Things We Learned From Arlington’s 2016 Year in Review Video

Arlington County has released its year-in-review video for 2016.

The annual video includes highlights of county-related goings on for the past year.

Actual important events and issues aside, here are some of the little things we learned from the video:

• There’s no hazing ritual for new County Board members.
• John Vihstadt is not offended by fellow Board members saying he is “lawyerly.”
• Rosslyn-based ABC 7 appears to have been the county’s TV station of choice during the 2016 blizzard.
• The blizzard happened on County Manager Mark Schwartz’s second week on the job and it was “a baptism by snow.”
• Libby Garvey admits that the new live streams of commission meetings can double as a sleep aid.
• The county has some sweet aerial footage of Arlington.
• Being a county ombudsman involves lots of hand shaking.
• “Planning is our bread and butter” — Jay Fisette.
• The new Ballston Quarter mall is going to be pretty cool and is going to “transform” Ballston.
• You can rent thermal cameras at the library.

Also from the video, we were told that the Fire Station 8 decision was “the essence of public engagement;” that 600 units committed affordable housing were approved, preserved or extended in 2016; that Arlington “functionally ended veteran homelessness” in the county and that a major theme of 2017 will be the county’s commitment to being “welcoming and inclusive.”