VDOT Holds Six-year Improvement Plan Hearing
Public input sought on transportation improvement plan.
It was Northern Virginia’s turn last week when Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne and the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) held a public hearing at the offices of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in Fairfax. The CTB is conducting meetings throughout the state to garner public opinion before their scheduled June vote on the state’s Six-Year Improvement Plan 2015 - 2020 (SYIP). Various entities have held numerous meetings in recent months, particularly since HB 2313 - the first comprehensive transportation funding bill in the state for more than 27 years – passed in the General Assembly last year. Those meetings were often standing-room-only affairs, could witness dozens of citizens lined up to comment on particular projects or to suggest others, and frequently got a bit heated.
Shepherd’s Center Hosts Volunteer Luncheon
Community organization celebrates volunteer service.
The Oakton-Vienna Shepherd’s Center, organized in 1997, is one of over 50 Shepherd’s Centers throughout North America shaping a new image of aging. On Monday, April 14, the organization held a luncheon at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church to thank volunteers for their service to the community in Vienna and neighboring areas. “We are happy to have the Shepherd’s Center so active in the community of Vienna,” said Vienna Vice Mayor Carey Sienicki. The Oakton-Vienna Shepherd’s Center’s primary purpose is to provide services to assist older adults to continue to live independently in their own homes and offer programs which supply opportunities for enrichment, learning and socialization. Volunteer opportunities allow individuals to feel needed by reaching out to other older adults. The Oakton-Vienna Shepherd’s Center has approximately 250 volunteers, and 101 persons made reservations to attend the afternoon luncheon.
Motorcycle and Car Show in Vienna
Motorcycle and car enthusiasts from all over Virginia and as far away as New Jersey came to Vienna on Saturday, April 26, for the 12th Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of Northern Virginia picnic with a motorcycle and car show. Chapter President Kevin Harris said the annual event, as well as the club itself, promotes recognition of the contributions of the African-American soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments from 1866 to 1944 nicknamed “Buffalo Soldiers” by Native Americans during the Indian Wars.
Arranging Flowers to Deliver the Right Message
Karin’s Florist keeps family traditions blooming.
Family Traditions Blooming In 2011, Maris Angolia, president and CEO of Karin’s Florist in Vienna, was searching for a way to honor her father, Bill Dukas, who founded the floral company in 1956 with his father-in-law George Raptis. “My father was 83, and I wanted to find a way to show him how much he meant to his longtime customers, how much they appreciated the role our family’s flower shop played in their lives over the years,” Angolia said. Angolia held a “Memories” contest, asking customers to send in remembrances of Karin’s. Angolia still gets emotional reading the letter from contest winner Susan McCabe, a lifelong Karin’s customer. McCabe wrote about her father, a former Navy Admiral, who was living in Manor Care Nursing Home in Chantilly after a debilitating stroke. McCabe’s mother visited her father twice a day. “Flowers have always been a way in our family to say ‘I love you,’” McCabe wrote in her memories letter.
Honored for ‘Service Above Self’
Vienna Rotary awards renamed in honor of memory of former mayor M. Jane Seeman.
The Rotary Club of Vienna honored Vienna’s first-responders of the fire department and police department at its April 23 luncheon meeting at Westwood Country Club. Patrol officer Conor Tracy of the Vienna Police Department and EMT William “Bill” Padgett of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department were recognized for their outstanding contributions to their departments and to the community with the club’s newly-renamed M. Jane Seeman Rotarian Service Above Self awards.
Avoidance Better than Arrests, Prison, Death
Parents, students learn substance-abuse dangers.
ONCE SHE TRIED IT, though, she was quickly hooked. “We did it often; we’d put in money together and go to D.C. to get large amounts,” she said. A month after Gibson started taking heroin, she and her boyfriend were driving back from the District and were stopped by police and arrested. She was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin.
YMM Art Space Beautifies Area
Some amusing trees are blooming in the heart of the Tysons Corner business district. YMM Art Space, a children’s art education center, is presenting a public art project by international artists. Environmentally friendly fabric is installed on 30 trees in Tysons’ Square at the intersection of Gallows and Old Courthouse road. Oncoming traffic and commuters enjoy vibrant colors of the fabric mixed in with the budding trees welcoming the early arrival of the spring season. YMM Art Space hopes to grow the surrounding artist community. Staff at the YMM Art Space have art backgrounds and exhibit their work including collaborations pieces by teachers and students. YMM Art Space is located at 8216 Old Courthouse Rd.
Vienna Idol Heats Up
Auditions open to vocalists through May.
Springtime in Vienna means concerts on the Town Green, festivals, outdoor sports, farmers’ markets and Vienna Idol auditions. This 3rd annual Vienna Idol, a music competition founded to raise money for the Khristin Kyllo “Dream Big” Memorial Fund, began its auditions in late April. Semi-finals run during ViVa! Vienna!, Sunday, May 25, on Church Street and finals take place on the Town Green, Friday, June 5.
Alone on the Road: 7 out of 10 Northern Virginia Workers Use Single-Occupancy Vehicles
Study raises concerns about amount of time drivers spend commuting alone.
Despite the decades-long war against the single-occupancy vehicle, seven out of 10 workers in Northern Virginia drive to work alone every workday.
Week in Vienna
Vienna Tree-Planting Ceremony The Town of Vienna and the Community Enhancement Commission invite the public to attend the annual Arbor Day ceremony on Thursday, April 24, at 4 p.m. A tree will be planted next to the Parks and Recreation Department’s community learning garden behind Vienna Elementary, 128 Center St. S.
Westbriar Elementary Top Fundraiser for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Westbriar Elementary in Vienna is a National Blue Ribbon School who has partnered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for two years to raise funds in honor of a local student who fought and survived leukemia. This year, as the grand finale for their coin collection campaign, they hosted a student versus teacher volleyball game. LLS attended the game and presented them with a check to show gratitude for their contributions and dedication to LLS mission. Out of 137 schools, they are currently the top fundraising Virginia school. With almost an additional $100 in just one week, they have raised a total of $6,552 to-date for LLS’s Pennies for Patients program. The National Capital Area chapter of LLS has 420 participating schools in their Pennies for Patients programs this year. There is always time to join the cause by collecting change and giving student the opportunity to experience the feeling that comes from helping others. If your school is ready to step up to the challenge and fight blood cancers, contact Jessica Lindquist at jessica.lindquist@lls.org or call 703-399-2928.
Victory
Members of the Vienna AllStars (Junior Level 2) gather after winning at the Annual Alexandria Invitational Cheerleading Competition on Saturday, April 5, at T.C. Williams High School. A variety of recreation centers and clubs at different age levels (Pee Wee Level 1, Youth Level 1, Youth Level 2, Junior Level 1 and Junior Level 2) competed with cheerleading routines.
Waples Mill Students Volunteer to Stop Hunger Now
More than 200 students, families and teachers of Waples Mill Elementary School plus one Fairfax County Public School Board member participated in a community service "meal packing" event in partnership with Stop Hunger Now on Saturday, April 5.
Small Town, Big Ideas
Meet Laurie DiRocco, Vienna’s current and future Mayor.
In January, when Vienna Town Council member Laurie DiRocco announced she would run for mayor, she had no idea that she would be the only candidate on the ballot, or that she would hold the title a month before the actual May 6 election. But with the Feb. 23 death of Mayor Jane Seeman, who announced her retirement last year after being diagnosed with cancer, the six-member town council appointed DiRocco, the only registered candidate for the position, to serve out Mayor Seeman’s uncompleted term. “It's been a very bittersweet time for me,” said DiRocco, 47, during an interview in her home, four days after being sworn-in as mayor on April 8. “I thought of Mayor Seeman as both a role model and a mentor. She gave so much to the community… I admired her service to the community and the fact that she really was a humble person.”
United Way Awards Community Impact Grants
Fairfax/Falls Church nonprofits receive $338,662.
United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA) announced that it is awarding 21 grants totaling $338,662 to member organizations serving the Fairfax and Falls Church areas. The funds came through designations to the Fairfax/Falls Church Community Impact Fund in United Way NCA's annual workplace giving campaign. Each of the grants directly addresses programs that fall within United Way NCA's focus areas of education, financial stability and health.