News

VDOT to replace bridge over N. Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A nearly 60-year-old bridge over N. Glebe Road is slated for replacement.

The circa-1964 Old Glebe Road bridge, which spans the north-south artery just before the steep hill down to Chain Bridge, would be too costly to repair, VDOT says. The state transportation agency is instead planning a $15 million project to replace it.

About 7,000 vehicles per day use the bridge, VDOT says. A virtual public meeting is planned this Wednesday at 7 p.m. to discuss the project.

VDOT’s current timeline calls for a public meeting late next year to discuss the design of the new bridge, followed by construction starting in mid-2027.

More, below, from a VDOT email.

The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold a virtual public information meeting Wednesday, Oct. 18 on the planned replacement of the North Old Glebe Road bridge over North Glebe Road (Route 120). The bridge, which averages 7,000 vehicles a day, was built in 1964.

A new bridge will be constructed due to the estimated rehabilitation cost of the existing bridge exceeding 65% of the estimated cost to replace the bridge.

The new bridge will feature a wider sidewalk on the eastern side and an additional sidewalk on the western side.

Get Involved

In lieu of an in-person meeting, VDOT invites residents and travelers to learn more, participate in the virtual meeting and give feedback in the following ways through Nov. 1:

  • Attend the Oct. 18 online meeting. Register for the meeting or to participate without registering in listen-only mode, call 844-992-4726 (use access code 2484-673-7292 and password 1234). The project team will make a short presentation beginning at 7 p.m. and answer questions after the presentation. In case an alternate date is needed, the meeting will be held Nov. 1.
  • Provide comments via the online comment form or by email to [email protected].
  • Mail comments to Ms. Dipali Patel, P.E., Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Meeting materials and the presentation will be available online at virginiadot.org/OldGlebe, including the recorded presentation after the meeting.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Signs in Shirlington tell consumers to keep alcohol in the crosswalk while crossing the street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Helicopter Search Last Night — “ACPD is investigating a domestic dispute in the 4300 block of 12th Rd. S. The male suspect fled the scene and aerial search by a police helicopter yielded negative results. Police remain in the area investigating.” [Twitter]

New Wakefield Baseball Coach — “For some time, Adam Balutis has been considered a Mr. Baseball of sorts in Arlington because of his variety of involvements in the sport… Balutis recently was named the new head varsity coach at Wakefield High School. He has been an assistant coach in different capacities the past 20 years at Arlington rival Washington-Liberty High School.” [Gazette Leader]

Board Approves Tree Grant — “How much does it cost the Arlington government – or, more specifically, Arlington taxpayers – to plant and maintain a tree? A new grant application gives some idea: $500 per tree planting, on average, plus $500 for ongoing maintenance. That’s according to a planned submission by the county government to state officials, seeking $300,000 from two separate grant programs to plant and maintain trees in the county.” [Gazette Leader]

Local Restaurant on TV — “Osteria Da Nino’s owners visit the Good Day Cafe to show off how to make pasta noodles at home.” [Fox 5]

It’s Monday — Sunny skies in the morning will gradually transition to mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon. The high temperature is expected to be near 60°F, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 6 to 13 mph. Monday night will remain mostly cloudy, with a low temperature hovering around 47°F and a gentler northwest wind at approximately 6 mph. [Weather.gov]

Ball-Sellers House museum to get three bronze plaques memorializing people enslaved there

By Jo DeVoe
The Ball-Sellers House (via Google Maps)

Bronze plaques dubbed “stumbling stones” will honor the lives of three people once enslaved in what is likely Arlington’s oldest house, the Ball-Sellers House.

The three commemorative markers are the first of their kind and will be the subject of a dedication event later this month. The event will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Ball-Sellers House (5620 3rd Street S.), which is now a free museum.

The markers remember a woman named Nancy and two unnamed men who were enslaved by the Carlin family, which lived in the house from 1772 to 1887. The Carlins are the namesake for Glencarlyn, one of Arlington’s oldest neighborhoods, in which the Ball-Sellers House is located.

The Arlington Historical Society (AHS) found records of these three enslaved people while combing through historical records. This effort is part of an ongoing project to uncover the lives and restore the humanity of enslaved people.

The project, dubbed Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington, 1669-1865, is led by AHS Board Member Jessica Kaplan, with help from volunteers and support from the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington,

“Few records exist in Arlington that document enslaved individuals, and even fewer that provide names,” the historical society said in a release. “Yet, after two years of research, Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington has shed light on these early Americans, and many others, who contributed so much to the economic, social, and cultural development of our county.”

Black Heritage Museum Director Scott Taylor tells ARLnow the museum believes “it is vital and important having these plaques around” Arlington.

“I just know it will make us a better and healthier community as we recognize those unsung heroes who had a stake filled with blood, sweat and tears in efforts to making us triumphant,” he said.

One of the memorialized slaves is Nancy, who was born around 1775 and died between 1835-38. As an older woman, Nancy “waited on” her enslaver, Elizabeth Carlin, from the 1820s until Elizabeth died in 1834, according to probate records AHS reviewed.

Elizabeth was the wife of William Carlin, who bought the Ball-Sellers House from the estate of John Ball in 1772. She also enslaved one of the unnamed men who will be memorialized.

The second unnamed man was enslaved by Letitia Carlin, the widow of James Carlin, one of William’s sons, per census records from 1850 AHS reviewed. For the two enslaved men, only their birth years are known, circa 1806 and in 1844, respectively.

While Nancy and the two unnamed men were identified through probate and census records, others could have come and gone between census years, Kaplan says.

“[The Carlins] could have hired many enslaved people which was common but the records don’t exist to tell us about it,” she tells ARLnow.

As for the plaques honoring them, AHS made a point of involving Arlington Public Schools teachers and students. Career and Technical Education teachers helped design the plaques and students at Arlington Tech and Washington-Liberty High School will make them, Kaplan said.

“Students… will be cutting the bronze for the Ball-Sellers House plaques, engraving them, mounting them on hand poured concrete pillars and helping put them into place at Ball-Sellers,” she said. “All the students involved have learned about the three enslaved people they are making the plaques for and given an overview of slavery in Arlington.”

(more…)

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]

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