The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors mostly expressed support for implementing body worn cameras for the county’s police department following presentations about the results from a six-month-long pilot program.
Chief of Police Edwin Roessler Jr., Richard Bennett from American University and Deputy County Executive David Rohrer presented the results of the study to the county board during yesterday’s Public Safety Committee meeting.
The results of the study arrived almost a year after the pilot program, which was rolled out in the Mason, Mount Vernon and Reston district stations from March-September 2018, ended.
Bennett summarized the 119-page report by researchers at American University, which yielded mixed — yet generally positive — results.
Funded by the Koch Foundation and American University, the study randomly assigned half of the police officers in the three districts to body worn cameras and collected data from surveys, focus groups and ridealongs from both officers with and without the cameras.
While officers who wore the cameras during the pilot slightly increased their level of interest in the cameras by the end of the pilot, Bennett said that most officers said in focus groups and surveys that the cameras would not change how they work or how civilians’ react.
However, Bennett noted that people had slightly fewer complaints against the officers who wore the cameras, than ones who did not.
During the presentations, the police chief made a pitch for the county to implement the program. “I’m confident that [the county] should approve the program,” Roessler told the committee. “The IT infrastructure can be built up at the other facilities.”
The nearly $30 million proposed program would issue 1,210 body-worn cameras that would be phased in over three years with a five-year contract for equipment, licensing and storage. Body worn cameras would come to the McLean District during the second year of the program, according to the timeframe in the presentation.
About $10 million would be needed for contract costs, while $20 million would go toward staffing, with new positions needed at the police department, Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Department of Information Technology.
While some of the supervisors raised concerns about if the high cost outweighed the proposed program’s benefits, most of the supervisors expressed support for implementation.
As its nine-year anniversary celebration nears, Mad Fox Brewing Company plans to close in Falls Church in less than two weeks.
Yesterday (Tuesday), the brewpub’s Facebook page had the following message:
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I inform you of the closure of Mad Fox Brewing Company. Our last day of business will be Sunday, July 21st.
The decision to close has been an extremely difficult one to make. We have witnessed restaurant competition in the 2.2 square mile Falls Church City become fierce since our opening in 2010 with multiple businesses opening in the last year alone. As much as we tried to compete, there are an overwhelming number of choices for the local population. Sales have been on a slow decline over the last several years and, unfortunately, staying open is no longer sustainable.
On the brewing side of our business we continue to see more breweries opening in Virginia with two new Taprooms setting up shop within a mile of Mad Fox in the last year. When we opened in 2010, there were 40 breweries in Virginia. Now there are close to 250. The Brewpub business model is a tough one to maintain compared to a Brewery Taproom with little overhead, lower rents and outsourced food trucks. Our draw from the surrounding areas has dwindled in what has become an extremely competitive craft beer market, which has resulted in this final decision.
We attempted to work with our Bank and our Landlord for more favorable terms and while both were willing, we ultimately could not come to agreement that would allow Mad Fox to be break even or better.
We plan a closure date of Sunday, July 21st; however, we plan to continue with our 9 year Anniversary Party on Saturday, 13 July to honor you, our investors, our staff and the Falls Church Community. Words cannot express how proud I am of the Mad Fox legacy and the opportunity to be a member of such a wonderful community, if even for a short while. We opened the first brewpub in the City of Falls Church and have won numerous medals at the Great American Beer Festival as well as the Virginia Beer Cup. We have celebrated christenings, birthdays, weddings, retirements and many holiday gatherings. You, our guests, along with our spectacular Mad Fox team have enabled us to build tremendous notoriety over 9 years in business. I thank you for allowing Mad Fox to be a part of your lives. Thank you for your years of support and I hope to see you at the Pub in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Bill Madden
CEO and Executive Brewer, Mad Fox Brewing Company
With more than 350 comments on the post as of 8 a.m. today (Wednesday), many people grieved the closure announcement, saying they would miss a favorite place to frequent and the food and beer — especially the Orange Whip IPA.
“I have so many fond memories and so enjoyed the beer, food & ambiance. It is a sad day indeed. Thank you Bill,” one person wrote.
“So very sad to read this post… we have been fans of Mad Fox since 2015 and have brought family and friends over the years,” another commenter said. “We loved the food (especially the meatloaf and the frickles!), the beer (my favorite is Orange Whip) and all the wonderful events and celebrations.”
“My girlfriend and I had our first date at Mad Fox in 2011. We always enjoyed stopping in for the good food and great beer or the special events,” wrote another person.
Several brewery founders commented under the post thanking Madden for his support for their breweries.
Stein Sellier, the president and president of Beltway Brewing Company in Sterling, wrote, “I am grateful for all you did to help me start Beltway and all the advice you’ve shared over the years — I know I am not alone.”
Sarah Meyers, one of the founders of BadWolf Brewing Company, also thanked Madden for supporting BadWolf in the early days. “You guys brew excellent beer and we support you and Jeremy [Meyers] and I are here if you need anything or someone to talk to… we love you guys,” Meyers wrote.
Inspired by Euro gastro brewpubs, Mad Fox Brewing Company opened its pub and on-site brewery July 2010 in downtown Falls Church.
Over nine years, Mad Fox Brewing Company racked up more than three dozen awards and accolades.
The brewpub plans to celebrate its anniversary on Saturday (July 13), from 11 a.m.-close with rare beers on tap, live music and a glass giveaway at 444 W. Broad Street, Suite I.
Photos via Mad Fox Brewing Company/Facebook
Updated at 9 a.m. — The Fairfax County Park Authority said this morning (July 10) that the west parking lot at Scott’s Run and bridge at Lewinsville Park are still closed.
Around the Tysons area, work is underway to clean up and repair roads, parks and even a high school after severe flash flooding yesterday.
“Nearly 5 inches of rain fell on Fairfax County Monday morning — nearly a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours, overwhelming numerous parts of our public infrastructure,” according to Fairfax County.
McLean High School had two hallways flooded along with the athletic locker rooms and coaches’ offices, Ellen Reilly, the principal of the high school, told Tysons Reporter, adding that Fairfax County Public Schools assessed the school today (July 9) to make sure that all of the areas were safe.
“Custodial staff worked throughout the day pumping out the water from the locker rooms and the carpets will be shampooed once everything dries out,” Reilly said.
The staff received a shout out on the high school’s Twitter:
Thanks to our custodial staff for cleaning up after the flooding that occurred throughout our school yesterday. They are amazing! pic.twitter.com/CAQ4BwDPdy
— McLean Highlanders (@mcleanhigh) July 9, 2019
Kirby Road will continue to be closed in McLean for several weeks as crews work to repair extensive damage.
The Fairfax County Park Authority said this morning that several parks in the Tysons area are closed as park teams assess the damage, including the west parking lot at Scott’s Run and bridge at Lewinsville Park.
Scotts Run Nature Preserve receives much of the runoff from Tysons rains. Even the slightest bit of rain can turn the serene stream into a raging river. Always use caution. @FairfaxCountyPD @fairfaxcounty @ffxfirerescue https://t.co/m9O7cBWf5Q
— Fairfax County Parks (@fairfaxparks) July 8, 2019
Following extensive damage from flash flooding yesterday (Monday), the McLean Little League is looking to repair its complex during the off-season.
Jen Nance, the president of the McLean Little League, told Tysons Reporter that the “serious damage” is still being assessed after the creek behind the facility flooded the fields at 1836 Westmoreland Street.
“It was definitely the most floodwaters we have seen in any recent history,” Nance said, adding that the flashing flooding “wreaked havoc.”
Before the flooding started, the facility managed opened up the fields for a local baseball group to use them for a camp this week. Seven cars belonging to the group’s coaches ended up floating around in the flooded parking lot during the brunt of the storm, Nance said. Luckily, no one was hurt.
By 12:30 p.m. yesterday, most of the water had receded from the fields, making the damage clearly visible. “[You] can tell where the debris from the creek got stuck in the fencing,” Nance said. “Debris is at least 6 feet up on the fence.”
Nance said that work will include rebuilding two dugouts, repairing fencing on three of the four fields and cleaning up the fields, adding that the tee-ball field has the worst amount of damage, while the front field suffered the least.
Currently, the McLean Little League complex is closed — “it’s not a secure, safe situation right now,” she said — and the nonprofit is working with vendors to determine the cost and timeframe for repairs.
“We’re thinking we can get it all repaired by the fall season,” Nance said, adding that “it’s too soon to know” when the repairs will be finished.
Tysons Reporter spoke to contractors inspecting the site today (July 9), who said that the goal is to reopen the complex by Labor Day.
While the McLean Little League hasn’t started a GoFundMe yet, Nance said that community fundraising is one option to pay for the repairs.
“We are a nonprofit, so we rely heavily on our community and donors,” she said. “This is a once in many year occurrence.”
Because of the timing of the flooding, Nance said that she expects the damage to have little impact on the team or the local community, which often will use the field.
“We don’t have games. The seasons are wrapping up,” she said. “I think it will be hopefully minimal. If we get rolling soon, there will be no impact on the fall season.”
For people who want to stay updated on the repair status, Nance recommends checking the McLean Little League’s Twitter and Facebook. Nance also suggests keeping an eye out for registration for the fall season, which is set to open in the next couple of weeks.
“We will likely continue to update via Twitter. Our population looks to that Twitter feed,” she said.
McLean Little League looks like a war zone. Cars being towed away now. Baseball camp coaches watched as the flood water piled their vehicles on top of one another this morning @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/UmwR65Mons
— Lauren DeMarco (@Ldemarconews) July 8, 2019
Vernon Miles contributed to this story
Dominion Energy is making repairs and installing equipment in the Town of Vienna to prevent a power surge like the one that affected several neighborhoods shortly after midnight last Tuesday (July 2).
“According to our information from Dominion, the surge was caused when, shortly after midnight on July 2, an old cross-arm broke causing a high voltage line to dip into a low voltage line,” Lynne Coan, a spokeswoman for the Town of Vienna, told Tysons Reporter.
When the cross-arm broke, the high voltage line dipped into a low voltage line.
Dominion Energy crews repaired the cross-arm and have plans to install “overvoltage arresters” to prevent similar events in the future, she said.
In a Facebook post on Friday (July 5), the Town of Vienna wrote that the southwest area of town experienced “overvoltage or an extreme electrical surge similar to a lightning strike.”
Coan said that the surge affected more than 100 homes, including the King Crest, Vienna Woods and Willow Estates neighborhoods.
Several people claiming to be victims of the power surge wrote under the town’s Facebook post about how the surge impacted them.
“We lost one of our A/C units, our refrigerator/freezer, humidifier, a TV, about four outlets and our washer,” one person wrote. “We were out on vacation last week and came back to this mess.”
Another wrote that the surge “blew a breaker fuse and my $100 Keurig wouldn’t work.”
Tysons Reporter has not heard back from Dominion Energy about questions including how strong the surge was.
Residents who wish to file a claim for damaged electrical appliances can call 1-866-366-4357.
Fairfax County police arrested a 30-year-man at a McDonald’s in Tysons for allegedly trespassing, pretending to be an employee and assaulting a police officer.
The incident occurred around 10:15 p.m. last Friday (July 5) at 8111 Leesburg Pike.
Police said an employee reported that a man was trespassing, and police discovered that he falsely claimed to be an employee.
“The man refused to leave, resisted arrest and assaulted an officer,” according to the police report.
Police arrested and charged Hakeem Linkins of no fixed address with resisting arrest, trespassing and assault on a law enforcement officer. He was held without bond.
In a separate incident, police are investigating grand larceny at the Safeway (1688 Anderson Road) in McLean near Tysons on Saturday (July 6).
Around 2 a.m., three men entered the store, walked around for a few minutes and then one of the men made a small purchase that distracted the clerk, while the two other men removed cash register drawers, police said.
“All three men, described as black and in their 20s, ran out of the store, entered cars and drove away,” according to the police report.
Image via Google Maps
Construction work on a connector ramp from I-66 to the West Falls Church Metro station is set to start a year later than planned.
“Our project manager, Mark Gibney, has confirmed that construction of the I-66 connector ramp to the West Falls Church Metro station will begin construction in summer 2020 and finish by fall 2021,” Michelle Holland, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transporation, tod Tysons Reporter.
Currently, cars traveling eastbound on I-66 to the Metro station exit from I-66, turn right to head south on Route 7 (Leesburg Pike), turn left at the intersection at Haycock Road and then turn left onto Falls Church Drive. “VDOT has identified operational and safety issues with this maneuver, especially during AM and PM peak periods,” according to the project’s website.
The new ramp, which is a part of the I-66 widening project, would connect two existing ramps, spitting drivers out onto Falls Church Drive.
While the VDOT website currently says that construction is set to begin this summer and get completed by fall 2o20, the spokesperson said that the website will soon get updated to reflect the correct information.
VDOT plans to hold a public meeting with a construction update on Wednesday (July 10) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Yorktown High School (5200 Yorktown Blvd) in Arlington.
VDOT will hold a construction update meeting for the I-66 Inside the Beltway project on Wednesday, July 10 at Yorktown HS in Arlington. Visit https://t.co/8AV982AWI8 for more info. @VaDOTNOVA pic.twitter.com/SZpvo7iKaL
— John Foust (@johnfoustva) July 8, 2019
Map via VDOT
The Vienna Police Department is looking for whoever stole wallets from the Westwood Country Club.
“Two teens reported that someone took money from their wallets while they were inside at the pool,” police said.
The incident occurred between 2-6 p.m. last Monday (July 1) at 800 E. Maple Avenue.
Photo via Facebook
The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday (July 9)
- Barre and Circuit Training — 6:30-7:30 at Strawberry Park (2910 District Avenue) — Every Tuesday in the Mosaic District until Aug. 27, Spark Yoga teaches a free barre and circuit class outside.
Wednesday (July 10)
- Game Night at A Taste of Urbanspace — 7 p.m.-midnight on the third floor of 2001 International Drive — Every Wednesday is game, beer and pizza night at the Tysons Galleria’s A Taste of Urbanspace.
Thursday (July 11)
- De-Stress Meditation in Tysons — 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Meditation Museum II (1984 Chain Bridge Road) — Participants can learn how to meditate in a way that will help energize themselves at this free event.
- “The Cure” — 7 p.m. at Angelika Film Center & Café at Mosaic (2911 District Avenue) — “The Cure — Anniversary 1978-2018 Live in Hyde Park” is a musical documentary about the English rock band The Cure. Tickets start at $15.
Friday (July 12)
- Ultimate 80’s New Wave — 7:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. at The Palladium (1524 Spring Hill Road) — The Tysons club plans to have a dance party to hits from the 1980s. The party is free.
Saturday (July 13)
- Beginners Guide to Photography — 1-6 p.m. at HOIST (2807 Merrilee Drive) — American Photographic Artist is hosting a panel of professional photographers who will discuss what they look for in an assistant. Tickets start at $15.
Sunday (July 14)
- Eli Lev at Caboose Commons — noon-3 p.m. at Caboose Commons (2918 Eskridge Road) — The D.C.-based singer-songwriter will perform hymns at the beer garden and coffee house.
- Nas — 8 p.m. at the Filene Center (1551 Trap Road) — The hip-hop artist is teaming up with the National Symphony Orchestra for the Wolf Trap performance. Tickets start at $50.
Updated at 2:10 p.m. — NWS extended the Flood Warning for parts of Fairfax County to 6 p.m.
At 1252 PM EDT, reporting gauges indicate larger streams are still rising from the earlier torrential rain, and many road closures are still being reported. Although the threat of rapid rise life threatening flooding is diminishing, some flooding is likely to continue for the rest of the afternoon. Therefore, this Flood Warning replaces the Flash Flood Warning.
Updated at 10:25 a.m. — NWS extended the Flash Flood Warning for parts of Fairfax County to 1:45 p.m.
Earlier: A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for Fairfax County, the City of Falls Church and surrounding areas this morning.
The National Weather Service issued the warning right after 8:30 a.m. today (July 8). The warning will be in effect until 10:45 a.m.
More from NWS:
At 829 AM EDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated that heavy rain was falling over the area. Up to two inches of rain have already fallen, and another one to two inches of rain are likely. Flash flooding is already occurring. Rock Creek is extremely likely to flood in the next hour or two, potentially significantly. This will force additional road closures beyond what are already ongoing. DO NOT DRIVE into areas where water covers roadways and especially not where water is flowing on or across them!!!
Some locations that will experience flooding include… Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Reston, Olney, Herndon, Langley Park, Vienna, Falls Church, Lowes Island, Pimmit Hills, Poolesville, Mclean, American Legion Bridge, Fort Totten, Rosslyn, Aspen Hill, Potomac, North Bethesda and Ashburn.
Flash Flood Warning area in county has expanded. Be aware and be prepared! If you encounter a flooded roadway, please TURN AROUND DON’T DROWN! Do not put you or our firefighters/paramedics in harm’s way unnecessarily! https://t.co/sA2TS4UyUb #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty #SafeFairfax
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) July 8, 2019
MT @NWS_BaltWash: Torrential rainfall crossing DC metro area during the AM commute. Numerous FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS are in effect. Flooding will likely impact normal commuting patterns. If water covers a roadway, FIND ANOTHER ROUTE!
— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) July 8, 2019
Flash Flood Warning including Arlington VA, Silver Spring MD, Bethesda MD until 10:45 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/VQdgcD1vmw
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 8, 2019
