Updates from Letty – August 30, 2019

Posted on by Letty Hardi

Blog posts are the personal views of Letty Hardi and not official statements or records on behalf of the Falls Church City Council

Dear Friends,

Weekly updates are back from summer vacation! I hope you’ve had a fun summer and are ready for a new season. Your City Council is also back from our summer recess, and we resume our meetings next Tuesday night.

For those who have interest in walkability and transportation, the CACT (our citizens board on transportation) will be joining us in work session to discuss ways to continue advancing our pedestrian and bike-friendly efforts. I had strongly advocated and secured $100K in this year’s budget to keep deploying small, but meaningful, spot improvements like completing “missing link” sidewalks, refreshing crosswalks, etc. Also – the long awaited discussion on motorized scooters is planned for Tuesday. You likely have seem them in action in Arlington, DC, and other urban areas. I’d like to hear your scooter experiences and recommendations before they’re deployed in Falls Church.

Finally, the end of summer also marks the unofficial start of election season. As I start up my re-election campaign, read on for a few ways you can help me. Between now and November 5th, I’m committed to keeping these updates mostly about city business – which is what you have come to expect – but there will be a few campaign tidbits sprinkled in to keep you updated about upcoming debates and voting deadlines.

Thank you all for your support.

Best,
Letty

PS – Below are my fall office hours, including weekday and weekend options, if you’d like to catch me in person.

Letty’s Campaign Update:

Here’s how you can help my re-election campaign

(1) Yard signs – if you’d like one to show your support, please reply with your address. We’ll make deliveries after Labor Day.

(2) Help me meet your neighbors – invite me to your block parties, book clubs, condo board meetings, bus stops, boy scout meetings… those are some of the easiest ways for me to meet and hear from residents.

(3) Spread the word – share my weekly posts and Facebook page. You already like/follow me and receive my posts, do your friends and neighbors too?

(4) Finally – the part that everyone dreads. Even campaigns in the Little City cost money – from yard signs to doorknocking literature, it’s an unfortunate part of the process (public financing, anyone??) I’ve decided to cap donations to $100 per person, but would be grateful for any amount you contribute. Online donations and instructions for mailed checks here:

https://www.lettyhardi.org/donate/

What Happened This Week:

(1) West Falls Church Transportation Improvements

The groundbreaking for the multimodal transportation project at Haycock/Rt 7 – West Falls Church. Remember, many of you all were instrumental in writing and testifying to NVTA to help us win the $15.7M grant – thank you!

The project will help improve walkability, bikeability, ped safety, and reduce regional congestion. Widening sidewalks, new signals, and intersection upgrades are all part of the planned improvements. This project is important for the new high school, the 10 acre economic development project, and help commuters access Metro. It’s critical to plan transportation planning early, and not as an afterthought, for the success of these projects. Like any other construction – expect that the Rt 7/Haycock area will get messy before it get better, but there will be a lot of improvements to come over the next few years.

What’s Coming Up:

  • Monday, September 30 – Letty’s Office Hours (9 am, Rare Bird Coffee)
  • Sunday, October 27 – Letty’s Office Hours (9 am, Cafe Kindred)