News

Inner Ear Studios demolition falls behind schedule due to surprise structural issues

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

Demolition of the old Inner Ear Studios in Green Valley is expected to start this month, after some delays.

“This project was delayed after the discovery of unforeseen structural conditions with the adjoining building,” Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services Public Engagement Specialist Alyson Jordan Tomaszewski told ARLnow.

“After modifying the construction plans, we are now expecting demolition to start later this month and conclude in spring 2024,” she continued, noting that the issues were discovered in May.

Arlington County acquired the nearly 70-year-old warehouse and building at 2700 S. Nelson and 2701 S. Oakland streets — once the epicenter of the D.C. punk scene — in late 2021.

Deeming the building structurally unsound, the county decided to demolish it and build a flexible open space for arts programming. It aims to create an arts and industry district in Green Valley and make the arts more accessible in south Arlington.

The county approved a contract for demolition work last December and, at the time, work was expected to take 180 days and wrap up this summer. The surprise structural conditions have delayed the timeline several months and depleted the contingency budget down to $15,700, per a county report.

This weekend, the Arlington County Board is set to approve a $100,000 contract increase to cover “unforeseen conditions that are likely to be revealed” during the remaining work, the report says.

“Previously authorized contingency has been expended to implement structural modifications that were required due to unknown structural connections with adjoining buildings,” the report says. “The structural modifications have been resolved and demolition of the building is proceeding.”

If approved, the new funds will bring the total contract with Demolition Services, Inc. to nearly $547,750. Even with the contract increase, the overall budget for this project remains unchanged at $1,136,633, the report says.

Meantime, this August, the county released the final design plans for the new, temporary art space. It will be nestled among the Arlington Food Assistance Center and the Arlington Cultural Affairs building — now home to an outpost of Arlington Independent Media — and across from Jennie Dean Park.

A project webpage projects the space will be installed and open in 2024.

The designs take inspiration from Inner Ear Studios and nearby Four Mile Run, according to a video.

A plywood drum riser salvaged from Inner Ear Studios will sit atop a small outdoor stage, which has as a backdrop the corner of a wall saved from the original building.

“This small performance area serves as a monument to the creativity of the hundreds of local and national bands that recorded on this site from 1990 to 2021,” the video says. “Through a public workshop the wall will be decorated with wheatpasted print media including historical and cultural contributions from local communities and reprinted album covers from records recorded here.”

Thin blue and teal lines will criss-cross the pavement, evoking “a flowing river,” while string lights will serve as “gateways into the space,” the video says.

Lawns on either side of the small, Inner Ear-inspired stage will have outdoor sculptures and a mobile stage with a screen for movie projections. Planted berms and concrete blocks will provide a seating while a pergola will double as a shade structure and outdoor art gallery.

Inner Ear Studios has since relocated to the basement of owner Don Zientara’s Arlington house.

There was an Arlington Powerball winner — of $50,000

By ARLnow.com
Powerball lottery ticket (file photo)

The big winner from Wednesday’s $1.73 billion Powerball drawing might be in California, but there was a decidedly smaller-scale winner in Arlington.

Someone bought a $50,000 winning ticket at the 7-Eleven store at 2815 S. Wakefield Street, just down the hill from the Fairlington neighborhood, according to the Virginia Lottery.

One $1 million winning ticket was sold in nearby Alexandria and, including the Arlington winner, five $50,000 winning tickets were sold statewide.

“In Wednesday’s drawing alone, more than 145,000 Virginia Powerball tickets won prizes ranging from $4 to $1 million,” Virginia Lottery said.

“During the 36 drawings of the jackpot run that began in July and ended with the $1.725 billion drawing Wednesday night, sales of Powerball tickets in Virginia generated an estimated $30.3 million in profit,” the lottery noted. “The profit from every Powerball ticket bought in Virginia goes to K-12 public education in the Commonwealth. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Lottery raised more than $867 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.”

ARLnow has previously reported on $1 million winning Powerball tickets sold in Arlington in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Rosslyn from the Marine Corps War Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Time for a Tax Hike? — “Arlington’s County Board chairman says 2024 may end up being a year where homeowners could expect to face a taxation double-whammy: higher home assessments coupled with an increased tax rate. ‘It’s time,’ Christian Dorsey said of a rise in the existing real-estate tax rate of $1.03 per $100 assessed valuation.” [Gazette Leader]

Dems Statement on Middle East — “Arlington Democrats stand in solidarity with all our Jewish community members and all those affected by Hamas’s reprehensible attack on Israeli civilians. We echo President Biden’s words: ‘There is no place for hate in America. Not against Jews, not against Muslims, not against anybody.’ We are committed to fighting hatred in all its forms and to creating a safe and welcoming community for Arlingtonians of all faiths.” [Twitter]

Extra Vigilance Today — “Police in the Washington region will have an increased presence at places of worship, and some schools plan to close Friday after a former Hamas leader called for supporters to come out for a day of rage, the militant group’s standard call for demonstrations.” [Washington Post]

Free Donuts This Morning — “Dunkin’, the official coffee and donut of the Washington Capitals, is celebrating the return of hockey with a home opener pep rally at the Arlington Dunkin’ at 3300 Wilson Blvd. on Friday, October 13. Starting at 8:00 a.m., the first 100 guests will receive their choice of a free ALLCAPS Donut or Spider Donut! From 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., fans are invited to enjoy free giveaways from the Dunkin’ prize wheel, music and special appearances from Dunkin’ mascot Cuppy and the Capitals In-Arena Host Mike Ploger.” [Threads]

Scrutiny of Traffic Stop Law — “Local government representatives who make up the Virginia Municipal League voted this week in support of a statement calling for a review of a 2020 criminal justice reform law that limited law enforcement’s ability to make traffic stops for minor vehicle equipment issues.” [Virginia Mercury]

It’s Friday — Sunny skies and a high temperature near 70 degrees, with a gentle north wind of 5 to 7 mph. By Friday night, expect increasing cloud coverage and a low temperature around 51 degrees. [Weather.gov]

Amazon delivery driver arrested for alleged assault in Penrose

By ARLnow.com
1/5

An Amazon delivery driver is facing charges after allegedly beating up a man in the Penrose neighborhood.

The incident happened Wednesday afternoon in a private townhouse development across the street from Penrose Square.

“At approximately 3:07 p.m., police were dispatched to the 2300 block of 9th Street S., for the report of an assault with injury,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Alli Shorb told ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect, a delivery driver, was making deliveries in the area when he became involved in a verbal dispute with the male victim over a parking issue that escalated to a physical altercation during which the suspect allegedly assaulted the victim.”

”A witness separated the suspect and victim, who both remained on scene. The victim sustained minor injuries,” Shorb added.

Scanner traffic suggests that the victim was found bleeding and was evaluated by medics. Shorb said the suspect, a 30-year-old resident of Capitol Heights, Maryland, has been charged with assault and battery.

Colleagues of the driver resumed his deliveries after the arrest. One who spoke to ARLnow claimed the driver — who was operating an unmarked white delivery van — was harassed by a resident who questioned what he was doing in the private community.

Staff photographer Jay Westcott contributed to this report

Arlington awards new grants to help community members to take on historic preservation work

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

A dozen historical preservation projects across Arlington, from historically accurate home renovations to community-based projects and research, have received county funding through a new program.

The county doled out roughly $256,000 to 12 of the 19 applicants for the inaugural round of the Arlington County Historic Preservation Fund.

This is part of a new effort to give incentives to residents, property owners, developers and community organizations to take on historic preservation work — rather than leaving these efforts and advocacy to the county, the Arlington Historical Society and two citizen commissions.

These entities either have limited ability or few, bureaucratic tools to stem the tide of redevelopment, casualties of which include the historic Febrey-Lothrop house and Fellows-McGrath House.

“From big picture storytelling and research projects to individual building preservation, this inaugural group of Historic Preservation Fund recipients demonstrates the breadth of Arlington’s unique history and many ways we can preserve our story for generations to come,” County Manager Mark Schwartz said in a statement.

A few recipients and projects include:

  • The Green Valley Civic Association, which plans to highlight local landmarks that contribute to Arlington’s African-American culture with signs, tours and workshops. It will also be digitizing records and adding more educational resources to its website.
  • We Are Barcroft: A 60 Acre History of People & Place, by local artist Sushmita Mazumdar, who plans to chronicle the cultural heritage of the Barcroft Apartments.
  • An Arlington Historical Web & Mobile App, administered by Arlingtonian Peter Vaselopulos, where he will publish community histories by local authors, artists and community members.
  • The Dominion Hills Civic Association, which will create three historic markers near the former location of the Febrey-Lothrop Estate, or Rouse estate — demolished for new single family homes to the chagrin of local preservationists — so residents and visitors can learn about the site’s “forgotten history” spanning colonial America to the 20th century.

“The grantees represent a wide range of creative projects, several of which have a strong focus on cultural heritage, and we are excited about the opportunity to financially assist these recipients and further the County’s historic preservation goals,” said Historic Preservation Section Supervisor Cynthia Liccese-Torres in a statement.

A review committee selected these projects based on their quality, equity and inclusion, community impact and managerial competence, per a press release.

Most of the grants amounted to $20-25,000 but the two largest grants will help homeowners preserve their Cherrydale and Maywood homes, which are each more than 100 years old. The capital improvement grants will assist the homeowners in taking on what can be dollar- and time-intensive work.

“Historic district renovations often entail meeting specific design and preservation standards to ensure alterations are done in a sensitive manner,” says Rachel LaPiana, a communications specialist with the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.

(more…)

UPDATED: Police searching for suspect after slashing in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
Response to slashing incident on 19th Street N. in Rosslyn

Update on 10/13/23 — Arlington County police have released the following crime report about the incident. The suspect remains at large.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-10120097, 1800 block of N. Lynn Street. At approximately 10:56 a.m. on October 12, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect and male victim were involved in a verbal dispute, during which the suspect allegedly struck the victim with a knife, resulting in a laceration. Responding officers located the victim in the 1000 block of 19th Street N. and immediately began rendering emergency medical assistance. Medics transported the victim to an area hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The suspect fled the scene following the assault and a canvass of the area for the suspect yielded negative results. The suspect is described as a white male with a slim build, approximately 25-35 years old, 5’9”-6’0” tall with black facial hair and wearing all black clothing. The investigation is ongoing.

Earlier: Arlington police and medics are on scene of a slashing incident in Rosslyn.

A victim suffered a severe arm injury after a man slashed him with a knife, initial reports suggest. It happened around 11 a.m. and the victim was found near the intersection of 19th Street N. and N. Kent Street.

Police applied a tourniquet to the victim’s arm and he’s now being transported via ambulance to a local hospital, according to scanner traffic.

ACPD is also investigating a report that a knife-wielding man — perhaps the same suspect — chased another victim in the area. That victim reportedly fled into the McDonald’s on N. Lynn Street and hid in the bathroom prior to police arrival.

While officers sort out what happened they requested that the H-B Woodlawn building in Rosslyn be placed in “secure the school” mode, according to scanner traffic.

Video: Woman, 22, leads police on wild chase around Pentagon grounds

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A 22-year-old Centreville woman is facing charges after allegedly leading police on a chase around the Pentagon reservation.

The wild incident happened early in the morning of Sunday, Oct. 1 and ended in a crash. It all was captured on video by local public safety watcher Dave Statter.

“On Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, at approximately 1:20 a.m., the Pentagon Force Protection Agency observed a vehicle driving in the Pentagon South Parking lot with sparks emanating from the front of the vehicle,” Pentagon police spokesman Chris Layman tells ARLnow.

“The driver’s side of the vehicle included heavy damage and a front wheel was missing. Pentagon police signaled the driver to stop several times, and she eventually crashed into a bollard at the Pentagon Transit Center lower bus platform.”

“Police officers extinguished a fire that had developed, and the Arlington County Fire Department responded,” Layman continued. “The driver… was taken to the Virginia Hospital Center by Arlington County for evaluation. After evaluation, she was returned to the Pentagon where she was cited for disregarding a signal by a law-enforcement officer to stop and driving while intoxicated. She was released at approximately 6:58 a.m.”

Layman said the vehicle involved was a 2002 BMW. The woman had no prior criminal record in Arlington County, according to court records.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Pedestrians navigate Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Marine Killed in WWII Interred — “When a representative from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency told Cheryl Cronin that her uncle, Marine Pvt. First Class Lawrence E. Garrison had been positively identified 80 years after his death in battle, she was overwhelmed… On Oct. 5, 2023, Cronin and a handful of family and friends laid Garrison to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.” [Arlington National Cemetery, Washington Post]

Podcast: Missing Middle and Real Estate — On our latest podcast episode, ARLnow real estate columnist Eli Tucker of the Eli Residential Group discussed the current state of the Arlington real estate market, in light of high mortgage interest rates, as well as the impacts of new Missing Middle policies and Amazon’s HQ2. [Apple Podcasts]

It’s Thursday — A mostly sunny day with a high near 74 degree. Partly cloudy at night, with temperatures dropping to around 53 degrees accompanied by a light north wind. [Weather.gov]

Arlington police offering $20k for identity of person sending harassing emails to female ACFD personnel

By Jo DeVoe
File photo

Arlington police are investigating a series of harassing emails sent to a group of female Arlington County Fire Department employees this summer.

To move the inquiry along, the police department has offered a $20,000 reward to the first person within ACFD who provides information that leads to the identification and arrest of the anonymous sender, per a copy of the reward notice shared with ARLnow.

The reward notice is labeled as “confidential” and not for dissemination outside of public safety personnel.

In June, several female ACFD employees received anonymous emails that amounted to criminal harassment, the notice said.

“The emails continued throughout the month of June until they were sent en masse to Arlington County Fire Department staff,” it says. “These emails have impacted additional personnel outside of those who directly received the emails.”

ACPD began its criminal harassment investigation the same month, police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. She said the county subsequently funded a reward to support the ongoing investigation and the notice was sent to ACFD personnel.

The notice comes on the heels of an August report by WTOP detailing harassment that some 30 women in ACFD allege they have endured for several years. The report is based on a letter, shared with the news outlet, in which the women call attention to “a troubling pattern of misconduct and a culture that jeopardizes our safety and well-being.”

WTOP says the letter describes years of “anonymous emails and text messages, often sexual in nature,” sent to women employees, as well as specific instances where some employees were sexually harassed or assaulted.

ACPD has received previous reports of harassing communications, Savage confirmed to ARLnow. The notice likewise links the emails sent this June to “previous unsolved cases involving anonymous, sexually explicit messages.”

This is all the information Savage says ACPD can share for now, however.

“To ensure the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigation, no additional details are available for release at this time,” she said.

Brian Lynch, president of the firefighters union, Local 2800, condemned the harassing emails as “straight up unacceptable” and praised the women who came forward, noting many actively participate in union efforts.

“No one should be subjected to this vile conduct,” Lynch said in a statement to ARLnow. “Our entire union stands behind the victims here. As evidenced by the email reported on by WTOP, harassment is a problem that has gone on too long in our department, and too many members have been suffering in silence.”

ARLnow asked the fire department how long it has known about harassing emails, if it instructed the alleged victims to file police reports, whether ACFD is investigating the new allegations and if it has concluded any prior inquiries.

ACFD Capt. Nate Hiner confirmed the department is investigating “allegations raised by employees,” but did not otherwise respond directly to ARLnow’s questions.

Hiner also provided the following statement, which matches what WTOP previously received from the county.

Arlington County will continue to work with staff, hear their concerns, and take necessary actions to strengthen the safety and security of our workforce. Employees and volunteers of Arlington County have various avenues to report any concerns, issues, or allegations including the Office of Human Rights. Arlington County appreciates those who have raised concerns and supports those who are affected by the allegations.

Long Bridge Aquatic Center pool hours limited due to lifeguard shortage

By James Jarvis
Long Bridge Aquatic Center’s 25-yard lanes, which can be turned into a 50-meter pool (staff photo)

Starting tomorrow, Long Bridge Aquatic Center will limit its pool hours due to a lifeguard shortage.

On Monday, Arlington County announced that, beginning Thursday, the 50-meter competition pool would operate on a “revised schedule” on Thursdays and Fridays due to a “national lifeguard shortage.”

“We are aiming to minimize the impact as much as possible by closing the competition pool on Thursdays from 12-4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 4:30-10 p.m. through the months of October and November,” Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) spokesperson Jerusalem Solomon told ARLnow.

There are no planned activities during these adjusted hours and the leisure pool will be open for lap swimming, she added.

Below is the new schedule for the pool provided by the county.

Thursdays:

  • The competition pool will be closed from 12-4:30 p.m., followed by regularly scheduled closures for aquatic programming from 4-5:45 p.m. The pool will reopen at 5:45 p.m.
  • The leisure pool will be open for “family play time” and lap swimming from 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Fridays:

  • The competition pool will be closed from 4:30-10 p.m.
  • The leisure pool will be closed for classes between 4:30-10 p.m.

The shortage is partially because many students who lifeguard during the summer have returned to school, Solomon said.

She also acknowledged the county has had trouble finding applicants who meet the “necessary requirements” for the job.

“Lifeguards must successfully complete a lifeguard certification. In the past, DPR has required that all applicants already be certified, but DPR now offer certification courses free of cost to new hires in an effort to widen our applicant pool,” Solomon said.

For the aquatic center to be fully operational, Solomon says there needs to be ten lifeguards on duty at all times. To meet that standard, she noted the county would need to hire between five and 10 permanent part-time and temporary lifeguards.

DPR currently has an online job listing for “multiple permanent part-time and temporary Lifeguards” at the aquatics center, which opened in 2021.

The lifeguards would “work shifts as primary guards in the facility and monitor two bodies of water, including a 50-meter pool and a leisure pool with a water slide and other play features,” the job listing says. The listed hourly pay is $17.00-$23.44.

Dorsey: We ‘unequivocally… condemn all of the violence that has been targeted at non-combatants’

By ARLnow.com
Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey speaks at a work session on Oct. 10 (via Arlington County/YouTube)

Arlington’s first public statement on the Israel-Hamas war came during a County Board work session Tuesday afternoon.

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey spoke about the latest Middle East violence — which has left more than 1,000 dead on both sides of the Gaza border after starting with a surprise Hamas attack on Israeli civilians — at the start of a work session on commercial resiliency.

Dorsey’s full statement is below.

I should also note before we begin our work session this afternoon, we convene under the specter of escalating violence and war in the Middle East. We know that that is something that personally affects many in this community. And while this is not the time or the forum to get into a deeper discussion on factors that are concerning the Middle East, we can say unequivocally that we condemn all of the violence that has been targeted at non-combatants and civilians that has caused many to be kidnapped and many to be murdered, and we hope that the violence de-escalates quickly without further loss of significant life to civilian populations there. That’s all I’m prepared to say at this point, and unfortunately, there’s no great segue to talking about our subject matter today.

Last night the mayors of neighboring D.C. and Alexandria posted photos of a bridge and city hall, respectively, lit up in blue in solidarity with Israel.

Asked whether extra security measures are being put in place in light of the Middle East conflict, Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said the department is monitoring the situation.

“There are currently no known threats in Arlington County and our officers are on duty conducting proactive patrols throughout Arlington,” Savage told ARLnow. “We have been, and will remain, in contact with Jewish faith-based communities in Arlington regarding any public safety needs or concerns they may have.”

“Our department continues to monitor the conflict and remains connected with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners on information sharing,” she continued.

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