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Tourism-tax resurrection moves ahead in Richmond – Page 7
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COUNTY DECAL WINNER PICKED
ARLINGTON PLAYERS’ THRILLER SUCCEEDS
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PRAISE, FLAK FOR STORM-RECOVERY EFFORT ARLINGTON LEADERS TRY TO GET AHEAD OF CRITICISM, PROMISE TO HOLD A PUBLIC FORUM ON WAYS TO IMPROVE SCOTT McCAFFREY Staff Writer
Arlington government leaders didn’t explicitly assign themselves a letter grade based on performance during and after the Jan. 2223 snowstorm, but their words suggest there were some successes – and plenty of room for improvement. “We can do a lot more,” County Board Chairman Libby Garvey said as crews continued their work to dig out from a storm that dropped 20 inches or more of snow across the county. Garvey, who believes a warming planet provides the prospect of more large-scale storms in the region, said the options are to get geared up for the eventuality, or take a chance that the possibility won’t come to pass. She prefers the former route. “We need to be ready,” Garvey said. The county government mobilized forces that included its own staff, as well as both the National Guard and those incarcerated in the county detention facility, on snow-clearing efforts. County Manager Mark Schwartz said the recovery effort involved giving leeway to those in the field to make decisions based on conditions, but that there was an overall battle plan involved in combating Mother Nature’s fury. “I don’t want people to think it’s at random – it’s not,” Schwartz said. “There is a science.” The county government weathered criticism from both the public and inside its own ranks on the recovery effort. Among those voicing concerns was new County Board member Christian Dorsey, saying some plow drivers had created “an impenetrable barrier” by the way they piled up snow. County staff didn’t disagree, but with two feet of snow arriving in a 36-hour period, “there’s just not enough room to put the
PHOTO BY DEB KOLT
snow,” one top-level county staffer said. Adding to the troubles: The county government had to deal with five major water-main breaks and a significant sewer backup during the recovery period. Schwartz, undergoing a trial-by-snowstorm in his first weeks since being formally appointed to the job, said there would be an after-action report and a chance for the public to vet the county-government’s performance. But, he acknowledged, “no amount of words will make the snow melt.”
Glitches Plague Road-Clearing Map It had been almost six years since a truly monumental snowstorm had left its mark on Arlington and the rest of Northern Virginia, and county leaders believed they had made upgrades over that time in prepping to keep the public updated on snow-removal efforts. Unfortunately, as county leaders acknowledged in an after-action report, technology may have made things worse, not better. See coverage on Page 11.
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Theo and Henry Wallace hone their snowboarding skills while Julian Higgins waits his turn as they find ways to have fun with all the snow that blanketed the region Jan. 22-23.
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