trees down

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Power lines along Four Mile Run Drive

Greenbrier Learning Center Gets New Home — Facing the loss of its lease at the Greenbrier Baptist Church, the Greenbrier Learning Center has found a new home. The center, which provides after school enrichment to children, will be based at the Arlington Mill Community Center, after the Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a partnership with GLC. [Arlington County]

State, County Incentives Lured Lidl — German discount grocery chain Lidl is setting up its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, near Potomac Yard, and creating 500 jobs in the county. The decision was made after Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe offered $7 million in economic development grants and Arlington County offered $7.5 million in infrastructure improvements and tax breaks, including half off Lidl’s Business, Professional and Occupational License tax. [Washington Business Journal]

Australian Restaurant Eyes August Opening — Oz, a new restaurant coming to the former La Tagliatella and Restaurant 3 space in Clarendon, is expected to open by the end of August, according to a help wanted ad on Craigslist. [Patch]

Rescue on GW Parkway — Arlington County’s technical rescue team helped to rescue a person who fell down a steep embankment along the GW Parkway’s second overlook Sunday night. The victim was loaded on to a fire boat and then transported via an Arlington ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. [Twitter]

Drew Students Make Music Video — A group of 10 Drew Elementary students are getting some local media recognition for a music video they made. As part of an extracurricular project on self-image, beauty and bullying, the group made a video set to Selena Gomez song “Who Says.” [WUSA 9]

Tree Down After Storms — A large tree fell in Towers Park during yesterday’s storms. [Twitter]

UPDATED: Tree Down on Glebe, Soldiers Struck By Lightning

By ARLnow.com
1/9

(Updated at 5:50 p.m.) A strong thunderstorm ripped through Arlington during Monday’s evening rush hour, knocking down trees, knocking out power and injuring two soldiers on Fort Myer.

The soldiers were reportedly struck by lightning on or around Whipple Field on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. They were reported to be conscious and alert — with non-life-threatening injuries — and were being tended to by Arlington firefighters and paramedics.

On N. Glebe Road just south of Ballston, a large tree was uprooted by the storm, bringing down power lines and crushing two parked cars. The power lines were live and one witness said the sparking wires “burned a hole through the pavement” below. No injuries were reported, but emergency crews have closed the southbound lanes of Glebe Road in the area of 4th Street N. as a result.

The lane closures on Glebe will stretch well into the night as repairs take place. The repair work and power pole replacement is expected to take 6-8 hours.

As of 5:50 p.m., Dominion was reporting 5,629 customers without power in Arlington County. The power outages have also impacted numerous traffic signals around the county. Dark traffic signals should be treated as a four-way stop.

Photos: A Tree Falls in Aurora Highlands

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Arlington wasn’t immune from problems caused by this week’s heavy rains.

Among other rain-related issues, the water-saturated ground caused a tree to topple over onto power lines in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood Thursday afternoon.

As a result of the felled tree, part of 17th Street S. was closed near S. Joyce Street, and we’re told parts of the Aurora Highlands and Arlington Ridge neighborhoods lost power for a few hours.

Dominion Power cut the tree back off the lines but it’s still partially hanging over the sidewalk, according to neighborhood resident Jim Oliver.

Photos courtesy Jim Oliver

Power Outages in Arlington After Storm

By ARLnow.com
1/4

All storm warnings and watches have been cancelled in Arlington, but more than a thousand Dominion customers are without power.

A line of storms with strong, gusty winds made a mad dash across the county this afternoon, downing some trees and utility lines but not packing quite the punch that many feared.

As of 4:45 p.m., Dominion was reporting 1,327 customers without power in Arlington.

Among other reported road hazards, a utility pole was down on Carlin Springs Road just north of Columbia Pike, blocking the road and detouring bus routes. A number of other trees and lines were reported down in various parts of the county.

UPDATED: Large Tree Falls on Fraber House

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 4:00 p.m.) A large oak tree fell on the historic, county-owned Fraber House after yesterday’s storms, damaging the home just as the county prepares to sell it.

The early 20th century structure, at 1612 N. Quincy Street in Cherrydale, is set to receive a local historic designation from the Arlington County Board this weekend. The county then plans to sell the home, in “as is” condition, to the highest bidder. The buyer would be expected to fix up and maintain the house, while preserving its historic characteristics.

Thanks to the fallen tree, the home may be a bit more of a “fixer-upper” than the county planned. Visible damage includes a buckled portion of roof, a bent gutter, and a broken lower window.

The tree will be removed tomorrow (Wednesday) according to Dept. of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Susan Kalish, and the county will repair the damage.

“Removal of the tree will require use of a large crane,” she wrote. “The property will covered by a tarp to protect it from the weather.”

“After the tree has been removed, we can do a complete assessment of the damage,” Kalish said. “From the damage that we can observe now it appears that exterior repairs will only take about a week to repair — if the weather cooperates. Repairs will be made that are in keeping with the historic nature of the home.”

Kalish said the damage will most likely not impact the Board’s scheduled vote on Saturday.

Tree Debris to Be Cleared from Wilson Blvd Sidewalk

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County says crews will be clearing tree debris from the busy Wilson Blvd sidewalk in front of Colonial Village today.

The tree supposedly came down this past Sunday, according to parks department spokeswoman Susan Kalish, but the resident who first emailed ARLnow.com to ask about the safety hazard said it actually came down Tuesday, during Superstorm Sandy. Regardless of when it fell, the tree remains have been blocking the sidewalk ever since, forcing pedestrians to either walk up a small hill or into the street to get around it. It also blocked a bus stop and a bike lane, forcing bicyclists out into a vehicle travel lane.

The tree was on private property — near the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Troy Street, just down the street from the Courthouse area — and Kalish said the county was not notified that it was blocking a sidewalk until ARLnow.com asked about it yesterday.

“According to a property manager at Colonial Village the tree fell Sunday night. They did not have an opportunity to remove it or contact us regarding it until we checked into it for [ARLnow.com],” she said. “The Parks team will clear the sidewalk today.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County to Ask For Federal Storm Aid — Yesterday, Arlington County ended the State of Emergency declaration put in place for Hurricane Sandy. The county says it will seek federal reimbursement for the estimated $1.17 million cost of responding to the storm. Meanwhile, the county says that one private home was destroyed by the storm, while 17 suffered major damage and 27 suffered minor damage. [Arlington County]

APS Rolls Out ‘Courtesy Bus Service’ — Arlington Public Schools has started to bus some students who lost their eligibility to ride the bus this year as part of changes to the school system’s transportation policies this year. The courtesy service will only be offered this year, school officials say. So far, 83 students have been allowed back on buses. [Sun Gazette]

SoberRide Halloween Stats — The SoberRide program says it provided 157 free cab rides to “would-be drunk drivers” in the D.C. area on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. [Washington Regional Alcohol Program]

Road Closures for 5K Race — A number of roads will be closed near Tuckahoe Elementary School for the National Race Against the Odds 5K race this weekend. The closures will be in place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday (Nov. 4). [ACPD]

Advice for Damaged Trees — The TreeStewards of Arlington and Alexandria have some advice for property owners whose trees were damaged by SuperStorm Sandy. The organization has been encouraging property owners to read about precautions to be taken when hiring tree services to help with storm clean-up, and about “first aid” procedures for storm-damaged trees.

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

Power Outages Now Below 1,000

By ARLnow.com

Dominion has been making significant progress in restoring power to Arlington homes and businesses.

As of 10:15 this morning, only 997 Dominion customers were without power in Arlington, compared to more than 5,000 around the same time yesterday and more than 18,000 at the height of Superstorm Sandy.

Last night, Arlington officials reported that there were no dark traffic lights in the county. Six intersections were using generators to keep the signals functioning, however. There were about 20 non-functioning traffic signals the morning after the storm.

As of 5:30 last night, about 18 streets were still blocked or partially blocked by down trees, but county crews were working to clear the debris, according to a county media update.

Dominion says crews will be working on power lines and equipment at the following Arlington locations today:

  • N. Henderson Rd & N. 3rd St
  • S. 7th St & Buchanan
  • Arlington Ridge Rd & S. 28th St
  • Columbia Pike & S Buchanan St
  • N 15th St & N Vermont St
  • N Inglewood St & 17th St N
  • 1st Rd & N Irving St
  • N Quinn St & N 12th St
  • N Stuart St & N 25th St
  • N Underwood St & N 25th St
  • N Nelson St & N 10th St
  • S 5th St & S Aberdeen St
  • S Chesterfield Rd south of Four Mile Run
  • S. Glebe Rd. & S 9th St.
  • Williamsburg Blvd & N Edison St
  • Wilson Blvd & N Randolph St

Flickr pool photo by Afagen

Dominion Lists Planned Work Locations in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Dominion has released a list of locations where power crews are expected work today in Arlington County.

The company plans to work on downed lines and blown transformers in more than 40 locations around the county.

As of 10:00 a.m., 5,264 Dominion customers are still without power in Arlington. That’s down from more than 18,000 at the storm’s peak. The company says it plans to have all Superstorm Sandy-related outages restored by Thursday night.

Arlington County crews are continuing to clean up debris-covered streets and assess damage. The county expects damages in Arlington from Sandy “will be in the millions of dollars.”

Dominion is planning to work at the following locations today:

  • 10th St & N. Daniel St
  • 14th St west of N Longfellow St
  • 25th St east of Old Dominion Dr
  • 29th St N & Sycamore St
  • S. 12th St
  • 40th St south of 41st St
  • Carlyn Springs Rd & South 1st Pl
  • Columbia Pk & Buchanan St
  • Hayes St @ 23rd St
  • Lee Hwy & N Calvert St
  • Lee Hwy & N. Vermont St
  • Little Falls Rd & 26th St
  • 10th St & N Edgewood St
  • North 17th St & North Hartford St
  • N 19th St & Lexington
  • N 23 Rd St & N Fillmore St
  • N 25th St & N 26th Rd
  • N 5th St east of N Monroe St
  • N Barton St & 10th St
  • Yorktown Blvd & N Brandywine St
  • N Harrison St & 16th St
  • N Kennsington St & 35th Rd
  • N 25th Rd & N Kensington St
  • N Pollard St btwn Wilson Blvd & 6th St
  • N Quinn St & N 12th St
  • N Stuart St & N 25th St
  • N. Edison St & N. 38th St
  • N. Quincy St. & N. 18th S
  • N. Stafford St off Lee Hwy
  • N. West St & Washington Blvd
  • Patrick Henry Dr & Washington Blvd
  • N. Oakland St north of Old Domonion Dr
  • S 11th St & Frederick St
  • S 16th St & S Ives St
  • S 24th Rd
  • S 4th St & Illinois
  • S 4th St & Jefferson St
  • S Eads St south of 12th St
  • S Glebe Rd & S 3rd St
  • S. Shirlington Rd. south of 25th St
  • Washington Blvd & N Longfellow St
  • Westmoreland St & Williamsburg Blvd
  • Wilson Blvd & N Madison St
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