Learning from Record Storms Battle To the HoopAccording to Keller, the worst pothole in the Burke “The potholes will get repaired. It may take longer than usual, but it will happen..”

Burke Connection ❖ March 18-24, 2010 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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March 18-24, 2010 ❖ Volume XXIV, Number 11

BattleTo theHoopSports Page 13

PotholesPopping Up

News, Page 3

Learning fromRecord Storms

News, Page 4

PotholesPopping Up

News, Page 3

Learning fromRecord Storms

News, Page 4

BattleTo theHoopSports Page 13

Logan Battle of WestSpringfield goes up for abasket during the statesemi-final match withLake Taylor. Battlefinished the gamewith 10 points.

Logan Battle of WestSpringfield goes up for abasket during the statesemi-final match withLake Taylor. Battlefinished the gamewith 10 points.

2 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ March 18-24, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Burke Connection Editor Michael O’Connell

703-778-9416 or [email protected]

News

Bumps in the RoadPotholes have become aproblem in the wake ofFebruary’s snowstorms.

Potholes like these at the corner of Pommeroy Driveand Chatsworth Court in Burke are becoming an issuefor area residents after February’s historic snowstorms.

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By Justin Fanizzi

The Connection

An historic week of snowfall in early Febru-ary caused many immediate problemssuch as power outagesand blocked roads.

However, as the snow melted andthe area completed its recovery,new problems began to takeshape.

Potholes, residents say, are be-coming an issue in the Burkearea, causing flat tires, trip alter-ations and simple frustration forthose living or commuting in thearea. While they have been a con-cern for several months, the ef-fects of the snowstorms haveworsened the situation.

“The potholes have been a problem for months,but with the freeze and thaw of the winter storm, ithas exacerbated things,” said Michael Keller, Burkeresident and Braddock District Council member.“They’re being fixed with a temporary patch and it’sjust not working.”

According to Keller, the worst pothole in the Burke

“The potholes willget repaired. It maytake longer thanusual, but it willhappen..”

— Bill Barfield, BraddockDistrict Council Chairman

area is at the corner of Rolling and Burke Lake roads,near Supervisor John Cook’s (R-Braddock) office.Keller said that more than six months ago, the Vir-ginia Department of Transportation sent a crew todo work on the traffic lights at the intersection, anddug large square holes in the pavement to installpoles. After the work was completed, Keller said thatVDOT patched the holes with temporary patches, butevery time cars drove over it, the patches would sinkslightly. As a result, he said, commuters turning southonto Burke Lake Road from Rolling Road were hit-ting

a 6-7 inch hole nearly every timethey turned.

“Initially, it was 6 to 7 inchesdeep and I reported it and it gotpatched,” Keller said. “They dugholes into the ground, but theground couldn’t support it and thepatches sink when people driveover it.”

Other areas of concern, Kellersaid, are around the Burke PostOffice on Burke Road near the in-tersection with Burke Lake Roadand along Braddock Road near theintersection with Twinbrook Road.

Keller said that the roads in both of these areas areconstantly eroding, with the asphalt cracking signifi-cantly, which will lead to more potholes. In addi-tion, Braddock District Council Chairman Bill Barfieldsaid that portions of Roberts Road have been affected,

See Targeting, Page 7

Herrity, Bradsher Open Dialogue on County BudgetSupervisor, School Board member hostMarch 11 Budget Town Hall Meeting.

“We aren’t making sureour children have thefundamental buildingblocks of education.”

— Joana Garcia

By Justin Fanizzi

The Connection

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield)gathered a few dozen members of hisconstituency at West Springfield High

School to talk about the budget, and giventhe setting, it was only fitting that the schoolbudget dominated the discussion.

Herrity and School Board member LizBradsher (Springfield) led a SpringfieldDistrict Budget Town Hall meeting Thurs-day, March 11 to give residents the oppor-tunity to ask questions about the FY 2011county budget. While both the county andschool budgets were up for discussion, theaudience was most concerned about theimpacts of potential school cuts.

“I’m concerned about the students andteachers having what they need to do theirjobs,” Herrity said. “We have one of the bestschool systems in the country, and if pro-grams get cut, we’re going to diminish thatstatus.”

FCPS Director of Budget Services KristenMichael and Fairfax County Budget Direc-

tor Susan Datta kicked the meeting off witha brief overview of their respective budgets.Michael said that County Executive TonyGriffin proposed a 1 percent decrease in thetransfer for FY 2011, and while the SchoolBoard asked for more, several reductionswill have to be made nonetheless. She saidthat custodial support will be cut for thesecond year in a row. She also talked aboutthe introduction of fees for athletic partici-pation and the elimination of wintercheerleading and indoor track.

Datta discussed the county’s $257 milliondeficit for FY 2011, the reasons for the defi-cit and the measures being taken to balancethe budget. Datta said that the recession hascaused a substantial decline in assessed resi-dential and commercial real estate valuesand limited revenue growth in other areas.As a result, the county is anticipating muchless revenue for FY 2011. Datta said thatwhile significant cuts were made last year,this year’s budget is crucial for the county’seconomic health because cuts made willhave a lasting impact.

“Before you wrap up discussion about

2011, you have to think about 2012,” Dattasaid. “We believe that revenue in 2012 willbe less than it is next year by 2 percent, sowe need to make sure that we’re not mak-ing the situation worse moving forward bymaking cuts to balance this year’s budget.”

AFTER THE BUD-GET overviews,Herrity andBradsher openedthe meeting up toquestions from theattendees. A majorconcern for the au-dience was the pro-posed $100 fee forparticipation in allschool sports. Sev-eral audience members were concerned thatthe fees would drive down participation.West Springfield High School’s FreshmanBoys Basketball Coach Todd Johnson wasoutspoken against it, saying that freshmansports are critical for students’ development,as they help to create friendships and gainconfidence. He also mentioned that parentsalready have to pay for some equipment andticket fees, so another cost would be anadded burden.

“I just want my kids to be able to partici-pate [in sports],” Johnson said. “I thinkthey’re very valuable and there are so manypositive things that come of out it. We arehelping them develop as young men andwomen and as responsible citizens.”

Bradsher acknowledged that she intro-duced the fees, notto help create a newrevenue stream, butto protect sportsfrom being cut en-tirely. She said thatwithout the fees,the school systemwould not have themoney to supportevery sport, so shenegotiated a fee

that was high enough to fund the sport, butlow enough so that parents could afford it.In addition, she said that the fees would bereduced as the budget situation improvesin the future.

“I introduced the fees because I wantedto keep those sports,” Bradsher said. “Inorder to keep these sports, which I believeare very important for our students because

See Town Hall, Page 21


NewsWeek in Burke

Snow Lessons LearnedThe Board of Supervisors listen to presentations from VDOT representatives MortezaSalehi and Branco Vlacich at the Snow Summit Tuesday, March 16.

Supervisors host SnowSummit to analyze VDOTsnowstorm response.

“We don’t have allthe answers, butwe’re constantlytrying to improve.”

— Branco Vlacich, AssistantDistrict Maintenance

Coordinator

By Justin Fanizzi

The Connection

Snowstorms that dumped more than 40inches of snow on the region in Februaryleft more questions than answers in theirwake. Impassable roads, snow-covered side-

walks and slow response times from Virginia Depart-ment of Transportation plows frustrated local offi-cials and residents, and on Tuesday, March 16, theyfinally got their chance to voicetheir displeasure.

The Board of Supervisors hostedits second-ever “Snow Summit” atthe Fairfax County GovernmentCenter, bringing VDOT officials into discuss their actions during thesnowstorms and the lessonslearned from it.

“I’m proud to say that we re-ceived a lot of positive feedbackfrom our customers and electedofficials,” said Morteza Salehi,VDOT’s Northern Virginia Districtadministrator. “But in addition, we also received alot of feedback on the lessons learned from thestorm.”

Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee), chair of the Board’sTransportation Committee, led the summit, whichattracted elected state officials such as Del. DavidBulova (D-37) and Sen. David Marsden (D-37).Salehi and Assistant District Maintenance Coordina-tor Branco Vlacich each gave presentations to theBoard detailing their preparations and response tothe storm and areas in which they felt VDOT couldhave performed more effectively.

Salehi gave the first presentation and countered a

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common argument that VDOT failed to prepare forthe storm and instead reacted after it was too late.Salehi said that VDOT has a statewide contract withthe National Weather Service to provide weather fore-casts and alerts, and that VDOT was notified of thestorm days in advance. After getting the report, hesaid, VDOT used its “utilization plan” that helps themto deploy the exact number and type of trucks andother removal equipment needed. Then, he said,special trucks were sent to priority areas to pre-treatroads with anti-icing chemicals.

“The most important improvement [we’ve madeover the last several years] is on the issue of anti-icing and pre-treating, applying and spraying chemi-cals on the pavement before snow or ice,” Salehi said.“It has been well-received by our district managersand those out in the field.”

According to Salehi, with nosnow or incidents, the VDOT cus-tomer service team receives ap-proximately 135 calls a day, andwith 6 inches of snow, it gets about300 calls a day. During the weekof the storms, however, more than34,000 calls were placed. Many ofthe calls, he said, were to complainabout plowing priorities and toreport unplowed streets. Salehistressed that VDOT deployed2,200 pieces of equipment acrossthe state. Not having enough

equipment was not the problem, he said, it was thefact that VDOT had 17,000 miles of roadway to plowand that the storms were followed by prolonged lowtemperatures, which slowed melting.

“The most important factor was that snow wascombined with low temperatures,” Salehi said. “Af-ter the blizzard of ’96 we had sunshine and heat.After this, we had days of low temperatures.”

Vlacich followed and gave more insight on VDOT’sactions during the storm, and what it could have donebetter in terms of removal and recovery. He said that

See Snow Summit, Page 5

County Police Officers MakeBusiness Compliance Checks

Alcohol business compliance checks staged by officersfrom the West Springfield District Station NeighborhoodPatrol Unit in Burke, Annandale and Springfield resultedin four arrests Saturday, March 13.

According to Fairfax County Police, the sting was part ofthe “Spring Break” enforcement campaign, which was con-ducted using a county police cadet dressed in plain cloth-ing to purchase alcohol. The cadet entered stores and at-tempted to purchase alcohol. If asked whether he was 21,the cadet was to respond with his true age and date ofbirth. If asked for identification, he was to tell the clerkthat he had no identification with him. If the sale of alco-hol took place, the plain-clothed officer would take pos-session of the alcohol from the cadet and make the appro-priate charge(s).

As a result of this operation, 12 locations were entered,with four arrests made for the illegal sale of alcohol to aminor. Those offenses occurred at the CVS pharmacy at7859 Heritage Drive and the H Mart at 7885 Heritage Drivein Annandale and the 7-Eleven at 8017 Braddock Roadand Giant Foods on Burke Centre Parkway in Burke. Thestings were conducted using one team consisting of threeplain-clothed officers, one uniformed officer, and one ca-det.

Seeking Young OratorsThe Optimist Club of Central Fairfax invites local stu-

dents to speak their minds about the topic: “Cyber Com-munication — Progress or Problem?” as part of the 2010Optimist Oratorical Contest. Open to students up to 16years of age as of Dec. 31, 2009, the contest challengesthem to express their thoughts and opinions to an audi-ence, and offers an opportunity for scholarships. The en-try deadline is Friday, April 2 with the actual presentationto be given at the club’s dinner meeting on Tuesday April27. For applications and information on the contest, pleasecontact Kim Moden at [email protected].

ClarificationThe article “Meeting ‘Good Start’ on Budget Review”

[Connection, March 11-17, 2010] gave an incorrect amountfor the per pupil cost for Fairfax County Public Schools.The per pupil cost is about $13,000.

RECQuest Sites Open forSpring Break Dropoff

When public schools break during the spring, RECQuestwill operate a drop-in program is for children in grades 1-6. The program offers fun activities, field trips and games.Snacks are provided. Participants must bring a bag lunchdaily and wear comfortable clothing and footwear. The costis $70 per week; per person. A payment scale is available.Call the community center to register. Times vary by cen-ter. For more information, go online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/rec or call 703-324-5555, TTY 711.

Participating locations:❖ David R. Pinn Community Center, 10225 Zion Drive,

Fairfax. 703-250-9181, TTY 711. Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30p.m.

❖ Mott Community Center, 12111 Braddock Road,Fairfax. 703-278-8605, TTY 711. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

SATURDAY/MARCH 20Budget Town Hall Meeting with Supervisor John Cook (R-

Braddock). 10 a.m., Ravensworth Elementary Schoolgymnasium, 5411 Nutting Drive, Springfield. For moreinformation, contact the Braddock District Office at 703-425-9300.

Bulletin Board


How would you like state ofthe art LASER dentistrywithout drills or needles?

What would you say if you could have your fillings placed painlessly without drills or needles,with laser precision and comfort? You’d probably say, “Where do I sign up?” Well, now you canwith a revolutionary new laser we call the Water Laser. You may have seen it on TV lately.

This new Waterlase® is a breakthrough in comfortable dentistry. The laser sprays a computer-controlled spray of air, water and laser energy at the decay in the tooth. The laser energy isabsorbed by the water and the energized microscopic water droplets are what actually removethe tooth decay. Rarely is a shot necessary to numb the patient. Since no heat is generatedfrom the laser the Waterlase® is very safe to use on everyone.

What are the benefits of Waterlase® dentistry?� Patient Comfort

Heat, vibration and pressure are the primary causes of pain associated with the use of thetraditional dental drill. Since cutting both hard and soft tissues (teeth and gums) with theWaterlase® does not generate heat, vibration or pressure, many dental procedures can be per-formed with fewer shots, less need for anesthesia, less use of the drill and fewer numb lips! The Waterlase® allows us to prepare teeth with less trauma which results in significantly lesstooth sensitivity after new fillings. Additionally, using the Waterlase® for gum procedures reduces bleeding, post-operative pain,swelling and the need for pain medication in many cases. That means a new level of comfortand satisfaction for your entire family.

� SterilizationThe laser sterilizes the tooth as it removes decay. This is very important. Because of bacterial

contamination, many of you have had old fillings replaced with either new fillings, or in manycases, with crowns--and sometimes even root canals!! The reoccurrence of decay under fillingsis a primary reason so many root canals are needed. Since this new laser sterilizes the tooth asit removes decay, and since many dentists now use ‘bonded’ filling materials enriched withfluoride, the chances of ever having recurrent decay under that new filling are much lower.

� Great for TeenagersThe Waterlase® is especially great for teenagers. Sure, if the dentist is very good, shots

should not really be painful. But KNOWING you’re getting a shot is psychologically painfuleven if you can’t feel the needle--especially for teenagers. By not getting a shot, not feeling thevibration of the drill, and by not hearing the loud drill, kids never become afraid of the den-tist, so they don’t grow up to be adults afraid of the dentist.

By incorporating laser technology into our dental practice, we are changing dentistry. It isno longer yesterday’s world of painful shots, large silver mercury fillings, and fearful patients.Lasers have improved the lives of patients and their dentists.

Technology is something that makes life better. Better in this case is better clinical results,improved patient comfort, less use of anesthesia and antibiotics. We are proud to be one of the first dentists in Fairfax County to offer this revolutionary tech-nology. Since August 2003, Dr. Fox has completed over 3,000 laser fillings with no needle/nopain/no numbness. If you’ve been putting off going to the dentist because you were nervousabout the drill and needle, you don’t have to put it off any longer!

For more information about our dental practice please visit our website atwww.larryfoxdds.com

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VDOT employees in the field worked 12- to 16-hour days everydayfor nearly two weeks, many of whom brought sleeping bags to workwith them and slept in the office between shifts and ate only one meala day.

He also said that while people in residential areas complained aboutslow removal, VDOT requires that roads be plowed in order of prioritybased on traffic volume. As a result, the first areas repeatedly plowedwere Interstates 66, 395 and 495 and Routes 1, 7 and 9, followed bymain roads within towns and finally, subdivisions. The subdivisions,Vlacich said, are broken down into “snow maps,” which are routesassigned to each driver to plow. Because of the routes, he said thatmany people saw streets nearby getting plowed before their own streets,so they called to complain.

“It’s important to let the crews have the chance to finish their snowmaps,” Vlacich said. “Getting thousands of phone calls telling us thatthey didn’t get plowed doesn’t help us. It makes it harder to identifywhat we have already done.”

While the explanations helped to allay some concerns, the boardnonetheless still had issue with several areas of VDOT’s response. Su-pervisor Linda Smyth (D-Providence) criticized the snow map system,saying that neighborhoods that Vlacich showed on the map in her dis-trict had some of the least cleared streets. She suggested that VDOTimprove its mapping system to ensure that all streets are representedon their maps.

“I had to laugh when you showed one of my neighborhoods on themap when that’s the neighborhood I got the most complaints about,”Smyth said. “There are gaps in the maps between Route 50 and 29,and roads [in that area] fell through the cracks.”

Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) took aim at VDOT’s communi

News

See Summit, Page 11

From Page 3

Snow Summit


Patrick Letson Mark Alexander

Connection Salutes Top CarriersPeople

Patrick Letson is astandout on manyfronts. In addition tothe excellent customer

service he has delivered on hisBurke route since 2007, he hasmaintained a 3.8 GPA at LakeBraddock Secondary, including APJapanese and biology classes. Heis also a member of the Botball(robotics) Club. He’s an avid “Callof Duty: Modern Warfare 2”player, but also enjoys nature pho-tography. Patrick’s Connectionearnings are being saved up to buya car.

Originally from the SouthAmerican country of Colombia,David Sethian is hoping to tradeliving in Burke for New York Citywhen he’s on his own. He has de-livered The Connection for three years and saves hispaychecks faithfully each month. The Lake BraddockSecondary junior makes time for playing drums,hanging out with friends and playinggolf.

Mark Alexander has athletic, ar-tistic and ambitious sides. He rows forLake Braddock Secondary’s crew team, plays guitarin a guitar ensemble and is saving to buy himself acomputer. As a sophomore, he has delivered theBurke Connection for more than two years and hasalso been working toward his Boy Scout Eagle Award.Mark enjoys time at the beach and hiking, as well as

Carriers of the Year

the company of his Labrador retriever, Aldie.Burke carrier Colvin Fowler is an “A” student in

his home school studies. His favorite activities areplaying soccer and video games, aswell as anything involving pizza. This10-year-old Fairfax native has deliv-ered the Burke Connection for nearly

two years and tithes part of each paycheck at church.Spontaneous fun is generally playing outside withhis brothers and his dog, Bailey.

Connection Carriers of the Year receive a bonuspaycheck, passes from University Mall Theatres anda Popeye’s meal coupon.

Tad Ogren and Allie Smith

June Wedding for Smith, Ogren

Barry and Linda Smith of Winchester, Va. are pleased to announcethe engagement of their daughter, Allie Smith to Tad Ogren,son of Tedd and Cindy Ogren of Burke.

Allie Smith is a 2005 graduate of Sherando High School and a 2009graduate of George Mason University with a bachelor’s of arts degree

in psychology. She is employed bythe National Counseling Group ofManassas as a mental health coun-selor.

Tad Ogren is a 2006 graduate ofLake Braddock Secondary School and will graduate in May from GeorgeMason University with a bachelor’s of science degree in biology. Heplans to attend medical school in the fall to pursue a career as an AirForce doctor.

A June 19 wedding is planned at First Presbyterian Church in Win-chester.

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Hundreds turn out for ValentinePops Gala delayed by snow.

More than 300 people turned out for the arts on Friday,March 5 at for the Fairfax Symphony Valentine PopsGala.

In addition, the Fairfax Symphony will perform as part of its2009-2010 Season: “Great Expectations,” at George MasonUniversity’s Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 13, at 8 p.m.The program includes Borodin’s “In the Steppes of Central Asia,”Dorman’s “Lost Souls, a Piano Concerto for its East Coast Pre-miere,” and Sibelius’ “Four Legends from the Kalevala, op. 22.”See www.FairfaxSymphony.org.

A Gala EveningPam Charim with U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11)and his wife Cathy Smith.

Photos by

Louise Krafft

Valerie Dale, wife ofFairfax County PublicSchools chief Jack Dale,of Reston, and GeraldGordon of Burke. Gordonheads the Fairfax CountyEconomic DevelopmentAuthority and alsochaired the gala commit-tee for the Fairfax Sym-phony.

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted atleast two weeks prior to the event.

Patrick Bench, who was born andraised in Burke, was recently hired byRasky Baerlein Strategic Communica-tions as a vice president. He served forthe last three years as director of busi-ness development for the MassachusettsOffice of International Trade and Invest-ment (MOITI), where he helped foreigncompanies looking for growth opportu-nities, capital and strategic partners inthe United States and assisted Massa-chusetts companies expand overseas.

On Thursday, March 11, 19 newdeputy sheriffs, along with 18 policeofficers graduated the 56th session ofthe Fairfax County Criminal JusticeAcademy. The ceremony took place atthe George Mason University Center forthe Arts. Deputy Sheriff KevinDavis received the Instructor’s Awardfor his outstanding leadership, he waselected the class president. DeputySheriff Carmela Slocum receivedthe Training Award for outstanding per-formance during the physical fitnessphase of the Academy, and DeputySheriff Manuel Vaz received the De-fensive Tactics award. Deputy SheriffJoshua Silver had the second highestoverall academic score of 98.44 percent,and Deputy Sheriff AndreaMardocco was elected class treasurer.

Patrick Bench

People Notes

Nine Burke residents received degreesfrom Virginia Tech in Blacksburg at theDecember 2009 graduation: Emily

Barry, bachelor of arts summa cumlaude in Spanish; Peter Duggan,bachelor of science in business manage-ment; Asha Dwarka, a bachelor ofscience in food science and technologyand a bachelor of science in biochemis-try; Jacqueline Kretzer, a bachelor ofscience in biological sciences and abachelor of science in human nutrition,foods, and exercise; Daniel La, bach-elor of arts in economics; Philip Lung,bachelor of science in fisheries;Maureen Murray, bachelor of sciencein business cum laude in accounting andinformation systems; Fabio Quijada,bachelor of arts magna cum laude ineconomics; and Teresa Tobat, bach-elor of arts in communication.


as well as parts of Fairfax County Park-way, and that he has heard other reportsthat the potholes caused damage to ve-hicles.

“There are some roads that are not mainroads that are even more torn up than themain roads,” Barfield said. “Roads that werein marginal states of repair before the stormand salt have become more deteriorated.The roads that were not in tip-top shapebefore the storm took it harder.”

The most common explanation for theproblem, Keller and Barfield agreed, is thatthe snowstorms expedited the wearing pro-cess on the roads. The snowstorms broughtmuch more snow than the region is accus-tomed to, and as it melted, it put a gooddeal of water on the roadways. This extrawater, he said, seeped into the cracks of theroad and softened the asphalt, causing it toform potholes. In addition, he said that thesnowplows that came to clear the snow offof Burke’s roadways are much larger ve-hicles than those that typically use Burke’sroads. So, with heavy trucks making mul-tiple trips along the same roads that werealready weakened by the snow and salt, itnot only ruined some patches, but alsospread cracks in the asphalt more quickly.

Another explanation, Keller said, camefrom a geologist he met in Roanoke. Kellersaid that the geologist told him that VDOTuses an inferior type of asphalt, whichcracks and forms potholes more easily thana more robust blend of asphalt. Accordingto a study done by VDOT in 2006 entitled“Detection of Polymer Modifiers in AsphaltBinder,” VDOT acknowledged that there isindeed inferior material in its asphalt mixesand recommended that VDOT test its mix-tures on a regular basis to ensure that nobelow-standard material gets put into itsasphalt mix. Doing this, the study said,would result in VDOT using less inferiorproducts to make its asphalt and save on

maintenance costs in the future.“The frequency of quality assurance sam-

pling of polymer modified binders shouldbe increased to ensure that inferior mate-rial is not being used in premium mixtures,”the report said. “Overall, the increased test-ing is expected to result in improved pave-ment quality by reducing the acceptance ofinferior material.

While the potholes are becoming a majornuisance for area residents, signs of hopemay be on the horizon. According to VDOTNorthern District Administrator MortezaSalehi, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), in conjunc-tion with VDOT, announced last week thathe has implemented a statewide “potholeblitz,” with the aim of repairing as many ofthe state’s potholes as possible. Salehi saidthat more than 7,000 potholes have beenfilled already, and though the region hasnot seen the benefits of the initiative yet,he assured that it is coming soon.

Barfield said that he has not been given atimetable as to when the initiative wouldcome to Fairfax County, but is urging resi-dents to have patience. He said that thepotholes are a problem every winter, butthat this year, the problem was exacerbatedby an unprecedented weather event thatwas nearly impossible to fully prepare for.He also said that residents should demandthe highest possible return on their trans-portation tax dollars, but that VDOT is do-ing as much as it can with the funding andequipment it has.

“The potholes will get repaired,” Barfieldsaid. “It may take longer than usual, but itwill happen. We have a wonderful infra-structure in Northern Virginia and there willbe bumps along the way, but it’s a cycle. Itcomes and it goes, and this is one of thoseyears where it goes.”

News

Potholes like these at the corner of Pommeroy Drive and ChatsworthCourt in Burke have appeared with a higher volume than usual due tothe winter’s three major snowstorms.

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From Page 3

Targeting Potholes

Report a PotholeGo to www.virginiadot.org/travel/

citizen.asp or call VDOT’s Highway Helplineat 1-800-367-7623 to report a pothole.


Things To Do

Something Sweet’s in the Oven

More than 200 cakes and confectionery foods were on display at the 2009 National Capital Area Cake Show.

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National Capital AreaCake Show comesto Woodson High thisweekend.

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

Cake lovers from far andwide will flock toWoodson High this week-end for the second annual

National Capital Area Cake Show.World-class sugar artists will displaytheir cake-decorating skills, whileshowing off their creativity and inge-

nuity.Innovative wed-

ding-cake art, hottrends in decorat-ing, live chal-lenges, classes anddemonstrations bymany of the topnames in theworld of cakedecoration are justa few of the manytreats in store forattendees.

Show times areSaturday, March20, from 10 a.m.-

5 p.m., and Sunday, March 21, from 9a.m.-5 p.m., and various ticket optionsare available. A $35 ticket is good forboth days, including Saturday’s andSunday’s challenges. Or a $15 ticketmay be purchased for either day andincludes that day’s challenge. Formore information, plus a schedule ofclasses, see www.cakeshow.org.

During Saturday’s live challenge

from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., famous sugar artistsfrom TV will compete to see who can cre-ate the best, 3-foot-tall, circus-themed cake.Sunday’s two, live challenges will be“What’s in This Box?” from 1:30-2:30 p.m.,and the “Haunted Castle Competition” from10 a.m.-1 p.m.

In Sunday’s first competition, Norm Smithand Zane Beg, co-owners of The Sweet LifeCakery in Fairfax, will vie against each otherand everyone else participating. They’llopen up a box and will have to decorate a

cake with whatever items they find inside,such as fondant, flowers, icing, etc. In thesecond challenge that day, participants willassemble elements they’ve been given inadvance to create a haunted castle.

“It’s the second-largest cake show in theU.S.,” said Smith. “People travel for thisevent from as far away as Texas, Arizona,Florida and Canada. The show has over 250cake entries in various categories and fea-tures 19 big names in the cake industry.Many stars seen on the Food Network and

TLC’s ‘Ultimate Cake Off’ will be at thisevent.”

There’s also a wedding cake competition,plus contests for decorations illustratingnursery rhymes. Pound, chocolate and fruit-and-nut cakes will vie in the tasting divi-sion, along with cheesecakes; and on Sun-day, the cakes in the challenges will be soldby the slice.

In addition, a portion of the cake show’sproceeds will benefit two, local charities —Shelter House Inc. and Kristi’s Christmas.

“The show... features19 bignames inthe cakeindustry.”

— Norm Smith,The Sweet Life

Cakery

THURSDAY/MARCH 18Fairfax Antique Arts

Association: KeepRespect Alive. 10:15 a.m. atthe City of Fairfax SeniorCenter Green Acres Center,4401 Sideburn Road, Fairfax.Mary Lipsey, president of theFairfax County PreservationAssociation, will talk about thethreat to hundreds of FairfaxCounty family cemeteries.Free, annual membership feerequired to attend subsequentmeetings; $15 per person, $25couple. 703-359-2487.

Gesher Used Book Sale. 7:30a.m.-6 p.m. at Gesher JewishDay School, 4800 MattieMoore Court, Fairfax. Books,DVDs, CDs and video tapes.703-978-9789.

Afternoon Reading Group. 1p.m. City of Fairfax RegionalLibrary, 10360 North St.,Fairfax. The House of theSpirits by Isabel Allende.Adults. 703-293-6227.

The Ataris, Set Phasers To Stun,The Automatics, Wings OfApollo, Cerca Trova and JohnWayne Hero. 6:30 p.m. Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $10in advance. $15 at the door. 703-255-1566 or www.jamminjava.com.

Preemies Today: AComplementaryMedicine Approach toHealingDevelopmental Delays.7:30 p.m. at the Kings ParkLibrary, 9000 Burke LakeRoad, Burke. With speakers PatriciaLemer, M.Ed., NCC and AmbikaWauters, MFA, Homeopath. 703-229-0835.

FRIDAY/MARCH 19Gesher Used Book Sale. 7:30 a.m.-4

p.m. at Gesher Jewish Day School,4800 Mattie Moore Court, Fairfax.Books, DVDs, CDs and video tapes.703-978-9789.

Book Sale. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. City ofFairfax Regional Library, 10360

North St., Fairfax. New and usedbooks and more. 703-293-6227.

Steve Forbert. 7 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $20. 703-255-1566 or www.jamminjava.com.

The Chuck Shaffer Picture Show,Earth Note Syndicate,Dreaming of Eden and Those

Passing By. 10 p.m. Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. $10. 703-255-1566 orwww.jamminjava.com.Spring ScrapbookingEvent. 6:30-11:30 p.m. at The

Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire andRescue Department, 2148 GallowsRoad, Dunn Loring. Paper craftingprofessionals available to help.Ground level cropping space, freemassages, access to a tool table andmore. $25. All proceeds go to theDunn Loring Fire and Rescue Dept.Register at www.dlvfrd.org.

SATURDAY/MARCH 20Tuskegee Airmen Group Honored.

4-9 p.m. at Mott Community Center,

12111 Braddock Road, Fairfax. Themovie about the lives of the TuskegeeAirmen will be shown, followed byrefreshments and a meet and greetwith the Airmen. Free, the public isinvited. Contact Patricia L. McClenic,703-324-5641, TTY 711.

Civil War Defenses of Washington,D.C. 2 p.m. at The Civil WarInterpretive Center at HistoricBlenheim, 3610 Old Lee Highway,Fairfax. Illustrated talk and booksigning by Walton H. Owen, Curatorand Assistant Director of Fort WardMuseum and co-author of “Mr.Lincoln’s Forts: A Guide to the CivilWar Defenses of Washington.” Freeand open to the public. Books will befor sale for $50. 703-591-0560.

Japanese Taiko Drum EnsembleTao: The Martial Art ofDrumming. 8 p.m. at the GeorgeMason University Center for the Arts,4400 University Drive, Fairfax. A pre-performance discussion, free to ticketholders, begins 45 minutes beforeperformance on the Center’s GrandTier III. $22-$44. Youth through

grade 12 half price whenaccompanied by an adult.Tickets available at 888-945-2468 or visit cfa.gmu.edu.

One-on-One ComputerTutoring. 10 a.m. BurkeCentre Library, 5935 FredsOak Road, Burke. Learn touse a computer and navigatethe Internet. Call for anappointment. Adults. 703-249-1520.

Celtic rock band Mythica. 7p.m. at Accotink UnitedUnitarian Church, 10125Lakehaven Court, Burke. $12adv., $15 at door, under age12 free. Proceeds benefit thenon-profit VOICE (VirginiansOrganized for InterfaithCommunity Engagement)703-503-4579orwww.MythicaMusic.com.

Potluck Dinner. 5-9 p.m., atRavensworth ElementarySchool, 5411 Nutting Drive,

See Calendar, Page 9

Calendar


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SHILLELAGHS TRAVEL CLUB100 East Street SE, Suite 302 • Vienna, Virginia 22180

703-242-2204 1-800-556-8646Please visit our Web-site at: www.shillelaghtravelclub.com

for a listing of all our upcoming trips and socials

THANKSGIVING CRUISE FROM BALTIMORE, NOV. 20–29Prices begin at only..............................................................................................................$580Includes 9-Nights Cruise on Celebrity’s “Mercury” With All Meals & Entertainment

BEIJING TO HONG KONG CRUISE, SEPT. 4–14.......................................................$820Includes 12-Nights Cruise on RCCL’s “Legend Of the Seas”, 1-Night Hilton Hotel,Beijing and All Meals & Entertainment Onboard. $25 Shipboard Credit per Stateroom

IRELAND, NOV. 1–9.............................................................................................................$1899Includes Air from National Airport, 3-Nights International Hotel, Killarney, 3-NightsImperial Hotel, Galway 1-Night Cabra Castle Daily Breakfast & Dinner Sightseeing,Whiskey Tasting, Irish Coffee

Your Friendly, Neighborhood Thrift ShopYESTERDAY’S ROSEwhere you never see the same thing twice

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BRING IN THIS AD AND RECEIVE AN EXTRA20% OFF NON SALE ITEMS GOOD THRU 3/24/10

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50% OffHousewares & LinensSaturday, 3/20/10

10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Springfield. Celebrate 50th anniversaryof Ravensworth Farm.

Spring Scrapbooking Event. 8:30a.m.-2:30 p.m. at The Dunn LoringVolunteer Fire and RescueDepartment, 2148 Gallows Road,Dunn Loring. Paper craftingprofessionals available to help.Ground level cropping space, freemassages, access to a tool table andmore. $30. All proceeds go to theDunn Loring Fire and Rescue Dept.Register at www.dlvfrd.org.

SUNDAY/MARCH 21Lecture by local author Chuck

From Page 9

Calendar

Mauro, “A Southern Spy inNorthern Virginia: The CivilWar Album of Laura Ratcliffe.”6 p.m. at Panera Bread, 3955 ChainBridge Road, Fairfax. Hosted byFrank Stringfellow Camp #822 Sonsof Confederate Veterans. Open to thepublic. $5. 703-250-8705 [email protected].

N Scale Model Trains will be runningfrom 1-4 p.m. at the Fairfax StationRailroad Museum, 11200 FairfaxStation Road, Fairfax Station. TheNorthern Virginia NTRAK model trainclub will host its monthly layout.Trains will be running in the cabooseas well. $2 adults, $1 ages 4-10. 703-425-9225.

NAACP Fairfax County Youth

Council Meeting. 4 p.m. at theGeorge Mason University JohnsonCenter, Robeson Room, 4400University Drive, Fairfax. Meetingsare open to youth ages [email protected].

Community Family Fun Day. 1-4p.m. at Gesher Jewish Day School,4700 Mattie Moore Court Fairfax.Magic show and balloons by Mr.Twister, moonbounce, make yourown matzah, face painting, usedbook sale, Passover fun and natureactivities and crafts. 703-962-9612 [email protected].

Au Pair in America Cultural Fair.1-3 p.m. at Ernst Cultural CenterGym, Northern Virginia CommunityCollege, 8333 Little River Turnpike

Annandale. Au pairs will share theircultures through visual displays, foodsamples, games and performances.Around the World Scavenger Huntwith prizes for children. Terry Bellus,[email protected].

Japanese Taiko Drum EnsembleTao: The Martial Art ofDrumming. 4 p.m. at the GeorgeMason University Center for the Arts,4400 University Drive, Fairfax. A pre-performance discussion, free to ticketholders, begins 45 minutes beforeperformance on the Center’s GrandTier III. $22-$44. Youth throughgrade 12 half price whenaccompanied by an adult. Ticketsavailable at 888-945-2468 or visitcfa.gmu.edu.

Gesher Used Book Sale. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at Gesher Jewish DaySchool, 4800 Mattie Moore Court,Fairfax. Books, DVDs, CDs and videotapes. This is also Gesher’sCommunity Family Day, 1-4 p.m. forall ages. 703-978-9789.

The IBIS Chamber Music Society. 7p.m. at Providence PresbyterianChurch, 9019 Little River Turnpike,Fairfax. Dohnanyi’s trio for strings,Jean Francaix’s Quintet #2, Ravel’sduo for violin and cello and more.Complimentary food/beverages atMeet The Artists reception. $20 inadvance/$25 at door, seniors andstudents $10/$15.

See Calendar, Page 10


Antioch Baptist Church invites

to join us for worship & fellowship

Sunday, March 28, 2010

11:30 a.m. worship service

Singles of all ages

Save the Date!!

6531 Little Ox Road • Fairfax Station, VA 22039

www.antioch-church.orgFor more information, please contact Rev. Bernard Snowden at 703-425-0710

Guest Choir: George Mason University’s Anointed Voices of Unity

www.providencechurch.org/music or703-978-3934.

West Springfield Crew BoostersBasket Bingo. 1 p.m. at WestSpringfield High School Cafeteria,6100 Rolling Road, Springfield. $15advance, $20 at the door. Rafflesinclude a Bryce getaway, 32-inch flatscreen TV, Amex card, diamondbracelet, gift card bouquet and aLongaberger wrought iron Foyerbench with wall unit. 703-451-9801.

Book Sale. 1-4 p.m. City of FairfaxRegional Library, 10360 North St.,Fairfax. New and used books andmore. 703-293-6227.

Bluegrass Brunch with DeadMen’s Hollow and Lisa KayBand. 1:30 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $8. 703-255-1566 or www.jamminjava.com.

An Evening with Al Petteway andAmy White. 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $20. 703-255-1566 or www.jamminjava.com.

MONDAY/MARCH 22Jonathan Austin: Magic and

Juggling. 2:30 p.m. PohickRegional Library, 6450 SydenstrickerRoad, Burke. Magic, juggling andunicycling fun. Age 6-12. 703-644-7333.

Open Mic Showcase hosted byRon Goad. 7 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $2 cover.703-255-1566 orwww.jamminjava.com.

TUESDAY/MARCH 23Frances Perkins, New Deal

Pioneer. 7 p.m. Kings Park Library,9000 Burke Lake Road, Burke. KirstinDowney discusses her book, The

From Page 9

Calendar

Woman Behind the New Deal. 703-978-5600.

Inova Blood Drive. 1-6:30 p.m.Pohick Regional Library, 6450Sydenstricker Road, Burke. Photo IDrequired. Appointments preferred,call 1-866-256-6372. Adults.

Teen Book Group. 6 p.m. PohickRegional Library, 6450 SydenstrickerRoad, Burke. What’s hot and what’snot. Age 12-16. 703-644-7333.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 24Consciousness, Meaning and Your

Calling in Life. 6:30-9 p.m. at theOld Town Hall, 3999 University

Drive, Fairfax. Presented by GeorgeMason University’s Center forConsciousness and Transformation.Light refreshments included. $20.Pre-registration recommended athttp://cct.gmu.edu.

Joan Marie Giampa OpeningReception: Image ArchaeologyDoctoral Exhibition. 5 p.m.George Mason University Hall AtriumGallery, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. 703-349-7178.

Evening Book Discussion Group. 7p.m. Burke Centre Library, 5935Freds Oak Road, Burke. Call for title.Adults. 703-249-1520.

Jim Weider’s Project Percolator. 8

p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave.E., Vienna. $15. 703-255-1566 orwww.jamminjava.com.

THURSDAY/MARCH 25Think Spring! 10:30 a.m. Burke

Centre Library, 5935 Freds OakRoad, Burke. Story time celebratingspring. Ages 2-5 with an adult. 703-249-1520.

Book Club Kids: Planting aRainbow. 10:30 a.m. PohickRegional Library, 6450 SydenstrickerRoad, Burke. Book club for 3-5 yearolds. Activities and fun centeredaround “Planting a Rainbow” by Lois

Ehlert. Children should be familiarwith this story before coming. 703-644-7333.

An Evening with Joseph Arthur. 8p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave.E., Vienna. $15. 703-255-1566 orwww.jamminjava.com.

FRIDAY/MARCH 26Choral concert by the James

Madison University Choraleand Madison Singers. 7 p.m. atProvidence Presbyterian Church,9019 Little River Turnpike, Fairax.Free. www.providencechurch.org/music or 703-978-3934.

The Hint, Struan Shields and EverSince Beginnings. 5:30 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. $10 in advance, $13 at thedoor. 703-255-1566 orwww.jamminjava.com.

Sarah Borges and the BrokenSingles with Memphis 59. 10p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave.E., Vienna. $12. 703-255-1566 orwww.jamminjava.com.

George Mason University DanceCompany’s 2010 Gala Concert.8 p.m. at the GMU Center for the ArtsConcert Hall, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. $20 adults, $12 students andseniors at 888-945-2468 orcfa.gmu.edu.

SATURDAY/MARCH 27The City of Fairfax Band

Association Presents OldFriends, New Friends. 8 p.m. atFairfax High School Auditorium,3501 Rebel Run, Fairfax. $13 foradults, $7 for seniors, and free forunder age18. Purchase tickets onlineat www.fairfaxband.org. Groupdiscounts are available withadvanced sales. 703-757-0220.

JapaneseTaiko DrumEnsembleTao presentsThe MartialArt of Drum-ming thisSaturdayand Sundayat theGeorgeMasonUniversityCenter forthe Arts.T

AO

En

tertain

men

t

Drum Show

HOW TO GET YOURORGANIZATION’S SPECIALEVENTS IN THE CONNECTION

Calendar ListingsThe Connection Newspapers contain a Calendar ofUpcoming Events every week. While we cannot guaranteethat every event we receive information about will belisted, here is the information we need for your upcomingevent to be considered for the Calendar. We welcomephotographs of similar events held previously, whichsometimes appear with Calendar items.

Name of Event:Day of the Week, Date and Time:Name of the Place Event will Be Held:Address of the Place Event Will Be Held:Name and Phone Number for More Information:Three Sentences Describing the Event:

Please submit your calendar information at leasttwo weeks before your event. Clear photographs fromsimilar previous events are always welcome.All events should be open to the public. We givefirst priority to free events. E-mail listings to:

[email protected] mail to:Calendar, Connection Newspapers1606 King StreetAlexandria, VA 22314.

For more information, call 703-778-9410.

www.connectionnewspapers.com


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Save Your Library!Proposed Cuts to Fairfax County Public Library will:• Close all the libraries two mornings and two evenings a week• Eliminate weekend telephone and reference service and library programs• Slash information assistance and computer/Wi-Fi access for students, job seekers, ESL patrons and others• Eliminate outreach services for the disabled, homebound and senior center residents• Reduce services for children and teens• Cut the library budget by nearly 1/3 over two years• Make per resident library spending for Fairfax County the lowest in the DC Metro area

Friends of Fairfax County Public Libraries

Residents of Fairfax City contact the Mayor and City Council mayor&[email protected]

Help Save Library ServicesSign our petition at http://tiny.cc/fcpl

Contact the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors• Chairman, At-Large — Sharon Bulova 703-324-2321 [email protected]• Braddock — John C. Cook 703-425-9300 [email protected]• Dranesville — John W. Foust 703-356-0551 [email protected]• Hunter Mill — Catherine M. Hudgins 703-478-0283 [email protected]• Lee — Jeff C. McKay 703-971-6262 [email protected]• Mason — Penelope A. Gross, Vice Chairman 703-256-7717 [email protected]• Mount Vernon — Gerald W. Hyland 703-780-7518 [email protected]• Providence — Linda Q. Smyth 703-560-6946 [email protected]• Springfield — Pat Herrity 703-451-8873 [email protected]• Sully — Michael R. Frey 703-814-7100 [email protected]

Charlie’s Barber Shop

Charlie now has

his own shop

in Burke!

5622 Ox Rd., H1 Fairfax Station, VA 22039(Next to Gold’s Gym)

703-503-1122www.charliesBarberShop.com

cation system, saying that allstreets would have been plowedquickly if VDOT had better com-munication with its plow opera-tors. He said that he received callsfrom constituents complainingthat their streets were not plowedfor more than a week. He addedthat the poor communication hin-dered VDOT’s ability to adapt tothe changing nature of the situa-tion.

“As we saw some problems itoccurred to me that the commu-nication between you and thepeople in the plows is the issue,”Cook said. “If you don’t have a wayto communicate with drivers andthey’re not in the office, that’s nothelping anyone. You have to havea management structure that al-lows you to change during theevent.”

Another area in need of change,several supervisors said, is the is-sue of private contractors. Super-visor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield)questioned the work of the privatecontractors hired by VDOT to as-sist in plowing efforts, saying thatthe contractors were not held ac-countable for their work, and inturn, neglected to plow manystreets. He called for more moni-toring of their work and suggestedthat VDOT provide incentives forgood performance.

McKay also took issue with pri-vate contractors, but in terms ofcontractors hired by homeowners’and civic associations. He said thatmany of his constituents told himthat their plows were willing toplow streets outside of theseneighbors and that they were will-ing to incur the cost to help thecommunity. However, due toVDOT restrictions, only VDOTstaff or contractors hired directlyby VDOT can plow VDOT roads.

“A suggestion I heard from HOAsis that they would have beenhappy to do VDOT streets but theycouldn’t because of liability is-sues,” McKay said.

While the summit provided an-swers to some of the most press-ing questions that arose from thesnowstorms, Salehi and Vlacichboth said that even if the prepara-tion was better and the responsemore efficient, the sheer volumeof the snow would have hamperedany efforts.

“The snow impacted residents,neighborhoods, our families andus,” Vlacich said. “Our goal, firstand foremost, is to do the mostgood in the quickest amount oftime. We don’t have all the an-swers, but we’re constantly tryingto improve.”

News

From Page 5

Summit


Three Added to Local Hall of FameSports

Burke Connection Sports Editor Reed Albers


Three Added to Local Hall of FameBruins’ Jim Poythressnamed Coach of the Year.

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Lake Braddock football head coach Jim Poythress wasnamed Coach of the Year at the ceremony. Poythress ledthe Bruins to a state finals appearance in 2009.

“Thank you forhelping make mydreams come true.”

— Jason Witten

By Reed S. Albers

The Connection

Dallas Cowboy Jason Witten might oneday be immortalized in the Pro FootballHall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, but hisfirst hall of fame honor is Fairfax’s to

claim.On March 14 at the McLean

Hilton, the Fairfax County FootballHall of Fame inducted the six-time,Pro Bowl tight end and formerVienna Youth linebacker to it’s il-lustrious roster of local footballlegends.

“There’s no question that the ex-periences I had [at Vienna Youth]helped me reach my dreams,” Witten said. “Thankyou for helping make my dreams come true.”

Witten was unable to attend the ceremony due toduties with the NFL Players Association and its yearlymeeting in Hawaii, but his award will be held inFairfax until next year’s ceremony and he vowed toclaim it in person.

Former Robinson Secondary School head footballcoach Nick Hilgert joined Witten as one of the three2010 inductees to the Hall of Fame.

Hilgert, who served as head coach from 1983 to1996, was the first Robinson head coach to take theRams to the state football finals in 1988. Hilgert alsoworked as an assistant coach at Hammond HighSchool and Marshall High School.

Known for being a likeable coach and teacher,Hilgert used his time at the podium to remind the

student-athletes in attendance to strive for excellencein everyday life.

“There’s a lot more to [sports] than winning andlosing ... you don’t just go out for sports to be win-ners,” he said. “Always do your best. If you do yourbest, then you’re not a loser. Learn more, study more,work hard and don’t be satisfied with average.”

Richard Herman of Fort Belvoir Sports also wasinducted into the Hall of Fame for his decades ofservice to area youth sports. In 1993, he founded aselect basketball program, and in 2000 founded ayouth track club.

He currently is the Fort Belvoiryouth football commissioner.

“I love children and I’ll probablydo this until the day I die,” he said.“I appreciate this award and I’mvery humbled.”

IN ADDITION to the Hall ofFame inductions, various serviceand player of the year awards also

were handed out.Josh Hogan (W.T. Woodson), Kevin Samson (Madi-

son), Anton McCallum (Hayfield), Brian Laiti(Robinson), Hunter Debutts (Episcopal) and BoRevell (Battlefield) were named the High SchoolPlayers of the Year.

Jim Poythress (Lake Braddock) and Mickey Thomp-son (Stone Bridge) were named High School Coachesof the Year.

Solomon Thompson Jr. won the Karl Davey Me-morial Award. John Page won Official of the Yearand Joe Swarm, director of student activities atMarshall High School, won the Tom Davis Meritori-ous Service Award.

Damian Caracciola, Southwestern Youth Associa-tion youth football commissioner, won the GeneNelson Commissioner’s Award.

Determination Leads to Dream SchoolRobinson’s Mickey Bennett chases his dreamof wrestling for West Virginia University.

Setting his sights on joining West Virginia University’s wrestling team,Bennett put in hours of extra work at camps during the summer tobetter his chances.

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By Reed S. Albers

The Connection

Mickey Bennett, a 145-poundwrestler for Robinson, had justabout everything squared away

to begin his transition to West Virginia Uni-versity next fall.

He had paid his first-year tuition depositand had a roommateand dorm assignmentlined up, but a spot onthe team’s NCAA Divi-sion 1 wrestling teamwas still in limbo.

“West Virginia was my top pick for col-lege,” the senior said. “I had been lookingat West Virginia for a while. I went to a campthere and hoped they would notice me.”

Through various camps and fund raisersat West Virginia, Mickey had attempted todraw attention to his wrestling.

Mickey hoped his first-place finish at the

Northern Region wrestling tournamentwould earn him a spot on Mountaineer’swrestling team.

No offer came.His third-place finish in 145-pound class

at the Virginia AAA state wrestling tourna-ment didn’t yield any news.

“It was getting upsetting,” said MarciaBennett, Mickey’smother. “We hadn’theard anything[about Mickey’s re-cruitment]. We knewthey had just re-cruited two other kidsin his weight class. We

were like ‘What now?’ “Mickey Bennett faced a grim situation. It

appeared he would have to walk on to thewrestling team and try to earn a spot overwrestlers who had been recruited — someof them national and state champions.

“If I had to walk on, then that’s how itwas going to be,” Mickey Bennett said.

As it turned out, Mickey Bennett had beena Mountaineer all along. His family’s wor-ried frenzy over his wrestling career had

kept them from performing a simple task.

“He was going to makethem want him.”

— Marcia Bennett


Sports

Spartans Fall in State Semis

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The loss of senior Mel Todd will leave a gap in the Spartans roster nextseason head coach Bill Gibson said.

“The kids played realhard and [the loss] isnothing to be ashamedabout.”

— Bill Gibson

Spartans suffer lossto Lake Taylor in statesemifinal matchup.

By Reed S. Albers

The Connection

For much of the West Springfieldgirls’ basketball season, the Spar-tans defense had been a catalystfor the team’s offense.

Their aggressive style of play helped theteam earn a trip to the Virginia AAA statesemifinals on March 10 at the Stuart C.Siegel Center in Richmond. In the semi-fi-nal match against Eastern Region foe LakeTaylor, the offense couldn’t keep pace, re-sulting in a 56-44 loss.

“We weren’t shooting well at all,” headcoach Bill Gibson said. “You have to shootat least average, but we weren’t doing that.”

Jordan Miller led the team in scoring with12 points. Logan Battle and April Robinsonboth tallied 10 points.Melanie Todd roundedout the top WestSpringfield scorerswith seven points.

West Springfield’saccomplishment ofplaying in the finalfour of the state tour-nament was not loston Gibson.

“There’s 137 AAA teams in the state andto get to the final four is quite an honor,”Gibson said. “The kids played real hard and[the loss] is nothing to be ashamed about.”

“I didn’t check the mail during the entireweek of regionals and states,” MarciaBennett said. “I pulled out the mail andthere was a 3-inch packet from West Vir-ginia saying they would like him to wrestlefor them.”

Mickey Bennett’s dream of becoming aMountaineer goes back to his first day withthe Robinson wrestling team.

Mickey, who played defense in football,wanted something to do during the off-sea-son.

“For 10 years, I played football,” he said.“After the season I wanted to try somethingnew.”

With no wrestling experience or any un-derstanding of the sport, Mickey Bennettjoined the Robinson wrestling team — oneof the region’s premier wrestling programs— as a freshman.

“When he came into the room, we didn’tknow what to expect,” Robinson head wres-tling coach Bryan Hazard said. “He was a

Despite the disappointing outcome,Gibson viewed the loss as another learningexperience for his young team.

The team’s core ofRobinson, Battleand Miller will bejuniors next season.The Spartans willgraduate only fivesenior players at theend of the year.

Gibson noted thatthe state semifinalsexperience will help

the young team in future big game situa-tions.

“The pressure of being in a big game issomething you can’t simulate,” he said.

The loss ends a top-notch year for theWest Springfield girls’ basketball team. TheSpartans finished the season with a 25-3record and won the Patriot District cham-pionship, but lost to Oakton in the North-ern Region finals.

Gibson hopes the young core of playerscan carry the team back to the state play-offs, but he said replacing Naomi Ngalle,Julia Stejskal, Jaz Gaston and Memi Turaywill be tough. Even tougher, though, is find-ing someone to fill Todd’s role.

“When you have a team like this, you lookat what you’ve lost,” he said. “We’re losingMelanie Todd, one of the best athletes I everhad. We’re going to lose her athleticism andthe things she did to change the momen-tum of the game.”

tough kid to deal with, but as he started togain experience and confidence, he shat-tered our expectations.”

Marcia Bennett didn’t know what to ex-pect either.

“I remember picking him up and he wassoaking wet. He came out and said, ‘This issweat,’” she said. “I thought he had gottenin a water fight. The next practice I pickedhim up and he was all wet again. After twoor three more days, I realized he wasn’tgetting in a water fight.”

Mickey Bennett spent a season on the jun-ior varsity team where he found such earlysuccess that it prompted him to make a dras-tic change in his sporting life.

“I decided to quit football so I could fo-cus on my wrestling,” he said.

WITH A renewed focus, Mickey Bennettearned a few matches on the varsity rosterin his sophomore year before earning a full-time spot as a junior.

When the season ended and other wres-tlers played other sports or took time off,

Mickey Bennett toiled on the mats, chasinghis dream.

Mickey Bennett started going to as manywrestling camps as he could, finding anyway to improve his skills.

“For two summers in a row, he went toover 30 days of camps,” Marcia Bennettsaid. “He just did a lot of work while every-one else was going to the pool.”

Hazard said it’s uncommon for a wres-tler to enter a program with no experienceand reach Mickey Bennett’s potential.

“There are people who have been nationalchampions who did not start wrestling un-til their freshman or sophomore year,” hesaid. But without prior experience, he ad-mitted it can be difficult to achieve MickeyBennett’s success.”

With a resumé of impressive victories,Mickey Bennett embarked on his quest togain the eyes of the West Virginia coaches.

He sent letters of recommendation, vis-ited coaches at the school, attended fundraisers at WVU and wrestled at eventswhere he might be seen by the coaches.

“You have to make yourself known to thecoaches and Mickey did that,” MarciaBennett said. “He was going to make themwant him.”

Mickey Bennett said there was never asecond school, there was only West Virginia.Hazard knew wrestling for WVU was a loftygoal.

“Up until the end of this year, I neverwould have expected him to wrestle at theDivision 1 level,” he said. “He didn’t reallyhave the awards, but he put in a lot of timeand bought into what we were [teaching].”

THE NEWS that Mickey Bennett hadearned a spot on the team righted some pastdisappointments in his young life.

“He’s kind of come up short on things hewants,” Marcia Bennett said. “It’s nice thathe finally got it. He worked hard for it.”

Hazard said Mickey Bennett’s chance towrestle for West Virginia is just one resultof his hard work and dedication to the sport.

“Wrestling has made him a better person,”Hazard said.

From Page 12

Mickey Bennett Climbs to Mountaintop

Week in Sports

Submit YouthSports Headlines

The local youth winter sports sea-sons are ending and the Connectiondoesn’t want any child’s accomplish-ments to go unnoticed.

In order to have youth sports itemsprinted or posted on the Web, sendthe information to Sports EditorReed S. Albers [email protected].

Travel Soccer TryOuts March 20

The U17 boys travel soccer team,the Patriots F.C. are looking to addexperienced players and a goal-keeper to their roster.

U17 Boys, is an NCSL team thatplays year round and draws playersfrom the Centreville, Chantilly,Clifton, Manassas, Burke, Spring-field, Fairfax and the Fairfax Stationareas.

Tryouts are Saturday, March 20,from 9-11 a.m. in the Centrevillearea.

The Patriots F.C. are coached by BillWalter, a former NCAA collegiateplayer who holds a USSF NationalLicense and professionally trained byFabio Vicente, a former Division 1Brazilian Professional Player.

Players interested in trying out forthe Patriots should contact the VBSCPatriots F.C. Manager Jack Dulan [email protected] or Walter [email protected] or 571-259-1000.


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Fifteen students from West Springfield HighSchool recently beat out 15 other highschools from across the country to benamed National Champions in the hip hop

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Opinion

The Transportation FixNo help on congestion just a small partof spreading pain from budget.

The Virginia General Assembly hasadjourned. If for some reason yourattention lapsed between the cam-paign for Governor (Gov. Bob

McDonnell took office just two months ago)and now, you might expect a transportationplan as one of the outcomes of this assemblysession.

Here is the transportation relief proposedand passed and likely to be signed: the maxi-mum speed limit on some roads will increaseto 70 miles-per-hour.

This seems like it might violate equal pro-tection standards, since there are very fewhours of the day on any Northern Virginia’sroads that getting above 55 is possible. Heck,most of us are really happy if traffic on theBeltway or 66 or 95 or Toll Road moves alongat 30 mph without frequent stops.

So in other parts of the state not dominatedby congestion, vehicles will be moving faster.

In Northern Virginia, there will be even less

Editorial

money for even fewer efforts at relieving con-gestion.

The governor’s commitment to fixing trans-portation, the center of his campaign thatboosted him to an election victory even inFairfax County (not Arlington or Alexandria)turned out to be far weaker than his commit-ment to eschew any new forms of revenue thatmight be needed to pay for such a fix.

Seriously, the Governor made no major pro-posal to the General Assemblyon transportation.

Many, many people will facehardships that the rest of us can

barely imagine because of the greatly pareddown budget just passed in the General As-sembly, especially people with disabilities ofall kinds, working poor families, people whoneed mental health care, people who are strug-gling with addictions, families who can’t af-ford health insurance whose incomes are justenough to keep them from getting assistance,

etc.Localities will press to raise property taxes

so they can buffer some of the cuts to educa-tion, health care and the safety net passedalong from the state.

Parents and students and teachers will feelthe pain as school districts struggle to adjustpriorities in ways that won’t sit well.

And everyone who needs to get anywherewill sit in traffic, wait longer for buses, paymore for rides on public transportation of allkinds.

But don’t forget that if you are lucky enoughto drive through some of rural Virginia on aninterstate, you’ll probably get to go 70 miles-per-hour. That should compensate for some ofthe pain.

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abuse among youth, demands immediate at-tention. Local organizations and concerned in-dividuals should join together to mobilize thecommunity to fight against this growing epi-demic.

Authorities tell us that DXM overdoses typi-cally occur in clusters, as word about the “high”spreads in a community’s middle and highschools. According to a recent study, it’s esti-mated that one out of 10 people aged 12 to17, or 2.4 million children from all back-grounds and geographic areas have said they

have taken cough remediesto get high.

It is vital that adults, par-ticularly parents be awareof the possible signs of

abuse. A red flag should be raised if you seeyour child making frequent purchases of OTCcough preparations from the same or differentstores, or from the Internet, hides cough medi-cine bottles in his/her bedroom, is exhibitingodd behavior; has declining grades; a loss ofinterest in friends and activities; or is experi-encing hallucinations and/or any of the sideeffects mentioned above.

Be cautious about your medicine cabinets.You should know what is in there, keep trackof your medicines, and discard OTC and pre-scription medications that you don’t need. Ifyou suspect a problem, immediately contact alocal substance abuse prevention/interventionprofessional, such as your pediatrician or fam-ily doctor. The time to educate and act is now.

Ana Burns has a B.S. in health policy andadministration and is an epidemiology programassistant. She is pursuing her masters degree inpublic health and grew up in the Fairfax area.

Teen Cough Medicine Abuse

Commentary

By Ana Burns

The latest and among the most danger-ous drug abuse problems has arisenamong teens and is creeping across

America, affecting many communities. Thereare codenames for it: Skittles, Robo, Triple Cs,Dex, Tussin and Vitamin D, to mention a few.This is the practice of getting high by takingexcessive doses of over-the-counter (OTC)cough medications. These are the same me-dicinal remedies that we commonly stock inour medicine cabinets and are readily avail-able in drugstores and supermarkets every-where.

The “high” is caused by dextromethorphan,known familiarly as DXM, and is an active in-gredient in more than 100 nonprescriptioncough syrups, tablets and gel caps likeDimetapp DM, Robitussin, Sudafed and Vicks44. A normal dose of cough medicine is 15–30milligrams. Surprisingly, children are some-times ingesting 25–50 times the recommendeddoses.

DXM, when used as directed, has a long his-tory of being safe and effective. However, whentaken in large doses, it can produce a halluci-nogenic high, along with dangerous side ef-fects, caused by the DXM itself or other activeingredients in the medicine. Among them arestomach pain and heart problems, as well asdelusions, depression, high blood pressure, lossof consciousness, nausea and vomiting, numb-ness, rashes and seizures.

Certainly, as a community, we would wantto ensure that OTC cough and cold medicinescontaining DXM remain accessible to thosewho need them. However, the potential for

Letters

Adults need to be aware of new drug problem.Against the Tide?To the Editor:

I opined that when Ken Cuccinelli (R)was elected Attorney General he wouldlikely become an embarrassment to theCommonwealth of Virginia. The Com-monwealth has a myriad of problems andturmoil created by the severe downturnin the Nation’s economy. Cuccinelli woulddo better if he helped solve these prob-lems rather than creating new ones.

When he was a state senator, Cuccinellipursued his own social agenda, which isprobably derived from his religious faith,this is understandable. But, his religious

beliefs should not be thebasis for his actions as Attor-ney General of Virginia.

Ken Cuccinelli can con-tinue to tilt at windmills in

a time when the Nation’s Defense Depart-ment is trying to fix the “Don’t Ask Don’tTell” issue. In my opinion, Cuccinelli isswimming against the tide of history. If[Former Republican Del.] VincentCallahan thinks Cuccinelli’s action is ill-advised, then that’s good enough for me.

Some 50 years ago, when I was a stu-dent in graduate school, I rode in acarpool for 13 months with another AirForce officer who I later found out hadto resign his commission because he wasa homosexual. He also had a wife anddaughter at the time of our military as-signment at school, as did I. My life hasbeen no better or worse because I hap-pened to have been assigned by the mili-tary to the same graduate school program

See Letters, Page 17


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with a man who today would be categorizedas being gay.

I do not know why a man or woman is gay.Some say they are born that way and others sayit is because of the environment in which theygrew up. Some say it is a combination of both.Be that as it may, I doubt if Ken Cuccinelli knowswhy, either. Maybe, because of his upbringing,he feels compelled to fix what he perceives tobe a problem, which, in my opinion, is biggerthan him. If all of us are children of God, I sin-cerely doubt if a mortal man like Cuccinelli cando anything to change person’s sexual orienta-tion. The question then becomes: Does Cuccinellibelieve that it is OK to discriminate againstpeople who are gay? Even if, some of them, menand women in our armed forces, are fighting anddying to protect the freedom he and all of usenjoy in our beloved country?

Lon CaldwellSpringfield

Opinion

Another Budget Solution

Commentary

Letters to the Editor

Andrew A. Painter

No one knows how the Commonwealth’sdire $4.5 billion budget shortfall willbe resolved, but it is likely that theGeneral Assembly will again shift a sig-

nificant portion of the state’s budgetary woes to lo-cal governments, effectively forcing them to raiselocal taxes to pay for services. This year’s budget cri-sis is emblematic of the constant dilemma wherebythe needs of citizens far exceed the ability of theirrespective local governing bodies to finance and payfor these needs.

Fortunately, Virginia permits local governments toutilize a myriad of public-private partnership toolsto finance services, including Community Develop-ment Authorities, or “CDAs.” Area governmentsshould give serious consideration to the use of CDAsto help alleviate their budget difficulties and spureconomic development. CDAs have been particularlyuseful for spearheading revitalization initiatives andrecently, Fairfax County authorized the creation of aCDA in 2009 to help spur redevelopment in theMerrifield area.

CDAs exist as special taxing districts created bylocal governments to independently issue tax-exemptbonds. These bonds finance public infrastructureimprovements associated with new development. Inrecent years, the use of CDAs has proliferated acrossthe Commonwealth and have helped to finance abroad range of infrastructure, including transporta-tion improvements, public water/sanitary sewerlines, storm water management, parking and more.

CDA bonds are typically repaid over a 20- or 30-year term from revenue generated from propertieswithin the district, including special property taxes,

Tough Times? CommunityDevelopment Authoritiesdeserve a look.

special assessments, and/or incremental tax rev-enues. Where properly used, CDAs not only providea way to shift certain capital infrastructure costs tothe private sector, but also may ultimately free upneeded local revenue and debt capacity to pay forother critical services and personnel.

While some localities may be receptive to the ideaof creating a CDA, others may be concerned aboutthe potential for default on bond payments. Evenwhere the risk of default is low, many localities re-main concerned about how CDA debt will be per-ceived by credit rating agencies and whether it will

indirectly impact their debt ca-pacity.

These valid concerns can bestbe addressed jointly by the gov-erning body and developer

through proper financial due diligence, the craftingof well-written authorization agreements, govern-mental oversight, and prudent fiscal policies.

The establishment of a new bond-issuing author-ity through a successful CDA only comes as the re-sult of careful, deliberative negotiations betweenprivate individuals and local government. Forging amutually-beneficial partnership, developing a trans-parent process with citizens, and crafting tight ordi-nances and agreements is critical.

MOREOVER, it is imperative to have an experi-enced, well-capitalized developer with a strongproject in a strategic location that guarantees a rea-sonable return on investment and an acceptable levelof assurance to the participating jurisdiction.

Existing CDAs have shown that they can providefaster delivery of key capital projects than traditionalfinancing arrangements and can have a positive im-pact on a jurisdiction’s taxable real estate values. Wiseleadership, strategic partnerships and strong projectsthat deliver public services and new economic de-velopment would be an asset in any budget year.

Andrew A. Painter is a land use attorney with Walsh,Colucci, Lubeley, Emrich & Walsh, PC.

Supporting MartinTo the Editor:

I just received an announcement that ScottMartin will be running for the 39th State SenateSeat next year. I can’t tell you how happy I amthat we will have a principled and common sensecandidate running to represent us.

Sen George Barker (D) just voted to the far-leftof his own party against SB 417, a Senate billthat would provide the citizens of Virginia con-stitutional protection against mandated federalhealth care. Not only is this deeply disturbing,but it is an indication of how out of touch GeorgeBarker is with the interests of his constituents.

Show me where in the U.S. or Virginia Consti-tution it states that the government has the rightto force me to obtain a specific health insurancepolicy for my family and me? Health insuranceneeds reform, but forcing citizens to obtain gov-ernment mandated insurance is not only wrong,it is unconstitutional.

Victoria ThompsonFairfax Station

From Page 16

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Community

By Julia O’Donoghue

The Connection

This is one of three articles about the up-coming 2010 census and what to expect inFairfax County. To see other articles, visitwww.connectionnewspapers.com.

In a little more than a month, theUnited States will count its residentsand update demographic informationfor the first time since 2000.

Fairfax County residents will receive theircensus forms through the mail or by handdelivery in the middle of March. The com-pleted forms are due April 1.

The U.S. Constitution calls for each state’sapportionment of seats in the House of Rep-resentatives to be based on the results ofthe census that is taken every 10 years. Theinformation gathered during the census isalso used to redraw political boundaries atthe state and local level.

Fairfax County officials are encouragingall citizens to participate in the census sincean increase the county’s population couldlead to, among other things, a greater num-

Will Fairfax County’s million-plusresidents be enough?

ber of representatives inRichmond or on CapitolHill.

“Political representa-tion is based on ourpopulation so we wantto make sure we are ac-curately counted. Ournumbers provide usrepresentation in con-gress. It is also impor-tant that we have ad-equate representation at the General Assem-bly level,” said Fairfax County ChairmanSharon Bulova (D-At-large).

OVER THE PAST few decades, Fairfax hasgained political clout as a result of popula-tion counts taken during the 10-year cen-sus.

Fairfax acquired a new congressional seat,Virginia’s 11th District, when the 1990 cen-sus reflected the locality’s significant popu-lation growth. The Virginia General Assem-bly also opted to move the 86th Districtdelegate seat from Southwest Virginia to theHerndon area after the 2000 census showed See Numbers, Page 21

Growth in Northern Virginia 2000-08Locality Additional Residents Percent of Growth

Fairfax 36,231 4 percentArlington 20,500 11 percentAlexandria 15,600 12.6 percentLoudoun 120,400 71 percentPrince William 84,000 30 percent

Virginia 620,228 10 percent

a population boom in western Fairfax.Following the 1990 head count, local of-

ficials also added a new seat, the Sully Dis-trict, to the Fairfax County Board of Super-visors.

But it is not clear that Fairfax would gainrepresentatives or create new political seatsas a result of the 2010 census, even thoughthe number of Fairfax residents has contin-ued to climb over the last decade.

ACCORDING TO ESTIMATES from thecensus bureau, approximately 1.01 millionpeople called Fairfax County home in 2008,up from 979,000 at the beginning of the

decade.The county is still, by

far, the largest locality inVirginia, claiming one inevery seven or eight resi-dents of the common-wealth. Virginia’s secondlargest locality, VirginiaBeach City, is less thanhalf the size of Fairfax,with approximately470,000 residents.

From 2000 to 2008,Fairfax’s population is es-timated to have grown alittle more than 4 percent.During the same time pe-

riod, Virginia’s population grew by about10 percent.

If the 2008 census estimates prove true,Fairfax went from accounting for 13.7 per-cent of Virginia’s population in 2000 to 12.9percent in 2008. And one percentage pointis equal to approximately one seat in the100-person House of Delegates.

If anything, Fairfax’s Northern Virginianeighbors appear more likely to gain po-litical seats or extra representatives in Rich-mond and on Capitol Hill, given that theyhave grown at a faster rate than the rest of

Coming To Our Census: Population Growth

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the state as a whole.From 2000 to 2008, Arlington County has

grown by approximately 20,500 residents,an 11 percent increase; the City of Alexan-dria has grown by 15,600 residents, a 12.6percent increase; Prince William County hasgrown by approximately 84,000 residents,a 30 percent increase; and Loudoun Countyhas grown by approximately 120,400 resi-dents, about 71 percent.

“I think, with the population growth,you’ll see a movement toward outer Fairfax,Prince William and Loudoun but it is hardto know until the numbers come in,” saidformer U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-11), whohelped orchestrate the political redistrict-ing for federal and state seats following the2000 census.

The number of Fairfax representativesand the state and federal level will also de-pend largely on which political party con-trols redistricting since partisans often ma-nipulate political boundaries to their advan-tage, according to Davis.

If the Republicans are in control, they maytry to keep more rural districts, which tendto favor their party, in the legislature.

“You may be able to do four congressionaldistricts in Northern Virginia. It just dependson who draws them,” said Davis.

WITHIN THE COUNTY LIMITS, electedofficials seem divided and a little hesitantto talk about what local population growthmight mean for the Fairfax County Boardof Supervisors.

The greatest amount of Fairfax’s popula-tion growth has taken place in south countyaround Lorton in the Springfield and MountVernon districts. The shuttering of a federalprison and opening of a world-class artscenter has lead to revitalization and a boomin residential housing in the area.

“There is a lot of growth happening inmy district that is not happening in otherdistricts. Fairfax is growing because of thatpart of the Mount Vernon District,” saidSupervisor Gerry Hyland (D-MountVernon), who has represented the Lorton

Population Growth, Household Characteristics, Commute The year 2000 was the last time the U.S. Census did a precise survey of Fairfax County residents but the federal government

also collected information through an American Community Survey from January 2006 to December 2008 in order to determinehow the county has changed.

Many of the trends found when comparing the 2000 Census data to the 2008 survey estimates are likely to also show up whenthe 2010 Census is completed.

Fairfax County Virginia USA

2000 2008 2000 2008 2000 2008

Population 969,749 1.01 million 7.07 million 7.8 million 281 million 307 million

Households w/Married Couple 59.4% 56.3% 52.8% 50.7% 51.7% 9.6%One-personHouseholds 21.4% 25.8% 25.1% 27.4% 25.8% 27.5%

Average HouseholdSize (People) 2.74 2.72 2.54 2.54 2.59 2.61Average FamilySize 3.2 3.29 3.04 3.1 3.14 3.2

area for 23 years.In 2008, the Mount Vernon District was

estimated to have 123,873 residents and theSpringfield District came in at 126,116 com-pared to just 114,702 residents in the Provi-dence District and 109,321 in the BraddockDistrict, according to information providedby Fairfax County’s demographic informa-tion.

But whether that growth warrants thecreation of a 10th magisterial district andan 11th chair on the Fairfax Board of Su-pervisors is uncertain.

“The change in population could or wouldjustify creating a new district. I don’t thinkthere is agreement on the board to do thatbut we haven’t talked about it at all,” saidHyland.

HYLAND’S DISTRICT is already fairlydivided into two separate communities bythe Fort Belvoir Army Base.

Neighborhoods to the north of the basehave Alexandria mailing addresses, older

housing stock and the residents tend to bemore established, having lived in the countyfor several years. Families in that part ofthe district generally attend West Potomacor Mount Vernon High School and theirhomeowners associations and other civicgroups are organized under the MountVernon Council of Citizens Associations.

But south of Fort Belvoir, especially in theLaurel Hill area, residents are more likelyto be newcomers to the county and younger.Much of the housing stock was recently builtand has a Lorton or Springfield mailingaddress.

Those living south of Fort Belvoir usuallyattend Hayfield and South County second-ary schools. They have their own umbrellacivic organization, the South County Fed-eration, and their own regional cultural at-traction, the Lorton Arts Center.

“I think Lorton, as it stands now, is prettydisconnected from the rest of the MountVernon District. It is a ways from there andit has its own character and own flavor that

is very different from Mount Vernon,” saidSupervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee), who sat onthe county’s political redistricting advisorycommittee following the 2000 census.

Since Fairfax created its last supervisorseat, Sully in 1991, the census estimatesthat county’s overall population has in-creased by more than 200,000 residents, orapproximately 25 percent.

But even with the large amount of popu-lation growth over the last 20 years, Bulovasaid she is not fond of the idea of creatinganother magisterial district and seat on thecounty board.

“We would have an awfully large boardwith the addition of another district andanother member. My personal preferenceis not to make changes to our boundaries,”said Bulova.

Adding another supervisor seat will alsolead to more operational costs for thecounty. Each supervisor currently has theirown district office and few members of thestaff that are built into the county’s budget.

we don’t have middle school sports,I did what I had to do.”

Another major concern for severalaudience members was the way thecounty was spending its money. Anexample cited by audience members,and seconded by Herrity, was thecounty spending money on housingsubsidies for county employees andlow-income families. Joana Garcia, aFairfax Station resident, said that thecounty is worrying about providingfor people from outside of the county

From Page 18

Community

Will the Numbers Add Up for Fairfax?

while the money could be used to supportthe people already within it.

“We have a county purchasing homes thatneed to be renovated, but we aren’t mak-ing sure our children have the fundamen-tal building blocks of education,” Garciasaid. “There are children on my bus routethat are riding three across [in a seat] withchildren on their laps and we’re spendingall this money on these houses.”

Herrity said that he agreed with Garcia’ssentiment, saying that the money beingspent on the housing program is mostly forcounty employees living outside the countyto move to here. He said that while he drew

criticism for voting against the subsidies,he did so with the belief that the moneycould be better used to fill budget gaps ineducation and public safety.

“I’ve been leading the charge against this,and I’m made out to be the bad guy,” Herritysaid. “But right now, we need to be focus-ing on the things that we should be doing.A lot of this [money for housing subsidies]is going to move people from Gainesville tohere because they work for the county.That’s not the role of the county. Its role isto educate, ensure public safety and get thatmoney to the people who really need it.”

While the disagreements between the

Board of Supervisors and the SchoolBoard over the school budget are sureto continue, Herrity said that as longas a bipartisan approach is taken tobalancing the budget, the situationwill be corrected. A combination ofinteragency cooperation and citizeninvolvement, he said, are the keys tosatisfying all parties.

“There’s a lot in flux right now andthis budget needs work,” Herrity said.“We need to work through this pro-cess with an open dialogue and bydoing things that make sense.”

Town Hall Meeting Focuses on County BudgetFrom Page 3



#1 in Virginia703-425-8000

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Fairfax $560,000This home is a 10+! Owners planned on retiringhere & put over $270k in improvements. Youname it, the home has it. All improvements arewell thought out & extremely tasteful. Located inwonderful neighborhood close to VRE & metrobusas well as community schools & pools.

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For 24-hour recorded information call 1-888-495-6207 x207.

Springfield$420,000

Move-in ConditionSpacious & comfort-able. Updated appli-ances, windows & deck.Wood laminate floors.MBR bath w/tub &shower. Gas fireplace,recessed lights.Adjacent to CrossCounty Trail. Near toFt Belvoir EPG &Springfield Metrorail.

Call Joel @703-969-6442.

Springfield $1950RENTAL CLOSE TO METRO

Detached*4 bedroom*2 bath*2 level*Large lot/partiallyfenced*2 fireplaces*Den/family room*large master bed-room*Large rec room*W/D*Close to schools*SpringfieldMall*Springfield Metro*

Call Buzz 703-503-1866

WoodbridgeFor Rent $1,550COMING SOON

Super convenient location!!!End-unit former model town-house. 3 Bedrooms, 2 MasterB. with own baths. kitchenisland with breakfast bar.Large deck of dinning room.Fireplace, walkout basementto large fenced backyard.Hardwood floors on mainlevel. Please call agents withany inquiries.

Documents

Learning from Record Storms Battle To the HoopAccording to Keller, the worst pothole in the Burke “The potholes will get repaired. It may take longer than usual, but it will happen..”