Letters to the Editor: December 17 – 23, 2015
DMV Shouldn’t Move Its Service Center to Barcroft
Editor,
The Department of Motor Vehicles plans to relocate its Four Mile Run customer service center to Barcroft Plaza shopping center. As Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross stated in her November 19 News-Press column, DMV’s plan was a surprise to nearly all, including state and local elected officials. The DMV service center would not be compatible with the shopping center or the surrounding residential neighborhoods and should not be moved to Barcroft Plaza.
A December 3 community meeting with DMV discussed their Barcroft plan. The meeting, organized by the Mason District Council and Del. Kaye Kory, was attended by nine representatives of DMV, VDOT, and Fairfax County as well as more than 100 residents. More than 30 residents spoke out, all in opposition to the plan.
Four Mile Run, with its 540 daily customers, is one of the busiest DMV’s in the state. Its parking area of 102 spaces easily overflows during peak periods. In a November 11 letter to Del. Kaye Kory, DMV Commissioner Richard Holcomb explained that customer volumes “have increased steadily and substantially” resulting in “constant vehicular congestion and a variety of safety issues.” The principal concern of residents in the meeting was that the relocated service center would overwhelm the shopping center and environs. The safety and congestion issues evident at Four Mile Run would be transferred to today’s busy Barcroft Plaza.
It was evident in the meeting that DMV had given no thought to the compatibility of their planned service center with Barcroft Plaza and surrounding neighborhoods. The justification for their plan was simply that DMV would save money on rent.
It is unacceptable for DMV to move a busy service center to Barcroft with no thought given to safety and compatibility. The service center is not compatible and should not be allowed to relocate to Barcroft Plaza.
Clyde Miller
Falls Church
Fairfax City Also Has Low Renter’s Insurance
Editor,
Falls Church has the sixth cheapest renters insurance in Virginia? [Falls Church News-Press, December 3-9, 2015, page RE4].
Nowhere in your full-page article that mentions nearby cities of Alexandria, Leesburg, etc. is there any mention of nearby Fairfax City.
Fairfax City is where I currently pay a major insurance provider $115 for a 1,000 square foot residence and $30,000 personal property.
That’s just 40 percent of your listed Falls Church average insurance premium of $295.
Omitted data = skewed results.
Donald E. White
Fairfax
Real Issue in Recent U.S. Attacks is Gun Violence
Editor,
As member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association my heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families. We also condemn such innocent attacks on humanity such as the San Bernardino attacks of December 2. Before any investigative reports providing evidence of the perpetrators being radicalized surfaced, countless individuals on social media spread the usual hatred towards Muslims.
Compare this to the attack at the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Colorado Springs where Robert Dear, a Christian, took the life of three people and left nine wounded. Strikingly, no Christians were called upon to condemn this as anti-Christian. Furthermore, Dear was not described as a terrorist but his actions certainly could be described as “the use of violence for political purposes.” The hypocrisy of these actions is clearly visible and should be addressed instead of letting some small minded bigots destroy the good image of society.
The real issue that needs to be addressed here is gun violence as there are almost 30 homicides per one million people in the U.S. which is three times greater than Switzerland, the next developed country with eight homicides per one million people. There are countless occasions where people on social media have suggested as much as a genocide against Muslims. It is really important for us as Americans to stand united against all this bigotry and also should ensure the safety of all Americans from Islamophobic backlash and gun violence as the numbers are increasing by the day.
Arsalan Ahmad Khan
Woodbridge
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