In response to recent incidents throughout the county, the Arlington Commission on the Status of Women is hosting an emergency community forum on sexual assault.
The forum will be held at the Fairlington Community Center (3308 S. Stafford Street) at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 19.
An Alternative Analysis/Environmental Analysis (AA/EA) was performed as part of the Columbia Pike Transit Initiative, examining transit along the five mile corridor from the Pentagon City area to the Skyline area in Fairfax. The AA/EA included three options besides the streetcar; two involved improving bus service and the final one involved taking no action. The project team recommends the County Board supports the “Streetcar Build Alternative.”
The staff report states that improved mobility along Columbia Pike would have positive economic impacts such as increased property values, an increased pace of development and additional tax revenues. It says the streetcar will attract new riders and encourage more residents to incorporate public transit into their daily lives. The report says the streetcar plan “will best achieve the vision for the Columbia Pike corridor as a vibrant, diverse, and pedestrian and transit oriented community.”
Previously, there had been concerns with the restaurant’s outdoor seating along South Adams Street complying with requirements in the Americans with Disbilities Act. That led to the board deferring the issue in April, to allow county staff to work with the restaurant on solutions. At its meeting in May, the County Board approved 18 seats along the restaurant’s Columbia Pike frontage.
The current request involves adding 40 seats near the restaurant, 36 along South Adams Street and four along Columbia Pike. The restaurant has proposed constructing a removable platform to account for the grade change there. Some tables and chairs would be placed on the platform. Handicap accessible seating would be added on the Columbia Pike side.
The contract will cover stabilization of the entire building’s foundation, in addition to repairing cracks in the bunk rooms. Some of the bunk rooms in the 15-year-old building already had cracks due to shifting of loose foundation soil under the building. But the earthquake last August 23 caused damage to spread to another two rooms, and to the entrance of the truck bay. In addition to repairing the existing damage, the work is designed to prevent future wall cracking.
Some of the work includes demolishing and replacing walls, repairing cracks and slab jacking to raise and stabilize the foundation. New structural steel columns, metal panels and windows will be installed. There will also be some utility relocation and the roof drain will be moved.
Lightning bugs will take center stage at this weekend’s Firefly Festival.
On Sunday, July 15, people of all ages are welcome to join representatives from Arlington’s Department of Parks and Recreation for a celebration of the bugs that light up the night. There will be bug walks, games, crafts, educational talks and scavenger hunts.
The Arlington County Police Department has released video showing would-be thieves getting arrested after getting into a police bait car.
Joseph Sylvester won the top prize for matching all five numbers in the daily drawing on July 3. He had done the same thing exactly three months earlier, on April 3.
Once he realized he had won again, Sylvester wasn’t fazed by the prospect of holding the big check in front of all those cameras.
County staff members have been in an information gathering mode for evaluating how many taxi certificates to issue, a process that takes place every other year. Each taxi driver must have a certificate to legally operate in the county. Currently, there are 765 cabs in Arlington.
The county’s taxi regulation is designed to keep the cab industry competitive, as well as to ensure the satisfaction of residents using the transportation services.
In May, the County Board awarded a contract for renovating the park, which is located at the corner of N. Herndon Street and 13th Street. The contract is worth more than $1.6 million.
The Department of Parks and Recreation’s website lists some of the sustainable features of the park’s design, such as using recycled materials during construction. Workers will also install a solar power system that will power the park’s signs, lighting and irrigation system.
(Updated at 10:45 a.m.) Firefighters are leaving an apartment building on the 1900 block of Columbia Pike, where they responded to a fire earlier.
Arlington and Fairfax County units fought the small blaze, at the Archstone Columbia Crossing apartments. According to Capt. Gregg Karl, the fire started in a second floor utility closet and spread to an apartment.
Passers-by may notice a lot of activity at the site right now, because new employees are going through training this week. But the sports themed restaurant won’t open to the public until Monday, July 16, after a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m.
Regional manager Don Rizzie said based in part on the success of the Buffalo Wild Wings in Crystal City, the decision was made to expand in Arlington.
(Updated at 2:50 p.m.) The Alexandria Fire Department and U.S. Park Police were on the scene of a car that flipped on the George Washington Parkway this afternoon.
The Honda landed on its roof in the median between the northbound and southbound lanes, in the area between Reagan National Airport and Daingerfield Island. There’s no word on injuries, but we hear that the driver was not trapped and did not need to be extricated by rescue personnel.
