A new era began in the unfolding of Tysons, as the Silver Line opened this morning for its first day of passenger service.

It has been a long time coming, and lots of people showed up for a ride on Day One. Just Because.

From the Front

We chose the best view.

To see what we saw, Click HERE for a 78 second ride from Ballston to Reston.

I tagged along with Westbriar's Dave Hicks and John Shreffler to become a piece of that history as the first train left Spring Hill headed for Largo. That's right, Largo: We now have Non-Stop service to the Redskins Stadium.

We picked up nifty silver pennants at the escalator, and engaged in friendly banter with a smiling Metro Crew as we awaited the opening of the card readers at 11:00 AM

Then it was Zoom! Same old Metro, different scenery. Cool!

We did a U-Turn at Falls Church East, and headed back.

While waiting on the platform, we ran into 5 year old Brady, who was a Metrophile just like us. He was only too happy to show us the safety vest that his Mom made for him, just for the occasion.

Also out for the First Ride were lots of folks who were instrumental in making it all happen.

Clockwise from the lower left are Del. Ken Plum (Reston), Former VA Gov. and Sen. Charles Robb. Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (Hunter Mill), U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, Supervisor John Foust (Dranesville), U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, and Fairfax County Chairman Sharon Bulova.

Photo courtesy of WMATA

New Twilight Stroll at Meadowlark 7/20/14 by Leon

Along with 48 other avid nature freaks, I enjoyed a guided tour Sunday evening through our local treasure trove, the Meadowlark Gardens. Co-hosted by Park Manager Keith Tomlinson, and childhood advocate author and lecturer, Jenifer Joy Madden, the tour was timed to take in the peace and calm of day's end. Bird calls and frogs added some punctuation to the relaxed and friendly company.

Jenifer made a convincing case for letting children, at a very young age, experience the natural world at every opportunity. "It is only through one's own senses that the world can be understood," she said. "Curiosity and exploration, freedom to follow random ideas is all important."

And a natural environment like Meadowlark is an ideal place to make it happen.

Keith filled in specifics on park history, fauna and foliage species, maintenance, and plans. Meadowlark is part of the Regional Park System, which was developed privately by people who jointly realized the downside to uncontrolled urbanization. They bought up and set aside land for such retreats. The W&OD Trail is another of the Regional Park's Inventory.

A highlight of the tour was the ringing of an enormous bronze bell in the Korean Garden. Normally not heard except for Summer Solstice and diplomatic events, this is a sound you will not forget. The bell weighs over two tons, and when struck on the side by a large log suspended by chains, reverberates for over a minute.

NEW Graffiti Incident
7/20/14

An alert Crier reader sent us a photo of a graffiti attack at Creek Crossing Road and Fairway Drive. The structure is used by Vienna in flood control of the Wolftrap Creek.

After a call to the Public Works, a crew was out the next day to do a new paint job.

The best way to deal with vandalism is a quick repair.

NEW Freeman House
1st in Vienna 7/14/14

The Freeman House is the first 3-D Vienna
building in Google Earth.

If you are familiar with the remarkable free computer program Google Earth, this will be just a note of passing interest. But if you are not familiar, and you download it, your life will be changed forever. You may start spending all your waking hours learning more about our world than you ever thought possible.

Virtually every square inch of the world has now been photographed in high resolution, many times over. Google Earth puts all these photos onto a virtual globe, and gives you the tools to fly anywhere, and zoom in on the details. You can see your house and your car in the driveway. You can "drive" down streets and experience the streetscapes in seamless photography.

You can also see 3 dimensional buildings from above. The Freeman House is the first such building in Vienna. Note the caboose in the lower left is just a blob on the ground, as is the roof of Dr. Gannon's office in the upper left. But the Freeman House has been enhanced, and you can circle around it like a bird, seeing all sides accurately from the point of view of your location above it. Almost all large buildings in downtown Washington DC are now rendered in 3-D.

Vienna TOWN GREEN
Continues to be a Crowd Pleaser
7/11/14

Tonight it was the Country Rock Group, Stealin' the Deal connecting old favorites to a distinctive dancible beat.
What's next this summer? Click HERE to see the schedule

Children-friendly, no alcohol or dogs please.

Be a Friend of the Town Green!

Repaving in Tight Quarters 7/10/14

The stretch of Old Courhouse Road in Westbriar Zone D between Westbriar Drive and the top of Freedom Hill is

being repaved. This is causing delays because of the high traffic volume coupled with the narrowness of the road. It is challenging task.

This narrow steep road section is notorious to its nearby residents and the commuters who use it. In summer, the vegetation along the road makes for a blind curve. In winter, snowmelt across it often makes it slippery. But worst of all, it is between two wide stretches of road, which tempts speeding. Often drivers are well above safe speed when coming down the hill, and many accidents have occured.

Despite efforts to calm the speeding with pavement marks and a flashing yellow warning sign, the problem persists. Solutions seem be be elusive.

Westbriar Road Project Wrong, Claims Nearby Residents 7/8/14

Follin Lane, which is a border of Westbriar Zone B, is an isolated, shady tunnel of 80 foot trees on both sides which meet each other high above. Most of its traffic is generated by the Navy Federal Credit Union, and three other high-tech buildings close by.

A plan is in the works to widen Follin between Hine Street and Maple Avenue to add an extra lane for northbound cars. This would help in relieving a traffic pile up every workday when the Credit Union employees are home-bound. But this plan is not universally seen as an improvement by nearby residents.

At last night's Council meeting, Loretta Roby and her neighbor Sean McClorey expressed their concerns about the project based on safety, traffic flow, and the damage to the striking, unique tree canopy, slated for removal.

There is little question that speeding is a problem on Follin Lane. In fact, the intersection of Follin and Hine has been a favorite post for police radar.

"It is a dangerous intersection," said McClorey, who lives right on the intersection, and has seen many accidents there. The last one was only ten days ago, and the tire ruts are still fresh where the car left the road, bounced across a deep ditch, and crashed through his back yard fence.

"Our concerns are for our children," he said, expressing his belief that widening the road will only invite more speeding.

Roby and McClorey asked the Town Council to revisit this issue, and consider the safety aspects more closely.

COMMUNITY CENTER
DESIGN PHASE APPROVED 7/8/14

The Town Council last night awarded a $44,000 contract to The Arlington-based Lukmire Partnership to perform detailed design of an extension of the Vienna Community Center on Park Street. The design features a gymnasiam on the western end. The gym would contain a full size basketball court. The court would be designed to also accomodate volleyball, badmitten as well as other community needs.

EXCUSE OUR DUST 7/8/14

Center Street South is closed to traffic for a while.

Center Street between Maple and Locust is getting a complete rebuild, starting today.

"There have been so many resurfacings on this stretch, that another simple resurfacing will not work," explained Jennifer Sigler of the Vienna Department of Public Works. "The road now has a severe crown to the center, and forces of traffic break it apart."

The roadway also does not line up well with the driveway serving the Town Hall and the school, posing problems sometimes for larger vehicles. The entire road surface, along with the curb and gutter will be removed and replaced, after the grading is improved.

The entire project will take about eight weeks. "Hopefully, less," said Sigler.

TRAFFIC LIGHT CONSIDERED ON OLD COURTHOUSE ROAD 6/25/14

The Vienna Town Council is studying a recommendation made by the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to install a traffic light at the intersection of Old Courthouse Road and Westbriar Drive. This is one of three intersection items currently proposed.

The question is whether giving Westbriar Drive light-controlled access to OCHR is really worth the cost involved. A speed hump installed on OCHR near the intersection has been very helpful in allowing access from Westbriar Drive.

What do YOU think? Do you feel that a light at this intersection is a good investment? Let us know your thoughts. Email us.

Information Officer Appointed 6/23/14

Town Manager Mercury Payton announced the appointment of Ken Kroski as Vienna's new Public Information Officer.

Kroski was selected from 121 candidates. "Ken's communication and leadership abilities, along with decades of experience working with government and private sectors, will prove to be of great value to Vienna," said Payton.

Swearing-In Ceremony 6/16/16

May 6 election winners were sworn into office last night at the Vienna Town Hall. At left, Mayor Laurie DiRocco takes the oath from Judge Brett Kassabian.

Also sworn in were Council Members Edythe Kelleher, Pasha Majdi, and Linda Colbert.

The new officials begin their duties on July 1.

Notes from the County

Meals Tax? (update 6/24/14) Probably Not ... at least for now

During deliberation on the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, a number of individuals and organizations have urged Fairfax County to revisit a restaurant meals tax. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, towns and cities are permitted to have a meals tax subject to an affirmative vote by the governing body, and most have done so. Counties, however, may establish a meals tax only if a referendum is approved by the voters. The last time this proposal was put on the ballot (unsuccessful) in Fairfax County was in April 1992.

There had been growing sentiment during recent years for Fairfax to once again allow the voters to decide if they wish to avail themselves of this additional source of revenue. Reasons for urging this include the desire to diversify the revenues we have available to fund schools, public safety, parks, libraries and human services. If a meals tax were adopted at the state-approved rate of 4% of the cost of the meal cost, it would generate about $88 million annually.

A Task Force of about forty county organizations and individuals, co-chaired by former Board Chairmen Kate Hanley and Tom Davis, was convened by the Board of Supervisors to study the issue and return with their recommendation on June 17th. However the Task Force did not present a straight up recommendation. Rather, they submitted an extensive report detailing the pros and cons of instituting the meals tax. At this late date in an election year, and with only tepid support on the Board, it is unlikely that the tax issue will move forward this year.

Read more details in the Washington Post HERE.

Singing, Anyone? 6/6/14

Back by popular demand

Vienna Choral Society offers another day-long, immersive vocal workshops this summer. Led by our artistic director, Jennifer Rodgers, and accompanist Greg Graf, the workshop will be held:

Saturday, August 23, 2014

9 am to 4 pm

2589 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna, VA 22181

The workshop is designed to help singers: Improve vocal technique, enhance sight-singing skills, and strengthen musicianship. All voice types and skill levels are welcome.

WHY TAKE THIS WORKSHOP?

Because at VCS we believe that singing isn't just for "Singers." It's for everyone who wants to be better at what they do, whether it's music or anything else.

When you sing you learn to breathe, project, be with a group, take the stage on your own, pivot when the music isn't going according to plan, connect and communicate with the audience, and find your voice.

Singing is full of life lessons. If you're a professional, get better at your craft. If you're not a professional, get better at being you.

Tickets are on sale now, but classes are limited.

email us or call at 703-349-7150

CHILDREN's GARDEN FUTURE UNCERTAIN 5/20/14

One of the best kept secrets of Vienna is known to parents of pre-schoolers who also happen to take excusions on the W&OD Trail. It is a tiny whimsical garden located between the Caboose and the historical Railroad Station, meticulously crafted and lovingly maintained for ten years by the Ayr Hill Garden Club.

The Discovery Garden is dedicated to Dorothy McDiarmid, a Virginia Delegate for 20 years. McDiarmid's daughter is a past president of Ayr Hill Garden Club.

Police in Vienna and Fairfax have issued alerts on a growing problem: A scam by which people are tricked or intimidated into buying a certain prepaid money transfer card. The card most often used is the Paypal Green Dot card sold by CVS Pharmacy, Walmart, and other popular businesses.

The scam is initiated by telephone, and there are many variations. For example, the victim is told that he or she has won a huge prize, and must send in a payment to cover taxes. Or the victim is told they missed showing up for jury duty, and must send a payment to avoid arrest. Or the victim is told that their grandchild is in jail in a foreign country, and he must send bail payment to get the problem solved.

Another variation is on the internet. You will be browsing, and suddenly a screen comes up that is very official looking, with FBI and Justice Department Logos. It will claim you have looked at copyrighted materials, or listened to music you had not paid for, or other violations. Your computer will be frozen on that page. Your recouse is to ... you guessed it ... to go purchase a Green Dot Money Card, and email the numbers to an address provided. Once you email the money, your computer still does not function. More demands for money are made.

GONE FISHING! 3/29/14

Vienna Family Fishing Rodeo, a new community event, kicked off March 29, at the newly restored Wolftrap Creek in Wildwood Park, 700 block of Follin Lane SE.

Wolftrap Creek was stocked the day before with hundreds of trout just for the occasion! Cathy Salgado and her staff from Vienna's Department of Parks and Recreation organized the event, and worked with the Fairfax County Storm Water Division, Fairfax County Public Works and Environmental Services, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Navy Federal Credit Union to make it all happen.

Click HERE for the full story.

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