After years of waiting, the completion of the bus shelter in the vicinity of the Virginia Hills sign has enabled the Virginia Hills Citizens Association (VHCA) to improve the landscaping near the sign. The Association contracted with Fortney Lawn and Garden to install a raised mulched bed to contain liriope, seasonal blooming flowers, and small evergreen shrubs. The work was completed in the third week of August. The Association has already received several compliments on the improvement.
Fortney Lawn and Garden has agreed to maintain the additional bed as part of its agreement with the Association to maintain the previously existing bed at the sign in exchange for Echo advertising.
The next project for that area is to upgrade the lighting for the sign. The current lighting equipment was installed in the mid-1960s and is difficult and expensive to repair. It consists of boxes with weatherproof covers containing exit sign bulbs. The Association has discovered that only 20 watt bulbs will not quickly burn out.
New lighting must resist vandalism and tampering, may not shine into the windows of the houses behind the sign, and must be able to be mounted in the sign's existing brickwork. The Association has had great difficulty finding lighting that meets these criteria, and this is now a priority project. If you have suggestions, please contact President Boulter.
Detectives arrested Richard Hiner in July of this summer during an investigation into a series of rental home scams. Between Sunday, July 13 and Friday, July 18, police were notified of four separate incidents where potential renters were defrauded of money after signing contracts on rental homes. In each case the victims found the rental homes advertised on Craigslist. After reportedly contacting Richard Hiner, the person in the ad, they toured the home, signed a rental contract, and provided payment toward the rental. They later learned that Hiner was not affiliated with the properties and the homes were actually bank-owned and in foreclosure.
Detectives acted quickly, posing as potential renters and responding to an online ad for a rental home. Hiner was arrested when he arrived for the meeting after detectives determined he had no affiliation with that property. Richard K. Hiner, 31, of Catlett, Virginia, was arrested and charged with four counts of grand larceny by false pretense and three counts of burglary. This investigation is ongoing and detectives would like to hear from anyone who may have additional information on these rental home scams.
The involved homes were located in the following areas:
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS(8477) or by e-mail from www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org.
Editor's Note: If you live near a vacant/foreclosed property, it's a good idea to pay attention to what goes on there. Notify police if suspicious persons are on the property, especially at unexpected times. Notify the County if the property isn't being maintained (i.e. grass not being cut, broken windows, etc.).
In early summer, Washington Gas crews worked on the gas mains in the Virginia Hills area. Crews dug into the streets at, based on our count, over 50 locations. Once the work was complete, the crews put a temporary patch on each hole. A different crew was supposed to return to the site and put a permanent patch that would be level with the road surface. In many cases, the permanent patch was not installed.
While VDOT is responsible for streets in Fairfax County, complaints by neighbors to VDOT went unanswered because VDOT had not done the digging. VHCA learned about the Washington Gas responsibility through contacts with Supervisor McKay's office, which assisted in getting the final patches on Prospect Terrace.
VHCA has since surveyed Virginia Hills and discovered additional locations where final patches were not made:
We hope that these additional fixes will be made within the next two weeks. If you know of a location that we missed, please call Joan Clark in Supervisor McKay's office at 703-971-6262.
To report a road problem with potholes, water drainage and drainage ditch cleaning, guard rails, signs, traffic lights, or animal, tree or trash removal, call VDOT at 703-383-VDOT (703-383-8368) or make the report on line at http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/citizen.asp.
Last spring, when I told you Fairfax County Public Schools would face their toughest budget scenario in more than ten years, with a projected deficit of $150 million, I hoped I'd be wrong. Unfortunately, it's a reality! For the first time in 15 years, FCPS received a decrease in county funding, at a time of increasing student enrollment and costs. We need to make additional cuts and they won't be easy. FCPS is conducting a system-wide staffing and program review to identify potential savings. We welcome your recommendations as well. Together, we will create a spending plan that's best for our students. That being said, there are many positives in the Lee District!
I was successful in encouraging the Board's vote to include Hayfield Elementary in the full-day kindergarten implementation this year. Every Lee District elementary school now has a full-day kindergarten (FDK). Research demonstrates positive correlations between FDK and students' school-related social behavior and involvement in learning experiences. FDK students achieve higher standardized test scores in reading, math, and science than their peers in half-day programs.
Funding from prior Bond referendums will benefit Lee District schools through renovations or additions. Work begins in 2009 on renovation of Edison High School. When completed, Edison will have the most advanced, energy-efficient technology available.
Renovation plans have started for Franconia Elementary. One of our oldest schools, Franconia opened in 1931 as a four room schoolhouse with an auditorium. In August, community members, parents, and staff met to review the architect's proposed plans; we were pleased to see they maintain the school's original look while achieving structural integrity and improved access.
The Board has been studying the feasibility of implementing later high school start times. This fall, we will hold town meetings to present a proposed bell schedule and associated costs. We need your opinions — any change will impact you and your students.
I encourage you to volunteer in our schools; they need you more than ever and schedules are flexible. As always, please contact me with your questions, concerns, or comments at brad.center@fcps.edu — I do my job the best when I hear from you!
In the wake of soaring fuel prices and balmy weather, an increasing number of drivers have turned to mopeds and motorized scooters as alternatives to cars and trucks. According to Traffic Safety Specialist Master Police Officer Bob Barton, "We are seeing a surge in people, some more experienced than others, commuting by moped, scooter, and motorcycle, which can create safety concerns when mixing with other vehicles."
There is a new law, effective July 1, 2008, that anyone thinking about using a moped or scooter needs to be aware of. If a moped is driven over 35 mph, it is now considered a motorcycle, which means that the operator needs to have additional driver's certifications and a motorcycle license. Additionally, the moped needs license plates, proper registration and insurance. If a moped is driven under 35 mph, the driver does not need a license (but must carry identification), and the vehicle does not need license plates or insurance.
Additional safety tips for moped and scooter operators include the following:
As one of the benefits of joining VHCA, members have received discounts from sponsoring restaurants in the area. Primo Restaurant in the Bellehaven Shopping Center has been a long-time sponsor (since the early 1990s), offering VHCA members a 5% discount.
We regret to inform members that Primo is now under new ownership and the new owner, when approached this year, was not willing to continue the discount.
If you know of a local restaurant (not a chain, since local restaurants of big chains are not able to negotiate such agreements) that you like and think might be willing to sponsor the Association, please ask the owner and let us know. The usual discount is 10%, with the possible exception of peak dining days.
New residents of Virginia Hills need to know that large and/or bulky items (i.e., refrigerators, appliances, household debris, furniture, etc.) as well as large quantities of brush will NOT be picked up as part of your regular trash collection and should NOT be left out. You must call for a special pickup, known to older residents as a bulk pickup.
To schedule a special collection, you may call 703-802-3322 to speak with a customer service representative or you may schedule the collection on line at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/specialpickup/default.asp. Special pickups are normally on our regular Tuesday trash day, so the special items should be placed separately from the regular trash.
You are entitled to five free special collections in a year. As an alternative, you may self-haul many materials to one of the county's solid waste facilities, the closest of which is Lorton. These facilities are operated on a fee-for-service basis and you will be charged for disposal based on the type and amount of material. Fees generally range from $5-$10 for a pickup truck's worth of material. Hazardous materials and recyclables are normally free.
In the heat of a northern Virginia summer, it's a stretch to be thinking about the County's fiscal year 2010 budget that's almost a year away. While we are fortunate to live in one of the most economically advantaged counties in the United States, we are not immune to the economic storms that are shaking the country. Foreclosures, rapidly rising fuel and electricity costs, and increases in the costs of goods and services are hitting us hard.
On July 18, the Board of Supervisors and the School Board were briefed on the County's current and future fiscal outlook. While not unexpected, the news was sobering. For the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2009, we are looking at a projected county and school combined deficit of $430 million.
Our challenge will be to close the budget gap without doing serious and lasting harm to the quality of life and the excellent school system that Fairfax County residents expect and deserve. Toward that end, both County and School boards have undertaken a detailed review of County lines of business and school programs. We're looking for multi-year opportunities for cost reductions and savings, how we deliver programs and services, and where we can consolidate or eliminate duplication of services. Our goal is to manage the economic realities that we've been warned are coming over the next several years.
Both the County and the School Board are actively soliciting input from residents and 20 public meetings have been scheduled from September 20 through November 13. The two in our area are Thursday, October 16th, 7:00 to 9:30 PM, at the South County Government Center and Thursday, November 13th, 9:30 AM to Noon, John Marshall Library (Rose Hill). You can find more information about these meetings, as well as other budget details at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/budget/ and I encourage you to be involved in this process.
In the last fiscal year, we overcame a $175 million deficit by nibbling around the edges of our budget. We won't have that luxury this time. The same budget pressures on the County budget are affecting our residents and huge tax increases are not the solution.
I would welcome your thoughts and recommendations as we navigate this economic storm. What's important to you and your family? What's nice-to-have and what's have- to-have? How do you think Fairfax County should balance the services it provides and the property taxes that fund those services? You can reach me at 703-971-6262 or at leedist@fairfaxcounty.gov.