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Making Great Falls Better 
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News Briefs
Update
MEMBERSHIP MEETING: Budget Presentation
Tuesday September 24, 2024; 7:00 p.m.
Great Falls Library Meeting Room
Attention all GFCA Members:
The GFCA 2024-2025 FY Operating Budget was adopted by a unanimous vote during the membership meeting conducted on September 24, 2024.
Thank you.
John Halacy
President
GFCA Gears Up For the 2024 Holiday Ornament Sale: New Ornament Selected
The 2024 Holiday ornament has been selected and it is in honor of the 135th Anniversary of the Old Forestville Schoolhouse.
The Forestville School house has been an iconic community landmark since it opened in 1889. For more than a century it has served the local citizens in many different capacities. And its lasting legacy is a testimony to community collaboration.
It was originally constructed as a one room school house to serve an agrarian crossroads village. There was only one teacher to teach grades one through seven. A second room and teacher were added in 1912. In addition to serving as a school house, it was also used extensively for community meetings, a polling place for elections, and at times, a court room.
When a new school was built in 1922, the former school house was converted into a private residence. It was later purchased by the Great Falls Grange and once again became a place for community meetings and a lending library. Later one room was used as the Great Falls post office and the other as a bank.
When the post office moved out in 1981 the property was offered for sale. The Great Falls Citizens Association asked the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to purchase the property to save the school house from demolition. The Supervisors agreed to buy it if the community would raise part of the funds.
Great Falls Heritage Inc. was formed to do the fund raising. After much effort on the part of many volunteers, a substantial contribution was made to the Supervisors and they purchased the property for the Fairfax County Park Authority. The volunteers than went back to work to raise money for necessary renovations to the building. And once again the school house became a site for community meetings.
Please join us in celebrating the 135th anniversary of this historic landmark by purchasing this year’s holiday ornament. The funds raised will be used for interpretive signs to commemorate its history. © Karen Washburn 2024
Plans Received: Georgetown Pike/Library Pedestrian Refuge Improvements
Fairfax County Department of Transportation staff released a “Conceptual Plan” for a proposed Library Crosswalk and Pedestrian Refuge to GFCA President John Halacy that indicates proposed changes to the roadway and driveway entrances that will be affected by the project. Although the plan is “conceptual” it indicates that there will be some roadway widening and a significant change to the driveway entrance to Bucks Lane and the Safeway shopping center’s rear driveway entrance.
Several GFCA Transportation members (TRN) who viewed the drawings noted that at least one tree will be removed as well as the widening of the paved surface over an area on the eastbound lane of Georgetown Pike where rip-rap is installed to address stormwater runoff from the roadway. Also, those TRN members observed that the existing “taper” to the entrance to Bucks Lane will be removed and the driveway entry radius appears to be reduced.
According to the July 29 Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) Project Status Report, the next step for the project will be reviewed by VDOT before becoming final. Because, members of the TRN have recognized that the time to submit questions and concerns is before a project is put into final and approved status, a request was made to FCDOT to bring the plans to an in-person meeting so members of the community could view the conceptual plans and ask staff questions.
County staff declined GFCA’s request to meet at this time and proposed that GFCA submit questions now while assuring President Halacy that there would be opportunity for community engagement before the project is approved and finalized. On July 30, an email was sent to Supervisor Bierman reiterating GFCA’s request for a community meeting before the project receives approvals and advances to final form.
For a link to the plans, email transportation@gfca.org.
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Our goal is to preserve the semi-rural character of our community while addressing practical concerns like traffic, zoning, retail, schools, parks and the environment where problems arise and solutions must be found. Since Great Falls is not an incorporated municipality like the Town of Vienna, or City of Falls Church, we lack a town/city government to represent our local interests. The GFCA acts in an unofficial capacity to represent the voices of the citizens of Great Falls on these matters, and works with county, state, and national government to get things done. On Great Falls issues, no other organization has GFCA’s influence with elected leaders at the County and State level, or is as respected by them. Our charter calls for GFCA to "serve as a community organization to promote all aspects of community interest accruing to a common good and, in general, to preserve the historic, low density, semi-rural character of Great Falls and its natural resources."
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"Bluebells at Riverbend Park" |
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