A Penny For Your Thoughts

As 2004 passes into history, it is appropriate to look back on some of the local events of the year, and weigh them for their pluses and minuses. In colonial days, the cheer was “huzzah” while the negative was expressed by hissing. So let’s look at 2004 with huzzahs and hisses… Huzzah to the voters of Fairfax County who approved, by overwhelming margins, four bond referendums on the November ballot. Parks, human services, libraries, and transportation all will benefit from the bond passage.

Huzzahs for the completion of the Bailey’s Crossroads and Annandale revitalization streetscapes. Both projects will make these “downtown” areas more attractive and pedestrian-friendly with brick sidewalks and crosswalks, acorn streetlights, landscape plantings, and signage. Huzzahs also to the revitalization committee members who have devoted so much volunteer time and effort to these projects.

A hiss, though, to construction delays that forced drivers to face bumpy and dangerous conditions for months in both revitalization projects.

Hisses also to red light runners and drivers who “block the box” at our busiest intersections. Your impatience makes travel dangerous for everyone else.

Huzzahs to the O’Shaughnessy Hurst Memorial Foundation for generous contributions to youth activities in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. The foundation was established by a former dairy farming family in Bailey’s. Programs supported by the foundation this year include after-school activities at Woodrow Wilson Library and Glasgow Middle School, as well as the Morningstar program for girls.

Huzzahs to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for adopting a 20-year Environmental Excellence vision plan for the county. The plan is organized into six areas, including growth and land use, air quality and transportation, water quality, solid waste, parks/trails/open space, and environmental stewardship. The plan provides a framework for future decisions on conservation of natural resources as well as how to provide the necessary resources to protect our environment.

Hisses to property owners who clear cut their lots for additions or new homes. A little creative planning and design could save some of those trees and make the new structures a lot more appealing.

And finally, huzzahs to the men and women of our police and fire and rescue departments for protecting us 24 hours a day, nights, weekends, holidays, in good weather and bad. They truly are Fairfax’s finest, and deserve our thanks and appreciation all year long.

Happy New Year! Supervisor Penny Gross may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov

Supervisor Penny Gross may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov