September 27 – October 3, 2018
FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE
FOU N D E D 1991 • VOL. XXVIII NO. 32
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Yasmine Taeb, a new resident of the City of Falls Church, announced her campaign for the 2019 Democratic primary against incumbent State Sen. Dick Saslaw. SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 9
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Plans for New High School Exclude ‘Fly Loft & System’ for Its Theater
Safety, Constraints Of Vertical Design Of Building Cited
BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
A Florida man has been arrested after he was accused of filming up a woman’s skirt at a Giant in Falls Church in June, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
City Council in the summer of 2013 as a project to be anchored by a Walgreens drug store. Now, the assemblage and consolidation of 12 lots into one for the plan is a reality, and as everyone on the Planning Commission agreed Monday, it will be something the City will be proud of that will be a major contributor to the City’s tax base and sense of identity, alike.
The biggest citizen concern to arise so far from recent public input sessions on the plans for the new George Mason High School focus on what the new theater/auditorium space there is going to be like. Unlike the current high school’s space, the new plan would be to remove the “fly” loft and system that many consider vital for theatrical productions, and more than a few parents and citizens are not happy. A “fly system” is an array of rope lines, blocks (pulleys), counterweights and related devices within a theater that enables a stage crew to hoist quickly, quietly and safely components such as curtains, lights, scenery, stage effects and, sometimes, people, says Wikipedia. The systems are typically designed to fly components between clear view of the audience and out of view, into the large opening, known as the fly loft, above the stage. So explained Melissa Teates and Gordon Theisz, prominent local citizen activists, in a guest commentary on page 7 in this edition. They asked, “Why would Falls Church City, spending $120 million to create a world-class state-of-the-art high school, think it acceptable to build a theater that is not fully functional?” They cited Superintendent Peter Noonan’s report at last Sunday’s Community Design Review session that “the fly is not possible due to the design of the building, but technological solutions may be found to compensate for the loss of the fly.”
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SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 9
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It was another victorious week for George Mason High School’s volleyball team as they kicked off Bull Run District play with a threeset sweep over Central High School. SEE SPORTS, PAGE 16
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George Mason High School boys and girls cross country teams travelled to Strasburg last week to compete in a muddy meet. See how they finished, inside. SEE SPORTS, PAGE 16
FALLS CHURCH CITY MANAGER Wyatt Shields, at the podium, welcomed the citizens who showed up for the second Community Design Review session last Sunday on components planned for the new George Mason High School. The components presented excluded a “�ly” loft and system for the school theater. (P����: N���-P����)
Final, Final OK Given to 4.3 Acre Founders Row Project
BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
INDEX
Editorial............... 6 Letters................. 6 News & Notes 10–11 Comment ..... 12–13 Calendar ..... 18–19 Classified Ads ... 20
Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ........ 21 Crime Report ......22 Critter Corner....22 Business News . 23
One final gesture of neighborliness exhibited by the Mill Creek developers of the major 4.3 acre Founders Row project was offered at Monday night’s Falls Church Planning Commission meeting, and it was all it took to ensure a gregarious and unanimous vote, 6-0, for the site plan approval. The final hurdle has now been
cleared for the project to begin clearing the site, hold an official ceremonial groundbreaking in early November and, within three years, to present the City with a signature project of housing, senior housing, affordable housing, restaurants, a unique movie complex, a civil space and lots of added retail. It’s been a long time coming. In the works since late 2011, the plan first came to the F.C.