pool

Ask Adam: Arlington Swimming Pools

By ARLnow.com

Editor’s Note: This periodic sponsored Q&A column is written by Adam Gallegos of Arlington-based real estate firm Arbour Realty. Please submit follow-up questions in the comments section or via email.

Question:  I’m moving to Arlington and would like to find a neighborhood with a pool.  Do you have any advice?

The majority of single family home neighborhoods in Arlington do not have a homeowners association (HOA), and therefore do not include amenities like swimming pools. I’ve found that this can be a letdown for families moving from Fairfax and Loudoun Counties.

The good news is that there may be other pool options available. The bad news is that it may take a few years to work your way up the local pool’s waitlist. Who knew pool memberships were in such high demand in Arlington?

I’ve put together the following guide to help you out. The information provided is deemed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. Please reach out to the individual pools you are interested in to learn more about the waitlist process and the cost details.

Overlee
6030 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA
http://www.overlee.org/

Waitlist:  Currently there are 666 families on the waitlist.  The estimated wait is 3-5 years.  You must be a resident of Arlington, Falls Church or McLean to join.

August passes are available for non-member at a cost of $325 / family.

Cost:  A non-refundable initiation fee of $2,000 (as of February 2011 — this amount is subject to change), plus $1,000 construction fee is required. In 2012 the annual dues are $700.

(more…)

Federal Employees Can Now Go Swimming at Ft. Myer

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:50 p.m.) If you’re a federal government employee, you’re now eligible to go swimming at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

The military base announced a policy change today that will open up most recreation facilities there to non-Department of Defense federal employees. Among the facilities that federal workers can now take advantage of are the Fort Myer Bowling Center and the Fort Myer Officers’ Club. The club has a swimming pool, tennis and racquetball courts and fine dining facilities.

Federal workers don’t have to be an Officers’ Club member to use the facilities, but they will have to pay a non-member fee. Official government ID is required to access the facilities. The policy change announced today also allows federal employees to join the Officers’ Club, if they wish.

The fitness centers and child development center at Fort Myer will continue to be for DoD personnel only.

The Officers’ Club and the bowling center can be accessed through the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Hatfield Gate.

Yorktown Aquatic Center Opening on Sunday

By Katie Pyzyk

In mere days, anyone looking to dive into a new exercise routine for the new year will have another option. The Yorktown Aquatic Center is set to open on Sunday.

The facility replaces Yorktown’s older pool that had been in use for decades. Visitors now have access to an eight-lane competition pool and a separate instructional pool. There’s also a separate diving area with two springboards and a scoreboard. At least 175 people can overlook the pools from the spectator area. The facility also houses a “wet classroom” which will be available to rent for pool parties.

Sunday’s grand opening open house celebration will run during normal facility hours, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can get the full operating schedule here. The pool is located on the Yorktown Boulevard side of campus, and can be accessed from the parking area on 28th Street.

Changes Coming to Champion Billiards

By ARLnow.com

Champion Billiards, a Shirlington-area haven for poolsharks since the early 90s, is getting a new name, a new menu and a pair of new owners.

Misti Wise and Amy Borek were bartenders at Champion (2620 S. Shirlington Road) during the 90s. Now they’re coming back as owners, hoping to turn around Champion’s moribund business by making the place more attractive as a local food-and-drink destination.

“We want to appeal to everybody in the community, not just the staunch pool players,” said Borek. “Our hope is to be a real neighborhood destination… It will be a great story if we’re successful.”

The actual changes planned are somewhat minor. At the end of the month, Wise and Borek are planning to close Champion for a week to freshen up the place: add a new coat of paint, replace the old TVs with new flat screen TVs, spruce up the bar, etc. They will also be changing the name, from “Champion Billiards” to “Lucy’s ARL.” The pool tables and other staples will remain, although a skeeball machine may be added.

Then there are the planned changes to the menu, which Borek says will be key to attracting new customers. The tired old bar food will be replaced by “good bar food,” while prices will be kept relatively low.

“Before, food was kind of an after-thought,” Borek said. “I don’t want to alienate the existing customer base, so we don’t want to go high-end, but we want to have fun food with a bit of a twist.”

Among the signature menu items that the new owners plan to introduce are “zawiches” — sandwiches that use two slices of pizza instead of bread, like the kind Borek saw venders offering on the streets of Italy. A new, more interesting chicken tender appetizer and a pulled pork sandwich are among the other planned signature items.

Borek and Wise, who officially take over ownership on Sept. 1, will be renting the space from Champion’s existing owner. After working there for many years, then leaving, then coming back, Borek says they’re looking forward to reviving a place that “has history in the community.”

“We’re very, very excited,” she said. “You walk back in and it’s like old times. It’s a cool feeling.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

I-66 Ignored by Google Maps — If you recently tried to get directions to points west with Google Maps, and you were surprised when the directions included a long stretch on stop-light-heavy Route 50 instead of I-66, now there’s an explanation. The inside-the-Beltway portion of the highway, which is HOV-only at certain parts of the day, is no longer an option for Google Maps users. More from WTOP.

Wardian Profiled by New York Times — Prolific Arlington marathoner Michael Wardian is not running in the upcoming New York City Marathon. In fact, he hasn’t run the race in 12 years. But he was just profiled in the New York Times’ New York City Marathon blog.

Rating Arlington’s Indoor Pools — How do Arlington’s public indoor pools stack up? TBD scribe Jenny Rogers takes a look at the Yorktown, Washington-Lee and Wakefield pools.