Police Give TJ Elementary ‘All Clear’ After Lockdown

By FALLS CHURCH CITY COMMUNICATIONS

July 30, 2010

City of Falls Church Police locked down Thomas Jefferson Elementary School at approximately 9:30 this morning after a pedestrian reported observing a man walking on Seaton Lane wearing camouflage and carrying a helmet and what appeared to be an assault weapon. Officers immediately locked down the school and moved the children and staff inside to a central location. Police swept through the entire building, and searched the school property and adjacent area. Nothing was found and police have cleared the scene. As a precaution, police were also sent to Mt. Daniel Elementary School and the St. James School, both of which are running summer school programs.

Police believe that due to the nature and description of the situation, the man was likely carrying a paintball gun or an airsoft gun, which are used for recreational purposes. The man is described as a while male in his early twenties. Anyone with information about this person is asked to call police at 703-241-5050.

Officers will remain in the area to look out for suspicious activity and the school staff has been advised to keep the children inside until dismissal time as a precaution.

Council Defers Vote on Affordable Housing Project Financing

By GEORGE BROMLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

July 30, 2010

Thursday evening the Falls Church City Council voted 4-3 to defer a final decision on a resolution which would change the terms of  the City’s financial commitment to the Wilden affordable housing project.   Vice Mayor Dave Snyder, former mayor Robin Gardner and councilmen Ron Peppe and Lawrence Webb voted in favor of the motion to postpone a vote until August 9.  Mayor Nader Baroukh and new Council members Johannah Barry and Ira Kaylin were opposed.

The vote came after over four hours of debate and discussion during which City Manager Wyatt Shields and City Attorney John Foster both recommended against the proposal to immediately loan $1 million to the Falls Church Housing Corporation (FCHC) and its partner in the project, The Community Builders (TCB).  These entities, collectively now part of what FCHC representative Carol Jackson referred to as the Wilden Partnership, have requested that half of the previously approved $2 million City loan be extended now, lest essential tax credits from the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) be lost.

Prior to the vote to postpone, the Council voted down a motion by Mr. Kaylin to deny the resolution to accelerate the payment.  Here the mayor, Ms. Barry, and Mr. Kaylin approved, but the other four members were opposed.

After that vote, Mr. Webb stated that although he had not supported Mr. Kaylin’s motion, he would not vote for the resolution to approve the revised financing.   He then moved to postpone the vote on the measure to the Council’s next scheduled meeting.  This motion was seconded by Ms. Gardner and subsequently approved.

The final effect of the deliberations is that the loan agreement originally approved by the Council on March 22 remains in place, but the City has not consented to the quick release of the funds as requested by FCHC and TCB.  Between now and August 9 those parties will endeavor to obtain additional financing for the complex project, which involves both construction of the 66 unit senior affordable housing project (The Wilden at 350 S. Washington) and an adjacent office building (The McKeever at 360 S. Washington), which will provide garage parking for residents of the apartments.

TCB vice president Rob Fossey began the meeting with a presentation which argued that the requested revisions to the loan agreement were minor and represented only a limited risk to the City.   The funds are needed to allow purchase of the building currently at 360 S. Washington from the estate of Thomas Sawner.  The Wilden partners must close on this purchase in order to assure receipt of the VHDA tax credits.

Mr. Shields stated that when the project was approved he believed that FCHC and TCB would be able to obtain the necessary private financing to allow this transaction.  The anticipation then was that Falls Church would not have to release any funds until after the start of construction.

He expressed concern that the City might have to reduce its fund balance at a time when it is under significant financial stress.  He noted that if the Virginia Supreme Court turns down Falls Church’s appeal of the water litigation decision it will have three days to move $2.2 million from its general fund to the water fund.  [Note: Mr. Shields informed us subsequently that he meant to say 30 days, not three days.] Mr. Shields warned that if  this were to happen when the fund balance is already low the City will have a cashflow problem.

Mr. Foster did not detail his reasons for recommending against passage of the resolution but noted he had submitted a memo to the Council Wednesday which set forth his reasoning.

Following extensive comments from City residents and a brief recess, Mr. Snyder suggested that the Council go into a closed session to discuss “financially sensitive information”  and “contract negotiations” withFCHC, but Mr. Foster advised against the move on FOIA grounds.   Ms. Gardner suggested members meet with Ms. Jackson and Mr. Fossey “two by two”, but the mayor vetoed the idea.

Council recessed again to enable Ms. Jackson and Mr. Fossey to briefly explain their interests to Mr. Foster, but he concluded there were insufficient grounds under Virginia code to allow a closed session.  The Council then engaged in questions and debate.

Ms. Gardner suggested two changes to the resolution, but Ms. Barry was opposed “to anything written on the dias.”  Mr. Webb stated the decision was one of the most difficult he had faced and expressed concern about the possible impact on the fund balance.

Mr. Peppe, recalling his experience as a bond lawyer, saw the arrangement as “pretty clean as these deals go” and considered the proposal ‘the best chance we have to get the commercial development we need and affordable housing.”  Vice Mayor Snyder, who spoke most passionately in support of the resolution, felt that the proposal still served the long-term best interests of the City.

Mr. Kaylin saw the City “in very dire financial condition” and not in a position to assume the additional risk.  Mayor Baroukh regarded dipping into the fund balance as “imprudent financial management.”

Prior to the debate nineteen people addressed the Council.  Eleven spoke against the resolution and eight in favor.  A number of past and present City officials expressed their views, the active members stressing they were speaking as private citizens, not as representatives of their commissions or boards.

Planning Commission chairman John Lawrence stated that he was shocked that the request had been made and saw no reason to believe that other outside financing would be forthcoming.   Richard Sommerfield, a member of the Long Range Financial Working Group, reiterated comments published in the Falls Church Times and questioned FCHC’s solvency.   Former Economic Development Authority member Bruce Swenson saw approval as an abandonment of the Council’s fiduciary responsibility.

Eric Hoffman, a former chairman of the Falls Church Housing Commission felt that the request to advance the funds was not significant and only reflected a change in timing.  Former mayor Dan Gardner saw the project as a unique opportunity and argued that “community values” were at risk if it were not approved.  Former councilman Dan Maller, calling some of the recent rhetoric “overheated”, urged the Council to take a long term view and support a “reasonable risk.”   Bob Loftus-Thun, chairman of the Environmental Services Council called the project “a defining moment for our community and a good investment.”  School Board member Kieran Sharpe stated that the City’s record of supporting affordable housing was not as good as Fairfax’s or Arlington’s and that the financial commitment to the project would not jeopardize local schools.

The Council will hold a work session next Monday, August 2.  The August 9th meeting is the Council’s last scheduled session until September.  The fate of the GEORGE bus system is among the items scheduled for a discussion and vote that evening.

FOOD: Beat the Heat by Dining at La Caraqueña

Raul Claros provides the evening's entertainment on the congas.

By ILENE SMITH
Falls Church Times Staff

July 30, 2010

Ok, so the heat is on…..summer is in full swing.  If you find yourself reading this, and you haven’t been to the hottest South American restaurant this side of Caracas, make your reservation soon to experience the hoopla for yourself.  The Washingtonian, Washington Post, Examiner and Guy Fieri from the Food Network channel can’t all be wrong.  And don’t let  its location in the Stratford Motor Lodge scare you away……remember the  old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover”…..rest assured, La  Caraqueña is not your standard motel diner experience !

Just three years in business, La Caraqueña’s chef and owner, Raul Claros, has been cooking up the most sumptuous Pan Latin food without big city prices. Born in Venezuela, Claros moved to Bolivia and began his passion for cooking at a very young age helping mom in the kitchen.  When he turned 17, Claros made “the big move to the USA to check it out.”  While working in restaurants perfecting his skills, he saw a “for lease” sign in front of the Stratford Inn. Taking a leap of faith, Claros made Falls Church City home to La Caraqueña, simultaneously fulfilling a life-long dream: owning a restaurant where he can serve patrons as if they were guests in his home.  Many of his recipes, especially the sauces, are old family recipes from his mother and “abuelita” – grandmother.

Hand-held meat pies are common in almost every culture, but the nuances of this mainstay snack can make all the difference.  Salteñas are Latin America’s entry in the hand held meat pie derby.  I didn’t realize how much I had been craving La Caraqueña’s salteñas until I recently traveled to Lithuania.   Looking to satisfy my craving in Vilnius, I ordered the closest thing I could find, a cepelini – a hand-held meat pie that is the staple dish of Lithuania. Although the cepelini was delicious, upon returning home, I scurried back to La Caraqueña to see if all the fame had changed this highly touted Falls Church City restaurant. I also wanted to conduct an admittedly unscientific and biased meat pie taste test separated by weeks of travel and thousands of miles of ocean. And the winner is…well, I’ll reveal that at the end of this review.

To my delight, La Caraqueña was even better than I remembered, with faster, more attentive service.  I began my meal with the yuca frita with homemade salsa amarilla and pico de gallo.  This dish is heavy on flavor, but light on the appetite, and great way to begin your dining experience.  The yuca is sliced fresh before frying and thus crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.  Salsa amarilla literally means “yellow sauce” and is one of those secret recipes from Claros’ “abuelita”, made in some variant with hard‐boiled eggs blended with madeira wine, oil, and mustard.  My friend ordered the plátanos fritos and raved about them almost as much as I did the yuca frita.  The plátanos fritos are fried sweet plantains served with Latin white cheese and pico de gallo. The salteña was up next and it couldn’t have been more succulent.  I now understand why these tasty meat turnovers are eaten as a mid day snacks in South America on a daily basis.  My husband lived in South America for three years and agrees that he is hard pressed to find a better salteña than right here in the center of Falls Church City. For an extra kick, you can always add the green condiment sauce- jalapeños, cilantro and onions-to any item on the menu.  Even though it’s counterintuitive, a great way to stay cool is to eat hot chili peppers.  Most chili peppers have a natural substance called Capsaicin, which can actually lower your body temperature.  So bring on the heat, to add a chill.

After giving my tongue a few minutes to recuperate, I moved on to the arepas, which come in a dozen assorted varieties.  The carne mechada, one of the most popular, is a slow cooked, savory beef recipe that is unique and brings out the flavor of authentic Venezuelan cuisine.  No wonder it’s the most popular on the menu!  I had the Dominó – black beans smothered with shredded white cheese. You have your choice of either grilling or frying these delectable corn cakes. 

If soup floats your boat, then the sopa de frijoles is a wonderful thick Latin style bean soup that is accentuated by Spanish sausage and complemented with chunks of white Latin cheese and a heaping handful of fresh cilantro on top.  Pureed until smooth, the distinct flavor is drawn from the Spanish sausage.  For our dinner entrees we ordered both the Pollo La Caraqueña and Pollo a la Plancha, which were attractively presented on the plate and tasted even better than they looked. Pollo La Caraqueña is chicken baked Latin style- with beans and rice.  It tasted just as a classic dish should taste, oven-fresh and flavorful.  The Pollo La Caraqueña is a seasoned grilled chicken breast with another one of Raul’s secret sauces- homemade lemon caper – drizzled on top. We also tried the Lemon fish and Ocean mix and the general consensus was to steer towards the chicken and beef since they are cooked to as close as perfection as you can get. 

During a previous Friday night visit with friends, Raul was quite the host with a versatile repertoire of dining and entertainment.  After finishing our meal, while considering our entertainment options for the evening, it literally unfolded right before us. Before my plate was cleared from the table, I realized I had a pair of maracas in my hand and my husband was pounding away on the bongos.   Raul had positioned himself at the helm of the congas and the three of us suddenly had quite a little impromptu “concert” brewing.   Bongos and congas are very popular in Latin and Salsa music, which brings me to the last segment of the evening – Salsa dancing!!!  With the music grooving, soon the entire room was up and Salsa dancing like we were all good friends.  Raul’s on-the-spot Salsa lessons were a welcome added bonus.

If you have any room left for dessert, do not miss the cuatro leches or otherwise known as “four milks” cake.  If you thought the traditional Latin American tres leches cake was fabulous, the Cuatro leches take your taste buds to the next level. I am not a dessert aficionado but Wow!  This extremely moist, but not soggy, vanilla sponge cake, made with four milks, and slathered with sweet caramel sauce is…..well…. ¿Cómo se dice – “Perfeccion”?

Yes, La Caraqueña offers the 5 star experience – reasonably priced authentic Latin American food in a homey environment, with music, Latin culture and dancing perhaps included- how can you top that for an evening out in Falls Church City?

And by the way, the winner is…well let’s just say…! Viva la salteña!

Summing it up:   A-

Recommend:  salteñas – a must have, arepas- carne mechada, yuca frita, sopa de mani or sopa de frijoles and cuatro leches cake

Vegetarian:  a few items

Sound level: 68 decibels/ conversation is easy

Beverages:  full bar

Price Range:  Appetizers $4-$9, entrees $14-$20

Extras:  reservations accepted, although not necessary, credit cards, large parking lot, kid-friendly, disabled access, Zagat rated, outdoor seating

Serving:  Lunch and dinner (M, W, Th, F) 12pm -10 pm; Sat- 11am -10pm; Sun- 11am -9pm; closed on Tuesday

Located at 300 West Broad Street, Falls Church City

 http://www.lacaraquena.com/