By GEORGE SOUTHERN

March 22, 2010

In recognition of reduced attention spans, this week’s column comes in bite-size nuggets:

CITY JAIL NEEDS HEALTH INSURANCE

Kaiser-Permanente is right down the street, but the City of Falls Church lacks a healthcare plan – at least for its prisoners. The City’s Chief Financial Officer has informed City Council that after City police arrested a shoplifter, the suspect was found to be suffering from “a thesaurus” of health complaints. Our good Little City picked up the tab for $100,000 of medical care before police managed to transfer the prisoner into state custody.

LITTLE CITY DECAL

Speaking of the “Little City,” did you get your decal in this week’s News-Press? It’s a little sticker, paid for by the Economic Development Authority. I’m pondering what to do with it — stick it on the bumper of my minivan? Meanwhile, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for stickers around town, as a basis of judging how much support this slogan is getting. Haven’t spotted any yet.

SLOPPY BOOKKEEPING

The financial crisis is really causing municipalities to sharpen their accounting pencils – so far at Falls Church’s expense. First we heard about losing the local share of state sales tax for a number of businesses that checked the “Falls Church City” box just because their mailing address said “Falls Church” when they were actually located in places like Culmore. Now we hear that for an indefinite period of time, the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department has been filling up its fire trucks at an Arlington County facility, and getting them serviced there as well – free of charge. Arlington suddenly woke up, and the bills are in the mail.

TRAFFIC CAMERAS GET A RED LIGHT . . .

Remember how the City contracted to have four “red light” cameras installed by January 1? Red tape tied up the red lights, and now Police Chief Reitze can only promise that two red light cameras will be installed sometime this year. Locations are not specified. MAT hopes to find out where, and to compare the duration of the yellow lights before and after the cameras go up. One of the red light camera national scandals was the discovery that some independent contractors reduced the yellow light duration in order to generate more tickets.

. . . AND SPEED BUMPS GET THE AXE

MAT wrote some months ago about the “El Cheapo” speed bumps installed on East Columbia Street and how they encouraged head-on collisions to avoid the bump. Well, the snow plows made short work of the plastic ramps, and now the City has removed the residue, except on Van Buren Street. Meanwhile, the asphalt bumps on Grove Avenue held up fine, as they have year after year. (When my daughter was in high school, she made a science out of hitting them just slow enough so as not to leave our van’s transmission behind.)

OBAMA’S BRACKETS

Our Feature Video shows President Obama filling out his 63 picks for the NCAA basketball playoffs. I watched the video, and Obama clearly knows his basketball, making comments about the coaches, which players show the most strength, etc. I guess the reason we’re featuring the video is because our Food Editor, Jimmy Scarano, is a basketball nut and has organized the first Falls Church Times NCAA Pick’Em Tourney.

Well, I like Jimmy a lot, and didn’t want to hurt his feelings by not playing. But I’m just not a basketball guy. I haven’t watched a single game this season – in fact the last time I was even aware of the tournament was when George Mason made the final four in 2006. But, just to be “one of the guys,” I spent a couple of minutes filling out the grid, basing my choices on random intuition – e.g., my grandfather attended Cornell, so I picked it.

The only other time I’ve picked a pool was in college. One day I came to class early, and my favorite English professor was filling out a faculty pool sheet. He knew absolutely nothing about sports but didn’t want to be a spoil-sport by refusing to play. So he asked me to help him pick teams, but he couldn’t have chosen anyone more ignorant. Never shy to offer an opinion, I confidently answered every question – even about schools I had never heard of. He won the entire faculty pool, and said he really should split the winnings with me, but didn’t want to get in trouble.

And now, after two rounds of play, I’m in 1^st place in the FCT tourney, with 36 out of 48 correct picks. According to Yahoo, that’s in the top 4 percent nationwide. Meanwhile, among the folks who know and love basketball, Jimmy’s in 4^th place, my nemesis Andy Rankin is tied for 6^th, George Bromley, Brian Williams and Gordon Theisz are tied for 14^th, and poor Dave Witzel’s at 32^nd.

Oh, and President Obama? He had a great first round (25-7, same as MAT) but faltered in the second.

March 21, 2010

The Falls Church City Council will vote Monday on preliminary approval of a 20-cent property tax increase, $9 million in budget cuts, including $2 million in school cuts, as well as final approval of a $2 million loan for affordable housing.

The affordable housing project, called “The Wilden,” will come first on the evening’s agenda.  Included will be a Special Exception ordinance allowing residential construction in a commercial area and approval of the $2 million City loan.

A City staff memo describing the details of the project is available at the City website, along with other background materials.

Following recommendations from the Falls Church Planning Commission, conditions will be added to the $2 million City loan for the project, including those relating to the use of proceeds from the potential sale of Winter Hill Apartments, the financing of land acquisition and parking construction on adjacent property at 360 S. Washington Street, and new loan default protections.

Also on the affordable housing agenda will be measures providing a tax exemption for the project and making related zoning code changes.

The staff memo relating to the affordable housing project also details arguments for and against the project made by members of the Falls Church Economic Development Authority and a number of Falls Church residents.

After taking action on the affordable housing project, the Council will take its preliminary vote on a FY2011 budget that cuts spending by almost $9 million and raises the City real estate tax from $1.07 to $1.27 per hundred dollars of value.  Under the proposed measure, the City FY2011 budget will be set at $64 million, as opposed to $73 million in FY2010.  The school operating budget will drop by $2 million, from $36.8 million in FY2010 to $34.8 in FY2011.

The City Council meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, 300 Park Avenue.  The meeting will be showing on local cable television and via the Internet (link available at the City web site.)

March 20, 2010

Friday night at Potomac Falls High School as George Mason High School Varsity Lacrosse senior midfielder Gwen Edwards stepped into the center circle to execute the first draw of the season, the George Mason Mustangs were already upbeat.  They had just watched their Junior Varsity team dominate in its game against the Potomac Falls Panthers with a score of 14 to 0, invoking the slaughter rule in the process.

The Potomac Falls Panther’s new Head Coach John Murray was hoping for a good start to the Panther’s season considering that last year the Panthers and the Mustangs played a very close game with Mason just eking out a win of 12 to 11.  But this year, under the guidance of Head Coach Courtney Gibbons and Assistant Coach Laura MacFie, the Mustangs earned a more definitive win of 12 to 5 over the Panthers.

Mason Junior midfielder Abby Johansen (#13) carries the ball past Potomac Falls senior defender Holly Drews (#15).

Complimented by senior Goalie Meghan Powell’s numerous key saves as well as by strong defensive plays of seniors Chelsea Wilkes and Grace Kuipers, Edwards was high scorer for the Mustangs with 4 goals.  Additional goals were contributed by Taylor Bottock, Abby Johansen, Grace Kuipers, Courtney Ready, and Amanda Rolander.

The Panthers and the Mustangs will meet again on April 29^th during the AA Dulles District regular season play.

George Mason next travels to play South Lakes High School , on March 24^th at 7:15 p.m.  Mason’s first home game will be on April 8^th, 7:15 p.m. at Moore Cadillac Stadium, against last year’s Dulles District Champions Broad Run High School .

The referee watches closely as GMHS senior midfielder Gwen Edwards (#11 hidden) cradles the ball against Potomac Falls senior midfielder Amanda Chilli (#20).

The Falls Church Scout Building Association (FCSBA) will host an open house March 20 from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. to acquaint neighbors and the community with its function and to raise money for maintenance and repair of the Scout House located at 128 South Spring Street.

The Scout House is an historic log cabin, built in the early 1940s, and home to generations of Falls Church Boy and Girl Scouts and youth activities.  It currently serves several scout troops and is the Ward 3 polling place for Falls Church voters on election days.  Other community service activities also take place in the building.

Scouting has enjoyed popularity in Falls Church almost since the movements were founded by Lord Baden-Powell and Juliette Lowe.  In 1939, local Scout leaders recognized the need for a place for growing Scout groups to meet.  By March 1939, a well-publicized fundraising drive was underway to raise the $4,500 needed to construct the log building that stands on Spring Street.  The property was purchased for $600 in June 1939.  A.J. Webb, assisted by Kenton Hamaker and George W. Carlton, designed the building.  All men donated their architectural services to the project.  Walter Johnson, chairman of the Falls Church Scout Committee, secured pledges, building materials, and labor from businesses and groups throughout the community.  The logs for the complete building and stones for the fireplace and chimney were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Turner of Fairfax County.

When the initial fundraising effort fell short of its goal, 15 local residents personally guaranteed a loan from the Falls Church Bank to obtain the balance necessary for the construction of the Scout House.  Construction began in late 1939 and was completed in early 1940.  By 1942 the Scout House was headquarters to more than 200 Scouts from 9 different troops.  Scouts collected discarded paper, toothpaste and shaving cream tubes, and old license plates to help reduce the building indebtedness. The Scouts’ persistence in fundraising paid off.  On June 17, 1945, just five years after construction, the Scout Building Association held a mortgage burning to celebrate the final payment on the mortgage.

In addition to the Scouts, other civic groups used the house for social functions, including square dances.  During World War II, the building was made available for the American defense effort as an air-raid shelter and a hospital or first-aid center.  However, its primary purpose has always been to further the objectives of Scouting and youth activities, which the building has served for over 60 years.

The FCSBA is a non-profit organization that maintains the house.  The FCSBA is sponsoring its open house in a tradition harkening back to the days of collecting toothpaste and shaving cream tubes, etc.  Previous fundraisers have funded several needed repairs.  The latest repairs have included a new roof, insulation and dormer windows.  More work needs to be done.  Immediate future needs are preservation of the logs, and the replacement of the windows and doors.

For more information, call Kevin Coleman at 703-241-1617or Barry Buschow at 703-533-8610.

Choralis was founded 10 years ago

On Saturday, March 20, Choralis will present a concert of English choral works featuring John Rutter’s Mass for the Children.  The 7 p.m. concert will be held at the Falls Church Presbyterian Church, 225 East Broad Street.

Under the direction of Artistic Director Gretchen Kuhrmann, the program will include works by Byrd, Handel, Mathias, Vaughn Williams, and Walton, spanning several centuries of the English choral tradition.  Soloists for the Rutter work include Sheri Reed Crotty, Soprano and Tad Czyzewski, Baritone.  The chorus will be accompanied at the organ by Neil Weston, Choralis’ Assistant Director/Accompanist and will be joined by the Choralis Cantus Primo Children’s Choir, Mary-Hannah Klontz Director.

Tickets for the concert  are $40 premium, $25 regular admission, $5 for students 22 and under with ID, and free for children 12 and under.  Tickets are available at www.choralis.org or by calling 703-237-2499.

Download an order form from the GMHS Athletics website (www.masonathletics.org) and mail it along with check payable to GMABA to Phil Duncan, 1069 W. Broad St., #776, Falls Church, VA 22046. Include your address, phone and e-mail. Paper copies of the order form are available at the Library and Community Center. More information: pduncan@civicatalyst.com, or call (703) 209-2005.

The mulch sale is the Athletic Boosters’ major annual fund-raiser to support a wide range of activities benefiting George Mason student-athletes and recognizing their accomplishments — including our scholarship program; awards dinners in the fall, winter and spring; equipment purchases; and trophy cases and championship banners.

Advanced purchase tickets are available at the Community Center, 223 Little Falls for $12. Tickets at the door will be $14. Call 703-248-5171 for more information.

The R.A.D. System is a comprehensive, women-only course that addresses awareness, prevention, risk reduction, risk avoidance, and the basics of hands-on self-defense training. R.A.D. is not a martial arts program. Nationally certified R.A.D. instructors from the City Police Department teach the course.

The registration deadline is March 27. For more information and to register, e-mail ksdempsey@verizon.net or call 703-248-5061.

Proceeds from mulch delivery are used to fund troop operations, advancement, and this year’s “Big Trip” to Colorado.  The troop, chartered at Falls Church Presbyterian Church for over 50 years, proudly boasts a troop record eight Eagle Scouts in the past year and maintains an active roster of around 50 Scouts.