Great Falls - The Connection Newspapers

Great Falls Connection ❖ November 25 - December 1, 2009 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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November 25-December 1, 2009 ❖ Volume XXIII, Number 47

Wish ListCelebrates 10th

AnniversaryNews, Page 3

Residents ProtestAdditional Turn Lane

News, Page 3

Inclusion SpellsSuccess atForestville

ElementaryNews, Page 4

Residents ProtestAdditional Turn Lane

News, Page 3

Inclusion SpellsSuccess atForestville

ElementaryNews, Page 4

Ginger Mahon, theorganizer of theWish List Project,prepares for the10-year-Celebrationand Drop-Off Eventon Saturday, Nov.21, at her home inGreat Falls. Wish List

Celebrates 10thAnniversary

News, Page 3

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2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ November 25 - December 1, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


Great Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

News

Residents ProtestAdditional Turn LaneVDOT says dual left turnonto Georgetown Pike won’tincrease the road’s traffic.

More than 150 people packed the Aldrin Elementary cafeteria, most of them to opposean additional turn lane onto Georgetown Pike.

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By Mike DiCicco

The Connection

Kathy Zimmerman said traffic onGeorgetown Pike was already so heavythat her son’s school bus had to pick himup half an hour earlier than scheduled,

and she couldn’t imagine why the Virginia Depart-ment of Transportation (VDOT)was going to build an additionalturn lane for drivers accessing theroad from eastbound Route 7.

“Why on earth does it makesense to put that many cars ontoa Virginia byway that twists andturns?” she asked VDOT programmanager Bud Siegel at a meetingon Wednesday, Nov. 18.

More than 150 people, most ofthem Great Falls residents,showed up for the meeting at Buzz Aldrin Elemen-tary School in Reston, and they were not happy. How-ever, the public comment period on the project closedsix years ago, and it was approved in 2004. The pur-pose of the meeting was simply to explain that addi-tional turn lane was necessary.

GEORGETOWN PIKE, the main road throughGreat Falls and into McLean, has become an alterna-tive to Route 7 for many commuters traveling east-bound in the morning and west in the evening, andtraffic on both roads is abysmal during rush hour.“The Pike,” as it is known to Great Falls residents, isa winding, two-lane road for most of its length,

largely unchanged since it was first paved, and adesignated scenic and historic byway. Meanwhile,Route 7 is six lanes wide in Loudoun County andTysons Corner but narrows to four lanes in between,and VDOT plans to widen the road from Loudoun tojust past Reston Avenue.

As part of the project, the left turn lane from east-bound Route 7 onto Georgetown Pike is to become a“dual left,” with two lanes allowed to turn onto thesmaller road, which then narrows to a single east-bound lane. The agency’s representatives said theadditional turn lane is not expected to channel moretraffic onto Georgetown Pike and, in fact, would makeRoute 7 a more attractive option, a statement that

drew laughter and criticism at lastweek’s meeting.

Currently, drivers often waitthrough two cycles of the trafficsignal before being able to turnleft onto Georgetown Pike, and asingle turn lane that would ac-commodate all of those motoristswould have to be about a milelong, Doug Miller, another VDOTproject manager, told the resi-dents.

Siegel said drivers waiting to turn left have a ten-dency to give up and pull out into the leftmostthrough lane, causing a high rate of rear-end crashes.He said improving safety at the intersection and wid-ening the road would encourage drivers to stay onRoute 7, although residents noted that the roadwould still bottleneck just east of the intersection.

“The completion of Route 7 is what is needed, notmaking Georgetown Pike into a commuter road,” saidGreat Falls Citizens Association President RalphApton.

Siegel said VDOT planned to widen Route 7 toTysons Corner, but that project lacked funding and

“They’re proceedingas though it’s a donedeal, but it’s our jobto try to undo it.”

— Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville)

Ginger Mahon, the organizer of the Wish List Project,prepares for the 10-year-Celebration and Drop-Off Eventon Saturday, Nov. 21, at her home in Great Falls.

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Wish List Celebrates10th AnniversaryGreat Falls charity helps those in need.

By Janelle L. Plummer

The Connection

The Wish List Project beganin 2000 during the Christ-mas holiday season and is

still growing strong 10 years later.Ginger Mahon, the organizer of

the community outreach, said theWish List Project helped more than300 needy families during the holi-day season in 2008.

“It can be rewarding and fun tothink outside of your own family’sChristmas,” Mahon said.

Despite the recession, Mahon isstill committed to serving familiesand children this year.

She said her goal is to inspireother people to do what she isdoing, and every year the Wish ListProject grows.

“Pick an organization and giveback to the community,” she said.

The Embry Rucker CommunityShelter in Reston, a part of RestonInterfaith, is one of the organiza-tions that will benefit from theholiday Wish List Project.

The Embry Rucker CommunityShelter provides 70 beds eachnight for men, women and fami-lies, according to RestonInterfaith’s Web site.

Amy McDowell, the director ofcommunications at Reston Inter-faith, said this is the first time in along time that people have tomake tough choices about howthey will spend their money dur-ing the holiday.

“[The Wish List Project] is stick-ing with their commitment to giv-ing,” McDowell said. “We’re ex-tremely grateful for her ongoingcommitment for 10 years.”

Nevertheless, Mahon said shewants to be a tool that gives hope

Celebrationon Dec. 12

The 10-year Celebration andDrop-off event will take place onSaturday, Dec. 12, 2009 from 1-4 p.m. at The Mahon FamilyHome, 11900 Holy Spring Drivein Great Falls. The event will in-clude holiday music, food byMama Lucia’s on the hour, re-freshments, Santa and othersurprises. Donate a new item, giftcard, or any amount of cash do-nation to help the cause. Forfurther information contact Gin-ger Mahon at 703-404-8473.

to those in need and channels thegenerosity of donors.

“Let me help you help them,”Mahon said. “When I heard aboutEmory Rucker, I was compelled. Iget a lot out of it.”

Sister Mary Bader, the directorof St. Ann’s Infant and Maternityhome in Hyattsville, Md. saidMahon contacted her three yearsago.

Bader said Mahon inquiredabout the organization andwanted to help.

“She has been quite a blessing,”Bader said. “Last year, she was ableto get new comforters for thekids.”

Bader said that while othergroups assist with toys and otherdonated items, Mahon travels allthe way from Virginia.

“She comes with some of thespecial times that kids want,”Bader said.

The Wish List Project also ad-dresses the needs of 75 teens inFairfax County Foster Care,Katherine Hanley Family Shelter inFairfax, Shelter House in FallsChurch and SHARE in McLean.See Plan Alarms Residents, Page 19


NewsWeek in Great Falls

The ornament features aview of the South Lawnand façade of the WhiteHouse on a winter evening.

White House Ornaments on SaleThe Great Falls Woman’s

Club is again selling WhiteHouse Ornaments to fundphilanthropic activities. The2009 White House GroverCleveland Christmas Orna-ment honors Cleveland, theonly person to serve two non-consecutive terms as Presidentof the United States. The or-nament features a view of theSouth Lawn and façade of theWhite House on a winterevening. The Christmas treeshines brightly because, in1894, the Clevelands were thefirst in the White House to cel-ebrate Christmas with rareelectric lights on their tree. One hundred multi-colored lights re-placed candles for the first time.

Each ornament costs $18. Checks should be made out to GFWC.The proceeds from the ornament sales will fund the philanthropicactivities of the club including the women and children’s shelter.

Contact Bootsie Humenansky at 703-444-3839 or [email protected] ornaments are also available at the Great Dogs of Great

Falls store.

Great Falls Studios Presents Holi-day Art Show and Sale

Great Falls Studios presents the Great Falls annual holiday ArtShow and Sale, Dec.12 and 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the ColvinRun Historic Schoolhouse, 10201 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls.

The show includes paintings, pottery, traditional and digital pho-tographs, jewelry, drawings, art quilts and hand pulled lithographicprints, plus artful gifts and cards. All of the artwork is created byGreat Falls artists, most of whom work out of their home studios.

Two musicians present live music performances at 2:30 p.m. eachday— Saturday, Mike McDermott, guitar, and Sunday, Jody Marshall,hammered dulcimer. A drawing for several $50 “Art Bucks” doorprizes will be held Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. Admission is free.Call Linda Jones, 703-442-9251 for more information.

‘Turbulence,’ oil painting by Karen Bateman, 8 x 10inches.

Inclusion Spells SuccessAt Forestville Elementary

Lindsay Barnas, a dedicated Learning Resource Teacher for the Enhanced Autism Pro-gram, pictured in her classroom.

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Creating an environmentwhere ‘everyone learnsand benefits.’

Inclusion. It is a way of thinking, a mindsetwhere teachers and staff take responsibility forthe success of all students. This week is Na-tional Inclusive Schools Week, a time to note

how well inclusion is working at Forestville Elemen-tary School. “We have a very inclusive atmosphereat Forestville on both sides of the spectrum,” saidKathleen Quigley, Assistant Principal.

Five years ago, Forestville introduced the EnhancedAutism Program (EAP.) Today, five children on theautism spectrum are in this classroom.

“THE GOAL of this program has been to meet eachchild’s academic, behavioral, emotional and socialneeds in our classroom, to enable them to use thoseskills outside the classroom and become inclusivewith their peer group,” said Lindsay Barnas, a Learn-ing Resource Teacher for the program.

Charlie Colligan, a fourth grader at Forestville, hasdone just that. He has been in the EAP since kinder-garten and now spends more than half of his daywith his peer group. This inclusive model has en-abled him to develop relationships with peers in hisclass. “We’ve been so pleased with the progress he’smade,” said Beth Colligan, Charlie’s mother. “Ms.Barnas along with Charlie’s general educationteacher, Laura Stanley, have been so communicative.The interest and the dedication of the staff don’t stopat 3:55 p.m. The relationship with his peer group iscontinuing to build his confidence and success.”

Last year, Charlie performed with the rest of hissocial studies class in a rendition of “Virginia Colony.”He enjoyed participating and the other childrencheered him on. “When he had success, everyone inthe classroom felt it and shared in it,” said PatrickMills, Charlie’s third grade social studies teacher.“They were all working together. He was just an-

other member of the class.”

FOUR YEARS AGO, the Forestville brought theAcademically Advanced Program (APP) into theschool. This allowed the children in the program tobe inclusive with their own community. “It was adream of ours to send Kendall to an excellent schoolin our own community,” said Rita Raymond, motherof Kendall, a fifth grader in the AAP. “We wanted toroot ourselves in a local school, have her ride thebus and develop relationships within her commu-nity. She is getting an excellent education.”

“One of our parent volunteers, a grandmother inher 70s, creates beautiful quilts,” said Matt Harris,principal of Forestville. “Several hang in our school.An inclusive Forestville involving our whole commu-nity reminds me of these quilts in its richness ofmakeup and complexity. Inclusive school practicescreate an environment in which character, education,diversity of instruction and excellent life skills evolvebeautifully. Everyone learns and benefits from thesepractices.”

— Kristine Nash

Kendall Raymond is shown here in herclassroom with Meredith Keuchel.

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Children’s ShoppingAt General Store

Colvin Run Mill Historic Site at 10017 Colvin Run Road in GreatFalls will host Children’s Holiday Shopping on Saturday, Dec. 5, 10a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6, 12-4 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 7, 1-4 p.m.

Volunteers help children find the perfect gift for everyone ontheir lists. Free wrapping assures surprises for family and friends.Adults are requested to wait on site. Please call ahead for groupsof six or more. For more information call 703-759-2771.


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Schools

See Schools, Page 17

Send School Notes to [email protected]. Dead-line is Friday.

Cara Murnan of Great Falls, asophomore diver at Virginia Techat Blacksburg has been named tothe Women’s All-ACC All-Aca-demic Team for 2008-2009.

Christopher Martin of GreatFalls, a junior majoring in physicsin the College of Science, was cho-sen to be a resident advisor at Vir-ginia Tech.

Julia Korzeniewski of GreatFalls has been named to OmicronDelta Kappa National LeadershipHonor Society at Muhlenberg Col-lege, Allentown, Pa. She is thedaughter of Mr. and Mrs. RobertJ. Korzeniewski and a graduate ofFlint Hill School.

The annual Mclean HighSchool Band Fruit Sale is cur-rently underway. Boxes of freshFlorida oranges and grapefruits,fruit baskets, and jumbo pecanhalves are on sale through Nov. 25.Visit http://mcleanband.org/an-nual-fruit-sale.html o place anorder or to prepay via credit card


Saturday Hours Available at Regular Rates(703) 450-9600 • www.DavesAir.com

201 Davis Drive, Suite GGSterling, VA 20164

What are you most grateful for?— Jenna Pugrant

Viewpoints

Andrew Vardell,17,senior, Langley High School:

“I am thankful that the collegeapplication process is almost over.”

Josh Baker,homebuilder,BOWA:

“I am thankful for wonderfulfriends and family — and pecanpie.”

Brooke Van Beuren,6,first grade, Great Falls Elementary:

“I am thankful for my family andmy dog, Beau. I am also thankfulfor my teacher and my house.”

The Woman’s Club of McLean ispresenting its 43rd annual fundraiser, the Holiday Homes Tourand Market Place of McLean, on

Thursday, Dec. 3, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Hon-orary chairperson of this 43rd Tour is Dr.Marilyn Jerome Foust, wife of SupervisorJohn Foust (D-Dranesville). Marilyn JeromeFoust is a practicing gynecologist and a con-tributing member of the Fairfax Countycommunity. The club is a non-profit,501(C)(3) organization, and all proceedsfrom the Tour will be allocated to localcharitable, educational and communityprojects.

Tickets for the Tour are $20 in advanceand $25 on Dec. 3. They may be purchasedby contacting the Club’s Web site atwww.mcleanwc.org, or at any of the follow-ing locations: Mesmeralda’s of McLean,Karin’s Florist of Vienna, Great Dogs ofGreat Falls, and Stifel and Capra of FallsChurch.

Three homes in McLean have been se-lected. The club members have tastefullydecorated each home.

First, is the Foust home. This five-bed-room house is decorated with Chinese ac-cents throughout. It is a home that speaksof warmth for family and elegance for en-

tertaining. Its gardens feature a waterfall,swimming pool with hot tub and a view ofsurrounding nature.

The second selection is The OctagonHouse, home of Susan Cooper. This is one-of-a-kind house, which was completed in2008. This eight-sided house is white with ared metal roof. It features a wrap aroundcovered porch, also a large breezeway con-necting to the two-story garage. Theentranceway features an atrium and an el-evator. Looking at the floor you see red tilespokes leading from a center point to eachcorner of the house. The living room featuresa large painting of Renoir’s “The Luncheonof The Boating Party,” with the party mem-bers depicted as Coopers family and friends.This home is made for entertaining.

Lastly, the contemporary home of Chuckand Sandy Sieber. This is the second homethe couple has designed and had built inMcLean. The house features Tennessee flag-stone walkway, a two-story fireplace ofMaryland stone, which also accents thefront of the house, Chinese counter tops andMexican tile in the kitchen, crystal chande-lier from Italy. Asian décor in the mediaroom contains gifts from her father whoserved in Vietnam. The collection and trea-sures in this house must be seen.

News

Woman‘s Club of McLeanPresents Holiday Homes Tour


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To search for a home online, visit www.HomesDatabase.com.

Address ................................ BR FB HB ... Postal City .... Sold Price ... Type ............ Lot AC ................ Subdivision214 RIVER PARK DR ..................... 6 ... 7 ... 3 ..... GREAT FALLS .... $3,000,000 .... Detached .......... 1.72 ............ RIVERBEND FARM10128 HIGH HILL CT ................... 6 ... 6 ... 2 ..... GREAT FALLS .... $2,325,000 .... Detached .......... 2.50 ................. FALCON RIDGE605 DEERFIELD POND CT ............ 6 ... 8 ... 2 ..... GREAT FALLS .... $2,200,000 .... Detached .......... 1.75 ............ DEERFIELD POND436 SPRINGVALE RD .................... 6 ... 6 ... 3 ..... GREAT FALLS .... $2,119,000 .... Detached .......... 5.00 .......... ECOLAND ESTATES901 FALLS MANORS CT ............... 5 ... 4 ... 1 ..... GREAT FALLS .... $1,400,000 .... Detached .......... 0.92 ........................ FALLS RUN10113 NEDRA DR ......................... 4 ... 4 ... 0 ..... GREAT FALLS .... $1,050,000 .... Detached .......... 0.72 ....... HICKORY VALE FARM9100 MINE RUN DR ..................... 4 ... 3 ... 0 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $965,000 .... Detached .......... 3.48 ................ JACKSON HILLS9916 MILL RUN DR ...................... 4 ... 3 ... 0 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $715,000 .... Detached .......... 0.92 .......... HILL CREST ACRES10412 ARTEMEL LN ..................... 5 ... 3 ... 0 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $615,000 .... Detached .......... 0.67 ....... LEXINGTON ESTATES9052 JEFFERY RD ......................... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $585,000 .... Detached .......... 0.50 ...................... CRAMPTON863 GOLDEN ARROW ST ............. 3 ... 2 ... 1 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $565,000 .... Detached .......... 0.50 .............. OLIVER ESTATES9915 MINBURN ST ....................... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $543,000 .... Detached .......... 0.63 .............. OLIVER ESTATES1104 UTTERBACK STORE RD ...... 4 ... 2 ... 1 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $432,175 .... Detached .......... 0.52 .................... GREAT FALLS1064 UTTERBACK STORE RD ...... 3 ... 1 ... 1 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $395,000 .... Detached .......... 0.51 .... TIMBER LAKE ESTATES10518 CAMBRIDGE CT ................. 3 ... 2 ... 1 ..... GREAT FALLS ....... $370,000 .... Detached .......... 0.26 ...... GREAT FALLS FOREST

October 2009

$3,000,000 ~ $370,000

P. Wesley Foster, Jr., chairmanand chief executive officer of The Long& Foster® Companies, announced thatBarry S. Redler has been selected toserve as chief marketing officer, a newlycreated position within the organiza-tion. Redler is an experienced marketingleader having worked with both Fortune10 and privately held corporations.Prior to joining The Long & Foster Com-panies, he oversaw marketing and salesas a vice president for the Stanley Mar-tin Companies, a privately held regionalhomebuilder. Redler also worked forThe Ford Motor Company for over 20years in various senior level marketingand sales positions. Redler resides inNorthern Virginia with his wife and twochildren

Yeonas and Shafran Real Estateannounces the relocation of their corpo-

rate offices to 1309 Vincent Place inMcLean. Yeonas and Shafran providesa complete range of real estate servicesincluding new home sales, residentialresales, management and consulting.Founded in 2002 by principals DeanYeonas and Jack Shafran, the firm wasrecently ranked #17 in the top residen-tial real estate companies in the metroDC region by the Washington BusinessJournal (based on 2008 sales volume).For additional information, contactYeonas and Shafran Real Estate at 703-790-3330 or visit their website atwww.YeonasAndShafran.com.

Bruce Green, regional vice presi-dent of Weichert, Realtors® announcedthat Patricia Stack of the Vienna of-fice was recognized for industrysuccesses in the month of August. Stackled the region for resale dollar volume.

Invite top neighborhood specialists in tolearn about the real estate services thatWeichert, Realtors has to offer. They canbe reached in Weichert’s Vienna Officeat (703) 938-6070 at 156 East MapleAvenue Vienna, VA.

Mark Ackermann, Branch VicePresident of Coldwell Banker

Residential Brokerage in Vienna, re-cently announced the office’s topproducers for the month of July: SylviaDavis Thompson - Top Sales Agent andTop Producer, Susie Carpenter - TopListing Agent, Sylvia Jurek/Lisa Moffett- Top Sales Team, Top Producing Teamand Top Listing Team.

For more information about buying orselling a home in Fairfax County and itssurroundings, contact Coldwell Bankerin Vienna at 703-938-5600. To view list-ings, visit www.cbmove.com/Vienna.

Real Estate Notes


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During 2008, more familiesacross the country were without enough food during partof some months than at any

time since 1995 when the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture began monitoring the extentand severity of food insecurity in U.S. house-holds.

Last year, 17 million households in theUnited States were without enough food forsome part of some months becausethey didn’t have the money to buyfood, up from 13 million householdsin 2007. That’s 49 million people,up from 36 million in 2007.

The numbers are almost certainly highernow, as 2009 draws to a close.

The ongoing recession and loss of jobs aredriving an ongoing surge of families turn-ing to food banks here in Northern Virginia.There are more unemployed people inNorthern Virginia than in any other part ofthe state, according to the Virginia Employ-ment Commission. While the employmentrate is lower here as a percentage of thepopulation, this area still has by far the larg-est number of people unemployed.

In August, there were 69,770 unemployedpeople in Northern Virginia, with an unem-ployment rate of 4.7 percent. The rate wasdown from 5.1 percent in July, but up from3.3 percent in August, 2008.

People have lost their jobs, are unable tofind new ones. In some cases people whoown homes are stuck, unable to sell theirhouses because the homes are worth lessthan they paid for them, and are facing fore-

closure as well.Families have used up their safety

net, spent their savings. They findthemselves without being able to put

food on the table, and they turn to local foodbanks, food pantries, churches and othercharitable organizations for their most ba-sic needs.

Food pantries around the area havelaunched additional food drives to try tomeet the need. Many local charities alsooffer winter coats and holiday gifts, and arealso turning to the community to meet therising needs.

With the holiday season underway, it’stime to help.

— Mary Kimm

Give Locally More local families in need right nowthan ever before; thankfully, most ofus are in a position to help.

Where to DonateRESTON INTERFAITH,11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210, RestonServing Reston and Herndon571-323-9555www.restoninterfaith.org

SHARE OF MCLEAN FOOD PANTRYLocated in the McLean Baptist Church703-284-2179www.SHAREofMcLean.orgP.O. Box 210McLean, VA 22101

FOOD FOR OTHERS2938 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, 22031703-207-9173

LOUDOUN INTERFAITH RELIEF INC.750 Miller Drive, Suite A-1, Leesburg,703-777-5911, 9:30-4 Monday to Friday, 9:30-1 on Saturday,www.interfaithrelief.orgIn demand: Cereal, spaghetti sauce with meat,

18 oz. jars of peanut butter, soups, canned meat or fish,100 percent juices, stews, canned fruit and vegetables.

❖ Herndon-Reston FISH (For Immediate Sympathetic Help),703-391-0105_

❖ Our Daily Bread, Central Fairfax, 703-273-8829❖ Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, 703-988-9656❖ Northern Virginia Family Service, Oakton, 703-385-3267❖ Our Daily Bread,

10777 Main Street #320, Fairfax, 703-273-8829❖ Committee for Helping Others (CHO), Vienna, 703-281-7614

Editorial

See Letters, Page 9

‘Horrible Plan’Threatens PikeTo the Editor:

An open letter to the TransportationCommissioner David S. Ekern.

I attended the meeting con-ducted by Leonard (Bud) Siegeland other VDOT staff at AldrinElementary School in Reston.When Mr. Siegel was asked byother attendees who was in chargeof this project, your name wasgiven, Mr. Ekern, so I imaginemine is not the only e-mail you willbe receiving in the next severaldays. At least, I hope not!

I have been opposing VDOT’splan to introduce two left-turnlanes from Route 7 ontoGeorgetown Pike in Great Fallsever since I first learned of it in2003. And so has the Great FallsCitizens Association, of which Iwas an Executive Board memberat that time. And so does the cur-rent Dranesville representative onthe Board of Supervisors, JohnFoust, as well as hundreds of GreatFalls residents. We were vocifer-ous in 2003 and would have con-tinued to be, except that the issueseemed to go away when fundingwas lost in 2004. Now that thefunding is again available, theproject is proceeding. After morethan a four-year delay, people for-got about it; which is why it seemswe are now faced with a “donedeal,” and little recourse.

There are many reasons I amadamantly opposed to this pro-posal, but the most important are:

1. There has been no Environ-mental Impact Study for this plan,and Mr. Siegel says one was notrequired. With Fairfax County’sserious air and water pollutionproblems, you would think an EISwould be done; and I feel thatwithout one, our environmentalconcerns in the area are being ig-nored and possibly circumvented.

2. There seems to be little regardfor the fact that Georgetown Pikeis an Historic Byway and shouldbe protected as such. We haveworked very hard in our commu-nity to prevent any changes to thishistorically-significant road, by,among other things, trying to limitwidening, minimizing the numberof traffic signs and signals, andlowering speed limits. The currenttraffic situation is deplorable. Thisplan would make it much worse.

3. Mr. Siegel himself admittedthat no studies had been done todetermine the impact of thisproject upon Georgetown Pike orthe community of Great Falls. Itappears the focus of any studieswas the safety of drivers on Route7 and how to keep traffic movingon that road. Mr. Siegel did nothave any figures regarding thenumber of traffic accidents inGreat Falls or any delays experi-enced by our emergency vehiclestrying to navigate rush hour onGeorgetown Pike during an emer-

gency. I would venture to guessthat our safety would be furtherjeopardized by the increased traf-fic flow caused by this project.Your personnel were unable to tellus what the projected traffic fig-ures would be for GeorgetownPike once a second left-turn lanewas introduced and invited us togo to the VDOT Web site to get theinformation ourselves.

4. It was disheartening that eachtime Mr. Siegel was asked, he wasunable to tell us if any alternativeshad been considered or othermethods tried, so I can only as-sume the answer was no. Samplequestions posed were: Did youthink about posting “No Left Turn”signs from Route 7 onto the Pikeduring morning rush hour and viceversa? Did you think about mak-ing no left turn at all? How abouta curb at the left-turn lane to dis-courage lane jumping? Or trafficenforcement? It seems to me thatthis plan is an expedient, short-term solution to VDOT’s problem,but not to Great Falls’ problem;and that actually, Georgetown Pikeand Great Falls are just the meansto the end. Our concerns and ourown safety and quality of life donot carry enough weight in thebigger Fairfax County, VDOT pic-ture.

5. I found it disingenuous (andalmost dishonest) for your agencyto assert that this is all aboutsafety, encouraging bicycle and pe-destrian traffic and following the

Fairfax County ComprehensivePlan. These were the three mainreasons given, besides movingtraffic off of Route 7 that I couldgather.

Firstly, it was only the safety ofdrivers on Route 7 that was dis-cussed. Secondly, I cannot evenfathom how this project will makeit possible for anyone to safelywalk or ride a bicycle in GreatFalls. It isn’t safe now, and will beless safe with more traffic funneledonto our narrow streets and roads.And since we have very little po-lice presence in Great Falls, but lotsand lots of drivers who break traf-fic laws, resident safety on theroads has always been an issuehere. And to tell us that this projectis part of the Comprehensive Plan,well. That was too much. A FairfaxCounty supervisor once told methat the Comprehensive Plan is asuggestion or a guide and is notcast in stone. There is a system oftrails on the Comprehensive Plan,but for more than 20 years, dedi-cated people in Great Falls havebeen unable to get that systemcompletely constructed. It tookVDOT less than 10 years to pushthis road project through; and Iwould hesitate a guess that thisspecific plan, for two left-turnlanes onto Georgetown Pike, is noton the Comprehensive Plan, but Idon’t know. Let’s be honest here.Anyone can spin facts and figures

Letters to the Editor


Home Improvements and Repairs that Always Get an A+Fully Insured Class A Contractor

From Page 8

Letters

See Letters, Page 18

to make them say what theywant and need. And I feel like thisis exactly what VDOT is doing inthis case. Project engineers aretelling us about formulas and hy-potheses, but I think their data isskewed because the focus isskewed. Not only was the humanelement disregarded, but theGeorgetown Pike/Great Falls halfwas left out of the equation.

I hope that VDOT will reconsiderthis portion of the plan and youwill consider my arguments here,Mr. Ekern. I hope anyone and ev-eryone who is in any position todo anything to change this planwill do the same. I am sending acopy of this e-mail to U.S. Rep.Frank Wolf (R-10), Gov. Tim Kaine(D), Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville), Supervisor CathyHudgins (D-Hunter Mill), Chair-man Sharon Bulova (D-At-large),Del.-Elect Barbara Comstock (R-34), Del. Margi Vanderhye (D-34),the Great Falls Citizens Associa-tion, my neighbors and the localnewspapers, and will hope forchange. Someone, somewhere,who can actually do something tochange this horrible plan has gotto see things from this perspective.I am hoping that you, Mr. Ekern,

will be one of those somebodies,and I thank you for your time andconsideration.

Jan T. McCarthyGreat Falls

A Case AgainstPublic OptionTo the Editor:

I am writing in response to theopinion article entitled “Making aCase for the Public Option” in theNov.19, 2009 issue of the GreatFalls Connection. The authors ofthis article suggest that now is thetime to provide Americans a pub-lic option in health care. I couldnot disagree more. Our country’scurrent economic condition aswell as the way in which the legis-lation of this magnitude has beencrammed through the Congressshould be enough to give everyAmerican pause.

First, our current national eco-nomic state clearly demonstratesthat now is not the time to bespending billions of dollars on anew entitlement program that fewhad the privilege to read before itwas brought for a vote. Our un-employment rate has skyrocketedabove 10 percent, higher than it’s

been in a decade, the value of theU.S. dollar sinks almost every day,and the national debt is nearly $12trillion and growing at a rate wehave not seen since World War II.We already have existing massiveunfunded “promises” to guaranteefuture entitlement benefits thatwhen added with liabilities like thedebt, total nearly $57 trillion.

We are headed towards a pathwhere our government’s only op-tion to pay off its debt will be byprinting money or raising taxessince fewer and fewer countrieswant to buy our bonds. I knowproponents will argue that thishealth “reform” will be deficit neu-tral. I would love to believe thathealth care coverage could be ex-panded to all American citizenswithout increasing cost or sacrific-ing access and quality. However, Iam reluctant to believe that sucha utopia could be created by a gov-ernment that can’t even get the flushot out in time.

More importantly, one onlyneeds to look at the mismanage-ment and impending insolvency ofthe Medicare and Social SecurityPrograms to see the fallacy of gov-ernment efficiency and fiscal dis-cipline.

Every year between Christmas and NewYear’s, the Great Falls Connection turns itspages over to the contributions of local stu-dents. We are seeking artwork, photography,poetry, opinions, short stories and reflec-tions. We welcome contributions from pub-lic schools, private schools and studentswho are home schooled.

E-mail to: [email protected], or mail or deliver contributionsby Dec. 4, to 1606 King St., Alexandria, VA22314. Please be sure to include the stu-dent’s name, age, grade, school and town ofresidence along with each submission. Forinformation, call 703-778-9410.

Be a Part of CHILDREN’S (& TEENS’) CONNECTION

10 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ November 25 - December 1, 2009 Great Falls Connection ❖ November 25 - December 1, 2009 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Send announcements [email protected] is Thursday for the followingweek’s paper. Photos/artwork encouraged.For additional listings, visitwww.connectionnewspapers.com

FRIDAY/NOV. 2727th Annual Thanksgiving

Weekend Art and CraftShowcase. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at theVienna Community Center, 120Cherry St. S.E., Vienna. More thaneighty local artisans. Admission $3.703-560-4844 or www.nvhg.org.

Interactive Retelling of theThanksgiving Story. 11 a.m. at theFrying Pan Farm Park Visitor Center,2739 West Ox Road. With GleeMania’s Sue Cournoyer. $4. Pre-paidreservations required. 703-437-9101.

Shane Hines and the Trance. 7 p.m.and 10 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 MapleAve. E., Vienna. $12. 703-255-1566or jamminjava.com.

SATURDAY/NOV. 2827th Annual Thanksgiving


Our Daily Bread Holiday FoodDrive. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. next toSafeway at Courthouse Plaza, 10376Willard Way, Fairfax City. Proceeds tobenefit Fairfax United MethodistChurch www.our-daily-bread.org.

A Chanticleer Christmas. 8 p.m. atthe George Mason University ConcertHall, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax..Tickets $24-$48. Pre-PerformanceDiscussion held 45 minutes prior tothe performance. 888-945-2468 or

www.gmu.edu/cfa.The Haddad Youth Ballet of Great

Falls: The Nutcracker. 2 p.m. and7 p.m. at the Madeira School, 8328Georgetown Pike, McLean. 703-759-3366.

Boys Will Be Boys, I Saw A Ghost,Used Up, What A Night! andLight Up The Sky. 5:30 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. $10 advance/ $13 day ofshow. 703-255-1566 or

jamminjava.com.Sick Damage Turkey Stomp with

Viking, Young Enough, CJMilliand The Grenade. 10:30 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. $5. 703-255-1566 orjamminjava.com.

Lipizzaner Stallions 40th

Anniversary Tour. 2 p.m. and 7p.m. at George Mason UniversityPatriot Center, 4500 Patriot Circle,Fairfax. Tickets $24.50-$32.50.

Tickets are available atwww.ticketmaster.com or 703-573-SEAT. www.patriotcenter.com.

The Grandsons. Roots rock. 8 p.m. atWolf Trap Foundation for thePerforming Arts, 1624 Trap Road,Vienna. $16. 703-938-2404 orwww.wolftrap.org.

SATURDAY/NOV. 28Jazz Pianist John Eaton. 8 p.m. at

Wolf Trap Foundation for thePerforming Arts, 1624 Trap Road,Vienna. $25. 703-938-2404 orwww.wolftrap.org.

SUNDAY/NOV. 2927th Annual Thanksgiving


Jody Marshall. 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. atThe Old Brogue Irish Pub, 760-CWalker Road, Great Falls.Reservations required. $15. 703-759-3309 or www.jodymarshall.net.

Lipizzaner Stallions 40th

Anniversary Tour. 2 p.m. atGeorge Mason University PatriotCenter, 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax.Tickets $24.50-$32.50. Tickets areavailable at www.ticketmaster.com or703-573-SEAT.www.patriotcenter.com.

The Haddad Youth Ballet of GreatFalls: The Nutcracker. 4 p.m. atthe Madeira School, 8328Georgetown Pike, McLean. 703-759-3366.

MONDAY/NOV. 30Marie Digby and Alpha Rev. 8 p.m.

Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. $12. 703-255-1566 orjamminjava.com.

TUESDAY/DEC. 1Colvin Run Community Center

Weekly Dance. 7 p.m. at ColvinRun Schoolhouse, 10201 Colvin RunRoad, Great Falls. $10.www.colvinrun.org.

Sloan. 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 MapleAve. E., Vienna. $15. 703-255-1566or jamminjava.com.

AIDS Quilt at GMU on World AIDSDay. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at George MasonUniversity, Johnson Center’sDewberry Hall, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. More than 100 panels fromthe AIDS Memorial Quilt will bedisplayed at GMU as part of WorldAIDS Day. Almost all of the 40,000colorful panels that make up the Quiltmemorialize the life of a person lostto AIDS. masonaidsquilt.com or 703-993-1094.

The McLean Branch of theAmerican Association ofUniversity Women AnnualHoliday Luncheon.11:30 a.m. atthe Riverbend Country Club, 375Walker Road, Great Falls. WithHenriette de Bruyn Kops, aresearcher in the Dept. of NorthernBaroque at the National Gallery andlecturer/ research associate atGeorgetown University. $28. 703-356-0529 or www.mcleanaauw.org.Nonperishable food, paper goods andtoiletries will be collected to donateto Share, Inc.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 2Line Dancing Classes for Active

Seniors. 11 a.m. at the VinsonDominion Hall, 6251 Old DominionDrive, McLean. Join a new community

program designed for age 55 andover. Free. Wear low heels andcomfortable shoes. Registrationrequired. 703-442-9075, TTY 711.

Brooke Waggoner, Adam Levy andAmber Rubarth. 8 p.m. Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $10.703-255-1566 or jamminjava.com.

THURSDAY/DEC. 3Great Falls Womans’ Club 7th

Annual Bridge Jamboree. 9:30a.m. at Christ the King LutheranChurch, 10550 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls. The proceeds will supportthe GFWC Scholarship Fund and giftcards for the Fairfax County Shelterfor Abused Women and Children.$40, including continental breakfastand lunch. Prizes will be awarded.Reserve with Karen Magley, 11608Holly Briar Lane, Great Falls, VA22066.

THURSDAY/DEC.3The McLean Art Society will hold a

juried show with an openingreception. The exhibit continuesthrough Friday, Jan. 8, 2010 at theRamp Gallery at the McLeanCommunity Center,1234 InglesideRoad, McLean. 703-790-0123.

James Madison High School WindSymphony and Color Guard 30th

Annual Tiny Tots Holiday Show.10 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the JamesMadison High School Auditorium,2500 James Madison Drive, Vienna.Costumed guests include Rudolph theRed-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty theSnowman and more. Sing, clap anddance along with the band. $5 perperson. 703-319-8897 [email protected].

Luke Brindley, Peter BradleyAdams and Rosi Golan. 7:30 p.m.

Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. $15. 703-255-1566 orjamminjava.com.

FRIDAY/DEC. 4James Madison High School Wind

Symphony and Color Guard 30th

Annual Tiny Tots Holiday Show.10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the JamesMadison High School Auditorium,2500 James Madison Drive, Vienna.703-319-8897 [email protected].

Graham Colton. 7 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $12advance/ $15 day of show. 703-255-1566 or jamminjava.com.

Memphis 59 “Ragged But Right”CD Release. 10 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $10. 703-255-1566 or jamminjava.com.

SATURDAY/DEC. 5Epiphany United Methodist Church

Annual Christmas Bazaar. 10a.m.-3 p.m. at 1014 Country ClubDrive N.E., Vienna. Silent auction,crafts, poinsettias, wreaths and centerpieces, baked goods and lunch. 703-938-3494.

Preventing Diabetes. 10 a.m. at theDiabetes Center, Inova Fair OaksHospital, 3700 Joseph Siewick Drive,Fairfax. Delay and even prevent Type2 diabetes with healthier habitsduring the pre-diabetes stage. Twotwo-hour classes, in which CertifiedDiabetes Educators will provideinformation on physical activity, animproved diet and other positivelifestyle changes. $50 Registrationrequired. 703-750-8800 orwww.inova.org/healthclasses

Our Daily Bread Holiday FoodDrive. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. next toSafeway at Courthouse Plaza, 10376

Willard Way, Fairfax City. Proceeds tobenefit Reston Bible Churchwww.our-daily-bread.org.

Person L, John Nolan and BrianBonz. 9 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227Maple Ave. E., Vienna. $10 advance/$12 day of show. 703-255-1566 orjamminjava.com.

The Vienna Choral Society:Hallelujah! A ChristmasConcert. 7:30 p.m. at the ViennaBaptist Church, 541 Marshall RoadS.W., Vienna. Handel’s Messiah Part Iand seasonal favorites. $18 adults,$14 seniors and children.viennachoralsociety.org or 703-255-5508.

Flint Hill Elementary School CraftFair. At 2444 Flint Hill Road.Professional crafters, Secret SantaShop for children, bake sale, cakewalk, and Crafty Kids [email protected] or 703-242-6100.

Northern Virginia Country WesternDance Association, at LutherJackson Middle School, 3020 GallowsRoad, Falls Church. Bring anunwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Linedance lessons 7:30 p.m., couplesspecialty dance 8 p.m., open dancing8:30-11 p.m. $10 members, $12 non-members, $5 ages 16-20 with studentID. www.nvcwda.org.

Children’s Holiday Shopping. 10a.m.-2 p.m. at Colvin Run MillGeneral Store, 10017 Colvin RunRoad, Great Falls. Volunteers helpchildren find the perfect gift. Freewrapping. 703-759-2771 orwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/crm.

Colvin Run Ballroom Dance. AtColvin Run Schoolhouse, 10201Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Livemusic by Arrow. Dance lesson 8 p.m.,dancing 9-11:30 p.m. $15 dance, $5lesson. 703-795-2003 orwww.colvinrun.org.

The Haddad Youth Ballet of Great Falls presents The Nut-cracker at the Madiera School, 8328 Georgetown Pike onSaturday, Nov. 28, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Sunday,Nov. 29, at 4 p.m.. Emily Ngau and Aleksey Kudrin aresurrounded by lights during the snow scene.

Calendar


InformationalLunch

Tuesday,December 15th

RSVP703-578-7201

Adeler JewelersMaison du Vin

Meadows FarmsThe Old Brogue Restaurant

and the spectacular

Standing Room Only Band!

To the tirelessGreat Falls Optimist Club

&Newcomers of Great Falls volunteers

&to all those who attended and

helped us support Camp Fraser…

We couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank You!The following helped make the

Fourth Annual Barn Danceand Dinner a smashing success,

thanks to their very generous donations:

Insurance subject to availability and qualifications.Allstate Life Insurance Company, Northbrook, Illinois © 2009Allstate Insurance Company.

You deserve the best possiblelife insurance coverage foryour family. Call me today.

Spiro Souliotis703-481-82101100 Herndon PkwyHerndon

To have community events listed in theConnection, send to [email protected]. Deadline isFriday.

Air Force Maj. Park D. Ashley is re-turning to the U.S. after a deployment insupport of Operation Enduring Freedom.Ashley, a security assistance officer with18 years of military service, is normallyassigned to the 82nd Aerial TargetSquadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.He is the son of Clarence and Clara SueAshley of Beach Mill Road, Great Falls,a 1985 from Langley High School, and a1990 graduate of the Georgia Institute ofTechnology, Atlanta.

Keith A. Tooley has been commis-sioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S.Army after successfully completing theArmy ROTC program and graduatingwith a bachelor’s degree from West Vir-ginia University. Tooley is the son ofJean D. Reimers of Donmore Drive,Great Falls and is a 2004 graduate ofLangley High School.

Constance Lynne Solina was pro-moted to U.S. Navy LieutenantCommander on Sept. 3. Currently withthe Functional Integration Managementand Training Directorate for the Centerfor Seabees and Facilities Engineering,she previously served in Iraq with the 4th

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion in2007, earned a civil engineering degreefrom Purdue University and a masters ofenvironmental engineering from theUniversity of Texas, Austin. Solina is thedaughter of Pamela Beck Danner andDavid L. Danner of McLean, and a 1996graduate of Langley High School.

Air Force Lt. Col. Nicholas E.Russo participated in Proud Shield II/Giant Sword II, a bombing, navigation,weapons loading, and security forcescompetition conducted by the Eighth AirForce to demonstrate the military’sreadiness and ability to project airpoweraround the world, set up a strategic de-terrent to threats to American interests,and meet national defense objectives.Russo is director of operations assignedto the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AirForce Base, Bossier City, La., and hasserved in the military for 16 years. He isthe son of Vincent and Reeta Russo ofMcLean; his brothers are Brian Russoand Mark Russo, also of McLean. Russoreceived a bachelor’s degree in 1993from Davidson College, N.C., and amaster’s degree in 2002 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical College.

Army Pfc. Eric Z. Reynolds, a 2007graduate of Oakton High School, hasgraduated from the Infantryman OneStation Unit Training at Fort Benning,Columbus, Ga. He is the son of Jamesand Susan Reynolds of Oakton.

Michael Thompson, of Vienna isamong 10 James Madison University stu-dents that trained for three days withSpecial Forces soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C.,as part of the Army ROTC Ranger Group.

Coast Guard Seaman Nicholas C.Pfautz , son of Terry Pfautz ofWarrenton and Richard Pfautz ofMcLean, recently graduated from theU.S. Coast Guard Recruit Training Cen-ter in Cape May, N. J.

Army 2nd Lt. Roman A.Terehoff has graduated from the In-fantry Basic Officer Leader Course atFort Benning, Columbus, Ga. He is theson of Alex G. and Irina P. Terehoff ofBorge St., Oakton, Va. Terehoff gradu-ated in 2001 from Oakton High School,and received a bachelor’s degree in 2008from George Mason University.

Military

Notes


I imagine it’s a bit more than a coinci-dence under my present health circum-stances (God works in mysterious ways, it issaid), that after pressing the “seek” button onmy car’s radio, the radio will regularly (itdoesn’t feel random anymore) advance itselfand stop on “Praise 104.1,” an “inspir-ational” Gospel music station, (and not oneof my “pre-sets”). And for the first time in mylife, other than occasionally watching JoelOsteen with my recently deceased motheron Sunday mornings, and/or watching theChristmas/Easter services broadcast fromRome, with my wife, Dina’s, Italian grand-mother, Filomena (also recently deceased), Iam now stopping and listening again; defi-nitely to the music and sometimes even tothe words.

As for the songs I hear, which are notreally distinguishable to me as yet, I don’tknow if it’s the arrangement, the produc-tion/engineering, the music, the musicians,the lyrics, the singer, the choir, but together, itall sounds wonderful. It “taps my toes” andlifts my spirit. Moreover, it’s so upbeat andpositive and full of life and enthusiasm that italmost makes me feel like dancing (and that’ssaying/doing something), and I feel better justlistening (not healthier, yet; let’s be realistic).Maybe, even, a little hopeful, though. ButI’m not quite committed, emotionally. Norhave I reprogrammed my car radio’s “pre-sets.” And I don’t know any of theD.J.s/“personalities” or the formats that maydiffer from hour to hour, day to today, either.At present, I would describe myself as a cas-ual/inadvertent listener but one whose inter-est has been piqued.

So what next? Do I change one of my“pre-sets on my car’s FM radio and becomea regular listener? Do I call in and inquireabout getting on the station’s email/web sitelist (if they have one)? Do I join their frequentlistener club (if they have one)? Howinvolved do I want to be? Dare I ask, willwhatever that level of involvement becomes,will it/could it positively affect my life; and ifsomeone, anyone, says it might, shouldn’t I,given the seriousness of my underlying medi-cal condition, embrace any and all optionsthat might offer a way through this mostarduous journey in which I find myselfentangled?

Maybe there’s an interim step I couldhesitatingly take?

Maybe I should first listen better when theradio “seeks” and finds “Praise 104.1,” andpay closer attention to more of what’s broad-cast, specifically the lyrics in the songs, whatthe D.J.’s say, the station’s promotions/ adver-tisements), in general, the overall flow andfeeling, the vibe. Maybe it’s not as much of amatch as I think it is? I’ve only heard bits andpieces of parts of songs, minimalD.J./broadcaster involvement and so far, verylittle proselytizing. On balance, so far whatI’ve heard has been good, but it’s been soinfrequent and irregular, that I haven’tfocused my attention yet and really listenedto hear what I might learn and determine ifin fact, this station’s content is what I want/need to hear.

And if it turns out that it’s not where I’mcomfortable being, I think I’ll be better offhaving reached out, so to speak, to make thatassessment. As much as this cancer thing mayhave closed me, somehow I need to findways to stay open. Who’s to say, or whoknows, what really helps? Probably, it alldoes. Who knows which way to turn/howbest to proceed? Certainly not me.

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

Praise for theStationThat PraysBy KENNETH B. LOURIE

Community

McLean residents Madeleine Hahnand husband Ed Clark led theeffort last summer to build a

much needed bus stop bench at the cornerof Old Dominion Drive and Birch Road.Over a year ago, Hahn heard that a manhad fainted at the bus stop. The man toldparamedics that the incident might havebeen prevented if he had been able to siton a bench while waiting. Bus riders oftenwait more than an hour for the next bus,especially on weekends. Hahn also observed“people in the rain sitting up on the rootsof a tree and in the mud near the stop” anddecided that something needed to be done.

According to Hahn, the Virginia Depart-ment of Transportation denied her requestfor a bench to be placed at the stop. Hahnand Clark decided to fund the building ofthe bench themselves and later worked withBill Denk, president of the El Nido CivicAssociation, to gather donations to recoverthe costs. Zoey and William Hertz gave per-mission to have the bench placed on theirland.

Rosario Ramirez works in the neighbor-hood and rides the bus nearly every day.“My job has very long hours and I wait forone hour on Sundays for the bus,” she said.“I am very tired and in the cold and therain [the bench] is good.”

“I just kind of felt like that it would add alot to our community and that it was ourresponsibility to do something for thepeople that caught the bus,” Hahn said.“We’ll probably pick up a little plaque and

stick it on here somewhere that says ‘fromthe community.’ It is just one of those com-munity things that we do and I’m real happywith it. This is what we are. We are a com-munity here and we want to help.”

Residents of homes that are locatedwithin the area bounded by Kent GardensPark, Old Dominion Drive, Kirby Road and

Caring Citizens Fund Bench at McLean Bus Stop

Photo by Christy Steele/The Connection

Rosario Ramirez, a woman who rides the bus nearly every day, sits onthe bench funded by Ed Clark and Madeleine Hahn, back right andcenter. Bill Denk, right, president of the El Nido Civic Association, hashelped Hahn and Clark cover part of the cost through donations fromcitizens.

Westmoreland Street are members of theEl Nido Civic Association. If you would liketo make a contribution toward the build-ing of the bench or future improvements tothe community, go to http://elnidoca.org/to learn more.

— Christy Steele

Faith Notes are for announcements and eventsin the faith community. Send [email protected]. Deadline isFriday.

St. John’s Episcopal Church in McLeanwill hold a Thanksgiving Day

service of Holy Eucharist on Nov. 26 at 10 a.m.The Thanksgiving

Offering will support SHARE, a non-profit orga-nization founded in 1969

to meet emergency needs in McLean, Great Falls,Pimmit Hills, and

surrounding areas. All are welcome. St. John’sChurch is located in McLean at 6715 GeorgetownPike. For more information, call 703-356-4902, orvisit www.stjohnsmclean.org.

The Antioch Christian Church, 1860 BeulahRoad, Vienna, is announcing the installation oftheir new minister, Rev. Randy Beeman. Rev.Beeman has most recently served as the Sr. Pastorof First Christian Church of Lawrence, Kan. and theChaplain/Character Coach of the University ofKansas Men’s Basketball team. Pastor Beeman andhis wife Linda have four children. The guestspeaker for the Installation service is the Rev. LariGrubbs, Regional Minister of the Christian ChurchCapital Area. The message by Rev. Grubbs is “Set-ting Examples in the Church.” The InstallationWorship service begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov.29. A reception hour will follow the Installationworship service. The community is invited to par-ticipate and child care is provided.

HAVEN of Northern Virginia offers a vari-ety of free bereavement support groups, meetingon a weekly basis. Contact 703-941-7000 orwww.havenofnova.org for schedules and registra-tion information.

The Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA)offers a variety of support groups for those withemotional, social, and physical challenges. ContactGary Axelrod, 301-610-8309 or [email protected],

or www.jssa.org.

Vienna Baptist Church, 541 Marshall Road,Vienna, is celebrating the 400th birthday of Bap-tists. Sunday service is at 11 a.m.; Sunday BibleStudy, 9:30 a.m. 703-281-4400 or www.vbc-va.org.

St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls,9220 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls. Services areat 7:45 a.m., 9 a.m., and 11 a.m. Sunday Schoolclasses and an adult forum series are at 10:15 a.m.703-759-2082 or www.stfrancisgreatfalls.org. Fallevents include:

❖ Voice recital at 7 p.m. on Sept. 20, with mu-sic from the British Isles.

· Choral Evensong for All Saints, 7:30 p.m.on Nov. 1.

· Country Fair, Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

❖ Blessing of the Animals, Sunday, Oct. 4 at the9 a.m. service.

McLean Bible Church Fitness Class atBody & Soul fitness. Balance is key, energy is re-newed, strength is gained, and friendships areformed. Mondays 9:15 a.m. and Fridays 9:45 a.m.Childcare is free for registered students. [email protected] for more informa-tion.

Vajrayogini Buddhist Center offers ongoingclasses on meditation and Buddhist philosophy,Mondays at 7 p.m. at Unity of Fairfax, 2854 HunterMill Road, Oakton. $10 per class. 202-331-2122 orwww.meditation-dc.org.

Great Falls United Methodist Church at10100 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. 703-759-3705 offers “All Things New,” an ecumenicalworship service, every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Basedon the Beatitudes of Jesus, for people affected byanger, fear, stress, dealing with rejection, creditabuse, drug/alcohol abuse, physical/sexual addic-tion or eating disorders.

Faith

To have community events listed in the Con-nection, send [email protected] is Friday.

MONDAY/NOV. 30Open Season Workshop for Federal

Employees and Retirees, withCongressman Gerry Connolly. 10a.m.-12 p.m. at the Fairfax CountyGovernment Center, 12000 GovernmentCenter Parkway, Fairfax. Featureing OPM’sDean Schleicher, the project leader for theFederal Employees Health BenefitsProgram annual Open Season, and WaltFrancis, author of ConsumerCHECKBOOK’s Guide to Health Plans forFederal Employees. FEHB planrepresentatives will be on hand to answerquestions and help participants. CallCongressman Connolly’s District Office at703-256-3071.

TUESDAY/DEC. 1Vienna Tysons Regional Chamber of

Commerce Holiday Mixer. 5:30 p.m. atNavigator Wealth Management, LLC, 7601Lewinsville Road, Suite 205, McLean.Members $20, non-members $25. 703-281-1333 or www.vtrcc.org.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 2 Great Falls Friends hosts their Annual

Holiday Breakfast at 8 a.m. at the GreatFalls Library - Stop by for Food, Friendsand Networking.

TUESDAY/DEC. 8League of Women Voters of the Fairfax

Area. 7:45 p.m. at Patrick Henry Library,101 Maple Ave., Vienna. Contact Ann, 703-938-7304. www.lwv-fairfax.org.

Bulletin Board


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Gift Officer-Major GiftsFor Flint Hill School, an independent, JK-12 school in Vienna, Va. Responsi-bilities include working with a portfolio of donors to increase both annual and capital giving. Must demonstrate a track record of building donor relation-ships. Required: BA/BS degree; 5-7 years fundraising exp; fluency with tech-nology; strong communication and or-ganizational skills. Independent school fundraising exp. preferred. This individ-ual will join a dynamic Advancement team in a highly collaborative work envi-ronment. Please email cover letter and resume to: [email protected]

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Clearwire Wireless Broadband, an FCC-licensed wireless pro-vider in the State of Virginia, is proposing the collocation of wireless antennas on an existing building rooftop at 200 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia 22203. The proposed development will include a 10’ x 10’ lease area for equipment. Members of the public interested in submitting comments on the possible effects of the proposed project on historic properties included in or eligible for inclusion in the Na-tional Register of Historic Places may send their comments to Alex Bos, Rescom Environmental Corp., P.O. Box 6225, Tra-verse City, MI 49696 or call 1.231.947.4454. Project Refer-ence #: 0909042

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Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

The Great Falls Business and Professional Association haslaunched “Shop Great Falls,” acommunity wide campaign de-

signed to promote local businesses andstimulate sales during the holiday shoppingseason. Calling on residents to “Think Lo-cally, Act Locally and Shop Great Falls,” theGFBPA is seeking to raise the profile of lo-cal retailers and other businesses within thecommunity and encourage holiday shop-ping closer to home.

Between Nov. 16 and Dec. 24, shopperscan visit any participating business and en-ter to win one of three Great Falls Gift Bas-kets, each containing hundreds of dollarsin merchandise, gift certificates and freeservices exclusively from local providers.Most participants will also be offering spe-cial Shop Great Falls incentives and otherlimited-time opportunities during the cam-paign.

“We felt it was important in these diffi-cult economic times for the GFBPA to getout front and actively promote the indi-vidual small businesses that serve our com-munity,” said Ralph Lozaro, GFBPA presi-dent. “People are looking for value, nowmore than ever, and we wanted to give lo-cal businesses a platform to spotlight the

selection and savings available right hereat home.”

“Even if many residents feel they alreadyknow the local businesses,” said Lozaro, “wewanted to give them reason to visit againand experience anew what their hometownbusiness community has to offer.”

For more information, contact Mark vonKeszycki at 571-294-5972 or visit the GFBPAWeb site at www.greatfallsbpa.com.

Shop Great FallsCampaign Launched

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Sports

Edric Wung (McLean) fin-ished in a second place tie in theboys’ 12-13 age group division ofthe recent MAPGA Junior TurkeyTwo-Day golf event at FauquierSprings Country Club. IanHildebrand of Purcellville finishedfirst. Wung had a two-day total of164, tying him with Errol Clarke(Mitchellville, Md.).

In the overall girls’ division,Shabril Brewer (Oak Hill) brokeaway from the field and won byeight shots over April Nimjareansuk(Alexandria). Brewer started the

day with birdies at holes one, two,and seven. She fired a 5-over 77 tofinish the event at 11-over par.Brewer, a Westfield High student,was part of the Bulldogs’ team thatcaptured the state AAA golf title afew weeks ago.

Shannon Brooks (Vienna)cruised to a victory in the Girls 12-14 division with a two-day totalof 166. Her second round 81 wasa two-day low for her division.Julie Luo (Herndon) finished nineshots back with 175.

The Marshall High Boosterswill once again be sponsoring theChristmas Tree Lot in front of theschool. Trees in a variety of typesand sizes, wreaths and fresh gar-land can all be purchased. Need astocking stuffer? How about someMarshall Spirit wear or the WhiteHouse ornament? The tree lot willbe open seven days a week untilall trees are sold. Hours of opera-tion are Saturdays and Sundaysfrom 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Mondays-Fri-days from 5:30-8 p.m. All proceedsfrom the tree lot will go directly

into the Marshall students’ activi-ties account, which sponsors 21teams and a variety of clubs withthe purchase of uniforms andequipment, field maintenance,capital improvements and travelneeds to competitions. In addition,the purchase of White HouseChristmas Ornaments will directlysupport Marshall’s All NightGraduation Celebration. ContactChristmas Tree Chair EllenLoszynski at [email protected] any further information.

The McLean High AthleticBoosters’ Golf Classic fund-rais-ing event took place Oct. 23 at theReston National Golf Course. Theday of golf featured a best ballteam format, awards, gift bag,lunch and appetizers after thetournament. Funds raised will gotowards upgrades to McLean Highathletic facilities, such as improve-ments to the stadium entrance, anasphalt walkway between thebaseball and softball fields, re-sur-facing of the tennis courts and thepurchase of new scoreboards.

Sports Roundups

By Rich Sanders

The Connection

McLean High softballcoach Maurice Tawil announced that senior shortstop Lauren McColgan

has signed a National Letter of Intent to playsoftball at Div. 1 George Mason University.McColgan will play her senior season atMcLean this spring. She has been the High-landers’ starting shortstop since her arrivalin 2007 and will be a team captain for asecond year in a row.

Over her first three years at McLean,McColgan accumulated numerous recogni-tion awards. Specifically, as a junior in thespring season of 2009, McColgan’s out-standing performance was rewarded as shewas named Liberty District Player of theYear, First Team All-Northern Region, andAll-State. She led the Highlanders with a.494 batting average, .578 on-base percent-age and 23 stolen bases out of 24 attempts.

During the recruiting process, CoachTawil told GMU head coach Joe Verbanic,“I hope Lauren McColgan does for your pro-gram what she has done for our program.”

McColgan started playing ball when shewas 8. She played for McLean Little Leaguefrom 2000-04. In 2004, she was on the All-Star team that made it to the World Seriesin Portland, Ore. for the first time in McLeanhistory. In the fall 2004, McColgan joinedthe Vienna Stars travel team. For the pastfive years, while playing for the Stars,McColgan has played in many high profiletournaments and has done some extensivetraveling. Her travels include tournamentsin Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsyl-vania, North Carolina, South Carolina, NewJersey, New York, Florida, Tennessee, Ken-tucky, Oklahoma, Colorado, Oregon and Il-linois.

McColgan, also known as “Mac,” cur-rently plays on the 18-under Vienna StarsGold team, coached by Tony Rollins.

Other schools that were interested inMcColgan included Bucknell University,LaSalle, Fairleigh Dickenson, Longwood,Coastal Carolina and Providence.

McLean High’s Hanna Longwell willplay women’s lacrosse at Colgate Univer-sity. The Colgate Raiders are the reigning2009 Patriot League Women’s LacrosseChampions.

“I am so excited to have committed toColgate University,” said Longwell. “I lovethe coaches and the welcoming atmosphereon campus and can’t wait to be part of theteam. I feel really lucky to have the oppor-tunity to make a contribution at a schoolwith such excellent academics and such anextremely competitive lacrosse program,and I am thankful for all the support that Ihave gotten from my high school and clubcoaches during the recruiting process.”

Anne Inzerello, McLean’s head varsity la-crosse coach, is impressed with Longwell’sefforts and ability.

“When I first met Hanna her freshmanyear at tryouts, she shook my hand and in-troduced herself,” said Inzerello. “At that

moment, I knew two things. First, she wasone of the smallest goalies I had ever seen.And second, that she was tough. As I gotto know Hanna better throughout thatfirst season and the years to follow, Ilearned many more things about her. Notonly is she both tiny and tough, she is te-nacious as well.”

Longwell has given her best to continueto improve as a player and as a teammate.

“Hanna works hard and accepts noth-ing less than perfection,” said her coach.“As a result, she is very goal-driven. Butshe doesn’t give her goals lip service alone,she practices and plays to achieve them.She constantly tries to improve herself andencourage teammates. She inspires andmotivates those around her with herwords and example and gives them thesupport they need to accomplish their owngoals. She has a positive attitude that iscontagious. She can buoy her defense andcement and motivate a team in disheart-ening circumstances. Hanna seeks chal-lenges and loves nothing more than greatcompetition. She exudes a supreme con-fidence on the field, but is never cocky.She just simply doesn’t know how to be

intimidated. Hanna’s achievements andmerit have been recognized by many andin various venues over the years. As thestarting goalie on varsity since her fresh-man year, she has been watched and ad-mired by many during her high school ca-reer.”

Longwell’s lacrosse achievements include:First Team All-Liberty District every year;team MVP as a sophomore; and All-North-ern Region Goalie of the Year as a junior.

“As coaches, we feel very lucky to havehad Hanna play for us and we are lookingforward to her final season as a senior,” saidInzerello. “We are excited for the next chap-ter in her lacrosse career and know thatColgate is very lucky to have her. Congratu-lations, Hanna.”

Longwell is a captain of both the varsitylacrosse and cheer teams, and has competedas a member of the gymnastics team. Sheis currently on target to earn 13 varsity let-ters during her high school career, qualify-ing her for McLean’s prestigious AngusAward. McLean Director of Activities TomHerman believes that this may be a school

record for the most varsity letters earned.Hanna has devoted an enormous amount

of time to lacrosse training, practices, campsand tournaments. In addition to high schoollacrosse, she has played for Capital La-crosse, M&D Lacrosse, Potomac Power,McLean Magic and Stars Lacrosse, at onepoint playing on four travel teams simulta-neously.

Crediting McLean Youth Lacrosse CoachBucky Morris for sparking her interest inlacrosse in the third grade, Longwell re-ceived excellent instruction and began hon-ing her skills early. As an 11-year old, shewas selected to the U-13 National FestivalTeam, and to the U-15 National FestivalTeam as a 12-year old. She was goalkeeperfor Morris’ undefeated 2006 NVYLL McLeanYouth League U-15A Champions duringtheir 11-0 season. Over each of the pastthree years, Longwell has earned a spot onthe U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Division Na-tional High School Team for the Mid-Atlan-tic Region.

The Longwell are keeping it all in the fam-ily. Hanna will join her sister, Alexis, atColgate. A 2009 graduate of McLean, AlexisLongwell is currently a soccer goalkeeperfor the Colgate Raiders. Younger brother,Robert, is a freshman at McLean.

Sean Fitzgerald, a McLean High senior,recently signed to play college baseball atNotre Dame. Last spring, Fitzgerald wasnamed the Liberty District Pitcher of theYear. He earned both First Team All-LibertyDistrict and Northern Region accolades,while also earning Honorable Mention All-State honors.

A year earlier, as a sophomore, Fitzgeraldwas named both First Team All-District andSecond Team All-Region as a utility player.And as a freshman in 2007, he made Sec-ond Team All-District utility.

Fitzgerald is McLean’s all-time careerleader in wins entering his senior year with19.

McLean High senior Chris Russorecently signed to play college baseball atthe Virginia Military Institute. Russo, as ajunior last spring, earned First Team All-Lib-erty District recognition as a secondbaseman, and was Honorable Mention All-Region. In 2008, as a sophomore, he wasnamed Second Team All-District (utility).

McColgan Commits to Play Softball at GMUHanna Longwell willplay women’slacrosse at Colgate.

McLean High softball shortstopLauren McColgan has signed anational letter of intent to play thesport at George Mason University.

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BaptistGlobal Mission Church ... 703-757-0877Peace Baptist Church ... 703-560-8462

Bethel Primitive Baptist Church ... 703-757-8134

Cartersville Baptist Church ... 703-255-7075Fellowship Baptist Church ... 703-385-8516

First Baptist Church ... 703-938-8525The Light Mission Church ... 703-757-0877

Vienna Baptist Church ... 703-281-4400New Union Baptist Church... 703-281-2556

BuddhistVajrayogini Buddhist Center... 202-331-2122

Church of the BrethernOakton Church of the Brethern ... 703-281-4411

CatholicLight Mission Church ... 703-757-0877

Our Lady of Good Counsel ... 703-938-2828St. Athanasius Catholic Church ... 703-759-4555

St. Mark’s Catholic Church ... 703-281-9100

CharismaticChristian Assembly ... 703-698-9777

Church of ChristBerea Church of Christ ... 703-893-7040

Disciples of ChristAntioch Christian Church ... 703-938-6753

EpiscopalChurch of the Holy Comforter ... 703-938-6521

Church of the Holy Cross ... 703-698-6991St. Francis Episcopal ... 703-759-2082

Jehovah’s WitnessJehovah’s Witnesses ... 703-759-1579

LutheranEmmanuel Lutheran Church...703-938-2119

St. Athanasius Lutheran Church... 703-455-4003

MethodistAndrew Chapel United Methodist ... 703-759-3509

Church of the Good Shepherd ... 703-281-3987Dunn Loring United Methodist ... 703-573-5386Ephiphany United Methodist ... 703-938-3494Great Falls United Methodist... 703-759-3705

Oakton United Methodist ... 703-938-1233

Visit These Houses of WorshipJoin A Club, Make New Friends, or Expand Your Horizons...

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VIENNA

450 ORCHARD STREETVIENNA, VA

[email protected]

www.fbcv.org

Dr. KENNY SMITH,PASTOR

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 11:00 AMMIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

To Highlight YourFaith Community

call Karen at:(703) 917-6468

11321 Beach Mill RoadGreat Falls, VA 20165

It’s like coming home

Rev. D. J. Zuchelli, Pastor

[email protected]

SMITH CHAPEL UM CHURCH

SUMMER WORSHIPSUNDAY: 10:00 AM

Vale United Methodist ... 703-620-2594Smith Chapel United Methodist ... 571-434-9680

Wesley United Methodist ... 703-938-8700

Non-DenominationalChristian Assembly Church ... 703-698-9777

PresbyterianGrace Orthodox Presbyterian Church ... 703-560-6336

Korean Central Presbyterian ... 703-698-5577Vienna Presbyterian ... 703-938-9050

QuakerLangley Hills Friends...703-442-8394

Seventh-Day AdventistNorthern Virginia Christian Fellowship ... 703-242-9001

Vienna Seventh Day Adventists ... 703-938-8383

Unitarian UniversalistCongregation of Fairfax ... 703-281-4230

UnityUnity of Fairfax ... 703-281-1767

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Pre-School Open HouseWednesday, Dec. 2, 2009

From Page 5

Schools

(PayPal). Payment and pick upday is Saturday, Dec. 12 from 9a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mclean HighSchool. Payments on December12th must be by cash or check.

Byron Van Nort Hughey ofMcLean has been awarded a bach-elor of arts in English fromDenison University of Granville,Ohio. Hughey received the AlumniEndowed Scholarship and studiedabroad with the Goldsmiths pro-gram in England.

Duncan H. Hardock ofMcLean has been named to thespring 2009 dean’s list at ColbyCollege in Waterville, Maine.Hardock, a graduate of McLeanHigh School, is the son of Randolfand Anne Hardock.

Rebecca Ellen Berensonand Alaura Rose Maglio, bothof McLean, have been named tothe spring 2009 dean’s list at theUniversity of Wisconsin College ofLetters and Sciences.

Julia Christine Glasgow ofMcLean has graduated with abachelor of arts degree fromDartmouth College in Hanover,N.H. Glasgow is the daughter ofJames A. and Alice H. Glasgow.

Enjoy an old-fashionedevening of familyholiday fun. Visit

Santa in the mill and see thecountry Victorian Christmastree. Join the costumed mem-ber of the 49th Virginia Infan-try as they sing carols aroundthe campfire. Other activitiesinclude holiday crafts androasting marshmallows. Shopin the unhurried atmosphereof the 19th century Colvin RunGeneral Store for holiday gifts.Cost: $6 (ages 3 to 93). ModelTrain Display. Fun for all ages.Watch as G-gauge trains windtheir way through a miniaturewestern town in the ColvinRun Barn. Free.

Saturday, Dec.19, 11a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 20,11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the ColvinRun Mill Historic Site, 10017Colvin Run Road in GreatFalls. 703-759-2771.

MeetSanta Atthe Mill


21430 Cedar Dr., Suite 110 • Sterling, VA • 703-433-9441

From Page 9

Letters

There is also the recent Congres-sional Budget Office’s scoring ofSen. Reid’s plan. The CBO num-bers start scoring the plan at thetime the legislation would takeeffect, in 2013. However, the CBOscore does not account for the factthat the legislation calls for taxesto be raised immediately. This es-sentially would be like giving a cardealer $30,000 for a new car to-day, but driving the car off the lotthree or four years later!

The suggestion was made thathaving a public option alongsideprivate options would be verymuch like having the choice to goto Disneyland or a national parkfor vacation. This analogy is notaccurate since, in the health careexample, the government or pub-lic option, would have access toendless streams of our tax dollarswhile the private plans would besubject to normal rules of expenseand revenue. The government op-tion could use its ability to tax in-dividuals to increase their revenuestreams and would eventually,over time, drive all private sectorplans out of business. Why in theworld would we attempt to copythe failing models of England andCanada?

Second, we need to scrutinize theclosed door, non-transparent, dead-of-night way the House rammedtheir bill through the legislativeprocess. If this is such an excellentbill, why did Speaker Pelosi and theHouse majority draft it behindclosed doors, virtually locking Re-publicans and the American publicout of the process? Why was the2,000+-page bill made available toread only 24 hours before it wasbrought to the House floor for avote? Where is the transparencypromised by this Administration?If the House Bill is so wonderful,why does it threaten citizens whofail to purchase health insurancewith a fine of 2.5 percent of theirincome, up to $250,000, with fail-ure to pay the fine leading to jailtime? This is simply un-Americanif not unconstitutional. If this leg-islation is so profound and good forthe country, why was it so narrowlypassed in the House, requiring a$1.2 billion buy off in TARP moneyfor U.S. Rep. Cao from Louisiana?This is not good governance. Thisis reckless fiscal irresponsibility.With our country struggling toemerge from a severe recession, thetime to tighten our belts, not spendmore, is at hand.

Gina RyanGreat Falls


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News

Plan Alarms Residentsremained unscheduled.Carla Lanzara wondered

whether safety and accident ratesat intersections along GeorgetownPike had been taken into consid-eration. “Do not use a person’scommunity as a short-term solu-tion that endangers people,” shesaid. “We are extremely tired ofbeing treated in such a callous,indifferent way.”

ERIC KNUDSEN, co-chair of thecitizens association’s Transporta-tion Committee, said Great Fallsresidents had consistently turnedout to oppose the dual turn lanessince at least 2000 and had repeat-edly asked what alternatives werebeing considered and how thechange was projected to affecttraffic on Georgetown Pike.“You’re taking a metropolitan-areaformula and applying it to ourroad,” Knudsen said, adding thatplanners seemed to think the two-lane nature of the road would pre-vent additional traffic.

“We are not changing forecastedvolumes on Georgetown Pike,”Siegel said. In a later interview, hesaid the road was projected toreach capacity at about 1,700 ve-hicles per hour sometime about 20years from now, regardless ofwhether the additional turn lanewas created. He told the crowdthat engineers had explored theoptions of extending the singlelane, changing the timing of thetraffic signal and variousreconfigurations of the intersec-tion.

Lou Kriso asked whether theyhad considered building a singleextended lane set apart from theroad by a curb to keep drivers frompulling back into traffic.

Siegel said the mile-long turnlane would cause confusion and

From Page 3

The project is also to widen Route 7 from Loudoun to justpast Reston Avenue.

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the curb would present a hazardto drivers.

A number of other alternativeswere floated, including closing theleft turn altogether, turningGeorgetown Pike back into a tollroad, as it was in the 19th century,and spending a small fraction ofthe total project’s $36.6 millionprice tag to hire officers to moni-tor the intersection.

SUPERVISOR John Foust (D-Dranesville) and Del.-Elect Bar-bara Comstock (R-34) were in at-tendance at the meeting, andFoust said he would continue tooppose the project, whileComstock vowed to take up thefight upon taking office. WhenFoust asked if anyone in the audi-ence supported the project, oneperson raised a hand, althoughtwo would ultimately speak in sup-port of it. He said he thought thedual turn lanes were only ap-proved in 2004 because they wereplanned to be part of the widen-ing of Route 7 all the way to TysonsCorner.

Comstock noted that the oppo-sition cut across the political spec-trum. “There’s been nothing Iheard tonight that made muchsense,” she said.

Asked whether the project was “adone deal,” Foust said, “They’re pro-ceeding as though it’s a done deal,but it’s our job to try to undo it.”

Reston resident Rob Whitfieldsaid he supported the project be-cause it would improve traffic onRoute 7, and with increased de-velopment coming to Tysons Cor-ner, he said, more drivers fed upwith traffic on Route 7 would usethe toll road.

Construction on the project isexpected to begin in summer of2012, and VDOT plans to have itcompleted about two years later.


2.00%APY*BUSINESS MONEY MARKETSAVINGSRATE GUARANTEEDTHROUGH DEC. 31, 2009*Annual Percentage Yields. APY is accurate as ofJuly 21, 2009 and is guaranteed through December31, 2009. Call your nearest branch for details.

Great Falls - The Connection Newspapers

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