One person died this morning in a two-vehicle crash on Prosperity Avenue in Merrifield.
Officers are currently on the scene and Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives were en route to the 2900 block near the Post Office, the Fairfax County Police Department tweeted at 7:49 a.m.
Prosperity has been shut down between Route 29 (Lee Highway) and Route 50 (Arlington Blvd). The Virginia Department of Transportation’s traffic information website indicates that a tractor-trailer was involved in the crash.
Officers are investigating a two-vehicle crash in the 2900 block of Prosperity Ave in Merrifield. One person was pronounced deceased. Prosperity is closed between Rt 50 and Rt 29. Crash Reconstruction detectives responding. Follow police directions. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/Bzz3gphML8
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 6, 2022
Woman Charged in Bailey’s Crossroads Pedestrian Crash — Yaraliza Rivera Rosado, a 26-year-old Alexandria resident, has been charged with felony hit and run for fatally striking 40-year-old Elise Ballard on Leesburg Pike near the Carlin Springs Road intersection on Oct. 26. Police say Rivera Rosado drove to a parking lot before calling for help, and Ballard was subsequently hit by a second car before officers arrived. [FCPD]
Route 7 Traffic Changes in Wolf Trap Start Today — “On or about Tuesday, Dec. 6, drivers on Route 7 eastbound will experience a lane shift to the south (away from the median) and access changes between Lucky Estates Drive and Lewinsville Road…On or about Dec. 15, the median crossover at Wolftrap Run Road will close permanently, and the median crossover at Lucky Estate Drive will open.” [VDOT]
Fairfax City Street Name Changes Approved — Last week, the Fairfax City Council approved new names for 14 streets that had monikers with connections to the Confederacy. Set to take effect on Jan. 1, the changes include official renamings of Lee Highway and Old Lee Highway becoming Blenheim Blvd. [City of Fairfax]
GMU Studying Possible Cricket/Baseball Facility — “Major League Cricket and its Washington D.C.-based investor, Sanjay Govil, will work with George Mason University to study the ‘feasibility’ of a new multi-purpose cricket and baseball facility. The ballpark would be designed to host Major League cricket matches, Mason baseball games, and other events, with the goal of being operational by 2025.” [Inside NoVA]
D.C. Area Schools See Some Enrollment Recovery — “Fairfax County Public Schools, the state’s largest school system, boasts a student population of 180,127 this year, per Virginia Education Department data. Although it represents an increase from the previous two school years, it falls far short of the last pre-pandemic enrollment numbers” [The Washington Post]
Faith Leaders Call for Mental Health Services Funding — “Faith leaders in Northern Virginia are urging lawmakers to invest more heavily in the state’s mental health system. On Sunday, some of the faith leaders involved with Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) gathered at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Herndon.” [NBC4]
Real Estate Company Acquires Local Multifamily Housing — “The Milestone Group (Milestone) has announced its acquisition of a three-property, value-add, multifamily portfolio totaling 870 units in Fairfax County…The purchase price was not disclosed.” The acquired properties are The Elipse at Fairfax Corner, Windsor at Fair Lakes and the Townes at Herndon Center. [PR Newswire]
Herndon Hosts Annual Holiday Crafts Fair — “Holiday shoppers descended on the Herndon Community Center on Sunday for the 43rd Annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Show. Town of Herndon Parks & Recreation Department hosted the one-day event, which brought artisans and crafters from around the region to sell their wares.” [Patch]
It’s Tuesday — Rain throughout the day. High of 53 and low of 37. Sunrise at 7:14 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
The wait for new restaurants at The Boro in Tysons is over at last.
Circa bistro (1675 Silver Hill Drive) and Él Bebe (8354 Broad Street), a Mexican restaurant and bar, will open their doors to diners at 4 p.m. today, said the Metropolitan Hospitality Group (MHG), which owns both brands.
This is the fourth Circa overall and second in Virginia, after an Arlington restaurant opened in 2011. Specializing in tacos and tequila, Él Bebe launched at D.C.’s Navy Yard in 2019, making the Tysons location its first expansion.
“We think in many ways, we’re kind of bringing the city out to Tysons,” MHG President Matthew Carlin said. “We have Circa and Él Bebe at the Navy Yard, here in Nats Park, so we’re most excited to bring some of our D.C. concepts…to Tysons and The Boro.”
When MHG announced in November 2019 that it was bringing two restaurants to The Boro, the company anticipated that they would open in late 2020 or early 2021. At that time, Él Bebe was going to be joined by Open Road, another American bistro concept that has a location in Merrifield.
Then, COVID-19 showed up.
Construction took “much longer than we ever imagined,” Carlin told FFXnow. Global supply chain issues resulted in equipment, particularly if it involved computer chips, taking months to arrive.
At the same time, the initial pause in construction in spring 2020 gave MHG and The Meridian Group, the developer behind The Boro, an opportunity to revise their plans.
“The longer we talked with The Meridian Group, they felt like Circa would be a better fit [than Open Road], because it’s a little more contemporary and would be a better fit for some of the office tenants,” Carlin said.
The company is also working on an Open Road Distillery and a “speakeasy” restaurant called Heirloom at Reston Town Center, so it wanted to bring something different to Tysons, he added.
Circa and Él Bebe are located in adjoining 5,000-square-foot suites in Boro Tower, directly across from ShowPlace ICON Theatre with a view overlooking Boro Park. They both allow outdoor dining, including on a 2,000-square-foot patio for Circa with an awning and bar seating.
Carlin says MHG had been interested in expanding to Tysons and specifically The Boro for a while.
“The Boro market for us is a perfect demographic, where it has really extraordinary commercial, office and residential demographics, and we think with the Silver Line and Greensboro Metro [station] right here, it’s easily accessible,” he said
The restaurants will open at 11 a.m. daily with happy hours from 4-7 p.m. on Monday through Thursday.
Here’s more from MHG and The Boro on what to expect from the eateries:
Circa is characterized by an engaging bar scene, effortlessly elegant dining room and alfresco dining opportunities unique to the area. Circa’s brunch, lunch, and dinner menus will feature the brand’s signature contemporary American cuisine that guests have come to crave over the years. Menu items by Culinary Director Michael Huff will be a combination of familiar favorites and new, seasonal dishes. Signature items like the Tuna Poke Nachos, Braised Short Rib and Wild Mushroom Flatbread will appear on the menu next to new dishes that will combine seasonal flavors with local and regional ingredients. The beverage selection by Beverage Director, Paul Williams, includes handcrafted cocktails, low-proof cocktails, mocktails, beer and wine. Exclusive cocktails include the Boro Spritz, a low-proof twist on an Aperol spritz and the Maple Old Fashioned, a house-barreled and six week aged old fashioned crafted with maple syrup.
At Él Bebe, a sense of play is encouraged with bright and colorful décor, including a neon sign that reads, “You Can Dance ~ Tequila.” Él Bebe menu items, by Michael Huff, focus on bold creations inspired by Mexican flavors and include exciting new and classic entrée platters in addition to tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos, and desserts. Signature items on the menu include Birria Tacos and Carne Asada. The beverage selection, also by Paul Williams, includes handcrafted tequila-infused Mexican cocktails, frozen margaritas, beer and wine. Signature cocktails include Hasta La Vista, crafted with chipotle-infused Banhez mezcal and the Tequila Old Fashioned; a classic cocktail with a Mexican twist.
The restaurants will also offer two exclusive beers developed by D.C.-based Atlas Brew Works: a light, dry-hopped Atlas Tropic Thunder IPA, and an Uno Mas Mexican Lager. A portion of all dessert sales will go to Inova Children’s Hospital, according to the press release.
Circa and Él Bebe are the first retail tenants to open at The Boro since Bluestone Cafe arrived in October 2021.
Still to come is Caliburger, which will bring its burger-flipping robot to 8301 Greensboro Drive. The restaurant was once expected to open in spring 2020, but it’s now on track to arrive late in the first quarter of 2023, according to The Meridian Group Vice President of Asset Management Charlie Schwieger.
The Dranesville District seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has its first candidate for next year’s election.
Jimmy Bierman, a Democratic McLean resident, announced his candidacy last night. Current Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust will not be running next year, FFXnow previously reported.
So far, five incumbent supervisors have confirmed they will seek reelection next year.
Bierman — who describes himself as a progressive activitist and local community leader — was the former chair of the Dranesville District Democratic Committee. He has served on the county’s Police Civilian Review Panel since April 2019.
“My priorities include promoting trust and accountability in our local government, ensuring that Fairfax County remains the safest jurisdiction of its size in the country, developing a workforce equipped for a dynamic and evolving economy, fully funding our public schools, and investing in smart and sustainable development,” Bierman wrote in a statement.
In a statement to FFXnow, his campaign manager further identified the following top priorities:
Ensuring that County government acts with speed, consistency, and predictability to support the diversification of our local economy and expand our 21st-Century knowledge-based workforce.
Mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change through investments in infrastructure to support and promote green jobs and a green economy.
Fight for the most vulnerable in our community and connect those in need with much-needed food, housing, rent, reproductive health, and mental health resources.
Create viable transportation options to relieve gridlock through enhanced transit, bicycle, and pedestrian amenities.
Bierman graduated from Williams College and Stanford Law School. He previously worked as an attorney advisor to the Department of Homeland Security.
“I want to thank Supervisor Foust for his many years of service to our District,” Bierman said. “John has served our community with distinction since 2007, and I’m running to build upon his success addressing issues concerning County residents. Few people work as hard as John, but I’m going to try.”
He commended Foust as “a noted leader” in the county’s “economic development, affordable housing, and LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts.”
The Dranesville District covers McLean, Herndon and Great Falls. The general election is slated for Nov. 7, 2023 following a June primary.
A special education teacher at Marshall High School in Idylwood has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a student more than once, Fairfax County police announced Friday night (Dec. 2).
Two different employees reported seeing Amy Bonzano, a 50-year-old Falls Church resident, assaulting a student with disabilities, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The first report came on Sept. 28 from an employee who “immediately” alerted school administrators, police said. The school’s subsequent investigation uncovered an earlier incident shared by a teacher who “had observed Bonzano physically assault the student approximately six months earlier,” according to the FCPD’s news release.
“That incident was not reported at the time it occurred,” the police department said. “Our detectives were notified on Oct. 13 and assumed the investigation.”
After conducting “numerous” interviews, detectives obtained and served two summons on Friday with warrants for simple assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia that carries a potential jail sentence of six months.
Listed as an intellectual disabilities teacher on the website for Marshall, which enrolls 272 students who receive special education services, as of the 2021-2022 school year, Bonzano has been placed on administrative leave, as has the teacher who didn’t initially report the assault they witnessed, principal Jeffrey Litz said in a message to the school community.
Dear Marshall HS Families,
I am deeply saddened tonight to inform you that Fairfax County police have announced the arrest of a special education teacher at Marshall High School who has been charged with assaulting a student. When the alleged incident occurred on September 28th, we contacted the family and the proper authorities, and placed the staff member on administrative leave. As the police reference, the investigation resulted in a staff member sharing that they had witnessed a similar incident six months earlier but did not report it. I want you to know that the person who did not report the previous incident was immediately placed on leave.
As principal, my primary responsibility is the safety and security of everyone who enters the doors of Marshall High School. This is something I take very seriously. As educators, we are entrusted with the wellbeing of the children in our care every day. It deeply affects us when someone appears to have broken that trust. Please contact Fairfax County Police Major Crimes Bureau if you have any information you would like to share at 703-246-7800, option 4.
I am here to answer your questions or concerns, and to support students in any way they need.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Litz
The FCPD says anyone with information related to this case or other possible incidents can contact its detectives at 703-246-7800, option “4.” The department also accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) and online.
Bonzano is the second FCPS employee to get arrested for assaulting a student with disabilities this year. In September, an instructional assistant at Dogwood Elementary School in Reston was arrested when two teachers witnessed an alleged assault.
The news of Bonzano’s arrest came the same week that FCPS announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education requiring it to compensate special education students for services it failed to provide during the shift to remote learning earlier in the pandemic.
FCPS is in the midst of reviewing its special education program after a recent report indicated that students with disabilities are disproportionately suspended and generally struggle more academically compared to their peers.
I-66 HOV Change Starts Today — “The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) reminds travelers that starting Monday, Dec. 5, vehicles will need three or more occupants to qualify as a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) on I-66 in Northern Virginia. This change from HOV-2+ to HOV-3+ will apply across the entire I-66 corridor in Northern Virginia from Haymarket to the D.C. line.” [VDOT]
FCPD Officer Arrested for DUI — “An officer assigned to the Mount Vernon District was arrested in Prince William County for driving under the influence. The officer was off-duty and driving his personal vehicle at the time of the arrest. PFC Nathan Jones, an 8-year veteran, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation.” [FCPD]
Driver Crashes Into Vienna Restaurant — “Maple Ave Restaurant in Vienna was impacted by a vehicle crash Thursday, according to the owners…No injuries were identified from the crash. A photo showed the damage to the outside wall, which just missed the restaurant’s main gas line.” [Patch]
Remains Found in Centreville Identified — With help from the private genetic testing lab Othram, Fairfax County police have identified Sharon Kay Abbott Lane as the woman whose skeletal remains were found at the base of a cedar tree in Centreville on Dec. 6, 1993. The department is now looking for information that may help find a suspect in her killing. [WTOP]
FCPS Announces Snow Day Plan — “Like last year, the first five inclement weather days will be traditional ‘snow days’…Once these five days have been taken, FCPS will use the flexibility provided by the General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, wherever possible, to maintain continuity of learning.” [FCPS]
Police Turn to Student Recruiting — “On Monday nights, after most students are long gone from the tiled halls of West Potomac High School, one classroom is left open. It’s the room where Capt. Wilson Lee and other Fairfax County police officers meet about 35 high school students in the public safety cadets program — a pipeline, officials hope, that will one day fill their dwindling ranks.” [The Washington Post]
Squirrel-Focused “Storybook” Trail Opens in Chantilly — “This new trail at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park combines the opportunity for a healthful walk, the chance to share and interact with your favorite little one, and it provides a cost-free outdoor adventure. Your child will love running like a squirrel from sign to sign along this 0.15-mile path to read a story about a squirrel and a chipmunk in their natural habitat” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Voting Underway in Vienna Holiday Decorating Contest — “Now through Friday, Dec. 9, at noon, vote for your favorite holiday display! Snap a photo of a display, share it on social media using #ShineBrightVienna and tag us at @TownofViennaVA & @ExploreViennaVA for a chance to win gift cards!” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]
Groveton School Gets Winter Clothes Donations — “A local group of crocheters put smiles on the faces of many Mount Eagle Elementary School students Nov. 14 when they delivered over 400 handmade hats, scarves and mittens to the school. According to school principal Jean Consolla, the children were allowed to pick out their new winter accessories during the first recess, with staff getting second dibs.” [On the MoVe]
It’s Monday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 49 and low of 31. Sunrise at 7:13 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
Thousands of lanterns will take over Lerner Town Square at Tysons II this winter.
Based in New York City, the Winter Lantern Festival will bring over 10,000 Chinese-style lanterns to Tysons for a nearly two-month stay from Dec. 16 through Feb. 12. This will be its first-ever stop in the D.C. area, the festival announced Wednesday (Nov. 30).
“We are thrilled to debut the Winter Lantern Festival, expand to new locations, introduce all visitors to the beauty of these artisan installations, and have the show become part of the DMV’s cultural holiday tradition,” said Haokun Liu, partner of Kaleido Arts & Entertainment Group, which organizes the annual festival.
Founded in 2018 as New York Events & Entertainment, Kaleido Arts assists companies, nonprofits and others with events that promote “global cross-cultural communication,” according to a press release.
The New York City festival has drawn over 150,000 guests annually over its three years of existence. It’s expanding to five different locations this year, but Tysons is the first and only site outside of New York state.
The outdoor venue at 8025 Galleria Drive, which hosted Cirque du Soleil this summer, will be filled with displays made out of painted lanterns to resemble animals, such as polar bears and penguins, as well as figures out of Chinese myths and legends.
All of the lanterns are handmade by over 100 artists, who fit silk cloth over steel wire frames with LED lights using techniques that date back to the Han dynasty, per the festival website. The displays can reach up to 30 feet in height and will span 60 acres.
“Lantern festivals have been a part of Chinese culture and history for thousands of years, honoring our ancestors and celebrating peace, prosperity, and good fortune,” Liu said.
The festival will also feature interactive light swings, see-saws and tunnels, along with live entertainment and food vendors.
Tickets are now on sale for $31.99 for adults and $19.99 for kids 12 and under, including a $2 service fee. For now, customers can get a 30% discount if they use the code EARLYP.
The festival will generally operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but it will be open daily between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, 2023. Hours will be 5-10 p.m.
Fairfax County Public Schools could require parental notifications for class materials deemed sexually explicit, but in a deviation from the state, the proposed policy directly addresses concerns about censorship, specifically for LGBTQ-related content.
Introduced at the Fairfax County School Board meeting last night, the policy requires teachers to maintain lists of books, videos, and other instructional materials with “sexually explicit content.” Schools must notify parents at least 30 days before the materials are used and provide alternatives if sought by a parent or student.
“Schools shall defer to parents to determine whether the use of an instructional material with sexually explicit content is appropriate for their child,” the policy states.
As noted by staff, FCPS already has a policy and regulations governing selections of print and electronic materials, including guidance for notifying parents and fulfilling requests for access to the materials or alternatives.
The draft policy generally incorporates a model developed by the Virginia Department of Education, as dictated by Senate Bill 656, which requires school boards to adopt rules specifically for sexually explicit content by Jan. 1, 2023. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on April 6.
However, FCPS has added one clause stating that:
This policy shall not be construed to require or provide for (1) the censoring of books in public elementary and secondary schools, or (2) the designation of instructional material as sexually explicit based solely upon the sexual orientation of the characters contained therein.
The school system told FFXnow it has no comment on the proposal “at this stage,” but the clause seems intended to quell fears that the new requirements could be used to limit access to materials that feature or deal with issues related to LGBTQ people.
Unveiled in early August, the VDOE model policy defines “sexually explicit content” in accordance with the state code:
(i) any description of or (ii) any picture, photograph, drawing, motion picture film, digital image or similar visual representation depicting sexual bestiality, a lewd exhibition of nudity, as nudity is defined in § 18.2-390, sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sadomasochistic abuse, as also defined in § 18.2-390, coprophilia, urophilia, or fetishism.
Virginia Code section 18.2-390 includes “homosexuality” in its definition of sexual conduct, raising concerns that LGBTQ people will be treated as inherently sexual and not suitable for students. The 1,750 public comments submitted on the policy also included praise for it as a step forward for “parental rights.”
The Pride Liberation Project, a student-led advocacy group that started in Fairfax County, was among the critics of the state-proposed policy, but the language added by FCPS has eased its concerns.
“We are grateful to see FCPS clarify that our existence is not sexually explicit,” the group told FFXnow. “Nothing about our existence as Queer students is inherently sexual, but SB 656 threatens to mislabel our community. We hope other school districts follow FCPS’ lead and protect the limited Queer representation in our classrooms from censorship attacks.”
Still, the proposed FCPS policy doesn’t go as far as ones adopted by neighboring districts in warding off potential attacks on LGBTQ materials.
Loudoun County’s school board approved a policy on Wednesday (Nov. 30) that protects materials based on the gender identity of characters, as well as sexual orientation. A policy that went before the Arlington school board last night removes references to section 18.2-390 from its definition of “sexually explicit content.”
FCPS faced questions about material selection last year, when parents complained that there was graphic sexual content in the novel “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison and Maia Kobabe’s memoir “Gender Queer,” which both have LGBTQ protagonists.
Initially pulled from library shelves, the books were restored after review committees determined the claims were unfounded and that their literary merits justified making them accessible to students.
A decade-old fight over Toni Morrison’s classic “Beloved” also became a talking point in Youngkin’s 2021 campaign to become governor. Legislation inspired by that attempted book ban got vetoed in 2016 but served as a precursor for the new state law.
FCPS Pride, an LGBTQ advocacy group for employees, expressed concern that teachers will “self-censor” material out of fear of complaints or harassment.
“No good can come from reducing our curriculum to a few books that make absolutely nobody uncomfortable,” FCPS Pride said in a statement. “Our hope is that, after enacting this policy, FCPS will take legal action on behalf of the right of all students to an education that includes and welcomes them.”
The developer behind Reston Station and Herndon’s stalled downtown redevelopment has turned its sights to Tysons.
Comstock is seeking to replace the massive Koons Chevy and Chrysler dealerships at 2000 and 2050 Chain Bridge Road near the Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) interchange with a “vibrant, mixed-use, multi-block neighborhood,” according to a new application.
Submitted on Oct. 27 as part of Fairfax County’s Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process, which considers possible land use changes to the comprehensive plan, the proposal says the new development would be 85% multifamily residences and about 15% retail. Open space and amenities would also be provided.
“The Nominator respectfully suggests that this infusion of residential mixed use is needed to redress the balance of uses in Tysons, specifically in the office-heavy area in and around the Greensboro Metro Station Transit Station-Mixed Use area,” DLA Piper Senior Land Use Planner Brian J. Clifford said in a statement on Comstock’s behalf.
A concept plan in the application depicts a single multi-level retail building on one block and another with four residential buildings. Heights range from 175 feet to 400 feet, increasing as the buildings get closer to Route 7.
Comstock says the adjacent interchange where Chain Bridge (Route 123) passes over Route 7 needs to be replaced with an at-grade intersection. The developer argues that would allow Boone Blvd to be extended into the Koons property across Route 123, stating that the road can’t be constructed as currently planned by the county.
“The proposed location of the Boone Boulevard/Route 123 crossing is too close to the steep slope of Route 123 as it heads south from this interchange and would create an inherently dangerous situation,” the application says. “There simply isn’t enough distance to add a major intersection at the location depicted in the Comprehensive Plan’s street grid maps.”
The 14-acre property consists of two parcels that have been developed with the Koons dealership since 1975. Fairfax County property records show that Home Depot purchased the Chevy dealership for $30 million on Jan. 8, 2021.
The site was previously owned by Sherwood Tysons LLC, a company belonging to descendants of Tysons namesake William Tyson, according to the Washington Business Journal. The Chrysler portion of the dealership is owned by an affiliate of the Caldow family, which is also related to Tyson.
With the owners’ consent, Comstock intends to consolidate the two parcels. The Tysons Comprehensive Plan designates them as residential mixed-use — where housing should make up 75% or more of the overall development — and transit station mixed-use, which calls for a mix of retail, office, residential and other commercial uses, leaning toward 65% office and 20% residential overall.
The application argues more residential development is needed around the Greensboro Metro station, which is currently 70% office space despite a reported 20% vacancy rate.
“With the office market in a state of flux thanks to the COVID-driven changes in work location and commuting patterns, maintaining an office-heavy focus in this area risks delaying significant investment in redeveloping the existing auto dealership,” Clifford wrote.
Clifford’s statement describes the plan amendment application as a “placeholder” while county officials reevaluate the current and future mix of land uses in Tysons. Comstock declined to comment on the proposal for now, saying it “would be happy to discuss this down the road at a later date.”
The Koons redevelopment is among 75 SSPA nominations that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will weigh for possible acceptance on Tuesday (Dec. 6). Other sites up for consideration include Fallfax Center in Idylwood and Reston’s two golf courses.
“It is the Nominator’s intention to proceed to rezoning as quickly as possible and overlap that rezoning with as much of the Evaluation Phase of the SSPA process as is practicable,” Clifford said.
A man walks by trash bins next to the curb (via Trinity Nguyen on Unsplash)
(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) The service and staffing challenges plaguing trash collectors throughout Fairfax County have prompted one company to call it quits, leaving thousands of residents in limbo with little notice.
Haulin’ Trash LLC has permanently shuttered, informing customers by email Wednesday (Nov. 30) that it will cease operations effective yesterday.
“We have faced many challenges over the past several weeks that we simply cannot overcome. This decision has not only affected our customers but it has affected dozens of employees and their families,” owner Bobby Frazier said in the message, apologizing for the resulting inconvenience.
Frazier said that the “keys to the business” will transferred to a court-appointed trustee “over the next couple of weeks,” who will be in charge of giving out credits or refunds.
Started in 2017, the Leesburg-based company served around 3,000 customers in the county, including homeowners’ associations and 1,800 single-household customers, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) says.
The county has over a dozen private, licensed haulers that serve about 90% of residents and businesses. The rest get waste collection services from the county government.
DPWES says its Solid Waste Management Program contacted Haulin’ Trash on Tuesday (Nov. 29) after receiving “a surge in resident complaints about missed collections.” The company told staff that it was “experiencing operational and financial difficulties,” but said it was looking at options to address the reported concerns, according to the county.
A day later, though, Haulin’ Trash notified the county that it had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and would close on Dec. 1.
An email sent to customers on Nov. 30 said plans to “catch up” on missed collections proved impossible because it had only four trucks — half its fleet – available.
Shared with FFXnow today, the email has a timestamp of 4:29 p.m. The announcement that Haulin’ was permanently closing went out at 9:39 p.m. that same day. The company didn’t return a request for comment.
While sudden, the closure doesn’t appear to be a total surprise to Haulin’ customers. One told FFXnow that the company’s service “had degraded to almost nothing this month,” while an Oakton resident said it missed three consecutive pickups in their neighborhood in November.
“The delayed/missed pickups have caused trash/recycle bin(s) and yard waste bag(s) sit on the curbside/street for weeks,” the resident wrote in an anonymous tip. “As a result, the neighbor looks disorganized with unpleasant smell, trashes littering on street, in storm drainage, on lawn(s).” Read More
