Weekly Column: Week #6: Electronic Textbooks, Sunshine and Other Bills Moves

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, The Mt. Vernon Voice and The Potomac-Stafford Local in the week of February 16, 2016.

Week #6: Electronic Textbooks, Sunshine and Other Bills Moves

As we pass the mid-point of this General Assembly session, many bills are moving. 

After a 30-minute debate, the Senate approved my bill prohibiting the use of electronic textbooks in public schools without a plan to provide school broadband and digital devices to every student required to use an electronic textbook.  Virginia’s constitution requires that every child receive a free textbook.  

On the floor, I argued that without home computers, electronic textbooks create a two-tiered education system for the haves and the have-nots.  Senators Adam Ebbin and George Barker joined me in stressing that even Northern Virginia’s schools have significant low-income student populations who face  disadvantages in the classroom without their own devices.  The bill now moves to the House of Delegates.

Belleview Safeway Has Opened!

Back on January 6, I swung by the Belleview Shopping Center to grab a Subway sandwich and a 12-pack of beer on my way to the Redskins-Seahawks games.  I walked up to Safeway and then suddenly realized - it's closed.  You don't realize how important something is until it's not there.

The Belleview Safeway is a community institution and it's absence has been felt.  The Hollin Hall Safeway has been a mob scene for the last six months as it handled all of the overflow, but all that is coming to an end! 

The newly renovated and expanded 45,000 square foot store is OPEN!

New Fort Hunt Park Plans Up for Discussion!

Last year, the National Park Service (NPS) came out with plans to significantly modify Fort Hunt Park including demolition of most of the existing picnic pavillions.  I wrote about it here:

The Dixie Pig: Recognize Fort Hunt's History and Keep Picnic Areas (Sept. 28, 2011)

The Dixie Pig: Comment on Proposed Changes to Fort Hunt Park (Sept. 30, 2011)

Seventy-seven people provided feedback on this blog, nearly all opposed, which I forwarded to the NPS.  Congressman Jim Moran and Supervisor Gerry Hyland were also instrumental in working with the NPS.

The NPS eventually deferred their proposed plans and started over.

Today, they announced their new proposals.  They are much improved.  You can view or download them below the fold and there will be a public hearing:

NPS Fort Hunt Park Site Development Plan Public Hearing
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Fort Hunt Elementary School
8832 Linton Lane
Alexandria, VA 22308

Memorial Day Little Hunting Creek Cleanup PART II!

Last month, I led a cleanup of a site on Little Hunting Creek off Janna Lee Avenue where we recovered 49 shopping carts and 550 pounds of trash.  Here are pictures below.

There are still 30 more shopping carts that need to be removed and this weekend we are headed back out to make another dent.

Little Hunting Creek Cleanup Part II
Memorial Day Weekend
Saturday, May 26, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
7950 Seven Woods Drive
Alexandria, VA 22309
CLICK HERE TO RSVP
RSVP with Delegate Scott Surovell delssurovell@house.virginia.gov or
Megan Howard at (571) 249-4484 

In case you have never done it before, it is a terrific activity for elementary school kids.  Picking up litter is a fun and easy way to introduce children to environmental stewardship.  I will provide the bags and gloves.  Just bring your tennis shoes (or boots) and please RSVP so we know how much stuff to bring

Mt. Vernon & Lee Potomac Cleanups This Weekend

The Friends of Little Hunting Creek have organized numerous cleanups next weekend as part of the 24th Annual Alice Ferguson Foundation Potomac Cleanup.

Please volunteer at one of these sites in our community. 

Delegate Scott Surovell at Upper Little Hunting Creek At Huntley Meadows & Sequoyah Apts

Time: Noon to 4 p.m.

Contact: Delegate Scott Surovell delssurovell@house.virginia.gov or Megan Howard at 703 850-8618

CLICK HERE TO RSVP
7950 Seven Woods Drive
Alexandria, VA 22306

This site upstream of the Janna Lee Ave. bridge also needs your help. Travel south on Route 1 from Alexandria and turn right onto Buckman Road, turn R on Seven Woods Drive, take the 2nd right after Laramie Place and turn into a parking lot that includes a playground. (If you reach Silverada Place, you have gone too far.)

Gum Springs Community Cleanup

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Contact: Bryan Birch, 571-201-2802.

Meet at Shaw Park Court (Go South on Route 1, make a U-Turn at Mount Vernon Highway/Buckman Rd, turn R on Napper Rd, R on Shaw Park Court and park at the end.

Stratford-on-the-Potomac

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Contact: Karl Egloff, 571-214-2773

Take the Mount Vernon Pkway S from Alexandria, turn right at Stratford Lane (1 mile north of Mount Vernon), L at Captains Row, to 9000 Captains Row. 

Help the Girl Scouts at Janna Lee's Creekside Village

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Contact: Kathy Lehner, kathy.lehner@gmail.com

Come help the Creekside Village Girl Scouts clean up this trash hotspot! From Route 1 (at the intersection with Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy), turn west onto Buckman Rd, R on Janna Lee Ave., to the bridge over Little Hunting Creek (just before the Creekside Village Apts). 

Paddle at Stratford Landing

Time: 1 to 4 p.m.

Contact: Celia Boertlein at cboertlein@aol.com or Paul Siegel at 703-346-9141.

Bring your canoe or kayak, life vest, and paddle, and meet at the canoe launch at 8706 Stockton Parkway (across from 8707). At this site volunteers will retrieve trash from the water. Experienced paddlers only; any children must be accompanied by an adult. 

2012 Mt. Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce Business Awards

I had a great night tonight at the Mt. Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce's annual awards dinner.  The award winners pictured at the right were the following:

• Large Business of the Year - Cox Communications
• Mid-Sized Business of the Year - Mt. Vernon Athletic Club
• Small Business of the Year - Commercial Lynks, Inc.
• New Business of the Year - Walker's Grill
• Citzen of the Year - Tom Harvey, Hollin Hall Automotive, Inc.

In my comments, I said that sometimes in Mt. Vernon it feels like Mayberry because we're such a tight community.  Cox funds my Young Leaders Program, I played tennis daily at Mt. Vernon Athletic Club when I was in high school, I sat next to the owner of Walker's Grill at dinner the other night, and Hollin Hall Automotive is simply legendary. 

They are all part of why we live in such a great community.  My commending resolution for Hollin Hall Automotive is below. 
Hollin Hall Auto 50th Anniversary Commending Resolution

A Visitor From Aldersgate

Tuesday, I was honored to be joined on the floor by Rev. Dr. Dennis Perry, pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, here in Mount Vernon.

I asked Rev. Perry to deliver the prayer at the opening of Tuesday's floor session. You can find a video of Reverend Perry's prayer below.



After session began, I introduced Rev. Perry to the full house and spoke about the fantastic work Aldersgate does in the Mt. Vernon community. Here's video of my introduction of Rev. Perry.

2011 Surovell Puller Town Hall Meeting

2011 Annual Town Hall Meeting

Senator Toddy Puller & Delegate Scott Surovell

Saturday, January 29, 2011

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Mount Vernon Government Center

2511 Parkers Lane

Alexandria, VA 22306

For Information Call 571.249.44TH (4484)

Scenes Around the 44th on the 4th

Here's my 4th of July Schedule.

Saturday, July 3, 2010
10:00 a.m. Southwood Community Parade
12:00-5:00 p.m. Surovell 4th of July Parade down the MV Trail with my 3 y/o Colin

Sunday, July 4, 2010
12:00 a.m. Waynewood Fourth of July Parade
1:30 p.m. Hollin Hills Fourth of July Picnic
6:00 p.m. Tauxemont Community Fourth of July Picnic

Scott Speaks to the Southwood Community
(photo courtesy David Almacy)














Waynewood Fourth of July Parade







































Photo Courtesy Mt. Vernon Gazette & Gale Curcio













Hollin Hills Fourth of July Picnic