News

Arlington Officials Fear Metro Funding Deal Could Imperil Ballston, Crystal City Station Projects

By Alex Koma

Funding to help WMATA keep running and catch up on maintenance may end up jeopardizing major projects slated for two busy Arlington Metro stations.

A new deal brokered by state lawmakers will send about $154 million to Metro each year, providing funding for badly needed improvements to the system — but Arlington officials fear the structure of the agreement could imperil planned Metro entrance projects.

For years, the county has been hoping to add second entrances to the Ballston and Crystal City stations to make it easier for people in those neighborhoods to access the Metro. But Arlington planned to pay for those projects with the help of a regional group that doles out money for transportation improvements: the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, commonly known as the NVTA.

Yet the NVTA can only afford to fund that kind of construction effort with the tax revenue it brings in, and the dedicated funding deal hashed out in Richmond will divert a substantial chunk of that money to Metro for ongoing operations and maintenance.

Gov. Ralph Northam and his fellow Democrats had hoped to avoid that outcome by bumping up a few Northern Virginia tax rates instead, but the slim Republican majority in the House of Delegates scuttled that plan in favor of sending the NVTA money to Metro.

NVTA leaders aren’t yet sure just how much money the group will lose — they’re currently projecting a roughly $80 million drop in annual revenue for the next six years — but they are reluctantly admitting that the group will have to trim the list of projects it can fund in the coming years.

Arlington County Board Chair and NVTA board member Katie Cristol expects that will prompt indefinite delays of the projects at Ballston and Crystal City, or it could force the county to find new funding streams for them entirely, an unwelcome prospect given Arlington’s increasingly stretched finances.

“When there’s less money to go around, it forces a re-racking of priorities,” Cristol told ARLnow. “These would be transformational projects for us, but the need is different elsewhere.”

NVTA chairman Marty Nohe, a Republican who also serves as vice chair of Prince William’s Board of County Supervisors, says his group largely focuses on funding projects that relieve traffic congestion around the area. While he fully expects that adding second entrances at those Arlington stations would pull some cars off the road, he also notes that they likely won’t have the same impact as other road improvements elsewhere in Northern Virginia.

“That’s the nature of these multimodal projects,” Nohe said. “It doesn’t put more trains on the track, it makes it easier for people to get there and opens the station up to a larger segment of the Arlington population… so it’s a good example of the type of project that will absolutely be affected by a loss of NVTA funds due to the Metro bill.”

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Discovery Elementary Earns Kudos for Exclusively Using On-Site Renewable Energy

By Alex Koma

An Arlington elementary school is earning some kudos for its energy efficiency, after it generated more energy than it used last year.

The nonprofit International Living Future Institute awarded Discovery Elementary School with its “zero energy” certification on May 2, meaning that the school was powered completely by on-site renewable energy sources over the course of a whole year.

Discovery, which opened in September 2015, is just the fourth school across the country to earn this certification, and the largest building of any type with such a distinction, according to a press release.

The building’s designer, Charlottesville-based VMDO Architects, says Discovery’s energy systems saved Arlington Public Schools roughly $117,000 in annual utility costs. The firm also estimates that the building sent roughly 100,000 kilowatt hours of excess energy back to the electrical grid, enough to meet the average power needs of 7.5 households.

APS partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to help design plans for “zero energy” school facilities, and last year changed its procurement rules to require that contractors can meet that energy standard. The school also designs lessons about renewable energy around the building’s systems, giving students hands-on experience with the facility.

“What is most important about [Discovery] is that it allows teachers to think about how students learn,” Discovery principal Erin Russo wrote in a statement. “Curriculum is just something the state gives to us and you can teach that anywhere, but with this space, we can get creative, experiment and shepherd meaningful experiences.”

Photo via @DiscoveryAPS

ACPD Investigating Additional Indecent Exposure Incidents

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6 p.m. — ACPD says that the same suspect is believed to be responsible for at least nine separate indecent exposure incidents, all in the same general area.

“The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his 20’s or 30’s, 5’8″ to 5’10” tall with a medium build,” police said in an updated press release. “In several incidents, the suspect was reported to be wearing dark clothing with a hat or hood pulled tight around his face.”

Earlier: Two additional indecent exposure incidents were reported over the weekend and the suspect might be a repeat offender.

Like previous incidents, both happened in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, near Rosslyn and Courthouse, and involved a suspect wearing a hoodie with the hood up.

The first was reported around 10:30 p.m. Sunday on the 1900 block of Clarendon Blvd, while the second was reported just before 11:30 p.m. Sunday on the 1200 block of N. Meade Street.

In the second instance, the man exposed himself and started masturbating in front of a woman in a parked car.

Asked yesterday if the cases might involve the same suspect, an Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman said both have been “referred to our Special Victims’ Unit for additional investigation and to determine if the cases are linked.”

The department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

More from an ACPD crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-05060211, 1900 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 10:25 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a possible exposure. The witness described the individual as a possible black male wearing a dark hoodie. No additional information was provided by the witness regarding the incident. Upon arrival, officers established a perimeter and canvased the area with negative results. The investigation is ongoing.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-05060226, 1200 block of N. Meade Street. At approximately 11:20 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a possible exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined that the female victim was inside her parked vehicle when she observed an unknown male suspect approach her vehicle. Once in front of her vehicle, the suspect exposed himself and began masturbating. The victim then drove away. The suspect is described as a male, approximately 6’0″ tall and weighing 165 pounds. He was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled tight around his face at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Family Wants to See Relative Shot By Police — The family of Steven Best, who was shot by police last week after allegedly trying to ram a police cruiser with a van, says they have not been allowed to see him nor have they been given information on his condition. [WJLA]

Legislative Threat Helped Country Club Tax Deal — “The decision by two Arlington country clubs to take their case to the General Assembly helped get all parties to come together on a deal more expeditiously than otherwise might have been the case, the Arlington government’s top legal official said,” reports the Sun Gazette. Arlington clubs, meanwhile, “came away with most of what they were seeking in assessment reductions.” [InsideNova, Washington Post]

Local Sixth Graders Make Headlines — A fourth-period, sixth-grade class at Gunston Middle School is the May Class of WaPo’s KidsPost. [Washington Post]

Marymount Employee’s Boston Marathon Journey — Katie Sprinkel, a lab coordinator and adjunct professor at Arlington’s Marymount University, overcame knee and leg injuries — and a battle with breast cancer — to finish this year’s Boston Marathon. She was back at work the next day. [Marymount University]

Arlington Among Top Walkable Places — Arlington is No. 9 on a list of the most walkable communities in the country. The list was compiled by the travel site Expedia. [Viewfinder]

Major Metro Work Starting Next Summer — “There will be no service on Metro’s Blue and Yellow lines south of Reagan National Airport for 98 days beginning in May 2019, as the transit agency embarks on a platform rebuilding project spanning six stations, part of an effort to refurbish 20 station platforms over three years.” Arlington’s East Falls Church Metro station is also on the list of platforms to be rebuilt. [Washington Post, WMATA]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

ACPD Seeking Two Suspects Following Late Night Rumble at Clarendon Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Two people are wanted by Arlington County Police after a fracas at a Clarendon restaurant early Sunday morning.

Police say the incident started after 2 a.m. when a customer “became irate over the quality of service provided by the business,” then went behind a service counter and struck an employee in the head. A second suspect struck an employee who came to the aid of the first, according to police.

Officers on the Clarendon bar detail responded on foot to the scene after observing “a large crowd and loud noise inside a business.”

The police department generally does not release the name of the business in which a crime takes place, and a police spokeswoman would only describe the business as a restaurant located on the 3100 block of Clarendon Blvd. Restaurants on that block include Mister Days, Bronx Pizza, Bar Bao and Pamplona.

More from an ACPD crime report:

ASSAULT & BATTERY (Significant), 2018-05060044, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 2:21 a.m. on May 6, officers assigned to the Clarendon Detail observed a large crowd and loud noise inside a business. Upon investigation, it was determined that a customer became irate over the quality of service provided by the business and went behind the service counter. After being escorted back to the customer area, the suspect returned to the area behind the counter and struck one employee in the head. Additional employees came to the aid of the victim, resulting in a physical altercation and a second suspect then struck an aiding employee in the neck. Warrants for Assault and Battery and Disorderly Conduct were issued for the two suspects.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Water Disinfectant Switch — With the annual pipe spring cleaning complete, the Washington Aqueduct will be switching back to chloramine as its water disinfectant after today. [ARLnow]

Car-B-Que on the Pike — A car caught fire on Columbia Pike between S. Oakland and Quincy streets Friday night. The road was closed while firefighters extinguished the blaze. [Twitter, Twitter]

Auction Item Prompts Mini Controversy — Ethical concerns were raised over the weekend by an item donated by State Sen. Barbara Favola (D) to an auction at the annual Fairfax Democrats dinner. The winning bidder was promised an official introduction on the state Senate floor. Favola responded by saying she was “horrified” and that she “never approved this auction item.” [Twitter, Twitter, Blue Virginia]

Choun Profiled By VOA — Democratic Arlington County Board candidate Chanda Choun had his campaign highlighted by the Voice of America. [Voice Of America]

Nearby: Wonder Woman and J-D Highway — Two items of note in Alexandria: first, Wonder Woman 2 is set to film some scenes at the Landmark Mall. Also, Alexandria is replacing signs marking Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1) with its new name in the city: Richmond Highway. [Washington Business Journal, WTOP]

BREAKING: Arlington’s Fire Chief is Retiring

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Fire Chief James Bonzano is retiring in a few months, ARLnow.com has confirmed.

The county will formally announce Bonzano’s retirement this afternoon. A job posting, seeking his replacement, was recently published on the county careers website.

Bonzano will have served as chief for about three years when he retires, capping a 34-year career with the Arlington County Fire Department that included service as EMS branch director at the Pentagon following the Sept. 11 terror attacks. He was appointed acting chief following Chief James Schwartz’s ascension to deputy county manager in 2015 and was subsequently named the permanent fire chief in 2016.

In a statement, County Manager Mark Schwartz lauded Bonzano’s commitment to the Arlington community.

“Jimmy has dedicated his career and his life to Arlington County and the people who live and work here, and I thank him for all he has done in his more than three decades of service,” said Schwartz. “His commitment to strong and progressive leadership has ensured the safety of our community.”

Bonzano, who was born in Arlington, said that “it has been my privilege to serve the community I love for 34 years.”

“The time has come to slow down and spend time with my family,” he said in a statement. “I am honored to have led the dedicated men and women of the Arlington County Fire Department, and I am proud of what we have achieved together.”

“I offer my sincere thanks to Mark Schwartz, the executive leadership team, the men and women of the fire department, and the citizens of Arlington County for providing me the opportunity to be their Fire Chief,” he continued. “It has been a remarkable experience I will always cherish.”

The fire department has been facing staffing challenges amid retirements, though the new county budget seeks to address that via increases in first responder pay. A new recruit class of 28 firefighter/EMTs, just sworn in last week, will also help “make the department’s staffing numbers whole.”

An exact retirement date has not been confirmed, but a fire department spokesman said that Bonzano will retire at the end of the summer.

The county is currently in the process of looking for a new chief. The full text of the job posting for the position is below, after the jump.

Hat tip to Tom N.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

L.A. Bar and Grill Reopening — After closing for renovations (and because it was late in renewing its state alcohol license) Columbia Pike watering hole L.A. Bar and Grill is planning to reopen this weekend, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. [Facebook, Facebook]

The D.C. Case for the Rosslyn Gondola — “The Gondola will provide anyone within the Metro catchment area a faster trip to Georgetown. With the Gondola, the total travel time to Georgetown drops to less than 30 minutes for a much larger part of the region, including areas of the District with the greatest need for employment opportunities, giving them a faster way to connect with jobs in Georgetown.” [D.C. Policy Center]

Petition Against iPads in Middle School Cafeterias — An online petition, signed by nearly 100 people, seeks to have Arlington Public Schools strengthen its rules regarding iPad use in middle schools. Specifically, the signers want iPads to be used in classrooms and not during lunchtime or recess. Such a policy, the petition creators wrote, would “ensure that APS electronic resources enhance, and do not detract from, the learning process of middle school students.” [Change.org]

More ART Arrival Info Issues — Once again, Arlington Transit is having problems with its real-time bus arrival system. Officials told ARLnow.com that a technical issue with the contractor that provides the system was to blame. [Twitter]

Native Plant Sale This Weekend — The Long Branch Nature Center will host a sale of “plants that are accustomed to local climate and wildlife” on Saturday afternoon. [Arlington County]

Scott McGeary Lauded — “Decades ago, Scott McGeary’s parents would take him to occasional celebratory dinners at the Key Bridge Marriott, where they would enjoy both the food and the vistas of the nation’s capital… On May 2, McGeary was again at the hotel, this time in the 14th-floor ballroom as he was inducted into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame.” [InsideNova]

Four Mile Run Dye Testing — Arlington County is conducting dye testing along S. Four Mile Run Drive today. Traces of green and red dye may be seen in Four Mile Run as a result. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Sprinklers Help Contain Condo Fire in Virginia Square

By ARLnow.com
1/3

One person was sent to the hospital after a fire in a Virginia Square condominium Friday morning.

The fire was reported around 6:30 a.m. at the high-rise Hawthorn condo building, which is located at 820 N. Pollard Street, across Wilson Blvd from Gold’s Gym.

The fire was contained by a sprinkler system, allowing firefighters to quickly extinguish the flames. Large ladder trucks were used to help with the firefighting effort.

One condo resident was taken to a hospital emergency room for observation, according to the Arlington County Fire Department. The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the blaze.

BREAKING: Police-Involved Shooting Near Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Update at 2:05 p.m. — The police department just issued a press release about the shooting.

At approximately 8:11 p.m. on May 3, 2018, Arlington County Police officers conducting surveillance in the area of 12th Street S. and S. Edgewood Street attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle occupied by a male driver and a female passenger with outstanding warrants for probation violation. When officers approached the vehicle on foot, the male suspect ignored their verbal commands and struck police vehicles in an attempt to flee the scene. At that time, shots were fired by two officers, injuring the male driver.

Following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene by vehicle. While fleeing, the suspect vehicle struck and damaged a parked vehicle in the 2800 block of 12th Street S. Arriving officers established a perimeter and located the unoccupied suspect vehicle in the area of 13th Street S. at S. Irving Street. During a canvas, officers located the male suspect hiding underneath a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers performed life saving measures before Arlington County Fire Department medics arrived on scene and transported the male suspect to Inova Fairfax Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Steven Best, 51, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with three counts of Attempted Malicious Wounding of Law Enforcement Officer.

Officers observed the female suspect hiding behind a bush in the 3200 block of 13th Street S. Officers provided lawful commands to the suspect and when she refused to comply, a K9 was deployed. The female suspect was then taken into police custody. She was transported to Virginia Hospital Center with minor injuries. Jessica Lary, 40, of Annandale, VA was held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond for the outstanding warrants.

Three Arlington County Police officers were transported to Virginia Hospital Center for evaluation.

This is an ongoing and active investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective J. Trainer of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4185 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Earlier: Arlington County Police are on scene of an officer-involved shooting a block from Columbia Pike.

The shooting was first reported around 8:30 p.m.

Police say the incident started at the intersection of 11th Street S. and S. Edgewood Street, near the Rite Aid pharmacy, when officers tried to pull over a vehicle with a man and a wanted female suspect inside.

The suspect vehicle did not stop and subsequently struck a police car, said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. That is when the shooting happened.

“During the incident officers discharged weapons,” Savage said.

The man was shot and transported to the hospital in critical condition, according to Savage, while the female suspect was apprehended and also taken to a local hospital for an as-yet undisclosed “minor” injury.

Initial scanner reports suggest that at least one person had been shot multiple times in the stomach, while another person suffered a dog bite. Medics were initially dispatched to the intersection of 13th and S. Irving street.

At least two police officers were also taken to a local hospital for evaluation, though their injuries were not reported to be serious.

Television news footage showed a white cargo van, identified as a the suspect vehicle, being towed from the scene.

Savage described the current scene as an “active and fluid investigation” and said that investigators will be in the area “for a significant period of time.” Edgewood Street near the Rite Aid is currently closed.

It is unclear at this point how many shots were fired, where exactly the shots were fired nor what the female suspect was wanted for.

Photo via Google Maps

Protesters Rally Against Arlington Social Security Office Closure

By Bridget Reed Morawski
1/6

Despite this afternoon’s heat, dozens of protesters crowded the sidewalk in front of Rosslyn’s Social Security Administration office to rally against its potential closure.

The office, those speaking at the megaphone argued, is a vital component of serving the area’s Social Security benefit recipients.

“If you close this office, you’re cutting a social security benefit,” said J. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. “It’s just like cutting somebody’s social security check — you’re cutting the ability for them to access the services that they need.”

The activists’ argue that many people who receive benefits are either aging or disabled and need an easily accessible, local office. That portion of the population needs to be able to consult a human being face-to-face in order to maximize their benefits.

Using an internet portal, they say, was inefficient for some benefit recipients because they tend to not include sufficient or accurate information on forms, have difficulty using a computer, or don’t have the ability to access the internet.

County Board member Christian Dorsey made an appearance, arguing that there’s plenty of room for the Social Security Administration to maintain an Arlington presence.

“This pains me to say as a public official, but office space is not that expensive in Arlington right now,” said Dorsey, pledging to use county resources to find the SSA a more amenable lease. “There are plenty of opportunities for the SSA to stay.”

The Social Security Administration has an office in Alexandria, but anyone looking to get there from Arlington would have to take a trip down the Blue Line to the Van Dorn Metro station and then hop on a bus. The SSA’s website doesn’t even list that office as being nearby if users enter a Rosslyn zip code to find a location.

“To lose the ability to connect people to an office thats within a short walk of heavy rail and to put them in an office more than a mile away from the closest Metro station speaks of poor planning and speaks of insensitivity,” said Dorsey. “We want to reverse that.”

Dorsey himself only learned of the closure a few weeks ago from an Arlingtonian who works with AFGE.

“You would expect, in a world where there’s a governmental asset, that you’d at least get a heads-up when there’s a rethinking of delivering that service — but that’s not the world we live in,” Dorsey said.

About 90 people come to the office every day to use the office, according to Dorsey.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) has also written a letter to the SSA’s internal watchdog requesting an investigation into the agency’s decision to close the office.

A full video of the rally has been made available by Social Security Works, an organization in favor of expanding the program.

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