ieds, page 14 my pit’s the pit

McLean Connection ❖ March 11-17, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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Class Sizes, McLean Day,Cookies and NoiseNews, Page 8

Take It OutsideNews, Page 4

Josh Leong, front playing themarimba, made a short film

about the McLean HighSchool Marching Band pit

section. The film will befeatured at the Bethesda Film

Fest on March 20-21.

My Pit’sThe Pit

News, Page 3

My Pit’sThe Pit

News, Page 3

2 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ March 11-17, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

McLean Connection ❖ March 11-17, 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Ken Moore

The Connection

About 100 people submitted films,and Josh Leong, 14, of McLean,is $500 richer for earning one offive spots in an upcoming Film

Festival for a comedy film sketch about hishigh school marching band.

Well, no, not his marching band, saidLeong. The percussion section of theMcLean High School marching band.

Well, no, not that either. “The pit” of thepercussion section of the McLean HighSchool marching band.

Leong and his friends are the musicianswho don’t move with the band, they are theones who play instruments that can’t belugged around, like timpani drums, marim-bas, xylophones, and other odds and ends.

Any noise making device, said McLeanBand Director Chris Weise.

Snare drummers, bass drummers, “they’rethe prestigious ones who get to make noiseand march around,” said Leong.

THE PIT, they are the stationary ones, saidWeise. “We try to give every percussionistsome experience in the pit.”

Perhaps for their lack of movement, “Thepit has a reputation of being slackers,” saidLeong.

“My Pit’s the Pit — McLean High SchoolMarching Band,” is the name of Leong’s five-minute long film; actually a four-minute 58second film that won a spot in BethesdaUrban Partnership’s Film Fest 2015 to beshown in Bethesda at Imagination Stage onMarch 20 and 21.

Leong’s is one of 100 entries that weresubmitted this year, the third year of theFilm Fest, said Brenna O'Malley, of BethesdaUrban Partnership.

“It wasn’t a surprise to me that he putsomething really good together,” said Weise.“He’s a talented student in a lot of ways.”

“There is an enormous amount of talentin this area. To have students participate isgreat,” said O’Malley.

Promotional materials say Leong’s film is“a look at the unique, passionate and un-der-appreciated front ensemble percussionsection. Each overlooked member of the Pit

is instrumental in the foundational successof the band.”

Leong describes it a bit differently, albeitwith a sense of humor. “When we createdthe video, we didn’t create it with festivalsin mind,” he said. “It’s original, it’s short. Itwas created to be a comedy.”

“I was a freshman in my first season inmarching band. I quickly noticed that wehad a bad reputation,” he said. “We’reshunned and underappreciated.”

Although Leong talks about his film hu-morously, his band director calls him a stu-dent who is always prepared, serious, “agood student in every regard.”

“He’s not a class clown,” he said.Leong is a talented musician, said Weise;

he also has aspirations to create more film.

He and his “pitmates” made the film to bringunity while doing something fun.

People in the band told him, “‘That’s theonly good thing I’ve seen come out of thepit,’” he said.

“It gave us a little respect, it showed ourcreativity.”

Ten to 15 musicians play in the pit; about160 students participate in marching band,said Weise.

“They are a fun and creative group ofpeople,” said Weise, who has been the banddirector for 7 years.

FILMS NEEDED to be between five min-utes and 30 minutes. Leong’s was 4 min-utes, 58 seconds.

“That was an interesting predicament for

our video,” said Leong. “I didn’t really thinktwo seconds would make or break the ac-ceptance.”

The judges excused the two seconds.“That’s the judges decision,” said

O’Malley.“I’d much rather see a film that’s 4 min-

utes and 58 seconds than 38 minutes,” saidWeise.

Filmmakers needed to be from Virginia,Maryland and Washington, D.C. Each film-maker will discuss his or her film after thescreening.

The film festival is scheduled for Friday,March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at 7 and9 p.m. at Imagination Stage, 4908 AuburnAve. Tickets cost $10. Visitwww.bethesda.org for more information.

Go See the Film FestThe Bethesda Film Fest will feature five short

documentaries made by local filmmakers, screen-ing Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, 7p.m. & 9 p.m. at Imagination Stage, 4908 AuburnAve., Bethesda. Tickets cost $10.

The evening will include a discussion with thefilmmakers after the screenings. Five short films,between 5 and 30 minutes long, were chosen outof more than 100 submitted.

Here are the winners:

❖ “My Pit’s the Pit,” (4 minutes, 58 seconds) byJosh Leong; A look at the passionate and under-appreciated front ensemble percussion section –the Pit. Each overlooked member of the Pit ofMcLean High School Band is instrumental.

❖ “Towpath Joe” (7 minutes, 40 seconds) bySusanne Coates and Emily Wathen, followsisland caretaker, musician, naturalist andPotomac River advocate, Joe Hage. After movingto a small island adjacent to the C&O Canal, Joereconnects with his passion for music andbecomes a diplomat for the river.

❖ “The Stillbrave” (17 minutes) by Jay Korff; TomMitchell, affectionately known as Tattoo Tom,attempts to finish a 100-mile off-road trail racein which each mile is dedicated to a differentchild battling childhood cancer.

❖ “Cal, The Writer” (6 minutes, 19 seconds) byBenjamin Boult and Harry Schock, produced bySue Sheridan; When Cal was born, his motherand father were told that he would never walkor talk. Apparently, no one passed that info onto Cal, now a freshman in college and a KennedyCenter award-winning playwright.

❖ “Fate of a Salesman” (26 minutes, 46 seconds) byBen Crosbie and Tessa Moran

❖ After 60 years of business, Men’s Fashion Centerfaces its biggest challenge; a tough economy anda gentrifying neighborhood.

❖ Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave. Ticketscost $10. See www.bethesda.org

Freshman’s funny film about McLean High SchoolBand featured in Bethesda Film Fest.My Pit’s The Pit

Photos contributed

Conor Zeya with his drum named Evan, and Jade Deatherage in thebackground.

Conor Zeya inJosh Leong’sfilm about theMcLean HighSchool March-ing Band pitsection. Thefilm will befeatured at theBethesda FilmFest on March20-21.

John Leong is a freshman marimba player in McLean High School’saward-winning marching band program. His film about the stationarypercussionists of the band was awarded one of five slots out of 100entries to be showcased at the Bethesda Film Fest on March 20-21.

McLean Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic, 703-778-9414 or [email protected]


News

By Abigail Constantino

The Connection

A reception for Playworks, a non-profit organization that aims tochange play in schools and re-cess, was held on Sunday, March

1 at the home of of Jim and Patrice Anglein McLean. Jim Angle is the former chiefnational correspondent for Fox News. Theevent was presented by the Angles andChuck and Kristian Todd. Chuck Todd is themoderator of “Meet the Press” on NBC.

Founder Jill Vialet, Playworks boardmembers, coaches and volunteers, andguests attended the reception, which an-nounced the arrivalof Playworks in Vir-ginia. Eighteen el-ementary schools inWashington, D.C.have already partici-pated in its directservice program,which placescoaches in theschools. It is nowventuring in Vir-ginia to offer train-ing services to schools and teachers on howto effectively use play to bring out the bestin every child, said Rachel Hustedt, a pro-gram manager at Playworks.

One of the programs Playworks offers isRecess 360, a comprehensive program com-prising of workshops and consultations thatteaches how to prevent exclusion and ex-clusionary behavior.

“It’s a good time for people in Virginia torealize what Playworks is so they can beginto support it,” said Jim Angle. “Ultimately,it is about making kids good citizens and tolearn how to make good decisions. It makesa better society,” he said.

Playworks makesrecess fun for all.

Take It Outside

"Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd, speaks at the Playworks recep-tion on Sunday, March 1 in McLean. He and wife, Kristian, presented acheck to Playworks.

Ed and Judith Poe, of McLean, attend the Playworks reception at thehome of neighbor Jim and Patrice Angle.

Playworks coaches Mo Abdullah and Sean Riddick attend the receptionon Sunday, March 1. “Grown-ups norming positive behavior, such askindness and leadership,” underlies what Playworks is about, saidfounder Jill Vialet.

Ed Poe, of McLean, was invited by theAngles and remembered his own experi-ences in school, “I’ve been out of school fora while but I remember there was a bullyin every class and so many children wereintimidated and would not even go out forrecess because they were afraid they weregoing to get beat up or assaulted. Bullyingis so destructive today. It affects you the restof your life.”

Mo Abdullah, a Playworks coach at TylerElementary School in Washington, D.C.,said that with the use of games, studentslearn conflict resolution skills and gain con-fidence that translates in so many differentareas.

Mike Isman, of Arlington, a board mem-ber at D.C. Playworks, attended a recesssession and was immediately drawn in. Heplayed jump rope with kindergartners and

after praising themfor doing a good joba five-year old girlcame up to him andreminded him togive the players ahigh five. “She saidI forgot to give ahigh five to a girlwho did a good job.Immediately I wentto the playworks di-rector and said I’m

in,” he said. He also recruited his co-workerShana Yearwood, of Alexandria, who nowvolunteers with the volleyball program andis also a board member. “Kids createstructure…they are more focused on work-ing as a team and improving skills than beat-ing the other teams. I think it’s awesome,”she said.

“I’m impressed about how they teach chil-dren how to resolve their conflict on theplayground…how to have self-confidence.I think it’s really important,” said McLeanresident Judith Poe.

Go to http://www.playworks.org/ formore information about Playworks.

Shana Yearwood,of Alexandria, is avolunteer andboard member atPlayworks.

Mo Abdullah, orCoach Mo, is aPlayworks coach atTyler Elementary inWashington, D.C.

Jim Angle, and hiswife, Patrice, alongwith Chuck andKristian Todd, werethe hosts of thereception announc-ing the arrival ofPlayworks trainingprograms in Virginia.

Photos by Abigail Constantino/The Connection

“Ultimately, it is aboutmaking kids goodcitizens and to learn howto make good decisions.It makes a better society,”

— Jim Angle


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The McLean Community Center’s (MCC) 11-memberGoverning Board will hold its annual Public Hearing onPrograms at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25. Theboard is asking residents of Dranesville Small District1A to come to the meeting and share their thoughts onCenter programs and services. The regular monthlymeeting of the Governing Board will follow the hearing.All meetings of the board are open to the public. TheCenter is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue.

Residents of the Center’s tax district who attendthe meeting can voice their opinions on current Cen-ter offerings and make suggestions for improvingcurrent programs and/or adding new initiatives. Thehearing is one step in planning for the FY 2017 bud-get cycle, which begins July 1, 2016. The Center is

home to the Robert Ames Alden Theatre. A satelliteprogram, The Old Firehouse Teen Center, is locatedat 1440 Chain Bridge Road.

Residents who would like to speak at the hearingmay call the Center at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, tohave their names placed on the speakers’ list so thata schedule may be established. Residents may sub-mit written comments by mail, fax (703-556-0547),email ([email protected]) or in personup to seven days after the hearing.

Residents who want to find out if they live withinthe Center’s tax district, may call the Center at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit: http://www.mcleancenter.org/about/district. For more in-formation, visit the website: http://bit.ly/1C29YGZ.

Residents Invited to Share Ideas on Community Center Programs

Week in McLean

132 Branch Road, S.E. • Vienna, VAVisit www.maplewoodgrill.com for Specials

Live Entertainment Wed. thru Sat.

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St. Patty’s Day Beer DinnerFeaturing Flying Dog Beer Company

Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m.5 Beer, 4 Course Dinner

Call for Reservations

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The Fairfax Choral Society Presents

In Paradisum Sacred Music from France







Sunday, March 15, 2015 • 4:00 p.m.St. Luke Catholic Church

7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101Featuring the FCS Symphonic Adult Chorus and YouthChorus Concert Choir, as well as a chamber orchestraand renowned organist Paul Skevington in a concert

of sacred masterworks from 20th Century France.

Sunday, March 15, 2015 • 4:00 p.m.St. Luke Catholic Church

7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101Featuring the FCS Symphonic Adult Chorus and YouthChorus Concert Choir, as well as a chamber orchestraand renowned organist Paul Skevington in a concert

of sacred masterworks from 20th Century France.

Tickets and more information can be foundon our Website: www.fairfaxchoralsociety.orgor by contacting us at 703-642-3277 [email protected]

Tickets and more information can be foundon our Website: www.fairfaxchoralsociety.orgor by contacting us at 703-642-3277 [email protected]


Opinion

By David Levine

Executive Director

Good Shepherd Housing and Family

Services, Inc.

In our work housing families and indi-viduals experiencing homelessness,many of them have never lived in hous-ing of their own. They have lived doubled

up with relatives and friends, campedout in broken-down minivans, orchecked into motels for overnightstays. But signing a lease with a com-mitment to a year’s worth of monthly rent pay-ments — that’s a new or long-ago experiencefor them. And it’s a scary one, too.

That’s when we come into their lives to helpthem out. Our housing locators and case man-agers work with them to understand the ba-sics of renting a housing property. Withoutquestion, the rental lease gives them rights. Itbestows on them the new lawful designationof “tenant.” But a rental lease also comes withnew responsibilities.

The responsibilities are not easy. Paying renton the first of the month is their highest prior-ity as a tenant. Keeping in line with rental com-munity rules and regulations is equally impor-tant. Making sure that they keep their housing

in a good condition is another one. Excessivedamage and wear-and-tear of their rental hous-ing will make their security deposits — the onethey had struggled for weeks to pull together— vanish into thin air.

We know the hardest part is making thatrent payment on the first of each month. Itis a real balancing act. As the sociologistSudhir Venkatesh once noted about low-in-

come families living in South Chi-cago who struggled to make rentpayments: “This does not meanpeople fail to plan but … there are

separate temporal horizons, one in the im-mediate future and the other a longer wayoff.” In other words, these families focus onthe expenses to be paid today, not tomorrowor next month.

In its just released poverty study of womenand girls in the Washington D.C. metropolitanregion, the Washington Area Women’s Foun-dation included information on the averagemonthly expenses faced by poor families liv-ing in our region. Drawing on 2013 U.S. Cen-sus Bureau data and other datasets, the au-thor of the study provided measures of eco-nomic security for what a family of three with-out public assistance would need to pay itsexpenses.

For example, even at $1,325/month as theaverage rent in Fairfax County, this monthlyrent is actually not the most costly of thefamily’s household expenses. In fact, at an av-erage of $1,821/month, the highest monthlyexpense is for childcare. All told, when all theexpenses are added up, a typical family of threewould need $82,572 in annual income inFairfax County to afford to live comfortablythere and cover all its expenses.

The federal poverty line annual income fora family of three is $19,530. As many familiesexperiencing homelessness are earning justabove the poverty line, the amount of incomeneeded to live without worries in FairfaxCounty is a long way off for them.

Still, even for low-income families and indi-viduals experiencing homelessness, our casemanagers and housing locators can make aworld of difference. They work to find themvery affordable housing within a shrinking poolof this kind of housing. Once housed, they sup-port them in getting a budget in place — andthen we can only hope that nothing upendstheir budgets.

No medical emergencies. No transmissionrepairs on their cars used for work. No one-time spikes in their heating costs. It is a bal-ancing act.

Balancing Act: Budgeting for Housing

Commentary

An Open Letterto GovernorDear Governor McAuliffe,

When you visited our Pre-Ses-sion Round Table Luncheon inDecember 2013, we in the Leagueof Women Voters were thrilled tohear you say, “I think we shoulddo everything we can to make vot-ing as easy as possible in Virginia.”

You have kept your word, andhave been a wonderful friend tovoters in Virginia. We were proudto sit near the front when you an-nounced budget money for newvoting equipment, at your pressconference in Virginia Beach – andto lobby for that budget line.

Now a bill has been passed byboth houses, requiring citizenswho apply for absentee ballots toinclude a photocopy of their validphoto ID. There is no real purposeto this bill, beyond making itharder to vote– because registrarshave no photo with which to com-pare the mailed copy.

This measure would have espe-cially harsh effects on the old, thepoor, the disabled, and thehomebound– depriving them of aneasy way to vote if traveling pre-sents a challenge.

A number of organizations– in-cluding many in the electoralboard and registrar associations–oppose this bill. The League stoodwith them to lobby against thissuppressive measure. And now weask you, with great respect: Please

veto House Bill 1318!We are counting on your strong

promise to defend voters in Vir-ginia. Thank you again for all youdo for citizens.

Anne SterlingPresident, League of Women

Voters of Virginia

Bully BikersTo the Editor:

I’d like to share some commentsabout our wonderful town(Vienna) and the surroundingcommunities regarding bicycle rid-ers. As a point of reference, I loveto ride my bicycle, a Trek Hybridthat is perfect for the trails and theW&OD. I ride at least once a weekand get in approximately 20 milesto get my exercise in and just gen-eral enjoyment.

My point here is that I recognizeand appreciate all bikers and whatthey are doing as fun and exercise.

However, I witnessed yesterdayan incident that is indicative of theincreasing “bully” population ofmany bikers today. Bikers who ridein our streets designed for cars buttaking aggression out on vehiclesfor following the motor vehiclelaws when they themselves do not.I’m not talking about just the ca-sual biker but the major bikerswho think they are powerfulenough to keep up a 50 mile anhour ride on our streets.

I was in the parking lot of Noodlesand Company and Starbucks on

Maple Avenue on Sunday after-noon. A young lady driving her carin the right lane adjacent to theparking lot attempted to make aright turn (correctly) into the lot. Abiker was attempting to pass her onher right side and he nearly clippedher. He started screaming and yell-ing at the young woman and thenstarted hitting and kicking her car.She was terrified.

His obscenities and aggressionwas so horrific that it attractednumerous people.

As the young lady pulled into theparking lot the biker came to chaseher and was all set to start yellingand screaming at her for “herfault” of hitting him. I intervenedand stopped his aggressive ap-proach and then he started takingit out on me! He saw my licenseplate as a Marine Corp’s vanityplate and told me I was a disgraceto the Corps! He wanted a fight.That is all there is to it.

When is the Vienna Police de-partment going to start ticketingthese aggressive bikers who aredriving on our roads but are notdriving within the laws enacted forour roads? Also, what about “ag-gressive bicycle driver” behavior ofthese bully bikers? Can we dosomething about them as well?

Sean DuGuayVienna

Money TalksTo the Editor:

I must say I agree wholeheart-

edly with the “ugly” segment ofyour article that summarizes theend of the Virginia General Assem-bly (Editorial, “Good, Bad andUgly: A look at recently ended ses-sion of the Virginia General Assem-bly,” Connection, March 4-10,2015). It seems as though lobby-ing and payoffs are far too com-mon an occurrence in politicsthese days. This makes me ques-tion the legitimacy of our repre-sentatives, not to mention the gov-ernment as a whole. When corpo-rations fund a representative to afar greater degree than the major-ity of the public could donate dur-ing a campaign, wouldn’t it be safeto assume that the money comeswith multiple strings attached?

It comes with a price, that pricepresumably being an unwaveringloyalty that disregards public opin-ion entirely. I see it almost asblackmail, “you put through poli-cies that favor our business prac-tices, the money keeps flowing andyou get to stay in office.”

Nowadays your bank account isyour mouth, and if you don’t havethe money then your mouth issewn shut. This is classism in anutshell, and if we want to be trueto democratic process, then thereis no place for lobbying practicesin the people’s government. Ohwait I forgot, corporations arepeople too right?

Christopher S. FenwickMcLean

Letters to the Editor

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McLean


At the request of the Special Commissioner, and by order ofThe Circuit Court of Arlington County, Virginia, the followingdescribed real estate will be offered to the highest bidder atPUBLIC AUCTION on the above date and time…

Auctioneers: Dan Pegelow #667& Buddy Updike, CAI #83

Special Commissioners:Taxing Authority Consulting Services, PCP.O. Box 31800, Henrico, VA 23294(804) 545-2377

Parcel 2(Anna Mayewsky,

et al.):4117 N. Richmond St.;

Arlingwood, Lot 25,Sec. 1; 11,013+/- sq.

ft. Improved.RPC#03004006

Parcel 1(Belle Lewis Estate,

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Nauck Subdivision,Block R, Lot 33;

3,750+/- sq. ft. lot.RPC#31001034

Visit Our Website for Full Terms of Sale & Other Info!www.AtAuction.Biz • 540-899-1776

Special Commissioner’s Public Sale of ArlingtonCounty Tax Delinquent Real Estate…

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“Purveyors of FINE cigars forpeople of Taste and Character”

Comstock Reflects on ‘An Inspiring Weekend’U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-10):“It was such a privilege to mark the 50th anniversary of Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches with

my colleague, Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights leader and foot soldier in the fight for voting rights and justice.It was an inspiring weekend of faith and commemoration with over 100 Members of Congress attending tohonor these American heroes.”

News


By by Morgan Perigard

Westfield High School

Iris Murdoch once said, “We live in afantasy world, a world of illusion.The great task in life is to find real-

ity.” This task rings especially true for oneman, an optimistic dreamer. This is theman that will take you on a journey… ajourney through McLean High School’sproduction of "Big Fish."

"Big Fish," based on the Daniel Wallacenovel and Tim Burton movie, opened onBroadway in 2013. The show, with mu-sic and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and bookby John August, ran for 98 performances.Following two story lines, this heart-warming story of love, acceptance andfamily, chronicles the life of EdwardBloom through the extraordinary fairytales of his history. Swapping back andforth between past fantasies and present-day realities, Edward’s estranged son Willworks to put together the puzzle ofEdward’s fantastical stories to meet thefather he never really knew before it istoo late.

McLean Theatre’s professionalism wasevident as they tackled this larger-than-life show, complete with seamless tech-nical aspects, endearing performances,and showstopping musical numbers.

Alex Stone’s entrancing portrayal ofEdward Bloom was consistently ani-mated and vivacious, allowing him todemonstrate a full range of emotion inevery situation. Stone’s impeccable vo-cals and precise tonal quality added anextra flair every time he was on stage.As a foil to Edward, Jack Posey playedWill Bloom with simplicity and a realis-tic approach. Stone and Posey embod-ied the estranged relationship betweenson and father with a comfortable, yetalienated chemistry. Rounding out the

Bloom family was wife and motherSandra, played by Rachel Lawhead.Lawhead added a stable middle-groundto the broken family, using her sunny andfirm disposition to truly embody hercharacter, especially in the song “I Don’tNeed a Roof.”

As the show moves forward throughEdward’s fantasies, the audience is in-troduced to numerous mystical charac-ters who Edward meets along the way.The Witch, played by Helena Doms, cap-tivated the entire theater with her chill-ing voice and eerie qualities. MattLucero, who played Karl the Giant, com-bined his spot-on comedic timing andquirky nature to develop his friendshipwith Edward. The entire ensemble, madeup of cowboys, circus performers, andsilk aerialists to name a few, kept up theenergy and vibrancy, never faltering orlosing character. Each group had definedcharacterization which aided the overalllively and exciting dynamic of the show.

McLean’s countless technical facetsadded a whole other side to this superbproduction. Almost completely studentdone, standout categories included theintricate choreography, detailed cos-tumes, and motorized sets. The chore-ography consisted of many differentstyles of dance, including stomping, tap-ping, and even square dancing. The per-formers looked comfortable with themoves, though many were new and chal-lenging. Sets and costumes blended to-gether beautifully to incorporate the bluecolor scheme of the show. Numerous setswere featured and transitioned easily andefficiently due to the automated platformand sliding stairs & screens. Each cos-tume was designed specifically for eachcharacter and moment, giving the wholeshow a clean and crisp look.

Smiles were abundant as the curtainclosed and the audience left the theater,which goes to show that even if you con-sider yourself a realist, McLean HighSchool’s production of Big Fish canmake anyone feel like they are living ina fantasy.

McLean HighSchool’s productionof “Big Fish.”

Where Reality andFantasy Meet

Photo by Isabelle Zapoata

From left — Alex Stone and Jack Posey in McLean High School’sproduction of “Big Fish.”

Cappies Review

News

By Ken Moore

The Connection

The McLean Citizens AssociationBoard passed a resolution onMarch 4 “addressinglongstanding McLean commu-

nity concerns about inequitable and largeclass sizes in elementary, middle and highschools located in the greater McLean andother similar areas,” according to Sally Horn,MCA president.

The county-wide elementary school classsize (excluding Level 2 special education stu-dents) for Fairfax County Public Schools is22.3, but seven of the nine elementary schoolsin the greater McLean area have average classsizes of between 23.5 and 25.8, and only twohave lower average class sizes, according toMCA’s resolution passed March 4 that wasspearheaded by Louise Epstein, vice-chair ofthe Education and Youth committee.

“Whereas, by school, the average class sizefor each McLean-area elementary school is:23.9, Chesterbrook; 25.8, Churchill Road;24.7, Colvin Run; 23.5, Haycock; 25.3, KentGardens; 22.1, Lemon Road; 24.6, FranklinSherman; 25.8, Spring Hill; 21.4 Westgate.

“The resolution commends Dr. Garza forthe steps that she already has taken to ad-dress this problem and urges the FairfaxCounty School Board to take several addi-tional steps,” according to Horn.

Below is a “By The Numbers” look at theMarch 4 resolution and other matters at theBoard meeting of the McLean Citizens As-sociation.

34Board Members attended along with two

reporters, one likely campaign manager andone tub of cookies.

70The McLean Citizens Association’s 70th

President in its 100 year existence, SallyHorn, announced Wednesday, March 3 thatshe would like to pass the baton to anotherconductor. “It’s time for fresh leadership,”she said. “I think fresh blood is a good thing.

“That’s disappointing news. I think she’sdone a spectacular job in running theMcLean Citizens Association,” said Super-visor John Foust, past president of the MCAin 2001-2003. “That’s not an easy job.”

26.75Fairfax County Public schools general edu-

cation staffing formulas budget for a maxi-mum average of 26.75 at the elementary

school level, 27.5 at the middle school level,and 30.5 at the high school level, accordingto the MCA resolution, spearheaded byLouise Epstein.

22.3However, “Fairfax County Public Schools

reports a much lower actual county-wideaverage class size for each of these threelevels, and specifically a county-wide aver-age class size at the elementary school levelof 22.3, a county-wide average middleschool class size of 24.6, and a county-wideaverage high school class size of 25.6,” ac-cording to the MCA resolution.

100McLean Citizens Association celebrates its

100th Anniversary this year. For its 20th an-niversary, the McLean School and CivicLeague, as MCA was then called held a com-munity celebration and dance. In 1964, theMCA’s 50th Anniversary, MCA published aspecial edition of its newsletter and held aceremony honoring past presidents. CharlotteTroughton Corner, the first principal of theFranklin Sherman School, was given a cor-sage. At its 75th Anniversary, past presidentsgave speeches and told stories at the PotomacSchool in 1989. MCA published “The Voiceof McLean: 100 Years of the McLean CitizensAssociation,” written by Merrily Pierce andPaul Kohlenberger in November 2014, thesource of the above information.

539Current members. 297 paid annual dues

currently, MCA officials said Wednesday atthe Board meeting.

90A 90-bed, 73-unit, 40,309 square foot as-

sisted living facility requested by SunriseDevelopment has been proposed for 1988Kirby Road. “We were a little disappointedthey didn’t have more for us with landscap-ing,” said Mark Zetts, of MCA’s Planning andZoning Committee.

A Planning Commission hearing on thespecial exception (SE 2014-DR-068) is ten-tatively scheduled for May 21.

16McLean Day is scheduled for Saturday,

May 16, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at LewinsvillePark, 1659 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.

108.1Fairfax County’s Chapter of the County Code

on Noise Ordinance, which is currently beingdiscussed, revised and adapted. Rules and regu-lations regarding use of lawn equipment, tobarking dogs, to people noise, to trash collec

Look at McLeanCitizens AssociationBoard bythe numbers.

Class Sizes, McLean Day,Cookies and Noise

See MCA, Page 9


To highlight your Faith Community, call Karen at 703-778-9422

DAILY EUCHARIST:WeekdaysMonday-Friday, 6:30 AM & 8:30 AMSaturday, 8:30 AM

SUNDAY LITURGY SCHEDULE:Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PMSunday: 8:00, 9:30, 11:00 AM1:30 PM Spanish Liturgy5312 North 10th StreetArlington Virginia 22205Parish Office: (703) 528-6276

PARISH WEBSITE:www.rc.net/arlington/stann

All AreWelcome!Fairfax County recently announced that several major

roads in Tysons could soon have bike facilities as part ofthe summer repaving schedule. Cyclists are encouraged toattend an information meeting on Monday, March 16,at Westbriar Elementary School from 7-9 p.m.These are the proposed new bike facilities:

v Greensboro Drive - Road Diet from Spring HillRoad to Solutions Drive

v Tyco Road - Road Diet from Route 7 to Spring HillRoad

v Westbranch Drive - Road Diet from Westpark Drto Jones Branch Drive

v Jones Branch Drive - Climbing lane from Interna-tional Drive to Westpark Drive

v Spring Hill Road - Combination of bike lanes/sharrows from Route 7 to International Drive

v Westwood Center Drive - Sharrows from Route 7to the end of the road

Since these projects are part of the repaving schedule,no additional funds are available to supplement theprojects. They may not be perfect, but it’s important thatwe support this effort by the county. If you work or bikein Tysons, please consider attending this meeting to sup-port these important projects. Check the Fairfax Bike Pagesor the FABB blog for more info.

Tysons Bike Projects AnnouncedWeek in McLean

News

tion, to golf course lawn maintenance and to loudspeak-ers at school ballgames are discussed, much in terms ofpermissible hours in the morning and night and decibellevel.

“It’s so difficult to explain,” Mark Zetts told theBoard, in terms of the measurement Fairfax Countyuses to measure noise. “Tysons is urbanizing, ourneighborhoods are not.”

“Fairfax County staff distributed an updated draftNoise Ordinance Amendment and summary chart”at a committee meeting on Feb. 3, 2015. The com-mittee directed staff to bring the proposed amend-ment to the Board of Supervisors to advertise a pub-lic hearing process.

1922The MCA, then known as The League, sponsored the

1922 start of the McLean Fire Department and pro-vided its early funding. “The Fire Department estab-lishes a committee to request funding from the leagueand officially co-sponsors McLean Day in 1923 for ashare of the proceeds,” according to “The Voice ofMcLean: 100 Years of the McLean Citizens Association.”

50McLean’s 50-plus committee is looking at proposed

software system/app that families can input medicalhistory and medical wishes so 911 personnel haveaccess to it when responding to emergency calls. Thistechnology could be valuable for families with chil-dren with disabilities, said Jim Phelps, committeemember. MCA will continue exploring how such tech-nology is used in other jurisdictions.

From Page 8

MCA in Numbers


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Northern Virginia Restaurant WeekMarch 23-30

The 2nd Annual Northern Virginia Restaurant Week, being heldfrom March 23-30, is a week-long, value priced dining experi-ence taking place at a variety of establishments, ranging fromfine dining to fast casual.

Building on the success of last year, which included more than20 participating restaurants, the event once again brings togethersome of the area’s favorite and new restaurants, including: Ameri-can Tap Room, Big Bowl, Captain Mas Crab House, Il Fornaio,Tavern 64, McCormick & Schmick’s - Reston Town Center, MonAmi Gabi, Morton’s - Reston Town Center, The Melting Pot -Reston, Mellow Mushroom - Herndon, M&S Grill, Paladar LatinKitchen & Rum Bar, The Zone, JALEO by Jose Andre’s, Mum Mum,Naked Pizza, Europa Herndon, Seasons 52, Trummer’s on Main.

For more information about Northern Virginia Restaurant Weekor the partnership with VHTA please contact Latraniecesa (LJ)Wilson at 703-707-9045, [email protected] or visitrestonchamber.org/northern_virginia_restaurant_week.aspx.

See and hear model trolleys, steam and diesel trains plusThomas and some of his friends in the Historic ViennaTrain Station along the W&OD trail just past the Cabooseon March 14 from 1-5 p.m. at 231 Dominion Road NE,Vienna. The layout reflects the mountainous terrain andtowns of Western North Carolina with award winningstructures. For more information visit www.nvmr.org.

See Calendar, Page 11

Calendar

Send announcements to [email protected]. Deadline isFriday for the following week’s paper.Photos/artwork encouraged.

THURSDAY/MARCH 12-SUNDAY/MARCH 22Youth Art Exhibition I. MPA, 1234

Ingleside Avenue, McLean. Openingreception March 14 from 11 a.m. - 1p.m.

THURSDAY/MARCH 12Save the Environment, Tackle

Healthcare and Build SocialSecurity By LearningEconomics. 7-8 p.m. Caffe Amouri,107 Church Street, SE, Vienna. JoinEconomist Dorian Rahmim as hediscusses “Economics for Anyone.”It’s about your job, your house, yourmedicine and your food. Economicsis the most important thing thataffects your daily life. And it doesn’thave to be boring or hard.

Artist’s Demonstration. 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Vienna Art Center, 115Pleasant St. NW, Vienna. The ViennaArts Society invites the public todiscover how Potomac artist JackHarding creates subtle texturaleffects with watercolors on distressedrice paper. Free. 703-319-3971.

Fit2Finish. 7:30 p.m. Oakton Library,10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton.Meet Dr. Wendy LeBolt, author of“Fit2Finish: Keeping Your SoccerPlayers in the Game”. Help yourathletes play their best, preventinjury and have fun. Adults.

FRIDAY/MARCH 13Weather or Not. Vienna Art Center,

115 Pleasant St., NW, Vienna.Tuesdays – Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4p.m. March 3 – April 4.Members ofthe Vienna Arts Society bring MotherNature. Meet the artists, to includeNational Gallery of Art copyist DickNeff and featured artist GingerSanaie, at a reception Friday, March13, 7 – 9 p.m. Free and open to thepublic.

Pokemon League. 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.Patrick Henry Library, 101 MapleAvenue East, Vienna. Learn aboutPokemon and play. Ages 5 -18.http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ph/.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/MARCH 14, 15, 21 AND 22“Totally RED!” 3 p.m. McLean

Community Center, 1234 InglesideAve., McLean. An Alden Production.Meet Red (who is nobody’s fool) andthe wolf (who tries to be cool). Thestory is told in classic storybooktheatre style and the show will beperformed by MCC tax district youth.$12/$10 MCC tax district residents.www.mcleancenter.org.

SATURDAY/MARCH 14

Model Railroad Open House. 1-5p.m. 231 Dominion Road NE, Vienna.See and hear model trolleys andsteam and diesel trains plus Thomasand some of his friends in theHistoric Vienna Train Station alongthe W&OD trail just past theCaboose. The layout reflects themountainous terrain and towns ofWestern North Carolina with awardwinning structures. For moreinformation visit www.nvmr.org.

6th Annual Running to RememberJosh. 7:30 a.m. The Josh AndersonFoundation (JAF) was formed for

two purposes – to keep Josh’smemory alive and to collect funds forthe education and prevention ofteenage suicide. Register at http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/dc/register

Church Concert. 7 p.m. LewinsvillePresbyterian Church, 1724 ChainBridge Road, McLean. Free. Classicalguitarist LeeLee Hunter and harpistAnna Odell will be performing.


From Page 10

Calendar

MONDAY/MARCH 16Tiny Tots. 10:30 - 11 a.m. Dolley

Madison Library, 1244 Oak RidgeAvenue, McLean. Join us for anexciting storytime featuring stories,rhymes and songs. Ages 13 - 23months with adult. To register visithttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/dm/.

Star Language Learners. 1:30 p.m.Dolley Madison Library, 1244 OakRidge Avenue, McLean. Become alanguage star! Join us for a funforeign language storytime inMandarin, Spanish, French or Arabic.No previous experience needed. Allages. To register visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/dm/

Vienna VIP. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. PatrickHenry Library, 101 Maple AvenueEast, Vienna. Support for individualswith vision impairments. Adults.Contact Chato Carter at 703-938-1533.

American Girl Book Club- MeetMolly. 4:30 p.m. Patrick HenryLibrary, 101 Maple Avenue East,Vienna. Join us to read and discussMeet Molly. Please read the bookprior to attending; dolls are welcomebut not required. Ages 6 - 9. Toregister visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ph/.

TUESDAY/MARCH 17Treasured Threes to Fives. 10:30

a.m. Patrick Henry Library. 101Maple Avenue East, Vienna. Join usfor stories and songs. Ages 3-5 withadult. To register visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/

branches/ph/.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 18Treasured 2-5’s. 10:30 a.m. Dolley

Madison Library, 1244 Oak RidgeAvenue, McLean. Join us for an earlyliteracy enhanced storytime featuringstories, rhymes and songs. Age 2-5with adult. To register visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/dm/.

Pokemon League. 4:30 p.m. - 5:45p.m. Great Falls Library, 9830Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Drop-inand play Pokemon with your friends!http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/gf/.

FRIDAY/MARCH 20Enter the Haggis. 8 p.m. Wolf Trap,

1551 Trap Road, Vienna.Experimental roots-rock stalwartspush the boundaries of Celtic musicwith vigorous performances andinventive albums. Tickets: $28.

St. Paddy’s Day Party. 7-9 p.m. TheOld Firehouse Teen Center, 1440Chain Bridge Road, McLean. Thesepopular 5th and 6th grader partiesinclude music, dancing, games,snacks, videos and more. $35/$25MCC tax district residents. Advanceregistration is required. Call 703-448-8336.

Pokemon League. 3 p.m. PatrickHenry Library, 101 maple AvenueEast, Vienna. Learn and playPokemon. Age 5-18. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ph/.

SATURDAY/MARCH 21New Artist Reception. 1-4 p.m. 212

Dominion Rd NE, Vienna. New ArtistReception for Thomas Xenakis.

SUNDAY/MARCH 22Choral Splendor: Music of France.

4 p.m. Saint Luke Catholic Church,7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean. TheReston Chorale presents works ofMaurice Duruflé, Gabriel Fauré,César Franck, Louis Vierne andCharles-Marie Widor — includingVierne’s magnificent Messe Solennelleas the composer intended: with twoorgans. Guest artist: Paul Skevington.Advance, online tickets $20/Seniors,$25/Adults; at door $25/Seniors,$30 Adults. Youth 17 and underadmitted free with adult or senior.Tickets and informationatwww.RestonChorale.org.

Music from Oberlin at Oakton.7:30 p.m. Unitarian UniversalistCongregation of Fairfax, 2709 HunterMill Road, Oakton. Music fromOberlin at Oakton is a musicaloutreach program that is designed togive the Conservatory students anopportunity showcase their musicaltalents for interested audiencesbeyond Oberlin. Different groups ofstudents perform in Oakton threetimes a year and we are kicking offour 14th season. Local alums andcommunity gets an opportunity toenjoy superb music from theConservatory that has received the2009 National Medal of Arts from theWhite House.

TUESDAY/MARCH 24Annual Children’s Printmaking

Workshop. 4-5 p.m. Patrick HenryLibrary, 101 Maple Avenue E,Vienna. The Vienna Arts Societyinvites children ages 7 - 12 to createprints using fish, vegetables, andmore at a workshop. To register, callthe Children’s Librarian at 703-938-0405.

For a free digi-tal subscriptionto one or allof the 15ConnectionNewspapers,go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Be the first toknow – get yourpaper before ithits the press.

Complete digitalreplica of theprint edition,including photosand ads, deliv-ered weeklyto your e-mailbox.

Questions?E-mail:[email protected]


Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

More than two weeks afterhelping the McLean gym-nastics team win the 6Astate championship, seniors

Lizzy Brown-Kaiser and Jacqueline Greenreceived some individual recognition.

Brown-Kaiser and Green each earned all-state honors in one event at the VHSL indi-vidual state meet on March 8 at Patriot HighSchool. Brown-Kaiser placed sixth on beamwith a score of 9.3, and Green finished fifthon floor with a score of 9.425.

“I am very satisfied with my beam per-formance,” Brown-Kaiser wrote in an email.“It always feels good to get through a rou-tine without a fall and it was a nice way towrap up my beam career.”

Brown-Kaiser competed in the all-aroundafter qualifying with a top-four finish atregionals. She finished seventh with a scoreof 37.

Along with her beam result, Brown-Kai-ser finished 12th on floor (9.25) 17th onvault (9.4) and tied for 12th on bars (9.05).

“I am really happy with my overall per-formance,” Brown-Kaiser wrote. “This wasone of my best meets of my personal highschool career, so I’m thrilled that I couldpeak at my last competition.”

Along with floor, Green also competed onvault (18th, 9.375) and bars (16th, 8.95).

Fairfax senior Rachel Barborek won theall-around title with a score of 38.7, becom-ing the first Fairfax County gymnast to ac-complish the feat since Herndon’s MariaHayden in 2010. Prior to Hayden, the lastFairfax County gymnast to win the state all-around title was Lake Braddock’s ChristinaGhani in 2002.

Barborek finished first on bars, beam andfloor.

Marshall’s Morgan Stahl placed third in

the all-around (37.625) and Washington-Lee’s Sophie Hatcher finished fifth (37.325).

The individual competition was originallyscheduled for Feb. 21, but was postponedthree times due to inclement weather con-cerns. The meet was re-scheduled for Feb.28, March 7 and finally March 8.

On Feb. 20, Brown-Kaiser and Green

McLean’s Brown-Kaiser, Green Earn All-State HonorsSeniors each placetop eight in one event.

Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

McLean senior Jacqueline Green placed fifth on floor, earning all-statehonors at the VHSL individual state gymnastics meet on March 8 atPatriot High School.

Photo by Jon Roetman/The Connection

Fairfax gymnast Rachel Barborek won the all-around championship atthe VHSL individual state meet on March 8 at Patriot High School.Hickory’s Haley Cole finished runner-up, followed by Marshall’s MorganStahl, Cox’s Mary Munitz and Washington-Lee’s Sophie Hatcher. Stahlfinished second on floor (9.625) and beam (9.6), ninth on vault (9.575)and tied for 20th on bars (8.825).

helped McLean win the 6A team title. TheHighlanders, led by head coach CourtneyLesson, became the first Fairfax County teamto win the title since Langley in 2004. McLeanalso captured Conference 6 and 6A Northregion championships during the season.

“I could not have asked for a more per-fect season,” Brown-Kaiser wrote. “Taking

home the first-place trifecta as a team andperforming one of my best individual meetsat states is an incredible feeling. I am soproud of my team and very thankful for myamazing coach Courtney Lesson, friends,and family for their support and faith in theteam throughout my final season. This wasan extremely memorable year.”


McLean senior Lizzy Brown-Kaiser competes at theVHSL individual state gymnastics meet on March 8 atPatriot High School.


McLean senior Jacqueline Green competes on barsduring the VHSL individual state gymnastics meet onMarch 8 at Patriot High School.


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Sports

The Saxon hockey team played against Patriot inthe first round of the NVSHL playoffs. Patriot was theNo. 5 seed with Langley coming in as the underdog.

The Saxons got off to a slow start and surrenderedtwo goals before freshman Evan Guidi got the teamon the board with three and a half minutes to play.Junior assistant captain Jason Guidi netted the equal-izer in the final minute of the period.

Strong defense from seniors Chris Lane and cap-tain Will Clemson, and sophomore Kevin Wang heldPatriot at bay while Wyatt Conrow, Sam Shapiro andJason Guidi provided the rest of the offense that wasnecessary. Freshman JT Gorman had another strongshowing between the pipes as Langley ended Patriot’sseason with a 5-3 victory.

Round 2 of the playoffs brought on a much moreformidable foe. Stone Bridge was undefeated with a10-0 record in the regular season. With the drop ofthe puck, play quickly moved into the Langley zone

where Stone Bridge peppered Langley’s goalie withshots. Less than 2 minutes into the game, LangleySenior Sam Lafuria got a break away and scored thefirst goal of the night. With 4 minutes to go in thefirst, Stone Bridge tied it up and went ahead 2-1 earlyin the second. Although Langley was outshot 11-3 inthe first period, the team continued to play with heartand tied the game at 2 when Wyatt Conrow tipped ashot from Will Clemson that bounced hard into theupper corner with less than a minute to go in themiddle period.

The Saxons would again take the lead early in thethird with another goal from Lafuria, but StoneBridge tied the game quickly thereafter and pulledahead with 11 minutes to play. The Saxons playedhard and evened the score with 6 minutes remain-ing on another goal by Conrow, but Stone Bridgeproved too much for the Saxons to handle as thegame ended 6-4.

Langley Hockey Finishes with Win Against Patriot,Loss to Stone Bridge

The Langleyhockey teamsplit theirfinal twogames.

Photo contributed

Oakton GirlsWin RegionChampionship

Oakton forward DelaneyConnolly knocked down four 3-pointers, scored a game-high 20points and helped Oakton beatMadison 50-42 in the 6A Northregion championship game atRobinson Secondary School. It wasthe Cougars’ first region title since2012, when Oakton went unde-feated and won the AAA statechampionship.

Each team clinched a berth inthe state tournament by reachingthe region final. The semifinals areFriday in Richmond.

Oakton sophomoreDelaney Connolly scored20 points and grabbednine rebounds during theCougars’ 50-42 victoryover Madison in the 6ANorth region final onMarch 7 at RobinsonSecondary School.


At the request of the Special Commissioner, & by Order ofThe Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia, the followingdescribed real estate will be offered to the highest bidderat PUBLIC AUCTION...

Auctioneers: Dan Pegelow #667& Buddy Updike, CAI #83

Special Commissioners:Taxing Authority Consulting Services, PCP.O. Box 31800, Henrico, VA 23294(804) 545-2377

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Special Commissioner’s Public Sale of FairfaxCounty & Fairfax City Tax Delinquent Real Estate…

AT AUCTION!Tuesday, March 31, 2015 @ 11 A.M.

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Parcel 2 (Mohammed N. Shirazi, et al.): 10503 West Drive#D, Fairfax; Fairfax Professional Village Condos.

Tax Map #: 57-4-20-4C

Parcel 3 (Mohammed N. Shirazi, et al.): 4242 ChainBridge Road #C, Fairfax; Fairfax Professional Village

Condos. Tax Map #: 57-4-20-6C

Parcel 4 (Mohammed N. Shirazi, et al.): 4242 ChainBridge Road #D, Fairfax; Fairfax Professional Village

Condos. Tax Map #: 57-4-20-7D

Parcel 5 (John Samuel Jackson, et al.): 6313 Old DominionDrive, McLean; Chesterbrook; 0.438+/- Acre.

Tax Map #: 0313-01-0070

at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse Entrance4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax VA 22030

Parcel 1 (Molly L. Schwartz, et al.): 5900 Grayson Street,Springfield; 0.217+/- Acre, Improved.

Tax Map #: 0803-02240001

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ABC LICENSECaboose Brewing Company, LLC trading as Caboose Brew-ing Company, 520 Mill St. NE Vienna, VA 22180. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) FOR A Wine and Beer on premises li-cense to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Matthew Greer, memberNOTE: Objections to the issu-ance of this license must be

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ABC LICENSEIstanbul Blue, LLC trading as Istanbul Blue Restaurant, 523

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CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6 ....................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4 ....................Tues @ noon

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You’ll note there’s no question markafter the “I.” If any grammatical mark,there could be an exclamation point, butthat’s overstating my reaction a bit. I amnot referring to the usual happy-lucky-grateful to be alive sentiment I regularlyexpress in this space; no, this is micromore than macro. What I am specificallyreferring to is the winter weather and itspredictable effects on appointments: can-cellations in general, chemotherapy can-cellations to be Kenny-column specific.

Yesterday, March 5, the Washington,D.C. Metropolitan Area received approxi-mately six inches of snow, give or take,complicated further by the previous days’ever-unpopular “wintry mix.” Ergo, gov-ernments and schools were closed andmany lives were put on hold, for a day atleast, as many activities/appointmentswere likely to be re-scheduled. All welland good, mostly, except when you’re a“terminal” cancer patient and your che-motherapy infusion (your presumptivelife-saving/sustaining treatment) is to beadministered that day – then it’s not sogood. Then your life passes before youeven faster than when your oncologistfirst advised you of your extremely unex-pected, abbreviated life expectancy/prognosis (for me, it was “13 months totwo years”).

Fortunately, Thursdays are not my che-motherapy day; Fridays are. But whatbrought this column’s subject into focuswas a call I received Thursday eveningfrom the Infusion Center providingme/patients with a special inclement-weather phone number to call to find outif the Center would be open the next day,what hours, etc. This was the first time –in six years of non-stop treatment – whenI was given such a specific number/ cir-cumstance to call. Previously, I wouldhave simply called the Center or “cell-phoned” my oncology nurse (I have hisnumber on speed dial), to learn of anyclosures or delays. But, and this is the luckI referred to in the title, never had I expe-rienced any weather-related/affected rea-son to stress/call. Never experienced theanxiety of wondering, worrying and wait-ing to learn if my hoped-for, life-savingtreatment could go in as scheduled.

Now, whether skipping/delaying treat-ment really matters in the medical world’sreality, I can tell you this: in my world, thepatient’s world, it seems like it matters anawful lot. Rescheduling feels like you’relosing days of your life. What little I know(and it’s very little; it’s mostly what I feeland think) is that any change in fre-quency, duration, reduction in medicineand/or protocol, all of which so far haskept me alive way past my original expira-tion date, can’t be a good thing, certainlynot a preferred thing; again, in my head,anyway.

And it’s these feelings that can compli-cate the cancer experience: knowingwhat to make of things externally, and ofcourse, internally. Controlling one’s emo-tions so as not to exacerbate an alreadydifficult situation is my macro cross tobear. However, sometimes small thingscan weaken that resolve. After six years, Ishould know better, and usually I do. Butreceiving that phone call last evening wasa reminder of how fortunate and yet sortof clueless I’ve been about what has hap-pened to other patients and what hasn’thappened to me.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

How LuckyAm I

McLean Connection ❖ HomeLifeStyle Spring 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.comLocal Media Connection LLC

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HomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStyleSpring 2015Spring 2015

2 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ HomeLifeStyle Spring 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

After a long, hard day at work, Jor-dan Coleman comes home to alarge apartment with modernamenities, including a 24-hour

concierge, ample living space, a state–of-the-art fitness center and a pool. The apart-ment features high-end appliances and fin-ishes as well as an open, flowing layout andlarge walk-in closets. Coleman – a lawyerand Capitol Hill staffer – shares the priceyrent with a friend. The complex is ownedby Avalon, which has properties in Arling-ton, Fairfax, Herndon, Falls Church, TysonsCorner and Vienna, Virginia, as well asBethesda, Maryland, and Washington.

The demand for high-end apartments inthe Washington, D.C., area is high, withrents soaring over the $7,000 mark. Thereare some who say the luxurious livingspaces and carefree lifestyles are worth theextra money.

“There are two kinds of people who wouldbe inclined to spend that kind of money in

Renters want resort-like amenities andaccess to transportation.

Luxury Apartments Popping Up

Photo courtesy of Renaissance Centro

Luxury apartments buildings like The Harrison at Reston Town Center inReston, offer 28,000 square feet of luxury, resort-style living and an easycommute to downtown Washington, D.C.

HomeLifeStyle

the luxury rental market,” said DavidFreishtat, who teaches in the Masters in RealEstate Development program at the Univer-sity of Maryland and practices law inPotomac, Md. “First there are fairly success-ful, young people who buddy up and sharean apartment with two or three friends.They can afford to spend 35-40 percent oftake home pay in housing. They don’t spendmuch on food because they don’t have afamily to feed,” he said.

“Empty-nesters who’ve sold their homesand decided to downsize are also inclinedto rent high-end apartments. If they boughttheir house 20-30 years ago and sold it re-cently, they’re flush with cash,” saidFreishtat. “They might be looking to buy ahouse in Florida or Arizona where there’sno income tax, but for the year and a halfuntil they make that decision they’re goingto live in a nice apartment because they’vealways lived in a nice house so they’readaptable to those kinds of apartments.”

“The trade off in these buildings is thatthey are in great neighborhoods,” saidColeman. “They’re new construction and

the layout is like you’re living in the sub-urbs, but with the convenience of living inthe city. There are kitchens, bathrooms, liv-ing spaces are fluid and the closets are ri-diculously large.”

ONE OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS isReston Town Center in Reston, Va., withrestaurants and shops and public transpor-

See Northern Virginia, Page 3

McLean Connection ❖ HomeLifeStyle Spring 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

HomeLifeStyle

statement. “Many young people are form-ing families later in life. As a result, theynot only want to enjoy the vibrancy of citylife, but live in an apartment that has manyconveniences and amenities.”

At Bent Tree in Centreville, Va., managedby Lincoln Property Company, high-endunits include cathedral ceilings, walk-inclosets, lighted tennis courts, racquetballcourts, a resort-style swimming pool, a

Photo courtesy of Renaissance Centro

Easy access to public transportation and close proximity to restaurants and shops attract residents to luxuryapartments communities like The Harrison at Reston Town Center in Reston.

cyber café, a fitness center, bike trails,barbeque and picnic areas and a spaciousclub house where people can hang out.

Proximity to transportation is anotherbonus, said Jeremy Feldman of Bent Tree.“You have the Fairfax Connector and we’renear the Metro.”

Luxury apartments that offer residentsaccess to public transportation are doingwell. Twenty percent of the units in TheHarrison have already been rented, evenbefore its grand opening.

Grand Opening:The Harrison atReston Town Center

The Harrison at Reston Town Center invitesthe public to its grand opening weekend,Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15: noon —ribbon cutting; 1-4 p.m. — property tours,cooking demonstrations, wine tasting, fitnessclass. RSVP for the grand opening events atwww.liveharrisonapts.com

All Over Northern VirginiaFrom Page 2

tation. A new, luxury apartment buildingwill has 360 apartments with easy accessto such a lifestyle.

The Harrison at Reston Town Center is nowopen, promising 28,000 square feet of luxury,resort-style living, and an easy trip to down-town Washington, D.C. for work or play.

At The Harrison, where rent runs fromjust under $2,000 to as high as $6,650 amonth, residents are offered such ameni-ties as a culinary demonstration kitchen; aprivate dining room for wine tastings; agaming area that offers pool, shuffleboard,chess, and card tables, a massage room, aspin studio and a 24-hour gym with state-of-the-art equipment. The pet-friendly prop-erty even caters to four-legged friends witha dog park and pet spa.

“People now want to simplify their lives,”said Karen A. Kossow, Vice President ofMarketing, Community Realty Company,Inc. which provides leasing and manage-ment services for The Harrison. “They wantan opportunity for a healthy and enrichedlifestyle. For example, with the fitness cen-ter and lounge area, there are opportuni-ties for socialization. You can keep youf pethere, and there’s even a place to walk yourdog or give it a shower. If you work fromhome there are offices with a printer andfax and conference rooms where you canhold a meeting. These things just make yourlife easier and simpler and give you moretime to enjoy life.”

Also at Reston Town Center is The Met-ropolitan, owned by Kettler, a real estatedevelopment firm based in McLean, Va., andwhich manages apartments throughoutNorthern Virginia. Residents at some of thefirm’s properties pay more than $7,000 amonth for features such as 17-foot ceilings,floor-to-ceiling windows, wood flooring andceramic tile bathrooms.

Kettler is also putting the finishingtouches on The Acadia, a 411-unit, high-rise luxury apartment building in the Met-ropolitan Park section of Arlington, Va., andplans to begin leasing units this spring. InOctober, the firm will begin construction onm.flats Crystal City. It will beKettler’s sixthproperty in the Pentagon-Crystal City neigh-borhood in Arlington.

“Our m.flats apartments are meeting agrowing demand for living spaces withinwalking distance of work, shops and enter-tainment,” Robert C. Kettler, chairman andchief executive officer of Kettler, said in a

Photo courtesy of Kettler

Luxury apartment communities like Midtown Alexandria Station offeramenities that help simplify life for busy professionals and empty nest-ers alike.

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diately — was how to develop a site planthat would satisfy the county, but also giveus a sustainable result that allows the aes-thetic effects we were seeking.”

Part of the assignment would also entaila plan for preserving mature trees on theproperty’s eastern side.

THE GARAGE, which would houseDobson’s collectible motorized vehicles,needed a footprint of some 400 square feet,the contractor determined; the sunroom,one level up, would be plenty spacious atslightly over 200 square feet. Hence, Foster’s“stacked” pyramidal design not only satis-fies family “use” requirements, but also al-lows the “growing room” needed for anentire grove of mature trees bordering theproperty’s perimeter.

The plan was, of course, partly predicatedon lowering the lot’s existing grade somefive feet, enough to carve out a foundationfor the garage and create driveway access.

The foundation also figures prominentlyin an innovative engineering solution thatgives the couple the amount of glass theyhad been seeking in the sunroom.

To meet the county’s wind-bracing re-quirements, Foster and team designed anarrow-gauge, all-steel framework for thesunroom’s many large glass panels whichis anchored all the way down to the con-crete foundation itself.

Though not visible to the naked eye, theinfrastructrure allowed designers to extendwindows to within a few feet of the floorand mere inches from the corner of theroom.

“Our dogs can even look out the win-dows,” Joan Davanzo said. “The designgives us a really a stunning view in all di-rections.”

But, surely, a nearly all-glass room mustbe quite cold in the winter?

“All the windows are Low-E Argon-filleddouble pane — state of the art thermal re-sistance,” Foster said.

To reinforce the comforting insularity,however, the contractor applied thermally-resistant spray foam behind the wall sur-

Al Dobson and his new spacious garage to house his sport car, motor-cycles and ’60s rock memorabilia.

HomeLifeStyle

By John Byrd

On the face of it, adding a two-level structure to a 30-year-old brick house is not especially difficult. Essentially,

Vienna homeowners Al Dobson and his wifeJoan Davanzo each have a pet project — aspacious first level garage to house sportcars, motorcycles and ’60s rock for him; alovely sunroom comprised of floor-to-ceil-ing window walls for her.

Knock out the existing screen porch;slightly expand the footprint for the garage;sun room goes on top embracing the reardeck and pool; and, Bingo, it’s done.

Yet as anyone who has lived in the FairfaxCounty for a while knows, no project iswithout complications, and add to this theproblems of an unlevel grade, set-back re-strictions, strict rules on structures with lotsof glass and the owner’s desire to preserveall the surrounding trees, and suddenlythere are the makings of an intricate engi-neering challenge — the sort of brain-bustermost contractors wouldn’t attempt to un-ravel.

That’s how it all started with this decep-tively understated Vienna addition: severalcontractors told Dobson and Davanzo theycouldn’t have the amount of glass in thesunroom they were looking for; county rulesregarding glass and where it can be posi-tioned are rigorously enforced; and then,too, the glass must to be “braced” to resistwinds that otherwise might cause it to im-plode — a requirement which inevitablyreduces sightlines.

“County rules on glass in new construc-tion have been in place for over a decade,”said David Foster, president of Foster Re-modeling Solutions, the contractor thecouple hired to execute the project. “Be-cause of some tricky complications, a lot ofcontractors stay out of the sunroom arena— so it’s become somewhat specialized.”

What several contractors plainly told JoanDavanzo, nevertheless, was that her dreamproject — as she envisionsed it — simplycouldn’t be built.

“We were told the windows couldn’t beas low to the floor, nor as close to the cor-ner as we wanted,” Davanzo said. “Since Ihad particularly liked the openness of theold screen porch the sunroom was to re-place, this was discouraging.”

By contrast, Davanzo said, Foster beganaddressing the project’s technical hurdlesfrom the first meeting.

“His experience was palpable,” said AlDobson, 70, who has had several previousencounters with remodelers. “The first con-sideration — which he pointed out imme-

faces — and drilled holes in the steel col-umns to accommodate an added infusion.

“It’s all about creating a tight structure,”Foster said. “That’s what keeps outside tem-peratures out.”

On the other hand, the sunroom featureDavanzo most appreciates this time of yearis how fluidly it opens to spring’s balmybreezes. All the windows are casement-stylewhich can be independently adjusted to letin cross breezes. Overhead, two skylightsopen electronically — and individually. Theskylights are also equipped with electricblinds and rain sensors.

The room’s interior design scheme, whichDavanzo developed in conjunction withFoster, reflects a number of favored ownerlifestyle preferences. The golden duotoneteakwood floor — comprised of a framedrectangular perimeter traversed with diago-nal slats — is a pattern the couple cameupon in their travels in Italy. The tongue-and-groove ceiling and warm sea-foamgreen wall color, likewise, were chosen to

highlight a verdant visual continuum thatrecalls childhood adventures in the coun-try.

The new sunroom is accessible throughan adjacent family room separated by threeFrench doors which Davanzo mostly leavesopen.

“This is where I spend most of my timewhen I’m at home,” she said.

For Al Dobson, the favored hang-out nowis his “man cave” garage which houses aCorvette, his Italian motorcycle and a soundsystem that plays choice sounds of the ’50sand ’60s.

A racing enthusiast who participates intime trials at Summit Point, Dobson wanteda room that speaks to his passion for motorsports. Underfoot, PVC tiles in an iconiccheckerboard pattern set the tone for a pri-vate retreat decorated with ’60s movie post-ers and other period memorabilia.

“It’s a really peaceful spot to just relax,”Dobson said. “That’s what this process wasalways for, so I’m glad we pursued it.”

Addition pulls together stylesand overcomes challenges.

His and Hers:Special Spaces

Photo Contributed

The sun porch solution emphasizes views. Windows are insulated andwind-resistant.

DetailsFoster

RemodelingSolutionsperiodicallyoffers work-shops on homeremodelingtopics. Call703-550-1371or visitwww.fosterremodeling.com.


spirituality.com, christianscience.com, c.s.mclean.orgTo learn more about Christian Science, visit:

Learn more at the

Christian Science Reading Room6825 Tennyson Drive

McLean, VA 22101Mon-Sat 10 am-2 pm • 703-356-1391

All are warmly welcome

March is Women’s History MonthDo you know Mary Baker Eddy – one of the

most famous women of the mid 19th century?

HomeLifeStyle

The Virginia Historic Garden Touris an 8-day event that stretchesacross the Commonwealth. Eachspring visitors are welcomed to

over 250 of Virginia’s most beautiful gar-dens, homes and historic landmarks. Thisevent provides the opportunity to see un-forgettable gardens at the peak of Virginia’sspringtime color, as well as beautiful housessparkling with more than 2,000 flower ar-rangements created by Garden Club of Vir-ginia members.

The Clifton Historic District, registered asa Virginia Historic Landmark, was a CivilWar railroad stop and is filled with shops,memorable restaurants and restored homes.Clara Barton, founder of the American RedCross, tended to soldiers after the Battle ofSecond Manassas at St. Mary’s Church andthe historic Fairfax Station, now a RailroadMuseum.

A self-drive tour on April 21 featuresstables, vineyards, a world-class garden,

Georgian-revival architecture, and a 10,000square-foot contemporary home with a van-ishing edge swimming pool – four privatehomes with gardens and two stables in all.Tour ticket includes a tea at the Clifton Pres-byterian Church.

Tour proceeds fund the restoration andpreservation of Virginia’s historic gardens,and provide graduate level research fellow-ships for building comprehensive and on-going records of historic gardens and land-

Station: Nestled in an equestrian neighbor-hood, this 10,000-square-foot contempo-rary home was built in 2013 for an activefamily with young children on the site oftheir previous house. A handsome entranceof stone, leaded glass and ironwork leadsto a spectacular open-plan living, dining andkitchen area designed by the fun-lovingowners with year-round entertaining inmind. The immaculate two-stall stable onthe property has attached horse trailer stor-age and is home to a beloved horse and apony. Local equestrians will be in the stableto answer horse-related questions. Garthand Heather Viar, owners.

❖ Also Willowbrook Road, Fairfax Sta-tion: Serenity awaits visitors at this single-story California-style property. The experi-ence begins on the long drive that windspast a riding ring and pastures. Slate stepslead to the entrance courtyard, where a koipond and bamboo fountain set the warmspa-like mood of this wonderful home. Thehouse, purchased in 2003, has been com-pletely renovated by the current owners,and has been personalized with twin stud-

Photo courtesy of Garden Club of Fairfax

Nestled in an equestrian neighborhood, a 10,000 square-foot contempo-rary home was built in 2013 for an active family with young children,and includes a stable.

Tour includes a rareprivate look atspecial properties inFairfax County,Old Town Alexandriaand Leesburg.

Historic Virginia in GardensOld Town Alexandria,Saturday, April 18

Old Town Alexandria was in 1946 the thirdcity in the country to create a historic district topreserve its downtown. Today it has 4,000buildings with a historic designation. The April18 walking tour in Old Town includes five rowhouses with courtyard gardens in this preservedarea, and refreshments at St. Paul’s EpiscopalChurch. In addition to the private propertiesfeatured, the tour ticket allows access to TheCarlyle House Historic Park, Lee- Fendall HouseMuseum and Garden, George Mason’s GunstonHall and George Washington’s Mount VernonEstate and Gardens. The tour is hosted by TheGarden Club of Alexandria and Hunting CreekGarden Club. www.vagardenweek.org

Clifton and FairfaxStation, Tuesday, April 21

This self-drive tour features stables, vineyards,a world-class garden, Georgian-revival architec-ture, and a 10,000 square-foot contemporaryhome with a vanishing edge swimming pool –four private homes with gardens and two stablesin all. Tour ticket includes a tea at the CliftonPresbyterian Church. Advance Ticket Sales: $30at www.vagardenweek.org or [email protected]. Visitwww.gardencluboffairfax.blogspot.com for a listof local retailers selling tickets.

Leesburg, Sunday andMonday, April 19-20

Leesburg was mapped and recognized by theCouncil of the Colony in 1758. Most of the 11 fea-tured tour properties are located on two historicroads, Edwards Ferry Road and Cornwall Street.The neighborhoods offer a variety of architecturalstyles and well established gardens. This two-dayTowne and Country tour features 11 properties andcoincides with the Leesburg Flower and GardenFestival, which takes place on April 18 and 19.

Courtesy of Garden Club of Fairfax

Located in a pastoral setting with grazinghorses nearby, this graceful 1987 Georgian Re-vival house in Clifton draws its inspirationfrom historic Williamsburg.

scapes in the Commonwealth,and support the mission of theGarden Club of Virginia.

For a complete list of tours, seewww.vagardenweek.org

Virginia Historic GardenTour in Clifton and FairfaxStation

❖ Redlac Drive, Clifton: Lo-cated in a pastoral setting withgrazing horses nearby, this grace-ful 1987 Georgian Revival housedraws its elegant inspirationfrom historic Williamsburg.Large rooms with arching Palla-dian windows overlook a formalboxwood knot garden and serenefive-acre landscape. The hard-wood tree canopy shades a hill-side azalea and rhododendrongarden with a bridge over aswale.

The bedrooms upstairs arefilled with vintage linens andfamily heirlooms including thefamily’s first-communion dress,and are connected by a centrallibrary furnished with an antiqueparlor set. Balconies overlook ashaded flagstone patio andswimming pool. Dennis andCyndy Patrick, owners.

❖ Willowbrook Road, Fairfax

ies, an open-plan kitchen.Clean, contem-porary and con-nected to na-ture, the roomsalong the backof the houseeach open to aseries of grace-ful gardenrooms with ane n t e r t a i n i n gdeck, a yoga/m e d i t a t i o ndeck, an out-door showerand a seatingarea surround-ing a fire pit.

Randall and Joan Onders, owners.❖ Poplar Grove, Lakewood Lane, Fairfax

Station: The cream-colored Federal-stylehome was built in 1964 and renovated quiteliterally from the ground up in 2001.

The owners, one a landscape architect ofworld-class talent and the other a graduateof DuPage School of Horticulture and a sev-enth-generation Virginian, carved a para-dise of 18th-century grandeur out of whathad been seven overgrown acres. Nearby isa vineyard with over 400 Petit Verdot grapevines. Visit the swimming pool garden andfollow a shady path that leads to the secretwhite garden with a pond and splashingfountain. Gardeners will be available to an-swer questions in the gardens. CharlesPrillaman and Parker Jennings, owners.


McLeanTysonsCorner

PotomacGreatFalls

7

123

193

267

495

River Road

1

6 5

7

4

3

2

8

9

1 214 River Park Drive,Great Falls — $2,875,000

2 6609 Brawner Street, McLean — $2,575,000

Address .................................. BR FB HB ... Postal City ... Sold Price .... Type ....... Lot AC PostalCode .......... Subdivision ............ Date Sold

1 214 RIVER PARK DR ........... 6 .. 7 .. 3 .. GREAT FALLS$2,875,000 ... Detached . 1.72 ...... 22066 ........ RIVERBEND FARM ...... 01/16/15

2 6609 BRAWNER ST ............ 5 .. 5 .. 3 ......MCLEAN . $2,575,000 .... Detached . 0.48 ...... 22101 ........ SALONA VILLAGE ...... 01/30/15

3 859 NICHOLAS RUN DR .... 6 .. 6 .. 2 .. GREAT FALLS$2,550,000 ... Detached . 1.73 ...... 22066 ............ GROVEMONT .......... 01/09/15

4 1222 SOMERSET DR .......... 5 .. 5 .. 1 ......MCLEAN . $2,445,000 .... Detached . 0.51 ...... 22101 ...... CLEARVIEW MANOR .... 01/16/15

5 952 DOMINION RESERVE DR 5 .. 4 .. 1 ......MCLEAN . $2,350,000 .... Detached . 0.85 ...... 22102 .......... GARFIELD PARK ........ 01/15/15

6 8718 WOODSIDE CT .......... 5 .. 5 .. 2 ......MCLEAN . $1,995,000 .... Detached . 1.77 ...... 22102 ...... WOODSIDE ESTATES .... 01/14/15

7 1040 BELLVIEW RD ............ 7 .. 5 .. 1 ......MCLEAN . $1,928,000 .... Detached . 1.05 ...... 22102 ..... JACKSON RICHARD T ... 01/07/15

8 615 POTOMAC RIVER RD .. 6 .. 5 .. 2 ......MCLEAN . $1,690,000 .... Detached . 0.96 ...... 22102 .... POTOMAC OVERLOOK .. 01/30/15

9 10754 TERKES VW ............. 5 .. 4 .. 1 .. GREAT FALLS$1,535,000 ... Detached . 0.98 ...... 22066 .. ESTATES AT LONGWOOD 01/23/15

Copyright 2015 RealEstate Business Intelligence. Source: MRIS as of February 16, 2015.

January, 2015 Top Sales in Great Falls and McLeanLocal REAL ESTATE

Photos by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

In December 2014, 9 Great Falls homes

sold between $2,875,000-$675,000,

and 52 homes sold between

$2,575,000-$210,000 in the

McLean and Falls Church area.

3 859 Nicholas Run Drive, Great Falls — $2,550,000

5 952 Dominion Reserve Drive,McLean — $2,350,000

6 8718 Woodside Court,McLean — $1,995,000

7 1040 Bellview Road, McLean — $1,928,000


HomeLifeStyle

By John Byrd

It’s been a good year for Sun DesignRemodeling.

In January, the full-service design/build remodeler won four “Contrac-

tor of the Year” awards from the Washing-ton, D.C. chapter of the National Associa-tion of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).Then, in February, an already locally-hon-ored gourmet kitchen was named categorybest (“kitchen above $150k”) in the 10-statesoutheastern region.

Winning projects include: a rear elevationpoolside recreation solution; a FrenchCountry gourmet kitchen (the southeasternregional winner); an open kitchen plan ina traditional interior style; and a lower-levelbuild-out to designed for use by three gen-erations.

French Country Kitchen Is Localand Regional COTY winner: Resi-dential Kitchen Over $120,000

For Dr. Rick Layfield and his wife KellyLayfield, the search for their dream kitchenstarted shortly after they purchased their3,700-square-foot, four-bedroom home inClifton eight years ago.

“The kitchen suite was a primary sellingpoint,” Kelly Layfield said of the 400-square-foot room.

But she found the rear of the house darkand dated. Sightlines to the children’s back-yard play areas were not well-aligned. Andthere was a visually obstructive bulkheadover the primary food preparation zone.

Also, the pentagon-shaped food prepara-tion island and dining counter wasn’t wellsuited for in-kitchen dining. And the cor-ner breakfast area was cramped — makingit hard to access a door to the back porchwhich used to be a pathway to the family’soutdoor grill.

Fortunately, Kelly Layfields’s first meet-ing with designer John Benson was produc-tive from the start. He proposed a rectan-gular food preparation island with a gran-ite surface, parallel with the two corners ofthe cook’s work zones.

Benson also helped Layfield explore thelighter, more textured hues she had beenseeking: marble subway tile wall covering;surfaces in Granite Bianco Antico; whitecabinets with glass facings; and an ovenbacksplash in a white quatrefoil tiling. Thecoffers, likewise, are delineated in a whiteand grey duotone.

“This is just the balance I was looking for,”Layfield said. “It feels like home.”

Open Floorplan Defines Casual ButElegant KitchenResidential Kitchen; $80k to$120k; COTY Honorable Mention

Steve and Melynda Britt’s four-bedroomcolonial in Vienna offered considerablecharms when the couple purchased it 10years ago.

There was a nicely finished library andliving room, a formal dining room and asizable family room in the back half of thehouse with a 13-foot cathedral ceiling fram-ing a lovely view of mature landscaping.

For Melynda Britt, the larger goal was akitchen footprint that offered an efficientwork space — integrated with the surround-ing great room.

“Since the emphasis was on a more intel-ligent use of limited square footage,” SunDesign’s Durosko said, “we thought custom-built-ins would help create better coordi-

nated work zones.”Critiquing the kitchen now, Britt is

amazed at how much more effectively thesolution works on several fronts: The foodpreparation island protects the cook’s worktriangle, and is positioned for easy serviceto the family room; the beverage station,an effective space divider, is accessible fromboth the breakfast area and family room;the coffee bar is situated between doorsleading to the dining room and the break-fast room, out of the chef ’s way; thekitchen’s mosaic tile flooring has been re-placed by a refinished hardwood flooring.

“We can now comfortably entertain 20-25 guests,” Britt said. “Better yet, the spaceis really warm and comfortable.”

Finished Lower Level Offers Multi-Gen Family SolutionCOTY Honorable Mention

Eric Park and his wife Tina, both physi-cians, were already quite busy 10 years agowhen they purchased a 3,400-square-foottwo-level neo-colonial in Falls Church.

“Our plan all along was to create a fam-ily home,” Tina Park said. “We saw the lowerlevel eventually playing a part in our dailylives, but were only using it for storage. Itwasn’t until my mother began regularlyhelping us with the girls that we began look-ing at the house more closely.”

At first Park’s mother, Kay, would stay inthe guest room, but gradually everyonestarted looking at ways to increase avail-able privacy.

It’s at this point that Sun Design Remod-eling enters the story.

“A basement conversion is challenging,”said Sun Design’s Liz Lee-Sint, who guidedthe Park project from concept to comple-tion, “especially when it’s going to bemainstreamed with the rest of the house.”

For Kay, the top priority was a suite withall the features of independent living, in-cluding a private entrance, a comfortablemaster suite and a fully functional kitchen-ette with dining for four.

On a separate note, the Parks envisioneda 195-square-foot family fitness center anda children’s play zone with custom built-ins.

Describing the finished décor as “modernAsian contemporary,” Tina Park stressedsimple lines, soft tones and open visuals.

“It’s really the nicest place in the housenow,” Park said. “And it satisfies so manydifferent needs that it’s become our maingathering place.”

House and grounds reconciliationjudged this year’s bestExterior Solution/COTY Grandaward winner

As Monte Zaben tells it, the rear eleva-tion to his 8,300-square-foot colonial inFredericksburg was so sun-exposed it wasuncomfortable sitting by the pool he hadjust installed the year before.

After researching several options, how-ever, he stumbled on Sun Design’s portfo-lio of indoor-outdoor solutions, and set upa meeting.

Combining an extended radius that stepsdown to the pool with vaulted entrance way,the structure’s architecture is welcoming.

Tapered craftsman-style piers support aseam metal roof. Inside, three distinct ac-tivity zones flow together: an open-airlounge; a cozy poolside vista with a pair ofwicker chairs; and an outdoor kitchenequipped with a traditional grill, a powerburner and refrigerators. A second levelgrilling deck is now, likewise, under roof.

Happy with the outcome, Zaben said heenjoys the outdoor kitchen so much he wasout grilling one of his specialties this pastJanuary. “We make regular use of the out-door space on just about every seasonableday,” he adds. “It’s very much a part of ourlives now.”

John Byrd has been writing about home improve-ment for 30 years. He can be reached [email protected].

Four Sun Designremodeling projectsnamed Washington-area “Contractor ofthe Year” winners.

Home Improvements Earn Awards

Photo by Bryan Burris

With its private entrance, fully operative kitchenette and dining table forfour, the new lower level allows Tina’s mother, Kay, to host bridge par-ties for friends independent of any other household activities.

Photo by Mitro Hood

BEST RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN: Sun Design’s winning kitchen solutiontakes full advantage of a 13' cathedral ceiling with a two-level windowwall. Owner Melynda Britt says the space is much better organized, yetmore accessible — perfect for entertaining.

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