The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and American Disposal Services have reached a settlement after reports of missed trash pick-ups prompted an investigation.
Back in May, John Cook and Kathy Smith, the district supervisors for Braddock and Sully, said that the solid waste and recycling collection company’s failure to make “many trash pick-ups in the county” was causing health, safety and community enjoyment issues.
The county board then started an investigation to prepare to take legal action.
Ultimately, the county decided not to sue, Matthew Kaiser, the spokesperson for the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES), told Tysons Reporter.
American Disposal Services signed a consent agreement with the county on June 10 to bring the company into compliance with the county’s law saying that waste and recycling need to get picked up at least once a week, Kaiser said.
American Disposal also paid a $2,500 civil penalty in a settlement regarding code violations, Kaiser said.
Kaiser said that for compliance verification, American Disposal Services must:
- provide daily reports to compliance staff for review
- review and follows up on incoming complaints from residents on a daily basis
- have ongoing weekly meetings to discuss compliance with the consent agreement
Based in Manassas, American Disposal Services is the primary private trash service company for county residents.
Kevin Edwards, the general manager of American Disposal Services, previously told Tysons Reporter was “aggressively hiring and recruiting” to address a truck driver shortage, which Edwards said was the reason behind the delays.
Staff from DPWES, Consumer Affairs and the Health Department had been working with American Disposal Services earlier.
Now, Solid Waste Enforcement and Compliance staff will continue to work with American Disposal Services to “maintain compliance with the code and deliver adequate service to the residents of Fairfax County,” Kaiser said.
“The situation with American Disposal Services has improved with the number of daily complaints significantly decreasing,” Kaiser said.
Image via Facebook
A long-awaited project to lessen congestion at an intersection near the American Legion Bridge in McLean is nearing completion.
The Virginia Department of Transportation expanded the intersection by 550 feet to include a left turn and right turn lane, as well as an option for traffic to go straight into the nearby neighborhood. The renovations also include an area where law enforcement can safely pull over traffic.
Crews worked on the three-month-long project at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Balls Hill Road over the summer. Politicians gathered Thursday morning (Aug. 22) to survey the scene and celebrate the project.
Allison Richter, a VDOT liaison for Fairfax County, attended the event and said that people in the nearby neighborhood struggled to get home when others were trying to turn onto American Legion Bridge or onto the freeway. The addition of turn lanes is expected to ease traffic around rush hour, she said.
Richter said that this was part of a $500,000 project to improve traffic flow in the area, which should be completed in the next couple days. She also said that roughly $250,000 of the funds came from Fairfax County while the remaining $250,000 came from an operations safety budget.
“This is one of the rare occasions we meet at this intersection on a happy note,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust told the gathering. “This has been a challenge to deal with the intersection and try to meditate the impact on the surrounding neighborhoods from the American Legion Bridge and back up on the ramp.”
Road crews had to redirect some attention from the work on Balls Hill Road to roads impacted by severe flooding in early July, Foust said.
Crews are still working to repair Kirby Road, which is still closed due to flooding damage, he said, adding that the floods completely rerouted the river, which now flows underneath the road.
The city needs to get permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to fix the damage.
“There is only so much we can expedite,” Foust said, adding that he believes that the residents have been patient with the process.
As for the road crews, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen VDOT so focused,” Foust said.
Just in time for #backtoschooll! VDOT crews completed improvements incl a dedicated left-turn lane to help ease congestion at Balls Hill Rd & Georgetown Pike in McLean. Take a look! Thanks to our partners @fairfaxcounty @FairfaxCountyPD @johnfoustva @kmurphyva @BarbaraFavola! pic.twitter.com/es74W6OVfJ
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) August 22, 2019
A controversial for-profit therapy program got a win in a Fairfax County zoning official’s letter.
Newport Academy, a therapy program for teens with mental health or addiction problems, wanted to open two treatment facilities — one along Davidson Road and another at 1318 Kurtz Road in the Salona Village neighborhood.
While the planned treatment facilities have received widespread community backlash, Newport Academy has hinged its claim on the two locations being by-right uses — a use that won’t require approval by the Board of Supervisors.
Fairfax County Zoning Administrator Leslie Johnson issued a letter yesterday (Wednesday), saying that the Kurtz Road facility is a group residential facility based on her review of Newport Academy’s revised license application.
Johnson’s letter notes that Newport Academy is no longer planning to open a facility at the Davidson Road properties.
“Newport Academy has instead filed a revised license application with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to operate a single Mental Health Children’s Residential Service for up to 8 female residents ages 12-17 to be located at 1318 Kurtz Road,” the letter said.
More from Johnson’s letter to the legal counsel for Newport Academy:
Your August 5 letter did not fully respond to my questions, but you did indicate that at the time of admission a resident is expected to stay between 45 and 90 days, with the average stay between 45 and 60 days. You note that Newport Academy is not a drug rehabilitation facility and does not provide detoxification services; no individual who enters treatment with Newport Academy is currently using illicit substances.
Further, you state that no staff will live at the Kurtz Property, but you did not indicate how many non-resident staff will be on site at any one time. You stated that my request for such information is solely within the purview of VDBHDS. (We have requested and received this type of information from other providers of residential mental health and disability services as part of similar use determination requests.) Based on a review of the license application for the Kurtz Road property, it appears that at least 8 staff members will be on site from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. You indicate that mornings will typically be set aside for academics and individual therapy, afternoons for group therapy (including music therapy, life skills counseling, yoga, meditation and other fitness activities) and evenings reserved for additional study and therapy as needed. Meals will be eaten in a family-style setting, and residents are engaged in programming and under staff supervision from the time they wake up until they go to sleep, with “awake” supervising staff on site 24 hours per day.
With regard to parking, you note that the Zoning Ordinance does not limit the amount of parking on a residential lot, but that the driveway can accommodate up to 8 vehicles, not including the 3-car garage… It appears that the property currently complies with these provisions. However, any future paving or expansion of the driveway within the front yard could conflict with this provision. Finally, you indicate that Newport Academy will take appropriate actions–through the use of a shuttle, off-site parking, and other means as necessary–to minimize the number of vehicles (whether staff or visitors) parked at the property at any given time.
The facility will need to be licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
Johnson noted that the determination is not a written order or notice of a zoning violation and that it can be appealed to the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
Image via Google Maps
Self-proclaimed naturalists in the City of Falls Church may soon have a new volunteer opportunity.
The city’s Tree Commission wants to create a volunteer program where people can assist in counting, categorizing and measuring over 10,000 trees within the city limits. Though the program is still in the works, commissioners said at a meeting Wednesday (Aug. 21) that they want the it to be inclusive of all age groups and time availabilities.
“We are hoping this will be a popular program because you can choose your own hours. You don’t have to come to an event, and you can do it when you find it convenient,” Kate Reich, the staff liaison and city arborist, said.
The commission currently contracts with a pruning company that charges based on tree size, and is hoping to sort tree circumferences into categories, so that the commission can get a more reliable cost estimate for tree care.
While they are still standardizing training and finding a user-friendly way to collect data, Reich said the program should begin in September. The volunteers will be given special measuring tapes that show circumference size so they won’t need to do any extra math.
Amy Crumpton, who is certified by the Arlington Master Naturalist program, will lead the volunteer group.
“The USDA Forest Service has programs they call i-Tree, where they can assess environmental benefits of an urban forest when you plug in great wads of data,” Reich said.
The commission said the new program will work to fill in this database and help the city government calculate the cost of tree care.
Though the database is live now with information gathered from a few years ago, the commission is working to fix some bugs.
Each volunteer will have a login to the system so organizers can keep track of hours and ensure that the user’s data is accurate. Users will also be able to report areas that could use some extra greenery, the commissioners said.
“It would be nice if we could expand it, to say the Boy Scouts or something,” Reich said, adding that this would be a great service opportunity for them.
When the program is finalized, Crumpton will create a SignUpGenius for volunteers. Though they will limit the number of volunteers for beta testing, they hope to eventually expand the network.
The U.S. Park Police Chief Robert MacLean said yesterday (Wednesday) that he is stepping down.
The announcement came nearly two years after a fatal shooting of a Tysons man by U.S. Park Police that politicians and community members are still trying to get answers to.
The FBI has been investigating the Nov. 17, 2017 shooting where two U.S. Park Police fired into a Jeep Grand Cherokee and hit Bijan Ghaisar, a 25-year-old.
MacLean told Fox 5 DC that he is met with the Ghaisar family shortly after the incident to provide them with more explanation and that he is leaving the case to the FBI to “bring that impartiality and objectivity.”
MacLean worked for the Park Police for nearly 30 years, having positions in both the operational and administrative areas, according to his bio. He was selected to be the acting police chief in December 2013.
According to Fox 5 DC, he has a job lined up at the Office of Law Enforcement and Security at the Department of Interior.
#Breaking PIO for US Park Police confirms that the Chief of Park Police (Chief Robert MacLean) is stepping down. Won’t say why, but confirms he is stepping down.
— Ryan Sprouse (@RSprouseNews) August 21, 2019
Breaking-U S Park Police Chief Robert Maclean is stepping down, according to two sources, and will be taking a job with the Department of Interior. No word yet on an interim chief. Maclean leaves without ever publicly addressing the shooting of Bijan Ghaisar by 2 of his officers. pic.twitter.com/85fdH0TC5v
— Paul Wagner (@paulcwagner) August 21, 2019
Image via C-SPAN
Brandywine Realty Trust is looking to upgrade office space by Tysons Galleria.
The real estate firm announced on Twitter yesterday (Wednesday) that it’s renovating its space at 1676 International Drive #1350.
“We’re elevating 1676 International with a Penthouse full of amenities,” the tweet said.
The new space will include a lounge, 120-person conference center, living room, fitness center and open-air conservatory.
The building houses companies including BAE Systems, KPMG and the consulting firm Savon Group.
We’re elevating 1676 International with a Penthouse full of amenities. With a lounge, conference center, living room, fitness center, and open air conservatory, “working late” just got a lot more fun. pic.twitter.com/9WTlEVZb7n
— Brandywine Realty Trust (@BrandywineRlty) August 21, 2019
Image via Google Maps
Falls Church city officials say now that the city’s housing guidelines have been updated, the real work begins.
On Aug. 12, the City Council unanimously voted in favor of new affordable housing and demographics chapters as the city staff works to update its Comprehensive Plan.
“Revisiting the city’s zoning ordinances is an appropriate thing to do to make sure the rules of the game support the goals the city is trying to work toward,” Paul Stoddard, the city’s planning director, said. “Housing doesn’t operate in a free market. It is heavily constrained by local regulation.”
These approved changes come after months of work and revisions from committees, including the Housing Commission and Planning Commission. Now, city leaders are calling on the public to speak up — to ensure that the plan is implemented.
Housing Commissioner Pete Davis, who acted as an ally for the plan throughout its development, said he emphasized the importance of affordable hosing amendments that will address Falls Church’s “crisis.”
He asked the Planning Commission to “keep affordable housing in the forefront of [its] mind” during an address on Aug, 5.
At the same meeting, commissioners noted changes to the proposal since the group last met, with key adaptions including the addition of religious organizations as a partner to ease housing burdens, a revised definition of median income, the inclusion of accessory dwellings as a solution and acknowledgment that it will take the entire community to solve the issue.
Davis said that the next steps require community members to speak up about affordable housing and continue to put pressure on the Falls Church City Council.
Within increasing pressure from Amazon’s HQ2 coming into the area, Davis said that city officials and community members can no longer remain passive and wait to see how the market reacts — they must act now and push for more affordable housing units.
“We cannot take a hands-off approach anymore,” Davis said.
Look around Tysons and you’ll find art near every Metro station.
Tysons Reporter has rounded up the outside artworks in the area that are Instragram-worthy and easy to walk to.
“Early Bird”
Maybe you’ve spotted the dozens of bronze birds scattered around The Plaza outside Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road). If you haven’t — just take a look around at the seating and railings.
The birds depict five species — the morning dove, the red-tailed hawk, the robin, the crow and the cardinal — and were created by a trio of George Mason University artists, according to the university. In total, there are 63 birds.
Fun fact: “Early Bird is the name of Intelsat’s first communications satellite. It was launched into orbit on April 6, 1965,” according to the university.
“The Thought”
It’s hard to not notice the nearly 16-foot-tall bronze sculpture outside the Walmart (1500 B Cornerside Blvd) in Tysons West where an enormous face rests its chin on a hand.
Robert Cole created the structure with copper pipe before covering it with welded bronze plates. His assistant, Josh Yavelberg, helped with the creation of the piece, according to the D.C.-based Robert Cole Studios.
Cole, who had art at other Metro stations and around the D.C.-area, died in 2013.
“Solar Sails”
Known for his use of glass, artist Ray King created “Solar Sails” outside the Tysons Corner Metro station (1943 Chain Bridge Road) in 2015. The laminated glass panes and tension pulled steel measure 50 feet long outside, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
“By creating dynamic interactions with the sun and refracting light into colors — rainbow-like emanations that shift and change as the viewer moves or as the light source changes — King creates an environment that appeals to viewers’ sense of wonderment and delight,” WMATA’s website says.
“Hoop-La”
Alice Aycock created the aluminum and powder-coated steel sculpture in front of the Capital One headquarters (1680 Capital One Drive) by the McLean Metro station.
According to a description from Capital One:
For the Capital One project, Alice tried to visualize energy, thoughts and ideas as a series of spiral vortexes gathering momentum — each emerging from the vortex below as whirlpools of thought. She designed the work to appear to spin off into the air, forming a dynamic, three-dimensional mixture of forms.
The sculpture is a metaphor for the way ideas connect in energetic and unpredictable ways in the pursuit of knowledge.
Much of Alice’s work in both public and private spheres has been a meditation on the philosophical ramifications of technology, from the simplest to the most advanced tools. Many of these works have incorporated images of the wheel and turbines and references to energy.
“Voyagers”
Located on the ground level at the McLean Metro station mezzanine (1824 Dolley Madison Blvd) are 26 laminated glass panels. Martin Donlin hand painted and airbrushed the panels, which include etchings of poetry from Virginia Poet Laureates, in 2015.
“‘Voyagers’ represents both the physical and cognitive idea of travel and transportation,” the WMATA website says.
“Eccentricity”
Standing 40 feet tall, the stainless steel and concrete work by Barbara Grygutis greets people outside the west entrance pavilion plaza outside the Spring Hill Metro station (1576 Spring Hill Road), according to WMATA.
More from WMATA about the sculpture:
This large iconic columnar sculpture and plaza demarcate the Spring Hill Road Station along WMATA’s Metro Silver Line. The sculptural form displays shifting moiré patterns as the viewer moves about the piece — from pedestrians at ground level and above on the train platform, to vehicles and bicyclists passing at varying speeds. The plaza includes an offset concentric ring design in two shades of concrete with poetry by previous Poet Laureate of Virginia Lee Pelham Cotton in aluminum within the concrete. In the evening, the pillar is illuminated to create a peacemaking feature around the clock.
WMATA commissioned Grygutis to create the piece, which was finished in 2016, according to the artist’s website. People can see it driving or walking along Leesburg Pike by the Metro stop.
“Tysons Luxury Lilies”
People getting off the Greensboro Metro station and folks heading to the Tysons Biergarten have surely seen the massive mural featuring water lilies at 8346 Leesburg Pike.
Created by Lawrence Atoigue, professionally known as Naturel, the 100 by 200 foot mural was launched in 2016 as part of a placemaking effort by Tysons Partnership.
The mural, located on a wall owned by Beacon Capital Partners, was inspired by Claude Monet’s “Water Lily” series, according to Tysons Partnership.
“Technology Triangle Colonnade”
Columns standing 21 feet tall are located on opposite sides of Leesburg Pike at the Greensboro Metro station (8304 Leesburg Pike). David Dahlquist created the metal, fiberglass and concrete columns with LED lights in 2016.
“The symbolic triangle, representative of the connection of government, industry, and consumer, becomes a dramatic iconic marker,” according to the WMATA website. “The sculptural columns create a dynamic connection to the station.”
People who look closely can spot the poetry by Virginia Poet Laureates in the bands around the base of each column.
The new Bad Axe Throwing location is offering free throwing lessons to celebrate their grand opening in Merrifield — but only for one weekend.
The new location at 2985 District Avenue, Suite 195 began accepting reservations on last Monday (Aug. 12) and offers an opportunity for participants to try their hand at the sport. The weekend after Labor Day (Sept. 6-8), the location will wave its normal $27 per person fee.
Though patrons cannot reserve dates for the free weekend, they are invited to come for a drop-in session from 5-11 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 6), 12 -11 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 7) and 2-9 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 8).
“Our mission is to bring the thrill of a traditional Canadian backyard pastime to urban communities,” the company’s website said.
Anyone curious about the facilities that cannot make it on a free-day, can visit by booking an hour-long session online.
The website suggests that participants wear comfortable athletic clothes. While anyone can come, the company said that people should be strong enough “to throw a soccer ball over their head.”
The company originated in Ontario, Canada where it was founded by CEO Mario Zelaya in 2014. Today, the business has over 40 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, according to the website.
Photo via Facebook/Bad Axe Throwing
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is now in effect for Fairfax County.
The National Weather Service issued the watch at 3:25 p.m. today (Wednesday). It will last until 10 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch (in pink) is in effect through 10 PM for the DC and Baltimore Metro areas due to the potential for damaging thunderstorms. The primary threat will be damaging winds. pic.twitter.com/MyK3aAULzB
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) August 21, 2019
