F.C. May Push Gay Job Protection
At its work session tonight, the Falls Church City Council took under consideration making a “top priority” in its wish list for the Virginia General Assembly in January legislation outlawing discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation.
Final Council decisions on the City’s legislative agenda will be made in early December. Openly gay F.C. Councilman Lawrence Webb noted that while the last two Virginia governors signed administrative orders barring discrimination in hiring for state jobs, the governor-elect has said he won’t, and anti-discrimination laws should apply to all hiring, both in the public and private sector.
‘Chia Shelters’ Could Be Feature of Streetscape
Mini-sized “green roofs,” at an installation cost of $3,000 each, could adorn bus stop shelters as part of the streetscape renovations along N. Washington Street, a consultant designing the project said in a progress report to the Falls Church City Council Monday. Some Council members joked by calling them “chia shelters.” The overall streetscape project could use part of the $6 million in designated state and federal funds to complete the project over time, City Manager Wyatt Shields said. Among other things, it calls for a “gateway park” near Four Mile Run at the City’s boundary with Arlington, an area that others think should be reserved for revenue-generating high-density development due to its proximity to the East Falls Church Metro station.
Propose Selling Pendleton House, ‘Paper Streets’
At the Falls Church City Council work session Monday, City Manager Wyatt Shields recommended the sale of the City-owned Pendleton House and some unutilized ‘paper streets’ to raise revenue to help with budget pressures. He recommended deferring the sale of the Miller House on N. Broad in favor of a plan to integrate into a N. Washington streetscape project. He also noted the 25-year lease on the Child Development Center is up in two years that currently pays $1 a year, but could be used to generate more revenue.
F.C. Mixed Use Impact Report Released
The City of Falls Church released on its web site this afternoon the power-point version of the Tischler Bise study on the fiscal impact of an array of development activities, underscoring its conclusion that “non-residential development is a cash cow,” and putting to rest the claims by some that the recent years’ spate of new large-scale mixed use projects have somehow been a revenue drain on the City. The report will be unveiled at a work session of the City Council tonight at City Hall.
H1N1 Vaccine Clinic Open Saturday
The Fairfax County Health Department will operate a mass vaccination clinic on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. It is walk-in and free for targeted groups that include pregnant women, those who provide care for infants younger than six months, health care workers who have direct patient contact, all people ages six months through 24 years, and people 24 through 64 with certain compromising medical conditions.
N-P Live Monday Features Local Issues
The “Falls Church News-Press Live” cable television show that airs at 7 p.m. on Mondays of F.C. City Council meetings will focus on the top issues confronting the Council this coming week. News-Press editor Nicholas F. Benton’s will be joined by News-Press reporter Dean Edwards this Monday. The 30-minute program is carried live on the Falls Church Cable TV channel.
