<sh>Fair Oaks DMV Reopening
<bt>The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has re-signed its lease for its office in Fair Oaks Mall and is expected to reopen there next Friday, June 27. It's one of 12 DMV offices that closed last October, and is the last one to reopen. Having another local DMV open will greatly ease the burden of the DMV office in Westfields. In addition, many DMV transactions may now be done online; see www.dmv.state.va.us/.
<sh>Hugo Addresses Boys State
<bt>Del. Tim Hugo, (R-40th), addressed 844 high school students attending the 61st session of American Legion Boys State of Virginia, last week, at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Hugo, who attended Boys State of Virginia in 1980 and is participating as an instructor in the program for his first time, spoke on "Virginia Government – Origins to Today."
He described the history and legislative process of the Virginia General Assembly, including how a bill becomes law. A member of American Legion Post 1995, Hugo also discussed his duties and challenges as a state delegate, plus current political issues facing the General Assembly.
<sh>No Fireworks on Fourth
<bt>Although local residents will be able to find fireworks elsewhere, there will be no public fireworks display, this Fourth of July, in Centreville. Bryan Hunt of the Centreville Community Foundation, which put on this costly event in the past, said the CCF couldn't do it this year because of lack of financial contributions from the public.
However, the City of Fairfax will offer its 37th annual Independence Day celebration. An Independence Day parade will be held, rain or shine, from 10 a.m.-noon, in the Fairfax Historic District; an ice-cream social is slated for 1 p.m. in Van Dyck Park on Old Lee Highway; and entertainment and fireworks are planned for 7-11 p.m. at Fairfax High.
<sh>10-Story Buildings Rejected
<bt>Developer KSI Services Inc. wants to construct two, 10-story buildings in Trinity Centre. This mixed-use project bounded by I-66 and Routes 28 and 29 in Centreville now has a hotel, fitness center and restaurant, and the two 268,000-square-foot buildings proposed would provide an urban backdrop to the on-site lake.
However, after receiving some computer-simulation photos about what these buildings would look like in relation to the surrounding area, the WFCCA voted 7-3 to deny the application.
"It was because of the [adverse] affect they'd have on the scenic view of the mountains," explained WFCCA Chairman Jim Katcham. "The Historic Centreville Society had written and urged us to vote no, and several of the WFCCA panel members had spoken to their homeowners associations, and they were also against it." Next stop is the Planning Commission on June 26.
<sh>Clifton Town Council Mtg.
<bt>The next meeting of the Clifton Town Council will be Tuesday, July 1, at 7:30 p.m., in the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road in Clifton.
<sh>WFCM Needs Food Badly
<bt>Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) is in desperate need of canned goods and groceries for its food pantry for local needy families. Much-needed items include: Breakfast cereal, canned tuna, canned meats, spaghetti sauce, canned pasta or meat meals, "dinner in a box" meals, jelly, dried pasta, canned fruit, fruit juice, baby food, diapers (all sizes), wipes, bagged rice, bagged beans and personal-care products.
All food donations may be dropped off — either at Key Kopy in Centreville's Newgate Shopping Center — or Monday-Saturday, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Shepherd Center, 13924 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly (next to Payless Shoes) in the Sully Plaza Shopping Center. Call 703-988-9656.
<sh>WFCCA Approves Enterprise
<bt>Enterprise car rentals has a clerical office in the Chantilly Expo Center area, but it wants people to be able to pick up and drop off their rental cars there, too.
Members of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee gave the idea a green light at their June 17 meeting. However, since it's often difficult finding parking there — especially during weekend shows at the Expo Center — the WFCCA encouraged Enterprise to obtain its own, specially designated spaces for storing and parking the rental cars.
And because the business will also handwash the cars, on site, the WFCCA asked Enterprise to confirm with Fairfax County that there are no restrictions on its being able to wash some 20 cars a week there.
Said WFCCA Chairman Jim Katcham: "We also asked them to consider taking their cars to a commercial carwash." The matter is slated to go before the county Planning Commission on July 9.
<sh>In Doghouse Over Skunk
<bt>An Oak Hill dog is really in the doghouse, after a recent run-in with a skunk. The incident occurred Friday the 13th of June, and for all the critters involved, the day proved quite unlucky. Fairfax County police Animal Control responded around 7:45 p.m. to the 13000 block of Fern Hollow Court in Oak Hill for a report of two skunks fighting.
When the officer arrived, one skunk was dead — and the officer euthanized the other one. They were both taken to the county Health Department, where one of them tested positive for the rabies virus. And although not injured, since a homeowner's dog had been involved in a fight with one of the skunks, the dog was to receive a rabies shot and be quarantined for 90 days.