Author: Katie Pyzyk

New Credit Union Branch Opening in Ballston

By Katie Pyzyk

Location of new Arlington Community Federal Credit Union in BallstonA new Arlington Community Federal Credit Union (ACFCU) branch will open in Ballston next week.

The new ACFCU will replace a White House Federal Credit Union branch (4121 Wilson Blvd) that closed last month. It will be a full-service facility with tellers and an on-site mortgage officer.

This is the third ACFCU branch, joining the one at 2130 N. Glebe Road and another just over the Arlington/Fairfax border at 5666 Columbia Pike. The Ballston branch will be the first that is Metro accessible.

“We are excited to move to the Ballston area as we have been looking for an option that is convenient to both ACFCU members and to Arlington commuters for some time,” said Karen Rosales, ACFCU Chief Operating Officer. “ACFCU members are important to us, and we want them to have access to convenient branch locations they deserve.”

The new branch is scheduled to open on Monday, April 15.

Disclosure: ACFCU is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Street Closures for Weekend Races

By Katie Pyzyk

Starting tonight and continuing each day this weekend, races will temporarily close down some Arlington roads.

The Arlington County Police Department is assisting with controlling traffic during a 5K and 10K race around Yorktown High School on Sunday, April 14.

The following restrictions will be in effect from 7:30-11:00 a.m.:

  • Yorktown Blvd will be closed to westbound and eastbound traffic from N. 30th Street to N. Edison Street
  • N. 28th Street will be closed to northbound and southbound traffic from Yorktown Blvd to N. Greenbrier Street
  • Yorktown Blvd will be open to eastbound traffic from N. Edison Street to N. 26th Street

Residents are asked to park their vehicles in driveways instead of on the street in order to reduce the congestion in the affected areas. Anyone with questions or concerns regarding the impact to the community can contact Lieutenant Bob Medairos at 703-228-4160.

Roads will also be closed temporarily for the Nottingham Elementary 5K on Saturday (April 13) and the Crystal City 5K Friday tonight. Drivers are advised to find other routes during the affected times.

Arlington Among Top Cities for Online Donations

By Katie Pyzyk

Money (file photo)(Updated at 11:05 a.m.) When it comes to online activity, apparently local residents aren’t just shopping and checking Facebook all day. Arlington has been ranked as one of the top cities in America for online donations.

Blackbaud, a company that provides software and services to nonprofits, put together the list after examining 265 cities’ online donations. Arlington came in fourth, just behind third place Washington, D.C. and second place Alexandria. Seattle took the number one spot. The top ten list is:

  1. Seattle, WA
  2. Alexandria, VA
  3. Washington, D.C.
  4. Arlington, VA
  5. Ann Arbor, MI
  6. Cambridge, MA
  7. Berkeley, CA
  8. San Francisco, CA
  9. St. Louis, MO
  10. Minneapolis, MN

The analysis ranked 265 cities with a population of 100,000 or greater based on per capita online giving. The rankings cover the time period from January 1-December 31, 2012. The full list of cities and where they stand can be found online.

“Online giving continues to be an important part of a nonprofit’s overall fundraising strategy,” Steve MacLaughlin, director of Blacbkbaud’s Idea Lab, said in a press release. “While overall giving remains relatively flat, we continue to see double-digit growth in online giving and expect the trend to continue throughout the year.”

In total, the cities included in the analysis donated more than $509 million online, which is a 15 percent increase from 2011.

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.

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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.

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