Williamsburg

County Board Considering Three Neighborhood Improvement Projects

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington County Board (file photo)The Arlington County Board will vote this Saturday on whether to allocate more than $1.4 million to fund three improvement projects in residential communities.

If passed, the motion would fund $781,082 for street improvements on 24th Street N. from Illinois Street to Kensington Street; $159,751 for new streetlights on S. Edison Street from George Mason Drive to 11th Street; and $521,409 for median and striping improvements on N. Sycamore Street from 26th Street to Williamsburg Blvd.

The three projects were recommended by the Neighborhood Conservation Action Committee. The money would come from the Neighborhood Conservation Program, an $11 million pot of money used for relatively small citizen-initiated projects. The three projects would be the third installment of the latest Neighborhood Conservation fund, approved by referendum last year. Four projects were funded last fall and five were funded this spring. If approved, the program would have $4,866,407 in funding left for future projects.

The projects were selected on a points-based system. They were the three highest-scoring projects out of the 25 proposals the NCAC reviews. County staff supported the NCAC’s recommendations in its report..

The item is on the Board’s consent agenda, which means unless a Board member or a citizen decides it warrants further analysis at the Board’s Tuesday meeting, it should pass without additional discussion on Saturday.

File photo

Zumba for Infants Coming to Arlington

By Ethan Rothstein

ZumbiniA local Zumba instructor is introducing a variation of the popular dance exercise aimed at babies and toddlers.

Lisa Aneiva, of FITLoose Health and Fitness, says she’s using Zumba to improve the social development of children ages 0-3. Aneiva said the program, called Zumbini, is “unique in its design to build positive associations with living a musical lifestyle at the earliest possible age.”

Children and their caregivers can sign up for six- or 12-week sessions, which take place at Jung Do Kwan Martial Arts, at 6408 Williamsburg Blvd, in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

“One of the goals of Zumbini is to build collective consciousness, experience, and memory for the children, much as some traditional societies do in their music and dance ritual,” Aneiva said. “Value rests in the bonding and social learning, which occurs uniquely in a multiage, communal setting.”

The classes consist of the instructor leading the dances and caregivers following along with their children. Included in a session are “structured dances, some seated songs with small movement and finger play, a dance with scarves, a structured instrument song, and a free instrument ‘jam session’ when participants choose their favorite percussion instruments to play to the beat,” according to Aneiva.

Classes include songs in different languages and the original music is provided by Zumba Fitness, which launched the Zumbini program this fall. Formerly Zumba of North Arlington, FITLoose is one of the first Zumbini programs in the area, Aneiva said. Those interested in the classes can enroll here.

Photo via FITLoose

Police Bust Rowdy Teen Drinking Party

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)Arlington County Police have charged 43 people with underage drinking after breaking up a large, noisy teen drinking party in the Williamsburg neighborhood, ARLnow.com has learned exclusively.

An officer responded to the 3500 block of N. Nottingham Street around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, for a report of a loud party, according to police. Upon arriving, the officer approached the house and observed a large number of young people.

“Numerous” party-goers then began fleeing from the home by jumping over fences into nearby yards, while others started throwing beer cans and bottles at the officer, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Backup units arrived on scene and the remaining partyers were rounded up. In all, 43 people between the ages of 15 and 18 were charged with underage consumption of alcohol.

“Many of them were rude and uncooperative,” Sternbeck said. Another 16 juveniles were released into the custody of their parents without charges after a voluntary breath test revealed no traces of alcohol, Sternbeck said.

“Let’s just say there were a lot of unhappy parents responding to the 3500 block of N. Nottingham Street that night,” said Sternbeck.

No charges have been filed against the homeowner, who was not present at the time of the party but was later reached by police via phone. Police were unable to locate the suspects who threw the cans and bottles at the officer, Sternbeck said.

UPDATED: Opening Set for Williamsburg Zinga! Froyo Store

By Katie Pyzyk
1/3

Update on 4/4/13 — The store is expected to hold a grand opening April 5 and 6. The store is owned by Bill and Kasi Hansen. Bill is a Yorktown High School graduate and “longtime local resident,” according to a press release. Zinga will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Earlier: The Zinga! Frozen Yogurt store that’s been in the works since last year at 2914 N. Sycamore Street, in the Williamsburg Shopping Center, is nearly ready to open.

According to the shop’s Facebook page, the goal is to open next week. Photos have been popping up on the page highlighting the store’s construction progress, such as the new outdoor sign and the arrival of the froyo machines. Customers are encouraged to “like” the page for special deals that will only be available to fans.

Zinga! will be the newest shop to cash in on the froyo trend by featuring machines that allow customers to serve themselves and then pay for the product by weight. There will be three dozen rotating flavors and 50 toppings to choose from.

The Facebook page also encourages anyone interested in working at the new location to contact Drew Hafer at [email protected].

Another Zinga! Frozen Yogurt is expected to open in Falls Church in late May.

Photos via Facebook

Zinga Frozen Yogurt Expected in Williamsburg

By Katie Pyzyk

The froyo craze continues in Arlington, this time as a new store apparently targets the Williamsburg Shopping Center.

According to its website, national chain Zinga Frozen Yogurt plans to move into the vacant space at 2914 Sycamore Street, which used to house Garden City Florist.

Like many of the froyo stores popping up around the county, Zinga allows customers to serve themselves one of the three dozen rotating frozen yogurt flavors. There are more than 50 toppings to choose from, and the finished product is sold by weight.

Zinga sets itself apart from similar establishments with its freshly baked “bottomz” — such as waffle bowls, brownies and vanilla cake — which customers can use as a base on which to build their frozen creations.

So far there has not be an announcement about when construction will begin or when the store is expected to open.

APS Holding First Boundary Change Meeting Tonight

By Katie Pyzyk

The 2012-2013 school year is a big one for Arlington Public Schools, as it takes on the task of changing school boundaries and admissions policies. The first opportunity for the public to get involved is at a School Board work session tonight (Wednesday).

At the meeting, the School Board will review the current boundary policy and discuss the scope of the boundary changes to be considered. The work session will take place in room 101 of the Education Center (1426 N. Quincy Street) at 7:45 p.m.

The public is allowed to attend but not offer comments at the work session, which is considered a preliminary meeting to figure out the direction the boundary process will take in the coming months. Public engagement sessions will officially kick off late next month. At that time, residents may raise concerns and offer suggestions for boundary issues requiring further examination.

“We’re very interested in being transparent and engaged with the community in this process. We want people to be engaged because boundary changes will be a part of our future for many years,” said APS Director of Facilities Planning Alison Denton. “We want to establish a process that works and that is transparent.”

Policy requires this process for projects listed in the proposed APS Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) presented by Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy in May. The $538 million CIP includes funding for two new elementary schools and additions to three others to address the school system’s capacity issues.

“We’re seeing an influx of students to the point where we’re running out of space, especially at the elementary level,” said APS spokesman Frank Bellavia.

In preparation for the new schools and new additions, new school boundaries must be decided upon to better distribute students in the most overcrowded areas, such as the northwest portion of the county.

“This is just the beginning discussion. We don’t know yet how large the boundaries are going to be or how small they’re going to be,” Bellavia said.

So far, there’s no firm timetable for having a boundary plan completed. It could be finished by the end of this school year, but that’s still up in the air and should be discussed at tonight’s work session, according to Denton.

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Pence’s Arlington Home Causing Indiana Election Flap

By Katie Pyzyk

An election battle is brewing in Indiana over Rep. Mike Pence’s home in Arlington.

The Republican congressman is running for governor in his home state of Indiana. According to The Journal Gazette — a publication in Fort Wayne, Ind. — accusations are flying due to Pence’s house in the Williamsburg neigborhood.

His Democratic opponent, John Gregg, claims Pence spends too much time in the D.C. area and not enough time in Indiana. Gregg acknowledges that Pence is a legal resident of Indiana, but believes his time living in Arlington may have caused him to become out of touch with Indiana residents.

The article quotes Gregg as saying, “It’s a question of whether or not they’ve gone Washington with them being out there.”

Although he hasn’t offered a specific breakdown of how much time he spends in each location every year, it’s common knowledge in political circles that Pence’s family lives in Arlington while Congress is in session. His two younger children attend school in Arlington, and his oldest attends Purdue University in Indiana.

Pence, who has been in Congress since 2000, bought his house in Arlington in 2002 for almost $400,000. Currently, records show the property to be assessed at nearly $620,000.

Photo via Google Streetview

UPDATED: Power Outage Affecting NW Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) Nearly 3,700 1,500 Dominion customers are without power in the northwest corner of Arlington.

The power outage is currently affecting the Yorktown, Williamsburg and East Falls Church neighborhoods. Homes, businesses, traffic lights and even Yorktown High School have lost power.

Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson said a piece of equipment failed, causing about 1,500 customers to lose power. The company hopes to have power restored by 11:45 a.m.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Board Candidates Debate — The three candidates for Arlington County Board — two incumbent Democrats and one Green Party challenger — answered questions at the Civic Federation candidates forum last night. The Democrats, Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada, spoke generally about the advantages of living in Arlington, while challenger Audrey Clement sharply criticized the County Board as being “in bed with developers.” [Sun Gazette]

Unopposed Candidate Roundup — Six Democrats who are running unopposed for local offices also spoke at last night’s candidates forum. [Sun Gazette]

7-Eleven Move Causes Disruptions — Who knew that one 7-Eleven store (out of 24 in Arlington) can have such a significant impact on a community? After a store in the Williamsburg Shopping Center moved closer to the East Falls Church Metro, daily routines were disrupted and other businesses in the shopping center withered. “7-11 may have a fine national strategy, but it sends ripples around localities, affecting livelihoods as well as routines beyond mere convenience,” writes columnist Charlie Clark. Luckily, the store is now moving back to Williamsburg. [Falls Church News-Press]

Redesign Suggestion for Dangerous Rosslyn Intersection — Greater Greater Washington proposes a possible way to enhance pedestrian safety at the dangerous intersection of Lynn Street and Lee Highway, while also (possibly) improving traffic flow. [Greater Greater Washington]

Possible Attempted Sex Assault in Williamsburg

By ARLnow.com

Update at 12:20 p.m. — Police have provided more details and this sounds more like mischief than malevolence. The suspect touched the girl’s rear end, then mooned her and her companion before running away, police say.

We’re hearing that police are investigating an attempted sex assault that occurred just before 1:00 last night in the Williamsburg neighborhood of north Arlington.

According to initial reports, a man in his late teens or early 20s dropped his pants and then grabbed the victim, a 17-year-old girl.

It happened at the intersection of North Tacoma Street and Williamsburg Blvd. A police K-9 was brought in to try to track the subject — no word yet on whether any arrests have been made.