<sh>Discussion on Expansion Plans
<bt>The McLean Community Center, in cooperation with the McLean Citizens Association, the McLean Planning Committee and the McLean Revitalization Corporation, are inviting all McLean tax district residents to an open meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14, at the Center. The center is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue .
The MCC Governing Board will present its proposal for expanding the center's main facility on Ingleside Avenue and the Old Firehouse Teen Center, a satellite program of the Center located at 1440 Chain Bridge Road. The meeting is being cosponsored by a number of organizations that have expressed interest in the teen center's building as it is in the McLean Revitalization District. The groups are encouraging tax district residents to attend the meeting and to ask questions and/or express their opinions on the proposals. MCC Governing Board Vice Chair Jan Auerbach said the meeting is one of many the board plans to hold to keep residents aware of the progress of the expansion projects as the board wants to make the process an open, cooperative effort between the Center and tax district residents. For more information, call the McLean Community Center at 703-790-0123/TTY: 703-827-8255.
map: V0314-107 32x48
<cl>Map of the affected area.
<sh>Benjamin Street To Close
<bt>A portion of Benjamin Street between Balls Hill Road and Lawton Street will be closed to through traffic for approximately three months, beginning on Wednesday, March 14, for the installation of a sanitary sewer main. This installation is part of the River Oaks Sanitary Sewer Extension and Improvement Project.
Traffic will be detoured along Arbor Lane. Variable message board signs will be placed on site to notify motorists of the road closure dates. For information, call Terrence Steele in the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services at 703-324-5815.
<sh>Bus Involved in Traffic Accident
<bt>On Thursday, March 8, at approximately 10:15 a.m., Kent Gardens Elementary School Bus #8 was involved in an accident at Dolley Madison Boulevard and Lewinsville Road. The bus was transporting students to Kent Gardens. There were no injuries and Fairfax County Police responded to the scene.
<sh>Tax Relief Workshops for Residents
<bt>Supervisor Joan DuBois (R-Dranesville) invites senior citizens and disabled citizens to sign up for a one-on-one help session on applying for real estate tax relief. Staff from the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration will be on hand to aid seniors in determining if they meet the qualifications for tax relief and aid them in their application. Appointments are available to meet with a counselor on Friday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 20, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the supervisor's office in the McLean Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road, McLean. To sign up, call the Dranesville supervisor's office at 703-356-0551.
An additional session is available at the Herndon Senior Center on Monday, April 9 beginning at 1 p.m. The Herndon Senior Center is located at 873 Grace Street, Herndon. To sign up for the Herndon workshop, call 703-464-6200.
<sh>Civitans To Host Medicare Meeting
<bt>Jan Galvin from the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association will address the Civitan Club of Tysons at its meeting on Tuesday, March 27 at 12 p.m. The venue for the meeting is Clyde's of Tysons restaurant, located at 8332 Leesburg Pike. Galvin will discuss "Medicare Part D: Its Background and Its Future." The Association is a trade group for independent, locally operated Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies, which includes consumer health advocacy and consumer education. The mission of Civitan, a non-profit organization, is to build good citizenship by providing a volunteer organization of clubs dedicated to serving individual and community needs with an emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities. For more information or to attend the meeting e-mail tysonscivitan@aol.com or contact Linda Powell at 703-356-0154. There is a $10 fee for lunch.
<sh>Writer To Speak at Alden
<bt>The Fairfax County Public Library presents "My Encounters With Extraordinary People " with Susan Orlean, author of "The Orchid Thief" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20 at the Alden Theatre of the McLean Community Center, located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue in McLean. Tickets to this free event will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 7 p.m. There is a limit of four tickets per person. For directions call 703-790-0123. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Barnes & Noble -Tysons Corner. Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief" inspired the 2002 film "Adaptation," in which the author was portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep. Orlean's other books include "The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Ordinary People," "Red Sox and Blue Fish" and "Saturday Night" which have explored the lives of an range of subjects, including children, kings and choirs. Orlean has been a staff writer for "The New Yorker" since 1992. She has written more than 50 "Talk of the Town" pieces, as well as "Profiles" and "Reporter at Large" articles. Currently, she is writing a series of American popular culture columns called "Popular Chronicles." Prior to joining " The New Yorker," Orlean was a contributing editor at "Rolling Stone" and "Vogue." The library's "Perspectives" series continues on April 24 with David Rakoff, a contributor to Public Radio International's "This American Life." The series ends May 8 with Julian Bond, chair of the NAACP. The series is co-sponsored by the Fairfax County Public Library Foundation, Inc., and the Alden Theatre. For details, and to hear a brief podcast with Orlean, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.