One of the frequent questions asked is about road paving and potholes. Readers of this column will recall that roadways in Fairfax County are maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), a state agency, but complaints about road conditions are not unfounded. Almost any neighborhood street shows a need for attention by the state, for potholes, failing pavement, and “alligatoring.” VDOT’s maintenance crews are responsive to neighborhood concerns, but a lack of resources at the state level makes their jobs difficult, at the very least.
Nonetheless, there is some good news. Annandale Road, a main thoroughfare in Mason District, is slated to be repaved under this year’s VDOT contract. Milling (scouring up the existing asphalt surface) has been completed north of Route 50, and similar work is coming to the portion south of 50. Temporary “No Parking” signs are installed along Annandale Road three days prior to the start of milling work. After milling, a new asphalt surface will be laid, so please be on the lookout for construction crews and equipment in that area.
In addition, a noise variance permit has been requested for nighttime milling and paving operations for the service drives along Route 50 in the Seven Corners area, in the general vicinity from South Manchester Drive to Thorne Road at the western end of the Seven Corners Shopping Center. Work is scheduled to begin in early October, and be completed by December 5, weather permitting.
The Fairfax County Health Department this week announced plans to relocate the Bailey’s Health Center, in the Seven Corners/Willston area, to a new facility in Merrifield. The current clinic location will cease operations on Thursday, November 19, at 12 noon. The new clinic will re-open at 8221 Willow Oaks Drive in Merrifield on Tuesday, November 24, at 10 a.m. The new clinic is on the fourth floor of The Merrifield Center, near Arlington Boulevard and Williams Drive, on the INOVA Fairfax Hospital campus.
The Bailey’s Health Center is part of the Community Health Care Network (CHCN), and will change its name to CHCN-Merrifield. The move will provide clinic services in a larger, more modern space, co-located with the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic, and INOVA Behavioral Health Services. Essentially, clinic client families will be able to access their needed services in one location, instead of having to travel far distances for services. The new location is served by MetroBus Routes 1C and 1A, and Connector Routes 401 and 402. Plenty of parking also is available at the new site.
Congratulations are in order for longtime Mason District resident Daniel Sheehy, who will receive a National Heritage Fellowship Award at Lisner Auditorium on the George Washington University campus tomorrow night. Dan is a national treasure, an ethnomusicologist whose professional career has been devoted to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Dan’s musical knowledge is enormous, as his enthusiasm for his chosen subject. Mason District residents know Dan as the founder of Mariachi Los Amigos, one of the most popular groups to perform at the Spotlight by Starlight summer concerts. Bravo, Dan!
Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
