Fairfax County Public Schools officials presented three possible options for adjusting McLean High School’s boundary with Langley High School to address overcrowding at the former facility at a virtual community meeting on Monday (Dec. 7).
Officials say they considered several options and eliminated some when they determined that they would produce new overcrowding problems or create infrastructure or transportation issues.
Overcrowding has been a persistent concern at McLean throughout the past decade, as the school’s student population ballooned from 1,863 people in the fall of 2009 to over 2,000 people by 2012.
Despite several limited attempts to add space over the years, including the addition of temporary classrooms and the removal of lockers from hallways, FCPS says McLean High School is now at 118% capacity with 2,350 students in a building designed for 1,993 – a “substantial” deficit.
In comparison, Langley High School currently has 1,972 students and can accommodate 2,370 students after finishing a renovation last year.
FCPS has been exploring a possible boundary change for the two schools since early 2019. Feedback from a pair of community meetings in December 2019 led the Fairfax County School Board to add Cooper and Longfellow middle schools to the study’s scope on Mar. 9.
Longfellow Middle School is currently at 97% capacity with 1,334 students in a building for 1,374 students, though it is projected to exceed capacity going forward. Cooper Middle School has 992 students and will expand its capacity to 1,120 students after a renovation is completed around 2023.
Here are the three potential boundary adjustments that FCPS presented:
- Option A: reassign an estimated 131 students from McLean to Langley and an estimated 53 Longfellow students to Cooper in a split feeder area that includes Colvin Run Elementary School and a portion of Westbriar Elementary School
- Option B: reassign an estimated 190 students from McLean to Langley and an estimated 78 students from Longfellow to Cooper in the Colvin Run split feeder area, along with a portion of Westbriar and Spring Hill Elementary School
- Option C: reassign an estimated 240 students from McLean to Langley and 113 students from Longfellow to Cooper from the Spring Hill split feeder area
FCPS Facilities Special Projects Administrator Jessica Gillis emphasized that no students attending Longfellow, Cooper, McLean, or Langley right now will be moved out of their current school.
FCPS officials also included an option for no boundary change. Projections show that both McLean and Longfellow will be over capacity for the foreseeable future, whereas Langley’s enrollment will drop to 1,855 students, or 78% of its capacity, in 2024.
With any boundary adjustment not expected to take effect until the start of the 2021-22 school year, FCPS is installing a modular with 12 classrooms at McLean High School to provide temporary capacity relief, though it will still be at 103% capacity. The school will also still have six temporary classrooms.
Dates for FCPS staff to deliver a recommendation to the Fairfax County School Board and for the board to take action after holding a public hearing have not yet been determined.
Map via FCPS
The realignment of Old Meadow Road with Capital One Drive along Route 123 in Tysons is nearly complete.
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project announced yesterday (Tuesday) that crews have finished the final asphalt, curb, and striping work on the project, which is being managed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority as part of its expansion of Metro’s Silver Line.
“Crews have installed the pedestals for the pedestrian walkway signals and the signal work will be done in the near future,” the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project said in its update. “Demobilization of the worksite has started and will be completed by the end of December.”
Work on the street realignment has been underway since March and was originally expected to finish in August. The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project cited changing site conditions and challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic as the cause of the delay.
Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation requested that MWAA realign Old Meadow Road at Dolley Madison Boulevard to improve access to the Capital One complex, which was affected by Silver Line construction at the McLean Metro Station.
According to the Dulles Metrorail Corridor Project, project officials had contemplated a proposal that would have closed Old Meadow long-term, but traffic studies illustrated that the impact would be too extreme.
Final completion of the realignment project has been set for the end of this year, pending Dominion Energy’s schedule for energizing the meter for the new pedestrian signals.
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County Public Schools Presents Final Options for TJ Admissions — “After months of debate, Fairfax County school officials are proposing final options for reforming admissions at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — either switching to a lottery system or adopting a “holistic review,” revisions meant to boost diversity at the flagship STEM magnet school.” [The Washington Post]
Tex-Mex Restaurant Opens in Mosaic District — “Urbano Mosaic is a spinoff of Urbano116, a similar concept on lower King Street in Alexandria…The menu covers items such as appetizers, ceviches, tacos, salads, fajitas, chimichangas, enchiladas, burritos, entrées and platters.” [Patch]
Virginia Transit Leaders Discuss Post-Pandemic Commute Changes — “Democratic senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner — the latter in a recorded message — expressed optimism that lawmakers would soon pass a COVID-19 relief package. Kaine and Warner reiterated the importance of funding to enable Metro to avoid major service cuts despite its budget shortfalls.” [WTOP]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
The Vienna Police Department plans to join several other local law enforcement agencies in forming a Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) that will investigate shootings, in-custody deaths, and other situations where a police officer could face criminal charges.
The Vienna Town Council voted unanimously last night (Monday) to approve a memorandum of understanding that outlines the responsibilities, organizational structure, and basic procedures that the CIRT will follow.
Police chiefs in the region came together to develop the CIRT as a tool to enable departments to share resources and to establish a more independent process for investigating incidents where an officer inflicts death or serious injury.
“We don’t even have that capability to do that ourselves right now,” Vienna Police Chief Jim Morris said regarding the concurrent criminal and administrative investigations that are required after a use-of-force incident. “…This would solve that problem for us. It would also solve the problem of making sure you have independent, unbiased investigations.”
Under the CIRT MOU, which will take effect on Dec. 15, each agency will appoint a detective and a supervisor to serve on the team for two-year terms. The team will be governed by a board of directors that consists of the heads of the participating departments.
The team can be activated by a police chief when a critical incident occurs in their jurisdiction. Team members from the department under investigation would not participate in that criminal investigation, though they could act as a liaison officer.
Incidents that could trigger CIRT’s involvement include intentional and accidental shootings, in-custody deaths, police officer suicides, crashes where a vehicle is used as deadly force, and any action by a law enforcement officer during the performance of their duties that results in a death or life-threatening injury.
Vienna Police Chief Jim Morris emphasized that the CIRT is not meant to fill the same role as a citizen review board, which allows members of the public to provide input and evaluate police policies and procedures.
Instead, the CIRT will be responsible for conducting interviews, gathering evidence, and other aspects of a criminal investigation so that the case can be turned over to a prosecutor, who then decides whether to bring charges against the officers involved in the incident.
Morris says Vienna currently doesn’t have any formal written policy dictating how its police department would handle a criminal investigation in these situations. If the town opted out of CIRT, it would need to develop an arrangement with the Fairfax County Police Department so that there is a process in place if a critical incident occurs in Vienna.
“In this day and age especially, we need something in writing for these investigations,” Morris said.
Including the Town of Vienna, 11 Northern Virginia agencies have agreed to participate in the CIRT: Read More
The woman who died from injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash on Leesburg Pike on Sunday (Dec. 6) was Holly Kuga, a 72-year-old resident of Great Falls, the Fairfax County Police Department reported this afternoon (Tuesday).
According to Fairfax County police, the fatal crash occurred around 11 a.m. at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Towlston Road in Vienna, when Kuga attempted to turn left from southbound Towlston onto Leesburg Pike.
The driver of a 2017 GMC Sierra who was traveling west on Leesburg crashed into Kuga’s 2012 Honda Accord as she was going through the intersection.
Kuga was transported to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
“Detectives are continuing to investigate whether speed, alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash,” the FCPD said. “Charges are pending further investigation.”
After a three-week delay, the Vienna Town Council has approved plans to demolish a house that once belonged to the late Mayor Charles Robinson and his wife, the late former Councilmember Maud Robinson.
The council voted unanimously yesterday (Monday) to permit the Tysons Service Corporation to raze the single-story residence at 124 Courthouse Road SW after town staff determined that the existing building cannot be repurposed.
“The residential structure, detached garage, and outbuildings are not in condition to be reused or modified,” Vienna Parks and Recreation Director Leslie Herman said.
According to the Sun Gazette, the Robinsons moved into the house in 1951, and portions of its structure date back to at least 1870.
However, the three-quarter-acre property has been vacant since Maud Robinson died in March 2019. The Town of Vienna purchased it in December 2019.
The town council had been scheduled to make a decision on the house’s fate during its Nov. 16 meeting, but members decided to postpone the vote after a member of Historic Vienna, Inc., a group dedicated to preserving and promoting the town’s history, asked them to consider saving the oldest parts of the property.
The council ultimately agreed with town staff that, despite its sentimental value, the house is not worth saving since it does not meet modern accessibility standards and is assumed to have asbestos based on its age, though a survey conducted on Jan. 17 found less than 1% of the substance.
“Certainly, we had two very prominent people living there that mean so much to our town, but demolishing their house will not do anything to their memory,” Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert said. “We can still do other things to honor them in our town, so I do think it’s time, I think, for safety, and it just makes sense that it’s time to do that.”
The Tysons Service Corporation, which has been hired for the demolition, estimates that the work will cost between $25,405 and $28,000, depending on any additional work that is needed, according to Herman.
In addition to knocking down the house, the contractor will be responsible for getting rid of any asbestos and turning off sewer and water services in the property line.
The project costs also include the installation of a construction entrance and silt fence, the transportation of till dirt to level out the site, and the addition of grass seed and straw to undisturbed areas.
The Town of Vienna has not yet developed plans for what it will do with the site once the house is demolished.
“Tonight, we’re just looking at demolishing the structure, and then we can move on and have work sessions and have further discussion,” Colbert said.
Photo via Google Maps
The City of Falls Church’s recycling center is closed today (Tuesday) to accommodate repairs to an underground pipe.
The self-serve facility at 217 Gordon Street will be closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic throughout the day, though it is expected to reopen tomorrow.
The City recommends that residents looking to dispose of their recyclables today go to the Fairfax County I-66 Transfer Station on West Ox Road, which is open daily from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Glass can be recycled at various Purple Can locations throughout Fairfax County.
The Falls Church Recycling Center is typically open to drive-in vehicles from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and to pedestrians from dawn to dusk on Mondays through Sundays. It accepts certain kinds of clothing and textiles, glass bottles and jars, scrap metal, cardboard, and mixed paper and plastic products.
Photo via City of Falls Church
The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on the Fairfax County Park Authority’s revenue for Fiscal Year 2020, which lasted from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, the department says in its annual report on proposed fee adjustments for the coming year.
With parks and recreation facilities closed for the spring and a portion of the summer, the park authority saw its net operating fund revenue decrease by $6.8 million from FY 2019, even after it cut down on expenses and fully depleted its stabilization reserve fund.
The agency says it anticipates revenue to remain down “significantly” for FY 2021, as health concerns and social distancing protocols continue to affect the availability and capacity of RECenters and other facilities.
The park authority also analyzed the county’s economic climate, including retail sales and unemployment claims, when developing its FY 2021 fee adjustment proposal.
“Collective consideration of these factors has resulted in a modest fee proposal that attempts to remain sensitive to economic conditions, the market dynamics and operational limitations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for revenue growth,” the FCPA said in its report.
The park authority says outdoor parks have been “heavily used” during the pandemic as people seek safe ways to exercise and engage in recreation.
However, the nearly 2 million park visits in FY 2020 represent an 8.9% decrease from the previous year, and the cancelation of all registered programs and camps contributed to a 50% drop in total revenue.
While Fairfax County’s golf courses have seen a surge in demand since reopening in May, RECenter attendance levels ended the year 25% below FY 2019. Before the facilities closed in March, attendance had been up by 1.12 million people, or 11.6%.
Continued uncertainty about how COVID-19 will affect facility attendance and capacity next year led the FCPA to not recommend any changes to RECenter fees.
“This year’s fee recommendations address those areas in which revenue opportunities exist based on shifting park use patterns resulting from the pandemic,” the FCPA said.
Proposed fee changes relevant to the Tysons area include:
- The addition of $110 two-hour timeslots to reserve the picnic shelter at Clemyjontri Park in McLean
- A full-day rental fee of $55 or $70, depending on the day, to reserve a picnic shelter at Ruckstuhl Park, which is currently planned for development in Idylwood
- Cart rental fee increase at the Jefferson District, Oak Marr, and Pinecrest Golf Courses from $11 to $13
- A $1 increase to the miniature golf fees at Jefferson District Park, the Oak Marr RECenter, and Burke Lake Park
The proposed fee changes will collectively generate an estimated $149,258 in additional revenue for FY 2021 and $356,529 in FY 2022, according to the FCPA.
The park authority board is scheduled to approve an advertisement for a Jan. 20, 2021 public comment meeting on the fee proposal when it meets at 5 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 9).
After a 30-day comment period from Jan. 6 to Feb. 4, the board will take action on the proposal on Mar. 10. If approved, the new fee adjustments would take effect on Apr. 1.
Photo via Fairfax County Park Authority
Fairfax County Public Schools is creating “Safety Teams” of staff members and retirees to monitor adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols at schools that have reopened to students.
Charged with enforcing the implementation of mitigation strategies recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the teams will conduct random on-site spot checks, provide education and resources, and report data to administrators, according to a news release that FCPS published yesterday (Monday).
“The role of these teams is to help protect staff and students, and to make sure we all know what we can do to ensure safe, clean, healthy spaces,” FCPS Assistant Superintendent of Facilities and Transportation Services Jeff Platenberg said. “We’ve been training teams and conducting checks in recent weeks across FCPS.”
To limit the transmission of COVID-19, the CDC says schools should, at a minimum, ensure that students and staff consistently and correctly use masks, maintain social distancing to the extent possible, practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, clean and disinfect facilities, and collaborate on contact tracing with local health officials.
The announcement that FCPS has deployed safety teams comes as school officials face dueling pressures from reports indicating that virtual learning has hampered many students’ educational experience and from teachers’ unions who argue that in-person classes are unsafe.
FCPS currently has approximately 5,500 students receiving in-person instruction, all of them in special education, career preparation, and other specialized programs.
FCPS returned 2,900 students to distance learning and suspended plans to bring more students into school buildings on Nov. 16, when the COVID-19 transmission rate in Fairfax County surpassed 200 new cases per 100,000 people.
The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests over the last 14 days also has to be lower than 10% for students to start or remain in class.
As of Dec. 7, Fairfax County’s COVID-19 case rate is now more than double the 200-case threshold at 431.4 new cases per 100,000 people within the past 14 days. The test positivity rate is currently at 9.4%.
The Fairfax County Federation of Teachers and Fairfax Education Association, two unions that represent faculty and staff in FCPS, have urged FCPS to return all students to virtual learning.
“In schools that are already open, COVID-19 cases are increasing and employees report unsafe working conditions,” the FCFT said as part of a letter-writing campaign. “Fairfax County must transition everyone to virtual learning until it is safe.”
FCPS has recorded 387 COVID-19 cases since Sept. 8, including 300 staff members and 58 students. 21 cases involved staff at multiple sites, according to the school system’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Platenberg says the data that FCPS collects through its new safety teams will help officials determine where to devote additional education or resources in their effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
“We want to make sure we are consistently implementing the CDC’s strategies,” Platenberg said. “This is new for all of us, and so far, we are encouraged by what we see.”
Photo via FCPS
Zak Bradley is the new permanent director of public works for the City of Falls Church, the city announced today (Monday).
Bradley had been serving in the position on an interim basis since June, when former Director Mike Whitfield stepped down to accept a private-sector job on the West Coast, according to the Falls Church News-Press.
“Zak has proven himself as a knowledgeable and creative leader as interim director,” Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields said. “His forward-thinking leadership and high level of customer service are the perfect fit for the City’s complex needs.”
According to a news release, Bradley joined Falls Church City’s public works department as a transportation engineer in February 2019 after previously working as an engineer for the land-use consulting firm Carson Land Consultants. His past experience also includes engineering work for the City of Blue Ash in Ohio.
A licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager, Bradley earned a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering from Trine University in Indiana and a master’s in engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
As the director of public works, Bradley oversees the department responsible for the City of Falls Church’s infrastructure, including streets and sidewalks, the stormwater and sewer systems, and the solid waste and recycling program.
The department also manages the design and construction of projects in the city’s capital improvement program.
“This is a dream opportunity for me to not only further my career, but make a larger, lasting impact on the community and City as a whole,” Bradley said. “The department has a great team and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to advance the success of the City.”
