Candidates Press for Stormwater Action Stormwater for Press Candidates
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INSIDE: County revamps meeting procedures ... again • Page 2 3 5 17 SUPERINTENDENT NEW PRINCIPAL W-L HIRES LAYS OUT PLAN IS FAMILIAR FACE COACH FOR REOPENING IN HALLWAYS FOR TRACK OF CLASSROOMS OF HIGH SCHOOL AND FIELD Sun Gazette ARLINGTON’S SOURCE FOR HOMETOWN NEWS SINCE 1935 VOLUME 85 NO. 29 JULY 2-8, 2020 Candidates Press for Stormwater Action County Manager Proposes $50M Bond Referendum to Get Ball Rolling SCOTT McCAFFREY MAKING AN IMPACT ON THE FIELD Sta Writer How it gets paid for (and by whom) perhaps is a question for another day, but the three can- didates in the July 7 Arlington County Board special election voiced support for increased stormwater- ELECTION management efforts. 2020 “We need to be mak- ing a generational investment,” said Susan Cunningham, one of three candidates on the ballot seeking to ll the seat of the late Erik Gutshall. Cunningham, an indepen- dent, was joined by Republican Bob Cambridge and Democrat Takis Karantonis during a re- cent 90-minute online candidate forum sponsored by EcoAction Arlington and partner organiza- tions. Arlington’s aging stormwater infrastructure was put to the test – and did not fare well – during a brief but walloping rainstorm last July. Over the past year, county-government ofcials have been working to determine how to address the situation and The 16-under Arlington Impact girls travel softball team won the recent USA Class A softball tournament in Hagerstown, Md. The Impact went how to pay for improvements. unbeaten in the competition with six victories and one tie. Watch for coverage in a future edition. ARLINGTON GIRLS SOFTBALL ASSN Continued on Page 18 ONLINE https://sungazette.news l On Facebook: sungazettenews l On Twitter: @sungazettenews @sungazettespts Local Postal Customer Postal Local Whether you’re in the market to buy your first home or your fifth home, I can help you find it faster! Weichert Realtors Color Key Specifications Weichert Black Weichert Yellow Print: Print: C-94,M-77,Y-53,K-94 C-0,M-0,Y-92,K-0 Digital: Digital: WHY CHOOSE Hex#CAROLE?Hex • Over 38 years of experience • Lifetime member of NVAR Top Producers PERMIT NO. 605 605 NO. PERMIT Frederick, MD Frederick, • Knowledge and integrity • Buying or Selling I can help! PAID U.S. POSTAGE U.S. ECRWSS 703.475.8494 PRSRT STD PRSRT Realtors Buying • Selling • Mortgage • Title • Insurance 4701 Old Dominion Drive, Arlington VA 22207 • 703.525.0812 [email protected] County Board Acts to Again Revise Meeting Rules Following Brushback from Advisory-Body Leaders SCOTT McCAFFREY most of which had been shut down since so much our advisory groups can contrib- Commission would be unlikely to meet Sta Writer March. ute.” during the month, either, but would pick Some of the grumbling came from Planning Commission Meetings to up its work in early September. After facing a rebellion from members commission chairs and members annoyed Resume: After a layoff of four months, A schedule of meeting dates for the re- and chairs of advisory commissions, the that they had to gain permission from the Arlington Planning Commission soon mainder of the year has been posted, but Arlington County staff to hold their meetings, and to decide will be back in business – albeit in “vir- is marked as tentative. COUNTY Board has revised what would be placed on their agendas. tual” format, at least for the time being. Computer-Upgrade Bugs Being NOTES rules for holding While that requirement has been re- Having last met on March 11, the ad- Worked on by Library System: Couple meetings during the moved, the revised regulations seem to visory panel will hold its rst COVID- the COVID-19 pandemic with a major COVID-19 pandemic. leave somewhat nebulous who has nal era gathering on July 6, catching up on (and long-planned) upgrade to the Ar- Perhaps the two biggest changes from authority to green-light a meeting. “The a backlog of items but likely focused on lington library system’s computer system, the original plans: determination for whether an advisory matters headed for County Board consid- and some technical bugs are to expected. • Commission chairs (apparently) will group’s agenda items warrant a meet- eration later in the month. And with the library system now no longer have to seek county-staff per- ing will be the prerogative of the group’s Like virtually all Arlington advisory somewhat springing back to life, patrons mission to hold meetings. chair” acting “in partnership with the groups, the Planning Commission was and the library staff are working through • Advisory-group meetings will be al- staff liaison,” Garvey’s memo said. put on hiatus during the peak of the pub- them. lowed in-person or in a hybrid format, Meetings will be required to meet re- lic-health pandemic. The Arlington gov- “As with any major system upgrade, in addition to the previously announced quirements of the Virginia Freedom of ernment has been attempting to get those there will be technical challenges and we “virtual”-only arrangement. Information Act, which requires advance meetings going electronically, but its ef- are working with our vendor to resolve The result aims to be a “exible plan notication and access to the public, al- forts have run into criticism from some them as quickly as possible,” library to allow our advisory groups to resume though county ofcials have dropped the civic leaders that matters are not moving spokesman Henrik Sundqvist told the Sun their meetings while protecting the health requirement that the meetings be live- fast enough. Gazette after the newspaper inquired. of commissions, staff members and the streamed on YouTube and the county Recommendations from the Planning To keep the public in the loop, the li- public,” County Board Chairman Libby government’s Website. Commission usually are not required brary system has put together an “FAQ” Garvey said in a June 25 memo to leaders In her memo, Garvey said the County prior to County Board consideration, page listing the most common glitches that of the more than 50 county-government Board looked forward to bringing back a although in some cases the board has have popped up, and how they are being advisory panels. robust advisory-panel process. pushed back consideration of items until addressed. It can be found at https://bit. The changes announced then came af- “We know how eager our advisory the fall, which likely would allow for Plan- ly/2B1JIDo. ter a large number of commission chairs groups are to get back to work on behalf ning Commission input. Among those being impacted are publicly complained that County Board of our community, and we are eager to The County Board traditionally does library patrons who earlier selected a members and senior staff lacked vigor in have your advice and counsel again,” she not meet in August, and if board members working to re-start commission meetings, said. “There is so much to be done, and follow that routine this year, the Planning Continued on Page 18 DEMENTIA SHOULD NOT DEFINE HER. We help her be who she’s always been. TheArtisWay.com/SunGazette • 571-266-0376 Great Falls Assisted Living: 1121 Reston Ave., Herndon, VA 20170 2 July 2, 2020 www.sungazette.news APS Oers Choices as It Preps for August Return More Than 40% of Parents Want Students Back in Class Full-Time, But That Will Not Be an Option at the Start of School, Based on the Current Proposals SCOTT McCAFFREY parts,” Durán said of the plan, which is “We really need to now know,” he Sta Writer expected to be rmed up into a semblance said. of nality by the end of July. Staff and But simply determining who picks More than four times as many Arling- families need “clear communications” what option will just be the start. ton parents want their students back in and “assurance of health and safety mea- “There’s still a lot more . to work classrooms full-time as want them kept sures,” said Durán, who took over as su- out,” said School Board member Reid out of the classroom altogether, with perintendent of the 28,000-student school Goldstein, who compared the planning to another group wanting something in be- system in early June. “a machine with a lot of moving parts.” tween, based on a survey conducted by Under the plan, school ofcials aim to “If there is a single point of failure the school system. start classes on schedule in late August, – a cog in the machine that doesn’t work That middle ground appears to be the splitting the student body – at least the – then this entire machine doesn’t func- plan, for now at least, as Arlington Pub- part that opts for classroom instruction tion,” he said, calling for safeguards “so lic Schools on June 25 unveiled a hybrid – into two groups: that a problem, a breakdown, doesn’t proposal that likely will see most students • One will attend classes on Tuesdays bring the whole machine crashing down.” in class a number of days per week at the and Wednesdays, receiving online instruc- School Board members will receive up- start of the 2020-21 school year while tion the other days. dates at meetings slated for July 1, 16 and learning the remaining time online. • The second will attend classes on 30, with information being posted on the The proposal, put forward by Super- Thursdays and Fridays, with online in- school system’s Website at www.apsva.us. intendent Francisco Durán and set to be struction the remaining days. Francisco Durán. The county school system scrapped ratied on July 1, also includes an opt-out A survey of parents conducted by the they preferred online-only learning, about classroom learning in March as the pub- provision for parents, who will be permit- school system suggests that a large per- the same percents as those (9 percent of lic-health pandemic hit.