Newsletter of the Rose Hill Civic Association
January 2010
President
Carl Sell
703.971.4716
Vice President
Linda Nichols
703.971.0755
Secretary
Beth Kohm
703.338.4876
Treasurer
Carolyn Slenska
703.922.4135
Editor, The Rambler
Marty Williams
703.910.6316
Neighborhood Watch
Woody Betts
703.971.0520
Webmaster
Jim Sapp
303.816.0944
RHCA, P.O. Box 10891, Alexandria, VA 22310
President’s Message
County Budget Process Update, Kindercare on May Boulevard to be Discussed by RHCA Tuesday
Two important subjects will be on the agenda for the first 2010 meeting of the Rose Hill Civic Association on Tuesday, January 26 at 7pm at the Rose Hill Elementary School. The meeting place has been moved from the John Marshall Library, which now closes at 8pm on Tuesdays because of budget cutbacks. When more meeting time is needed we will use the school thanks to the hospitality of Principal Terri Czarniak and her staff.
The budget presentation is designed to lay out the process between now and April when the Board of Supervisors will adopt a budget a set the tax rate for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010. RHCA will be updating budget information in the next few months so members will have necessary information to help understand the process.
Kindercare and the property owner are seeking approval to update permission to operate a child care center/private school on residentially-zoned land. The site on May Boulevard is zoned R-3, just like the rest of Rose Hill. Prior to the late 1970s, the site was used as a community center and swim club. Because of financial difficulty, the center and pool were closed and the property was sold. It has operated as a child care center/private school ever since.
More detailed information on both the budget and Kindercare subjects follow.
County Budget Update
We are privileged to be able to hear from Susan Datta, Director of the Fairfax County Department of Management and Budget, who will provide us an overview of the process that will set your real estate and other taxes for the coming year. Part of that process will be the annual assessment of property value and you’ll also hear about that.
As you no doubt are aware, the County once again faces a large deficit, the scope of which has yet to be totally determined. Hard choices involving personnel and program cutbacks, tax rate increases, and additional user fees are being discussed. The school system accounts for more than 50 percent of the budget in Fairfax County and the School Board is currently studying a proposal by the Superintendent that does not provide any program increases.
Also ongoing are budget considerations at the state and federal levels that will have major ramifications at the local level. Another unfunded mandate in the form of an increase in the number of people covered by Medicare in Virginia is proposed as part of the federal Health Care bill being coordinated between the House and Senate on Capitol Hill. That could have the effect of funding the coverage for more people on Medicare while at the same time reducing the state contribution to local budgets.
Susan will provide us with the deficit situation as of now while outlining the steps to be taken before a final budget is adopted by the Board of Supervisors. You will be reading and hearing all sorts of information from the County agencies, schools, and special interests over the next few months. This program is designed to walk you through the process of where revenue funds come from and how they are spent. Subsequent information will help you make an informed decision on cuts versus additional revenue sources.
KinderCare on May Boulevard
Because of a new owner and a change of permit categories by the County, the Kindercare on May Boulevard must be granted a Special Exception in order to continue operation. Schools at the site under a variety of names have been operating at the site since 1980. The original Special Permit was granted to Proctor Hatsell Private School and was not transferable. Since then, the process has been moved from the Special Permit to the Special Exception process, requiring public hearings and approval by the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. As of this writing, dates of the public hearing have been deferred indefinitely in order for the applicant to update the ownership affidavit. This gives RHCA a chance to review the original conditions to make sure our concerns are addressed. As we understand it, the only change being sought by Kindercare is to change the name on the permit. Of course, they will have to meet new County ordinances as far as parking, landscaping, storm water runoff, and other environ-mental issues. The original approval allowed opera-tion of the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The number of students was capped at 200. Use of the pool was restricted to school activities. The number of parking spaces was set at 25 with an additional 14 to be constructed if there was any expansion of the site. The applicant was charged with monitoring the parking situation to make sure there was no parking on adjacent streets or property. In his testimony, the applicant’s attorney noted there would be 25 employees and there would be day and night care centers on the site. RHCA has invited a representative of Kindercare to brief the community at our January 26 meeting at Rose Hill Elementary School. Use of the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week is a concern. Reasonable hours of operation for such a facility located within a quiet residential neighborhood would make sense.
Save the Silos!
In conjunction with the above item, RHCA is asking its members to approve a resolution calling for the silos on the May Boulevard site to be preserved. The silos are the last visible reminder of the agricultural heritage of the Rose Hill and Franconia communities. They are estimated to be approximately 100 years old. Should the resolution be adopted by RHCA, we will be asking the owner of the property to commit to preservation of the silos as a condition of the Special Exception. We will also ask the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the Fairfax County History Commission, and the Franconia Museum to support preservation and assist in obtaining future state, federal, or private funds to maintain and protect the silos from future development on the site. The Special Exception condition will protect the silos only as long as the use continues.
Resolution
Whereas, the Rose Hill and Franconia areas of Fairfax County have a rich history in agriculture, and
Whereas the Rose Hill community is built on the site of a farm dating back to pre-Revolutionary War and was the home of the first builder of historic Pohick Church, and
Whereas, there are two existing silos located on May Boulevard near the site of the original manor house that have been in existence for approximately 100 years, and
Whereas, the Rose Hill Civic Association desires to preserve those silos as one of the few remaining examples of the rich agricultural heritage of the Franconia area, and
Whereas, the County of Fairfax encourages and supports preservation efforts through the Fairfax County History Commission and local heritage programs such as the Franconia Museum,
Therefore be it Resolved that the Rose Hill Civic Association calls upon the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, The Fairfax County History Commission, and the Franconia Museum to take the steps necessary to preserve and protect these silos as examples of the area’s rich agricultural heritage, and
Be it Further Resolved that the Rose Hill Civic Association stands ready to assist the Board of Supervisors, the History Commission, and the Franconia Museum in collective efforts to preserve these silos.
Approved by Rose Hill Civic Association
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Christmas Lights
Old Man Winter almost delivered a knockout blow to the Christmas lights in Rose Hill. On Winston Place, he buried the Szamborski’s band under a foot and a half of snow. However, when the snow melted the band rose up and played on just as if nothing had happened. Despite the bad conditions, there were a number of homes that managed to show the Christmas Spirit and continued it throughout the Holidays. The James at 6412 May Boulevard had a stunning display. The judges also lauded the Fulks at 6410 Cottonwood Drive, the Nguyens at 6512 Rose Hill Drive, the Valdes at 6403 May Boulevard, the Daileys at 5009 Eastchester Circle, and the McMinns at 4804 Apple Tree Drive. The full list of award winners is on Page 5. Thanks to all who braved the snow and ice to help provide Christmas and Holiday cheer for rest of us as well as visitors to our community. Grand Prize and Exceptional Display winners will receive certificates in the near future. If you think we missed someone, you may be right. Because of the cold and piles of snow, it was difficult for the judges to see all the addresses. And some lights weren’t turned on although the judges were out on three different occasions. Let us know if we missed someone and we’ll correct it in the next Rambler.
2009 Holiday Lighting Awards
NOTE: Because of the snow and cold, we suspect many of the lights were either not on or displays were under the snow when the judges made their rounds. If you previously were an award winner and were missed this year, let us know and we’ll update the list in the February Rambler. Ditto for first-time decorators who were snowed out!
Grand Prize Overall
6412 May Boulevard
James
Grand Prize Overall
6410 Cottonwood Drive
Fulk
Grand Prize Overall
6512 Rose Hill Drive
Nguyen
Grand Prize Overall
6403 May Boulevard
Valdes
Grand Prize Overall
5009 Eastchester Circle
Johnson-Dailey
Grand Prize Overall
4804 Apple Tree Drive
McMinn
Exceptional Outdoor Tree
6327 Rose Hill Drive
Luginbill
Exceptional Outdoor Tree
6400 Wayside Place
Dodson
Exceptional Display
4518 Winston Place
Dillon
Exceptional Display
4515 Winston Place
Szamborski
Exceptional Display
6431 Carriage Drive
Rice
Exceptional Display
4700 Flower Lane
Kroetche
Exceptional Display
4705 Flower Lane
Raby
Exceptional Display
6409 Willowood Lane
Grigsby
Exceptional Display
5005 Greenhaven Place
Najafabadi
Exceptional Display
6501 Haystack Road
Kaminski
Exceptional Display
4525 Apple Tree Drive
Herrera
Exceptional Display
4525 Roundhill Road
Williams
Exceptional Display
6504 Telegraph Road
Najazadeh
Exceptional Display
4901 Silo Road
Torres
Excellent Display
6222 Thornwood Drive
Vereen
Excellent Display
6207 Thornwood Drive
Benetiz
Excellent Display
4806 Apple Tree Drive
Montequin
Excellent Display
4503 Apple Tree Drive
Rivera
Excellent Display
6408 Maryview Street
Phillips
Excellent Display
4701 Split Rock Road
Thomas
Excellent Display
4703 Split Rock Road
Oroc
Excellent Display
4511 Roundhill Road
Harris
Excellent Display
6407 Rose Hill Drive
Garcia
Excellent Display
6404 Rye Court
Govert
Excellent Display
6121 Dew Grass
Williams
Excellent Display
6115 Blue Grass Drive
Martin
Excellent Display
6413 Willowood Lane
Castillo
Excellent Display
6419 Willowood Lane
Foster
Excellent Display
6402 Rose Hill Drive
Justice
Excellent Display
6417 Rose Hill Drive
Bearth
Excellent Display
4901 Silo Road
Torres
Outstanding Display
6513 Carriage Drive
Murname
Outstanding Display
6504 Haystack Road
Vath
Outstanding Display
6101 Leewood Drive
Palmer
Outstanding Display
6110 Leewood Drive
Collins
Outstanding Display
6111 Leewood Drive
Friend/Smith
Outstanding Display
6122 Leewood Drive
Mayo
Outstanding Display
6330 Maryview Street
Lawrence
Outstanding Display
6270 Rose Hill Drive
Sandy Benarick
Outstanding Display
6405 Rose Hill Drive
Vasquez/Pocheco
Outstanding Display
6409 Rose Hill Drive
Salgado
Outstanding Display
6500 Rose Hill Drive
Trejos
Outstanding Display
4522 Roundhill Road
Dougherty
Outstanding Display
6402 Rye Court
McCaw
Outstanding Display
6314 Saddle Tree Drive
Hoover
Outstanding Display
4903 Silo Road
Chwiki
Outstanding Display
5000 Treetop Lane
Barney
Outstanding Display
4915 Treetop Lane
Ly
Outstanding Display
6208 Thornwood Drive
Haupt
Outstanding Display
6417 Willowood Lane
Parker
If we don’t have your name, have it wrong, or misspelled it, please contact one of the officers and we will correct it in the February Rambler. If you think you or one of your neighbors has been left off the list, it may have been because their lights were not on during our judging period. Let us know and we will correct the oversight in the February Rambler.
MyRoseHill.com
Take a look at the snow pictures and the Christmas light pictures on our outstanding web site, MyRoseHill.com. Thanks to all of you who sent in snow pictures; we uploaded almost every picture we received. You can tell your friends and relatives from afar that they can check out the evidence of the big snow on our website! Keep up with all the news that matters about Rose Hill in The Rambler and on the web site, two out-standing examples of why Rose Hill is such a great place to live.
2010 Membership
Don’t forget to join or renew your membership with RHCA for 2010. We guarantee that 100% of your dues and contribution goes toward community projects as we have absolutely no over-head for personnel! Our costs include printing of The Rambler, the Rose Hill Beauty signs, maintenance of the flower bed at the entrance sign, post office box, state corporation commission fees, supplies for meetings, and contributions to worthy local organizations. Volunteers deliver The Rambler, maintain our Neighborhood Watch, and generally help make Rose Hill a great place to live. Officers get to buy their own gas! Remember that only RHCA members receive Rose Hill Beauty signs or can have their businesses listed free in our business directory. The latter is restricted to business owners/operators who live in Rose Hill. We encourage everyone to do business with their neighbors.
Fill out the form and send it, along with your contribution, to RHCA at P.O. Box 10891, Franconia, VA 22310. Forward any questions or suggestions to either Carl Sell (703.971.4716, sellcarl@aol.com) or Linda Nichols (703.971.0755 or dovefellow@aol.com).
—Carl Sell
Rose Hill Civic Association Members as of January 15, 2010
Nouri & Suham Abbou
6115 Rose Hill Drive
Rebecca Bagdasian
6214 Driftwood Drive
P.G. Bauserman
4531 Round Hill Road
Connie Beatty
6428 Rose Hill Drive
Gary J. Bravy
6214 Climbhill Road
Mark Broxterman
6424 Haystack Road
Maureen & Jason Cardone
6418 Willowood Lane
Roger & Carol Christiensen
6409 Maryview Street
Matthew Dailey & Cynthia Johnson-Dailey
5009 Eastchester Circle
Bernice Evans
6411 Willowood Lane
Anna Fish
6301 Cottonwood Drive
Trigg Flannagan
6514 Haystack Road
Rati Friend/Michael Smith
6111 Leewood Drive
Rosemarie & Mike Field
4426 Roundhill Road
Larry & Connie Fulk
6410 Cottonwood Drive
Theresa Harper
6506 Carriage Drive
Robert & Shirley Herr
6103 Leewood Drive
Don & Lynn Hoffman
5002 Treetop Lane
Alice Holloman
4518 Sturbridge Place
Emily Hood
5012 Treetop Lane
Mike & Bonnie Greek
6330 Willowood Lane
F. Jencks
6416 Willowood Lane
Marvin & Fran Justice
6402 Rose Hill Drive
Jean & Davood Kalkhoran
6112 Clovergrass Drive
Cedric Lack
6330 Rose Hill Drive
Mildred Lane
6410 May Boulevard
Edward & Anna Lewis
6117 Leewood Drive
James Lockwood
6114 Clovergrass Drive
Jamie & David Lord
6208 Redwood Lane
Wellington & Ann Machmer
6200 Willowood Lane
Mary Mayo
61221 Leewood Drive
Mike & Jo Ann McLean
6433 Carriage Drive
Dolores McKinney
6303 Cottonwood Drive
George & Susan McKittrick
6113 Clovergrass Drive
Marion Messinger
6603 Cottonwood Drive
Mimi Minarik
6518 Telegraph Road
Herbert & Grace Newman
4910 Silo Road
Dave & Linda Nichols
6416 Rose Hill Drive
Monica Reed
6422 Rose Hill Drive
Adam & Rita Rice
6431 Carriage Drive
David & Nancy Ridgway
4609 Cottonwood Place
G. Miller L. Seiss
6415 Willowood Lane
J. Niedermeyer
6500 Haystack Road
James & Nancy Richey
4402 Roundhill Road
James & Marie Sherfey
6415 Rose Hill Drive
Marlene Hass Smith
6304 Cottonwood Drive
William & Jean Stemple
6306 Cottonwood Drive
Thomas Strah
6421 Rose Hill Drive
Tinker & Don Szamborski
4615 Winston Place
Linda and Lauck Walton
4900 Silo Road
Don & Nina Weber
6120 Dew Grass Drive
Snow Removal Rose Hill Style
Thanks to all of you who cleared the sidewalks in front of their houses after the heavy snow in December. A special thanks to those of you who helped out neighbors who either didn't have equipment couldn’t do it themselves. There were lots of shovels, snow blowers, and snow tractors at work after the storm. Thanks to all of them. When a storm brings the community to a temporary standstill, take the time to make sure your elderly neighbors are safe and snug. Include them in your shopping plans. The December snow once again proved what special people there are in Rose Hill. Thanks to all of them. And, thanks to the hard-working men and women at VDOT who had us back on the roads within a reasonable time. They concentrate on the main roads first and then tackle the side streets. It takes a few days to get the side streets, so please be patient. Seems to me that despite the recent downsizing, VDOT did a good job.
— Carl Sell
FCPS Career and Transition Services Showcased at CTS Information Fair
FCPS is holding two Career and Transition Services Information Fairs to showcase services that students with disabilities can access in high school as they prepare to transition from school to adult life. The fairs, running from 7 to 8:30pm, will be held on Tuesday, January 26, at Chantilly HS, 4201 Stringfellow Road in Chantilly, and on Thursday, February 4, at West Springfield HS, 6100 Rolling Road in Springfield.
Sponsored by the Career and Transition Services (CTS) section of the Office of Special Education Instruction, the fairs are designed to help middle and high school-age students and their parents learn about transition services and gather information. An overview of CTS services will be provided at each fair, and CTS staff members will be available to share information and answer individual questions regarding the following services:
Career Academy Support
Career Assessment
Davis and Pulley Career Centers
Employment and Transition Services
Job Coach Services
Office Technology and Procedures Class
Technology Support Services
Work Awareness and Transition Class
For more information about the CTS Information Fairs, contact Amy Crane at 571.423.4159 or amcrane@fcps.edu, or visit http://www.fcps.edu/dss/sei/careertransition/index.htm.
— FCPS
Pixie 2 Software Program
FCPS is offering a special price for a great computer software program called Pixie 2. With Pixie, students can apply a variety of graphic effects to photos and use paint tools and stickers to create original artwork. Whether students are working on art lessons, math concepts, social studies and science topics, or vocabulary, Pixie provides the tools they need to demonstrate mastery of curriculum concepts. To purchase the program go to http://shop.tech4learning.com/ and use the county discount code HUCVL100.
Advertising in the Rambler
We have recently received several inquiries concerning advertising in the Rambler. While a listing in the Business Directory is free to Rose Hill residents who own their business, placing an actual advertisement is open to all with rates as follows per month:
Business Card size
3 1/2" x 2"
$10
Quarter page size
3 1/2" x 4 3/4"
$25
Half page size
7 1/2" x 4 3/4"
$50
Full page size
7 1/2" x 9 3/4"
$100
Ads may be bought for either one month only, month-to-month, or as many months in advance as desired. Our newsletter is published nine times a year, excluding July, August and December.
Advertising in the Rambler is an excellent way to reach the 700+ homes in our community. In addition, the ads each month are placed on our website www.MyRoseHill.com for the world to see.
Anyone interested in placing an ad may call the editor (me) at 703.910.6316. I will need the artwork sent to me either electronically in a .tiff or .jpg format or as a hard copy through the mail. Checks made out to RHCA may be included with ads mailed to me, or sent to our PO Box 10891 for quick access to the treasurer.
Marty Williams
