<b>Mary Jack Johnson, 56, Dies at Home</b>
Washington-Lee graduate Mary Jack Johnson, 56, died at her home on March 11 of heart disease. Johnson had been actively involved with the Red Cross and with the Episcopal Church as a lay minister. She was a lifelong resident of the area.
Johnson graduated from Washington-Lee High School and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in human resources from Marymount University.
Johnson worked for the American Red Cross as director of training delivery for the Biomedical Services division for the last 15 years. She was responsible for providing essential regulatory training for staff.
Johnson volunteered with several charitable and church-related organizations. She was a leader in Camelot Elementary School’s literary education program, counseled new military spouses as a Navy relief volunteer and taught Sunday school at First Baptist Church of Annandale.
She was a member of the Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax City and a member of a home fellowship group. As a lay Eucharistic minister Johnson brought communion to the sick and homebound.
Survivors include her daughter Sarah Johnson of Arlington, her son Christopher Johnson of Bristol, Tenn.; her father Robert Lee Jack and brother Robert C. Jack, both from Arlington; and a sister, Charlotte Jack Knipling of Lorton.
Her marriage to Charles. C. Johnson ended in divorce.
—Meredith Billman-Mani
<b>County Pushes Carsharing</b>
Arlington County announced this week that it has partnered with Flexcar and Zipcar, more than doubling the number of vehicles in Arlington available for carsharing through a one-year pilot program in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.
The county has designated 20 on-street parking spaces for carsharing vehicles, all close to Metro stations and bus stops, marked with bright orange signposts.
Carsharing, like car rental, allows members to rent a car tempporarily — somtimes for as little as a half-hour. Vehicles are self-serviced and the price includes gas, insurance and maintenance, with members only paying for the time they use. The activity has its roots in Europe, where over the last 15 years 400 cities have adopted such programs. In the U.S., in addition to the D.C. area, carsharing organizations operate in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Denver.
For a limited time, those Arlington workers and residentscan take advantage of special discounts when signing up for Flexcar and Zipcar. Discounts are also available for companies that are members of Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP).
Additional information about Arlington's carsharing program is available <a href="http://www.CommuterPage.com/carshare">online</a>, where downloadable maps show carsharing vehicle locations. The pilot program is a project of Arlington County Commuter Services. For more information on ACCS, visit <a href="http://www.CommuterPage.com/capperf03.htm">the Commuter Page Web site</a> or call 703-228-RIDE.
<b>VDOT’s Six-Year Plan</b>
The Virginia Department of Transportation released a $7.2 billion draft six-year plan on March 17 that includes 1,700 highway and rail projects. Over the course of the coming months, VDOT will revise the draft plan after holding a series of public hearings. The six-year transportation plan is updated every year.
This year, however, VDOT’s planning has been made more difficult by the budget impasse in Richmond. Until the General Assembly approves a budget for the next two years, transportation officials won’t know how much money they’ll have. As a result, the plan’s $7.2 billion price tag – which reflects spending predictions in Gov. Mark Warner’s budget proposal – is almost certain to change.
“It makes it more difficult,” said Tom Farley, VDOT’s administrator for Northern Virginia. “Obviously everyone’s interested in knowing what’s in the plan.”
<b>Correction</b>
The story “Few Quibbles On School Budget” (March 10) should have identified Beth Wolffe as a member of the Civic Federation’s school budget committee.