The Lantern

Dunn Loring Woods Civic Association (DLWCA)

www.dlwca.org

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Spring has officially arrived!
The biggest issues on everyones minds right now are
the proposals being discussed to widen I-66 from I-495
to the west. There are several articles included in this
newsletter, and we encourage all residents to take the
time to write to our representatives and attend all
meetings. Every email and letter to our representatives
counts! We will continue to keep our residents
informed with developments.
Our annual DLWCA membership meeting is on
Tuesday, May 12th @ 7:30 pm at Stenwood Elementary
School. We will elect new officers. Please consider
serving on the Board and contributing to the Dunn
Loring Woods community. At this meeting, we will
also announce the winner of the DLWCA Scholarship.
Please see details on this scholarship on page 3.

March/April 2015

VDOT PROPOSES I-66 EXPANSION

NEAR DLW
VDOT is putting forth plans to widen I-66 outside the
beltway beginning with the I-495/I-66 interchange.
These conceptual plans have been presented and
received public comments at some public meetings,
including meetings requested by HOAs and community
associations. The greatest impact shown in the plans is
in the Dunn Loring area which encompasses DLW.
This impact includes the taking of 18 residences in the
DL communities across Gallows Rd. and the partial
taking of several other residence properties including
within DLW. Those located adjacent to I-66 are at
greatest risk. In addition Stenwood School could lose a
notable portion of a playing field.

The proposed widening of I-66 is primarily to facilitate

the addition of toll lanes and will include widening of
the I-66/I-495 interchange which, as those living in the
vicinity of the interchange will remember, recently
underwent a makeover remember the nighttime
pounding and other construction noise? VDOT
th
We are very busy preparing for the 50 Anniversary of
notification to those residents to be most affected was
Dunn Loring Woods! Our celebration is in September,
nearly non-existent. Thus, to these residents the plans
and we would love for you to be involved with the
came as a shock when they heard about it primarily in
planning!
public meetings or by word of mouth.
I hope that you have time to attend some of the
wonderful National Cherry Blossom events in DC
taking place until April 12th.

VDOT contends the conceptual plan presented

represents the best solution to help solve the traffic
problem that now exists on I-66. However, questions
and comments raised at public meetings and in other
Looking forward to seeing you on May 12th at our
venues suggest otherwise and question the plan to
meeting!
seriously damage viable communities in the DL area to
facilitate the travel of those living elsewhere and just
Ken Quincy passing through on I-66 primarily to get to and from
work. Aside from the community damage, it is
questionable whether this conceptual plan adequately
and effectively addresses the I-66 traffic problem.
Apparent options exist that allow for the projected
widening within existing VDOT right of way with
significantly less impact on the affected DL
communities as well as other communities located to
the west. Re: these latter areas, the plan apparently will
also adversely impact Bull Run Regional Park and

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(contd from page 1)

Manassas Battlefield Park. It also has been voiced that
the logic in the plan is flawed in that it appears to
increase reliance on automobile transportation when,
as this segment of Northern VA grows, there should be
more emphasis on mass transit such as extending
Metro, concentrated use of restricted bus lanes, and the
like. Further, there has been expounded by public
officials and others the need for more walkable
communities accessible to mass transit, schools,
shopping, etc. Ironically, the communities in the DL
area, including DLW, comprise just this type of
community and yet they appear to be targeted for
sacrifice for the benefit of automobile oriented
communities to the west.
Recent public meetings held by a coalition of
community groups in the DL area, of which DLWCA is
a member, drew a large turnout of citizens questioning
the conceptual plan. Fairfax elected officials whose
representation includes the Providence District in which
the DL communities are located, included Providence
Supervisor Linda Smyth, State Delegate Mark Keam,
and State Senator Chap Petersen. All have expressed
an interest in the concerns of DL communities and
VDOTs conceptual I-66 widening plan. Congressman
Gerry Connolly has also been apprised of the plan and
related concerns.

Sharon Bulova, Board of Supervisors Chair

Fairfax Government Center, 12000 Government Center
Parkway, Suite 5430, Fairfax, VA 22035
703-324-3955 chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov
U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly
Fairfax Office, 4115 Annandale Rd., Suite 103,
Annandale, VA 22003
703-256-3071
Express your concerns about the VDOT conceptual
plans for widening I-66 and the I-66/I-495 interchange
and contact your elected representatives.
See also some personal observations by an anonymous
long-term Dunn Loring resident on one of the public
meetings.

Ken Quincy

ANONYMOUS RESIDENT SHARES

OBSERVATIONS ON I-66 PROJECT
The community meeting for the adjustments to the I 66
corridor was held on Saturday, the 21st of March, 2015
at 10 AM, at Kilmer Intermediate School.

Representatives from the some of the following

communities were present: Dunn Loring Woods,
DLW residents are urged to stay informed of the
Dunn Loring Gardens, Dunn Loring Village,
VDOT project and communicate their concerns, as well Merrifield, Sandburg, Stonewall Manor.
as support, for the DL community coalition effort to
their elected representatives. Transform66.org is the
Among the officials: a rep from VDOT, Rep Keam,
VDOT website to access to get current VDOT
Sen. Petersen, Del Simon and Linda Q. Smyth.
information on the project and link to submit your
Unofficial guesstimate is that about 200 people showed
comments on the plan. The Lantern, DLW website
up. Basically, VDOT has decided that improvements
and the Facebook group Save Dunn Loring will
for the I-66 and I-495 interchange will take place, and
provide updates and information on the combined
they have taken the time to alert us to that decision.
efforts, including those of DLW.
The potential impact could include 35 homes being
Contact information is as follows:
Linda Q. Smyth, Providence District Supervisor
Providence Community Center, 3001 Vaden Dr.,
Fairfax, VA 22031
703-207-3541 provdist@fairfaxcounty.gov
State Delegate Mark L. Keam
P.O. Box 1134, Vienna, VA 22183
803-350-3911 DelMKeam@house.virginia.gov
State Senator Chap Petersen
P.O. Box 1066, Fairfax, VA 22038
703-349-3361 district34@senate.virginia.gov

demolished, and another 100 or so having some impact

on their property. It could impact the area for 4 or 5
years, clog the traffic flow, and produce noise, dust and
pollution. They have made temporary plans, with the
idea that the communities affected will offer suggestions,
and VDOT will try to implement them. Someone
piped up with: "Drop the project all together".
There was time for questions and comments, but
several people did not get the chance to participate
because the room was rented only for 2 hours: 10 AM
to Noon, and lots of people had lots to say.

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WHAT IS 30 SECONDS WORTH

TO YOU?

(contd from page 2)

Some random comments:
Why not extend Metro for those living farther
out, instead of trying to accommodate the extra
traffic, which will anyway, be worse by the time
the project will be finished and we need to suffer
through the process?
Why should our area be subject to the
reconstruction of I-66, in order to accommodate
the folks living far out in Haymarket.
We moved to the Dunn Loring area because we
wanted to use the Metro, instead of the car for
travel to work. We settled for smaller lots and
smaller homes in order to have the benefit of
public transportation. and a nice settled
community, rather than large lots and bigger
homes farther out.
The result of the construction will lower the
value of our homes, and destroy the community
with noise and pollution.
Another person suggested that this project was
urged by Governor McAuliffe, who wants to
claim that he was responsible for this big
improvement project.
Bottom Line:
All of us are urged to call, write, e-mail, Twitter or
Facebook to any or all of the persons below, multiple
times, since phone calls are counted. Have family
members also do so. Contact VDOT at
transform66.org. Also, check out
www.savedunnloringvillage@gmail.com.

Lets assume that once you turn off a main road into
our community, you have to travel a mile in order to get
to your home. Its been a long day, youre late getting
home for your kids birthday party or maybe you
wanted to walk your dogs before it gets dark. Maybe
dinner is getting cold and you dont want to be late to sit
with the family.again!
You drive right by that ever so familiar 25MPH sign that
has blurred into your surroundings from passing it so
many times and your foot creeps your car up to 35,
maybe 40. No big deal, right? Everyone goes a little
fast these days.
You would be right to state that it is No Big Deal.
That is, of course, if you are referring to the time saved
speeding home versus the possible ramifications of
speeding in the neighborhood.
Travelling that mile home at 25mph would take you
about 2.4 minutes. At 35mph, you would save a little
over 30 seconds. Lets face it, if you were already in the
doghouse for getting home late, 30 seconds isnt going
to improve your odds of moving out of Fidos abode.
And that kids birthday, he or she wont know the
difference of 30 seconds. Get some reflective outerwear
for your dog walking trips and dont worry about the sun
being down a bit.

The real tragedy of it all is when youre staring down at

the pavement at that dog or kid you just hit in the
crosswalk taking that turn too quickly at 35mph to get
that 30 seconds back or having someone get your
license number (me for instance) and reporting you to
Main points to emphasize to our representatives:
Any improvements to I-66 around the I-495 and the local police department to have a chat about civic
I-66 interchange can and should be done within responsibility. How much is that 30 seconds really
worth to you in the long run? Is it worth changing or
the existing right of way.
taking a life forever? Ive posted well over 100 miles
Improvements should be done in a way that
walking my dogs in the neighborhood and have
minimizes impacts on home owners and the
personally had a few close calls, even while remaining
community.
Rather than endless and fruitless expansions of vigilant to vehicles. Pedestrians certainly need to
I-66, VDOT should invest in further developing remain aware of their surroundings at all times, but
theres that piece of plastic in every licensed drivers
public transportation infrastructure, such as
wallet that is a Privilege to have, not a Right.
Metro, VRE, and commuter buses.

Anonymous

Malcolm Granville

5th ANNUAL DUNN LORING WOODS CIVIC ASSOCIATION

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Eligibility and Application Procedures

Children and grandchildren currently living with a Dunn Loring Woods resident are encouraged to apply for this
scholarship. Applicant must be a high school senior planning to attend college full-time by fall/winter 2015. The
scholarships value is $500.
All applications must be postmarked by April 27, 2015.
All applicants must provide the following:
Written recommendation/character reference from a teacher or counselor. Recommendation on school
letterhead must be submitted with application package.
Copies of entrance examination scores as applicable.
List of awards and/or community service activities on a separate page. Provide enough information so that
the selection committee will know what you did, but do not exceed one page.
All applicants will need to provide one stamped, self-addressed business-sized envelope which will be used
to acknowledge receipt of your completed application.
One wallet-sized picture of applicant.

Incomplete applications will not be acknowledged.

All applicants must submit a typed, double-spaced essay on this topic: Describe something you have done in the
past year that has made a difference in your community.
Essay must not exceed two pages.
The top five candidates may be invited for an interview.
We hope to announce the winners name at the Annual Membership meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2015.
Winners names and pictures will be featured in the next Lantern.
Please mail all materials in one package, unfolded, in a #10 business size envelope, postmarked by April 27, 2015
to Dunn Loring Woods Civic Association, Attention Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 238, Dunn Loring, VA
22027.
The Dunn Loring Woods Scholarship Program is administered by the Dunn Loring Woods Civic Association.
The formal application can be found on our website: http://www.dlwca.org

FROM OUR LOCAL BEEKEEPER

are the only males and have the sole job of mating with
the queen. Drones are dragged out of the hive in fall as
they consume too much honey over winter.
On the more serious side, bees are critical to food
supplies. 1/3 of the foods we eat are pollinated by them,
especially the good stuff (Super foods rich in vitamins
and nutrients). Honey bees are the tiny forces behind
more than $20 billion worth of U.S. crops every year.

Dear Neighbors, I am your local beekeeper. I live on

Wooster ct. I am hoping appeal to you on behalf of the
amazing Honey Bee. I have hives and have kept bees
here for about 8 years now. Bees face huge challenges
daily while pollinating many flowers and fruit trees and
crops. I personally have lost 2 hives due to colony
collapse I ask you if at all possible to please
reconsider using Roundup or any other strong
pesticides though a lot of people are not convinced
there are a lot of studies linking problems with Colony
Collapse with the Glyophosates found in Roundup.
The authors of the new study published in the Journal
of Experimental Biology were investigating whether
exposure to glyphosate (the active ingredient of
Roundup) at levels that bees could realistically be
expected to encounter in the field could affect their
feeding behavior.

I am happy to answer any Bee related questions any

one has and encourage people to learn more about
these amazing insects. I also encourage people to let a
little clover and dandelions grow these are such an
important food source for bees.

Sincerely,
Your Local BeeKeeper,
Christine Parks

50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!
This coming fall marks the 50th anniversary of Dunn
Loring Woods and we want to celebrate in style! But we
need your help to make it a success.
If you have a knack for party planning, organizing or
just enjoy being a part of something fun in the
community, please consider joining the Planning
Committee. The next meeting will take place the end of
April. All ages are welcome. If you are a member of
Dunn Loring Woods, then you are welcome to help
plan the celebration!

What they observed was that concentrations of

glyphosate (GLY) produced a reduced sensitivity to
sucrose and learning performance for the groups
chronically exposed to GLY concentrations within the
range of recommended doses. Negatively impacting
If you are one of our more musically talented residents
the honeybees sensitivity to nectar reward and impaired
and are interested in performing at the celebration, we
their learning abilities are two behavioral
would love to hear from you too!
consequences likely to adversely affect their survival
abilities.
We are also currently looking for face-painters,
In addition when glyphosate reaches rivers and streams, dance/exercise instructors, folks with access to kids
games and/or a moon bounce, and local historians.
it is very toxic to aquatic life. Glyphosate can travel to
waterways if it falls on asphalt or blows away on the
Please contact wendiccarroll@icloud.com if you are
wind.
interested in planning, performing or helping out in any
way. Please note, the celebration is currently being
That being said Honey Bees in general are amazing.
planned for the end of September but has not yet been
They live in a very societal community where all the
finalized. When it is, it will be published in the Lantern,
bees play a role in hive survival. The workers are all
females and in their life span of 4 to 8 weeks, they have on our website and on Twitter and Facebook.
many roles from nurse bee to the larvae to removing
Thanks so much for all you do to make DLW a
dead bees from the hive to creating wax and repairing
hive to finally foraging and bringing pollen and nectar to community worth celebrating!
Wendi Carroll
the hive the Queen has the role of laying eggs, drones

WARNING: MULCH WITH CARE

FREE CONCERT

Mulching offers many advantages for the health of your

trees and shrubs, but there can be serious problems.
Driving around our area, one may see mulch piled as
high as five or six inches around the trunks of trees and
shrubs. That endangers the health and potential
longevity of the plants. The following recommendations
are extracts from the web-sites of three well-known
horticultural organizations:
Morton ArboretumPull mulch away from the
bases of tree and shrub trunks, creating a donuthole. Mulch piled against the trunk creates ideal
conditions for insect pests, diseases, and decay.
North Carolina State UniversityPull the mulch
1 to 2 inches from the base of the plant to
prevent bark decay.
Rutgers UniversityA mountain of mulch, piled
high against a tree trunk, does not kill a tree
immediatelyit results in a slow death.

Spring is here, and its time to get out and enjoy the
music. A local Christian Rock Band, The Restless, is
having a concert, Saturday April 11 at 7:00pm. The set
includes original pieces and cover pieces such as: Build
Your Kingdom by Rend Collective; Faith Like a Child
by Jars of Clay; A Thousand Years by Christina Perri;
and You and Me by Lifehouse. The band will also be
doing a first ever live recording of a song for their
upcoming CD album.

Don Voss

VOLUNTEER HELP NEEDED FOR THE

LANTERN
If anyone is interested in delivering The Lantern, we
have three open routes. We deliver about 8 times a
year, and this will only take about 20 minutes each time.
If interested, please call Brian at (703) 615-4594 or
email merr8899@yahoo.com with the route number:
Route #22 - 18 homes
2714-2733 Bowling Green Drive
Route #25 - 17 homes
Carnegie Drive/Skidmore Circle
Route #30 - 7 homes
Even numbers 8412-8426 Cottage Street

Brian Merritt
Reminder
Annual DLWCA Membership Meeting
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 7:30 pm
Stenwood Elementary School - Cafeteria

We would love for you to join us. The concert is FREE

and all are welcome at Our Lady of Good Counsel
Catholic Church in Vienna in the De Sales Hall (to the
left of the main church), just minutes from Dunn Loring
Woods (8601 Wolftrap Rd, Vienna, VA 22182).

Steve Ni

Feedback? Suggestions? Pictures?

Articles? Please Email
TheLanternDLWCA@gmail.com
or call 703-786-7763

Dunn Loring Woods Civic

Association Board
President Ken Quincy
1 Vice President Melvin Rose
2nd Vice President Frank Piazza
Treasurer Steve Bergeron
Recording Secretary Wendi Carroll
Corresponding Secretary Wayne Comer
Director (3 year) Kathy Arpa
Director (2 year) Eleanor McCann
Director (1 year) Bill Moffett
Neighborhood Watch Mark S. Hann
Membership Pat Stout
Island Care Committee Neal McKinney
Hospitality JoAnn Donnelly
st

Editor, The Lantern Kate Anthony

Technology Team Stephen Bates &
Sarah Rasnake