Fairfax Station Laurel Hill Fairfax Station Laurel Hill County Executive
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Participants in the Feb. 20 Monopoly ❖ Tournament in Lorton included, from left, Ron Fairfax Station Laurel Hill Kowalski and his sons Alex and Connor, second place winner Bernard Sloan, Habitat for Human- ity representatives Toora Arsala and Meredith Magwire, Aubrey Pruitt, Susan Borelli and son Clifton ❖ Lorton ❖ Lorton Valley ❖ Crosspointe Matthew, and third place winner Uzair Saeed. Monopoly Mavens News, Page 4 Classified, Page 12 Classified, ❖ Calendar, Page 8 ❖ Sports, Page 9 Mason Neck to Stay Open 2-26-10 home in Requested Time sensitive material. sensitive Time News, Page 3 County Executive Postmaster: Attention PERMIT #322 PERMIT Easton, MD Easton, PAID Releases Budget Postage U.S. News, Page 3 STD PRSRT Photo By Justin Fanizzi/The Connection By Justin Photo online at www.connectionnewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.comFebruary 25-March 3, 2010 ❖ Volume XXIV, Number 8 Fairfax Station/Laurel Hill Connection ❖ February 25 - March 3, 2010 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Fairfax Station/Laurel Hill Connection ❖ February 25 - March 3, 2010 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Laurel Hill/Fairfax Station/Clifton Connection Editor Michael O’Connell News 703-778-9416 or [email protected] County Releases Proposed Budget Great Falls Proposal includes cuts to police, schools, libraries, -6.18% $962,276 recreation, and virtually everything else. By Julia O’Donoghue In addition to students, the Sherwood Reston The Connection Hall staff has also seen more adults with -3.09% McLean $348,467 -7.29% limited Internet access using the library’s Herndon $737,635 hristine Niemann likes to check- computers, said branch manager Denise -5.15% Vienna $375,580 -5.25% out workbooks, nonfiction and Morgan. $551,242 Cmysteries from the Sherwood “I have seen more and more people in Chantilly kton Hall Regional Library. But she here applying for jobs. Lots of compa- -6.46% -4.8 also has more unusual reasons for visiting nies require that you apply online $366,932 $603 ls Churchhh the Mount Vernon facility at least once ev- now,” said Morgan. 7.08% ery couple of weeks. Climbing Fairfax 350,281 Niemann likes to shop to over 5 Centreville -5.13% online on the computers “I think lots of people percent -7.27% $398,597 dale at the library. last summer, $312,426 -5.65% $351,907 Niemann, who was are using the library Fairfax browsing Zappos.com County’s unem- Clifton BurkeB for shoes one recent af- to try and find jobs.” ployment rate -6.03% -3.39% ternoon, understands reached its highest $616,034 $367,487$ 7 — Supervisor Gerry Hyland Springfield why the Fairfax County (D-Mount Vernon) point of the last three -4.99% executive Anthony Grif- decades during 2009. Fairfax $343,826 fin has proposed cutting The latest numbers Station Alexandria back on library branch hours, given Fairfax’s suggest Fairfax currently has about 27,100 -3.89% -6.27% $582,797 $358,104 budget shortfall next year of more than unemployed residents, a 34 percent in- $250 million. crease over the number of unemployed In tough times, Niemann knows library people living the county at the same time patrons like her will be able to adjust to the last year. By the Numbers Lorton cuts. But Niemann worries about people In previous recessions during the 1990s -7.75% The value of residential prop- $309,850 who may be relying on the library, particu- and 2001, Fairfax’s unemployment never erty, as calculated by Fairfax larly its computers, for more pressing mat- got above four percent. Given that economic County for tax purposes, declined ters. climate, Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount an average of 5.5 percent across the “[A cut to library hours] is not the worst Vernon) seemed skeptical of Griffin’s rec- county, but still varied significantly from thing except for what it does to all the kids ommendation to reduce library hours and community to community. The numbers who come here after school because they services next year, even during a difficult in red represent the average home don’t have internet access at home,” said See Griffin, Page 14 values for 2010. Niemann. Map by Laurence Foong Mason Neck Park To Remain Open go hand-in-hand,” Waugh said. “But we also “The negative economic impact of lost General Assembly rejects governor’s wanted to space them out geographically, revenue to area businesses and lost sales proposal to close Mason Neck State Park. so we chose parks in different areas of the tax and income tax payments to the Com- state.” monwealth is five times greater than the Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) and other $101,904 the Virginia Department of Con- By Justin Fanizzi result,” Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount area politicians argued that the closures servation and Recreation estimates the state The Connection Vernon) said. “Citizens rallied to support would negatively impact an area whose will save by closing the park,” Connolly said. keeping it open and the General Assembly economy is Del. Scott he House of Delegates and the State has listened to the communities directly growing. Surovell (D- TSenate have rejected Gov. Bob affected.” Connolly esti- “Closing this park only puts 44) also la- McDonnell’s (R) proposal to close According to Virginia Department of Con- mated that the mented the Mason Neck State Park in an attempt to servation and Recreation Spokesman Gary 88,000 visitors additional pressure on our possible loss of close the state’s $2 billion budget shortfall. Waugh, the parks were targeted for closure to the Mason the park’s rec- The park, located in Lorton, was one of in an attempt to save $101,904. Waugh said Neck State Park overbooked county and regional reational op- five parks statewide that the governor tar- that the five parks, which also include last year spent parks.” portunities. geted for closure in his latest budget pro- Caledon Natural Area in King George more than Surovell said posal. While McDonnell believed that clos- County, False Cape State Park in Virginia $500,000 at lo- — Del. Scott Surovell (D-44) that he bikes ing the 1,800-acre park would save the state Beach, Twin Lakes State Park in Prince Ed- cal businesses, every week- maintenance and personnel costs, the ward County and Staunton River Battlefield which he said end through House and Senate both presented their pro- Park in Halifax and Charlotte counties, were generated $27,500 in state sales tax rev- Mason Neck State Park with the Mount posed budgets Sunday, Feb. 21, and closure chosen based on attendance, revenue enue. As a result, he said, closing the park Vernon “Over the Hill” Cycling team and of the parks was not included. stream and geographic location. would not only cost the state admission fees, has also rented the park gazebo for group “It appears that Mason Neck State Park “The parks were chosen based on atten- but also hundreds of thousands more in tax will not be closed and I’m thrilled with the dance and revenue stream, which obviously revenue. See Mason Neck, Page 12 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Fairfax Station/Laurel Hill Connection ❖ February 25 - March 3, 2010 ❖ 3 News Monopoly Barons Play for High Stakes Annual Monopoly “We had a lot of fun, a lot Tournament benefits of laughter, and I met a Habitat for Humanity. lot of good people.” — Aubrey Pruitt, tournament By Justin Fanizzi champion The Connection ing a $25 entry fee for all players, and by ubrey Pruitt and his fellow ty- recruiting sponsors for the event itself. Ac- coons sat hunched over tables cording to Kowalski, he and Borelli offered ASaturday, Feb. 20, clenching fist- local businesses the chance to sponsor any fuls of money and lording over of the tables in the first two rounds for $250 the most prime real estate. They made mil- and the final table for $500. This year, the lions at each other’s expense and managed, final table was sponsored by Lorton-based for the most part, to stay out of jail while Commonwealth Cooling and Heating, doing it. owned by Brian Johnson. These entrepreneurs were not hedge fund “I contacted Ron after getting something managers or Wall Street bankers, however, in the mail looking for sponsors, and he told they were the participants of the third an- me I had the opportunity to sponsor the last nual Monopoly Tournament hosted by table and I jumped on it,” Johnson said. “My Lorton-based real estate group Ron & Su- business is in Lorton, and this is my neigh- san Associates. The event, which took place borhood, so I figured it’d be a great thing at the Glory Days Grill in Lorton, raised Tournament champion Aubrey Pruitt and third place finisher Uzair to support. Not to mention that it’s very fun, $3,500 for Habitat for Humanity, a record Saeed exchange money with Habitat for Humanity representative too.” for the tournament. Meredith Magwire, who served as the final table’s banker. Pruitt, 26, won this year’s tournament “Everyone had so much fun,” said Susan after placing third last year. Pruitt lives in Borelli, co-owner of Ron & Susan Associ- decided to switch to Habitat because they get it because it works so well with our busi- Greensboro, N.C., but has made the trip up ates. “It was a little more work [raising felt a clear connection between the game ness.” to Lorton for the last two years for the tour- money] this year because of the tragedy in and their industry. In addition, Kowalski and The tournament drew 48 players, 11 of nament, saying that he would never miss Haiti and the economy, but we actually Borelli felt that partnering with Habitat’s whom were walk-ins.