Bulletin Board
Through Friday/May 3 Princess for a Night Collection. Donate formal dresses, shoes, handbags, jewelry, unused make-up (for example, sample cosmetics) and “nice” shopping bags. Drop items off at T.C. Williams main office, 3330 King St. between 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. The project especially needs dresses for full-figured young ladies (sizes 18+). Please do not donate velvet or wintry dresses, soiled items, outdated items, casual dresses or items for mature women, as they cannot be used. E-mail eleanor.muse@acps.k12.va.us for questions or to volunteer.
$2.5 Million To Help Dyke Marsh
Airports Authority offers funds to National Park Service.
Federal Aviation Administration safety standards require the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to extend the runway at National Airport. However, the effect will adversely impact the Potomac River watershed, so the MWAA is offering $2.5 million to the U.S. National Park Service to improve the Potomac river watershed in the Dyke Marsh area south of the airport. The timing, if the NPS accepts the proposal, will enable the park service to complete phase one of the Dyke Marsh restoration plan: to restore a breakwater in the southern end of the marsh.
Barking Up The Right Tree
Community supports dogs’ continued use of Westgrove Park.
Approximately 100 citizens attended the Park Authority’s public hearing Tuesday night, April 30, to discuss the proposed master plan for the Westgrove Park, off of Fort Hunt Road and adjacent to Belle View Elementary School.
Working Together in Richmond Highway Clean-up
Volunteers met on a cold Saturday morning on April 20 at the Candlewood Suites on Richmond Highway to begin the annual “Spring Clean” of Richmond Highway that collected more than 70 bags of trash.
Alexandria and Mount Vernon Calendar May 1
Entertainment events in Alexandria and Mount Vernon.
Fredona Gartlan Dies
A life dedicated to helping the needy.
Fredona Manderfield Gartlan, a longtime advocate for those suffering from mental illness, died April 22, 2013 at her home in Mason Neck. She was 85 and had suffered in recent years from Alzheimer’s Disease. The cause of death was an apparent heart attack.
Earth Day with Raptors
Earth Day with Raptors In commemoration of Earth Day, on April 20, at the Belle Haven parking lot area, the Friends of Dyke Marsh and the U.S. National Park Service co-sponsored an information and education session about raptors (birds of prey) that frequent the Mount Vernon parkway region. The live raptors available for up close viewing were a screech owl and a species of falcon. In addition to the live raptor presentations handouts for children and adults were available.
Aerial Spraying Program Criticized
County targets canker worm moth.
Despite concerns voiced by residents and the Audubon Society, Fairfax County conducted aerial and ground spraying on Monday, April 22, using the pesticide Bacillus thuringienisis (Bt) to kill the canker worm moth in six areas of the Mount Vernon Magisterial District, including the Hollin Hall and Paul Spring Parkway area in the Fort Hunt neighborhood.
Letter: Bigger Issue Than TJ
To the Editor: Regarding TJ, you are barking at the wrong tree. Also, you can't kill the messenger.
Letter: Osprey Nest on Live Video
To the Editor: Several years ago, I installed a wood piling and a platform about 200 feet offshore from my home on Little Hunting Creek. Apparently, my choice of location was attractive because, every year since, an osprey pair has built a nest on the platform and raised at least two chicks.
Letter: Prepare for Park Meeting
To the Editor: The Westgrove Park Off-Leash Dog Area (OLDA) has been the subject of numerous articles and letters in the Gazette over the past two years. Last November, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) agreed to establish the OLDA on an interim basis pending the outcome of the Master Planning process.
Celebrating Opening Day for Fort Hunt Softball
Fort Hunt Softball held its Opening Day Celebration on Sunday, April 14 at the Walt Whitman softball complex. Approximately 600 people including players, family members and volunteers were in attendance to celebrate.
Housing Market: ‘Sell and Buy’
Sustained low interest rates and rising prices have energized the marketplace.
The local real estate market is thriving, with Realtors reporting multiple offers on homes in some areas and dwindling inventory of homes for sale. At least two things are contributing to this change in the market. First, interest rates have been in the basement: Freddie Mac reported a 30-year fixed-rate of 3.57 percent for March this year, as opposed to 3.95 percent in March 2012 and 4.84 percent in 2011 (for reference, March 2005 was 5.93 percent).
Picking Up 474 Bags of Trash
Friends of Little Hunting Creek help clean up local waterway.
For the 11th year, Friends of Little Hunting Creek, led by its president Betsy Martin, and a group of 191 volunteers, picked up 474 bags of trash and recyclables, 43 tires, 19 shopping carts and other items such as sofas, traffic cones, air conditioner, bed springs, bike, kitchen sink, and more.
Hollin Meadows Celebrates Earth Day
Girl Scouts held a used book sale and also added the last few boxes of this season’s cookies on the table at the annual Earth Day celebration at Hollin Meadows Math and Science Focus School on Saturday, April 20.