Letters to the Editor

Mt. Daniel Plans Do Not Consider Neighbors

We are Falls Church City residents, and both my kids went to Mount Daniel. My family has used the wooded paths between Oak Street, Highland Avenue and Woodland Drive on a daily basis for 18 years.

From the standpoint of Mount Daniel's neighbors--including both Fairfax residents and a number of nearby Falls Church City residents--the most objectionable part of the school expansion plan is the proposed bus loop: a 24 foot wide bus road between two houses just below the crest of the Highland Avenue hill that would demolish the wooded paths and the remaining Mount Daniel upper playground.

The proposed bus road raises new safety concerns on Highland Avenue. Unlike Oak Street, Highland is a through street, and drivers regularly run the stop sign at the top of the hill just above the proposed bus entrance. Children walking on Highland would be forced to cross the bus road on the way to their bus stop in the morning and after school, since there is only a sidewalk on one side of Highland.

For pedestrians, the wooded paths off Highland are some of the most valuable land in our common (Falls Church City and Fairfax County) neighborhood.

The intended purpose of the bus loop off Highland Avenue is to separate bus traffic and other vehicular traffic at the school. Other approaches for separating bus and auto traffic seem possible, such as making separate bus and car loops in front of the school. The proposed expansion of the parking lot in front of the school would seem to make this possible. Also, if part of the reason for moving bus traffic to Highland Avenue is because of traffic congestion on Oak Street, parking on Oak Street could be restricted to one side of the street during school hours, and drivers could be discouraged from speeding by traffic calming measures such as speed bumps. Either of these options would separate bus and auto traffic next to the school, and would save the traditional paths between Highland Avenue, Woodland Drive and Oak Street. The near-term expansion of Mount Daniel School would only increase the number of students at Mount Daniel by about 100 students, and the number of buses by at most one bus.

I wonder whether the bus loop off Highland Avenue is intended to pave the way for a longer-term school expansion previously proposed by the City from approximately 300 to 600 students. In this case, I question whether the proposed Highland Avenue bus loop would be big enough to accommodate the increased number of buses needed.
Ingrid Schulze; Falls Church

Mt. Daniel Bus Loop Still Included

School officials first asserted that the proposed bus loop was necessary to address traffic problems on Oak Street. Numerous Oak Street residents have since noted that the traffic problems can be fully addressed with modifications to the existing school entrance and improved traffic management, yet the proposed bus loop remains.

Constructing a bus road and 90 ft turn-around among residential properties is a tremendous and unnecessary intrusion into a residential neighborhood. If constructed, the road would require the wholesale destruction of the existing woods with over 10,000 sq. ft. of pavement. Abutting property owners will wake-up to find a road in a narrow 80 ft parcel where buses will idle and accelerate only feet from their kitchen window.

Ironically, some School Board members believe that the proposed bus loop is inappropriate and should be eliminated. Another Board member has suggested a more fundamental review of the school's expansion and current site plan. Despite serious reservations by its own members, the School Board presses forward with the original design in the face of growing evidence that the design is not well thought-out, cost-effective, or responsive to the community.

The School Board may believe that Fairfax County will offer its approval to a design universally opposed by the community and its constituents. However, such a result would appear unlikely since alternative solutions are easily achievable at less cost. If the Board can not muster the necessary leadership, other political interests - in City Council or Fairfax County - will need to exercise the judgment that the Board seems incapable of applying.

In contrast, a solution that allows the City to accomplish its plans for expansion, while also eliminating the features most problematic for the community would seem politically astute as well as the "right thing to do" in working with life-long neighbors.
Madeleine Smith; Falls Church

Oppose Attempt To Circumvent Gun Laws

In all due respect to our city manager Dan McKeever, I must oppose his misguided attempted to circumvent commonwealth law and attempt a new gun ban for the city. Firstly I believe it sets a bad example that an office holder would flatly ignore the law. We live in a society governed by rules, and when our leaders ignore these rules, it makes a compelling case as to why anyone else should follow them. The General Assembly repealed local firearms ordinances this year and if anyone has a problem with that they need to redress their grievances through the proper venues.

Secondly, his use of the Gun Free School Zones act will not affect concealed carry permit holders. 18 U.S.C. § 922 (q)(2)(B)(ii) actually exempts permit holders and the commonwealth code prohibits carry only on school property.

Thirdly, is there any compelling need for such an effort? If the laws against murder, assault, and robbery don't prevent those crimes what use is it to try this gun ban. Law abiding gun owners have not been a problem and are unlikely to be such in the future. What this ban would do is create zones where criminals would be likely to encounter unarmed victims.

Fourth as it seems that this proposed ban is not the most fundamentally sound on legal grounds, how much is it going to cost to pay for wrongful imprisonment lawsuits. I feel that the taxpayers of this city would rather put needed funds to better use than to fund defenses and payouts from this grandstand play.
Andrew Amerine; Falls Church

Becky Keenan, F.C. Animal Warden, Praised

A telephone message for Officer Keenan yielded a return phone call less than ten minutes later. She arrived at our house fifteen minutes after this. In short, the squirrel survived its ordeal, and was released back to the wild the next day.

The citizens of Falls Church, and especially the Falls Church City Police Department should be proud that they have in their ranks as fine an Animal Warden as Officer Becky Keenan, who clearly respects all forms of animal life, whether domestic or wild.
The Toft Family, Falls Church

Support Our Troops in Any Theatre of War

Now three years later, we are a divided nation as to how long our troops should stay in Iraq. The coalition of nations is fighting those who support terror, and they are defending an emerging democracy. Our great nation has reached a milestone with one thousand soldiers and Pentagon civilians killed. The weak or faint of heart need not tread on me. Remember Afghanistan, a country we first entered to weed out terrorism is seldom mentioned. It does not matter one life, ten, one hundred or one thousand lives; the memory of those men and women departed will always live on forever. These soldiers died for a cause that many of us wanted but now hesitate to stand up for.

The United Nations is not the answer. Trying to pull out of the Middle East and away from terrorism will never work. This would only dishonor our men and women who have valiantly given their lives for a just cause. We as a nation need to be united in this cause not divided. We need to remember that if we turn tail and run now we will pay a greater price for freedom down the road.

September 11th, 2001 brought our country together, uniting us all under one glorious feeling of nationhood. Let's put partisan politics aside and remember that the House of Congress and the Senate gave our President the authority for this just cause. Let's not forget those feeling and support our troops wherever they may go through out the world. Also it will be those who cherish freedom and have the courage to fight against fear and hatred, who become the champions who will eliminate terror.
Ed Hillegass; Falls Church