When Wayne Baldwin walks his dog, he has to be careful of the traffic that zips through his neighborhood on Glyndon Street. Because of the speeding cars, he had signed a petition to the town asking the Council to do something about it.
"We can’t get anyone to slow down, and we don’t know how to do it," Baldwin said.
The Council decided last Monday to ask the transportation safety commission (TSC) to consider all options for traffic calming on Glyndon Street, Southeast. The TSC had recommended to the Council that instead of the speed humps requested by the residents, there should be signs saying, "Slow, Children at Play," and a painting of the speed limit on the pavement.
But the motion, offered by Council member Al Boudreau and passed unanimously, was to refer the matter back to the TSC, to re-evaluate how to slow down the speeding that occurs during morning and evening rush hours. Among the options that the Council asked the TSC to consider are a restricted no-right-turn sign during morning hours and a three-way stop sign.
"It’s frightening to have our kids play on the lawn at that time," said Mark Kadonoff, father of three, and one of three Glyndon Street residents who offered public comment to the Council.
Although the data supplied by the Vienna police showed that car volume was not a problem, several Council members were concerned about the speeding. As a result, they sent the agenda item back to the TSC for further consideration.
"Quite frankly, it’s a morning problem," said Council member Vince Olson, who lives on the street.
During the meeting, the Council announced and discussed the following items:
*Two Council members announced whether they would run for re-election. Council member Vince Olson announced to the Council that he would not seek re-election, while Council member Maud Robinson intends to seek re-election in May.
"Twenty-five years, I think it’s time to let someone else to do it," Olson said;
*Council member Al Boudreau asked if the town could contact Del. Jeannemarie Devolites (R-35th) and Sen. Leslie Byrne (D-34th) regarding the delay of utilities installation for the Maple Avenue Enhancement Project. While Dominion Power has started installing its lines, Verizon has yet to do its installation. Boudreau hoped that the state representatives could help expedite the process.
"This project is now a couple of months behind schedule because of these utilities," Boudreau said;
*Town Manager John Schoeberlein announced that the Public Works Department has almost completed leaf collection, with seven more piles to go;
*The Council approved awarding a contract in the amount of $11,250 to Consolidated Elevator Inc., for the replacement of the Bowman House vertical wheelchair lift;
*The Council agreed to meet in closed session in February to discuss matters of real estate as outlined in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Code section 2.1-344 (A)(3).