After extreme weather took a toll on Cherry Hill Park, the City of Falls Church has turned the remaining parts of the destroyed trees into art.
Recreation and Parks Director Daniel Schlitt commissioned a local artist to create statues from leftover stumps created by a violent storm last year that killed a few trees, Susan Finarelli, a city spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter.
Artist Andrew Mallon lives in Falls Church and specializes in chainsaw log-art. He began work on the installation in early August after Schlitt hired him for the job, Mallon told Tysons Reporter.
The installation includes four different statues, each scattered throughout the park.
The logs portray animals that would be found in neighboring forests, Mallon said. The art includes baby animals, because he thinks of parks as gathering places for families.
Mallon declined to say how much money the city paid him for the work, and Finarelli did not respond to a follow-up email.
The carvings were completed last Friday (Aug. 23) and are now on display for public viewing at 312 Park Avenue, Mallon said.
Cherry Hill Park will be a bit noisy the next few weeks. A local artist is using chainsaws to transform stumps into carved sculptures. Here are the "before" pictures. You're welcome to swing by to see the sculpting in progress! pic.twitter.com/LLauQN5RjF
— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) August 12, 2019
Photos via City of Falls Church
The community center in the City of Falls Church is getting cleaned from top to bottom.
“They do that every year just to give the floors a good scrub and get all the supplies recognized,” Susan Finarelli, a spokesperson for the City of Falls Church, said.
The center will be temporarily closed for deep cleaning from Saturday, Aug. 24, through Monday, Sept. 2.
It will reopen for public use on Tuesday, Sept. 3, with normal hours, which are 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
The community center provides community members access to gyms, multi-purpose rooms, a kitchen and a preschool. It also houses the senior and teen centers.
Community members looking for activities can still visit the Mary Riley Styles Public Library or visit one of the city’s public parks.
FYI: the Community Center will be closed Aug. 24 – Sept. 2 for their annual deep clean. It's good timing, since the building has an eau de sweaty camper essence right now. pic.twitter.com/SugbJDEtZh
— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) August 19, 2019
Community leaders and city officials celebrated the start of an infrastructure project located in the heart of an upcoming mixed-use development in the City of Falls Church.
During a keynote address for the groundbreaking today (Monday) ceremony at George Mason High School, Councilmember David Snyder said that this $15.7 million dollar project will create a safer and more economically successful community around the West Falls Church Metro.
The new improvements, according to the City of Falls Church, include:
- synchronization of four new traffic signals
- a high-intensity, pedestrian-activated crosswalk on Haycock Road
- pedestrian access improvements, such as widening sidewalks
- bus stop enhancements
- bicycle access improvements, including near the newly installed Capital Bikeshare stations near the high school campus
- utility undergrounding and relocation
The money for the project was acquired through the Northern Virginia Department of Transporation.
Infrastructure issues that have been building up over many decades will finally be addressed with this project, Snyder said.
“Twenty years ago this project would not have occurred,” Snyder said. “This is a classic example of the system working.”
The project is still in the “beginning stages,” according to the City of Falls Church website, adding:
The timing of project design and construction will be coordinated with the new High School construction and future Little City Commons development. City staff expects that design, engineering, and environmental work would begin in Fiscal Year 2021, with construction beginning in Fiscal Year 2022.
Lindy Hockenberry, who taught at George Mason High School for 30 years, served for eight years on the Falls Church City Council and spent another 11 years on the city’s Planning Commission before retiring, attended the groundbreaking to show support for the project.
“Its been my life dream to replace George Mason,” she said adding that the school has serious infrastructure problems, like leaky ceilings.
The new high school campus is already under construction and is slated to be completed by early 2021.
Until then, the students will remain in the same building, which will eventually be demolished for a new commercial center, similar to the Mosaic District, Hockenberry said.
“This will be truly multi-modal,” Snyder said, adding that this these updates will allow people easier access to the Metro.
School Safety Matters — With school starting back up again, the Fairfax County Police Department has some safety tips regarding school buses, driving, pedestrians and bicycling. [Fairfax County Police]
Police Investigating McLean Crash — “Officers are investigating a crash at Old Dominion Drive and Valley Wood Road in McLean. Use caution and expect delays.” [Fairfax County Police/Twitter]
What’s It Like to Live in Tysons West? — “Tysons West is one of those small neighborhoods that is mainly made up of a few high-rise apartments, businesses and car dealerships… Today, [Westwood Village] is still a pocket of Tysons West that some residents call a hidden gem.” [The Washington Post]
Capital One Acquires Investment Bank — “Capital One Financial Corp. is officially getting into the mergers-and-acquisitions market, announcing Monday [Aug. 19] it will acquire Tysons-based investment bank KippsDeSanto & Co.” [Washington Business Journal]
Tysons: The Next Travel Destination — Forbes has an article explaining why Tysons is a “hidden travel gem.” [Forbes]
Park Authority Board Honors Falls Church High School — “Falls Church High School and Sully Historic Site volunteer Isabel Richardson have been named the Youth recipients of the Fairfax County Park Authority’s 2019 Elly Doyle Park Service Awards.” [Fairfax County]
There’s Something in the Water — “A Smithsonian researcher has just stumbled upon a major discovery in the swamps in and around D.C.: a new species of blood-sucking leeches with up to 59 teeth.” [Patch]
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.
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.
A Falls Church deli sold a $2 million Mega Millions lottery ticket to an Alexandria man who came in to buy a sandwich.
Calvin Kim went to the Saigon Bakery & Deli (6773 Wilson Blvd) in the Eden Center to buy a sandwich for his wife and ended up getting the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket with an add-on that doubled his prize, according to a Mega Millions’ post earlier in August.
“Matching the first five numbers in Mega Millions would normally win $1 million. But when Mr. Kim bought his ticket, he spent an extra dollar for the Megaplier,” the post said. “That extra buck doubled his prize to $2 million.”
Kim said he plans to put his winnings toward his retirement, according to the post.
“His ticket was the only one in Virginia to match the first five numbers in the May 28 drawing and one of just five nationwide. No ticket matched all six numbers to win that night’s estimated $418 million jackpot,” according to Mega Millions.
Image via Google Maps, photo via Mega Millions
Vienna Man Arrested After Chase — “State police arrested a Vienna man early Wednesday following a high-speed chase and crash in Shenandoah County.” [Inside NoVa]
Billions for Booze — “The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority has reported annual revenue of more than $1 billion, up $71.8 million over the previous year.” [Inside NoVa]
Tysons Company Growing Quicky — “Inc. Magazine compiled the 2019 list of companies based on the percent of revenue growth from 2015 to 2018. Qualifying companies must be based in the U.S. and be privately held. The 12th spot belonged to Urgently, a global mobility and roadside assistance app.” [Tysons Patch]
Falls Church Candidate Drops Out — “Thomas Cash, a candidate for one of three contested Falls Church City Council seats up for bid this November, announced [Friday] that he is dropping out of the race.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Rep. Wexton Joins “Play Date” in McLean Park — Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) joined families “Aug. 9 at Clemyjontri Park in McLean as part of a ‘play date’ organized by Little Lobbyists, an advocacy group dedicated to supporting and sharing the stories of families with children who have complex medical needs.” [Fairfax County Times]
Grocery Store Scales Back Hours — “Touting its 24-hour service when it opened three years ago in the middle of downtown Falls Church, the Little City’s Harris Teeter will no longer be open for all-hour grocery shopping starting next week.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Little Leaguers Interrogate Nats Player — “The Washington Nationals’ Trea Turner met with Falls Church Kiwanis Little Leaguers Thursday and fielded some questions from the young players that were surprisingly hot to handle in an event aimed at boosting Fall Ball participation.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Falls Classes Available in McLean — “Registration is now open for McLean Community Center’s (MCC) fall session classes and activities.” [McLean Patch]
The City of Falls Church mayor is fighting a federal tax law change that he warns will put a strain on local residents.
In December 2017, Congress passed a new law that limits the amount of state and local taxes (SALT) that people can deduct from their federal income tax return to $10,000.
Known as the SALT deduction cap, this law has stirred up controversy.
Some people claim it puts people in areas with a higher cost of living at a disadvantage because they will likely pay more in taxes, while others say that SALT deductions disproportionately benefit a small proportion of wealthy taxpayers.
In June, Mayor David Tarter spoke in front of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee by invitation of Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) regarding the recent cap on the SALT deduction policy.
Tarter said he is one of a few politicians across the country that are spearheading an effort to reverse the decision or minimize the damage they say it will have on their communities in the near future.
“The new cap on the SALT deduction double taxes citizens on these payments and penalizes workers in high-cost areas, like my city, where wages and income are high but are fully matched by the cost of living,” Tarter told the committee, adding that the new law takes away more tax dollars from the city.
Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields, who manages the city’s finances, told Tysons Reporter that Falls Church residents spend more on housing comparative to anyone else in the country. He added that this new legislation only “exacerbates” the city’s lack of affordable housing.
According to Tarter’s statement to the committee, the median home price in the city is around $825,000 — “That doesn’t buy you a mansion but likely a modest brick rambler built in the 1950s.”
That median home price is drastically more than the $229,000 median home price across the U.S., according to Zillow.
Despite the fact that Fairfax County is among the richest counties in the nation, it still has problematic financial burdens that lawmakers are attempting to solve.
“I’ve heard from a fair amount of people how their taxes have gone up and not at first realized implications,” Tarter told Tysons Reporter while talking about the fallout from the law.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Wednesday, Aug. 14, that they will waive the tax underpayment penalty for more than 400,00 people who did not claim a special penalty waiver when they filed their federal income tax returns this year.
“Earlier this year, the IRS lowered the usual 90% penalty threshold to 80% to help taxpayers whose withholding and estimated tax payments fell short of their total 2018 tax liability,” according to an IRS press release.
Locally, this may help residents in the Northern Virginia area who were hit with unforeseen financial burdens recently because of the SALT deduction cap.
“There are no yachts in Falls Church, just lots of hard-working families trying to get by in the high-rent district,” Tarter said. “Most of the folks that I know are two-income families who serve their country through work in government or the military and want the best education possible for their children.”
Ultimately, Tarter hopes that the SALT deduction cap, currently sitting at $10,000 per household, is heightened or eliminated entirely.
“The next steps are up to Congress,” Tarter said. “I suspect, given the way things are right now, there probably won’t be any immediate action.”
Image via C-Span
The owner behind the Kiln & Co. custard-meets-pottery shops said being a mom-owned, local business has many perks.
Sarah Selvaraj told Tysons Reporter that she gets to spend time with her 9-year-old daughter, who helps paint the pottery and taste the custard.
“It’s definitely given me the freedom of having my daughter with me,” she said.
Selvaraj said Kiln started as a pottery spot that opened in 2013 in Vienna when her daughter was 3.
Three years later, Nielsen’s Frozen Custard closed nearby, leaving Selvaraj and her customers without a sweet treat after making pottery.
“A lot of our neighbors would do the pottery and then get the custard,” she said. So Selvaraj decided to start her own custard shop within the pottery location — and Kiln & Custard was born.
“It was to more to satisfy our needs because we had an addiction [to Nielsen’s] by then,” she said.
While some places serve custard in a soft-serve machine, she said Kiln uses an old-fashioned machine that makes the custard creamy. “We do over 12 flavors every day and they are all organic with no artificial colors,” she said.
Selvaraj then opened the Reston location (1631 N. Washington Plaza) in 2017, followed by the Falls Church spot (455 S. Maple Avenue) last year after the city approached Kiln. People can find custard and pottery at all three locations.
“They had a unique location they were trying to fill in,” she said, “The city had been extremely helpful… It just organically happened.”
The Vienna spot (138 Church Street NW), though, is the home-base. All of the custard gets made in the kitchen there and then delivered daily to the two smaller, satellite spots. The location also has a 3,000-square-foot party room, wheel room, kiln room and a back patio.
While Selvaraj doesn’t have plans to expand the store at the moment, she does have plans to expand the product. “We are stretched to the max with the three locations,” she said.
Selvaraj said she wants to offer a ceramic line by Christmas so that people looking for holiday gifts can purchase items from Kiln.
“We do get a lot of custom orders. We might have a small, curated selection that people can buy off the shelf,” she said.
Whether or not that ceramic continues after the holiday season will depend on customer demand, she said, adding that Kiln appeals to parents to kids.
“Some of the most loyal followers for the custard are seniors who come religiously on a daily basis,” she said. “Moms and kids — if they are coming to paint pottery, they end up getting custard regardless.”
Being a mom herself, Selvaraj understands the appeal of having a space where parents can hang out with their kids during the summer.
“It definitely helps being mom-owned,” she said.
