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Follow on Twitter: @SprConnectionOpinion, Page 4 v Entertainment, Page 8 v Classifieds, Page 10Photo by Mike Salmon/The ConnectionHomeLifeStylePage, 6Getting From MetroTo NVCC Campus,Business Center is ChallengingNews, Page 3A locked gate shows the status of this transportation link between the Franconia-Springfield Metrostation and the NVCC campus, the industrial park,apartments and hotels in this part of Springfield.More Big Box StoresClosing DoorsNews, Page 3November 14-20, 2019Historic ElectionResults in VirginiaOpinion, Page 4online at www.connectionnewspapers.com
2 Springfield Connection November 14-20, 2019www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
NewsPhoto by Mike Salmon/The ConnectionPhotos by Mike Salmon/The ConnectionLooking from the Franconia-Springfield Metro station, the road is not open to vehicles.Shoppers will have to find sporting items elsewhere when Modell’s finally closes their doors onFrontier Drive.Getting From Metro to NOVA CampusMore Big BoxAnd Business Center is ChallengingConnector road needed to improve access.Stores Closing DoorsBy Mike SalmonThe ConnectionBy Mike SalmonThe Connectionhe Franconia-SpringfieldMetro Station and theburgeoning communityon Springfield Center Drive andMetropolitan Center Drive are likethat 1970s Frankie Vallie song lyrics, “so close and yet so far away.”As a crow flies from the MetroStation to the apartments, officesand hotels on Metropolitan Center Drive to the station is not far,but there is only one road connecting the two and it is off limits todrivers. Throw in the large Transportation Security Administrationbuilding that is nearly done, andthe Northern Virginia CommunityMedical College campus on nearbySpringfield Center Drive in thesame area, and there is a transportation glitch in this growing area.Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee)is working to open this road andknows the value of this neededlink. “This important project willcreate another option for commuters to reach their desired destination in a more efficient manner,”he said. But for now, Metropolitan and Springfield Center Drivescan only be accessed by LoisdaleRoad, which is parallel to I-95 onthe other side of Springfield TownCenter, not really walkable fromthe Metro Station.On Metropolitan, there are several apartment complexes and ahotel, as well as a few offices inan industrial park setting. Springfield Center Drive runs parallel toMetropolitan, and it has an industrial park look, but it is also hometo a Northern Virginia CommunityMedical College campus, whichhas a large parking deck too. Forstudents going to class via Metro,it’s a challenge to get from the sta-TTwww.ConnectionNewspapers.comhe yellow “store closing,” signs draped overthe front of Modell’sSporting Goods marks anotherbig box retail that’s closed onthe roads surrounding Springfield Town Center and a sign ofthe times on a nationwide scale.With property values creeping up and the internet attracting shoppers to buy thingsonline, the activity on FrontierDrive and Loisdale Road on theother side of the town centercomes as no surprise.Modell’s started in the towncenter a few years ago whenHerman’s Sporting Goodsclosed but took over the spot onFrontier after Borders Booksclosed a few years ago. A fewdoors down, Performance Bikesclosed, and Party City movedover to a spot on Loisdale Roadafter HH Gregg closed. Thereis a rumor floating around thatthe property owner wants tosell the whole plot of land to adeveloper to put condominiumsin there.It’s not that simple, says Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee).Although the proximity to theFranconia-Springfield Metrostation and the parkway makeit a good place for residential,the process takes time.“Before the owners of thecenter can make any substantial changes to Springfield Commons Shopping Center, theywould need to go through theCounty’s Plan Amendment process,” McKay said. “Back in2013, the Springfield Commonssite came through as a potential Plan Amendment, but it didAt the TSA construction site, a bike ride there is easierthan going around to Loisdale Road some of the crewfound.tion to the campus.On the Northern Virginia Community College website, there areshuttles listed for some of theother campus locations in the area,but not the Medical College Campus. The Newington Fairfax Connector bus #334 is listed as a wayto the campus, but only offersweekday service.NVCC spokesperson HoangNguyen said the students use theNewington Circulator bus, butNVCC has plans to discuss furthertransportation improvements with“TSA on how to create more roadssurrounding the campus,” shesaid.According to Nguyen, the NVCCDirector of College GovernmentRelations, Dana Kauffman andother NVCC staff officials, willmeet with TSA officials so they canget a jump on these transportationand access issues before the TSAheadquarters opens. In previousyears, Kauffman held the positionof Lee District Supervisor, so heknows the area well.VDOT PlansThe Virginia Department ofTransportation has plans to extendFrontier Drive past the station, andover to Loisdale Road, but rightnow, there is no funding or construction date in sight.According to the project information on the VDOT website, the 140 million project will relievecongestion, improve safety fordrivers, bicyclists and pedestriansand enhance access to theFranconia-Springfield Metro station, Springfield Mall and TownCenter area, and the General Services Administration (GSA) warehouse and other properties onSpringfield Center Drive. Therewas a public information meetingin December 2017 on the project,but the rest of it is “to be determined as additional funding becomes available,” it states on thewebsite. The timing of the actualcompletion of these improvementsis a concern of Kauffman andNVCC.not go anywhere,” he added. “Itis unfortunate that Modell’sSporting Goods is closing, butthere are no current plans atthis time to redevelop this site.”JBG Smith does have for rentsigns in the empty store windows, and the folks in Modell’ssay they are getting ready forBlack Friday, possibly a lasthurrah for this branch, butother Modell’s in Northern Virginia will still be open.Big Box StoresSinging the BluesIn nearby Kingstowne, theToys R Us closed and the spaceis now being refitted for another occupant, and the DressBarn across Kingstowne Boulevard is closing. Dress Barn iscalling it a “Wind Down,” andreleased information about thewhole chain of stores on Nov.1. “The Dress Barn, Inc. today announced that it will begin the final stage of its plannedwind down by commencingstore closing sales at all of itsbrick and mortar retail stores,”it said, and thanked customersbut did not give a concrete reason for closing. They are working with Retail Ecommerce Ventures, and intend to have onlineshopping. “We believe the future of Dressbarn is bright andwe are excited to grow and expand the online presence forthe brand,” said Tai Lopez, coowner of Retail EcommerceVentures. “With our deep understanding and expertise inmarketing and online brands,we are looking forward to taking this iconic brand to the nextlevel,” said Alex Mehr, coowner of Retail EcommerceVentures.Springfield Connection November 14-20, 2019 3
OpinionSpringfieldHistoric Election Results in VirginiaBy Kenneth R. “Ken”PlumState Delegate (D-36)he Nov. 5 elections in Virginiaproduced resultsof historic proportions. The House of Delegates that has had a Republicanmajority since 2000 was flipped toa blue Democratic majority of 55Democrats to 45 Republicans. Asrecently as the election for 20142016, Democrats in the House haddropped to 32 members. The turnaround came decisively in amazing political time; there will be arecount in only one seat the Democrats won. The Senate that had aRepublican majority before theelection flipped to blue with 21 ofthe 40 Senate seats now beingheld by Democrats.The General Assembly when itconvenes in January will have aDemocratic majority in bothhouses. In addition, as a result ofelections held in 2017 Democratsoccupy all statewide offices ofGovernor, Lieutenant Governorand Attorney General. The historiclevel of Democratic wins is notonly about party, it is about representation. There will be morewomen in the General Assemblythan ever before in Virginia’s history. In the House of Delegatesthere will be 30 women in the 100member legislative body. In theSenate there will be 11 women inthe 40-member body bringing theTtotal number ofwomen to 41 in theGeneral Assembly.While the number issmall relative to theproportionofwomen in the totalpopulation, thenumber of womenin the legislature is a huge increasewhen compared to past yearswhen it could be counted on thefingers of one’s hands. The number of women running this year inboth parties was at a historic levelof 85.There were other historicchanges in the oldest continuouslegislative body in the westernworld celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. A Muslim womanwill join the Senate as the first everelected to that body. The numberof African Americans in the General Assembly will increase to thehighest number since Reconstruction. The first ever Indian American man was elected to the Houseof Delegates.The new members of the legislature have already indicated theirwillingness to make history. TheDemocratic caucus of the Housemet this past weekend and choseas its Speaker-designee, DelegateEileen Filler-Corn, the first womanto ever serve as Speaker of theHouse of Delegates in the 400years of its history. She will beelected formally by the entireHouse when the General Assembly convenes in January. Addingwww.ConnectionNewspapers.com@SprConnectAn independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered tohomes and businesses.Published byLocal Media Connection LLC1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go toconnectionnewspapers.com/subscribeNEWS DEPARTMENT:south@connectionnewspapers.comKemal KurspahicEditor 703-778-9414kemal@connectionnewspapers.comAndrea WorkerContributing Writeraworker@connectionnewspapers.comJean CardProduction ee, Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41) is thefirst woman to ever serve as Speaker of the House ofDelegates in the 400 years of its history.to this historic moment, she willassume the leadership position,considered the most powerful inVirginia government next to thegovernor, with the least seniorityof anyone ever taking the positionin the modern day. She will be thefirst Jewish Speaker serving alongwith the Senate majority leaderwho is also Jewish. While I hadhoped to become Speaker myself,I fully support Eileen who is amazingly smart and talented and I willdo everything I can to ensure hersuccess.The electorate broke throughmany hurdles in its votes this election year. Some results called historic today will become commonplace in the future as the GeneralAssembly reflects more the demographics of the state as a whole. Ihave always felt honored to serve,and with the historic results of thiselection year I feel even more honored. Thank you, voters!LettersDo We Need Outof-State CampaignContributions?To the Editor:I just re-read the commentaryauthored by Ken Plum in the Opinion section of the Connection, Nov.7-13, 2019. I can appreciate thearticle from his perspective on theelection cycle, but there was onesentence there that gave me pause:“Political contributions fromout-of-state individuals and organizations poured into the state inrecord amounts.”Is this really the political system wewant, here in Virginia or anywhere?Where those who do not live here caninfluence? Aren’t we enough?Why should we accept this?Thanks for your consideration.ADVERTISING:For advertising 3-778-9431Steve HoganDisplay Advertising, 703-778-9418shogan@connectionnewspapers.comDebbie FunkNational avid GriffinMarketing .comClassified & EmploymentAdvertising703-778-9431Editor & PublisherMary ve Vice PresidentJerry Managing EditorKemal KurspahicArt/Design:Laurence Foong, John Heinly,Ali KhalighProduction Manager:Geovani FloresCIRCULATIONCirculation Manager:Ann Olivercirculation@connectionnewspapers.comDavid A BacioccoBurke4 Springfield Connection November 14-20, 2019www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
CommunityPhotos by G.C. ‘Gary’ Black, IIIBurke Scouts PassBoard of ReviewDaniel Charles Healeypassed his Board of Reviewto become the 216th EagleScout in Troop 1131, St.Stephen’s UMC, Burke.Dan’s parents are Edwardand Julia Healey. He is in11th grade in high school inthe area.He speaks Russian.Harrison Tun passed his Board of Review to become the217th Eagle Scout in Troop 1131, St. Stephen’s UMC,Burke. With Harrison in the photo is his mother, CarolHarrity Tun. His father is Richard Tun. Harrison is asenior at W.T. Woodson High School and is Soccer TeamCaptain. He attends Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He isinterested in computer science.Bulletin BoardSubmit civic/community announcements at ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos and artwork welcome.Deadline is Thursday at noon, at leasttwo weeks before event.Fairfax CountyBoard ofSupervisorsMeetings in 201912000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035Nov. 19, 2019 9:30 a.m. - FullBoard of Supervisors MeetingNov. 26 Committee Meetings 9:30 a.m. - Economic AdvisoryCommission 11 a.m. - Personnel Committee 1:30 p.m. - Legislative Committee 3 p.m. - Budget Committee 5 p.m. - Audit CommitteeDec. 3, 2019 9:30 a.m. - FullBoard of Supervisors MeetingDec. 10 Committee MeetingsFRIDAY/NOV. 15Celebrate Recycling. 11 a.m. to 2p.m. At Fairfax County GovernmentCenter, 12000 Government CenterPkwy., Fairfax. Join employees fromFairfax County’s Solid WasteManagement Program at a specialrecycling celebration. Staff will holdan event marking Fairfax RecyclesDay, a local event held in conjunctionwith Keep America Beautiful AmericaRecycles Day. Attendees are invitedto nibble on free popcorn, chat withrecycling experts, play games, andenter to win prizes. Children areinvited to climb behind the wheel ofa recycling collection truck. A roll-offtruck with a purple, glass-onlyrecycling container will be ondisplay.NOV. 15 DEADLINESeeking Area Talent. “From theTop,” the hit NPR radio programshowcasing America’s best youngclassical musicians, is seeking localtalent for its live show recording onSaturday, Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. at theGMU Center for the Arts. Guest hostsGreg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roewill emcee the program and performalongside the young artists for theCenter for the Arts performance. Theweekly hour-long radio program isheard Sundays on WETA 90.9 FM at6 p.m. as well as more than 200other stations nationwide. To beconsidered for “From the Top” at theCenter for the Arts in Fairfax, eligibleyoung classical musicians mustsubmit recordings and complete anapplication by Nov. 15, 2019.Application and scholarshipinformation is available online s.comSpringfield Connection November 14-20, 2019 5
Home Life StyleIn this tabledesign, AnneWalker usedneutral linenswhich provided a rich,but subtlebackdrop toRoyalCopenhagenchina.Photo byAnne WalkerSetting a Thanksgiving TableLocal designers shareideas for creating afestive tablescape.By Marilyn CampbellThe Connectionhether celebrating with large gathering of family or hosting an intimatedinner with friends, Thanksgivingoffers an opportunity to express gratitude, merriment and creativity. Though the day isnoted for football games and parades, it’s the turkeydinner that takes center stage. Setting an aesthetically appealing table on which to place the perfectlyprepped bird adds to a special touch to thequintessentially American meal.From monogrammed linen napkins to centerpiecescrafted with backyard foliage, area designers offerideas for creating a backdrop for one of the mostanticipated meals of the year.“The key to setting a beautiful Thanksgiving tableis to keep it simple, said Amanda Mertins of PatinaPolished Living in Alexandria. “The big focus forThanksgiving is, of course, the food.”Designer Anne M. Walker, Anne Walker Design inPotomac says that she’s created tablescapes thatrange from ultra-formal to super-casual. “By far myfavorite is the unassuming, simple style of Scandinavian table décor,” she said. “I like to use linen placements, rather a than tablecloth, so you can see thebeautiful wood of the table.”“I prefer table linens made by Ekelund, a familyowned Swedish company that has been producingfine linens since the 1600s,” said Walker. “Theirplacemats and napkins have body and heft to them,and the natural flax color complements any style andcolor of table. “Patterned, colorful napkins can add just the rightamount of interest to a table set with neutral china,suggests Mertins. “Bold napkin rings always add anice punch,” she said. “Place cards make it very easyfor guests to find their seat and they add a note ofimportance to the meal.”Adding fresh greenery to a table setting is one ofthe easiest and most cost effective ways to elevateyour dining table decor, said Pamela Harvey ofW6 Springfield Connection November 14-20, 2019Photo by by Stacy Zarin GoldbergDesigner Pamela Harvey used china,colorful napkins and placemats to addcolor to this table setting.Pamela Harvey in Oak Hill, Va. “Adding a simple stemof pine needles to a napkin ring at each setting,” shesaid. “I always survey my own yard for clippings ofmagnolia or a great branch to add to the table.”“A runner of eucalyptus branches mixed with tangerines or pears and casual ribbon makes for a greatfall look,” continued Harvey. “Simple flower arrangements using all the same flower or color make animpact.”Forgo a centerpiece created by a florist, says Walker.“Why not cut a few branches from your own gardenand create your own floral display?” asks Walker.“Many plants, including Nandina, produce beautifulred berries in the fall, which makes for a lovely, simpletable decoration.”The holidays are a perfect time to uncover treasured china and other pieces stored away, saidHarvey. “I love the nostalgia of using pieces that werehanded down,” she said. “Varying the dish patternsis also a fun way to display china, such as using yourgrandmother’s china mixed with more casual or everyday place settings.”“Use your real silver and your best crystal – thesethings are meant to be enjoyed,” added Walker. “Foodand drink taste better when delivered from a glassthat’s been hand-blown and a silver fork.”www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Bulletin BoardFrom Page 5TUESDAY/NOV. 19Car Seat Safety Check. 5-9 p.m. atthe West Springfield district policestation, 6140 Rolling Road. FairfaxCounty Police Department offers freesafety check and install eventsthroughout the year to ensurechildren travel safely. Byappointment only; call 703-644-7377and press 0 at the recording toschedule.Fairfax Lions Club DinnerMeeting. 6:30-8:30 p.m. atAmerican Legion Post 177, upperlevel. 939 Oak St., Fairfax. Visit aLions Club dinner meeting. Enjoy abuffet dinner, speaker, and clubannouncements. Guests are cordiallyinvited – meet members and learnabout Lions community service. Free.Visit www.fairfaxlions.org or call703-879-5795.THURSDAY/NOV. 21Lunch N’ Life. Noon to 2 p.m. AtBethlehem Lutheran Church, 8922Little River Turnpike, Fairfax. Areyou 50 or better? Sponsored by theShepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke,author Rebecca Boggs Roberts willspeak on the experiences of theSuffragists of Washington, D.C. Forreservations, call Bea Stephenson at703-273-5730, by Nov. 15. The costis 10; checks payable to SCFB. Iftransportation is needed, call theSCFB office 703-323-4788. Seewww.scfbva.org.SATURDAY/NOV. 23Coffee with Del. David Bulova. 9-11a.m. At Jireh Cafe, 13848 LeeHighway, Centreville. Del. Bulova (DFairfax) will continue a traditionstarted in 2006 by holding the first ina series of informal of
To NVCC Campus, Business Center is Challenging News, Page 3 A locked gate shows the status of this transporta-tion link between the Franconia-Springfield Metro station and the NVCC campus, the industrial park, apartments and hotels in this part of Springfield. No
