If you spot chickens in McLean, they may be the three ones reported missing from a backyard coop that was washed away in flash floods on Monday.
Cat McGill told Tysons Reporter that her family and a neighboring family on Great Falls Street by Pimmit Run Stream started a joint venture to keep chickens on their combined 3.5 acres of land.
“We got them because the kids didn’t have any pets,” McGill said, adding that her 1.5-year-old son and the neighbors’ kids, ages 13 and 7, shared them. “My son literally has to see — he calls them cluck clucks — the cluck clucks every single day.”
The kids named the Buff Orpington chickens, which they had for about two years, Peridot, Peril and Gerboa, she said. (Previous chickens they had were named Beyonce and Katy Perry.)
The kids don’t know yet that their pet chickens are missing — McGill is with her son in Ohio at the moment and the neighbors’ kids are on vacation. “They are just going to be heartbroken,” she said.
When the flooding happened, the chickens were in a large coop outside that doesn’t have a bottom. She said a neighbor found a part of the structure by the McLean Little League fields.
At first, McGill thought that the chickens were washed away, but then someone posted a photo on Nextdoor of chicken “paw prints” by where the coop crashed, giving her renewed hope that they might still be alive.
McGill said it’s been heartening to see so many people searching for the chickens — “There are some very sweet neighbors.”
In addition to the missing chickens, McGill said that about 4 feet of water flooded the 3.5 acres destroying their bridge and a shed and floated the kids’ playset away.
“The chickens are the only thing we’re upset about,” she said about the damage.
If you see any chickens, email [email protected] and we’ll make sure McGill gets the information.
Photo courtesy Cat McGill
Pet care service Woofie’s announced plans for franchise expansion in the Vienna, McLean and Great Falls areas.
Though they don’t have set locations or opening dates yet, Vice President of Marketing Renee Ventrice said that once the company finds owners to run the franchises, locations are usually open for business within six months.
When the new locations finally open, Ventrice said that it will bring new jobs to the area as well. The company chose the three areas for expansion because they recognized an increased need for reliable pet care services. With a working median-income population, the locations fit their target market.
As a previous startup, the venture began in Ashburn under owners Amy Reed and Leslie Barron. Woofie’s slowly transformed their business into the multi-market company it is today. The company offers customers grooming, pet-sitting and walking services catering to many species of animals with varying dispositions.
Woofie’s also offers mobile dog wash stations.
“Our focus on mobile services ensures a relatively low barrier to entry when compared to other pet care franchise systems,” said Ventrice.
At their established location in Ashburn, they currently employ around 60-80 dog-walkers, 11 groomers, four to five full-time administrative employees, and other part-time seasonal employees.
For people looking into franchise opportunities, Ventrice said the company is seeking driven individuals who are passionate about pets and have a strong work ethic. Franchisees with Woofie’s have the flexibility to work with the company on important decisions. They are also guaranteed a protected territory so they don’t have to worry about competition with other locations.
Anyone interested in opening a franchise with the company can visit their website for more information or email [email protected].
Photos via Woofie’s
Update on 7/10/19 — Both lanes of Kirby Road from Dolley Madison Blvd. to Claiborne Drive are open, but traffic barriers have been set up past that, according to information from the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management and forwarded by Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust.
Earlier: Severe weather damage will keep Kirby Road closed in McLean to through-traffic for the foreseeable future.
The road runs from Dolley Madison Blvd near the George Washington Memorial Parkway down to Great Falls Street. But flooding at Pimmit Run from storms yesterday means that while residents in the area are able to access their homes, the route no longer connects Dolley Madison Blvd to Old Dominion Drive.
Kirby Update: Crews cleared more debris for access. But as you can see, the road will be closed for some time. We added more layers of barricades 🚧 to keep people from going around the barriers to walk/bike on the damaged road. Huge thanks to @FairfaxCountyPD for their support! pic.twitter.com/xdHFY8KZuL
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) July 9, 2019
“We have no specific timeline, but it will be weeks,” Ellen Kamilakis, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Transportation, told Tysons Reporter. “The water tore right through the road [and] exposed the area underneath all the way.”
RT @FairfaxCountyPD: The 1300 block of Kirby Road in McLean suffered extensive damage due to today’s storm. It will be closed for significant time until the damage can be assessed and repaired. #FCPD #FairfaxCounty #TurnAroundDontDrown pic.twitter.com/VeV7ILqmDZ
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) July 8, 2019
Part of the upper asphalt is visible carved away by the storm, but Kamilakis said the damage underneath is so extensive that the road would not be able to support the weight of a car. Kamilakis said the road will require complete reconstruction — and a review of whether the road needs stormwater upgrades.
Earlier today (Tuesday) traffic on the road was stopped near Dolley Madison Blvd as the crew worked to finish clearing a debris-cluttered bridge, but Kamilakis said the closure will be tightened up to just the area immediately surrounding the broken section of the road.
Kamilakis said the cleaning crews had been working overnight to clear away the debris, and the VDOT Twitter noted that the efforts were rewarded by one local man who brought water to the workers.
KINDNESS MATTERS: Crews have been working on Kirby since last PM. This nice resident brought our crews water. This def makes up for a couple residents who were (unfortunately) not so kind about us not letting them walk across a washed out road. PLEASE don’t cross our barriers! pic.twitter.com/Q1iTPDqoIQ
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) July 9, 2019
Those trying to get from northern McLean to areas near Arlington will either have to go thrown “downtown” McLean or go further east to Glebe Road.
A significant section of Kirby Road between Chesterbrook Road and 123 is closed. Drivers should avoid Kirby in this area if possible.
VDOT crews will be working to make repairs to the road overnight and emergency personnel are on-site to escort residents to their homes. #McLean
— John Foust (@johnfoustva) July 8, 2019
Following extensive damage from flash flooding yesterday (Monday), the McLean Little League is looking to repair its complex during the off-season.
Jen Nance, the president of the McLean Little League, told Tysons Reporter that the “serious damage” is still being assessed after the creek behind the facility flooded the fields at 1836 Westmoreland Street.
“It was definitely the most floodwaters we have seen in any recent history,” Nance said, adding that the flashing flooding “wreaked havoc.”
Before the flooding started, the facility managed opened up the fields for a local baseball group to use them for a camp this week. Seven cars belonging to the group’s coaches ended up floating around in the flooded parking lot during the brunt of the storm, Nance said. Luckily, no one was hurt.
By 12:30 p.m. yesterday, most of the water had receded from the fields, making the damage clearly visible. “[You] can tell where the debris from the creek got stuck in the fencing,” Nance said. “Debris is at least 6 feet up on the fence.”
Nance said that work will include rebuilding two dugouts, repairing fencing on three of the four fields and cleaning up the fields, adding that the tee-ball field has the worst amount of damage, while the front field suffered the least.
Currently, the McLean Little League complex is closed — “it’s not a secure, safe situation right now,” she said — and the nonprofit is working with vendors to determine the cost and timeframe for repairs.
“We’re thinking we can get it all repaired by the fall season,” Nance said, adding that “it’s too soon to know” when the repairs will be finished.
Tysons Reporter spoke to contractors inspecting the site today (July 9), who said that the goal is to reopen the complex by Labor Day.
While the McLean Little League hasn’t started a GoFundMe yet, Nance said that community fundraising is one option to pay for the repairs.
“We are a nonprofit, so we rely heavily on our community and donors,” she said. “This is a once in many year occurrence.”
Because of the timing of the flooding, Nance said that she expects the damage to have little impact on the team or the local community, which often will use the field.
“We don’t have games. The seasons are wrapping up,” she said. “I think it will be hopefully minimal. If we get rolling soon, there will be no impact on the fall season.”
For people who want to stay updated on the repair status, Nance recommends checking the McLean Little League’s Twitter and Facebook. Nance also suggests keeping an eye out for registration for the fall season, which is set to open in the next couple of weeks.
“We will likely continue to update via Twitter. Our population looks to that Twitter feed,” she said.
McLean Little League looks like a war zone. Cars being towed away now. Baseball camp coaches watched as the flood water piled their vehicles on top of one another this morning @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/UmwR65Mons
— Lauren DeMarco (@Ldemarconews) July 8, 2019
Vernon Miles contributed to this story
It might not be the national holiday from the week before, but National Free Slurpee Day is coming up on Thursday, July 11.
The event is 7-Eleven’s celebration of its unofficial birthday. Stopping by a 7-Eleven between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. will allow the visitor to receive a free 12 oz Slurpee while supplies last.
Below, Tysons Reporter has put together a map of 7-Elevens around the Tysons area to stop by for a free Slurpee. Also, stay tuned for more information on the new 7-Eleven planned at Tysons Corner Center this fall.
If you get a brain freeze from your Slurpee, National Day Calendar advises you to press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, cover your nose and mouth with your hand, and breathe through your nose — allowing warmer air to circulate through your sinus passages.
Tysons:
McLean:
Vienna:
Merrifield:
Updated at 2:00 p.m. — The power outages above Wolf Trap and east of Langley Fork Park are now resolved. A new power outage popped up by Great Falls Street and Swinks Mill Road affecting 26 people. Power is expected to be restored between 4-9 p.m. today, according to Dominion.
Earlier: After a morning of violent rain and flooding, around 150 people are left without electricity in the McLean area.
Over by Langley Fork Park, 31 customers are without power because of the storm. Dominion Energy expects power to be restored between 1-6 p.m. today (July 8).
West of Pimmit Park, there are still around 48 people without power. The Dominion Energy map said the outage was caused by a “broken pole.” Crews arrived around 11 a.m. to begin work and people can expect their power to be back between 3-8 p.m.
North of Wolf Trap and just south of Old Dominion Drive, 78 customers don’t have power. The cause is to be determined by the investigation. Dominion expects power to be restored there between 2-7 p.m.
Several other outages affecting nine or fewer people are scattered throughout McLean and Falls Church.
Earlier today, media relations for Dominion Energy said that around 12:30 p.m. the site of a larger power outage was inaccessible to crews because of road washout. That outage was cleared up before 1 p.m.
Anyone without power can report new outages to Dominion Energy at 866-366-4357 or on their website.
Maps via Dominion Energy
(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) A crash at the intersection of Dolley Madison Blvd (Route 123) and Great Falls Street has closed southbound Great Falls Street in McLean.
Police told Tysons Reporter that four cars were involved and that one car hit three other cars. Police said that there are no serious injuries.
Drivers can expect Great Falls Street to be blocked for another 20 to 30 minutes because there’s no good place on that street for cars to pull off, police said.
Around 1:10 p.m. today (July 3), traffic was slow moving along Dolley Madison Blvd near the accident, according to traffic maps.
Map via Google Maps
The Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm want the McLean park to be maintained as an olden-style farm, but they’re starting to recognize that they might not be the ones to do that.
In a press release, the group said that the National Park Service offered to take ownership of buildings remaining on the property and built by volunteers, but the group is holding out in hopes that another volunteer organization can step up and take ownership of the buildings.
The Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm was forced off the property last year when a long-running dispute over oversight resulted in the NPS reclaiming management of the property and telling the operators of the colonial farm to leave.
Since then, the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm have been in the process of removing the farm equipment and dismantling the buildings.
“It is the Friends’ wish that these structures, valued at nearly $1.8 million and delineated below, be preserved for any future group seeking to revive the Farm at that site,” the group said in a press release. “The Friends would donate these structures to that group. The Friends are asking for input from the community on this issue and also asking them to contact the National Park Service directly about this.”
One of the buildings at the site was built with federal funding and belongs to the park service. Other structures, however, were built by The Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm.
The National Park Service is currently in the process of deciding what to do with the property. There are a wide variety of options proposed, maintaining the farm as a colonial style recreation is one of those being considered. Now, Friends of Claude Moore Farm is hoping to use the existing buildings to help sway the public, and the NPS, toward that option.
According to the press release:
Other structures, such as the Pavilions, the Farm House, the Environmental Learning Center, the Blacksmith Shop, the Facilities Barn, Book Shop, greenhouses, livestock and storage buildings, Market Fair Grounds, Caretaker’s cottage and the Gate House were built entirely with non-federal resources, materials and volunteer labor.
The Park Service has asked us to demolish and remove some of the structures, such as the Market Fair stands, and asked us to donate to the Park Service other structures perceived as potentially more valuable. In previous public statements and correspondence, the Park Service has stated that the Farm could re-open under new management and under their rules; and we believe that these structures, which were an integral part of the life of the Farm for many years, would be useful to any future groups seeking to revive the Farm. The value of these structures funded and built by the Friends is almost $1.8 million as shown on our 2017 IRS Form 990.
It took us a year to get the Park Service to recognize the value of the physical contributions to the Farm made by donors and volunteers, and now we are reluctant to do as the Park Service asks without the input of volunteers and the community, and we urge everyone to make their views known about the future of the Farm, and its buildings and facilities.
The group also announced in the press release that they would be rebranding as Colonial Markets and Colonial Fairs, Inc. While the organization is currently without a permanent home, the press release noted that the group hopes to continue operating colonial farms and markets in Virginia.
More than 600 residents in McLean are without power after a tree fell on the power lines.
The Dominion Energy map shows about a power outage in the western portion of McLean encompassing the area around and including Lewinsville Park as of 8:45 a.m. today (July 3). The outage is affecting 638 customers.
Dominion has crews dispatched to the area and expects that power will be restored later today between 2-9 p.m.
Map via Dominion Energy
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for McLean.
The watch is in effect until 5:15 p.m. today (Tuesday) and covers northeastern Fairfax County.
The National Weather Service issued the alert around 4:38 p.m.
More from NWS:
At 438 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Lowes Island, moving southeast at 25 mph.
HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.
SOURCE…Radar indicated.
IMPACT…Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by downed trees. Localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Rockville MD, Bethesda MD, McLean VA until 5:15 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/N5xOrAcWh4
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 2, 2019
