REPRISE: Separating Fact from Opinion

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Falls Church Times Columnist

September 30, 2010

I just read the following comment in the Falls Church News-Press by City Councilwoman and former mayor Robin Gardner:

Although Mr. Southern’s piece is an opinion piece, he does tend to make his comments sound like fact. That, in turn, riles people up. When he makes it sound like he has facts, folks then think he must have gotten his data from someone inside the closed meeting.

So as a service to Ms. Gardner, School Board Chair Joan Wodiska, and any other riled-up readers who may need assistance, there follows a reprint of my Monday MAN ABOUT TOWN column, this time clearly delineating FACT from OPINION:

MAN ABOUT TOWN: What? Tear Down Our New School?

I couldn’t believe it the first time I heard the idea (FACT): tear down the still-unpaid $25 million Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School? (QUESTION) No way (OPINION)– it’s barely five years old! (FACT)

But after getting over the initial shock I began to rationalize that, indeed, it might make sense. (OPINION) And now it’s looking more and more like it actually might happen. (OPINION) The 60 acres that house MEH and George Mason High School, with their sports fields and parking lots adjacent to the West Falls Church Metro, constitute a gold mine. (FACT) You might as well build city schools there as in Times Square. (OPINION)

To visualize what that 60 acres could look like, hop the Metro to Vienna and just gaze: hundreds of apartments and condominiums. (FACT) If they like Vienna, wouldn’t they like West Falls Church even more? (OPINION) Not only is it two stops closer to the District, it’s also one stop from the junction with the upcoming Silver Line out to Tyson’s and Dulles. (FACT)

Sure, East Falls Church is desirable too – but with so many small property owners, it’s a developer’s nightmare. (OPINION) Whereas WFC offers the potential of obtaining 60 golden acres from a single owner. (FACT)

Should that owner sell?  Would that owner sell? Well — who needs money any worse than the Little (bankrupt) City of Falls Church? (QUESTIONS)

Maybe that’s why (OPINION) the City Council, the School Board, and the Planning Commission held a top-secret meeting last week to discuss land acquisition. (FACT) Because you can’t knock down the schools until new ones are built. (FACT)

Where to build? (QUESTION) The first criterion is that any new school has to be outside City limits – as bizarre as that sounds. (HISTORICAL FACT) We can’t afford to take any City land off the tax rolls. (IMPLICIT FACT)

The next requirement is for some serious acreage: enough for football and baseball fields, tennis courts, parking lots – all that. (FACT) But where in the world can you find that much land reasonably close to the City that could actually be purchased? (QUESTION)

There may be only one place – Hillwood Square, just behind Larry Graves Park and soccer field on Hillwood Avenue. (OPINION) The City already owns the soccer field [CORRECTION: See Barry Buschow's comment below]. (CORRECTED INACCURACY) Combine that with Hillwood Square and you have a very nice piece of property – just about perfect for a middle and high school complex. (OPINION)

Hillwood Square Mutual Association is a cooperative of 160 families sitting on 19 acres. (FACT) The key word is “cooperative,” meaning that the residents don’t actually own their homes individually. (FACT) If they did, you could never get them all to agree to sell. (OPINION) But a majority of the cooperative could send the rest packing. (FACT)

Why would Hillwood Square residents want to sell? (QUESTION) They certainly didn’t back in 2002 when the City offered $4 million for 6 acres of undeveloped land. (FACT) And they still don’t, if you believe one website. (FACT) (Methinks they doth protest too much.) (OPINION) But maybe since the building boom fizzled, residents have decided to sell for a realistic price. (OPINION) The townhomes were built by the U.S. Navy in 1941 for workers at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, (FACT) so you can be pretty sure they don’t have granite counter tops. (OPINION) Any offer over $25 million should get their attention. (OPINION)

This is really a win-win-win situation. (OPINION) Hillwood Square owners win because they receive a far higher price for their aging properties than anyone else is likely to offer. (OPINION) The City wins by cashing in on the WFC land with proceeds to help build both a new middle and high school in a more suitable area than what we have now. (OPINION)

And most important is that Fairfax County wins big time, because without support from Fairfax the deal would never happen. (FACT) All that WFC school property is in Fairfax County, and right now it’s all tax exempt. (FACT) Selling it to private developers would generate windfall tax profits for the county, (FACT) so they should fall all over themselves to promote a Hillwood Square sale to the City in exchange. (OPINION)

What’s not to like? (QUESTION) Well, I still cringe at the thought of seeing bulldozers knocking down our brand new $25 million middle school. (FACT) In hindsight it was a bad idea to build MEH where they did. (OPINION) But at the time it seemed the best, if not the only, alternative. (OPINION) After all, the City already owned the land. (FACT)

Maybe they’ll decide to hang on to MEH and just sell the high school and sports fields. (OPINION) You’d lose the synergy of having the two schools together, but it might make economic sense. (OPINION)

On September 30 the City Schools will conduct their annual assessment of students – how many there are, and where they live. (FACT) Then they’ll update their estimates of how soon we have to build more school facilities. (FACT) Stay tuned. (OPINIONATED ADVICE)

Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein at Art Center

Two of the most well-known and highly regarded musicians in the world of bluegrass and traditional music will be appearing at the Art Center in Falls Church, on Saturday, October 2, at 7:30 PM.

From his days with the legendary Country Gentlemen, through a stint with J.D. Crowe & the New South, Jimmy Gaudreau made his reputation as a creative mandolin player and dynamic vocalist in the finest bluegrass tradition.

Over the years Gaudreau also jumped at the opportunities to join forces with musicians who were pushing the boundaries of acoustic music, including banjo player Bela Fleck and guitarist Tony Rice. Some called it “Dawg” music after California-based innovator David Grisman, while others referred to it as “jazzgrass.” Whatever it was called, it was new and exciting, based upon improvisation, extended solos and wild creativity. As Gaudreau once explained Rice’s approach to this new form of music, “If you’re playing the same break twice, you’re not thinking about it.”

Along with those musical adventures, Gaudreau has long been a fixture with the Robin and Linda Williams Band, a folk group well known for their appearances on A Prairie Home Companion as well as their extensive touring.

Gaudreau’s latest creative endeavor is a duo with Moondi Klein, a fine guitarist and vocalist, know for his work with the bluegrass super group “Chesapeake,” which included Gaudreau, dobro player Mike Auldridge and bassist T. Michael Coleman. Klein was also lead vocalist with Seldom Scene and has recorded with Alison Krauss among others.

Gaudreau and Kline, who completed a U.S. and Canadian tour with Emmylou Harris, play an extraordinary range of old-time, bluegrass, folk and swing music, blending impeccable vocal harmonies with crisp, tasteful instrumentals. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get a taste of opera from Klein, who performed with the New York Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus at a young age.

The duo’s album “Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein – Train 2:10″ generated positive reviews and enthusiastic responses from audiences. As Emmylou Harris said, “These two gifted artists, armed only with their instruments, voices, and a good bunch of songs, have produced a record that is a joy to listen to. Thanks, Moondi and Jimmy, for reminding us that less truly can be more.”

For more information on show, check out info@creativecauldron.org; to learn more about the musicians, go to jimmy@moondi.com.

OPINION: In My Own Defense

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Falls Church Times Columnist

September 29, 2010

Yes, I knew the MAN ABOUT TOWN column I wrote on Monday would be controversial, and also something of a “scoop.” And so it was. But I didn’t realize they would shoot the messenger.

I broke the news that the City Council, School Board, and Planning Commission were considering purchasing property in Hillwood Square for a new school. And I hypothesized that the plan might be to build a new high school and middle school there and sell the existing facilities adjacent to the West Falls Church Metro to developers. Implicit in such action is that the school buildings would be razed.

For my efforts, I’ve been maligned by several of the City’s leading citizens. Barry Buschow, whom I respect, opined that I fabricated the whole thing. Lindy Hockenberry, who has doubted me before (but ultimately conceded that I was correct about the City’s former segregation policy), stated in so many words that she doesn’t believe the explanation she asked for and received from me.

School Board Chair Joan Wodiska delivered a statement to City Council Monday night and then circulated it widely as a press release. It begins:

On September 27^th, the Falls Church Times ran a story entitled, “What? Tear Down Our New School?”  Among a number of inaccuracies, the story incorrectly suggested that City officials were discussing tearing down Mary Ellen Henderson.

And so now I rise to speak in my own defense.

First, Ms. Wodiska incorrectly characterizes my column in the Falls Church Times as a “story.” That suggests a news report, whereas I was writing an opinion column, also known as an “op-ed piece.” When the Falls Church Times runs a “story,” it is reporting the news. How to tell the difference? A news story would never have a headline that reads “MAN ABOUT TOWN,” which is in fact how all my column headlines begin. The School Board statement left that off my headline and so concealed what otherwise would be obvious: this was not a “story” but rather an opinion column.

Ms. Wodiska refers to “a number of inaccuracies” in my column but specifies only one: “the story incorrectly suggested that City officials were discussing tearing down Mary Ellen Henderson.”

Here’s what I said: “Maybe that’s why the City Council, the School Board, and the Planning Commission held a top-secret meeting last week to discuss land acquisition. Because you can’t knock down the schools until new ones are built.”

That statement begins with a conjecture, clearly labeled as such. The rest of the sentence is fact: those City officials certainly did hold a “top-secret” meeting last week to discuss land acquisition.

Now, where in the world did I get the idea that “City officials” might be discussing the possibility of selling the high school and middle school property? Did I fabricate it out of whole cloth? No, I read a “guest commentary” last March in the Falls Church News-Press by then City Councilman Dan Maller, who wrote:

“Our high school (and middle school) sit on the most valuable piece of property in the area. The development potential of 30 acres at the West Falls Church Metro is enormous. The natural response is: where would we put our high school? My answer is that we could not find a more expensive piece of property, so we would find property somewhere in or around the City, and the money earned from the endeavor would finance not only the acquisition of alternative property, but likely a significant portion of the construction cost of new facilities as well, and provide for a far more orderly transition.”

And that, written by a prominent member of City Council, appearing prominently in the News-Press, is my justification for beginning my column with the words: I couldn’t believe it the first time I heard the idea: tear down the still-unpaid $25 million Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School? No way – it’s barely five years old!

That leaves only one more indignity to address: the insinuation that a member of City Council, the School Board, or the Planning Commission betrayed their confidence by leaking the news to me about Hillwood Square. Ms. Wodiska’s press release, in apparent reference to the “leak,” states:

A violation of closed meeting law is serious and grounds for censuring or other punishment of a public official.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Baroukh followed up on this, charging the City Attorney to send out a “reminder” to all members of boards. Were I a board member receiving such a “reminder,” I would consider it an insult to my integrity.

So, amid the finger pointing, insinuations, character assassination, and threats of recrimination, just how did the Man About Town learn that a possible purchase of Hillwood Square property was discussed in closed session? I already gave the answer to Lindy Hockenberry, and it is so simple that she refused to believe me. But believe it or not, I simply read the online agenda item:

Closed Session pursuant to Section 2.2-3711 (A)(3) of the Code of Virginia for the “[d]iscussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of publicly held real property, where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body.” [Hillwood Square]

The defense rests.

Crime Report for September 21 – 27

By FALLS CHURCH POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Driving Under the Influence, 100 blk W Broad St, Sept 22, 02:02 AM.  A 26 year old Hyattsville, MD man was arrested for Driving Under the Influence.

Drunk in Public, 100 blk E Annandale Rd, Sept 25, 11:19 AM.  A 49 year old Arlington man was arrested for Drunk in Public.

Larceny – Theft From Motor Vehicle/Hit and Run, 300 blk Shirley St, between 03:00 AM and 8:00 PM, a parked vehicle was severely damaged by another vehicle and a GPS unit, cell phone and 25 CDs were taken by an unknown suspect. 

Simple Assault, 220 N Washington St (State Theater), Sept 25, 11:29 PM.  A 25 year old Front Royal woman was arrested for Assault and Battery. 

Driving Under the Influence, 1000 blk E Broad St, Sept 26, 07:44 AM.  A 26 year old Arlington was arrested for Driving Under the Influence.

FRIDAY 10/1: Music, Art, Cars & Dogs @ FIRSTfriday’s Art-A-Lot

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF

The October 1 FIRSTfriday of Falls Church is the last one of the year that includes Art-A-Lot, where old cars, new artists, young musicians and dogs of all ages come together in the parking lot next to Art and Frame of Falls Church (111 Park Avenue) from 6 to 8 pm.

There are free, fun FIRSTfriday events indoors and out throughout the Little City.  Participating restaurants and businesses also offer special discounts on FIRSTfriday.  For more information and details, go to www.firstfridayoffallschurch.com

Wodiska Denies FCT ‘Story’; Shields Cautious on Finances

By GEORGE BROMLEY
Falls Church Times Staff

September 27, 2010

Falls Church City School Board Chair Joan Wodiska tonight denied that Mary Ellen Henderson School might be torn down. Earlier today a column in the Falls Church Times speculated that such action could be under consideration.

Speaking before the City Council, Ms. Wodiska noted that Thomas Jefferson Elementary will reach student capacity in 2012.  “For this and other reasons the Board  has been exploring all options, including low cost federal and state funding authority, to address the needs of our aging, energy inefficient, and limited building capacity.”

According to Ms. Wodiska, a master school facility plan will be presented in 18 months or sooner.  She advised that “the Board will continue to work with the Council and Planning Commission to explore cost effective options to meet growing long term school facility needs and to improve the Capital Improvements Program process.”  A new School Board facility advisory committee will be created to assist in this effort.   Three members of the Council will serve on that body.

Ms. Wodiska stated that the Board would continue to hold private discussions concerning property ”in order to protect the city’s negotiating position.”  She stressed that any violation of the confidentiality of such meetings was a serious matter and grounds for censure or other punishment of a public official.

During last Friday’s Council retreat Ms. Wodiska presented a report on school facilities.   The document states current enrollment is 2,052 students and that the schools’ total capacity is 2,330.

City Manager Wyatt Shields provided a briefing on Falls Church’s financial situation.  The closing undesignated fund balance for FY 2010 was just over $5 million, about $1 million higher than the spring projections.  The City began the year with a balance of only $2.9 million.  The fund balance situation for the current fiscal year is dependent upon the question of the FY 2009 water fund transfer to the general fund, a matter still under judicial review.

The City faces challenges in the years ahead, due primarily to declining commercial assessments.  In FY 2012 overall valuations are expected to decline by 3 to 4.5%, with commercial real estate dropping 8 to 10%.  All other revenues are expected to be flat or only slighter higher.

Mr. Shields acknowledged that significant tax increases could be in the offing “if the only lifting was done on the tax rate (i.e., revenue) side.”  Councilwoman Johannah Barry noted that the tax rate by 2016 could be as high as $1.55.  The current rate is $1.24.

Water and sewer rate studies are underway.  The city manager stated that significant sewer rate increases could be expected due to plant upgrades.

Mr. Shields’ slide presentation of the financial overview is available on the City website, as are additional documents presented at the Council retreat.

The city manager thanked the Falls Church public safety personnel and the Arlington and Fairfax County fire units that responded to Saturday’s fire on Hillwood Ave.  Forty-six firefighters were on the scene at the height of the two-alarm blaze.  Two Fairfax firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.  City Economic Development Office representatives were on hand to provide assistance and support to businesses seeking to relocate.  The fire now is under investigation.  Foul play currently is not suspected.

Mr. Shields stated that over 100 pounds of perscription drugs were collected at a DEA-sponsored event last Saturday.  Next Saturday, October 2, is leaf mulch loading day from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Free mulch will be available for residents with trucks.

Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton reminded residents that personal property tax bills are due on Tuesday, October 5.  Decals should be affixed to vehicle windshields by November 15.   Mr. Clinton stated that drivers who have trouble removing the decals should drop by the office for assistance.

A  resident of S. Virginia Ave. stated that he and several neighbors had asked the City to improve signage on their street, but had not received a satisfactory response.  Mayor Baroukh requested the city manager to follow up on the matter, which had been pending since January.  The resident’s request was prompted by what he termed “an inordinate level of errant traffic” on the street.

The mayor advised the Council that Vice Mayor Dave Snyder’s absence was due to business travel.

The Council unanimously approved second reading of an ordinance to amend the City’s Traffic Code concerning fees for traffic infractions, traffic emergencies, and towing for unpaid parking tickets, and enacted a section dealing with parking in time-limited zones.

At the conclusion of public business the Council went into a 30 minute closed session to discuss property issues, presumably a follow-up to last Monday’s joint session with the School Board and Planning Commission.

MAN ABOUT TOWN: What? Tear Down Our New School?

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Falls Church Times Columnist

September 27, 2010

I couldn’t believe it the first time I heard the idea: tear down the still-unpaid $25 million Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School? No way – it’s barely five years old!

But after getting over the initial shock I began to rationalize that, indeed, it might make sense. And now it’s looking more and more like it actually might happen. The 60 acres that house MEH and George Mason High School, with their sports fields and parking lots adjacent to the West Falls Church Metro, constitute a gold mine. You might as well build city schools there as in Times Square.

To visualize what that 60 acres could look like, hop the Metro to Vienna and just gaze: hundreds of apartments and condominiums. If they like Vienna, wouldn’t they like West Falls Church even more? Not only is it two stops closer to the District, it’s also one stop from the junction with the upcoming Silver Line out to Tyson’s and Dulles.

Sure, East Falls Church is desirable too – but with so many small property owners, it’s a developer’s nightmare. Whereas WFC offers the potential of obtaining 60 golden acres from a single owner.

Should that owner sell? Would that owner sell? Well — who needs money any worse than the Little (bankrupt) City of Falls Church?

Maybe that’s why the City Council, the School Board, and the Planning Commission held a top-secret meeting last week to discuss land acquisition. Because you can’t knock down the schools until new ones are built.

Where to build? The first criterion is that any new school has to be outside City limits – as bizarre as that sounds. We can’t afford to take any City land off the tax rolls.

The next requirement is for some serious acreage: enough for football and baseball fields, tennis courts, parking lots – all that. But where in the world can you find that much land reasonably close to the City that could actually be purchased?

There may be only one place – Hillwood Square, just behind Larry Graves Park and soccer field on Hillwood Avenue. The City already owns the soccer field [CORRECTION: See Barry Buschow's comment below]. Combine that with Hillwood Square and you have a very nice piece of property – just about perfect for a middle and high school complex.

Hillwood Square Mutual Association is a cooperative of 160 families sitting on 19 acres. The key word is “cooperative,” meaning that the residents don’t actually own their homes individually. If they did, you could never get them all to agree to sell. But a majority of the cooperative could send the rest packing.

Why would Hillwood Square residents want to sell? They certainly didn’t back in 2002 when the City offered $4 million for 6 acres of undeveloped land. And they still don’t, if you believe one website. (Methinks they doth protest too much.) But maybe since the building boom fizzled, residents have decided to sell for a realistic price.  The townhomes were built by the U.S. Navy in 1941 for workers at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, so you can be pretty sure they don’t have granite counter tops. Any offer over $25 million should get their attention.

This is really a win-win-win situation. Hillwood Square owners win because they receive a far higher price for their aging properties than anyone else is likely to offer. The City wins by cashing in on the WFC land with proceeds to help build both a new middle and high school in a more suitable area than what we have now.

And most important is that Fairfax County wins big time, because without support from Fairfax the deal would never happen. All that WFC school property is in Fairfax County, and right now it’s all tax exempt. Selling it to private developers would generate windfall tax profits for the county, so they should fall all over themselves to promote a Hillwood Square sale to the City in exchange.

What’s not to like? Well, I still cringe at the thought of seeing bulldozers knocking down our brand new $25 million middle school. In hindsight it was a bad idea to build MEH where they did. But at the time it seemed the best, if not the only, alternative. After all, the City already owned the land.

Maybe they’ll decide to hang on to MEH and just sell the high school and sports fields. You’d lose the synergy of having the two schools together, but it might make economic sense.

On September 30 the City Schools will conduct their annual assessment of students – how many there are, and where they live. Then they’ll update their estimates of how soon we have to build more school facilities. Stay tuned.

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Fire Guts Building on Annandale Road

By STEPHEN SIEGEL
Falls Church Times Staff

September 25, 2010

A raging fire ripped through a commercial building on Annandale Road Saturday, forcing the closure of the street and of Hillwood Avenue while leaving several businesses, including the locally famous Lebanese Butcher restaurant, shuttered.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, but it appeared no one was hurt in the blaze, which left the 60-year-old building in such poor condition that the word “condemnation” was being bandied about by onlookers at the scene. One rumor suggested a fan left on in an office may have caused the fire, which severely damaged the southernmost office on the second floor, caving in the roof and melting the steel support beams.

Windows throughout the second floor were shattered, although it was unclear if that was caused by the fire or by the efforts to extinguish it. Power was off throughout the area, even at the adjacent Tower Square stores.

Restaurants and stores in the building’s first floor also were heavily damaged by water, and ceilings were caving in. Store owners were not allowed to go into the building pending a safety inspection by fire investigators.

Samir Rababe, son of the Lebanese Butcher owners, said the Falls Church City institution has been at that site for 30 years, and had been considering expanding into the storefront next door. They now hope to find another city location, and city Economic Development Director Rick Goff pledged to help them find one.

The building, at 101 E. Annandale Rd., was just sold in May for $2 million to a firm called Falls Church Investments, based in Great Falls. The 19,000 square foot property sits on nearly an acre of commercial land.

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