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.”

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean, and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (Dec. 8)

• Great Books Discussion (Online) — 7-8 p.m. —  Falls Church’s “Great Books” Book Club meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of most months. Today, the group will discuss On Justice, Power, and Human Nature by Thucydides via Zoom. Email Marshall Webster, [email protected], to request the Zoom link.

Wednesday (Dec. 9)

• Gingerbread Houses Crafternoon (Online) — 3-3:30 p.m. — The Mary Riley Styles Public Library will go live on its Facebook page to make gingerbread houses. Participants can pick up Grab and Go Kits at the library at 120 N. Virginia Ave. through Dec. 15, while supplies last.
• Reopening FCPS Schools — 6 p.m. at Vienna Town Hall (127 Center St. S) — The Town of Vienna is hosting a town hall meeting with Hunter Mill School Board Representative Melanie Meren to discuss questions and concerns regarding reopening Fairfax County Public Schools.
• “The Red Balloon” in Community Hall — 7 p.m. at McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — MCC is hosting a free screening of the French short film The Red Balloon. Attendees must wear a face covering and practice social distancing. To register, use this link.
• Virtual Improv Show (Online) — 7 p.m. — The Alden‘s professional teen improv company, The Unruly Theatre Project, will present an hour-long improv show. Tickets are free, but registrations must be made at least two hours in advance of the show’s start time. To register, use this link.

Sunday (Dec. 13)

• McLean Uncorked Part 2 (Online) — 5-6 p.m. — Participants can enjoy four pre-purchased, unique wines during a virtual wine tasting with The Wine Outlet in McLean. Participants can purchase the wines by visiting the store in person (6727 Curran St.) or by shopping online.
• Holiday Wine Tasting (Online) — 3 p.m. — Participants can enjoy six wines and an Italian snack platter. The cost is $99 for two people. Tasting kits can be picked up from Thompson Italian (124 N Washington St.) between 12-1:30 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 13).

Photo via Thompson Italian/Facebook

As a tumultuous year of school closures and virtual learning inches toward a close, students in Fairfax County Public Schools say they are exhausted and feel forgotten by the administration and school board.

Their frustrations bubbled over during a school board meeting on Dec. 3. Two students took issue with recent headlines about upticks in failing grades and the board’s focus on how to resume in-person classes over how to improve the distance-learning experience.

John R. Lewis High School student Kimberly Boateng, who previously served as the school board’s student representative, chastised the board, saying its members have not demonstrated that they have turned the comments and criticisms she has submitted by letter, email and tweet into action.

She urged the county to do better, saying that she is tired of “aspirational goals” and wants the board and FCPS administrators to take concrete actions.

“I’m tired of the ‘we see you’ emails, the ‘we hear you’ tweets,” she said. “…Students are surrounded by so much grief, trauma, and death, and we are expected to continue on as if this is normal. This is not normal.”

As the board’s current student representative, South County High School student Nathan Onibudo said he is caught between knowing the extent of the county’s efforts to address the challenges caused by COVID-19 and experiencing the reality of student life.

“I see what’s possible and I see the hard work being put in,” he said. “[Many students] feel like somehow, they’re being forgotten even though all the conversations are about them.”

He told the school board that, for many students, the debate over whether they should learn virtually or in-person has become secondary to the struggle to survive each day.

“Students are simply suffering,” he said.

Boateng echoed that sentiment, saying that she feels unable to take a mental health day because it would bury her deeper under tasks.

“Students are sitting in front of their computer screens wondering when they’re going to catch a break, and the break never comes,” she said.

During an open comment period later in the school board meeting, FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand and a handful of board members promised to take action.

“Nathan, I heard you. Our leadership team heard you, our principals heard you, our staff heard you,” Brabrand said. “Kimberly, I sat with you here last year. I heard you. We want your voice and your input as we continue through this year, and we will use your recommendations to make the changes necessary to be sure students are heard, listened to, respected, valued.”

Mount Vernon District Representative Karen Corbett Sanders noted the board is also hearing about the impact of the pandemic on the county’s school children from parents, parent-teacher associations, neighbors, and relatives.

Springfield District School Board Member Laura Jane Cohen told the students that the board is “trying to get better answers.”

“I know sometimes it rings hollow, but please, hang in there and just know that we’re trying to make things better right now,” Cohen said.

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County has reached an all-time high as of this weekend, far surpassing the previous peak immediately after Thanksgiving weekend and previous records over the summer.

The county recorded the highest number of new cases in a single day today (Monday) — 617 — since the pandemic began earlier this year. Both numbers exceed case counts that hovered around 500 on Thanksgiving weekend and when cases first peaked in June.

Cases also continue to soar statewide. Virginia shattered previous records on Sunday by recording 3,880 new cases. Over the summer, cases peaked at 2,015.

The latest numbers suggest that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is surging with more strength than ever before, even as the reality of a new vaccine materializes.

Hospitalizations in the state and in the county also continue to climb.

Fairfax County reported 20 new hospitalizations today (Monday) for a seven-day average of 15 daily new hospitalizations, the highest rate since early June. The 53 new hospitalizations reported on May 3 remains the county’s peak.

Another measure to determine community transmission — the weekly test positive rate — also continues to increase. The state’s test positivity rate is 10.8 percent while the county’s is at 11.5 percent. VDH updates data on the COVID-19 pandemic once a day at 5 p.m.

The county and the state have been preparing for the dispersal of a vaccine, which could have federal approval as early as this month. The Virginia Department of Health announced on Dec. 4 that the state is expecting to receive an estimated 480,000 doses of vaccine by the end of the year, a sizable increase from the roughly 70,000 doses that Gov. Ralph Northam previously stated Virginia would get in its first shipment.

Photo via Virginia Department of Health

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 officials are in the early phases of considering the implementation of a five-cent tax on plastic bags.

In March, the Virginia General Assembly passed a state bill that allows municipalities to collect taxes on disposable bags. Gov. Ralph Northam signed the bill on April 10.

Jurisdictions can levy taxes on disposable plastic bags given by grocery stores, convenience stores, and drugstores. Tax revenues are allocated for environmental cleanup, pollution and litter management, educational programs to reduce environmental waste, and the funding of reusable bags to recipients of federal food support programs.

The Virginia Department of Taxation estimates the tax could generate between $20.8 million to $24.9 million in annual aggregate local revenues across the state.

A board matter approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in late July also directs the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination to create a plan to implement the plastic bag fee next year.

In a Nov. 30 memo to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill said county departments are currently “exploring the issues associated with development and implementation of a plastic bag tax ordinance.” Other jurisdictions like Arlington County have cited concerns about adopting the tax amid a pandemic due to equity-related issues.

Hill noted that several ambiguities in the state’s ordinance need to be addressed.  For example, the ordinance does not explicitly define what constitutes a convenience store and offers scant information on how tax commissioners will enforce the tax and issue penalties for non-compliance.

“At least at this time, there appears to be no mechanism to contest a retailer’s categorization short of a court challenge and sufficient facts to support a locality’s different categorization,” Hill wrote.

The county anticipates launching a public engagement process, including public meetings and an online survey, to gauge input on the move.

If the Board of Supervisors directs staff to create a plastic bag ordinance, county departments would launch a second public engagement process and consult with county entities like the Environmental Quality Advisory Council prior to consideration by the board.

The board will discuss the issue at an Environmental Committee meeting tomorrow (Dec. 8).

Photo by Griffin Wooldridge/Unsplash

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