South Arlington Braces for Shirlington Springfest April 26th

Hi, Yupette,

I live in the Heatherlea Condominium Community, not far from Shirlington Village. We are all braced for more of the same DUI, DWI, and massive public intoxication arising from 10,000 or more urban hipsters descending on Shirlington for Springfest and partying until they puke, not only from the alcohol served at the event but from pub crawling until Shirlington's bars close Sunday morning.

We expect the Arlington Police Department will (again) stand around while the yupsters get wasted and then stagger to wherever they parked whatever vehicles they drove to the event and take off for home about 3 times over the limit for DWI.

Which adults are responsible for this event? David Von Storch, CEO of the hipster entertainment corporation that owns Capital Cities Brewery, a major sponsor of Springfest; Don Wood, CEO of Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns Shirlington Village; Martin Walsh, Managing Partner of the Walsh, Colucci law firm that represents Federal Realty; Douglas Scott, Chief of the Arlington Police Department; and Jay Fisette, Chairman of the Arlington County Board of Supervisors. And the local Democratic Party ward heelers who help the aformentioned inflict these festivals on us and our families.

Barbara

County Board Passes 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' Budget

Hey Yupette,

Driven by unexpected real estate assessment increases and with big unfunded mandates for school infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, and stormwater infrastructure not due to hit County Government until FY 17, theme of this year's budget season was 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'.

There's something for almost everyone in next fiscal year's budget, from corporate welfare for Vornado via the Crystal City TIF, to subsidizing yet another non-profit - Arlington Neighborhood Villages - to help seniors help themselves, to caving into County employees' last minute demands for step increases.

Fiscal responsibility can was kicked into FY 16. Party's over here at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard. New noise ordinance won't take effect for a couple months.Crawl over to Velocity 5 for Happy Hour this Friday to celebrate.

2100

Chief Scott: "We Can't Arrest Our Way Out of Pub Crawls"

 

Hey, Yupette,

Also heard from at the April 16th County Board - County Manager FY-15 Budget Work Session was Arlington's Chief of Police, Douglas Scott, who described the increasingly serious public intoxication, disorderly conduct, DWI, DUI (including bicyclists), assaults, and obnoxious public behavior arising from pub crawls in the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor.

According to Chief Scott the B-R pub crawls don't last 3 or 4 hours but start at 1 PM and officially end at 7 PM, but participants keep drinking until the bars close at 2 AM, and there is an increasing level of 'disorderliness' associated with pub crawling. Chief Scott stated that pub crawling is spreading to Shirlington (where neighborhoods around Shirlington are bracing for Shirlington Springfest on April 26th).

As in the past, the County Board expressed its concerns, but the reality is bars, restaurants, and motor vehicle sales are the growth industries in the Ballston-Rosslyn Corridor and provide significant tax revenue for various County Board pet projects and pet special interests.

Dennis -22201

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