(Updated at 12:05 on 10/30/2020) Town of Vienna residents and visitors are invited to enjoy the crisp fall weather and live entertainment while supporting local retail during the town’s first-ever Vienna Shop & Stroll.
It is the biggest and longest initiative organized by the Town of Vienna Economic Development Office, which will soon celebrate its one-year anniversary after being formed in November 2019. The town’s business liaison committee and the Vienna Business Association are partners on the event series.
Each Saturday through Dec. 12, designated shopping centers will host safe and socially distant seasonal activities and in-store promotions. Locals and visitors are encouraged to meet business owners and learn more about the history of the shopping centers.
“It grew out of the fact that we need to come up with creative ideas throughout this time,” said Natalie Monkou, the economic development manager for the Town of Vienna. “The more creativity, the better.”
The Vienna Shop & Stroll kicked off last Saturday (Oct. 24) at the Vienna Shopping Center (180 Maple Avenue), where seven businesses participated. It featured two pop-up opera concerts by emerging artists at the Kennedy Center’s Washington National Opera. The singers performed two micro-concerts from the Concert Truck, a Maryland-based pop-up truck that aims to make classical music more accessible.
“I’m actually pretty pleased with what happened on Saturday,” Monkou said. “It was set at one of the busiest shopping centers in town, so it was a great place to kick off what we could do for other locations.”
The pop-up concert truck was “a great way to remind people that Vienna is accessible to all,” Monkou said.
Future special programming will remain in the realm of music and art to avoid direct competition with the shopping centers. Concerts are also family-friendly and a great way to manage social-distancing guidelines, Monkou says.
“If we are going to provide something, we want it to be something that we can count on families to enjoy with little ones,” she said.
Because the Economic Development Department is so new, “everything we’re doing is a pilot,” Monkou said. “Depending on the participation from tenants and property managers, we’ll see if the [Shop & Stroll] is an annual thing.”
She emphasized engaging property owners because they have a role to play in the success of the town.
“When their businesses don’t do well, we all suffer,” she said. “We all benefit when we come together to do something that’s off the beaten path.”
Here are the dates and locations for upcoming Shop & Stroll Saturdays:
- Nov. 7: Danor Plaza
- Nov. 14: Cedar Park
- Nov. 21: Jades Shopping Center + Vienna Plaza
- Nov. 28: Small Biz Saturday on Church Street and surrounding streets off Church
- Dec. 5: Village Green
- Dec. 12: Glyndon Plaza
Correction: This article previously described the Vienna Business Association as the organizer of Shop & Stroll. The VBA is a partner with Vienna’s economic development office as the main organizer.
(Updated at 8:05 p.m.) The tennis courts at Glyndon Park, a wooded expanse separated from bustling Maple Avenue by a bend in the road, have a new look.
The cracks and other signs of age are gone, erased by the Town of Vienna’s resurfacing efforts, but perhaps the boldest change is the grid of yellow lines that reconfigures Glyndon Park’s two tennis courts into four pickleball courts.
Joined by members of the Vienna Pickleball Club and representatives from the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA), the Town of Vienna hosted an opening ceremony for the new Glyndon tennis and pickleball courts on Oct. 27.
COVID-19 social distancing rules limited attendance at the ceremony to 24 players, but their enthusiasm for the new courts and the sport of pickleball was evident not just in the speeches and ribbon-cutting, but also the games that followed.
“In normal times, these four courts may support a community of 30, 40 people coming out to play pickleball together with enjoyment, satisfaction in exercise, the challenge of growing their skills, friendly competition, and a welcoming social community,” Vienna Pickleball Club founder Sally Unger said.
Unger first encountered pickleball, which loosely resembles tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, when looking for sports that she could play while traveling, something she regularly did in pre-COVID times to visit her children in Los Angeles and Chicago.
With rules that would be familiar to anyone who has played tennis and games that can be played in 20 minutes, pickleball has been gaining popularity nationwide since emerging in Washington state in 1965 as an improvised form of badminton.
However, because it is still relatively niche, facilities dedicated to pickleball are difficult to find.
When they learned that the Town of Vienna was planning to update the tennis courts at Glyndon Park, Unger and other local pickleball players saw an opportunity to advocate for their sport to be better incorporated into the renovated facility.
“We have a lot of residents in town who love to play pickleball,” Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert said. “…We want our citizens to be happy with our parks and keep them up in good shape. So, it was a need that they helped us identify.” Read More
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
Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].
One day, someday, we will all get back to “normal” schedules again.
As you plan ahead for child care needs for “school aged children” which usually means elementary school, a lot of people don’t know that some of the schools don’t have a SACC program in the building. If you have younger kids, keep in mind the dates for registration as you should get on the wait list a year before your child actually starts Kindergarten.
The day assigned for you to call is based on the alphabet. Check the website for details. Also one thing to note is that not all of the schools start at the same time. For example, the “tardy” bell at Vienna Elementary is 8:45 a.m. while the Louise Archer “tardy” bell isn’t until 9:15 a.m. You can register for before care and/or after care based on your needs.
My company made this handy chart for reference when exploring schools around town:
As the Town of Vienna puts together its legislative agenda for the upcoming session in Richmond, the proposed policies are a mix of addressing the new crises and trying to make progress on old issues.
One of the largest pieces of new policy proposed is eliminating penalties for late payments for those who lost their income during the pandemic.
According to the legislative agenda, the town is requesting:
Waiver of penalties and interest; refunds; taxpayers suffering job loss or business closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Waives penalties and interest for six months for taxpayers who suffered a job loss, business closure, or reduction in business operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The waivers apply to sales and use taxes and all local taxes that were due during a period in which the job loss, closure, or reduction in operations occurred and income taxes for such taxpayers for taxable year 2019. For a taxpayer who made penalty and interest payments prior to the effective date of the act, the Department of Taxation or his locality shall refund such payments to the taxpayer.
Other proposals raised during the discussion included a proposal from Councilmember Nisha Patel to put some of the school reopening planning in the hands of local government rather than solely for the school board.
Proposed legislation that would incorporate a system of checks and balances in Virginia so that school closings are not only determined by the school board. Local government should have a say in school closures during emergencies so that the power not only resides into the teachers union and school board.
The change would force school board to engage with local governments when making decisions about major school closures.
“As many of you all will remember, when the local schools were closed it was done on short notice without any notice to the Town of Vienna or other local governments,” said Town Attorney Steve Briglia. “Councilmember Patel has suggested that when there’s such a major school closing, that it’s not just closed by the school board… The fact that there was no notice or public discussion was of concern.”
One of the returning issues has been a push from localities to try to overturn a requirement for local governments to publish notices in newspapers rather than on their own websites or other sources. The proposed change has been fought by the Virginia Press Association, but Briglia said every time the Town of Vienna needs to run a notice it costs around $500, and they sometimes have to run twice.
Vienna Police arrested a man in Maryland for a sexual assault in Vienna last month.
According to a press release, Vienna Police officers and members of the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Saul Alberto Garay-Amaya in Mount Rainier, Maryland, at 5:30 a.m. yesterday (Thursday) morning.
This arrest resulted from a lengthy and thorough investigation by Vienna Police detectives after receiving information that Garay-Amaya had “sexually assaulted a female victim last month,” police said. “Garay-Amaya has been charged with several felonies, including Sexual Assault and Abduction.”
MPO Juan Vazquez said the investigation was still ongoing and couldn’t reveal more information about the case. Vazquez credited Detective Tina Elias, a 20-year-veteran of the Vienna Police Department, for her work on the investigation.
Photo via Vienna Police Department
Maryland Rejects Beltway Widening — The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission unanimously voted against widening the Capital Beltway, which Northern Virginia leaders have been hoping will help ease congestion around McLean [Maryland Matters]
Vienna-based Parcel Carrier LaserShip Launches Hunger Relief Program — “LaserShip launched the [Time of Need] program with a $10,000 charitable donation to Food for Others, a hunger relief organization in northern Virginia. As part of the commitment, LaserShip is providing delivery services to help Food for Others transport food from its warehouse to a distribution center in Annandale, Virginia. Food for Others feeds over 2,600 local families each week.” [LaserShip]
Vienna Students Participate in Virtual Army 10-Miler — “Teachers, staff members, parents and a student from the Madison High Pyramid completed the virtual Army 10 Miler this weekend, and put an FCPS twist on their walk.” [Patch]
Photo courtesy Craig Fingar
If quarantine has hurt your Instagram game, a new mural coming to a Vienna dance studio might help spice that up.
Velocity Dance (319 Mill Street NE) went to the Board of Architectural Review last week for permission to add a new “angel wings” mural in front of the building. A memo said the new mural was part of a campaign to paint more of them across town to encourage people to explore the town.
“The applicant is proposing a mural on the existing painted cement block wall at the Velocity Dance location on Mill Street,” staff said in a memo. “The applicant is working with the Vienna Public Arts Commission to participate in a campaign to paint angel wings on buildings throughout town.”
The painted boom boxes will have what members of the Board of Architectural Review referred to as “historic artifacts” like an LP, a 45, and a cassette tape.
The mural was unanimously approved, with a note that the mural will be available to the public for photos after hours.
Image via Town of Vienna
Gov. Ralph Northam Shows Up to Fairfax County Early Voting — “I was glad to see voters and election workers in Fairfax today staying safe, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing” [Twitter]
Reminder: Barbie Truck Coming to Tysons Corner Center This Week — “A Barbie truck is crossing the country on a tour that will stop at Tysons Corner Center late next month to sell limited edition retro Barbie material. The truck is scheduled to stop at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.” [Tysons Reporter]
Vienna Launches ‘Stop and Stroll’ Initiative — “Starting on Oct. 24, a different shopping center will be featured on select Saturdays. The shopping centers will host socially-distant seasonal activities and in-store promotions.” [Patch]
Cut Cable in Vienna Cancels Arlington Classes — “Our ISP notified us of a major fiber cut in Vienna causing a service disruption for APS. The vendor is working to restore service, but there is no estimate for restoration.” [Twitter]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
Former Vienna Mayor Laurie DiRocco got a shout-out from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors during its regular meeting today (Tuesday).
Led by Chairman Jeff McKay and Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, the board adopted a resolution recognizing DiRocco for her 17 years of service to the Town of Vienna, a tenure that included stints on the town council, planning commission, and transportation safety commission prior to her three terms as mayor.
“It’s been a pleasure to serve the town of Vienna, and I know it’s in capable hands now,” DiRocco said when accepting the recognition.
DiRocco first became mayor in 2014, when she was appointed to the position following the death of Mayor Jane Seeman before winning an election for the seat later that year.
As mayor, DiRocco prioritized enhancing Vienna’s environmental sustainability, walkability, and financial responsibility. She oversaw the construction of a new community center and the installation of a mini-roundabout at Park and Locust Streets to help relieve traffic backups.
DiRocco also shepherded Vienna’s contentious efforts to cement Maple Avenue as the town’s central corridor by establishing a Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) Zone designed to support redevelopment and mixed-use projects.
DiRocco announced last December that she would not seek a fourth term as Vienna’s mayor, completing her final term on June 30.
In their joint board matter requesting the proclamation for DiRocco, McKay and Alcorn commended the former Vienna mayor as “not only an incredible asset to the town, but to Fairfax County as a whole.”
“Her accessibility to Vienna residents, her ability to work with all sides on tough Town issues, and her diligent advocacy for the Town – always with a smile on her face – means she will be a mayor we will all miss,” McKay and Alcorn said.
Alcorn commended DiRocco for advocating the Town of Vienna’s behalf when working with the county on projects like an agreement to increase public parking for Patrick Henry Library and the town’s new police station.
“Towns have this kind of unique setup where we’re reliant on counties for schools and human health services, but we also have this independent side,” DiRocco said. “I greatly appreciate Fairfax County in the ability to provide the support and partnerships we really needed in certain times, but also to honor our independence.”
The resolution acknowledging DiRocco’s work as mayor was followed by a similar proclamation recognizing Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel, who is not seeking reelection in November.
The Board of Supervisors also presented Del. Vivian Watts (D-39th District) with a Virginia Association of Counties Achievement Award, which recognizes “excellence in local government programs.” Watts received the award for advocating for the Virginia General Assembly to grant counties more taxing authorities.
The public presentations were the first ones delivered by the Board of Supervisors since March, when the board temporarily shifted to electronic meetings due to public health concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image via Town of Vienna
