‘That Thing Was Crazy – Like a Monster’

HomeLifeStylePage 8

Forest Glen Sustains $10 Million Damage News, Page 2

‘That Thing Was Crazy – Like a Monster’

News, Page 3

From left: Fire victims Jose Salazar and Solomon Shin stand behind Salazar’s Centreville townhouse.

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

Cal

endar

, Pag

e 12

v

C

lass

ified

s, P

age

10Photo b

y Bonnie

Hobb

s/C

entre

Vie

w

May 9-15, 2018 25 CENTS NEWSSTAND PRICE

2 ❖ Centre View ❖ May 9-15, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

As the county continues to assist resi-dents affected by the May 2 fires inCentreville, additional county-sponsoreddonation options are now available.

Western Fairfax Christian Ministries(WFCM) is now receiving both monetarydonations and gift cards to support theiroperations to benefit the residents im-pacted by the May 2 fires. WFCM canreceive donations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Monday, Wednesday and Friday, andfrom 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday andThursday. WFCM is located at 4511 DalyDrive, Suite J, Chantilly. Speak with theperson at the front desk regarding yourdonation.

In addition, Volunteer Fairfax contin-ues to receive donations of generic gift

cards on behalf of the coordinating com-munity-based organizations serving theresidents. Denominations of $20 or lessare preferred.

Gift cards can be dropped off duringnormal business hours or mailed to theiroffice at 10530 Page Ave, Fairfax, VA22030. Alternatively, call VolunteerFairfax at 703-246-3460 or [email protected] to coordi-nate your gift. After hours, leave a mes-sage and someone will contact you tocoordinate your donation.

People impacted by the Centrevillefires may contact the county’s Coordi-nated Services Planning at 703-222-0880, TTY 711 for short-term or long-term needs.

How To Help

By Bonnie Hobbs

A fire last Wednesday at the For-est Glen Senior Apartments inCentreville ravaged 75 units, dis-placed 125 residents and caused

an estimated $10,128,475 damage. Fireofficials say the cause was an improperlydiscarded cigarette.

On May 2, around 12:46 p.m., units fromFairfax County Fire and Rescue were dis-patched to the four-story Forest Glen com-plex on Woodmere Court in the Sully Sta-tion II community. Upon arrival, they dis-covered significant fire showing from a

third-floor balcony and extending to thefourth floor and attic area.

Firefighters helped several occupants es-cape the building while initiating efforts toextinguish the fire. A second alarm wasimmediately struck, bringing units from theCity of Fairfax Fire Department, LoudounCounty and Prince William County Fire andRescue, and the Washington MetropolitanAirports Authority Fire and Rescue Depart-ment.

“We’ve never had a day like yesterday —so many fires at once,” said Fairfax CountyBattalion Chief Willie Bailey, standing infront of Forest Glen on Thursday afternoon,“And yesterday was Murphy’s Law – the firsthot day [temperatures in the 90s] of theyear.”

While he watched, a fire engine from Sta-tion 15 in Chantilly drove away. “One ladyneeded her medication to keep her alive,so the firefighters went in today to get it,”

he said. Bailey said the fire began aftersomeone improperly disposed of smokingmaterials on a third-floor balcony in thebuilding at 14401 Woodmere Court.

“Fire was showing from the roof [whenfirefighters first reached the scene],” hesaid. “It took about two hours to put outbecause of the size of the fire. This was big-ger than all those townhouses put together.Some of those apartments are totaled.”

From Forest Glen’s central courtyard onThursday, smoke alarms could still be heardchirping from inside evacuated apartments.“Once the fire got up into the attic, it justran the roofline,” said Lt. Sean Green, a FireDepartment spokesman. “It then extendedup and across to all three wings of this build-ing.”

Although the fire-alarm system went off,it was delayed because the flames startedon the building’s exterior. However, the firesprinkler system inside the building did ac-tivate. Worried about a potential collapsein a section of the building, firefighters hadto fight the blaze from outside. Four resi-dents were transported to local hospitalswith non-life-threatening injuries.

Forest Glen is comprised of several build-

ings, but Green said the fire was confinedto just this one — although it tore throughthe entire structure. “People were concernedabout their pets still inside, their medica-tion and, of course, about being displaced,”he said.

Both the American Red Cross and FairfaxCounty’s Office of Emergency Managementassisted them, as well as the townhouse firevictims. And a shelter was set up inside theCub Run REC Center in Chantilly.

Anna Cecil, her daughter Tanya and theirtwo cats lived on the first floor of ForestGlen and returned the following day to seeif they could retrieve some of their belong-ings. “I just hope we can get our clothing,my jewelry and meds and a mattress out ofthere,” said Anna Cecil. “We’ve lived herefour-and-a-half years and were just gettingready to sign our lease again; now, no way.There’s a big puddle of water in the kitchenand the lights fell down from the ceiling.”

Her son Wayne, with whom they’re nowstaying, said her floors were covered with3 inches of water from the firehoses. Heguessed those apartments would have to be“completely gutted” and would “probablytake more than a year to rebuild.”

A Kindercare child-care center is rightnext to Forest Glen, and a female employeethere said that, during the fire, “We werechecking with the firefighters throughoutthe day, in case we had to evacuate. We werejust glad the trees didn’t catch on fire. Thefirefighters were awesome; they did a greatjob.”

Also helping was Volunteer Fairfax, whichis collecting gift-card donations for all thefire victims. [See “How To Help.”] WestfieldHigh theater students did likewise duringtheir Friday-Saturday, May 4-5, productionsof “The Phantom of the Opera.” In addition,the Sully Station II Community Associationbegan a Go Fund Me page for them onFacebook, in hopes of raising $25,000.

The aftermath of the fire at the Forest Glen Senior Apartments. Firefighters battle the blaze at Forest Glen in Centreville.

Forest Glen Sustains $10 Million DamageBlaze races through75 apartments,displaces 125 people.

Safe CigaretteDisposal

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue De-partment reminds smokers to never disposeof cigarette butts in potted, planting soil.When it gets too dry, the soil can becomehighly flammable. Never flick cigarettes intomulch or shrubbery; dispose of them in asuitable ashtray or bucket with sand. Ensuredesignated outside smoking areas have anappropriate fireproof container, ashtray orbucket. And completely douse butts andashes with water before throwing themaway, as they can smolder and cause a fire.

Pho

to

C

ourtesy o

f Bill Sm

ith

Pho

to

by Bo

nn

ie H

obbs

Centre View ❖ May 9-15, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

See Fires, Page 9

By Bonnie Hobbs

Jose Salazar was at work in Rosslynlast Wednesday afternoon, May 2,when his daughter called fromtheir Centreville townhouse and

said, “The first house in our row is on fire.”Telling her to get out of their house imme-diately, he rushed to his parking garage todrive home.

When he reached his car, she called againto say the flames were almost on top of theirroof. Believing help would be there soon,Salazar told her, “Don’t worry, there’s a firestation [Station 38] blocks away from ourhouse.”

Little did they know, however, that thosefirefighters were among 90 from that sta-tion and others busy battling a three-alarmfire at the Forest Glen Senior Apartments,just two miles away. Hours later, when thesmoke settled and the flames were all ex-tinguished at both sites, 12 townhouses inSalazar’s Sully Station II neighborhood hadbeen severely damaged, plus 75 apartmentsat Forest Glen.

The cause of the townhouse fires was stillunder investigation at press time, but dam-age is estimated at $2,273,712. The confla-gration at the apartment complex beganaround 12:46 p.m. and, about a half hourlater, around 1:18 p.m., firefighters werealso dispatched to the two-story, attachedtownhouses in the 5800 block of WatermarkCircle and the 1400 block of BeaumeadowDrive.

With two, parallel rows of homes becom-ing heavily engulfed in flamesºand onestructure collapsing, they, too, quickly be-came a three-alarm event requiring helpfrom other jurisdictions. About 100firefighters responded and, although onefirefighter was injured, his wounds weren’tlife-threatening.

“I’ve lived here a long time and I’ve neverseen anything like this before,” said Water-mark Circle’s Gina Ingraham, whose houseis across the street from the destroyedtownhouses. “It’s like a bad movie.” She washome when she heard a boom and lookedoutside.

“I saw a large, black funnel of smokeshooting straight up to the sky,” she said.“It was in back of the end townhouse at thecorner of Watermark and Deer Lake Lane.People were pounding on that door, but noone was responding. I didn’t know if myhouse was going to survive, so I got mydriver’s license, laptop and cellphone andran out to move my car away from thosetownhouses.”

Ingraham also called 911 to report thefire. “But the line was busy, so I drove overto the fire station closest to our houses,”she said. “But they were already gone tothe fire at Forest Glen. By the time I came

back, 5 or 10 minutes later, the fire hadconsumed the end unit and was halfway tothe next one. That thing was crazy – like amonster; it was rampant.”

Firefighters had also raced to her neigh-borhood by then. “They re-directed oneCentreville unit here from Forest Glen be-cause, at that time, they didn’t know theintensity of the fire here,” said Ingraham.

“There were also fire engines from LoudounCounty, Manassas Park and Vienna.”

During the chaos, she discovered a youngwoman sitting under a tree on her side ofthe street, crying inconsolably. “I told hershe had to move away from there and comewith me because, with all the smoke, shecouldn’t breathe,” said Ingraham. Thewoman was Andrea Salazar, who’d called

her dad Jose to tell him about the fire. Theday after the blaze, she said, “Our basementis flooded and the back wall of our house ismelted.”

“We have major water damage and smokeeverywhere,” added her father. “We’re meet-ing with a restoration company to see what’ssalvageable and what’s not.” Salazar and

‘That Thing Was Crazy – Like a Monster’Fire burns 12townhouses inSully Station II.

Back view of the four destroyed townhouses on Watermark Circle next to Jose Salazar’s home (on right).

Flames and firefighters at the townhouses in Sully Station II.

Jhonatan Zelaes points to the FireDepartment evacuation notice onthe townhouse basement he andhis wife rented.

Pho

to

s by Bo

nn

ie H

obbs

Pho

to

C

ourtesy o

f Bill Sm

ith


News

Songs with Spirit and Swagger

The ShowStoppers open the program with “Rhythm of the Night.”Suryanshu Kommoju sings“Superstition.”

The ShowStoppers perform the finale, “Conga Rhythm.” ShowStoppers sing “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

Elise McCue sings “Jolene.” A mash-up of “I Will Survive/Survivor.”Madeleine LeBeau sings “It Had tobe You.”

Photos by Bonnie Hobbs

Chantilly High’s 32nd

annual Jazz & Pizzazzwas May 4-5.


News

Graduating seniors sing “Big Time Rush.”

The boys do“Step byStep” by

New Kids onthe Block.

VanessaScola and

Jun Ito sing“I Won’t

Give Up.”

Connor Green plays trom-bone during “Minuano.”Striking a pose after performing “We are Family.”

Pho

to

s by Bo

nn

ie H

obbs


Opinion

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

@CentreView

Newspaper ofCentreville

Little Rocky RunA Connection Newspaper

An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered

to homes and businesses.Published by

Local Media Connection LLC

1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314

Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go to

connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Steven Mauren Editor, 703-778-9415

[email protected]

Jean CardProduction Editor

[email protected]

Bonnie HobbsCommunity Reporter, [email protected]

Andrea WorkerContributing Writer

[email protected]

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

[email protected]

Debbie FunkNational Sales703-778-9444

[email protected]

David GriffinMarketing Assistant

[email protected]

Classified & EmploymentAdvertising703-778-9431

Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

[email protected]@MaryKimm

Executive Vice PresidentJerry Vernon

[email protected]

Editor in ChiefSteven Mauren

Managing EditorKemal Kurspahic

Art/Design:Laurence Foong, John Heinly,

Ali KhalighProduction Manager:

Geovani Flores

[email protected]

A Connection Newspaper

See Letters, Page 11

Anyone who was closely watching lastNovember’s election got a demon-stration about what difference onevote can make. Control of the Vir-

ginia General Assembly came down to a singlerace that was deemed to be tied, and was de-cided by a random drawing. Republicans won.

Vote. It’s so important to vote. Your votecould actually be the deciding vote.

Your best shot at ensuring you can vote is tovote early.

How To VoteEvery year is election year in Virginia; me-

chanics and details of votingrequire attention to detail.

If you want to be sure you getto vote, voting early if you

qualify is a good choice. Early voting, calledabsentee voting in person in Virginia, is alreadyunderway for the primary.

There are many valid reasons to vote absen-tee in Virginia, including working and com-muting to and from home for 11 or more hoursbetween 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day.Check the Virginia Department of Elections listto see if you are eligible: elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/absentee-voting/index.html

There are two ways to vote absentee, in-per-son and by mail. To do either, you should firstcheck your voter registration status to makesure it is up-to-date. Then you will need toapply for an absentee ballot. If you vote ab-sentee in-person you will fill out the applica-tion when you arrive at the in-person absen-tee location.

Voting absentee by mail? You can now applyfor an absentee ballot online with the state’snew Citizen Portal. You will need your SocialSecurity Number and information on your Vir-ginia Driver’s License to complete the applica-tion. Information is also provided on how toapply if you do not have a driver’s license.

In Person Absentee Locations, FairfaxCounty

❖ Fairfax County Government Center❖ Franconia Governmental Center❖ Lorton Library❖ Mason Governmental Center❖ McLean Governmental Center❖ Mount Vernon Governmental Center❖ North County Governmental Center❖ Providence Community Center❖ Sully Governmental Center❖ West Springfield Governmental Centerwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/absentee703-222-0776 TTY 711

[email protected] Government Center Parkway Suite

323Fairfax, VA 22035

Virginia Voter IDVirginia has voter identification require-

ments; plan to bring photo identification withyou to vote, whether that is absentee or onPrimary Election Day.

Among accepted ID: valid Virginia Driver’sLicense or Identification Card; valid VirginiaDMV issued Veteran’s ID card; valid U.S. Pass-port; other government-issued photo identifi-cation cards issued by the U.S. Government,the Commonwealth of Virginia, or a politicalsubdivision of the Commonwealth; Tribal en-rollment or other tribal ID issued by one of 11tribes recognized by the Commonwealth ofVirginia; valid college or university studentphoto identification card from an institutionof higher education located in Virginia; validstudent ID issued by a public school or privateschool in Virginia displaying a photo; employeeidentification card containing a photograph ofthe voter and issued by an employer of thevoter in the ordinary course of the employer’sbusiness. Any registered voter who does nothave one of the required forms of identifica-tion can apply for a free Virginia Voter PhotoIdentification from any general registrar’s of-fice in the Commonwealth. Voters applying forthe Virginia Voter Photo ID complete the Vir-ginia Voter Photo Identification Card Applica-tion, have their picture taken, and sign the digi-tal signature pad. Once the application is pro-cessed, the card will be mailed directly to thevoter.

A voter who does not bring an acceptablephoto ID to the polls will be offered a provi-sional ballot.

Provisional Ballot Process for VotersWho Arrive Without Identification

If you arrive at your polling place on Elec-tion Day without an acceptable form of photoidentification, don’t panic or give up.

You will be given the opportunity to vote aprovisional ballot. After completing the provi-sional ballot, the individual voting will be givenwritten instructions from the election officialson how to submit a copy of his/her identifica-tion so that his/her vote can be counted.

A voter will have until noon on the Fridayfollowing the election to deliver a copy of theidentification to the local electoral board or toappear in person to apply for a Virginia VoterPhoto ID Card. Voters may submit a copy of

their ID via fax, email, in-person submission,or through USPS or commercial delivery ser-vice. Please note that the copy of the ID mustbe delivered to the electoral board by noon onFriday, or the provisional ballot cannot becounted.

Also by noon on Friday following the elec-tion, the voter may appear in-person in theoffice of the general registrar, in the locality inwhich the provisional ballot was cast, and ap-ply for a Virginia Voter Photo ID Card. At thecompletion of the application process, the votermay request a Temporary Identification Docu-ment. This document may be provided to theelectoral board to meet the identification re-quirement.

Vote, Vote, Vote What’s on the Ballot forPrimary Election June 12?DEMOCRATIC PRIMARYUS House of Representatives

District 10, Vote for OneLindsey Davis StoverJennifer T. WextonPaul E. PelletierAlison K. FriedmanDan I. HelmerJulia E. Biggins

District 11, Gerald Edward Connolly (unop-posed)

U.S. Senate, Timothy M. Kaine (unopposed)

REPUBLICAN PRIMARYUS House of RepresentativesDistrict 10 Vote for OneShak E. HillBarbara J. Comstock

District 11, Jeff A. Dove, Jr. (unopposed)

United States SenateCorey A. StewartNick J. FreitasE. W. Jackson

Primary: Tuesday, June 12❖ Deadline to register to vote, or update an

existing registration, for the Tuesday, June 12,General Election is Monday, May 21,.

❖ Deadline to request an absentee ballot tobe mailed to you is 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 5.Request must be received by your Registrar by5 p.m.

❖ Deadline to request an absentee ballot byappearing in-person is 5 p.m. Saturday, June9. Absentee in person voting is already under-way.

Editorial

Dug OutShut DownTo the Editor:

The Fairfax County Park Author-ity (FCPA) forced us to close theDug Out on May 1, 2018, after 25years of operation. We designed,constructed and operated the DugOut using no public or FCPA funds.

Since opening, we have paid FCPAhundreds of thousands of dollarsin rent, but more importantly, pro-vided a recreational facility whichFCPA was unable to provide. In ouropinion, the FCPA will demolishthis facility as they did our minia-ture golf course. Why? We do notunderstand.

Letters to the Editor

The Dug Out batting cages at Braddock Park, 13451Braddock Road, Clifton.


News

By Ashley Claire Simpson

Americans have been celebratingMother’s Day for more than 100years. Every May, moms are hon-ored – from the women who gave

birth to others who have made a differencein less traditional ways. Vienna mother offive Julie Holmes – the owner and presi-dent of Virginia Tire & Auto – is a “mom” tomany as the matriarch of her growing fam-ily-owned business.

“Part of being a mom is always thinkingabout accountability,” Holmes said. “Whenyou hold someone to a certain standard,which is what I do with both in businessand as a mom, you do it because you carefor them. You want them to be the best theycan be. We have a Virginia Tire & Auto wayof doing things, and our associates in allthe stores are held to that standard. Wewant them to have a rewarding careers; wecare about everyone and want them to ad-vance. In turn, our customers have reward-ing experiences with us, too.”

For Holmes, Virginia Tire & Auto has al-ways been more than an automotive ser-vices provider.

“My parents, Myron and CaroleBoncarosky, started Virginia Tire & Auto in1976, and it has always has played a verypositive role in my life because when I wasa child, my parents always spoke very posi-tively about the business,” said Holmes, theonly child of the local business’s founders.“They always looked at it as a gift, and nota burden, to offer a livelihood to all em-ployees, offering the kinds of services thateveryone needs. It was always part of ourdinnertime conversation, rehashing theevents of every day. That’s how it is in ourfamily now. There is nothing else I’d ratherbe doing. My five children today hear aboutit and they are getting a similar positiveimpression.”

Holmes and her husband, Mike, took overthe business in 2014, which now includes13 shops throughout Northern Virginia.

“Things remain really good, and we’vealso seen a lot of positive change,” Holmessaid. “Since my husband and I took overwe have worked on growing the business.We’ve also formalized the core values ofbeing professional, attentive, genuine andforward-thinking. We’re making sure we aremaking all day-to-day business decisionswith these values at the forefront of ourminds.”

She was already the mother of three chil-dren when she took on the role of presi-dent. She has since added two more chil-dren, all the while developing a corporatefamily with hundreds of employees.

“I am an only child, which is another crazyangle to the trajectory of my life and thisbusiness,” she said. “I had a wonderfulchildhood with just my parents but now Ihave four girls and one boy. Still, we’vechanged a lot in the business over the lastfew years. We’ve strengthened developmentin our own employees so that they can bestserve our clients with an element of trustand honesty you don’t always find in ourindustry. Let’s face it: this industry doesn’talways have the best reputation. We differ-entiate ourselves by having highly-trained,really good people.”

Holmes added that several other femaleleaders at Virginia Tire & Auto have beenintegral in realizing this kind of investmentin people.

“We hired a director of talent develop-

ment, Cindy Weinberg, who is also a mom,”Holmes said. “We’ve worked hard to form aleadership team that is very focused on or-ganizational health, and with this team,we’ve been able to establish clarity aroundour values. It’s all about continuing to pro-tect the gem we were given.”

Sarah Price, Virginia Tire & Auto’s train-ing manager, is a single mother and long-time automotive professional. “I haveworked in the automotive field for 20 yearsnow,” she said. “This industry is typicallyvery demanding. The other shops that I haveworked for expect you to give all your timeto them. Most of my career, I have workedin the shop on the vehicles. It’s still verymale-dominated and there is not muchempathy for single moms. That is not thecase with Virginia Tire & Auto.”

Kris Crouch, Virginia Tire & Auto control-ler, has also watched the business transforminto a community force.

“I think being here for 29 years speaksvolumes about growth opportunities and

culture,” Crouch said. “I have spent mywhole career here because it’s been so ben-eficial for me, both personally and profes-sionally. Julie places such a high value onthe importance of all of those relationships,she is understanding when any of us needto be present at special events and mile-stones for our children or other family mem-bers.” Holmes said, “Work-life balance is im-portant not only for the obvious personalreasons but also to recharge and be the bestyou can be professionally. The small familyculture that exists at each of our locationsis genuine. We spend many hours togetherand develop strong bonds with our co-work-ers. We celebrate their successes and sup-port them through their darkest times. Ihave met some of the most influentialpeople in my life through my time here.”

There is also more tangible evidence of amom in charge.

“There is a child play area in the waitingrooms in all our stores,” Holmes said. “Also,as a mom, time is my most valuable asset,and I know that’s the case for everyone wedeal with. I know what it’s like to be treatedwell and have your time valued. We wantto make sure we have loaner cars andshuttle services. When say we are going tohave a car done by a certain time, we makesure to have it done by that specified hour.We’ve also gotten behind a huge initiativelocally, providing free monthly free car seatclinics. We pay for any of our associates toget certified to install car seats. People cancome to any of our stores at no cost to makesure their children’s seats are installed cor-rectly. This is very near and dear to my heartas a mom. We have people technologicallysavvy and trained to greatly enhance achild’s chances of surviving a car accident.”

Virginia Tire & Auto, which is openingthree new locations in the next year, is aplace that she hopes to call “home” for gen-erations to come.

“I’ve worked around the business sincehigh school,” Holmes said. “It’s where Ilearned from my dad that, if there’s time tolean, then there’s time to clean. Then I wentto law school, clerked for a judge on theU.S. Federal Court of Appeals and then prac-ticed corporate law. Then, I came into thebusiness after my second child was born,overseeing marketing. I’ve since worn otherhats. It’s demanding, but it just doesn’t feellike work. I would love for one of my chil-dren to have passion for the business andwant to take it to the next level.”

Keeping the wheels turning at a local business.A Mom in Charge

The Holmes family.

SATURDAY/MAY 12Church Yard Sales. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at

Oakton Baptist Church of Chantilly,14001 Sullyfield Circle, Chantilly.Members of Oakton Baptist Church ofChantilly will be having individualYard Sales in the church parking lot.Rain date is May 19. Call 703-631-1799.

MONDAY/MAY 14Best Fit Colleges. 7 p.m. at Chantilly

High School - Auditorium, 4201

Stringfellow Road, Chantilly. Adviceon the college application andadmissions process from RobFranek , editor-in-chief at ThePrinceton Review. Tips for creating acareer path. An interview with a localleader about how they found theirbest fit college and career. A tour ofa green RV from Roadtrip Nation’spublic television show. Reach out toyour school counselor or Mrs. RiveraCompher [email protected] with anyquestions. Visit goo.gl/xAwgrK.

THURSDAY/MAY 17Safe Driving While Aging. 9:30

a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Lord of LifeLutheran Church, 13421 Twin LakesDrive, Clifton. NV Rides will hostworkshops offering tips and bestpractices to help older drivers stay onthe road safely, and for as long aspossible. Free. RSVP requested [email protected] or 703 537-3070.

SUNDAY/MAY 20Young Women Leadership

Program. U.S. Rep. BarbaraComstock R-10) is acceptingapplications for the summer 2018session of the 10th CongressionalDistrict Young Women LeadershipProgram. The deadline to apply isSunday, May 20. Call 202-225-5136or visit comstock.house.gov.

REVIVE! Training. 3 p.m. at 4213Walney Road, Chantilly. REVIVE!trains individuals on what to do andnot do in an overdose situation, howto administer naloxone, and what todo afterwards. Advance registrationrequired at 703 502-7021 or 703

502-7016.

TUESDAY/MAY 22Primary Candidate Forum. 6-7:30

p.m. at Chantilly High SchoolAuditorium, 4201 Stringfellow Road,Chantilly. Free. Last chance to hearfrom all six Democratic candidatesfor the 10th Congressional Districtbefore the June 12 primary vote.Robert McCartney, Senior RegionalCorrespondence and Associate Editorfor the Washington Post, will be themoderator. Visitwww.sullydemocrats.org.

Bulletin Board


HomeLifeStyle

By Marilyn Campbell

When designing the patio of her McLeanhome, interior design professor JeanFreeman of Marymount University, relied on the natural surroundings to cre-

ate a backdrop for her outdoor oasis.“I have an area in the backyard that has small stones

and lounge furniture,” she said. “Our backyard is nextto Pimmit Run Trail and has lots of trees, some ofwhich I planted. Also, I planted several holly trees sothat the area would attract more birds and sometimesthe bird chirping gets quite loud and wonderful.”

Gentle breezes and mild temperatures are some ofthe pleasures of spring that beckon many outdoorsfor parties and family dinners, but turning a winter-worn patio into a space for entertaining can feeldaunting. Breathing new life into a landscape dulledby snow and frost or creating an entirely new out-door space might be easier than it appears.

When considering a patio furniture purchase, avoidthe battle against Mother Nature by selecting piecesthat can stand up to the elements. “The number onerule in furnishing your patio is to purchase qualityfurniture,” said Anne Walker of Anne Walker DesignLLC. “There are a lot of outdoor furnishings that lookalike, but they are not all the same. Dedon, based inGermany and Janus et Cie, based in California, makeexcellent outdoor furnishings that will stand the testof time … [and] will not fade, warp or degrade evenif left outdoors in the elements for years.

Less expensive look-alikes will fall apart after justa few years or months of exposure to the elements,continued Walker. “I can’t stress it enough: invest inhigh-quality outdoor furnishings or you will just bethrowing your money away. Buy the best you canafford, and work little by little if need be to com-plete your outdoor space. You won’t be sorry.”

When choosing fabrics for that furniture, ToddMartz, co-owner of Home on Cameron in Old TownAlexandria, says, “Accessories like pillows and drap-eries as well as chairs, sofas and rugs are all avail-able in low maintenance fabrics.”

Selecting smaller, easy-to-move pieces of furnitureover large sectionals will produce a design plan withversatility. “You’ll be happy to have the flexibility tomove things around when you entertain or when thesun shifts and you want to get into or away from thedirect sun,” said Walker.

Incorporating potted plants into the landscape de-sign offers versatility. “Mix several sized plants … verylarge as well as different types of plants in smallerplanters,” added Kelley Proxmire of Kelley Proxmire,Inc. “Vary the textures as well as the color of greenleaves such as ferns, palms and flowering plants.”

Use planters to create architectural features likewalls and borders. “The plants will add beautiful vi-sual interest, and the planters are moveable, allow-ing flexibility in use and design,” said Walker.

For those who want to build a stone patio, go forvariety, but establish a solid base to avoid costly re-pairs later. “Combinations of flagstone and brick areelegant and more interesting than use of only onetype of materials,” said Walker. “Make sure you havea professional set your patio in concrete. It’s muchless expensive to set the stone in stone dust, butwithin a year or less the stones will begin to shiftand weeds will grow through the gaps.”

Lighting matters, says Proxmire, and she suggestthat when designing or even sprucing up patio, “Usedifferent sources of light [such as] inside-outdoorlamps, different sizes of lanterns, candlesticks withglass hurricanes,” she said. “The candles with bat-teries are great for using outside because the windisn’t an issue.”

Now that summer is on the horizon, Walker has aplan for getting her patio guest-ready. “I will powerwash with my personal home power washer, planta few flowers and boom! Ready to entertain,” shesaid. “We love to entertain on our patio. It’s ourfavorite space.”

Time to dust-off and spruceup patios for a season ofal fresco entertaining.

Ready for Summer

Todd Martz of Home on Cameron designedthis patio and says that exterior spacescan be treated like an indoor room byusing bright, fresh fabrics designed spe-cifically for outdoors.

Kelley Proxmire suggests using plants andplanters in a variety of sizes — such asthese blue and white ceramic pots tocreate a light and airy patio space.

One design technique that Anne Walkerhas incorporated into the design of herown patio is choosing smaller, moveablepieces of furniture — like these DedonBarcelona lounge chairs — over largesectionals to allow for a versatile designplan.

Pho

to

co

urtesy o

f A

nn

e W

alker

Pho

to

s by Stacy Z

arin

G

oldberg


News

From Page 3

Fires

Building inspectors, residents and home-reconstruction personnel in front of some of the destroyedtownhouses; all that remains are the front steps.

These burned townhouses on Beaumeadow Drive now resemble a warzone. The brick wall and basement of the first townhome that caught on fire.

I’ve seen five homes burn together before, butnothing like this – never this magnitude.”

— David Lee, RAM Construction

his wife have owned their home seven yearsand, for the time being, they’re staying in ahotel in Fairfax City. Still, he said, “Out ofthe 10 townhouses in our section, ours isthe only one with a roof. It’s a miracle.”

David Lee, of RAM Construction, wasamong the insurance-company and home-restoration representatives on the sceneThursday. Standing in front of four sets offront steps leading to no-longer-therehouses on Watermark Circle, he said, “Wewere called in yesterday by the insurancecompany for one of these homes before itcollapsed. We were going to board it up andsecure the property.”

But, he explained, “With all the devasta-tion – and the fact that the fire kept rekin-dling – last night the fire departmentknocked down the buildings. It was smart,because of safety; you don’t want them tofall down and hurt people. I’ve seen fivehomes burn together before, but nothinglike this – never this magnitude. It was likea tornado ripped through the neighborhood– but this is worse.”

Solomon Shin lived next door to theSalazars for almost a year, and his housewas one of those four that no longer exist.“There’s nothing left,” he said. “I lived inthe basement of the owners’ house and washome at the time of the fire. I always hearfootsteps and noise upstairs, so when Iheard them around 1 p.m., I didn’t thinkanything of it.

“I was about to take a shower and sawlights flickering in my room. A minute later,I smelled something burning, so I went outthe back door and the fence was on fire.And with the wind, I couldn’t go out thatway. So I grabbed my computer, cellphone,car keys and wallet – and whatever paperfiles I could – and shoved them in my back-pack. Then I ran upstairs and, luckily, thefront door wasn’t on fire, yet, so I went outthat way.”

Also renting a basement, in aBeaumeadow Drive townhouse directly be-hind the Salazars, was Jhonatan Zelaes. His

wife is a professional makeup artist who ranher business from home and was there atthe time with a client. “Our landlord wasbringing in clothing drying on her deck, sawthe fire and told my wife,” said Zelaes. “Mywife then saved our two dogs and beardeddragon.”

He was working in Manassas when hiswife called him about the fire, so he rushedhome. “There was a bunch of smoke, firewas showing and the fire department hadn’tgotten here when I arrived around 1:45p.m.,” he said. “Now everything is wet andunder water because of the firehoses. Ev-erything is destroyed – my computer, taxpapers, all our furniture. We didn’t haverental insurance because we only plannedto be here six months, and we were here ayear. At least we’re alive.”

Bang Nguyen owns a townhouse on Wa-termark, across from the Salazars. Hisnanny and son were home when the firebegan, and he raced home after she calledhim about it. He arrived around 2:20 p.m.and, he said Thursday, “The whole thingwas burning. It was really bad and I was

afraid it would spread [across the street].It sucks; I feel terrible for all the people here.Yesterday was a crazy day. The firefighterskept spraying water until 4 a.m. today.”

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue says some36 people were displaced, but that numberdoesn’t include those renting in the base-ments. “It’s a shame – a lot of people arehomeless now,” said Fire Departmentspokesman Bill Delaney. “But our crews didunbelievable work. And the fact that no oneperished and there were no significant in-juries is phenomenal.”

As for Jose Salazar, even though hisdaughter had alerted him to the blaze, hestill wasn’t prepared for what he saw whenhe got home. “I was shocked to see thehomes behind and beside us engulfed inflames,” he said. “The entire row was flat-tened, except for us. We were blessed bythe grace of God.”

Noting that the firefighters “came fromall over – Arlington, Burke, Loudoun,” hesaid, “They reassured me that everythingwas going to be all right. I was so impressed;they were amazing. They were still fight-

ing the fire, and we had some importantdocuments inside our house. So I spoke tothe fire chief, and he let five firefighters goin and get them. They even went in a sec-ond time to get my [barefoot] daughtersome shoes to wear.”

Salazar also praised his neighbors. “It waswonderful how the community came to-gether,” he said. “They offered their base-ments for people to stay in.” And at the shel-ter set up at the Cub Run REC Center forthe fire victims, said Salazar, “Peoplebrought in water, pizza and snacks. Oneneighbor even handed out $50 gift cards toevery family.”

“What’s really sad is that some of ourneighbors whose homes burned didn’t haverental insurance and they lost everything,”he continued. “And one neighbor lost a dog,and that was sad, too.” Regarding his ownhouse, said Salazar, “This is just one of life’scurveballs, so you’ve got to take it one dayat a time.” Then, pointing to his wife anddaughter, he said, “I’ve got my preciousvaluables right here. Everything else is re-placeable.”

Pho

to

s by Bo

nn

ie H

obbs


SATURDAY/MAY 12Liberty Vendor Fair. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

at Liberty Middle School, 6801 UnionMill Road, Clifton. Liberty MiddleSchool PTA will hold a vendor fairfundraiser with a large variety ofvendors, activities, and food items.Enjoy food, fun, and music.Admission is free. [email protected].

Fundraiser and Book Fair. AtBarnes and Noble Store, 12193 FairLakes Promenade Drive, Fairfax. TheFairfax Station Railroad Museumvolunteers will introduce visitors tolife in Fairfax Country during the1800s. Local authors will sign booksavailable for sale. The Museum willreceive a percentage of sales for mostpurchases. Visit www.fairfax-station.org, or www.facebook.com/FFXSRR. Call 703-425-9225.

SATURDAY-FRIDAY/MAY 12-18Holistic Wellbeing. At Sant

Mirankari Mission, 4501 PleasantValley Road, Chantilly. Free. SwamiMukundananda is the founder ofJKYog also known as Yoga for Body,Mind and Soul. Part one covers thefollowing five Healthy sciences: Yoga,Pranayam, Subtle Body Relaxation,Roop Dhyan Meditation and Scienceof Healthy Diet. Part Two arediscourses on the Topic - 7 Mindsetsfor Success in Life and Beyond. Theschedule is as follows: 05/12 – 05/13 (Sat.-Sun.) Yoga & Meditation:4:30–5:45 p.m.; Discourses: 5:45–7:30 p.m.; 05/14 – 05/17 (Mon.-Thurs.) Yoga & Meditation: 6– 7:15p.m.; Discourses:7:15– 9 p.m.; 05/18 (Friday) Life TransformationalWorkshop from 6– 9 p.m. Freevegetarian dinner provided everyday. Contact 703-901-3731 or visitthe website: https://www.jkyog.org/

events/7-Mindsets-Chantilly-VA-2018/

SUNDAY/MAY 13Model Train Show & Mother’s Day

Celebration. 1-4 p.m. at FairfaxStation Railroad Museum, 11200Fairfax Station Road, Fairfax Station.The Northern Virginia NTRAKmembers will hold an N gauge T-TRAK model train show at themuseum. Moms receive a specialgift. Museum members and moms,free; adults 16 and over, $4; children5-15, $2; under 4, free. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org,www.facebook.com/FFXSRR or call703-425-9225.

MONDAY/MAY 14Interactive African Drumming

Class. Noon-1 p.m. at Sully SeniorCenter, 14426 Albemarle Point Place,Chantilly. During the 2018 CreativeAging Festival senior centersthroughout the county will be hostingdemonstrations, performances, andinteractive classes involving writing,drawing, painting, crafting, music,and dance. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services/news/creative-aging-festival.

What’s Lurking in LocalWaterways. 6-7 p.m. at Ellanor C.Lawrence Park, 5040 Walney Road,Chantilly. Freshwater ecosystems arefull of fascinating creatures. Learnabout critters such as stoneflies,hellgrammites, water pennies andcrayfish as participants search forthem at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park.Explore Big Rocky Run with anaturalist. Use dip nets and kick netsto catch and release freshwatercreatures and discover their role inthe environment. For participants age

4 to adult. $6 per person. Wear shoesthat can get wet. Meet at the pond.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/eclawrence.

TUESDAY/MAY 15The Eddie Cantor Story. 1-3 p.m. at

Congregation Beth Emeth, 12523Lawyers Road, Herndon. “The EddieCantor Story: A Jewish Life inPerformance and Politics.” HistorianDavid Weinstein will share a multi-media presentation featuring manyrare photos, songs, and film clips.Free. Visit bethemeth.org/hazak.

WEDNESDAY/MAY 16Cub Scout Carnival. 7-8 p.m. at

Union Mill Elementary School, 13611Springstone Drive, Clifton. Games,prizes, and fun. Pack 1860 invitesboy and now girls (K-5th grades) andtheir families for a fun evening at ascout-run carnival. Come learn aboutCub Scouts – now open to boys andgirls. Free. [email protected] for more.

FRIDAY/MAY 18Bike to Work Day. Join more than

18,000 area commuters for a freecelebration of bicycling as a fun,healthy and environmentally-friendlyway to get to work. To register, visitwww.biketoworkmetrodc.org and beentered for a free bike raffle.

46th Annual Clifton Homes Tour.10 a.m.-5 p.m. Guided tours of fourClifton homes and a silent auction atClifton Presbyterian Church. Tourtickets: $25-30, Free admission tosilent auction. Meets at CliftonPresbyterian Church, 12748 RichardsLane, Clifton. Visitwww.cliftoncwc.org.

Entertainment


From Page 6

Letters

Five years ago, they forced us to close Is-lands In The Park. During that closure FCPAspent in excess of $180,000 with a nation-ally recognized law firm to oust us. Last yearthey spent approximately $170,00 in re-moving the facility. We have had thousandsof patrons come to us and ask why? We donot understand.

In closing the Dug Out, the FCPA invokeda Lease provision which states, “FCPA re-serves the right to terminate this agreementif in the best interest of the FCPA and theresidents of Fairfax County….” I do not be-lieve they have grounds for termination anddo not agree that it is in the best interest ofthe residents of Fairfax County. Our patronslove us. Many people provided us with state-ments which confirmed that closure was notin their best interests.

If you believe it is not in your best inter-ests to see this facility closed and razed, youmay consider contacting Supervisor PatHerrity, or the Executive Director of theFCPA, Kirk Kincannon. Their contact infor-mation is:

Supervisor Pat Herrity ,Springfield District6140 Rolling RoadSpringfield, VA [email protected]. Kirk KincannonExecutive DirectorFCPA12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite

927Fairfax, VA [email protected] Herrity appoints a Park Au-

thority board member for Springfield Dis-trict. His name is Michael W. Thompson, Jr.Mr. Thompson has not returned any of ourattempts to contact him concerning this orother matters.

In summary, of the past 25 years, we haveenjoyed serving the hundreds of thousandsof Fairfax County’s residents. We had oneof the best batting cage facilities in the na-tion.

Thank you for your support.

Bernard C. Voyten,Jr., PE, Leed AP

President

WriteThe deadline for all material is

noon Friday.

Letters must be signed.Include home address and

home and business numbers.Letters are routinely edited forlibel, grammar, good taste and

factual errors.

Send by e-mail:[email protected]

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Wow!. I just saved “Up to $504 ** “ (notincluding the two asterisks), and all I did wasbuy a six pack of LED light bulbs. So it says onthe package anyway.

Maybe I should buy another six-pack andsave even more money? There are only twoproblems (just two?) with this plan. First, Idon’t see a rebate-type form to complete andreturn and; in lieu there of, neither is there aguarantee, considering my health situation,that I’ll even live long enough (“Lasts 13+Years”) to realize the benefit/savings of notspending additional money on light bulbs.(Are they even called light bulbs any more? Idon’t see it printed on the packageanywhere.)

And while I’ll definitely enjoy not spendingmoney on light bulbs – or whatever they’recalled, I won’t enjoy wondering if I’ve nowspent money on light bulbs that I don’t actu-ally need and/or likely will never even use. Imean, I have previously – because as a coun-try/consumer we’ve had no other choice,given that the incandescent light bulb ship hassailed – bought replacement light bulbs. Idon’t remember however, if the bulbs wereLED, Halogen, Incandescent, CFL,Fluorescent or who knows what? Literally.Certainly not me.

My only light-bulb-related talent is screw-ing them into the fixture as I’ve written aboutpreviously. (Do you remember I called myself“Tauras Bulba”?) In fact, I may very well havealready installed light bulbs that are going tolast for years so it’s possible there isn’t even aneed to allocate dollars and sense to bulbinventory – or even to write this column.

I suppose that if I’m serious and/orinclined to shine a light on this problem, Ineed to get organized, either on my com-puter or in pen in a notebook (Sort of likehow my wife’s Italian grandfather, Cesare, didregarding Christmas cards. He had years ofnotebooks with names listed with boxesalongside, checked or not, for cards sentand/or received) to identify whichlights/fixtures have which kind of light bulbsso I’ll know whether it’s likely I’ll actuallyneed to spend money on replacement lightbulbs.

If the light bulbs really are going to “Last13+ years,” (as is also printed on the pack-age) then I might not need to buy them anymore, for awhile, anyway. As a result, lightbulbs will no longer be a regular purchase liketoilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent,etc. Instead, they will become an irregularpurchase like batteries, sponges and the like.

Now, if I really can stop this unnecessarylight-bulb-redundancy, I should have a fewextra dollars that I can allocate elsewhere onreal necessities – like candy, cookies and icecream.

Having sorted out the light bulb task aheadof me; in addition to saving money, I willhave saved time as well. And who wouldn’twant to save time and money? Everybody.However, saving it in this excruciatingly bor-ing/mundane manner has limited appeal, Iwould guess.

But, we’re not just saving pennies here;potentially, according to the light bulb’s pack-aging, we are apparently saving hundreds ofdollars, and hundreds are worth saving.

Unfortunately, the dollars saved are notexactly in-pocket. They’re more dollars whichwon’t be spent out-of-pocket. Not as direct asa rebate, but more like an indirect benefitsuch as money saved from the installation ofenergy-efficient windows or placing insulationin your attic.

Either way, it’s money not in somebodyelse’s pocket. I just wish the manufacturerscould figure out a way to pay me today, espe-cially since I paid them yesterday.

Still Haven’tSeen the Light


News

Day Prom 2018, a Dayto Remember for spe-cial education students from

Annandale, Chantilly, Herndon,Lake Braddock, Oakton, Robinson,West Springfield, Westfield, and

A Day to RememberWoodson high schools took placeon May 1 at the Waterford at FairOaks in Fairfax. Day Prom hasgrown substantially since it began17 years ago and now includes twoseparate events to accommodateall those interested in attending.

Chantilly senior Shantell Martin smiles as her corsage ispinned.

Westfield students (from left): Freshman Jake Murphy-Garcia and junior Ivan Tejada relax in the lobby as DayProm concludes.

The dancefloor ispacked withstudents.

Peer buddyMary Allison

and Ian Lynn,both juniorsat Westfield,

take time outfrom dancing

for a photo.

Chantilly students and staff have their photo taken with Chantilly Principal Dr. ScottPoole (back right).

Westfield students Caleb Hayes, senior,and Zoe Greenberg, junior, have fun on thedance floor.

Luke Arnold from Lake Braddock andWestfield senior Ayana Coran enjoy danc-ing together.

Photos by

Tom Manning

‘That Thing Was Crazy – Like a Monster’

Documents

Transcript of ‘That Thing Was Crazy – Like a Monster’