July 11 Town Council Meeting Roundup

In a meeting heavy on internal town issues like software and IT contracts, the council also addressed some issues directly affecting Vienna residents.

• As the summer heats up, residents living near Goldstar Property Management on Follin Lane are getting steamed about the noise from the property's cooling fans, which one resident described as sounding "like a helicopter landing on your roof." Though the property owner has done noise studies, the town is working to contract another, independent noise study to ensure that the racket, which residents say can be heard over four blocks away, is within legal noise limits. Mayor M. Jane Seeman said the issue would be a priority.
• Residents on Church Street NE between Glyndon Street NE and Beulah Road NE will see several trees removed from the front of their properties in mid- to late-August. Given the state of decline due to age and trimming for power lines, most trees on the north side and some on the south side of the street will be removed and replanted. Other trees will get a thorough pruning, and the town will begin new plantings to prepare for the removal of aging trees in years to come.
• Just over $1 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation will be spent on improvements to Church Street, to make progress on the $8 million planned Maple Avenue West Phase IV streetscape. The council has several options for the funds' use, including the placement of a pedestrian crossing signal on the crest of the hill west of Pleasant Street, near and . There is considerable jay-walking at that location, and a push-button signal would be installed to enhance pedestrian safety. Another option under consideration is to create a gateway at the town's border at Nutley Street.
• Although its creation is a long way off, town staff is working on regulations and a governing structure for a community garden, to be funded by . Possible locations include Park Street and Dominion Drive, along the W&OD trail, or in the town's newly acquired parcel of land near the community center and . The town is looking for volunteers to get involved in leading the project to fruition.
• As the Rotary Club of Vienna plans for the increasingly popular Viva! Vienna! festival for Memorial Day 2012, the organization is asking for the town council's advice on how to charge for booth space for those merchants whose businesses run along the festival's Church Street route. While no decision has been made, 100 organizations have already signed up for next year's festival.