“It’s time to go back to the community — reaching consensus would be a wonderful thing” said acting County Manager Mark Schwartz. This change of heart represents a small victory for the many residents of our neighborhood who want to keep Fire Station #8 in its current location. This is a major change from Arlington County’s original presentation that indicated they were moving the Fire Station to another location. This move would have negatively impacted public safety and increased response times for emergency calls to residents in our neighborhood. 

The Arlington County Board quickly agreed with the County Manager and voted to support the formation of a task force which would begin in October and work through next March to find the best path forward. This decision helps our community to have a voice and input into the process and also demonstrates how much impact a community and our Civic Association can have making sure our interests align with the decisions of Arlington County. 

It is important to note that this is not a victory for the leadership of the Civic Association, but a victory for the residents of Hall’s Hill/High View Park. It is only with your consistent support, efforts and involvement, that the county was able to pay attention to our community’s priorities. That said, going forward, we will need your continued support and involvement to ensure that additional funding and appropriate levels of service are provided to our neighborhood by Arlington County. The best way to ensure this involvement is to participate on a committee, or maybe even a few if you have the time. Committees are a collaborative forum where work can be done by many and the sharing of ideas leads to great results. Members take responsibility for efforts and it is a true reflection of our neighborhood coming together. 

As we have seen with Fire Station #8, the results are worth the effort. Coming up, we have some other large issues that will directly impact residents of HHHVP such as the Virginia Hospital Center Edison Property, and the expansion of I-66. We also have social and event committees such as the 150th Anniversary and Holiday Party. Whatever your interest, there are ways you can get involved. Please consider spending some time giving back to your community. 

Alexandria Bocian

President