Fairfax County Public Schools is looking for contractors to replace the roof and synthetic turf field at McLean High School.
The projects were introduced at the Fairfax County School Board’s Dec. 3 meeting as new business, meaning they were not up for a vote yet. Instead, the board will take action at a future meeting.
According to FCPS, plans and specifications have already been prepared for both projects, and they are scheduled for construction bid openings this month. Bids on the turf field replacement will be received on Dec. 9, while bids for the roof replacement project will come in on Dec. 16.
Bid tabulations and recommendations for which contractors should be awarded the projects will be presented to the school board prior to its Jan. 7, 2021 meeting.
FCPS Director of News and Information Lucy Caldwell says the actual construction work on the new field and roof will take place over about a month in the summer of 2021 “due to seasonal and occupancy coordination.”
McLean High School had its existing synthetic turf stadium field installed just eight years ago in July 2012.
“This location hosts a single field, resulting in greater wear and tear and a shorter life span than schools with two fields,” Caldwell said.
Stadium field replacements, including the installation of new goal posts and soccer goals, are typically estimated to cost between $500,000 and $550,000, according to Caldwell.
Largely built in 1997 with some additions in 2001, McLean’s roof will be more time-consuming to replace. The project could potentially span up to four years, with construction taking place for one month each summer.
The first year of work will address just over 30,000 square feet of roofing. With each square foot costing between $15 and $20, total estimated costs range from $450,000 to $600,000.
“This project will bid and be constructed in phases each year,” Caldwell said.
Photo via McLean HS Athletics/Twitter
Fairfax County Park Authority Director Announces Retirement Plans — “The executive director of the Fairfax County Park Authority in Virginia announced his plans to retire in February 2021 on Friday. Kirk Kincannon has served with the FCPA since 2014, and did a 10-year stint with the agency earlier in his career.” [WTOP]
Westbound Route 7 Roadwork Prompts Lane Shift — “Beginning on or about Monday, Dec. 7, drivers on westbound Route 7 will experience a lane shift to the north (away from the median) between Jarrett Valley Drive and Lewinsville Road as crews continue to build the improvements along Route 7 that will add a third lane and shared-use paths in each direction.” [Virginia Department of Transportation]
Tysons Annual Report Shows Mixed Results on Housing — “The 2020 report provides some important updates on housing construction in Tysons, and it also provides an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan’s income-restricted housing requirements.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Staff Photo by Jay Westcott
Updated at 9:30 a.m. on 12/7/2020 — An adult woman involved in yesterday’s vehicle crash on Leesburg Pike died in the hospital, Fairfax County police reported.
Leesburg Pike reopened around 1:50 p.m. yesterday (Sunday). The crash remains under investigation.
Earlier: Leesburg Pike is currently closed in both directions around Towlston Road in Vienna due to a crash involving two vehicles.
One person has been taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to the Fairfax County Police Department, which is investigating the incident.
“Please use an alternate route,” police said Sunday morning.
The crash involving two vehicles remains under investigation. One person was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Leesburg Pike remains closed in both directions. Please continue to avoid the area. https://t.co/ogylYbzb9K
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 6, 2020
Mail-stealing mischief is once again afoot in the Town of Vienna.
Vienna police warned today (Friday) that U.S. Post Office collection boxes on the corner of Church Street and Lawyers Road have been the targets of several break-ins this year.
The most recent incident occurred overnight between 3 a.m. on Nov. 22 and 5 p.m. on Nov. 23, when a resident reported that a check she had deposited in the mailbox at that intersection had been stolen, forged, and cashed.
“If you used these mailboxes during that time, please ensure that any checks, banknotes, or other important mail reached its intended destination,” the Vienna Police Department said in its crime summary for the week of Nov. 25 to Dec. 3.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is responsible for investigating all mail theft and tampering incidents, which can be reported to the U.S. Postal Service’s law enforcement arm through their website at uspis.gov/report.
Vienna police forward mail theft reports to the USPIS and support their investigations, but they advise anyone who sees suspicious activity at the collection boxes to contact the town police department to get an immediate response.
With the mailbox thieves apparently still at large, people with mail to deliver should drop it in the collection boxes inside the post office (200 Lawyers Road) instead, the VPD says.
The police report includes three other incidents involving issues with mailed checks that don’t appear to be part of the spree of postal box break-ins.
One resident reported that a check she mailed was stolen, forged, and cashed sometime between Sept. 1 and Nov. 23.
Another said a check she was supposed to get in the mail never arrived. The incident is dated between Nov. 3 and Nov. 10. Police advised the woman to file a report with the U.S. Postal Service.
Finally, there was a grand larceny incident between 9 p.m. on Nov. 30 and 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 1:
A resident placed outgoing mail in her mailbox that included three checks that she was sending to various creditors with her bills. The next day she observed shredded paper in the gutter that she recognized as the remnants of the envelopes she had placed in the mailbox.
Image via Google Maps
Updated at 4:10 p.m. — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says the situation is now stable, and all people trapped in stalled elevators have been freed. There are no reported injuries or indications of natural gas issues at this time.
Police officers are assisting with traffic control in the area around Tysons Corner Center.
“Please use caution and follow police direction,” the Fairfax County Police Department says.
Earlier — A transformer caught fire in the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road in Tysons, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reported just before 3:30 p.m. today (Friday).
The fire is now out after units responded to the scene, but electrical power has been cut off in the area, resulting in multiple calls from people stuck in elevators. Emergency responders are helping free them.
The FCFRD says crews have not detected any gas leaks or odors so far.
Units on scene of a transformer fire in the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road in Tysons area. Fire is out. Power is out to area. Multiple calls for people stuck in stalled elevators. Crews helping free them. Crews also checking odor of gas. No gas/leaks/odor found so far. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/8mfHsDFEGD
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 4, 2020
Dominion Energy crews are also on the scene working to isolate the transformer.
“We are working to get power back as quickly and safely as possible but I’m told the work will take a few hours,” Dominion spokesperson Peggy Fox said.
A map from Dominion Energy indicates that two power outages have affected 74 customers in the Tysons area. 68 people have lost power because a circuit is out, and an outage affecting six people has been attributed to an equipment problem.
Dominion Energy estimates that power will be restored in both cases between 5-8 p.m.
Map via Dominion Energy
The Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously agreed to defer its vote on the mixed-use development planned for Merrilee Drive after holding a public hearing on Wednesday (Dec. 2).
The planning commission will now decide whether to support the rezoning application for the project from Elm Street Development on Dec. 9.
Though he expressed support for the project, Providence District Planning Commissioner Phil Niedzielski-Eichner moved to push the decision back by a week after he and other members of the commission raised questions about the availability of park space in the development.
Located at 2722 Merrilee Drive on a site currently occupied by an office building, Elm Street’s project will feature 20,000 total square feet of open space, including a 0.17-acre public park space along the front of the building, two corner pocket parks, and a private dog park for residents, according to a county staff report.
However, the proposal still falls 0.45 acres short of the on-site park space that Fairfax County expects for developments in the Tysons area, including the Merrifield Suburban Center where the Merrilee project is situated.
“This is an exciting next opportunity to continue developing in the Merrifield area and to help more fully realize the suburban center vision for Merrifield,” Niedzielski-Eichner said. “…I think you’ll agree that the park issues, particularly toward the end of the process, were particularly challenging to realize.”
The Tysons Comprehensive Plan requires that developments provide 1.5 acres of public park space for every 1,000 residents and one acre for every 10,000 employees. Under the urban parks standard, Merrilee would need 0.63 acres of on-site public park space.
Fairfax County Senior Planner Kelly Posusney says the failure to meet that standard was the biggest issue with Elm Street’s application when it was accepted for review in March.
County planning staff worked with Elm Street to add as much on-site park space as possible, but they ultimately reached the limit of what they could provide without adding height to the building or other undesired elements.
“Given the size of the development and the type of building, they just couldn’t do any more in terms of meeting the park need,” Fairfax County Park Authority Development Review Chief Andi Dorlester said.
The comprehensive plan does offer alternatives for projects that fall short of the urban park standard. Developers can provide at least 0.45 acres of off-site, publicly accessible parkland. If they are unable to find off-site park space, they can contribute $500,000 to the park authority for the future acquisition and development of park resources in the Merrifield Suburban Center.
According to McGuireWoods managing partner Greg Riegle, who represented Elm Street at the planning commission public hearing, the developer is now looking for properties that could be turned into park space and has committed to contributing $500,000 if the land isn’t found.
When Braddock District Planning Commissioner Mary Cortina expressed concern that the money would end up sitting unused in an escrow or proffer account, Riegle emphasized that the developer’s “strong preference” is to find park space, potentially by combining resources with other land owners as other development applications for the area come in.
“I think time is our friend,” Riegle said. “We’ve got a lot of good leadership in Merrifield and the Providence District, and we’re committed to finding a solution for all the reasons you stated.”
Photo courtesy Elm Street Development
The winter holiday season tends to be a crucial time for retailers, restaurants, and other small businesses that rely on the annual flurry of gift-giving and festivities to bring in the revenue they need to stay afloat, but it will be especially pivotal this year after months of economic challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of its ongoing efforts to encourage community members to support local businesses, the Vienna Business Association has expanded the Small Business Saturday guide that it normally puts together every year into a Vienna Holiday Guide.
Launched online on Nov. 1, the guide gives local businesses a platform to share the deals and promotions that they are offering during this holiday season. It also features public events hosted by the VBA and the Town of Vienna, such as the Shop & Stroll series and the annual decorating contest.
“We just want to do everything we can to help the businesses that are struggling so much, and this holiday season is so critical,” VBA Executive Director Peggy James said. “Nothing against Amazon, but our businesses really, really need the business. Small businesses really need the business, so it just seemed like a nice thing to do.”
Vienna business owners say the VBA’s support and the sense of community fostered by Town officials and residents have buoyed them as they adapted their products and services to a world of social distancing and public-gathering restrictions.
“Vienna is really awesome. They’re really a loyal customer base,” Potomac River Running Marketing and Community Outreach Coordinator Gina DeGaetano said. “…The business association [is] doing everything right to encourage people to continue to shop small, whether that’s supporting them online or coming into the store, and we’re certainly seeing the Vienna customer base is doing just that.” Read More
McLean Private School Announces New Leader — “We are excited to announce that Jason Shorbe, current Head of School at BASIS International School Guangzhou, will join the BASIS Independent McLean community as Head of School for the 2021-2022 school year.” [BASIS Independent Schools]
Researchers Seek Public Input on Merrifield Self-Driving Shuttle — “Relay will be available to public riders for about a year, and George Mason University School of Business is seeking public feedback on the pilot program.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Vienna’s Jammin’ Java Awarded COVID-19 Assistance Grant — “The Live Music Society has committed to giving $2 million in grants in its first two years of operation to support the live music ecosystem around the United States.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Salesforce to Purchase Acumen Solutions in McLean — “On Dec. 1, the same day it announced that it was acquiring workplace communication service company Slack for $27.7 billion in cash and stock, cloud-services company Salesforce.com Inc. revealed that it’s also acquiring McLean-based professional services firm Acumen Solutions.” [Virginia Business]
Haycock Elementary Teacher Turns Treehouse into Classroom — “For Haycock Elementary School teacher Nellie Williams, creativity took on new heights as she and her husband decided to upgrade their backyard treehouse for her to use as a classroom.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
The Vienna food scene has a new addition with the arrival of Box’d Kitchen, a fast-casual restaurant that specializes in Mediterranean cuisine.
Box’d Kitchen opened its doors on Dec. 1 in the Avalon Dunn Loring apartment complex at 2750 Gallows Road. This is the second location for Box’d Kitchen after founder and CEO Curtis Lee introduced the concept in 2018 with a venue near the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville.
“With extraordinary food offering at an affordable pricing, we are looking forward to becoming a great neighborhood restaurant in Vienna,” Lee said.
Open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week, Box’d Kitchen allows customers to build rice and salad bowls or flatbread gyro wraps with lamb, steak, chicken, pork, and vegetables.
Dishes are served with the restaurant’s version of Tzatziki sauce and an optional hot spice sauce. The spiciness level can range from mild to extra hot.
According to the restaurant’s new Yelp profile, Box’d Kitchen does not have outdoor seating, but it offers delivery, takeout, and curbside pick-up services along with sit-down dining.
It also has a contactless payment system, enforces capacity limits and social distancing, provides hand sanitizer, and requires masks as a safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated at 6:30 p.m. — Blake Lane has reopened. The person who was injured in the crash is a bicyclist, and they remain hospitalized. The incident is under investigation by Fairfax County police detectives.
Earlier — Blake Lane is currently closed between Hibbard Street and Bushman Drive in Oakton due to a vehicle crash that occurred this afternoon.
Fairfax County police reported the accident just after 3:30 p.m. today (Thursday). One person has been transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police are asking people to avoid the area, and travel delays should be expected.
Blake Lane is now open. Detectives from our Crash Reconstruction Unit continue to investigate. The bicyclist remains hospitalized. #FCPD https://t.co/P2gyh3QUk5
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 3, 2020
