July 02, 2009
"We doin' big pimpin' up in Cedar Lane" Comments (2)
Arrests: Prostitution, Receiving Money from a Prostitute’s Earnings
200 Block Cedar Lane, SE
June 11
A suspicious individual was observed by Detective Sheeran and interviewed. The investigation revealed that the individual was delivering a call girl for prostitution. Detective Sheeran located the girl and arrested them both. Marcos Vincicio Guardado Baires, 25, of 24th Avenue in Hyattsville, Maryland was charged with Receiving Money from a Prostitute’s Earnings. Ely D. Carela, 29, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey was charged with Prostitution. Both individuals were transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
200 Block Cedar Lane, SE June 11
A suspicious individual was observed by Detective Sheeran and interviewed. The investigation revealed that the individual was delivering a call girl for prostitution. Detective Sheeran located the girl and arrested them both. Marcos Vincicio Guardado Baires, 25, of 24th Avenue in Hyattsville, Maryland was charged with Receiving Money from a Prostitute’s Earnings. Ely D. Carela, 29, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey was charged with Prostitution. Both individuals were transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
June 28, 2009
Historic Preservation in Vienna: Does it Mean Anything? Comments (5)
Historic Status Sought for Vienna's Freeman Store, Town's First Library
By Brian Trompeter
June 27, 2009
Historic Vienna Inc. officials soon will ask Vienna officials for permission to apply to have the Freeman Store and original Vienna Library added to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
If the council approves, group officials will fill out a preliminary information form and evaluation, which will be reviewed over a three- to four-month period by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. If all goes well, approval could come by the end of the year, said Sarah Jane Brady of Historic Vienna Inc.
The application first would be reviewed in September by the agency’s Northern Regional Preservation Office in Stephens City. If found worthy, it will be passed on to officials at the main office in Richmond.
If the agency approves the proposal, Historic Vienna officials then must submit a larger application that will require much more investigative work and research by a historical architect, said Cathy Salgado, the town’s parks and recreation director.
While there is no charge for being added to the historic registers, the historical architect’s work would cost about $5,000, Brady said.
Historic Vienna Inc. would finance those fees through its own moneys or apply for grants to cover the expenses. Group leaders will not ask the town government, which is strapped for cash during the recession, to pay for those costs, she said.
The Freeman Store, built in 1859, was used as a Union hospital and officers’ billeting station from 1862 to 1866.
“We have a lot of diary records of women who nursed wounded Union men at the white house on Old Georgetown Road, which was renamed Church Street in the 1870s,” Brady said.
The building served as a store and an insurance agency until 1941 and then served as a private residence throughout the 1950s. The town of Vienna bought the Freeman Store in the late 1960s and refurbished it in time for the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, Brady said.
The Freeman Store is a fine example of a country store from the Victorian era, she said.
“We believe it helps people see how the common man lived and put themselves back in that time period,” Brady said.
The original Vienna Library was built in 1897 and located on Library Lane at the town’s west end. The square clapboard building, which measured 20.5 feet on each side, was moved to Maple Avenue and Center Street in 1913.
The library continued operating until 1962, when a temporary facility was built at a nearby shopping center. The building was moved to the Freeman Store site in 1970 during construction of Patrick Henry Library.
The original library has about 35 bookshelves and a collection of books dating from the 1830s to the 1950s.
The historic-register application requires at least four interior photographs of each building; exterior photos taken from north, south, east and west; and pictures of the general setting and other buildings on the sites.
Historic Vienna leaders obtained sketch site plans and U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle maps for each site. Sketch site plans show the historic sites under consideration, as well as outbuildings, nearby roads and highways, and potential and known archaeological sites.
Separate applications would be required for the Freeman Store and library, Brady said.
The library application may face an obstacle because it was moved from its original location.
A similar move of the 1897 Oakton Schoolhouse, which was relocated a half-mile north on Hunter Mill Road, disqualified it from being considered from the National Register of Historic Places, Fairfax County officials said.
Brady, who has worked at Gunston Hall in Mason Neck and Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, said officials had said those sites “never” would be included on the national register, but eventually were.
Owners of sites listed on historic registers can apply for preservation easements, which reduce real estate taxes, and qualify for state and federal historic-rehabilitation tax credits.
Historic registers do not protect buildings on those sites from being torn down, but certain restrictions may apply in cases where easements are donated and grants or tax credits accepted.
The Vienna Town Council will decide on July 6 whether Historic Vienna should go ahead with the application process. The group’s proposal was well-received at the council’s June 8 work session.
“This is a very admirable and long-overdue thing to do,” Mayor M. Jane Seeman said at the work session.
By Brian Trompeter
June 27, 2009
Historic Vienna Inc. officials soon will ask Vienna officials for permission to apply to have the Freeman Store and original Vienna Library added to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
If the council approves, group officials will fill out a preliminary information form and evaluation, which will be reviewed over a three- to four-month period by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. If all goes well, approval could come by the end of the year, said Sarah Jane Brady of Historic Vienna Inc.
The application first would be reviewed in September by the agency’s Northern Regional Preservation Office in Stephens City. If found worthy, it will be passed on to officials at the main office in Richmond.
If the agency approves the proposal, Historic Vienna officials then must submit a larger application that will require much more investigative work and research by a historical architect, said Cathy Salgado, the town’s parks and recreation director.
While there is no charge for being added to the historic registers, the historical architect’s work would cost about $5,000, Brady said.
Historic Vienna Inc. would finance those fees through its own moneys or apply for grants to cover the expenses. Group leaders will not ask the town government, which is strapped for cash during the recession, to pay for those costs, she said.
The Freeman Store, built in 1859, was used as a Union hospital and officers’ billeting station from 1862 to 1866.
“We have a lot of diary records of women who nursed wounded Union men at the white house on Old Georgetown Road, which was renamed Church Street in the 1870s,” Brady said.
The building served as a store and an insurance agency until 1941 and then served as a private residence throughout the 1950s. The town of Vienna bought the Freeman Store in the late 1960s and refurbished it in time for the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, Brady said.
The Freeman Store is a fine example of a country store from the Victorian era, she said.
“We believe it helps people see how the common man lived and put themselves back in that time period,” Brady said.
The original Vienna Library was built in 1897 and located on Library Lane at the town’s west end. The square clapboard building, which measured 20.5 feet on each side, was moved to Maple Avenue and Center Street in 1913.
The library continued operating until 1962, when a temporary facility was built at a nearby shopping center. The building was moved to the Freeman Store site in 1970 during construction of Patrick Henry Library.
The original library has about 35 bookshelves and a collection of books dating from the 1830s to the 1950s.
The historic-register application requires at least four interior photographs of each building; exterior photos taken from north, south, east and west; and pictures of the general setting and other buildings on the sites.
Historic Vienna leaders obtained sketch site plans and U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle maps for each site. Sketch site plans show the historic sites under consideration, as well as outbuildings, nearby roads and highways, and potential and known archaeological sites.
Separate applications would be required for the Freeman Store and library, Brady said.
The library application may face an obstacle because it was moved from its original location.
A similar move of the 1897 Oakton Schoolhouse, which was relocated a half-mile north on Hunter Mill Road, disqualified it from being considered from the National Register of Historic Places, Fairfax County officials said.
Brady, who has worked at Gunston Hall in Mason Neck and Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, said officials had said those sites “never” would be included on the national register, but eventually were.
Owners of sites listed on historic registers can apply for preservation easements, which reduce real estate taxes, and qualify for state and federal historic-rehabilitation tax credits.
Historic registers do not protect buildings on those sites from being torn down, but certain restrictions may apply in cases where easements are donated and grants or tax credits accepted.
The Vienna Town Council will decide on July 6 whether Historic Vienna should go ahead with the application process. The group’s proposal was well-received at the council’s June 8 work session.
“This is a very admirable and long-overdue thing to do,” Mayor M. Jane Seeman said at the work session.
June 13, 2009
Roy Baldwin Defeated: Machine Member Tossed Aside Comments (5)
Now that the voters have sent Roy Baldwin back to humping divorce cases -- everyone can take a deep breath that one of Vienna's biggest losers will not be our State delegate. See what happens when a machine member (Baldwin) has to run in an election outside of sham May Vienna elections? Down in defeat.
June 10, 2009
Sexual Assualt on Park Street near Cedar Lane Apartments. Comments (52)
Sexual Assault in Vienna Area
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/news-releases/2009/060906sexualassaultvienna.htm
McLean Police District – A 21-year-old woman was assaulted while walking in the 8600 block of Park Street in Vienna. On Sunday, June 7 at around 9 p.m., the victim was allegedly grabbed by a man who forced her to a near by dumpster. The suspect sexually assaulted the victim before she was able to break free. She did not require medical attention.
The victim reported the incident on June 8 and officers located a suspect in the area of the alleged incident. The suspect, Edwin Requeno-Lemus, 34, of 148 Cedar Lane #194 in Vienna was arrested and transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. He was charged with abduction and sexual battery.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
June 09, 2009
We're Stunned, Too. Everything that Happens in Vienna is Simply Stunning. Comments (20)
Bill for Election Rankles Vienna Officials
by Brian Trompeter, June 9, 2009
Did you put an “I Voted” sticker on your lapel after casting a ballot in the May 5 Vienna Town Council election? If Fairfax County gets its way, that small expression of civic pride will cost the town a penny.
Fairfax County General Registrar Rokey Suleman on May 13 sent Vienna officials an invoice for $2,897.19, which included about $1,500 in fees that had not been charged in previous elections.
“For many years, Fairfax County has absorbed most of the expenses associated with conducting town elections,” read Suleman’s letter to the town. “Due to recent state and county budget cuts, however, the Office of Elections can no longer afford to subsidize the May town elections.”
Vienna officials used to run the town’s annual elections and select, feed and pay the election officers. But that ended after the May 2007 election, when challengers and their supporters cried foul after an election officer instructed some voters to vote for three candidates, when there actually was no such requirement.
Fairfax County last year began choosing the town’s election officers and running the Vienna spring election. After the 2008 Vienna election, the town paid only about $1,400 for the election officers. But those fees more than doubled this year because of straitened budget circumstances.
Charges the town would have covered under the earlier agreement included a $200 fee for a chief election officer, $150 for an assistant chief officer and $100 apiece for 10 election officers. There also was a $17.60 charge for election officer mileage, paid at 55 cents per mile.
But now county officials passed down absentee-voting costs to the town. These included $74.13 for the county print shop to produce 300 paper ballots, $16.52 to cover postage of 28 mailed ballots and $11.20 for certificates of mailing for those ballots.
As for in-person absentee voting on May 2, the county billed the town $183.69 for an absentee-voting supervisor, $238.80 for a pair of registration assistants.
Fairfax County did not charge the town for six hours of the general registrar’s time on election day. But the county billed Vienna $218.58 for the services of the deputy registrar, $214.08 for the election manager and $43.22 for two hours of the absentee supervisor’s time.
The county also billed the town $5.36 for eight paper rolls, $4.20 for 20 numbered security seals, $50 for voting cart/machine delivery, $10.50 for 1,000 “I Voted” stickers, $15.81 for 100 voting permit cards and $10 for manuals, pens, envelopes, labels and other miscellaneous expenses.
In his letter to the town, Suleman suggested that Vienna might save money by holding elections every two years, as do the towns of Clifton and Herndon. Doing so would allow Vienna to share Saturday in-person absentee voting expenses with those towns, the letter stated.
Vienna could obviate all its election expenses by moving the town election to November - a switch that also might result in greater voter participation, Suleman’s letter read.
Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman wrote a letter to Suleman protesting the charges, which “stunned” the Town Council, she said.
Town officials are happy to continue paying for election officers, as they have in years past, but as for the other items, “we feel we’ve already paid for them as Fairfax County residents and taxpayers,” Seeman said.
Council member Michael Polychrones said town officials aren’t going to lie down for many of the new charges.
“This is an opportune time for the mayors of the three towns to sit down with [Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon] Bulova and say, ‘This is how it’s going to be. Work it out,’” Polychrones said.
Even if town officials desired to alter the dates and frequency of Vienna elections, it would require town charter changes that would take years, Seeman said.
More election financial clouds may be on the horizon for local governments.
After July 1, the State Board of Elections will not print poll books or process voting credits. These expenses will be passed on to counties, which will forward them to towns.
by Brian Trompeter, June 9, 2009
Did you put an “I Voted” sticker on your lapel after casting a ballot in the May 5 Vienna Town Council election? If Fairfax County gets its way, that small expression of civic pride will cost the town a penny.
Fairfax County General Registrar Rokey Suleman on May 13 sent Vienna officials an invoice for $2,897.19, which included about $1,500 in fees that had not been charged in previous elections.
“For many years, Fairfax County has absorbed most of the expenses associated with conducting town elections,” read Suleman’s letter to the town. “Due to recent state and county budget cuts, however, the Office of Elections can no longer afford to subsidize the May town elections.”
Vienna officials used to run the town’s annual elections and select, feed and pay the election officers. But that ended after the May 2007 election, when challengers and their supporters cried foul after an election officer instructed some voters to vote for three candidates, when there actually was no such requirement.
Fairfax County last year began choosing the town’s election officers and running the Vienna spring election. After the 2008 Vienna election, the town paid only about $1,400 for the election officers. But those fees more than doubled this year because of straitened budget circumstances.
Charges the town would have covered under the earlier agreement included a $200 fee for a chief election officer, $150 for an assistant chief officer and $100 apiece for 10 election officers. There also was a $17.60 charge for election officer mileage, paid at 55 cents per mile.
But now county officials passed down absentee-voting costs to the town. These included $74.13 for the county print shop to produce 300 paper ballots, $16.52 to cover postage of 28 mailed ballots and $11.20 for certificates of mailing for those ballots.
As for in-person absentee voting on May 2, the county billed the town $183.69 for an absentee-voting supervisor, $238.80 for a pair of registration assistants.
Fairfax County did not charge the town for six hours of the general registrar’s time on election day. But the county billed Vienna $218.58 for the services of the deputy registrar, $214.08 for the election manager and $43.22 for two hours of the absentee supervisor’s time.
The county also billed the town $5.36 for eight paper rolls, $4.20 for 20 numbered security seals, $50 for voting cart/machine delivery, $10.50 for 1,000 “I Voted” stickers, $15.81 for 100 voting permit cards and $10 for manuals, pens, envelopes, labels and other miscellaneous expenses.
In his letter to the town, Suleman suggested that Vienna might save money by holding elections every two years, as do the towns of Clifton and Herndon. Doing so would allow Vienna to share Saturday in-person absentee voting expenses with those towns, the letter stated.
Vienna could obviate all its election expenses by moving the town election to November - a switch that also might result in greater voter participation, Suleman’s letter read.
Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman wrote a letter to Suleman protesting the charges, which “stunned” the Town Council, she said.
Town officials are happy to continue paying for election officers, as they have in years past, but as for the other items, “we feel we’ve already paid for them as Fairfax County residents and taxpayers,” Seeman said.
Council member Michael Polychrones said town officials aren’t going to lie down for many of the new charges.
“This is an opportune time for the mayors of the three towns to sit down with [Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon] Bulova and say, ‘This is how it’s going to be. Work it out,’” Polychrones said.
Even if town officials desired to alter the dates and frequency of Vienna elections, it would require town charter changes that would take years, Seeman said.
More election financial clouds may be on the horizon for local governments.
After July 1, the State Board of Elections will not print poll books or process voting credits. These expenses will be passed on to counties, which will forward them to towns.
June 05, 2009
"So Freakin' What?!" says the Mayor Comments (39)
Two Families File Suit Over '07 Fireworks Accident
Fairfax Officials Had Tried to Create Larger Safety Zone, but Vienna Resisted
By Tom Jackman
The Washington Post
Friday, June 5, 2009
For several years, Fairfax County fire marshals warned Vienna officials that shooting off large fireworks in the middle of town was a bad idea and even tried to add safety regulations that would push spectators farther from the launch zone, according to town documents.
But Vienna officials successfully pushed back against new regulations and continued to stage their Fourth of July shows, the documents show. Then, in 2007, a mortar shell rocketed into a crowd surrounding the Waters Field baseball diamonds and seriously injured a group of spectators.
Two families that live just outside Vienna have sued the town and some of its officials, Fairfax County's fire marshals, the show operator, Schaefer Pyrotechnics, and the company alleged to have imported the fireworks, Huisky Trading.
"My family is still recovering from traumatic physical and psychological injuries," said Andre Hollis, whose wife and two children were injured. "For many of their wounds, there will be no full recovery."
Vienna again is fighting back. The town says it has no liability for the incident and has cross-sued Schaefer, saying it had agreed to insure the show and hold Vienna blameless. It also claims immunity as a governmental entity.
"We complied with all state, local and national standards for firing fireworks, and we would not have proceeded if that weren't true," Vienna Town Attorney Steven Briglia said. "Just because we have insurance and we feel bad somebody was hurt doesn't mean the town has an obligation."
After the 2007 incident, the Fairfax fire department, whose marshals handle inspection and permits for every fireworks show in the county, doubled the required distance between spectators and the launch site. Fire spokesman Dan Schmidt declined to discuss specific allegations in the lawsuits while they are pending but said, "Our number one priority is for the safety of the spectators."
Vienna officials staged a laser light show last year. They plan to resume fireworks this year, launching them from Southside Park, just north of Interstate 66.
The lawsuits claim that during the 2007 show, a three-inch shell skimmed just above the ground and struck Michael Ku, who was standing with his 6-year-old son, Conley. It then bounced to the ground and exploded next to Kathryn Hollis, who was sitting with her 3-year-old son, Max, in her lap and 7-year-old son, Alex, standing next to her.
According to their lawsuits, the Kus suffered severe burns, perforated eardrums and puncture wounds from the shell's debris, and the Hollises suffered disfiguring burns and traumatic brain injuries from the blast.
Vienna's fireworks show was one of six in Northern Virginia that night in which "cake boxes" of three-inch mortars exploded, launching shells at dangerous angles instead of into the sky. All the shows were run by Schaefer, of Ronks, Pa. No one was hurt at the other five shows, where spectators were much farther from the launch sites than were those in Vienna, though a shell did zip between two Schaefer employees in Fairfax City and slam into a fence, causing the rest of that show to be canceled.
Schaefer owner Kimmel Schaefer did not return a call seeking comment. The company has reported that it obtained the cake boxes, containing 25 shells each, from Huisky Trading Co. of Great Neck, N.Y.
Huisky's owner, Xin Sheng Huang, said, "We did not supply the product." He said tracking codes linked to Huisky were misused on the boxes.
One of the fire marshals named in the suits, Deputy Chief Keith Johnson, rushed into the chaos, summoned medevac helicopters and is credited by the Hollises with possibly saving Kathryn Hollis's life.
As the finger-pointing continues, Joseph Cammarata, the Kus' attorney, is angry that no one has come forward to accept responsibility and help the victims.
"If a government is responsible to its citizens," Cammarata said, "we should not have to be in a position where innocent citizens have to chase down vendors and operators. The innocent spectators should be able to be compensated without having to prove somebody did something wrong."
Vienna had hosted a fireworks show at Waters Field, just off Route 123 in the heart of the town, for more than 20 years. But starting in 2001, problems arose, sometimes because of the wind. A resident who lives near Waters Field wrote to the mayor in 2001 that "large pieces of shell cases landed on the roofs and yards," a letter produced in the lawsuits shows.
In 2002, a Fairfax fire marshal wrote that "we observed several pieces of flaming debris land on people located in this area" and that "large (4-inch) diameter shells present safety hazards for this restricted site. Shells should be restricted to three inches."
Vienna continued to use 4-inch and 3-inch shells. In 2004, Fairfax decided to increase the distance between spectators and the launch site by 30 feet per inch of shell, or 120 extra feet for a four-inch shell. The national standard is 70 feet per inch of shell.
Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman responded with a letter to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, complaining that the new rule will "force the Town to significantly decrease the size and scope of the show. The Town of Vienna carries its own insurance and we feel that as long as we abide by [national fire code] standards there should not be a problem."
Fairfax backed down. Then-Fire Chief Michael P. Neuhard wrote to the board that "it was decided to leave the section Mayor Seeman referred to as it is currently written." Neuhard added that "the Town of Vienna fireworks display each Fourth of July causes the Fire Prevention Division more concern than any other site in Fairfax County," in part because of problems with "fallout (ash) raining down on the spectators."
Andre Hollis, who stayed home to help a neighbor and was not with his family members when they were hit, said: "A government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from known threats. And I stress 'known.' Because the town of Vienna's own documents show they knew of this risk for years. And when confronted with this, the mayor said, 'So what? We have insurance.' "
Briglia said the errant 3-inch shell landed about 450 feet from the launch site, more than double the national standard for 3-inch shells, but not for 4-inch shells.
"The town's position is this was a product liability issue," he said. "The fireworks that failed came from the factory sealed, and the town of Vienna cannot inspect fireworks coming in from China. . . . We're basically spectators at our own show."
Fairfax Officials Had Tried to Create Larger Safety Zone, but Vienna Resisted
By Tom Jackman
The Washington Post
Friday, June 5, 2009
For several years, Fairfax County fire marshals warned Vienna officials that shooting off large fireworks in the middle of town was a bad idea and even tried to add safety regulations that would push spectators farther from the launch zone, according to town documents.
But Vienna officials successfully pushed back against new regulations and continued to stage their Fourth of July shows, the documents show. Then, in 2007, a mortar shell rocketed into a crowd surrounding the Waters Field baseball diamonds and seriously injured a group of spectators.
Two families that live just outside Vienna have sued the town and some of its officials, Fairfax County's fire marshals, the show operator, Schaefer Pyrotechnics, and the company alleged to have imported the fireworks, Huisky Trading.
"My family is still recovering from traumatic physical and psychological injuries," said Andre Hollis, whose wife and two children were injured. "For many of their wounds, there will be no full recovery."
Vienna again is fighting back. The town says it has no liability for the incident and has cross-sued Schaefer, saying it had agreed to insure the show and hold Vienna blameless. It also claims immunity as a governmental entity.
"We complied with all state, local and national standards for firing fireworks, and we would not have proceeded if that weren't true," Vienna Town Attorney Steven Briglia said. "Just because we have insurance and we feel bad somebody was hurt doesn't mean the town has an obligation."
After the 2007 incident, the Fairfax fire department, whose marshals handle inspection and permits for every fireworks show in the county, doubled the required distance between spectators and the launch site. Fire spokesman Dan Schmidt declined to discuss specific allegations in the lawsuits while they are pending but said, "Our number one priority is for the safety of the spectators."
Vienna officials staged a laser light show last year. They plan to resume fireworks this year, launching them from Southside Park, just north of Interstate 66.
The lawsuits claim that during the 2007 show, a three-inch shell skimmed just above the ground and struck Michael Ku, who was standing with his 6-year-old son, Conley. It then bounced to the ground and exploded next to Kathryn Hollis, who was sitting with her 3-year-old son, Max, in her lap and 7-year-old son, Alex, standing next to her.
According to their lawsuits, the Kus suffered severe burns, perforated eardrums and puncture wounds from the shell's debris, and the Hollises suffered disfiguring burns and traumatic brain injuries from the blast.
Vienna's fireworks show was one of six in Northern Virginia that night in which "cake boxes" of three-inch mortars exploded, launching shells at dangerous angles instead of into the sky. All the shows were run by Schaefer, of Ronks, Pa. No one was hurt at the other five shows, where spectators were much farther from the launch sites than were those in Vienna, though a shell did zip between two Schaefer employees in Fairfax City and slam into a fence, causing the rest of that show to be canceled.
Schaefer owner Kimmel Schaefer did not return a call seeking comment. The company has reported that it obtained the cake boxes, containing 25 shells each, from Huisky Trading Co. of Great Neck, N.Y.
Huisky's owner, Xin Sheng Huang, said, "We did not supply the product." He said tracking codes linked to Huisky were misused on the boxes.
One of the fire marshals named in the suits, Deputy Chief Keith Johnson, rushed into the chaos, summoned medevac helicopters and is credited by the Hollises with possibly saving Kathryn Hollis's life.
As the finger-pointing continues, Joseph Cammarata, the Kus' attorney, is angry that no one has come forward to accept responsibility and help the victims.
"If a government is responsible to its citizens," Cammarata said, "we should not have to be in a position where innocent citizens have to chase down vendors and operators. The innocent spectators should be able to be compensated without having to prove somebody did something wrong."
Vienna had hosted a fireworks show at Waters Field, just off Route 123 in the heart of the town, for more than 20 years. But starting in 2001, problems arose, sometimes because of the wind. A resident who lives near Waters Field wrote to the mayor in 2001 that "large pieces of shell cases landed on the roofs and yards," a letter produced in the lawsuits shows.
In 2002, a Fairfax fire marshal wrote that "we observed several pieces of flaming debris land on people located in this area" and that "large (4-inch) diameter shells present safety hazards for this restricted site. Shells should be restricted to three inches."
Vienna continued to use 4-inch and 3-inch shells. In 2004, Fairfax decided to increase the distance between spectators and the launch site by 30 feet per inch of shell, or 120 extra feet for a four-inch shell. The national standard is 70 feet per inch of shell.
Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman responded with a letter to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, complaining that the new rule will "force the Town to significantly decrease the size and scope of the show. The Town of Vienna carries its own insurance and we feel that as long as we abide by [national fire code] standards there should not be a problem."
Fairfax backed down. Then-Fire Chief Michael P. Neuhard wrote to the board that "it was decided to leave the section Mayor Seeman referred to as it is currently written." Neuhard added that "the Town of Vienna fireworks display each Fourth of July causes the Fire Prevention Division more concern than any other site in Fairfax County," in part because of problems with "fallout (ash) raining down on the spectators."
Andre Hollis, who stayed home to help a neighbor and was not with his family members when they were hit, said: "A government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from known threats. And I stress 'known.' Because the town of Vienna's own documents show they knew of this risk for years. And when confronted with this, the mayor said, 'So what? We have insurance.' "
Briglia said the errant 3-inch shell landed about 450 feet from the launch site, more than double the national standard for 3-inch shells, but not for 4-inch shells.
"The town's position is this was a product liability issue," he said. "The fireworks that failed came from the factory sealed, and the town of Vienna cannot inspect fireworks coming in from China. . . . We're basically spectators at our own show."
June 04, 2009
Pay Raises? Comments (6)
Vienna Residents, Council Members Spar Over Pay Raises
by Brian Trompeter, June 3, 2009
Everyone who spoke at the June 1 Vienna Town Council meeting, from council members to Vienna residents, agreed town employees provide excellent services.
But there was strong disagreement within both groups over whether the council should increase Vienna’s real estate tax rate to give eligible town workers pay raises.
Carole Wolfand, owner of Vienna Paint & Decorating Co., said all of the store’s employees, including her, have taken pay cuts because business has declined sharply.
Raising taxes to finance pay increases for town workers would impose unnecessarily on business owners and the public, Wolfand said.
“The pay-increase proposal should not be on the table,” she said.
Vienna Town Manager John Schoeberlein’s proposed fiscal year 2010 budget would raise the tax rate by 2.4 cents to 23.31 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The proposed budget does not include cost-of-living adjustments for town employees, but leaves in place salary-step increases based on longevity with the town. Many of the town’s 177 workers qualify for the increases, which average 3 percent.
Vienna resident David Minyard and Master Police Officer Tom Taylor, president of the Vienna Police Association, pressed the council to at least give step increases to law-enforcement personnel. Police health-insurance premiums soon will increase $35 per month, Taylor said.
But Donald Chumley, who serves on the Vienna Board of Zoning Appeals, urged council members not to give raises just to certain employee groups.
“Is it really fair to those people on the sanitation trucks that they get nothing?” Chumley asked.
Vienna resident Richard Dingman said the council should hold the line on tax increases during this recession.
“Bear in mind that the tax burden covers an awful lot of people,” Dingman said.
Vienna resident John Runyon also argued for fiscal restraint.
“The message you send as delegates is important,” Runyon told the council. “Everybody in the country is suffering, except a few who are very wealthy.”
Council member Michael Polychrones, who is serving as president of the Virginia Municipal League, provided a lengthy list of Northern Virginia jurisdictions that had frozen pay levels or laid off employees.
But Council member Maud Robinson, who did not seek re-election this year and will leave office on June 30, said the town government has managed its affairs prudently and should reward its employees as a matter of civic pride.
Vienna residents pay the town’s real estate tax in addition to the one levied by Fairfax County.
Council member Edythe Kelleher noted that because town property values did not decline as sharply as others in the county, Vienna homeowners will get stuck paying an average of $224 more under the newly increased county tax rate.
The Town Council will discuss the salary-step question at its work session on Monday, June 8 at 7 p.m. and will adopt the fiscal year 2010 budget at its June 15 meeting.
Under state law, the council may adopt a tax rate that is lower than the one advertised, but not set the rate higher than that amount.
If the council opts not to finance step increases this year, it is unlikely the town would double-up on such increases in future years to make up the difference, Schoeberlein said.
“If it’s gone this year, it would be gone forever,” he said.
by Brian Trompeter, June 3, 2009
Everyone who spoke at the June 1 Vienna Town Council meeting, from council members to Vienna residents, agreed town employees provide excellent services.
But there was strong disagreement within both groups over whether the council should increase Vienna’s real estate tax rate to give eligible town workers pay raises.
Carole Wolfand, owner of Vienna Paint & Decorating Co., said all of the store’s employees, including her, have taken pay cuts because business has declined sharply.
Raising taxes to finance pay increases for town workers would impose unnecessarily on business owners and the public, Wolfand said.
“The pay-increase proposal should not be on the table,” she said.
Vienna Town Manager John Schoeberlein’s proposed fiscal year 2010 budget would raise the tax rate by 2.4 cents to 23.31 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The proposed budget does not include cost-of-living adjustments for town employees, but leaves in place salary-step increases based on longevity with the town. Many of the town’s 177 workers qualify for the increases, which average 3 percent.
Vienna resident David Minyard and Master Police Officer Tom Taylor, president of the Vienna Police Association, pressed the council to at least give step increases to law-enforcement personnel. Police health-insurance premiums soon will increase $35 per month, Taylor said.
But Donald Chumley, who serves on the Vienna Board of Zoning Appeals, urged council members not to give raises just to certain employee groups.
“Is it really fair to those people on the sanitation trucks that they get nothing?” Chumley asked.
Vienna resident Richard Dingman said the council should hold the line on tax increases during this recession.
“Bear in mind that the tax burden covers an awful lot of people,” Dingman said.
Vienna resident John Runyon also argued for fiscal restraint.
“The message you send as delegates is important,” Runyon told the council. “Everybody in the country is suffering, except a few who are very wealthy.”
Council member Michael Polychrones, who is serving as president of the Virginia Municipal League, provided a lengthy list of Northern Virginia jurisdictions that had frozen pay levels or laid off employees.
But Council member Maud Robinson, who did not seek re-election this year and will leave office on June 30, said the town government has managed its affairs prudently and should reward its employees as a matter of civic pride.
Vienna residents pay the town’s real estate tax in addition to the one levied by Fairfax County.
Council member Edythe Kelleher noted that because town property values did not decline as sharply as others in the county, Vienna homeowners will get stuck paying an average of $224 more under the newly increased county tax rate.
The Town Council will discuss the salary-step question at its work session on Monday, June 8 at 7 p.m. and will adopt the fiscal year 2010 budget at its June 15 meeting.
Under state law, the council may adopt a tax rate that is lower than the one advertised, but not set the rate higher than that amount.
If the council opts not to finance step increases this year, it is unlikely the town would double-up on such increases in future years to make up the difference, Schoeberlein said.
“If it’s gone this year, it would be gone forever,” he said.
May 29, 2009
Beware: Decks Could Soon Count as Lot Coverage Comments (36)
June 2009 Newsletter:
"Conducted a public hearing on a proposal to amend the definition of "structure" in the zoning code to include patios and decks"
May 28, 2009
Gag. Comments (19)
June 2009 Newsletter: Comment from the Council Table
In Appreciation
By M. Jane Seeman, Mayor of ViennaOn June 30, 2009, an era will end in Vienna. Councilwoman Maud F. Robinson will step down from her seat on the TownCouncil.
Maud and her late husband, Charles A. Robinson, Jr., began their association with the Town in 1951 when they moved into their home on Courthouse Road, S.W. The couple quickly began their active participation by attending many Town Council and Town board and commission meetings. It wasn’t long before Charlie was appointed to the Planning Commission, then the Board of Zoning Appeals, and finally elected to the Town Council. Those years of service add up to 22 years. Then in 1976 Charlie was elected to the office of Mayor, which he held for 21 years. Those were very important years in Vienna’s development. Mayor Robinson was instrumental in drafting the Town’s Architectural Review Board ordinance and the Town Charter.
Mayor Robinson’s influence and stature did not stop in the town. Even today, respect for his leadership and contributions are acknowledged at every level of government.
But for us in Vienna, we have Mayor and Mrs. Robinson to thank for their vision of what we all strive for and work toward: a Vienna that has retained its small-town residential character. Their vision was for a Vienna that valued its trees, friendly businesses, and safe neighborhoods.
Now, was Maud Robinson sitting idly by when all this was going on? No indeed. Maud was busy in her own right. She was a member of the Board of Architectural Review and worked hard to maintain high standards in our business district. She served on the Town/Business Liaison Committee so that businesses and residents could meet and talk over ideas. She was involved in historic preservation projects and is a long-time board member of Historic Vienna, Inc. She was out and about town, always listening and engaging residents to find out their issues.
Maud attended all Town Council meetings and in 2000 was appointed to Council. Maud was elected to four more productive terms and then decided it was time to step down.
Maud and Charlie always had Vienna’s best interests at the forefront. Together they had a clear vision and a respectful way of carrying that vision forward. Without their commitment to that vision, Vienna would be a very different place. We all have them to thank for the excellent quality of life we enjoy in this unique and wonderful town.
There is a way to thank Councilwoman Robinson. An open house is planned for Saturday, June 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Flame Room of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Everyone is invited to stop by and thank Maud for her years of service to the town that she and Charlie loved from the minute they moved here 58 years ago.
At Your Service, Lord Springsteen. Comments (2)
June 2009 Newsletter:
Vienna Names in the NewsTown residents Howard Springsteen and Joan Dempsey have been named Lord and Lady Fairfax for the Hunter Mill District. Each year the County Board of Supervisors honors two people from each district for their exceptional community service. Both have been affiliated with the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for many years. Dempsey is President of the VVFD Auxiliary as well as the County Firefighters Association Auxiliary and the Virginia State Firefighters Association Auxiliary. She is also VVFD’s Canteen Coordinator, directing the delivery of food and water to first responders at the scene of an emergency. Springsteen has been VVFD President since 2001 and is active in other community service organizations. He is a member of the Town’s Transportation Safety Commission and was elected to the Town Council last month.
When was the Last Time the Word "Rumble" was Used Since the '50s? Comments (2)
From the Sun Gazette:
Insult Leads to Rumble at High School Leads to Rumble
May 27, 2009An insult to a James Madison High School student’s sister apparently led to an altercation involving dozens of people on May 14, Vienna police said.
Officers responded at about 2:35 p.m. for a fight in progress at the Peterson Lane Park, located in the 500 block of Malcolm Road, N.W. Upon arrival, police found 30-40 juveniles fleeing the park, authorities said.
According to police, there had been a fight between two juvenile males over a previous slur toward the sister of one of the combatants. The youths planned the fight while at Madison High, police said.
Authorities have not arrested anyone in this case.
May 26, 2009
Virginia Main Street Program Comments (23)
A regular reader sent this to HV:
Virginia Main Street
Since 1985, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program has been helping localities revitalize the economic vitality of downtown commercial districts using the National Main Street Center’s successful Main Street Approach™. Main Street is a comprehensive, incremental approach to revitalization built around a community’s unique heritage and attributes. Using local resources and initiatives, Main Street helps communities develop their own strategies to stimulate long term economic growth and pride in the traditional community center -- downtown.
Virginia Main Street communities, like thousands of communities across the country, have used the Main Street Approach™ effectively to address the complex and changing issues facing the downtown business environment. The Main Street Approach™ provides a flexible framework that puts the traditional assets of downtown, such as unique architecture and locally-owned businesses, to work as a catalyst for economic growth and community pride.
The program was designed to address the need for revitalization and ongoing management of smaller downtowns, but aspects of the Main Street Approach™ may be applied successfully in other commercial settings. Communities beginning their downtown revitalization, and those with more experience, are creating lasting economic impact with the Main Street Approach™.
More information on the Virginia Main Street Program:
mainstreet@dhcd.virginia.gov or call (804) 371-7030.
Harrisonburg, VA has an upcoming Workshop:
Virginia Downtown Development Association and Virginia Main Street Announce Combined Training Opportunity: http://www.shenandoah.com/stories/?headlineID=17896
May 21, 2009
Hmmmm .... Comments (22)
Vienna Honored for Financial Reporting
Yet ...
Vienna Officials Re-Do Hearings, For Legality's Sake
Thank You, Maud. What Will We Ever Do Without You? Comments (4)
Reception Set to Honor Maud RobinsonAn open-house reception to say “thank you” to retiring Vienna Town Council member Maud Robinson will be held on Saturday, June 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Flame Room of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
The public is invited to visit and sign the “memory book.” Cards are welcome; light refreshments will be served.
Those who are unable to attend the event can send a card in care of Vienna Town Hall, 127 Center St., S., Vienna, Va. 22180. For information, call the mayor’s office at (703) 255-6311.
May 15, 2009
Class Warfare in Vienna ... Comments (84)
A post from a regular reader ....
Of course, it is foolish to pretend that it doesn't exist. The original "Town of Vienna," despite it's earlier history, really grew as a post war suburban town in the 1950s. Yeonas and others built myiad "tract homes," which were affordable to veterans, first time home builders and government workers.
We have substantially changed in the past 50 years, and now there is a disconnect between those living in the older smaller homes and those able to afford homes that now sell for a million plus.
Naturally, as people who have been here for decades see the home of their beloved neighbor torn down before their eyes, they feel disconnected and sad.
Thoughts?
May 12, 2009
Dellinger Decides Not to Fight Comments (2)
HV has not heard of any voting improprieties this year but suppose even just one or two "older" folks were swayed, that would make a difference in this year's election.
Incumbent Opts Against Recount in Razor-Close Vienna Race
by Brian Trompeter
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Vienna Town Council candidates Mike Gadell, George Lovelace, Howard Springsteen, Laurie DiRocco and Dan Dellinger pose with their signs outside the Vienna Community Center during the May 5 town election. (Photo by Brian Trompeter)The Vienna Town Council will have two new members this July, thanks to the upcoming retirement of one member and a challenger’s two-vote victory on May 5 that ousted an incumbent.
Five candidates - two incumbents and three challengers - faced off for three available seats in the election. Council member Maud Robinson did not seek re-election this year.
In proving the old adage that every vote indeed does count, challenger Howard Springsteen narrowly beat Council incumbent Dan Dellinger by a score of 794 to 792 votes.
The margin had been just one vote until Fairfax County election officials awarded Springsteen a provisional ballot that had been in question.
The provisional voter had requested and received an absentee ballot, but threw it away and went to the polls in person, said Fairfax County General Registrar Rokey Suleman.
A recount would have occurred automatically if there had been a tie. Dellinger, who was entitled to ask for a recount because of the razor-thin margin, said on Monday he did not plan to do so.
The winning Town Council members will begin their terms on July 1.
Springsteen, a Fairfax County employee who also serves as president of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, said the election results underscore the importance of voter participation.
“I grew up in northern New Jersey, where I saw elections decided by one vote on numerous occasions,” Springsteen said. “It really shows you that your vote does count.”
Candidates conducted a civil, issues-oriented campaign, he said.
“Everybody got along,” Springsteen said. “We all felt really strongly about Vienna.”
Dellinger, a construction project manager who first was elected to the council in 2006, took some flak during the race after saying in a debate that connecting Fairfax County trails through the town would “bring the other undesirables into our neighborhoods.”
Dellinger said that comment probably had less of an impact on the polling results than the damp, cool weather on election day. But he took final responsibility for the outcome.
“I should have worked harder to achieve victory,” he said. “That’s a lesson for people who wish to run for public office.”
There were 1,519 votes cast out of an eligible 11,131 voters in the election, a turnout rate of 13.6 percent. Only 53 of the votes were cast by absentee ballot.
While all eyes remained on the Springsteen-Dellinger race after the election, two other Town Council seats were up for grabs in the election, and these were won by decisive margins.
Laurie DiRocco, chairman of the Vienna Planning Commission, ran away with the contest as she amassed 969 votes. DiRocco said she did much door-to-door campaigning and received positive responses.
“I talked about a plan for Maple Avenue, preserving green space and making Vienna walkable and bike-able,” she said. “I don’t think it was one thing in particular” that made the difference in the election.
Longtime Council member George Lovelace won re-election with 881 votes. He thanked constituents for their continuing support.
“People said, ‘We can’t see Vienna without you. We want you there and we’ll put you in there,’” Lovelace said. “It makes me want to work harder.”
Lovelace said DiRocco will make a fine addition to the council.
“She came across as a pretty level-headed individual, one who thinks things through before saying something or reacting,” Lovelace said. “Her experience on the Planning Commission will serve her well.”
Challenger Mike Gadell, an account executive with Marriott International, received 511 votes. Gadell said he enjoyed his experience as a first-time candidate.
“There were five great candidates, four gentlemen and a lady,” Gadell said. “We had the town’s best interests at heart and the town is better for it. The process works.”
The Vienna Town Council consists of six members and the mayor. All council seats are at-large positions with two-year terms. Vienna voters choose three Town Council members every year and elect the mayor on even-numbered years.
May 08, 2009
Public Hearing on Budget: Monday, May 11th Comments (25)
Copies of the proposed Town budget for fiscal year 2009-10 are available for public review in the Administrative Services Office at Town Hall and at Patrick Henry Library. A "Budget in Brief" summary may be obtained free of charge, and the entire budget document may be purchased or viewed online. For more information, call 703-255-6350.
A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held at the May 11 Town Council meeting.
View Budget Online: http://www.viennava.gov/Town_Departments/budget/Budget%2009-10/Budget%2009-10.htm
May 06, 2009
Obviously, No Celebrations Will Be In Order Comments (54)
The only *victory* (and, we use this term loosely) would be DiRocco, Gadell and Dellinger on Council.
Challenger Holds Slim Lead for Final Seat on Vienna Council
By Brian Trompeter
May 6, 2009
Two Vienna Town Council candidates will have to wait about a week before a recount determines the final outcome of the May 5 election, while two more - an incumbent and a challenger - nabbed the top spots in the five-candidate field.
In proving the old adage that every vote indeed does count, challenger Howard Springsteen held a narrow two-vote lead over Town Council incumbent Dan Dellinger, after Fairfax County election officials awarded him a provisional ballot that had been in question. Springsteen now has 794 votes and Dellinger 792, leaving Springsteen with a narrow hold on the third council seat that was up for grabs in the town election.
The provisional voter had requested and received an absentee ballot, but threw it away and went to the polls in person, said Fairfax County General Registrar Rokey Suleman.
Election officials had to declare a winner before authorizing a recount, which is automatic when the victory margin is less than one-half of 1 percent.
The recount likely will take place within the next 10 days, Suleman said. The winning Town Council members will begin their two-year terms on July 1.
Springsteen, a Fairfax County employee who also serves as president of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, said the election results underscore the importance of voter participation.
“I grew up in northern New Jersey, where I saw elections decided by one vote on numerous occasions,” Springsteen said. “It really shows you that your vote does count.”
Candidates conducted a civil, issues-oriented campaign, he said.
“Everybody got along,” Springsteen said. “We all felt really strongly about Vienna.”
Dellinger, a construction project manager, was out of town and could not be reached for comment.
There were 1,519 votes cast out of an eligible 11,131 voters in the election, a turnout rate of 13.6 percent. Only 53 of the votes were cast by absentee ballot.
While all eyes are now on the Springsteen-Dellinger battle, two other Town Council seats were up for grabs in the election, and these were won by decisive margins.
Laurie DiRocco, chairman of the Vienna Planning Commission, ran away with the contest as she amassed 969 votes. DiRocco said she did much door-to-door campaigning and received positive responses.
“I talked about a plan for Maple Avenue, preserving green space and making Vienna walkable and bike-able,” she said. “I don’t think it was one thing in particular” that made the difference in the election.
Longtime Council member George Lovelace won re-election with 881 votes. He thanked constituents for their continuing support.
“People said, ‘We can’t see Vienna without you. We want you there and we’ll put you in there,’” Lovelace said. “It makes me want to work harder.”
Lovelace said DiRocco will make a fine addition to the council.
“She came across as a pretty level-headed individual, one who thinks things through before saying something or reacting,” Lovelace said. “Her experience on the Planning Commission will serve her well.”
Challenger Mike Gadell, an account executive with Marriott International, received 511 votes. Gadell said he enjoyed his experience as a first-time candidate.
“There were five great candidates, four gentlemen and a lady,” Gadell said. “We had the town’s best interests at heart and the town is better for it. The process works.”
All six council seats are at-large positions with two-year terms. Vienna voters choose three Town Council members every year.
May 04, 2009
Vienna Elections: Tuesday, May 5th Comments (20)
Remember: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO VOTE FOR THREE CANDIDATES! You can bullet vote for just one candidate if you wish (and we strongly encourage).
