<sh>GFCA To Discuss Wastewater
<bt>On Tuesday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Falls Grange, the Great Falls Citizens Association will have its monthly membership meeting, which will focus on wastewater management in Great Falls. The county Health Department has prepared a sanitary survey of the Great Falls commercial area, and has documented issues with some of the septic systems serving the shopping areas.
The wastewater management committee, part of the Great Falls Long Range Planning effort, is exploring these issues, and will develop recommendations for long-term solutions. The committee and the GFCA Board would like to hear from the community on this critical issue, as well as other issues that the committee should address. The meeting will feature discussions of the current wastewater management problems of the Great Falls Village Center and shopping center, the firehouse and the elementary school, as well as possible solutions. One option on the table is to bring the sewer line to the Great Falls commercial area.
<sh>Local Artists Featured at Library
<bt>In a new exhibition called "Four Points of View," a quartet of artists from Great Falls illustrates different approaches to seeing life and nature. Their show, at the Great Falls Library, runs through March 31 and will include an artists' reception at the library on March 10. The exhibiting artists — Pat Mercer Hutchens, Cristina Mittermeier, Heidi Mraz and Frances Vecchi — are members of Great Falls Studios, a consortium of 42 artists who live or work in Great Falls.
Pat Mercer Hutchens expresses life and nature in 5-inch square miniature oil paintings. Cristina Mittermeier is originally from Mexico, and is an internationally known photographer who specializes in conservation and nature. Her subjects often include species and ecosystems, as well as human cultures from remote areas in the planet. Heidi Mraz draws inspiration for her luminous still lifes from the great masters of the Renaissance period. In a technique known as "chiaroscuro," she controls the focus of her oil paintings with dramatic use of light, shade, color and brushstrokes. Frances Vecchi, who has traveled extensively and studied art in many countries, works in oil in a style she characterizes as Romantic Realism.
The artists' reception will be held at the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike from 5-8 p.m. on March 10. All four artists will be available to talk about their work and refreshments will be served.
<sh>MCC To Hold Public Hearing
<bt>On Wednesday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m., the Governing Board of the McLean Community Center (MCC) will hold a public hearing at the McLean Community Center at 1234 Ingleside Ave., to find out resident input on how to improve the Center's programs and services. Residents of the Center’s tax district, Small District 1A–Dranesville, are encouraged to voice their opinions on MCC programs and services. The hearing is the first step in planning for the FY 2008 budget cycle, which begins July 1, 2007. The Old Firehouse Teen Center on Chain Bridge Road is a satellite program of MCC.
Governing Board Chair Pat Velander says the board is interested in hearing residents’ ideas for classes, special events, theatre programs, exhibits, tours and youth and teen activities: “Suggestions from the Center’s users are highly valued by staff and board members and will be given full consideration as decisions are made.”
Residents who would like to speak at the hearing can call the Center at 703-790-0123/TTY: 703-827-8255, to have their names placed on the speakers’ list. Residents also may submit written comments by mail, fax (703-556-0547), E-mail (mail@mcleancenter.org) or in person. The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Governing Board will follow the public hearing. All meetings of the Governing Board are open to the public. Residents who want to find out if they live within the Center’s tax district or who want additional information may call the Center at 703-790-0123/TTY: 703-827-8255.
<sh>MCA Supports Evans Farm Zoning Request
<bt>At its monthly meeting held last week, the McLean Citizens Association (MCA) voted to support a zoning amendment request that was submitted to Fairfax County by William and Suzanne Moran. The amendment to RZ 1998-DR-049 would consolidate two lots (lot 8A and 9A), located at 7249 and 7247 Addington Drive in McLean, for the purpose of constructing a detached single-family residence and a pool on the combined lots, thereby decreasing the density within the Evans Farm development by one lot. The scale and architecture proposed for the new house are in keeping with that of the Evans Farm community, and the Board of Directors of the Evans Farm Association supported the request.
<sh>Harvest for the Hungry
<bt>For the second year in a row, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers will pick up nonperishable food donations left by customer mailboxes throughout the Northern Virginia area. Food will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank and local needy organizations such as daycare centers, nursing homes and faith-based organizations.
The food drive will begin Saturday, March 4 and continue through Saturday, March 11. The food items will be consolidated and then delivered to the Capital Area Food Bank Warehouse in Lorton. Customers may also drop off items for the food drive at local post offices.
<sh>Call for Artists
<bt>The Arlington Arts Center is seeking artists from the mid-Atlantic states to apply for exhibitions. Artists may apply for solo exhibitions running between January and December of 2007 in one of the Arlington Arts Center galleries, which include hanging wall space and two experimental galleries designed to accommodate installation, video or other work requiring a complete environment. All media will be considered. The grounds surrounding the building can accommodate outdoor sculpture. Applicants must submit a proposal, images (CD or slides), an application fee and an application form. Deadline is July 1.
Artists may also apply for "New Art Examined," consisting of works by 2006 M.F.A graduates in the mid-Atlantic region. Any visual artist who has or will receive an M.F.A degree in 2006 from an institution in the Mid-Atlantic states is eligible. All media will be considered. Artists must submit 10-20 images of recent work, an application form, resume, and an application fee (free to Arts Center members). This exhibition will be held from June 13 through Aug. 5. Deadline is May 1. More information and the application forms for both exhibits may be downloaded at www.arlingtonartscenter.org, under Exhibitions/Artist Opportunities.
<sh>Curves Food Drive
<bt>Curves fitness centers, including the one at 8622-C Lee Highway in Merrifield, are collecting groceries for local food banks through March 31. Curves is supporting this food drive by accepting a bag of groceries in lieu of the normal $149 service fee charged to women who join as new members through March 11. Nonperishable groceries can be dropped off by prospective Curves members, current members or anyone interested in contributing to this food drive. Visit www.curvesofarlington.com.
<sh>Public Hearing on 'Living Wage'
<bt>Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins (Hunter Mill-D) will chair a public hearing on a living wage ordinance for the county. Two additional panelists will facilitate the discussion, Jon Liss, organization director of Tenants and Workers United and Hugo Carballo, business manager of Laborers Local 11. Workers and business leaders, attorneys and social service advocates, community leaders and clergy, all have been invited for brief testimony. The hearing will take place Saturday, March 18, 1-3 p.m. at Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, 3305 Glen Carlyn Road, Falls Church.