University’s “Blue Goose” building, according to Tom Hutchings, Capital Project Manager with Arlington’s Department of Enviromental Services Division of Transportation.

“It tightens up the crossing distances at each intersection,” he said.

The red light camera that monitors northbound Glebe Road traffic at Fairfax Drive will remain in use during construction. Although the timing of the traffic lights will not change immediately, it will be evaluated later and tweaked as necessary.

“The timing is continually analyzed with every project we do,” Hutchings said. “It will be studied upon completion of the new lane geometry to optimize the intersection.”

Construction at Glebe Road and N. Fairfax DriveThe new traffic lights that were strung over the intersection last week are temporary; the permanent lights will be mounted on upgraded poles with mast arms. The previous poles were based on standards from the 1970s and did not meet the electronic wiring and mast arm standards in the current codes.

The improvements at the three intersections are part of a $2.5 million VDOT project that is locally administered by Arlington County. About 80 percent of the funding comes from federal and state sources, and about 20 percent comes from the county.

Although a number of pedestrian-vehicle accidents have occurred along this stretch of Glebe Road in recent years, such as the deadly cab accident last July, the intersections have been the subject of extensive studies since 2000.

“It is precipitated from acknowledgement of the high level of pedestrian activity in the area,” Hutchings said. “It’s to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety along Glebe Road where a lot of development has occurred over the past 10 years, and pedestrian use of Glebe Road has increased.”

According to Hutchings, the addition of a bike lane for eastbound cyclists on Fairfax Drive occurred during an earlier phase of this project, as did the installation of traffic lights last year at N. 9th Street and N. Vermont Street.

Work on the Fairfax Drive intersection is expected to be finished by mid-June. The Wilson Blvd. intersection should be completed in August, and Carlin Springs in October.

Moran Visits School for World Autism Awareness Day

By Katie Pyzyk
1/4

(Updated at 2:55 p.m.) In honor of World Autism Awareness Day, Rep. Jim Moran (D) spent the morning reading to first graders at Barcroft Elementary School and talking with them about autism.

After meeting with some students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Moran read the first graders a story about everyone being different and how everyone’s differences should be celebrated. He explained that autism is another difference, just one that can’t be seen.

“Nobody is the same as everybody else, which is wonderful! Some children have different challenges,” Moran told the children. “Some children have autism. Autism is a challenge that affects the way our brains work. So some children have different ways their brain works.”

One of the students noted his brother has autism, to which Moran responded, “So he’s different and special and wonderful.”

Moran also talked to the students about the “AUTISM Educators Act,” a bill he is re-introducing to request funding for training educators how best to work with students with autism. Barcroft is one of the schools currently offering special services for students with autism, and training all staff members how to work with students with ASD. It is considered a model for other schools across the country.

“We’re going to try to teach other teachers around the country how to be as good of teachers as you have at Barcroft Elementary,” Moran told the students. “We’re going to use Barcroft Elementary as a model for other schools to learn from.”

The bill would establish a five-year pilot program to provide the special training for teachers and school staff. There would also be a focus on recruitment and retention of trained personnel and implementation of a program for parental support and involvement.

“I actually think this bill is going to become law. This is one that I think is going to make an enormous difference in the classrooms around the country that have children on the autistic spectrum,” Moran told ARLnow.com. “This is going to be groundbreaking legislation. I know it’s going to be bipartisan, I already have Republican sponsors. So I think we’re going to get it passed in the House, and I’m confident we’ll get it passed in the Senate as well. It’s going to become law all because the parents in the Arlington school system worked with the superintendent and the principals and the teachers and the teacher aides to make it happen in a way that other school systems can learn from.”

Moran is requesting up to $5 million for the pilot program and could ask for more once the program expands around the nation. We’re told the funds will come from existing teacher development accounts.

ACPD K-9 Dies Suddenly

By Katie Pyzyk

ACPD K-9 DutchMembers of the Arlington County Police Department are mourning the loss of one of their K-9 partners.

Dutch suddenly became ill on Sunday (March 31) and passed away later that day after undergoing emergency surgery.

Dutch joined the K-9 Unit in September of 2007 and was certified in multiple disciplines including tracking, police dog I certification (apprehension, obedience, agility and search) and narcotics detection. He had located narcotics on a number of occasions and assisted with apprehending multiple suspects.

In a press release, ACPD said, “Dutch will be greatly missed by his handler and all the members of the K-9 Unit.”

Last year, ACPD lost Lobo, one of its retired K-9 members.

Weather Affecting Spring Water Flush

By Katie Pyzyk

Arlington water access(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) If you think this year’s annual spring water system flush is giving Arlington’s water a stronger than usual taste or smell, you’re right — and officials say the weather is actually playing a factor.

Just like every year since 2000, there are about six weeks in the spring when Arlington’s water is purified with chlorine instead of chloramine. In 2011, the chlorine level was downgraded from 3.7 parts per million to 3.0 parts per million because of a number of resident and staff concerns.

This year, however, some people have mentioned what they believe to be a stronger taste or smell to the water. Although the number of formal complaints so far hasn’t exceeded other years, ARLnow.com readers started a forum thread on the topic. One reader posted: “It’s overpowering and sickening. We’ve been clearing out the shelves of those 3-gallon jugs of water at Giant.”

Although the amount of chlorine has not changed, the cold weather appears to accentuate the taste and smell of chlorine.

“It’s a theory. Basically the warmer temperatures will generally use up a little more of the chlorine as it goes through the system,” said Dave Hundelt with Arlington County Department of Environmental Services. “We think, looking back, the reason we had so many complaints in 2011 was [the flush] started on February 1, when the temperatures were colder, and the chlorine was more noticeable. This year, we started a week earlier, during the third week instead of the last week of March. That combined with the temperatures in the region. They appear to be colder in the past few weeks than it was in March of 2012.”

Hundelt says as temperatures increase, the water warms up and the chlorine should be less noticeable. The temperature shift necessary to create a perceptible change in smell and taste is relatively small. Analysts are finding a stronger smell and taste when water temperatures are at or below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Farenheit). Comparatively, water temperatures were around 7-10 degrees Celsius (about 44-50 degrees Farenheit) in Feburary 2011 when complaints poured in, but were at a balmy 16 degrees Celcius (about 60 degree Farenheit) last April.

Arlington’s water is purchased wholesale from the Washington Aqueduct, so much of the region experiences the same water conditions.

In addition to the chlorine change, each of the the county’s 3,500 fire hydrants will be opened for a short period to make sure the entire water system gets adequately flushed. That is too large a job to finish when the chloramine conversion ends on April 29, so residents may continue to see hydrants flushed into the month of May.

Anyone with major concerns about the water system, such as water main breaks, should call 703-228-6555 to report issues. More information about the switch from chloramine to chlorine can be found on the county’s website.

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Bare trees in Ballston

APS to Benefit from State STEM Funding — Arlington Public Schools will be getting a boost from the Virginia Department of Education’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) grants. A $247,000 grant to George Mason University will provide support to 90 educators in seven school districts, including Arlington. Additionally, a $250,000 grant shared by four colleges and universities will support 76 teachers in 45 school districts, including Arlington. [Sun Gazette]

Public Hearing for School Boundary Changes — On Wednesday, the Arlington School Board will host a public hearing on the recommendations for boundary changes. Last month, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy presented his recommendations for boundary changes. The hearing will take place at the Education Center (1426 N. Quincy Street) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday (April 3).

JBM-HH Works with County to Reduce Use of Energy — The Directorate of Public Works at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (JBM-HH) has been working with Arlington County to share information about energy use and conservation. Although the two entities aren’t sharing policy yet, they’re sharing information about a community plan to reduce the use of energy. [U.S. Army]

Two Alarm Apartment Fire Closes Lanes on Columbia Pike

By Katie Pyzyk
1/8

Firefighters are packing up and leaving the scene of a two alarm apartment fire on the 3400 block of Carlyn Hill Drive, along the Arlington/Fairfax border.

The call came in a little before 8:00 p.m. for a fire in an apartment on the third floor of the residential building. Firefighters managed to contain it to that one apartment.

According to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl, at least six units from Arlington assisted the Fairfax County Fire Department. Units from Alexandria and Annandale also offered aid.

Part of Columbia Pike just west of Carlin Springs Road was down to one lane as crews responded to the fire in the building, which is offset from the main road.

Medics on scene were spotted tending to people and wrapping a few in blankets, but there are no reports so far of serious injuries. There’s also no word on the cause of the fire.

Proposed Website Would Be Like ‘Yelp’ for Local Gov’t

By Katie Pyzyk

Rough concept for CiviclyWhat if there were a site where you could post online reviews for a variety of local government services, similar to review websites like TripAdvisor and Yelp? That’s the concept a local man hopes will become a million dollar idea.

District resident Josh Glasstetter entered his idea for a website called “Civicly” into the Knight Foundation’s “Knight News Challenge.” This year’s competition offers winners a share of $5 million in funding for entries that best promote open government and present ways to improve interaction between citizens and governments.

Civicly would allow residents to leave reviews for government agencies and services such as the DMV, police, utilities, transportation and public schools. There would be opportunities to leave feedback for both specific and larger scale entities. For example, users could write a review about WMATA in general, just Metrorail, or could review a specific Metro stop.

“The idea is to take something that people are familiar with, such as online reviews, and take into new area like government and the public sector,” Glasstetter said.

Although the concept of giving feedback to government entities isn’t unique in and of itself, the innovation comes through with the idea of allowing the public to see every piece of feedback that’s submitted.

Glasstetter, who works for an advocacy group in the District, said he’s focusing first on D.C., Arlington and Alexandria as pilot areas for launching Civicly. Eventually, it would branch out to other parts of the country.

“Arlington is really a perfect place to try something out like this because of the demographics. I think people would naturally take to it. Folks in Arlington and D.C. are already so accustomed to using these kind of tools,” Glassteetter said. “I think this is the right kind of population to launch this.”

With more than 830 News Challenge submissions, Glasstetter acknowledges the odds of winning are slim, but he remains hopeful.

“There’s no way around it, the odds are very steep,” he said. “But my hope is that regardless of what happens for Civicly in the News Challenge, the idea has been seen by a lot of people. Hopefully that by getting this started and putting ourselves into this contest, we’ll be able to take the proposal and discuss it with foundations and other potential supporters.”

Viewers can give feedback on the proposals through Friday (March 29). Semi-finalists should be announced within the next week and will have the opportunity to further refine their proposals, as well as to submit a funding request ranging from $1,000 to $1,000,000. Winners will be notified when judging ends in June.

Unleashed by Petco Store Coming to Ballston

By Katie Pyzyk

Unleashed by Petco store on Lee Highway (file photo)The rumors are true. Petco will indeed open a new store on the 3900 block of Wilson Blvd in Ballston, where several small businesses will be shutting down.

Earlier this week, ARLnow.com reported that Wiinky’s will serve its last burgers on Sunday (March 31) to make way for the new store. We’re told a mechanic and other small businesses on the block also will be closing soon.

A spokesperson for Petco confirms the new store will be one of the chain’s boutique “Unleashed” pet shops. The Unleashed website states: “We’re focused on being part of your community. We’re a place for you and your pet to hang out.” It also states: “We’re more like a really cool neighbor than a run-of-the-mill store.”

PetMAC, a pet supply store and adoption center, is located at 822 N. Kenmore Street, just a few blocks from the proposed Unleashed location. Owner Cindy Williams questions the choice of location for the new Unleashed store.

Wiinky's Grill in Ballston“I think it is a shame if they’re doing that purposefully. I heard the Unleashed line is designed to compete with small businesses. I think it’s very disappointing if they’d do that, there’s plenty of business to go around,” said Williams. “We’ll just continue to do our best to offer the best services and offer the best prices that we can, and see if we can continue to compete.”

The new store will be the third Unleashed in Arlington; one opened at 5400 Lee Hwy in 2011, and the other, in Pentagon Row, held its grand opening in January. The Ballston location is scheduled to open in early November.

Unleashed stores traditionally hold grand opening events with discounts, games, samples and giveaways, but there’s no word yet on a date for such an event at the Ballston location.

Two Streetcar Groups Issue Statements

By Katie Pyzyk

At a Wednesday night townhall meeting, residents joined the County Board in a sometimes heated discussion about bringing streetcars to Crystal City and Columbia Pike. Two opposing local organizations are also sounding off on the issue.

Following the townhall, John Snyder, president of the pro-streetcar group Arlington Streetcar Now, issued the following statement:

“Arlingtonians strongly support moving forward with the streetcar which neighborhoods and
businesses have been working to bring about for a decade. The streetcar represents a next-generation transit solution that will increase capacity, improve ridership, and spark new investment that will enhance and revitalize our community.

“Arlingtonians acknowledge the foresight of those who supported Metro over the naysayers, and know that this generation has a similar choice to make. Tonight Arlingtonians demonstrated that they know the streetcar is an extraordinary opportunity to support an transportation investment in our future that will pay dividends for South Arlington neighborhoods and the well being of the county as a whole.”

Peter Rousselot, spokesman for Arlingtonians for Sensible Transit, issued a statement presenting an opposing viewpoint:

“We continue to be deeply concerned about the unwillingness of the County Board to fairly consider transit options for Columbia Pike, other than the fixed-rail streetcar. There is much evidence that rational and viable alternatives exist.

“Unfortunately, as the County Board has done on other occasions, it used most of the Town Hall merely to restate the same claims in favor of the streetcar proposal without allowing a full discussion of other options. As we have said, there is at least one highly attractive alternative – modern bus rapid transit (BRT) – which:

  • Produces virtually the same increase in transit capacity,
  • Would have the same positive impact on commercial development,
  • Would have far less adverse impact on small business,
  • Is far less expensive,
  • And thus would preserve more scarce financial resources to support affordable housing and many other priorities.”
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