Tag: environment
What’s wrong with moss?
This is the third piece in a three-part series on lawns by Jim McGlone, an urban forest conservationist in the Virginia Department of Forestry. The first piece, published April 9, explored the forces at play in the popularization of the “great American lawn.” The second article, published April 23, described how to keep your lawn … Continued
Annandale schools get grants for environmental projects
Belvedere Elementary School’s outdoor classroom. Two elementary schools in the Annandale area have been awardedgrants for environmental projects from Dominion Power’s foundation. Canterbury Woods Elementary School was awarded $3,500 to create an outdoor classroom and science lab, where students will study the life cycles of seeds and monarch butterflies, learn about the interaction of animals … Continued
Crews working on Holmes Run accidentally damaged a sewer line
Crews working on the Holmes Run stream restoration project inadvertently damaged a 30-inch terra cotta sewer line owned by Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria reported Aug. 12. The sewer line crosses Holmes Run near Chambliss Street in Lincolnia. A small amount of sewage escaped from the broken pipe until the contractor, Avon construction company, … Continued
Fairfax County zoning board rejects cell tower at Parklawn pool
The Board of Zoning Appeals [Photo is from a video by Channel 16] In a huge victory for residents who live next to a proposed cell tower at the Parklawn Recreation Association, the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted July 31 to deny a special permit for the cell tower. That means the … Continued
Synthetic turf fields planned for Annandale and Stuart high schools
A synthetic turf field at Mason District Park in Annandale. The Fairfax County School Board has voted to use one-time funding, identified during a final review of the FY 2013 budget, to support a joint Fairfax County initiative that would fund synthetic turf fields at Annandale, Stuart, and six other high schools, states a FCPS … Continued
Wakefield Run restoration project in Annandale is collaborative effort
A symbolic groundbreaking ceremony was hundreds of feet from Wakefield Run and several weeks before the start of construction. The increasing urbanization of the Annandale area is putting lots pressures on waterways. All the impervious surfaces created by development is causing stormwater to rush into streams causing erosion, but at least one degraded stream is … Continued
Public housing tenant stuck in apartment with toxic mold
Rosedale Manor is on Spring Lane in Bailey’s Crossroads. Linda Pelligrino has been sickened by the toxic mold that has contaminated her apartment in the Rosedale Manor complex in Bailey’s Crossroads but can’t get the Fairfax County Housing Department to fix the problem or move her to another unit. The complex is in the Public … Continued
New Dominion Power program encourages use of solar energy
Solar panels on the roof of Annandale resident Bob Kovacs’ second home in the Blue Ridge mountains. If you’ve got solar panels on your property or plan to install them within the next six months, you can apply for Dominion Virginia Power’s Solar Purchase Program, beginning June 20, which is designed to help cover your … Continued
Native plants to be rescued before Wakefield Run restoration project starts
Mayapple, one of the native plants to be saved. Friends of Accotink Creek (FAC) is seeking volunteers to help rescue native plants along Wakefield Run before a major restoration project starts on July 24. The $440,000 project is aimed at curbing erosion caused by runoff from the beltway and stabilizing the stream bed. Wakefield Run … Continued
Mosquito traps are part of county’s West Nile Virus surveillance program
If you see a device like the one pictured above in the woods, don’t disturb it. It’s a mosquito trap used by the Fairfax County Health Department to collect samples as part of its surveillance of West Nile Virus in the community. Traps have been set up in 68 locations, more or less evenly spaced … Continued
VA lt. governor candidates Chopra and Northam square off in debate
Left to right: Aneesh Chopra, moderator Rex Simmons, and Ralph Northam. The two candidates running in the Democratic primary for Virginia lieutenant governor—Aneesh Chopra and Ralph Northam—agree on a lot of key policy issues, such as women’s access to healthcare and the need to curb gun violence. One area where they differ is campaign tactics. … Continued
Dominion brings energy to Wakefield Run cleanup in Annandale
By Elizabeth Kirchner In a mid-April downpour, members of Friends of Accotink Creek and 30 Dominion Power employees filled the parking lot of the Audrey Moore RECenter with trucks, rubber boots, and green reflective vests for a cleanup of Wakefield Run. As the rain moved east, Philip Latasa, co-founder of the Friends group, reminded the … Continued
VDOT is failing to play fair in the I-395 ramp pollution issue
Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton (left) with local residents at the ramp site. Residents of the Landmark area are “deeply disappointed” in VDOT’s failure to address their concerns about the impact of dangerously high levels of pollution resulting from a new ramp on Interstate 395. Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton, Fairfax County Chair … Continued
VDOT chief will consider I-395 ramp alternatives but won’t delay the project
At the ramp site, left to right: VDOT Chief Engineer Garrett Moore, Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton, Alexandria Mayor William Euille, and Fairfax County Chair Sharon Bulova. Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton told residents of the Landmark area opposed to a ramp on Interstate 395 April 26 that he will consider their request to consider … Continued
Students at Montessori School plant donated trees
Students at the Falls Church campus of the Montessori School of Northern Virginia celebrated Arbor Day a bit early, as they helped plant trees donated by Casey Trees, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the tree canopy. Casey has planted over 12,000 trees in the District since its founding in 2002. The trees … Continued