Is your kid fascinated by trucks? Does he or she love seeing big machinery up close? Does the photo (left) of a Washington Gas truck provoke feelings of awe and wonder?
If so, indulge the kid’s obsession at Arlington Central Library’s “truck petting zoo.”
From 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, various types of work vehicles will be on display at the library’s (1015 N. Quincy Street) east parking lot, near the tennis courts. Kids of all ages are invited to touch and explore the vehicles up close.
Mixed Signals During Fire Alarms at Senior Facility — During fire alarms at The Jefferson senior living facility in Ballston, a recorded voice tells residents to evacuate the 21-story building via the stairwell. Except, for safety reasons, most residents are supposed to remain in their condo with the door shut. This has confused some elderly residents, who risked injury by attempting to walk down long flights of stairs during fire alarms. While acknowledging the inconsistency, both building management and the fire department say they can’t change the recorded message due to “liability” reasons. [Washington Post]
Politico Reporters to Speak at Rosslyn Lecture Series — Politico White House reporter Julie Mason and congressional reporter Jonathan Allen will be the speakers at Rosslyn’s “Rooms with a View” lecture series next week. Mason and Allen will discuss “Washington’s divided political landscape” and take questions from the audience. The event is free (RSVP required). It will be held on Thursday, May 19, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Boeing conference center at 1200 Wilson Boulevard. [Rosslyn BID]
Papery Closing Rumors — There’s more evidence that Clarendon stationery store The Papery may be closing, despite employees’ insistence that they’re preparing to add new stock to the largely empty shelves. The Papery’s space is listed as “for lease” on a commercial real estate firm’s web site. And The Papery’s own web site no longer exists. [Clarendon Culture]
Sign Needed at Rosslyn Safeway? — Is a one-way sign needed across from the Rosslyn Safeway to prevent confused drivers from heading the wrong way on Wilson Boulevard? [Ode Street Tribune]
More than 50 members of the Arlington County Fire Department will be traveling to New York this week to participate in a ceremony related to the department’s role on Sept. 11, 2001.
Fire Chief Jim Schwartz, the fire department honor guard and rank-and-file firefighters will help the Military District of Washington present a stone from the Pentagon to the Fire Department of New York. The 2,400 lb. stone, which was recovered from the damaged Pentagon after Sept. 11, will be handed over to the FDNY on Friday at Ft. Hamilton, in Brooklyn. ACFD was presented with a similar stone in March.
Arlington Engine 105, the first engine to arrive at the burning Pentagon 10 years ago, will transport the stone up to New York. A bus will carry most of the firefighters, who volunteered to attend the ceremony.
With prime grilling season approaching, the fire department is reminding apartment, condo, duplex and townhouse dwellers that open flame cooking on balconies is not only extremely dangerous, but a Class 1 misdemeanor in Arlington.
“A lot of people, they don’t really think about it, they just go out and grill,” said Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Gregg Karl. The end result, often times, looks like the video above, or like this news report from Spokane, Wash.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are some 5,700 grill fires annually, causing 10 deaths, 100 injuries and tens of million of dollars worth of property damage. Many of those fires start in multifamily dwellings.
Because of the danger to the public, laws against apartment grilling are strict. Anyone caught grilling illegally in Arlington can face up to 1 year in jail or a $2,500 fine, Karl said.
Rather than firing up a gas or charcoal grill on your balcony, one option is to use an electric grill.
“Only electric cookers and electric grills are allowed on balconies of [multifamily] occupancies,” the fire department says on its ‘Barbecue Safety’ web site. “No charcoal cooker, brazier, hibachi, grill or any gasoline or other flammable or combustible liquid or liquefied petroleum gas-fired stove or similar device… shall be ignited or used on the balconies of any apartment building, stacked units, or other structures with similar occupancy.”
(The fire department’s web site also includes what we’re told is a “delicious” recipe for ‘Fire Chief Flank Steak’ from Chief James Schwartz.)
Karl said anyone with questions about the regulations should contact their building manager or call the county’s fire prevention office at 703-228-4644.
A fire broke out at the Duron Paint store near the corner of Glebe Road and Lee Highway this morning.
The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the store around 6:30 a.m. after a passerby saw smoke and called 911. Firefighters had the bulk of the fire knocked within 10 minutes, according to department spokesperson Lt. Gregg Karl.
The paint store suffered “pretty significant damage” from the flames, while two adjacent businesses in the same shopping plaza — Papa John’s pizza and Cardinal Bank — suffered smoke damage. All three businesses are expected to remain closed at least through today, although it may take much longer for the paint store to reopen.
A hazardous materials team was called to the scene to assist with the cleanup inside the Duron store. The county fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.
Route 50 Interchange Project Nears — In March, we were told that the lane closure on westbound Route 50 would finally be lifted by around this time. That’s still yet to be seen, but some new closures are just around the corner. Dr. Gridlock reports that VDOT plans to start construction on a new Route 50/Courthouse Road/Fairfax Drive interchange next month, with nightly traffic disruptions. The $39 million project is expected to wrap up in Fall 2013. [Dr. Gridlock]
Arlington’s Fuel Bill Going Up — Arlington County could spend hundreds of thousands of additional dollars on gasoline this year, thanks to rising gas prices. The county’s vehicle fleet — which includes fuel-sipping Toyota Priuses — consumes about a million gallons of gas every year. [Washington Examiner]
Emergency Personnel Honored for Valor — The Arlington Chamber of Commerce held its 29th annual Valor Awards ceremony on Tuesday. The event honored police, sheriff, fire and EMS personnel whose selfless work has saved lives. Among those honored was Jason Hart and Mark Jaquays, who managed to save the life of a young man who was painting a house last summer when his ladder touched a power line. [Sun Gazette]
Real Estate Prices Up, Inventory Down –– The sale price of Arlington residential real estate surged last month. Condos and townhouses in particular were both up by double digit percentages. Also, real estate inventory was down significantly compared to 2010. [Arlington Real Estate News]
The team was formed less than two months ago, and they only got their jerseys the day before their first game, but Arlington cops and firefighters managed to take first place in a charity hockey tournament over the weekend,
The joint ACFD/ACPD team beat Montgomery County Fire (score: 5-1), D.C. Fire (score: 7-0) and Baltimore City Fire (twice) to win their division at the annual D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation hockey tournament in Laurel, Md. They won 5-4 in overtime in the championship game against Baltimore City on Sunday.
Team organizer Sean Spencer says the 30-man roster contains people who have been playing ice hockey since they were kids and people who just took up the sport in the past couple of years. They had great chemistry on the ice, he said, despite only playing together as a team one time prior to the tournament.
“We’re pretty happy with the outcome,” Spencer said. “[The players] are ecstatic we got a team together and were successful at the level we were.”
Spencer says the D.C. and Baltimore fire teams have already asked for a rematch. To facilitate that, he’s planning on talking to Ballston’s Kettler Capitals Iceplex about setting up a charity tournament in a couple of months, to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
What started as a fight over planned parking restrictions on one Lyon Park street seems to be spreading.
Last week, residents of N. Danville Street and several other Lyon Village streets noticed county staff measuring street widths. Staff were reportedly checking to see if the streets were too narrow for trash trucks and fire trucks, as was the case with N. Edgewood Street in Lyon Park.
According to Lyon Village Citizens Association President H.K. Park, the county is considering restricting parking to one side of Danville and other neighborhood streets that county staffers have deemed too narrow. On Monday, the LVCA will meet to discuss the possible parking changes with county staff.
According to an email sent to residents, the meeting will address:
“The justification for this new policy–whether your street may be next and how the county will select which side.”
“The frequency of garbage truck and fire truck problems.”
“How this policy comports with policies that encourage fewer driveways and garages and more on-street parking.”
“Whether any accommodation will be made for handicapped, elderly, and parents with infants who need close access to cars.”
“Whether the ‘problem’ is caused primarily by construction, commuter, and other non-resident vehicles that might be regulated in some other way.”
“Possible unintended consequences of any such restrictions, such as making it easier for cars to cut through the neighborhood and travel at higher speeds.”
Representatives from several other civic associations have said they plan to attend the meeting “because they believe their neighborhoods are next,” according to Park.
Among those who will be in attendance is Natalie Roy, president of the Lyon Park Citizens Association.
ACFD 9/11 Memorial to be Landscaped — Last week the Department of Defense gave Arlington County’s first responders a chunk of limestone recovered from the Pentagon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. That stone now sits near a steel beam from the World Trade Center, in a field outside Fire Station 5 in Pentagon City. The county is planning to landscape the area around the two memorials, in advance of the upcoming 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. [Arlington Connection]
Missed Connections in Arlington — Someone is looking for a “Persian goddess in pink” who was spotted shopping for chickpea salad at the Clarendon Whole Foods. Also: a woman is looking for the “armsleeve tattoo man” she ogled at the Golds Gym. [Clarendon Culture]
Whipple Fights Abortion Amendment — Arlington’s retiring state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple is fighting an amendment inserted into a General Assembly-approved bill by Gov. Bob McDonnell. The bill would establish a health insurance exchange in Virginia as part of the federal health care reform law. However, McDonnell’s amendment would prohibit any insurance plan in the exchange from offering coverage for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk. [Washington Post]
Arlington Diocese Fights Porn — The Catholic Diocese of Arlington continues its campaign against “the very real danger of pornography in our culture” with a blog post. The post notes that an anti-porn pamphlet authored by Bishop Paul Loverde is so popular that it’s now in its second printing. Also, the post says that Bishop Loverde has been active in the fight against pornography on cell phones. [Encourage and Teach]
Update at 4:15 p.m. — The gas leak has been stopped and all lanes of westbound Route 50 are now open.
Earlier: The westbound lanes of Route 50 have been shut down near Fairfax Drive in Courthouse due to a gas line rupture.
Firefighters are reporting that a 16-inch gas transmission line has been ruptured in the area of the 10th Street Bridge. The closure of westbound Route 50 is expected to last at least another hour while Washington Gas works to shut off the gas and repair the line.
The eastbound lanes of Route 50 were shut down for a short period of time, but have since reopened. Still, significant traffic issues are being reported in the area. In addition to cars, police are also turning pedestrians away from the area.
ACFD Gets New Bomb Squad Truck — The Arlington County Fire Truck recently took delivery of a new, custom-built bomb squad truck. The bright red truck was one of six delivered to area public safety agencies through a contract with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The ACFD Fire Marshal’s office handles bomb disposal duties in the county. [Va. Fire News]
Documentary Project Accepting Applications — Arlington high school students interested in working in documentary production can apply for an internship with the 2011 Document Arlington Project. The project, run by Arlington Independent Media, allows six students to work together over the summer to produce two 15-minute documentaries about the Arlington community. [Arlington Independent Media]
USS Arlington Christened — Arlington County fire chief James Schwartz spoke at Saturday’s christening of the USS Arlington in Pascagoula, Miss. “The hearts of Arlington County will sail with you,” he said to the crew. [Sun Gazette]
Is your kid fascinated by trucks? Does he or she love seeing big machinery up close? Does the photo (left) of a Washington Gas truck provoke feelings of awe and wonder?
