Dominion on scene of power pole fire in 2020 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
An early morning power outage Tuesday left more than 2,000 Dominion customers in the dark. The culprit: balloons.
The incident prompted Dominion Energy to remind residents about the danger posed by those metallic balloons one might buy in a grocery or party supply store.
“In the overnight hours mylar balloons came in contact with our power lines causing a short circuit or power surge which put 2,085 customers in the dark,” Dominion spokeswoman Peggy Fox tells ARLnow. “The balloons damaged a circuit which had to be replaced. Fortunately, there was no fire and our crews were able to gradually switch customers to other circuits.’
“Power was restored to all of those customers by 5 a.m. — in under three hours from when the outage began,” she added.
Letting balloons fly up into the sky may seem harmless — and in the case of balloons held by young children, it’s sometimes hard to avoid — but aside from the fact that the balloons eventually come down and end up as litter, mylar balloons in particular pose an acute danger on the way up.
“Mylar balloons have a metallic coating that conducts electricity,” Fox explains. “When they touch power lines they can cause large-scale outages, melting of electrical wires and even fires. It’s happened across the country.”
“We would ask people to not release any balloons outside and to dispose of them properly,” she said.
American flag seen in a yard near East Falls Church (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Revamped Clarendon Restaurant Reopens — “With a new menu that offers Mexican food for all, Buena Vida Gastro Lounge is reopening its newly renovated restaurant in Clarendon this week, serving lunch and dinner and brunch on weekends. Buena Vida, at 2900 Wilson Blvd., also has a new executive chef, Jaime Garciá Pelayo Bribiesca, and a new décor created by CORE architecture+design.” [Patch, Instagram]
Group Wants More from Amazon — “While Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future (ASF) welcomes a new Amazon presence at PenPlace, we urge county leaders to strike a fair deal in this site plan review. As structured now, Arlington would trade world record bonus density — more buildable space — for unequal community benefits from Amazon.” [Press Release]
Art Exhibit Opening at GMU in Va. Sq. — “A new exhibition of art commissioned by the British Council to interpret an academic and policy report by a professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government will be unveiled April 29 at Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus). The event is open to the public and features a keynote address from the ambassador from Tanzania and a panel discussion with representatives from international development, public diplomacy, and art agencies.” [George Mason University]
It’s 4/20 — Clear throughout the day. High of 60 and low of 39. Sunrise at 6:26 am and sunset at 7:51 pm. [Weather.gov]
Donations at the Arlington Food Assistance Center (photo via Facebook)
An estimated 7.8% of Arlington households experienced food insecurity in 2019, according to a new report.
The report, completed by Urban Institute in partnership with Arlington County Food Security Task Force, provides a snapshot of the financial and food challenges for Arlington households, including in otherwise pricey parts of town like Crystal City and Pentagon City.
“Despite the area’s reputation as wealthy and well-resourced, more than 6,700 of the county’s 108,604 households were referred to the Arlington Food Assistance Center in 2021, signaling that this abundance is not shared by all residents,” the report says.
The report made many recommendations to the county, including to incentivize affordable grocers, offer gas cards, subsidize public transportation, expand SNAP outreach, provide grocery gift cards, subsidize or waive grocery delivery fees for SNAP participants, and open more free food distribution sites in higher need areas.
The study, conducted last year and released this month, indicated food insecurity rates were higher particularly in the Glencarlyn, Buckingham, Ashton Heights, Pentagon City, Crystal City, Forest Glen, Arlington Mill neighborhoods.
A map shows concentrations of food insecurity in parts of Arlington (via Arlington County)
“We surveyed residents living in four neighborhoods with the highest food insecurity rates (from 13.3 to 14.6 percent) in the county and found that residents were more likely to rent their homes and have low incomes, and 17 percent were Social Security beneficiaries, which suggests they are living on a fixed income,” the report says.
For residents experiencing food insecurity, budgets for food were often the first to be cut in order to pay bills like rent and utilities. Some of the factors affecting the ability to buy food included the local food environment, labor market, transportation, housing, child care and debt.
Food accessibility
The study considered grocery store or other non-convenience retail food locations accessible if they were within 40 minutes of roundtrip travel. Such stores were accessible to most residents, even those that lived in neighborhoods with high estimated food insecurity rates.
But residents that were surveyed prioritized groceries’ cost when determining where to shop, making it more challenging to afford healthy food.
“Residents reported some challenges in paying for groceries, especially meat, as the cost of food increased 6.3 percent (and 14.8 percent for meat) between December 2020 and December 2021,” the report said.
Those who were food insecure were more likely to walk, get a ride or use Metro to get groceries than those who were food secure and likely own a car. About half of the residents experiencing food insecurity during the survey used free groceries or meals, according to the report, and most of those residents said they accessed those resources one to three times each month.
While the Crystal City and Pentagon City areas had relatively high estimated food insecurity rates compared with the rest of the county, they had low access to existing charitable food resources.
Food insecurity disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic, and Asian households in Arlington, according to the report. Asian households with low incomes, of which there was a concentration in the Crystal City area, had to travel farther to access charitable food sites, compared with Black and Hispanic households.
Arlington County says it’s reviewing the report.
“The Food Security Task Force is reviewing findings and recommendations from the study, and will consider investments where Arlington County could build on its strengths and address residents’ concerns and barriers,” a newsletter from Arlington Department of Human Services said.
The crow that was shot by a blow dart Tuesday morning (photo courtesy AWLA)
Arlington’s animal control office is trying to figure out who shot a crow with a blow dart in Fairlington this morning.
Several people in the neighborhood called police and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) around 11 a.m. this morning to report the incident. Animal control officers found a crow that had been critically injured by the dart, which was apparently shot from a blow gun.
The crow is now en route to a wildlife center for surgery, but it’s unclear whether it will survive, AWLA said. In a statement, below, the organization said shooting a crow is illegal under the Federal Migratory Bird Act and “will not be tolerated in Arlington County.”
The incident happened about three weeks after commercial property owners in nearby Shirlington started using an artificial fog to try to get a large murder of migratory crows to flock elsewhere. The wintering crows and their prodigious droppings on local sidewalks and vehicles are a long-standing issue in Shirlington, dating back to at least 2017.
More on this morning’s blow dart shooting and its aftermath, from AWLA, is below.
Today at approximately 11am, our officers and 911 Dispatch Center received multiple calls from the public about a crow that had been shot in a Fairlington neighborhood. Our animal control officers immediately responded and found a critically injured crow who had been shot with a blow-gun. Officers brought him back to AWLA for triage where they cut off the barb from the dart and applied basic wound care. One of our officers then began the drive to a wildlife center where the crow will undergo surgery to remove the dart. The officer is currently still on route to the center and unfortunately there is a chance the crow. may not survive the drive. Thankfully, our officers have checked the area and have not found any more injured animals.
“This is why we put so much time and emphasis on teaching tolerance and harmonious coexistence with wildlife. When groups, associations, or organizations teach intolerance for living things, our native wildlife pays the price.” ~ Jennifer Toussaint, Chief of Animal Control.
Crows are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act. This type of activity is illegal and will not be tolerated in Arlington County. We are asking that anyone who may have seen any related activity in the area over the past 8-12 hours to please call our Animal Control team at (703) 931-9241.
Arlington residents – we need your help finding information regarding a crow that was shot with a blow-gun in Fairlington this morning. pic.twitter.com/tq6f5ofPqM
Gunston Bubble, deflated (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
The Arlington County Board is likely to vote this weekend on providing another $140,000 to fix the Gunston sports “bubble” due to issues related to the soil beneath the structure.
Renovations started last year on the Gunston Bubble, the covered, all-season county synthetic athletic field at Gunston Park behind the middle school of the same name. The two-decade-old bubble had reached “the end of its useful lifespan,” reads a county report, and needed to “be constantly monitored and inflated.”
During the summer, the bubble would sometimes get overly hot while, in the winter, snow would build up on top. Both situations were considered hazardous enough that the bubble would have to close on numerous occasions.
Work on the bubble began last year with the renovation project calling for a new frame-supported fabric structure that would make the bubble functional in any weather. Plus, ceiling fans, vents, and LED light fixtures will make it more “more energy efficient and reliable.”
The project was initially set to cost $867,000 and be completed in the second quarter of this year.
But issues arose almost immediately after work began in January, notes a County Board agenda report, due to the soil.
“Upon commencement of the work, the Contractor encountered unsuitable soil conditions that were not known at the time of design and need to be remediated, for proper installation of the building footings. Based on recommendations from the County third-party Geotechnical Contractor, Hillis Carnes, a series of additional undercuts are required to remove the unsuitable soil and bring in new material for the base foundation. This work is critical to ensure the structural stability of the new fabric structure.”
To complete the needed work, contractors IMEC Group, LLC are requesting an additional $140,000.
At the meeting this Saturday, the County Board is likely to vote on if it will allow for an amendment to the original contract that authorizes this extra money.
County officials that if the $140,000 is approved, the Gunston Bubble renovations should be completed later this year.
“We are excited to be updating the Gunston Bubble so that it will be able to support our community year-round with a strong frame structure to keep it open in the winter, and enhanced ventilation to make it more comfortable in the summer,” a county spokesperson tells ARLnow. “We noticed issues in the soil in January and are mitigating the issues. The work will cost us a bit more than expected and will delay the project. We should have it all ready no later than early fall or sooner. When complete this will be a much better indoor experience than before.”
The bubble isn’t the only thing at Gunston Middle School that is set to being renovated. Earlier this month, the Arlington School Board approved $1.6 million in safety upgrades to the entrance of the school. The work includes moving the main school entrance and office closer to S. Lang Street. That project is expected to start in June and be complete by mid-August, right before the start of the new school year.
Cranes above construction between 18th and 20th St. S. in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police Looking for Missing Teen — “MISSING: ACPD is seeking assistance locating 14-year-old Anahi… Described as a [Hispanic] female, 5’4″ tall with brown hair, brown eyes and a nose piercing. She was last seen at approximately 12:30 p.m. today in the 400 block of S. George Mason Drive.” [Twitter]
Amazon Banana Stand in Crystal City — “Amazon has operated a stand in front of 1770 Crystal Drive, one of the office buildings it occupies in Crystal City, since July. The banistas give away bananas, individually or by the bunch, every weekday between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., Anderson said. And anyone can take them, from Amazon employees to residents to passers-by. The stands have dog treats, too.” [Washington Business Journal]
Reports of Strange Sounds Last Night — “Locals: anyone know what that annoying chime / doorbell thing is that goes off every 10 minutes? I’ve seen reports of hearing it from Arlington to Alexandria.” [Twitter, Twitter]
Power Outage Last Night — “Just over 600 Dominion customers are without power tonight in the Columbia Forest and Claremont neighborhoods. Restoration expected within a few hours.” [Twitter]
Metro Wants to Develop Housing — “Metro has released a 10-year joint development plan that’s chock-full of big projects to extend the agency’s reach and increase ridership… The agency says it could produce 26,000 new housing units and 31 million square feet of new development through joint development projects at 40 stations. This could create a projected $50 million in yearly lease revenue.” [Axios]
It’s Tuesday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. Breezy, with wind gusts of up to 31 mph. High of 50 and low of 40. Sunrise at 6:27 am and sunset at 7:50 pm. [Weather.gov]
Taxi drivers protest Uber and Lyft with road slowdown in Courthouse in 2014 (file photo)
The Arlington County Board is considering two changes to help alleviate challenges facing the local taxicab industry.
The Board will consider allowing taxi companies to charge customers a temporary $1 fee due to rising gas prices. At the same time, it will separately consider increasing the number of years a vehicle may be used as a taxi.
Both items before the Board could go to a vote on May 14, dependant on a vote to advertise that date at this Saturday’s meeting.
If approved, the $1 surcharge per trip could be implemented for the six months between June 1 through Nov. 30, 2022.
“Gas prices have increased in the past year and substantially within the past month due to global unrest and macroeconomic factors,” according to a county report. “This is increasing operating costs for taxicab drivers.”
The county sets the fare rate for cabs on a biennial basis but the next analysis of the rate isn’t until 2023. But out-of-cycle amendments can be made with County Board approval.
The last time the rate was set, in 2016, it cost $3 for the start of the trip and $2.16 per mile after that, according to the report. Since, gas prices have risen to around $4.50 per gallon in the D.C. area. Other jurisdictions have enacted similar surcharges, with the District implementing a $1 surcharge for 120 days, and Fairfax County doing the same for two months ending June 11.
A graph shows the rising gas prices over the last year (via Arlington County)
The County Board is also looking to increase the maximum age of taxi vehicles, which is currently capped at 10 years. The age cap change would depend on the type of vehicle.
From a report to the County Board:
Increase the maximum model-year age for service from ten (10) years to twelve (12) years for gasoline-only powered non-wheelchair accessible vehicles;
Increase the maximum model-year age for service from ten (10) years to fifteen (15) years for wheelchair accessible vehicles; and
Increase the maximum model-year age for service from ten (10) years to fifteen (15) years for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and/or electric vehicles.
If you’ve noticed fewer taxicabs on the road in Arlington, it’s not just your imagination.
Facing continued competition from companies like Uber and Lyft, the number of taxis authorized to operate in the county has decreased to 477 from 847 in 2017. Vehicles used for ride-sharing apps, dubbed Transportation Network Companies, are allowed to operate for longer, at 14 years and 16 years, than those that are operated through the six Arlington cab companies.
“This difference puts an inequitable cost burden on taxi operators to replace their vehicles more frequently than their TNC counterparts,” the report says.
The report also points to the importance of the cab fleet in providing service as part of the Specialized Transit for Arlington Residents (STAR) paratransit program. Out of the 477 currently authorized vehicles, 39 are wheelchair accessible, the report says.
The Transportation Commission has already recommended the Board adopt the life-span changes and gas surcharge following public hearings. Both ordinance changes were requested by taxicab companies that operate in Arlington, including Crown, Hess, Friendly, Red Top, Arlington Yellow, and Blue Top Cab.
The renovations included adding more than two acres, updating and moving the playground, rebuilding the restrooms, renovating the picnic shelter, relocating and modernizing the baseball fields, and commissioning a site specific work of public art.
Last week, ARLnow got an exclusive tour of the park, which is in the midst of getting final landscaping and aesthetic touches.
The new, re-designed playground is now closer to S. Four Mile Run Drive to make it more “visible and accessible” to the community. It’s ADA accessible with age separated areas and state-of-the-art safety features, like poured-in-place rubber. The look is “heavily inspired by the industrial character of the area,” says landscape architect and county project manager Jeremy Smith, with lots of exposed wood and bolts.
The new all-gender restrooms, now a county-wide ordinance for all county facilities, have also been rebuilt and relocated closer to the front of the park due to safety reasons. The bathrooms are designed to be open year-round and will be open from sunrise to the park closes at 11 p.m.
The two baseball diamonds, one for youth leagues and the other for adult softball, are now moved further away from Four Mile Run. Previously, the diamonds were in the floodplain, so the move is to help mitigate flooding and over saturation. The diamonds are also now equipped with more efficient LED lights that will “focus the light on the fields and not the neighborhoods,” Smith tells ARLnow. First priority for field use are for scheduled and permitted activities.
If the fields are not scheduled, they are available for drop-in and free use.
The two fields have also been renamed after long-time community activists. Ernest Johnson was the leader of one of Arlington’s first African American Cub Scout Packs while Robert Winkler was a long-time employee of the county’s parks and recreations department. He was also a youth coach who helped provide financial support to local athletes.
To celebrate the park’s long history of baseball, the diamonds will display pennants of historic Green Valley teams that played on the fields in the mid-20th century. The pennants were being designed in collaboration with the Green Valley Civic Association but, as of last week, had not yet been installed.
Near the baseball diamonds is a history walk, with plaques embedded in the ground displaying some of the significant moments in the park’s and Green Valley’s history.
There’s also new public art. Wheelhouse, a green stainless steel multi-sectioned pavilion, “explores the industrial history of the Jennie Dean Park site through the lens of the great American pastime — baseball,” according the county website.
The design is supposed to look like a mill that once stood in this location in the early 18th century, as well as the heart of a homeplate’s strike zone that is often called a batter’s wheelhouse. It was designed by artist Mark Reigelman with community input and was budgeted at $200,000.
County salt storage facility along Old Dominion Drive (staff photo)
Stormwater management plan (via Arlington County)
Arlington is set to spend more than $750,000 to construct stormwater handing infrastructure on the site of the county salt storage and maintenance facility along Old Dominion Drive.
The Arlington County Board is expected to consider the contract with Sagres Construction Corporation at its meeting this coming Saturday. With a contingency of about $150,000, the total contract authorization is just over $900,000.
The project will help deal with stormwater at the site, after the county granted itself an exception to its usual stormwater rules in 2018 in order to build the temporary salt storage facility, which replaced a rusted-out salt dome in danger of collapse.
“This contract for the construction of Stormwater Management / BMP will provide a stormwater filtering device and an underground stormwater detention facility as required by County Code before the expiration of the partial exception,” notes a county staff report.
“Most of the work will be within the boundaries of the County facility, with the exception of the storm drainage outfall pipe crossing 25th Road North,” the report continues. “There will be no impact to the surrounding trees. Traffic flow will be maintained along 25th Road North throughout the project duration.”
Dubbed the North Side Salt Storage Facility, the property serves as the rally point for salt crews treating roads in North Arlington during winter weather events.
Other uses for the site have previously been discussed, including a public park and sports field for nearby Marymount University, as well as a new fire station. The fire station idea was scrapped amid opposition from neighbors, many of whom spoke in favor of a park at the location instead. With this stormwater project, however, it appears that the county is banking on the salt storage use remaining in place for awhile.
The county staff report noted that residents will be provided information on the construction project after the contract is approved.
“Following contract award and prior to the start of construction, a letter containing details about the project and construction schedule will be sent to the civic association president,” the report says. “Project information will also be shared to residents through Nextdoor.”
Arlington police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
It was a busy overnight shift for Arlington County police on Friday.
Officers responded to a trio of serious incidents, in the Clarendon and Crystal City areas, between midnight and 3 a.m.
Just after 12:30 a.m, police were dispatched to a report of a man who sexually assaulted two women, in an area between Crystal City and Potomac Yard. They subsequently located and arrested a 26-year-old D.C. man nearby.
From Friday’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
SEXUAL BATTERY, 2022-04150008, 3400 block of S. Clark Street. At approximately 12:35 a.m. on April 15, police were dispatched to the report of an assault that had just occurred. Upon arrival, if was determined the two female victims were walking towards their parked vehicle when the unknown suspect approached them from behind and allegedly grabbed Victim One’s buttocks. The victims yelled and the suspect began to approach Victim Two, who backed away and tripped, falling to the ground. The suspect then got on top of Victim Two and attempted to touch her inappropriately. Victim One contacted dispatch and the suspect fled the scene on foot. Victim Two sustained minor injuries and did not require the treatment of medics. A lookout was broadcast and responding officers located the suspect in the area of 27th Street S. and Crystal Drive and took him into custody without incident. The suspect was treated on scene by medics and transported to an area hospital for medical evaluation. Aaron Moses, 26, of Washington D.C., was arrested and charged with Sexual Battery (x2) and Public Intoxication. He was held on no bond.
Also in the Crystal City area, shortly before 3 a.m. a man was stabbed following a dispute. He suffered serious injuries, but is expected to recover, while police are still trying to find the suspect.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2022-04150018, 23rd Street S. at S. Eads Street. At approximately 2:52 a.m. on April 15, police were dispatched to the report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, it was determined that approximately 20 minutes prior, the victim was walking in the area with a group of individuals when they were approached by the unknown male suspect. A verbal dispute ensued, during which the suspect threatened to harm the individuals before brandishing a knife and striking the victim. A brief struggle ensued before the suspect fled the scene on foot. The victim sustained serious, non-life threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 5’8″, 180 pounds, wearing a bandana, green jacket, white shirt and blue jeans. The investigation is ongoing.
A short time before that, officers broke up a fight in Clarendon, only to learn that a few minutes before their arrival a gunshot was fired. So far, no arrests have been made.
SHOT FIRED, 2022-04150017, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 2:37 a.m. on April 15, an officer driving in the area observed a group of individuals fighting, activated his emergency equipment and exited the vehicle. Upon observing the officer, the group dispersed and fled the area. A witness then approached the officer and stated a few minutes prior to his arrival, the witness observed an unknown suspect discharge a firearm before fleeing the scene in a silver SUV. Evidence was recovered confirming a shot had been fired in the area. At this time, no injuries or property damage have been reported. The suspect is described as a Black male with dark hair and a full beard, wearing a gray long-sleeve top and a dark colored hat. The investigation is ongoing.
A window washer outside of a Ballston office (staff photo)
Metro Project Not Great for Pedestrians — “This @ArlingtonDES Ballston multimodal project isn’t providing a great pedestrian experience.” [Twitter]
Moon Shot — “Incredible view of the moon in Clarendon tonight.” [Twitter]
Arlington Real Estate Remains Hot — “The county this month ranked at the regional tippy-top of the T3 Home Demand Index, created by the Mid-Atlantic multiple-listing service Bright MLS… Arlington garnered a score of 230 for March activity; figures were reported April 12. That’s up from 176 a month ago, confirming that seasonal trends are back in the local market: strong activity in spring and summer and lower levels in autumn and winter.” [Sun Gazette]
Nearby: Dogfish Head Alehouse Closing — “After 15 successful years in business, Dogfish Head’s Falls Church Alehouse has made the difficult and emotional decision to close our doors… Our last day of service will be Sunday, May 15.” [Twitter, Annandale Today]
Rainy Afternoon on Tap — “Skies will be overcast in the morning, and a steady rain will develop by the early afternoon and continue for the rest of the day. Temperatures will be quite cool, with highs in the upper 40s and a gusty east wind at 10 to 20 mph.” High of 48 and low of 41. Sunrise at 6:28 am and sunset at 7:49 pm. [Weather.gov, Capital Weather Gang]
