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Old Dominion Residents ‘Blindsided’ by Planned Fire Station

Published May 30, 2014 at 12:30PM

The plan, to relocate Fire Station 8 from Lee Highway to a county-owned parcel of land on Old Dominion Drive near Marymount University, was included in Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s recommended Capital Improvement Plan. The plan (see pp. C-86 and C-88) also calls for the county’s Emergency Operations Center to be relocated from Courthouse to the new fire station site, and for an adjacent salt and mulch storage yard to be replaced and modernized.

The existing Emergency Operation Center is located in a building that’s set to be torn down to make way for the county’s Courthouse Square project and the salt storage yard, which serves snow removal crews in North Arlington, is past its useful life, according to the CIP. The fire station is set to be relocated from 4845 Lee Highway following a 2013 study that suggested the Old Dominion location would improve fire department response times in the area.

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Bocce Coming to Courthouse With New Temporary Park

By ARLnow.com

Published April 29, 2014 at 11:10AM

A new, temporary park at the corner of Clarendon Blvd and N. Barton Street in Courthouse is about a month away from opening.

The park, built on land leased gratis to Arlington County by the Korean embassy, is expected to open — weather-permitting — by the end of May, according to Dept. of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Susan Kalish.

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Ribbon Cutting Scheduled for New Ballston Bocce Park

By ARLnow.com

Published September 3, 2013 at 9:30AM | Updated September 3, 2013 at 10:25AM

A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for a new park in Ballston.

The park, at the corner of Glebe Road and N. Randolph Street, quietly opened to the public in July. Located adjacent to the Ballston public parking garage, the park features a pair of bocce courts, numerous benches and landscaped green space.

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County Seeking Input on Korean Embassy Park

By ARLnow.com

Published August 7, 2013 at 1:30PM

The park is being built on a third of an acre of what is currently vacant land along Clarendon Blvd, between N. Adams Street and N. Barton Street. The land, which belongs to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, is being leased to the county at no cost for at least two years, under the condition that the county maintains the land.

The park proposed for the parcel is being described as a “dynamic, inviting and sustainable open space” and Arlington’s “first temporary pop-up park.” It will include paths accessible to those with disabilities, chairs, tables, umbrellas, benches, planters, a drinking fountain, a small lawn area, shade trees, other plantings, and a small lawn area.

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Former ‘Lucky Seven’ to Become Nauck Town Square

By ARLnow.com

Published March 12, 2013 at 11:15AM | Updated March 12, 2013 at 11:59AM

Sketch of a concept for the future Nauck Town Square

The former Lucky Seven store in Nauck, closed since a fire last summer, was recently torn down and will eventually become part of a park.

Before the fire, in 2010, the property (2406 S. Shirlington Road) was purchased by Arlington County for $1.4 million, according to property records. The purchase followed a public process in 2006 to design a “Nauck Town Square,” a central public gathering place for the community that complements the developing Nauck Village Center commercial district on Shirlington Road.

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Ballston Bocce Park Under Construction

By ARLnow.com

Published March 7, 2013 at 11:15AM

Construction is underway on a tiny park near Ballston Common Mall.

The park, adjacent to the Ballston Parking Garage at the corner of Glebe Road and N. Randolph Street, features a pair of bocce courts and enhanced green space. The park is intended to be temporary; the county plans to eventually replace it with a longer-term use.

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County Board Approves Park Improvements

By ARLnow.com

Published January 28, 2013 at 12:15PM | Updated January 28, 2013 at 1:11PM

On Saturday, Jan. 26, the Arlington County Board approved a $733,315 contract (including contingency) for reconstruction of the Tuckahoe Park playground. Contractor Jeffrey Stack, Inc. will make improvements to the park, including an accessible entrance, new play equipment, accessible paths, site furnishings, synthetic turf safety surfacing, site drainage, bio-retention gardens and plantings.

The Board also approved eight Park Enhancement (PEG) Grants, for a total of $83,377. The grants include:

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Board to Approve New Playground for Ft. Myer Heights Park

By ARLnow.com

Published December 4, 2012 at 11:45AM

The Arlington County Board on Saturday is expected to approve a contract for improvements to Ft. Myer Heights Park (1400 Ft. Myer Drive).

The planned improvements to the 0.48 acre park include new nature-themed playground equipment, new fencing, an accessible path to the playground from Ft. Myer Drive, concrete retaining walls, enhanced plantings and improved site drainage. The construction contract, in the amount of $475,920.53 plus a $47,592.04 contingency, will be awarded to Avon Corporation.

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Board to Award Contract for Rocky Run Park Improvements

By ARLnow.com

Published November 14, 2012 at 10:15AM | Updated November 14, 2012 at 11:40AM

The Arlington County Board on Saturday is expected to award a $2.95 million contract to Meridian Construction Co. to build the first phase of the new park, which has been in the works since 2010. Funding for the improvements is coming from 2010 Neighborhood Conservation funds, park bond funds and park pay-as-you-go funds.

The finished 2.4 acre park is expected to feature the following amenities:

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Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Penrose Square Park

By ARLnow.com

Published November 8, 2012 at 3:05PM | Updated November 12, 2012 at 12:02PM

The ceremony for the 17,000 square feet park, located at 2503 Columbia Pike, will be kick off at 4:00 today. The park features a tree-covered upper terrace with movable tables and chairs, an inner plaza with a water feature, small gardens, a sustainable storm water runoff bio-filtration and re-circulation system, and “Echo,” a large two-piece sculpture by Richard Deutsch (more information, below).

The park was designed by the prominent local design firm Oculus. A second phase of the project will include “a transit Super Stop in front of the square along Columbia Pike to support the current Pike Ride buses as well as future generations of transit.”

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Board Approves $2.7 Million for Neighborhood Projects

By Katie Pyzyk

Published October 24, 2012 at 1:44PM

Through the county’s Neighborhood Conservation Program, the money will go toward four new projects and five ongoing projects. The program allows residents, through their neighborhood associations, to suggest improvements and work with the county to get the projects funded.

“Our Neighborhood Conservation program is true civic engagement – neighborhood improvements planned from the ground up,” said County Board Chair Mary Hynes. “Its success lies in the fact that it puts residents in charge of prioritizing which improvements their neighborhoods most need.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 19, 2012 at 8:45AM | Updated September 19, 2012 at 9:59AM

Park Contracts Approved — The Arlington County Board has voted unanimously to approve contracts for improvements to two county parks. The tiny 0.6 acre Nauck Park at 2600 19th Street S. will get a renovated restroom, new swings, a slide and a “spinner bowl.” Virginia Highlands Park, at 1600 S. Hayes Street, will get the county’s fourth “sprayground” park for children. [Arlington County]

Bus Stop Moved Away from Sex Offender — An Arlington mom has succeeded in getting Arlington Public Schools to move her middle-school-aged daughter’s bus stop further away from a convicted sex offender’s house. The stop was six homes away from the man’s house. APS spokeswoman Linda Erdos called WUSA 9’s story on the situation a “cheap shot.” [WUSA 9]