Please Reconsider Falls Plaza Bike Path

Editor,

We love our little slice of FCC. We have tiny front porches, small patches of grass, and some beautiful trees that are shared by over 70 units in Falls Plaza. We love to sit on our porches and work or relax, as I am sure most of you do in your homes.

So to say we were heartbroken, is an understatement, when we found out that Falls Church City is going to build a 1.5 million dollar bike path 15 feet from our front doors.

We the residents of Falls Plaza live in one of the few affordable condos in Falls Church City. We have citizens who have lived here for decades and the city did not consult one individual owner regarding this path.

The path, while planned to serve students to cut through, would only serve a very small population. The city is negligent in not performing a proper survey as to how many residents this would actually serve. Also the city planners did not consider any other options except to ask Giant if they could build it behind the shopping center. (they said no due to the truck traffic).

There are other good options that serve more people, and impact homeowners and home values less. The path could for example go up Haycock and down Grove, allowing all theschools, the residents of multiple neighborhoods, and Metro users to access the WO& D trail.

The path could cross to the existing path down Shreve Rd. and connect to the path. Or both.

Please do better Falls Church City Council; please do not tear down our tiny little slice of green and pave it over. There are other options that are better — with the money better spent.

-Elizabeth Cunningham

A Pledge Of Support For Kamala Harris

Editor,

As a Virginia At-Large National Delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention and Chair of the Falls Church City Democratic Committee, I am honored to share a moment of historic significance that the last few days have brought. President Joe Biden, recognizing the importance of true patriotism and true humility, has graciously stepped aside and “passed the torch” to Vice President Kamala Harris. This marks the end of over 50 years of public service to the American people. President Biden’s presidency has been historically significant, marked by his steadfast commitment to unity and progress, particularly in navigating unprecedented challenges such as restoring the country back after Covid and passing once-in-a-generation climate change investment with the Inflation Reduction Act.

We are still in the middle of a historic presidential campaign to fight authoritarianism and to defeat convicted felon Donald Trump. That is why last night in my capacity as a DNC National Delegate, I proudly cast my vote for Kamala Harris to be our Democratic nominee. Her experience as Biden’s Vice President demonstrates that she is the leader we need to propel America forward. Together, we will go forward as a unified force and keep the White House “Blue” in 2024.

-Jeff Person

Correction Officers Celebrated by Dept.

Editor,

The Virginia Department of Corrections celebrated its Probation and Parole Officers during Virginia Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week (July 14-20) and will also observe the national PPPS Week (July 21-27). I encourage all Virginians to do the same. You might not personally know a Probation and Parole Officer, but you feel their contributions to long-term public safety every day.

Our officers are at the forefront of public safety. Their actions directly keep those who live, work in, and visit the Commonwealth safe from criminal activity by providing effective supervision of probationers and parolees across Virginia. This completely aligns with the agency’s mission of long-term public safety. Additionally, VADOC Probation and Parole Officers provide guidance, tools, and resources to supervisees. This directly leads to Virginia’s consistently high success rate for reentry.

Probation and Parole Districts across the Commonwealth also do much more than provide effective supervision for the more than 61,000 supervisees in Virginia. Districts and our corrections team members are true servants of their community, providing money, volunteer hours, and collaboration to schools, community resource centers, and partner law enforcement agencies.

Thank a Probation and Parole Officer for their service. It’s a simple gesture, especially for the services they provide this great Commonwealth.

-Judge (Ret.) Chadwick S. Dotson Director, Virginia Department of Corrections