<sh>Colin Powell Elementary School
<bt>It's official: The new northeast Centreville elementary school opening in September will be named after Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Fairfax County School Board voted on it last Thursday, April 24. Although some residents preferred it instead be called either Arrowhead or Arrowhead Park, the Powell name received the most votes at an earlier community meeting.
In making last week's motion to name the school after Powell, Sully District School Board member Kathy Smith said it was important to follow the naming process. And Springfield District School Board member Cathy Belter noted that, while a school's name is important, what matters even more is what happens inside the school.
At-large Board member Robert Frye called Powell an "exemplary choice" and was pleased that the school will be named in honor of someone who has made significant contributions to America. Said Frye: "His career as a soldier, alone, makes him a good choice."
<sh>Robbery at Beacon Books
<bt>Fairfax County police are looking for whoever stole money, last week, from Beacon Books in the Greenbriar Town Center, along Route 50 in Chantilly. Last Tuesday, April 22, a Centreville girl, 16, was working there as a cashier when a man approached her around 4 p.m. and asked for change. But when she opened the cash register, the man leaned over the counter and grabbed money from the drawer.
The girl tried to hold on to the cash, but the man was able to pull it from her grasp and flee; no one was injured. The suspect is described as white, in his early to mid-20s, 6 feet, 170 pounds, with long curly brown hair. He wore a gray sweatshirt and long khaki shorts. Anyone with information about him or this incident is asked to call police at 703-691-2131 or Fairfax County Crime Solvers at 703-691-8888.
<sh>Clifton Town Council Mtg.
<bt>The Clifton Town Council will meet Tuesday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, in Clifton.
<sh>Shelter is Meeting Topic
<bt>A proposed Fairfax County homeless shelter will be discussed at the next meeting of the Springfield District/Fairfax Center Land-Use Committee. It will be held Tuesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in conference rooms 4 and 5 of the county Government Center.
The shelter would be built near the intersection of Route 29 and Stringfellow Road, just west of Meadows Farms Nursery. It would serve parents with infant and elementary-school age children, and would include transportation for the clientele.
<sh>Republicans Endorse Cecil
<bt>The Fairfax County Republican Committee on Saturday endorsed Carl Cecil, 45, of Chantilly as its candidate in the race for Sully District School Board representative. A retired Army major, he is a Realtor and lives with his wife Karen and their four children in the Sutton Oaks community. His campaign issues include paying county teachers competitive salaries and reducing class sizes.
<sh>Herberg Gets Suspended Sentence
<bt>A Fairfax man received a suspended sentence, last Friday, for a crime committed last fall at the Fair Lakes Target store. He is Craig James Herberg, 51, of 4614 Tapestry Drive in Fairfax.
During the winter, Fairfax County police obtained evidence that he had been creating phony bar codes, placing them on Vtech 2520 portable telephones in Target and then purchasing them there for prices lower than the actual cost.
After obtaining further evidence in his home, police arrested Herberg on Dec. 11, charging him with one count of altering a price tag and two counts of grand larceny. All but one count of grand larceny was later dropped and, on March 24, he pleaded guilty to it in Circuit Court.
He returned Friday for sentencing, and Judge M. Langhorne Keith gave him two years in prison. He then suspended all that time, placed Herberg on 18 months active probation and ordered him to receive mental-health treatment.
<sh>Sully Supervisor's New Office
<bt>Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) may now be reached at his new office in the Sully Governmental Center/Sully District Police Station building. It's at 4900 Stonecroft Boulevard in Chantilly, near the Safeway, off Westfields Boulevard and Route 28. Frey's new phone number is 703-814-7100. The police department there will officially open, this Saturday, May 3.
<sh>O'Brien Runs for Re-Election
<bt>Sen. James K. "Jay" O'Brien (R-39th) is running for his second term in this post. He announced his re-election bid, last Tuesday, April 22, at the Twin Lakes Golf Course clubhouse in Clifton.
"It is an honor to represent the constituents of this new district," he said. "If re-elected, I will continue to work for the best interests of our families, businesses and taxpayers."
A Clifton resident, O'Brien served 10 years in the House of Delegates, representing the 40th District, before being elected to the Senate last fall in a special election. He's been the patron of bills that reformed teen driving laws and created a penalty for aggressive driving, the Amber Alert notification of abducted children, and Megan's Law requiring paroled sex offenders to notify authorities of their status when they move to a new home.
O'Brien belongs to the American Legion, Knights of Columbus and Rotary Club. He's a local businessman and a colonel in the Army Reserves, and he and his wife Sevea have five children.
<sh>Apartment Complex Approved
<bt>A proposal to build a four-story apartment complex in Fair Oaks took a step forward, last week, when it got a thumbs-up from the Fairfax County Planning Commission. Called Camden Monument Place, it would have a plaza and some small retail businesses and would be at the corner of Monument Drive and Fair Lakes Parkway, near Fair Oaks Mall.
The county's Comprehensive Plan currently designates this land for office use, so the developer needs the county to OK a plan amendment to convert this site from office, mixed-use to multi-family, residential use. The Planning Commission gave its approval, last Thursday, April 24; the matter next goes before the Board of Supervisors on May 19.
<sh>Furniture Store Gets OK
<bt>In February, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a change in the county's Comprehensive Plan to allow a furniture store to be built in the Chantilly Crossing mixed-use development. It's at the southwest corner of Routes 28 and 50.
That action paved the way for Marlo Furniture to then apply for the county's permission to build a 60,000-square-foot furniture showroom at that site. Last Wednesday, April 23, the county Planning Commission gave its OK; next stop for this proposal is the Board of Supervisors on June 2.
<sh>Mulford School OKed Twice
<bt>Things are right on track for the Mulford School to open up a preschool in September in a new Centreville location. It's now received approvals from both the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
The new site is across from Centreville Baptist Church, on the south side of Route 29, backing up to Gate Post Estates. It's 7 1/2 acres, and the Mulfords needed county approval for a special-exception permit for a nursery school there.
The building will be some 6,000 square feet and will serve 150 students. The Planning Commission gave the proposal its seal of approval, last Wednesday, April 23, with the Supervisors following suit, on Monday, April 28.
<sh>Luck Stone is Approved
<bt>The Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) on Tuesday gave a unanimous approval to the Luck Stone quarry, off Route 29 in Centreville. It extended the quarry's operating permit for five more years.
<sh>Bullying and Harassment Program
<bt>The Westfield Community Coalition will hold an interactive program called, "When Push Comes To Shove — Bullying and Harassing," on Monday, May 12, from 7-9 p.m. at Centreville United Methodist Church, off Route 28 and New Braddock Road in Centreville.
Bullying can affect children and teens of all ages and backgrounds, and this program will help parents learn how to detect and deal with bullying and harassment. Two teens from the Peer Mediation program will discuss who are often the victims of bullying, long-term consequences of bullying, what parents and the school can do, and how other kids can interact to help deal with this ongoing community problem.
Panelists will include Martin Gross, Deer Park Elementary counselor; Todd Peterson, Stone Middle School counselor; Candi Constristan, head of Student Services at Westfield High; and P.D. O'Keefe, from Fairfax County Safe and Drug Free Youth. The program is free and will include refreshments. For more information, call Nancy Bennett at 703-266-2370.
<sh>Blood is Still Needed
<bt>The Inova Blood Donor Center in the Centremed I Building on Route 29 in Centreville (across from the Centreville Multiplex Cinemas) is still in urgent need of blood donations — especially O positive or negative, as well as A and B. They are accepted Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, noon-8 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
To make an appointment to give blood, call (703) 322-1970, or just drop in at your own convenience. According to the Inova Health System, it only takes an hour to donate blood, and each donation can save the lives of three people.