What does the word ‘invite’ mean?

That question occupied the bulk of a Vienna Town Council discussion on Monday night regarding a proposal to invite Vienna restaurant lenders, owners, landlords and tenants to brainstorm ideas to support businesses this winter in light of the economic instability caused by COVID-19. The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the Vienna Community Center gym and will be moderated by Peter Sparber, a Vienna resident.

The proposal passed 5-2, with Mayor Linda Colbert and Councilmember Ed Somers voting against it.

During the town council meeting, Colbert, Town Manager Mercury Payton, and the council members debated whether it is legal or proper for the town to hold an invite-only event not moderated by a town official.

Councilmember Ray Brill, who requested the town council take up the motion, said time is of the essence and the word “invite” must stay to gather together stakeholders.

“Winter is coming and there is nothing that we can do to stop it,” Brill said. “We need to listen to residents and other business folks to learn their point of view and navigate the COVID-19 crisis.”

Colbert worried about the town hosting an event but ceding control of the conversation. She said this gathering should remain in the private sector.

“I think it comes down to how some of us view the word invite,” Colbert said.

She said that if she invites people to a party, it is her party and she runs it. Similarly, if the town invites stakeholders, that makes it an official function. She said she would support a motion without the word “invite.”

Many members tweaked the proposal’s language. Like Brill, Councilmember Chuck Anderson, whose amended motion was ultimately approved, said the word “invite” needs to stay.

“I want the gravitas of the town to be part of the attempt to get people there,” he said.

His changed motion states: “This gathering is not an official function of the Town of Vienna. The town is not proposing any specific legislative action as a result of this meeting and Town Council members may observe, but will not participate in the discussion.”

Councilmember Dr. Nisha Patel offered another compromise to change “invite” to “encourage a conversation.”

Brill countered that encouragement occurs on social media. In order to have an honest dialogue, he only wants those who are invited to show up.

“We change from the word ‘public forum’ to ‘meeting,’ we run the risk of no one showing up because they don’t talk in person,” he said.

Patel said she understood the dilemma and supported the event.

“I think we should help make this a possibility for them,” she said. “We are all interested in helping them, that’s not a question.”

Photos via Vienna Town Council

Fairfax County has requested approval to change the Tysons Corner Metro Station’s name, dropping the word “corner” so it becomes “Tysons Station.” 

According to a press release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the name would be changed on all system maps, digital signs, the WMATA website, SmarTrip app, in-system directional signage, and more. 

Prince George’s County is also looking to change Prince George’s Plaza Station to “Hyattsville Crossing.” 

Under Metro’s policy, requests to rename a station are considered by the Metro Board of Directors, who will approve or deny the request. 

The board of directors has released an online survey to gauge what riders think of changing the station  names as part of the process, welcoming feedback. 

According to the release, the jurisdiction making the name change request must commit to funding the full cost of the change, including reprinting maps, making new signs, and reprogramming systems that provide customers information. 

Additionally, according to the release, the policy has three major guidelines for any new station name:

• Names should identify the station locations by geographic features such as landmarks or centers of activity.
• Names should be distinctive and evoke imagery in the mind of the patron.
• Names should be no longer than 19 characters, except for transfer station names, which should be non longer than 13 characters. 

Survey responses will be accepted through Nov. 2 at 5 p.m.

Photo via Tysons Reporter

A Capital One Bank in McLean was robbed Tuesday afternoon, Fairfax County police reported at 2:20 p.m.

Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department are currently on the scene at 6890 Elm St.

The department says the suspect is believed to be a white man who was last seen on foot. He is reportedly 5’9″ and wearing white ballcap and dark clothing.

Our officers are on scene of a bank robbery at the Capital One Bank, 6890 Elm St. in McLean. Suspect believed to be a white male, 5’9”, white ballcap, wearing dark clothing, last seen on foot. Please avoid the area. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/ltchNnrACn

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 27, 2020

Young readers now have virtual access to the Fairfax County Public Library through a new program created in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools. 

LEAP, or Library Equity Access Pass, started on Oct. 1. The program was initially piloted in 2019 and was created to ensure student access to library materials, even without a library card or an account with the library, according to the program website. 

Now, the program has been adapted to a virtual platform, making access even easier in the midst of the pandemic. 

Through LEAP, students grades PreK-12 only need their name to check out materials. Additionally, the program will never charge fines or fees. Each account will allow students to check out up to three items at a time for six weeks each.

The program has been running for about three weeks and has already served students at each of the county’s branches. While the program hasn’t run long enough to collect specific usage data, LEAP customers and staff have reported questions about the program from across the community.

“Word is spreading, our marketing efforts are reaching people, and the community seems enthusiastic about LEAP,” said Ted Kavich, the administrative services division director of the FCPL. 

In particular, on Oct. 20, the staff at Reston Regional Library worked with staff from Dogwood Elementary School to check out books to local families using the LEAP accounts, according to Kavich. According to the school, more than 15 families were provided with books.  

For more information, students and parents can ask a teacher or librarian at their school, or call any FCPL location. 

Photo via Dogwood Elementary School/Twitter

The synthetic turf field at the Graham Road Community Building in Falls Church is going to be replaced.

As part of its consent agenda, the Fairfax County School Board voted on Oct. 22 to award a $93,000 contract for the project to GTR Turf, Inc., a Fredericksburg-based contractor that specializes in artificial turf and grass.

Though the school board is responsible for awarding the contract, the funding will come from the Fairfax County Park Authority as part of a partnership between the county and Fairfax County Public Schools.

“The synthetic turf field at the Graham Road Community Building is one of the few playing fields available for community use in the area,” Providence District School Board representative Karl Frisch said in a statement. “I am grateful for our continued partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority, which makes the funding for important projects like this possible.”

GTR Turf was one of five companies that FCPS deemed qualified to compete for a contract to construct the Graham Road turf field during the bidding period, which closed on Sept. 30. The four other contractors all submitted bids proposing construction costs that exceeded $100,000, ranging from $129,397 from Astro Turf LLC to $169,880 from Hellas Construction, Inc.

Located at 3033 Graham Road, the Graham Road Community Building housed Graham Road Elementary School until the school was relocated to its current site along Route 29 in 2012.

Governed by a shared-use agreement between the county and FCPS, the building now provides education, recreation, and other public services, according to Frisch. It serves as a School Age Child Care program center and a Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services drop-in site for students in grades seven through 12.

Construction to replace the Graham Road Community Building’s existing turf field was allowed to start on Oct. 22 after the contract was awarded. The project is expected to be fully completed on Feb. 5, 2021, according to FCPS’s invitation to bid.

Image via Google Maps

In a work session discussion yesterday, the Falls Church City Council considered a new distribution of funds in the FY 2021 budget to help cover issues ranging from COVID response to stormwater management.

One of the most immediate concerns presented in the budget discussion was the appropriation of $547,000 from CARES Act funding allocated to the city to help address crises in the city. The lion’s share of the funding, $250,000, was set to be allocated as small business grants, followed by $150,000 in emergency assistance to residents to help cover rental, utility and food assistance.

The City Council also considered funding for six stormwater management projects planned to help prevent some of the flooding issues that have devastated homes in the area over the last few years. There was some concern on the council, however, that without proper consideration the funding could just be flushing money down the drain.

Ross Litkenhous, a Falls Church City Council member, emphasized that he was in favor of dedicating funding to fixing flooding problems, but was concerned that the proposed projects were temporary fixes that would do little to address longer-term problems.

“I refuse to go down a path where we’re only solving for half the problem,” Litkenhous said.

Others on the Council urged to move forward with planning for stormwater management, though with general fund rather than issuance of debt.

Amid the discussion of spending, Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly suggested that some funding be set aside in reserve. While the city is facing a fiscal catastrophe, experts warn the region could face difficult years ahead where they might need to tap into a cash reserve.

“Next year’s budget is going to be a big challenge,” Connelly warned.

Fairfax County should attempt to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and eliminate all waste from county government and school operations by 2030, the Fairfax County Joint Environmental Task Force (JET) recommends in a new report.

Presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 20 and the Fairfax County School Board on Oct. 22, the report urges both boards, along with the Fairfax County Park Authority and the Fairfax County Regional Housing Authority, to commit to producing net-zero carbon emissions from their energy usage by 2040.

To achieve this goal, the task force suggests that Fairfax County aim to cut its carbon emissions in half from 2019 levels by 2030, while transitioning to renewable sources to generate 25% of its energy by 2030 and 50% by 2040.

The task force also recommends reducing the total amount of energy used by all county facilities by 25% by 2030 and 50% by 2040, and requiring all new county buildings and major renovation projects meet net-zero energy standards starting in 2021.

Other recommendations proposed by the JET include:

• Fairfax government and schools should aim to produce zero solid waste by 2030
• The Fairfax Connector bus fleet should transition to electricity or other non-carbon-emitting fuel sources by 2030, with the Fairfax County Public Schools fleet and non-bus vehicles following suit by 2035
• The county government and schools should develop resources to educate students and adults about job options in “green” industries, including renewable energy, green building, resource and wildlife management, and stormwater management

“The JET’s ambitious goals and recommendations send a powerful message that our county and school system are committed to doing what it takes to protect our environment and address the threat of climate change,” Providence District School Board member Karl Frisch said.

Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions executive director Meg Mall, one of nine community members on the JET, says her environmental advocacy group is “pleased that strong goals have been incorporated” into the task force’s report and hopes to see continued collaboration not just between different county agencies, but also between Fairfax County and the general public.

“FACS has been a strong advocate for the adoption of aggressive goals in the county’s climate mitigation and adaptation work,” Mall said. “…The county must lead by example within its own operations while concurrently working toward community-wide goals.”

The Board of Supervisors and school board formed the JET in April 2019 to coordinate county government and schools efforts to address climate change, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability issues.

While the threat of climate change has loomed for decades, its urgency became newly apparent when the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report in 2018 that found the world must achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and potentially avoid the most drastic impacts of climate change.

In addition to creating the JET, Fairfax County signaled that it intends to prioritize climate issues by establishing the new Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination in July 2019 and awarding contracts to solar providers in December to install solar panels at more than 100 publicly owned facilities.

Mothers Out Front Fairfax County, which launched a campaign advocating for electric school buses in August 2019, praised the JET’s zero waste and carbon neutrality recommendations but urged Fairfax County to convert its school bus fleet to electricity by 2030.

“Mothers Out Front’s priority is the health and future of our children, and we have been pushing to convert school bus fleets across the state to electric by 2030,” Mothers Out Front Fairfax County co-founder Julie Kimmel said. “While we fully support the recommendation that the Fairfax Connector bus fleet be transitioned to electric by 2030, we think all Fairfax County school buses should also be converted to electric in the same time frame.”

The Board of Supervisors will discuss the JET recommendations and get updates on the solar power purchase agreement initiative, the development of a Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP), and the county’s yard waste collection bag policy during its environmental committee meeting today at 11 a.m.

Staff photo by Catherine Douglas Moran

Hoar Construction will build the Town of Vienna Police Department’s new station.

Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with an office in Vienna, the construction company beat out four other bidders for a $13.2 million contract to construct the planned police facility, which was awarded by the Vienna Town Council yesterday (Monday).

Town staff recommended that Hoar Construction receive the contract because it was the “lowest responsive and responsible bidder” with a total base bid of $13.2 million.

“After doing background research on the company and learning who is on their team, we found that not only does Hoar have a depth of construction experience, their members also are part of this community,” Vienna Police Chief Jim Morris said in a news release announcing the award. “They have experience in this area and are involved in and around Vienna.”

The proposals from the five finalists all fell in the $13 million to $15 million range, according to a bid tabulation released by the Town of Vienna.

Vienna first issued a request for qualified contractors for its new police station project in April. The 11 submissions that the town got were evaluated by project managers with the consulting firm Downey & Scott and narrowed down to six possible general contractors.

One of the six companies that were singled out ultimately did not submit a bid during the bidding period, which concluded on Oct. 9.

In the works since at least 2013, Vienna’s new police station will replace the existing facility that was erected at 215 Center Street South in 1994. The new building will be 28,500 square feet in size with two floors on an approximately 1.5-acre site, according to the town’s invitation for bids.

In addition to providing space for storage, training, and a firing range, among other department utilities, the new police station will have 1,500 square feet of space designed to serve community needs, including a Town of Vienna emergency operations center, cable broadcasting, overflow for public meetings, and even a potential voting location.

Though some community members objected to the project this summer amid nationwide protests urging municipalities to “defund the police,” the Town of Vienna has no intention of delaying or halting its plans for the new police station, which is being funded with $14.9 million from bonds issued in March.

Councilmember Chuck Anderson, who was elected to the council in May, noted that he was wary of supporting the construction of a new police station at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has created a national economic crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement has drawn renewed attention to police violence against black people.

However, Anderson says he was persuaded that a new station is necessary after talking to Morris and looking at the existing facility.

“I heard his intelligence and passion for community policing and for the right kind of approach to difficult issues,” Anderson said of Morris. “Chief, you got my vote, but I’m going to hold you to it. I really want you to take those community areas that I think may have started out as kind of a carrot but have taken a whole new role in the current age and use them creatively so that we in Vienna become a beacon for other jurisdictions for how to do policing and how to do it right.”

Morris told the town planning commission on Oct. 14 that construction is expected to start in December, though the town now says that construction will likely begin in early 2021 and last 18-24 months.

The police department will work out of a temporary facility in the former Faith Baptist Church at 301 Center Street S. until the new station is completed.

Image via Town of Vienna

Tysons’ first Restaurant Week, which ran from Oct. 12-18, was a “huge success,” according to restaurateurs.

When the Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce followed up with each of the 19 participating restaurants, they each reported soaring sales.

“We followed-up with each restaurant, and they all reported significant sales increases, some as high as 50% since reopening after Covid-19,” said Dane Scott, the managing partner of Seasons 52. “And my restaurant is in that category.”

Guests had the option to eat in or take home food from fixed-price lunch and dinner menus that were designed specifically for Restaurant Week and showcase classic dishes, seasonal options, and fan favorites. The Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted the event.

Tony Bass, the general manager of Urban Plates, said his restaurant hit records.

“We actually had the busiest week of any week since we reopened, which was a huge win for us,” Bass said.

It was so successful that the overall company “is looking to replicate elsewhere what we did here,” he said.

The data is going to help Urban Plates keep up the momentum from Restaurant Week, Bass said.

The number-one feedback Bass said he received was, “Wow, I didn’t know you were open again.”

Although in-person guests were thrilled to be back, half of the total customers took advantage of take-out, he said.

Overall, “it was a much bigger event than personally I thought it was going to be,” Bass said.

Scott was nervous leading up to the weeklong event. Restaurant Week in D.C. was reportedly not as successful as in years past, and the Tysons Chamber had planned its restaurant week around not interfering with the week in D.C.

Although the Tysons chamber of commerce added a carry-out component — which is not offered during regular restaurant weeks — to give customers more than one way to participate, Scott still worried the event would be a flop.

“It was far from it,” he said. “Nineteen restaurants participated, and every restaurant said, ‘I had a great week — the best week since reopening. It really made me soar, I was so happy.”

Photo courtesy Andrew Clark

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 (Oct. 27)

• Tuesday Morning Book Club (Online) — 0:30-11:30 a.m. — The Tuesday Morning Book Club meets every six weeks starting this September through next June. Discussing The Poet’s Girl: A Novel of Emily Hale and T.S. Eliot by Sara Fitzgerald, the group will meet via Zoom. Email Catherine Wilson, [email protected], to request the Zoom link
• Great Books Discussion (Online) — “Great Books” Book Club meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of most months. The group will discuss In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafkameet via Zoom. Email Marshall Webster, [email protected], to request the Zoom link.

Thursday (Oct. 29)

• Falls Church Amateur Writers Group (Online) — 7-8 p.m. — A group for aspiring writers, the website said. Discussing and offering constructive criticism for each other’s work, the group will meet via Zoom. Email Pete Sullivan, [email protected], to request the Zoom link.

Friday (Oct. 30)

• Halloween Drive-Up Movie Night — 6 p.m. at Lerner Town Square at Tysons II (8025 Galleria Drive)  — With its showings of Scooby Doo: Stage Fright and Beetlejuice, the Greater D.C./Virginia Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is raising money for the 3.1 million Americans fighting inflammatory bowel disease, the website said. Tickets range from $15-125. To purchase tickets, use this link.

Saturday (Oct. 31)

• Halloween Wave Parade — 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at all Town of Vienna quadrants — In order not to gather the usual ghoulish crowd for this beloved event, the Town is taking 10-15 floats in the way of a Halloween Wave Parade through Vienna neighborhoods, the website said.
• Halloween Craft Popups — 10 a.m.-3:15 p.m. —  Enjoy pumpkin painting, birdhouse painting, or scarecrow-making at three different City of Falls Church parks, the website said.

1. Pumpkin Painting Popup — 10 a.m.-3:15 p.m. at Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave.) — The cost is $6. To register, use this link.
2. Birdhouse Painting — 10 a.m.-3:15 p.m. at Berman Park Picnic Shelter (236 Irving St.) — The cost is $4. To register, use this link.
3. Scarecrow Making — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Frady Park Gazebo (311 E. Broad St.) — The cost is $10 per family. To register, use this link.

• Hocus Pocus Halloween: Back to the 90s — 7 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. E.) — Free, outdoor, socially distant Halloween concert and costume part, the website said. This event is open to all ages.

Photo by Michelle Goldchain