Residents Will Not Participte In Bicycle Events Until Streets are Repaired

Hello, Yupette,

Regarding "Bike to Work Week" we have been invited to participate in this event but the streets in our neighborhood are simply too broken and potholed for us to consider riding bicycles until the streets are fixed. We've e-mailed messages to the Arlington County Board and Arlington County Manager asking them to fix the streets first, before any more is spent on sports, recreation, and entertainment.

Best,

Ted

22204

Bomb Reportedly Removed from 9-11 Memorial Near Pentagon, Detonated

Hello, Yupette,

What was the explosion everyone heard about 4 PM yesterday afternoon while a 'suspicious package' incident near the Pentagon was being investigated by several police agencies? Appears the suspicious object was, in fact, an explosive device and either detonated while being moved in an explosion containment vehicle or was detonated at a secure site in South Arlington. I can't determine which. Suspicious object was not a box full of discarded trash as has been reported elsewhere. Police were very concerned about the possibility of a second bomb hidden near the first.

Rob 22204

Arlington's $568 Million Wastewater Treatment Plant - A Disaster Waiting to Happen.

Hi Yupette,

Despite what you may have heard from the County's PR Team at the last County Board Meeting about the County's "marvelous" new wastewater treatment plant, the plant's operators are barely able to keep up with alarms and major-league malfunctions at the plant. These range from bad odors, to sewage overflows, to near-explosions of toxic gasses (like chlorine) used to treat raw sewage. My neighbor works at the wastewater treatment plant and he's pretty scared that the Plant and half of South Arlington are going to blow sky-high.

Thanks for your blog, the only honest blog in Northern VA, in my opinion.

Peter

Fi$ette's Friendships With Fossil Fuel Polluters Preventing On-Site Renewable Energy

Hey, Yupette,

Every wonder why the pace of on-site renewable energy installation in Arlington is so glacial? One big reason - Jay Fisette's friendships with the fossil fuel polluters. Yep, like other VIP Democrats Jay is best buds with the anti-renewable energy National Rural Electrification Cooperative Association, which is currently at war with the EPA. In fact, Jay's domestic partner's corporate consulting firm, Healthy Companies International, recently gave NRECA a big corporate makeover. Of course, NCREA also supplies the Arlington Democratic Committee with 'free' meeting and event space.

Jay's also good buds with anti-renewable energy Dominion and Washington Gas. Jay's so-called 'Citizen Energy Task Force' was another big charade. How big? Check out what's going on elsewhere in the Northeast. There is a massive move on to install on-site solar in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Here's a photo of a Giant supermarket in eastern Pennsylvania where a 250 kilowatt solar array was installed a couple months ago. ALL the Giant supermarkets in Pennsylvania and Delaware are having big solar arrays installed.

Meanwhile back in Arlington, the County Board is still approving LEED Gold buildings that are energy pigs. Why are we still electing and re-electing turkeys like Jay Fisette?

Terri

Planning Commission Says NO, for Now, to More Bonus Density for Increased LEED Scores

Hey, Yupette,

Planning Commission met tonight. County Board sprung a Spring surprise on the P.C. in the form of a complex corporate welfare bonus-density-for-LEED-score deal that was only sent to Planning Commission members yesterday. Planning Commission said - let's think about this. And they are the County Board's hand picked pro-development "facilitators". Obviously, Arlington County is nothing more than a development and redevelopment opportunity for any developer gang wanting a corporate welfare steal from the County Board, as the Arlington Yupette blog has stated many times.

2100

Arlington's Fiscal Future - Train Wreck or Major Yearly Tax Increases

Hi Yupette,

Seen how the Arlington County Board intends to spend tax revenue over the next five years? About $550 million for the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar systems. At least $100 million more for Long Bridge Park. Minimum of $250 million for school construction. Then there is an unknown but extravagant amount for new sports, recreation, and entertainment projects. Perhaps another $100 million. That adds up to $1 billion. All new capital construction projects.

Where's the money for maintenance and improvements of existing infrastructure? Where the money for treating stormwater (a big source of Potomac River pollution)? Where's the money for affordable housing that's truly affordable?

Appears we're headed for some big real estate tax increases and fee hikes over the next few years. There is no way the County Board can pursue its own extravagant agenda and keep the County operating without significantly raising taxes.

Thanks for your blog.

Ken 22204

County Government, Chamber of Commerce, Local Media Failing Arlington Restaurants

Hey, Yupette, I just viewed Tuesday's County Board meeting on arlingtonva.us. The County Board refused to give the Pines of Italy restaurant on the Pike a use permit for live entertainment. There's a laundry list of problems with the restaurant and its owner going back a decade.

Pines of Italy isn't the only restaurant with problems. Almost every week you can read in the blogs about a struggling restaurant closing. So where are the Chamber of Commerce, Arlington County Economic Development, CPRO, the local media, and other organizations who are concerned about the success of small businesses? No one on the County Board offered any assistance to the Pines of Italy at Tuesday night's meeting. Meaning advice to the owners about how to fix the problems. Apparently there is no meaningful assistance offered to other struggling restaurants. All I've ever heard about them is when they're in arrears in sending their meals tax receipts to the County Treasurer. And when they go out of business.

You would think that Walter Tejada would be concerned about this minority-owned restaurant. And Mary Hynes literally micro-manages the restaurants in her Clarendon neighborhood. But I wonder why anyone would want to start a restaurant in Arlington that's not a national chain franchise. BTW, Pines of Italy serves really good Italian food. Pike Rider