F.C. Council Given 3 Options for New City Hall

The Falls Church City Council received some sobering news Monday from a team of consultants retained last summer to review options for expanding and upgrading key government facilities, including City Hall, the Police Department, Library and Community Center.

The team led by PSA-Dewberry presented three general options to the Council at a work session, each with variables, as the result of almost a year of work. All three would involve completion over 20 years at a cost of from $59 to $75 million. This would be on top of the cost of a projected new school facility at above $30 million. One option would move City Hall and court functions to a new location in the City Center, and keep the police station at the current City Hall location. A second would expand the current City Hall to keep all functions there. A third would move the police headquarters out of City Hall to an off-site location at the property yard. All three involve moving the library to the intersection of Park and Little Falls, and expanding the Community Center at its current location, possibly adding a natatorium, a structurally-separate building containing a swimming pool. Tight quarters, generally, but primarily court security issues at City Hall were considered the main reasons for launching the study. The City Council currently has no specific plans for action on the options.

Obama Speaks in Fairfax Today

At a free event at the Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax today, July 10, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama will speak on “Economic Security for America’s Women” at 1:15 p.m. However, while the event is free, all wishing to attend were required to pick up a ticket for entry at one of two Northern Virginia locations by 9 p.m. last night.

No Predatory Tows in F.C. on July 4

Falls Church Assistant Police Chief Mary Gavin told the News-Press Monday that she received no reports of predatory, involuntary tows of vehicles from parking lots despite the usual crush of parking for Falls Church’s annual July 4 fireworks show at George Mason High School. This was in stark contrast to the City’s Memorial Day Parade and Festival, when there were reports of 17 such tows on May 26. She said the Memorial Days tows almost all happened at the Broaddale Shopping Center, just off the parade route, which is managed by a Maryland-based company that has negotiated with area towing companies to implement the policy. Chief Gavin said that Falls Church’s Towing Advisory Board, that includes herself, representatives of the business community and towing companies, was slated to meet this week to review a range of towing issues.

F.C. Police Seek Burglary Suspect

Tuesday the Falls Church City Police Department announced it is searching for a burglary suspect, wanted for breaking into a residence in the 700 block of Berry Street. The incident occurred on Monday, June 30, at 12:35 a.m. The homeowners were inside the home at the time when they heard noises downstairs, including what sounded like someone typing on a keyboard. One of the homeowners found the suspect hiding behind a chair. The homeowner reported the suspect saying, “Sorry, sorry,” in a foreign accent before exiting through a sliding door. The suspect was last seen running through the backyard of the home. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his late teens or early twenties. He is approximately 5 ft., 6 in. tall with an athletic build. He was described as having wavy black hair parted down the middle and a “five o’clock shadow,” wearing a gray or green t-shirt and long pants, carrying black shoes in his hands. Anyone with information is urged to call the F.C. City Police at (703) 241-5053.

News-Press Announces July 31 Real Estate Report

The News-Press this week announced plans for its first special Real Estate Section in its July 31 edition that will double as a stand-alone publication available on newsstands through August. “There will be a number of valuable articles on the market in this area,” Editor Nicholas Benton said. “We have indications of a housing rebound, making this publication timely and important.”