July 2006 Archives
July 31, 2006
The Sun Gazette: Bank Robberies Are 'Par for the Course' Comments (2)
A resident who was concerned about bank robberies wrote to the Sun Gazette Newspaper and received this out of touch response:
I'm not sure if there is a trend here -- six bank robberies in 12 months in a jurisdiction the size of Vienna may just be par for the course. That's where the money is , so that's where robberies tend to occur. But I will ask our staff to see if, statistically, that many robberies is off the charts. Thanks again for the feedback. -- Scott McCaffrey
6 bank robberies in the last year and 7 in the prior 5 years. We wonder if the "stats guys" at the Sun Gazettee will be able to deduce any trend there? And we wonder when he talks about the "money", if he means Maud?
July 29, 2006
7-11 Robbed: Jane Seeman Does Nothing Comments (4)
This Man Stabbed a Vienna 7-11 Clerk
Last night the 7-11 next to Maud Robinson's house was robbed. This is the one across the street from Magruders in down town Vienna. The helicopters started flying and several residents called the police looking for answers as to why their homes were being buzzed.
Jane Seeman, in her effort to make Vienna "shiny and happy", of course had her standing order in to say nothing. Only after one resident demanded to know what was up, did an answer arrive. Jane Seeman playing politics with public safety must stop. Seeman must stand up and give our Police Department additional resources. While our Police work to protect us, they are underfunded and understaffed. At the same time Jane and Maud are spending millions on Maud's Town Green monument. Priorities in Vienna need to be reshuffled immediately.
Now for all you Jane and Maud lackeys, don't write in here saying. "Jane didn't say that!" Jane Seeman is the elected leader of this community. The buck stops with her. She needs to lead or get out of the way. The occasional post at her son's blog is not enough to get the job done.
Vienna 7-11 Robbed
July 26, 2006
Vienna Reality: Accept or Reject Comments (13)
This post brought in feedback that we have posted here so it can be better seen:
So where did Maud say that about elderly housing? Just seeking the facts so I can make up my own mind.
We responded:
Have you seen Vienna? Do you realize that the collection of housing offerings available is under her direct control and has been for 50 years? Those are facts. What's not clear?
The response back came in today:
What is it that the Town should do to encourage the building of elderly housing? What specific actions has it taken that discourages it? This is an important issue, and I am ready to be educated. I am not in anyone's "camp," but would welcome a well-thought out reasoned argument on this issue. I see one constructive suggestion in the above posts (mixed residential/commercial use building). What is preventing that in Vienna? Is it a Vienna code? Is it county code? This is the type of information I would welcome. Your response of "do you realize that the collection of housing offerings available is under her direct control and has been for 50 years" is decidedly unhelpful.
Building and development in Vienna is controlled by Vienna Town code, not County code. Meaning what gets built, how big, what density, is all a choice made by Vienna. While this is governed under code enacted by the Vienna Town Council, the political reality is that what gets built in Vienna must be approved by Maud Robinson. This is the reality - she has the control. What does Maud want? Single family residential only. She is against anything else. It could be million dollar Town homes or condos, makes no difference, Maud is opposed to it. You said our original response was 'decidedly unhelpful'. Does this lengthier response make it clearer?
July 24, 2006
2nd Bank Robbery This Month! Mayor Jane Seeman Asleep Comments (2)
Jane Seeman: Asleep at the Wheel
We reported recently about the rash of bank robberies in Vienna over the last year and boom there is yet another robbery. This email came in from a concerned citizen:
"Received the crime report from the police and noticed yet another bank robbery -- July 20th at Sun Trust."
Will the Mayor of Vienna give our Police the help they need? Earth to Jane and Maud, are you there, wake up and provide leadership on something, anything! Can you at least TRY and help our Police fight this problem? Here are the banks robbed recently:
1. Sun Trust: July 20, 2006 (New!)
2. Business Bank: July 3, 2006
3. Bank of America: March 9, 2006
4. BB&T: January 17, 2006
5. Wachovia: October 12, 2005
6. Bank of America: August 24, 2005
Well, at least the Town Green monument to Maud will be there! So what if we have to worry about guns pointed at our head while at the neighborhood bank. Nice Jane, keep it up, you are the bomb.
July 23, 2006
Garish: Rebecca Hartley, Laine Hyde and Paul Layer Comments (3)
The Town of Vienna's Commercial Board of Architectural Review has a rule that no color can be 'garish' on a sign or building. That's it. No objective guidelines. Rebecca Hartley, Laine Hyde and Paul Layer make up whatever they want depending on how they feel at that moment. See the problem there? As you watch this compilation of video from the last meeting below, keep in mind, the questions and comments from Board members are all made up on the fly. There are NO guidelines, no master plan, nothing except busy bodies getting their jollies off being in control.
There is no rule that says you can or can't use orange, purple, pink, green or whatever. There is nothing that talks about selecting colors that don't 'surprise', whatever the hell that means Ms. Hartley! Does Ms. Hartley's big law firm Thelen Reid & Priest LLP know what she does on the side to the people of Vienna? What kind of person says something so off the wall? The biggest problem for any sane person for all of this is the appearance of Maple Avenue in Vienna. This Board is in charge of its appearance. These inane questions, not rooted in any law, supposedly make Vienna beautiful. Yeah, right.
July 22, 2006
The Big Lie: "Thomas Jefferson Trees"? Comments (4)
Maud Wanted Trees, I Planted Them, So What?
A house in the historic district, built in the 1970s, is for sale. Here is the listing from RE/MAX...and we could not make this up if we tried:
Rare opportunity to live in Historical Windover Heights! This is a dream home-like vacationing in a Bed & Breakfast every day! 3 wonderful fin levels--2 story foyer,spectacular sunroom! Wrap around front veranda, deck, brick patio & walkways! Beautiful gardens w/huge oak trees supposedly planted by Thomas Jefferson! (You won't want to leave)! Walk to Vienna amenities.
Trees by Thomas Jefferson eh? We have heard it all now. Is there anything left for the supporters of historical nonsense in Vienna to make up?
July 19, 2006
Elderly Housing in Vienna? Over Maud's Dead Body! Comments (15)
From The Examiner today:
Fairfax County - Though housing sales are slowing, one developer is planning nearly 1,000 new residential units for a growing Fairfax County market: seniors. Peterson Companies has proposed 989 "age-qualified" condo and villa units within the Dulles Discovery project on Route 29. Homeowners can be no younger than 55, and no permanent residents below the age of 18 are allowed. It's hardly a niche market in a county projecting that its population of 55-to-64-year-olds will expand by nearly 20,000 people in the next 10 years. Jim Todd, president of Peterson Companies, said he expects developers to become increasingly interested in building age-qualified units. "Our aging working population is a very strong part of the growth. That's why you see builders going that way," he said. The units are part of a mixed-use rezoning proposal that will come before the Fairfax County Planning Commission in November.
Don't ever expect to have such in Vienna. Maud Robinson could care less about those people who don't have her kind of money. Through her words and actions she has said clearly that this kind of housing will not exist in Vienna over her dead body.
Moorefield Article: R.I.P.! Comments (2)
Lost: A Piece of Vienna and the County's History. By Harl Jeffrey
Beulah Road Noise Study - Followup Comments (3)
The Beulah Road Property - Noise Mitigation Processes and Monitoring at Leaf Processing Facility can be found here (PDF).
After posting the above study, we received this feedback from a Town resident:
Just thought I would fill you in on where we are with the Beulah Road Park Issue. I had asked for all of the data that Miller, Beam had to support their report much like the included in Figure 2 of their report. Here is an example of what we have dealt with at Beulah Road Park. Information from the BZA ordered noise study was "lost". How convenient!
The Town Manager's response:
We have been in contact with Mr. Douglas P. Koehn, M.S. of Miller, Beam and Paganelli regarding the questions raised in your email to me of July 10. Mr. Koehn has advised us that in the writing and editing of the report and data tables some information was lost. After the October survey, the logistical difficulties of which are described on page 2 of the report, and with the desire to conduct measurements at more locations, the subsequent surveys consisted of making short term measurements around the property boundary. The tables show the minimum, maximum and average levels for a single 5 minute period at each location (upper and lower heights were measured simultaneously). The report is to be updated to include this information. The report does contain information relating to the noise levels of the tub grinder, trucks and other associated equipment that operates at the leaf storage and mulch site and does meet the requirements of the conditional use permit granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals. Please contact me if I can be of further assistance.
July 18, 2006
Vienna No Longer #4; Drops Like a Stone Out of Top 100 Comments (9)
Money Magazine must perceive big problems in Vienna to drop it from #4 to out of their top 100 in the span of one year. Their 2006 rankings are in and Vienna is gone from the best places to live. Maud Robinson and Jane Seeman must have thought no one would notice their out of control behavior over the last year. People noticed.. Is everyone grasping what their mindless leadership over the last year ultimately means to the value of their homes? Maybe the Mayor will go post her feelings about the drop at her son's blog.
July 17, 2006
Church Street Closed: The Barricade Comments (1)
We are sure you have noticed that Church Street behind the Marco Polo is closed to one-way traffic.
Know why?
Laura Anderson was instrumental in making sure this silly barricade (see 'yellow' square on picture is barricade) is the only one of its kind in Vienna. For those not recognizing the location, the 'red' square is the Post Office, the 'green' square is the Marco Polo restaurant and the 'blue' square is Chuck and Laura Anderson's house.
How many times have you ever wondered why that barricade is there? Blame Laura and Charles Anderson of Capital Trade for creating her own private road.
This is the kind of small Town machine politics all fair and honest people deplore. The businesses all want it opened, most of Vienna does, but Maud and her cronies say no.
July 12, 2006
Moorefield Ruse Uncovered Comments (1)
Our post on Moorefield yesterday brought forward this email written by someone in the 'know':
"Here is all I know about Moorefield. As you may already know, the Town (and possibly Historic Vienna) owned Moorefield and basically let it deteriorate for 30 years. The Town council voted to tear the structure down because it was going to be "too costly" to fix. If I remember correctly, the Town Council said it would cost about $500,000 to repair, which I find hard to believe. After Moorefield appeared in the National Trust for Historic Preservation 's monthly magazine Preservation earning the official designation as a "threatened" historic structure, the Town sold it to a religious group who dismantled it and put it in storage. I think the town paid $20,000 of the dismantling costs. Preservation Magazine later listed Moorefield as no longer threatened but "lost". I went to the Town Council meeting a year or so ago to inquire about the building and suggested that the Town rebuild it at BRP, as an educational tool. They did not like that idea. I suggested that it would be an ideal Jamestown 2007 project, but they disagreed. They had no interest in Moorefield at all and were in fact hostile to my suggestions. The Council said the Town no longer owned or retained any control over Moorefield. So, I said to them "are you telling me that you have washed your hands of Moorefield?" The answer from Verinder and the Mayor was "yes". Maud said it was a heart wrenching decision for her and that the Town and Historic Vienna tried for thirty years to raise enough money for restoration. Then she said, "Frankly, there was no interest in the community to save Moorefield". I did not like that answer and said she should have tried harder and that the Town Council needed to take a leadership role in Moorefield's restoration and create public interest in the project."
The Town Council is a true believer in historic preservation? NOT.
July 11, 2006
Moorefield Charade Marches On! Comments (2)
From the Connection Newspaper this week comes:
"The long-contested fate of the one-time home of Jeremiah Moore, commonly known as the Moorefield House, finally appears to be settled. The building, which has been dismantled and put in storage, is expected to be reconstructed and restored on the site of the Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center about 12 miles southeast of Lynchburg, where it will become a history museum. "It's going to be used for the same purpose we had intended for it," said Jerry Duane of the Jeremiah Moore Historical and Educational Association, who now resides in Gainesville. He added, "Quite honestly, all of us would have much preferred to see the house rebuilt in the Vienna area." The house was built around 1790, near what is now the eastern border of Nottoway Park, by Jeremiah Moore, a leader of the Baptist movement in Virginia and several surrounding states. Until it was torn down about three years ago, it was the oldest building in Vienna. ... "He really paved the way for a substantial middle class," said Town Council member Maud Robinson, who worked through Historic Vienna Inc. to preserve the house. She also noted that it represented a different slice of history than most other local historic sites. "It was a very important house because it represented a planter's house, a yeoman's house," said Robinson, adding that there are very few such houses left in Virginia. ....When they proposed moving the house to Nottoway Park, which used to be part of Moorefield Plantation, "the Park Authority just wasn't interested at all," he said. They considered moving it to the site of the nearby dog park, "but we didn't get any encouragement from the mayor or Town Council." Robinson, who now sits on the council and whose husband, the late Charlie Robinson, had been Vienna's mayor when it was decided in the 1990s that the town would not be able to restore the building, noted that such a project would have cost at least $500,000, and she added that it was difficult to arouse a lot of widespread interest in the history of the building and the story of its original owner. "When you tried to tell people about this, their eyes kind of glazed over," she said. Robinson said she and others in Historic Vienna Inc. had a study done on the life of Jeremiah Moore and applied for grants from the county and state for preservation of the building, but to little avail. Monahan, also a member of Historic Vienna, said the organization also funded the removal of asbestos tiles, as well as the removal of the small addition on the back of the house, and also raised money for an architecture study, archeological digs in the backyard and a restoration feasibility study. NEIGHBORS of the house wanted to know what would be done with it. "Nobody would want to have a derelict building sitting in their neighborhood," said Monahan. The town eventually decided to have the building demolished, but the Jeremiah Moore Association raised $25,000 to have the building dismantled by a professional, said Duane, and the town pitched in the money it had set aside for demolition. The Moorefield House was taken down in the summer of 2003 and now sits in pieces in Culpeper on the property of the specialist who dismantled it and will rebuild it at Eagle Eyrie...
This article almost sounds like it was paid for by Maud!
Question. Are Vienna tax dollars, through the government owned 'Historic Vienna, Inc.', going to be used to put this pile of junk back together again in Lynchburg? Everyone will always remember Maud Robinson as the premier preservationist of our time. She has achieved so much when it comes to talking about things - who cares if it is only talk! Hey, maybe Vienna historic groupies promoting 'fake' history can set up a shop in Lynchburg to promote Vienna history?
July 07, 2006
Sherry Dart of Green Hedges School: Bought and Paid For Comments (4)
From the Sun Gazette today comes this from a member of the Maud machine:
Sherry Dart, who teaches at Green Hedges School and lives on nearby Lewis Street, said the proposed improvements are essential to the school's future. "We can't expect Green Hedges not to change," she said. "To not evolve is to stagnate."
Guess what? A few months before today's quote Dart was telling neighbors that she would never support the school expansion, but supports it NOW only since she works there! Show Sherry Dart the money and she will roll over and let you tickle her tummy! Everyone has a price, eh? Sherry once your services are paid for, do you offer a receipt for tax purposes?
On top of that, three years earlier Sherry Dart read this letter (PDF) at a Town meeting. Sherry Dart is virulently opposed to the removal of properties from the District. Dart's house touches the border of the District, but is not in the District. She lobbies for others to be in it, but she doesn't want in herself. Lastly, Dart's house at 331 Lewis Street, NW is on this list of so-called historic structures. Just another Maud crony forcing inconsistent politics on everyone except herself...
July 06, 2006
Bank Robberies: Police Have What They Need? Comments (1)
The Cartoon Is Cute, But the Subject Is Not
The Business Bank (immediately next door to the Patrick Henry Library and Vienna Elementary) was robbed the other day. Multiple other banks in Vienna limits have been robbed over the last 18 months (more details to follow). Question: Has the Town Council, with their multi-million dollar Town Green and other pet projects fully funded, left our Police Department short-handed and under funded? Does our Police Department have the resources they need? There are two new banks in Vienna under construction, is the Town Council doing anything to help the Police?
Public safety comes first. Any Town Council Member not heeding that advice will be lit up here online.
July 03, 2006
The All Over Zoning Code of Vienna Comments (17)
Can anyone explain why the new Bukont project on Locust Street is four stories tall when the height limit is 35 feet in Vienna?
Apparently, in the Town it is perfectly legal to build a building that exceeds 35 feet as long as you create an artificial dirt birm in the front of the building. That's exactly what Bukont will do with his Locust Street project. Make sense? Of course is makes no sense!
Consider pictures from both Steve Bukont projects:
Steve Bukont 4-Story Tall Locust Street Project
Steve Bukont 4-Story Tall Locust Street Project
Steve Bukont 4-Story Tall Locust Street Project
Steve Bukont Tapawingo & Glyndon Project (Before Demo)
Steve Bukont Tapawingo & Glyndon Project (Before Demo)
Steve Bukont Tapawingo & Glyndon Project (Before Demo)
Steve Bukont Tapawingo & Glyndon Project (Before Demo)
July 02, 2006
Romper Room Review Board Comments (3)
Laine Hyde should immediately be removed from all Vienna governmental capacities for her participation in this example of the Commercial Board of Architectural Review from April 2006:
ITEM NO. 2: Request for approval of signage for The Art House & Co located at 141 Church St, NW, (Docket No. BAR-19-06), in the C-1B Pedestrian zoning district; filed by Jasmine Choi, of The Art House & Co. Ms. Jasmine Choi, owner of The Art House & Co. came forward to speak. She stated that she is opening a new business and is in need of a sign. A color sample was passed out for Board members to review. Ms. Hyde stated that she did not have any issue with the proposed design of the sign. The color is a bit bright although not as yellow as the rendering indicates. She asked if the applicant would consider one of the other greens shown in the color sample book. Ms. Choi answered that she had a second choice in mind, which is Sherwood Green. Ms. Hyde noted that the other signs on the building are off-white with brown lettering...Ms. Hyde stated that the proposal is for an illuminated sign so that the green will be brighter. If the applicant is partial to green then she would prefer one that is much darker. She stated that Sherwood Green is a better alternative but was concerned as to how the sign will look on that building...It was the feeling of the Board that the sign should remain harmonious with the building and existing signage, especially if the sign is to be illuminated. Board members agreed that they would be willing to consider more color options so long as the sign is not an illuminated box sign. If the applicant would prefer a box sign then they should limit color options to brown and cream.
After all of this idiotic banter...what does the finished sign look like?
Why actually turn on the lights to Vienna Town Hall (and waste electricity and Town staff time) so these Board 'groupies' can debate the nuances of a sign that ends up looking like something pre-school kids designed with crayons? These Board members are morons and their actions make Vienna look backwater. Some argue this can all be solved by changing the Dillon Rule. State law changes will not cure Maud Robinson's and Laine Hyde's lack of taste (or their quest for power).
July 01, 2006
Lost in Space (& Out of Touch) Comments (7)
The Classic TV Series Exists Here in Vienna
Here is a recent comment in the Town newsletter from Vienna's wealthiest Council Member Maud F. Robinson on Tysons Corner growth:
What will be the impact on Vienna from the proposed massive Tysons Corner expansion, a project that appears to be on the fast track regardless of Metro construction decisions and citizen concern? One hears this question with increasing frequency now that the MetroWest project is off the front page and town residents focus on a more proximate and visible challenge. I came away from a recent luncheon meeting, which featured a graphic presentation of the Tysons project, feeling very pessimistic about the impact on Vienna. Then I began to assess the strength of Vienna and its proven durability as a healthy, vibrant municipal entity with a Town Council and citizens committed to retaining its authentic and desirable small-town character. Resolved: Vienna, unlike the legendary isle of Atlantis, will not suddenly disappear or become an undefinable community area within the 400 square miles of Fairfax County. Voted by Money Magazine last year as the 4th best place in the nation in which to live, Vienna is not just a pass-through spot on Route 123 between Tysons Corner and Fairfax City. Not only is it a highly desirable residential community, it has an increasingly attractive and viable commercial core and, most important, a high level of citizen involvement at all levels of community life, in organizations, churches, schools, sports, local government and civic associations. It is this bedrock of citizen involvement that has made the Vienna of today and will preserve it in the face of developmental pressures, whether from without or within the town. What better way to assess Vienna's right to adequate representation on the Tysons Task Force, instead of the one member currently permitted under the guidelines established by the County, than the facts in the Town's Comprehensive Plan, adopted pursuant to state statute in April 2006? Numbers can be boring, but in this instance they describe a community on the border of Tysons Corner which has a sustained environment as a safe, family-oriented town with a sound fiscal posture. Our incorporated town, with a population of approximately 15,000, encompasses 2,821.90 acres (about 4 square miles). 76% of this acreage is residential (single-family dwellings, townhouses, apartments, duplexes and condominiums). 9.2% is commercial/industrial, and the remaining 14.8% includes parks and recreational use (334 acres) and governmental/institutional use. There exists a substantial variety of residential, particularly so for a town this size. What can all of us, Town Council members and citizens, do to impress on County officials Vienna's legitimate concerns and right to adequate representation in the ongoing Tysons Task Force study? Tysons is an economic engine for the entire county, but surely Vienna's input merits as much or more attention as that afforded Reston, Springfield and all other county areas. Mayor Seeman has tried repeatedly to obtain another seat at the table for Vienna, as have others. Even if we cannot mitigate the scope of the Tysons project, we can at least focus attention on its traffic impact on Vienna and rezoning pressures at our borders. I urge everyone to contact the Board of Supervisors - Vienna needs more places at the table, not a peek from the kitchen.
Vienna proper did not take home the #4 ranking. That ranking included 60,000 people, not only Vienna's 15,000 people, and encompassed much of the Tysons Corner you denigrate. Enough spin! Where is this wonderful commercial corridor you speak of in Vienna? Do you assume that every citizen in Vienna is plain dumb and knows no better?
Mrs. Robinson, like most machine politicians, has an agenda. Her agenda is to just say 'no'. She has no alternative, no vision and no plan - other than to say 'no'. Well, that doesn't work and frankly seems silly in 2006. Attempting to stop Metro development did what? What was the reason for your opposition? We bet you were against the very train itself too, right? Now you want to stop something in Tysons Corner. What is it you seek to stop Maud? Time?
Vienna has little political respect in the County due to your obstructionist political ideals. With no real answers of your own, politicians across both isles in Fairfax County fully understand you are not a serious leader. They are not dumb. They all know you just want to sit in that Council chair and exert power. Fortunately for all of us, politicians who feed only on power eventually go by the wayside.
