county government | ARLnow.com

County Considering Land Swap, Self-Storage Facility Across from W-L

Published November 30, 2016 at 10:40AM | Updated November 30, 2016 at 11:02AM

Arcland Property Company, which owns a swath of industrial land near Shirlington, wants to swap those 3.5 acres for 2.3 acres of the 6.1 acre “Buck property” site across from W-L, which the county has an option to purchase for $30 million.

Arlington, which is already leasing a portion of the Shirlington property for parking, would get an even larger piece of property for its expanding ART bus fleet — it’s expected to grow from 65 to 90 vehicles by 2020 — and would save $4 million in lease payments.

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New Comcast Franchise Agreement Reached, AIM Urges Members’ Support

By ARLnow.com

Published November 18, 2016 at 11:45AM

The former Arlington Independent Media site in Clarendon (file photo)

Arlington Independent Media, the local public access cable channel and media education center, is asking its members to support a new cable franchise agreement the county has reportedly reached with Comcast.

The franchise agreement is what allows Comcast to serve customers in Arlington, to the exclusion of other traditional cable providers. (Verizon’s FiOS service has its own franchise agreement in Arlington.)

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 16, 2016 at 9:05AM

APS Receives Top Ranking — Arlington Public Schools is the top school division in Virginia and in the D.C. area, according to new rankings from Niche.com. All three comprehensive high schools in Arlington ranked in the top 10 in Virginia, according to the website. [Arlington Public Schools]

Alleged Racial Confrontation at Metro Station — A local man says a trio of older white men confronted him last week in the Courthouse Metro station, a few days after the election, and told him “good thing you’ll all be gone soon” — an apparent racially-motivated comment — and “it’ll be great again soon.” [Patch]

Around Town

Arlington County: We’re Ready for Winter

By ARLnow.com

Published November 14, 2016 at 10:20AM

It’s likely to be a colder-than-usual winter with slightly above average snowfall. That seems to be the general consensus of the D.C. area’s television meteorologists.

Another huge blizzard, like the kind that walloped the region earlier this year, may not be in the cards, forecasters say, but the strongest consensus was around colder temperatures.

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Arlington Hires New Auditor, Launches Public Fraud and Abuse Hotline

By ARLnow.com

Published November 11, 2016 at 11:30AM

The hotline, which launches on Tuesday, Nov. 15, “will offer a confidential and secure way to report suspected incidents of financial fraud, waste and abuse.” It expands on a similar hotline for County employees to report activity that negatively impacts County operations.

“Ethics are at the core of what we do as public stewards,” Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz said in a statement. “Our employees, by and large, do the right thing every day. We successfully launched an employee financial waste, fraud and abuse hotline in May of 2015. We are pleased to expand this hotline to the public, as another easy way for anyone to report suspected instances of financial fraud, waste and abuse.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 2, 2016 at 9:05AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 11:10AM

APS Network Goes Down — Arlington’s public schools were without internet and email access yesterday due to a network outage. [Twitter, Twitter]

Above Average Teacher Salaries? — Arlington Public Schools teachers are paid somewhere between the market average (for the D.C. area) and 14 percent more than the market average, according to a new report that will be presented to the School Board on Thursday. [InsideNova]

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Incorrect Voting Information Sent to Thousands of Arlington Residents

By ARLnow.com

Published October 12, 2016 at 10:00AM | Updated October 12, 2016 at 1:53PM

Incorrect voting information sent to Abingdon precinct residents

Residents in three Arlington voting precincts have received erroneous voter cards from the county.

With four weeks to go until Election Day, voters in the Crystal City, Wilson (Rosslyn area) and Abingdon (Fairlington) precincts were sent cards that incorrectly listed the Lyon Park Community Center as their voting location, Arlington County Registrar Linda Lindberg confirmed to ARLnow.com.

Around Town

County Official: Local Bridges Are ‘Generally in Good Shape’

By ARLnow.com

Published September 7, 2016 at 3:30PM

Bridges maintained by Arlington County are “generally in good shape.”

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County Rolling Out Stringent New Recycling Requirements for Businesses

By ARLnow.com

Published September 7, 2016 at 1:15PM | Updated September 7, 2016 at 5:56PM

Last November, the County Board approved changes to the county’s garbage and refuse ordinances, along with a resolution supporting a “zero waste” goal of increasing its recycling rate.

Putting the changes and goals into action, on Jan. 1 the county began requiring that businesses, in addition to property owners, create and implement recycling plans. Like commercial and multifamily properties — those who manage office buildings and apartments — local businesses are also now subject to an annual inspection by an “Arlington County Recycling Outreach Specialist” and a $66 fee to pay for that inspection.

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Arlington to Play Bigger Role in This Year’s Marine Corps Marathon Due to Metro Changes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 31, 2016 at 1:55PM | Updated August 31, 2016 at 3:41PM

(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) Arlington County has stepped up to play a bigger role in this year’s Marine Corps Marathon after Metro’s SafeTrack work prompted big changes.

As a result of SafeTrack, Metro has stopped extending its hours for special events. Whereas the Metrorail system previously opened at 5 a.m. on marathon day, this year it will open at 7 a.m., less than an hour before runners are set to cross the starting line near Rosslyn.

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Most County Offices to Close on Labor Day

By ARLnow.com

Published August 30, 2016 at 4:50PM | Updated October 14, 2016 at 1:46PM

Parking meters will not be enforced on Labor Day and only ART bus routes 41, 45, 51, 55 and 87 will be running. Those routes will operate on a Sunday schedule. Metro will operate on a holiday schedule, with extra delays due to track work.

The Wakefield and Washington-Lee high school pools will be open, but the Yorktown pool will be closed.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 22, 2016 at 9:10AM

APS Testing for Lead in Pipes — Arlington Public Schools has been testing systemwide for lead in pipes. Already, the school system has replaced a water fountain in Jamestown Elementary School found to have lead levels above a level considered safe by the state health department. [InsideNova]

Bayou Bakery Raising Money for Flooding Victims — Bayou Bakery in Courthouse is raising money for Louisiana flooding victims. The restaurant is offering a special Shrimp Creole appetizer for $9 this week; half the proceeds from that dish will benefit flood victims, including chef/owner David Guas’ own aunt, whose home in Abbeville, LA flooded with two feet of water. [Bayou Bakery]