happy father's day 2008 - The Metro Herald

COMMUNITY NEWS
June 13, 2008
ALEXANDRIA
JUNE GENEALOGY
PROGRAM
On Tuesday, June 17, 2008, the
Mount Vernon Genealogical
Society (MVGS) will meet in
room 112 of the Hollin Hall Senior
Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The
meeting will start at 1:00p.m. and is
free and open to the public. The meeting
will feature a presentation entitled
“Digital Reference, Digital Resources
and Digital Maps at the Library of
Congress.” The program will be presented
by Ed Redmond.
As Geography and Map Reference
Specialist, Ed Redmond provides library
members, Congressional staff,
national and international scholars,
other federal agencies, and the general
public with access to the Library of
Congress’ cartographic collections. He
has held this position for 19 years. Previously,
Ed has served as a map librarian
and a social studies and history
teacher at the primary, secondary and
university levels. He has served as
President of the Washington Map Society
and is a member of the Association
of American Geographers.
The discussion will focus on family
history resources available on various
Library of Congress web sites with
specific focus on the Library’s cartographic
collections www.loc.gov/rr/
geogmap.
The Hollin Hall Senior Center is located
4 miles south of Alexandria just
off Fort Hunt Road at 1500 Shenandoah
Road in Alexandria, Virginia.
MVGS is a nonprofit organization
and has over 260 members residing in
Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, the counties
of Fairfax, Prince William, Montgomery,
and Prince Georges, as well as
several states.
Additional information about the
meeting and MVGS can be found at
www.MVGenealogy.org/. Any questions
about the program should be directed
to Harold McClendon at 703-
360-0920 or haroldm@erols.com.
ALEXANDRIA’S FIRST HALF
OF 2008 REAL ESTATE TAX
DUE MONDAY, JUNE 16
The City of Alexandria reminds
property owners that payment
of the first half of their 2008
Real Estate Tax and Refuse Fee is due
BLACK FACT
On June 13, 1937,
Eleanor Holmes (later
Eleanor Norton) is
born in Washington,
DC. A graduate of the
Yale University School
of Law, Norton will
become chairperson of
the New York City
Commission on
Human Rights, and a
Georgetown University
law professor before
being elected a
non-voting delegate
to Congress
representing the
District of Columia.
Monday, June 16. To avoid late payment
penalty and interest charges, payment
must be received by the City or
postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service
no later than June 16.
Real estate tax bills were mailed on
Tuesday, May 13. Property owners
who have not received a tax bill in the
mail and do not have their real estate
tax paid by a mortgage company
should call the City’s Treasury
Division at 703-838-4777 or e-mail
payments@alexandriava.gov to request
a duplicate bill. Failure to receive
a tax bill in the mail is not
grounds for waiving the late payment
penalty and interest or extending the
June 16 due date.
The Finance Department urges
Alexandria property owners to avoid
waiting in line at City Hall by using
one of the following convenient payment
options:
Pay by eCheck online at
alexandriava.gov/payments to have
the payment deducted from a specified
checking or savings account. There is
no additional fee for using this service,
which is available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
Pay by automatic bank debit. Real
estate tax payments can be automatically
deducted from a specified checking
or savings account in monthly installments,
or in two equal installments
on each of the semi-annual tax due
dates. There is no fee for using this
service. However, registration is required
at least 14 days before the desired
debits are to take effect. Failure
to enroll for the lump sum payment option
by June 1 may result in a late payment
if the tax is not paid by Monday,
June 16. For more information, call
703-838-4777 or visit alexandriava.
gov/payments .
Pay by credit card (Visa, Master-
Card, American Express, or Discover)
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, online
at alexandriava.gov/payments or by
calling 1-800-272-9829. Official Payments
Corporation will assess a convenience
fee for using this service. You
will need to reference the City’s jurisdiction
code 1007.
Pay by mail using the envelope enclosed
with the bill or mail the payment
to Treasurer’s Office, P.O. Box
34750, Alexandria, VA 22334-0750.
Checks should be made payable to
“City of Alexandria.” A drop box located
on the Royal Street side of City
Hall is also available 24 hours a day.
Pay at any SunTrust Bank branch
located in the City of Alexandria by
5p.m. on Monday, June 16. SunTrust
Bank will only accept payment of the
total amount printed on the real estate
tax bill. There is no fee for this service.
Tax bills can still be paid in person
at the Treasury Division, City Hall,
301 King Street, Room 1510. Office
hours are 8a.m. to 5p.m., Monday
through Friday, and 9a.m. to noon
on Saturday, June 14. Tax bills may
be paid in person by cash, check, or
Discover Card. Discover will assess a
fee for using this service. You may also
pay by Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, or Discover online at City
Hall, Room 1700, during normal office
hours. Official Payments Corporation
will assess a fee for using this service.
You may utilize the City’s real estate
tax history search and pay at
alexandriava.gov/finance. This program
allows you to verify current and
prior year real estate taxes, 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. In addition, the
program provides property owners
with the option to pay their real estate
taxes online by eCheck or credit card.
For information on real estate assessments,
appeals or to update a mailing
address, please call Real Estate Assessments
at 703-838-4646 or email
realestate@alexandriava.gov. For information
on real estate tax and refuse
fee payments, late payment penalty
and interest, or to request a tax bill,
please call the Treasury Division at
703-838-4777 or email payments@
alexandriava.gov.
Si usted requiere asistencia en
Español, por favor llamar al 703-519-
6506, extension 583.
FAIRFAX COUNTY
FAIRFAX COUNTY SOLID
WASTE DISPOSAL FEES
TO INCREASE
On July 1, the disposal fee most
private trash collection companies
pay to dispose of trash
at one of the Fairfax County disposal
facilities will increase $5.05 per ton.
This increase will offset operational
cost increases and the elimination of
General Fund support for some elements
of the county’s Solid Waste
Management Program.
The average household in Fairfax
County generates approximately 2 tons
of trash each year. As a result of the increased
charges at disposal facilities,
the average household can expect its
solid waste collection fees to increase
by about $1 a month.
Most households will see this increase
passed on to them either by their
trash collection service or through their
homeowners associations. The Fairfax
County Solid Waste Management Program
does not regulate solid waste collection
fees charged to residents or
businesses. While trash collection
companies may have other legitimate
reasons for increasing their disposal
fees, only about $1 a month is attributable
to the change in the county’s disposal
fees.
Residents who contract with private
solid waste collection companies
should contact their collection service
to discuss any concerns over disposal
fee increases.
For more information about Fairfax
County’s Solid Waste Management
Program, contact Pamela Gratton at
703-324-5498, TTY 711, or visit
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/recycling.
RENTERS FACING
FORECLOSURE SHOULD
KNOW THEIR RIGHTS
Fairfax County officials want
renters to know their rights if
the property where they are living
is being foreclosed.
To learn more, renters should contact
Fairfax County’s Consumer Affairs
Branch to find out their options or
get help negotiating with landlords.
Call 703-222-8435, TTY 711, or get
help in person at 12000 Government
Parkway, Suite 433, Fairfax, between
8a.m. and 4:30p.m.
While a property is going through
foreclosure, landlords and tenants must
follow the terms set forth in the lease.
Once a foreclosure is final, the lease is
terminated. Lenders or new property
owners are not bound by the lease with
the original landlord.
If they must move out before the
end of their lease, renters may be able
to sue their landlords for breach of
contract. However, the best advice for
renters is to take action as soon as they
learn their landlord is facing foreclosure.
They may ask to end their lease
early without penalty, as well as work
out an agreeable date to move out.
There are other important facts for
renters to know:
• Tenants should continue to pay rent
until a foreclosure is final. Otherwise,
a landlord can go to court to
evict a tenant for failure to pay rent.
Any court action, even if not carried
out, can make it difficult to rent
another property.
• Tenants might learn for the first
time that property has been foreclosed
after being contacted by a
lender or new owner. In this case,
tenants should talk directly to the
lender or new owner about an
agreeable date to move out.
• Lenders or new property owners
can’t remove tenants or their belongings
without a court order.
• Tenants do not have a legal right to
continue living in a property that
has been foreclosed.
• Tenants are entitled to the return of
their security deposit based on the
terms of the lease after a foreclosure
is final.
For more information, contact the
Fairfax County Consumer Affairs
Branch at 703-222-8435, TTY 711.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
UPCOUNTY REGIONAL
SERVICES CENTER
TO HOST FORECLOSURE
SOLUTIONS WORKSHOP
Montgomery County’s Upcounty
Regional Services
Center and the County’s Department
of Housing and Community
Affairs are hosting a Home ownership
and Foreclosure Solutions Workshop
on Saturday, June 21 from 10a.m. to
3p.m., at the Upcounty Regional Services
Center located at 12900 Middlebrook
Rd., Germantown.
The free workshop is open to the
public and will include a panel discussion
with federal, State and local experts
and housing leaders; a presentation
on what to do when faced with a
home foreclosure; housing resources/
information booths; one-on-one housing
counseling and legal consultations;
and networking opportunities with
housing professionals and service
providers. Individuals interested in the
free legal and housing counseling must
pre-register by calling 240-777-8045.
The workshop will provide valuable
information to anyone facing foreclosure
or anyone interested in learning
about buying their first home.
For more information, call the Upcounty
Regional Services Center at
240-777-8000.
ALS MEETING
On Saturday June 7 the ALS
Caregiver Resource Support
Group will meet from 1 to
3pm at The ALS Association, Administrative
office, 7507 Standish Place,
Rockville. This support group for all
caregivers of ALS patients and interested
friends is sponsored by the ALS
Association. For more information on
this free event, call 301-978-9855 or
visit www.ALSinfo.org. (ALS is also
referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.)
2008 MONTGOMERY
COUNTY FARMERS
MARKETS READY
FOR BUSINESS
The 2008 Montgomery County
Farmers Markets season officially
runs from June through
October, but several of the county’s 13
markets are already open, and will stay
open later through the fall. Each market
offers a wide range of farm fresh
fruits, vegetables, bedding plants,
baked goods, herbs and more.
Farmers markets are located
throughout the county in Bethesda, Potomac,
Gaithersburg, Silver Spring,
Rockville, Wheaton, Kensington and
Takoma Park. Two new markets include
the Olney Farmers Market,
which celebrates its first full-season
this year and the Clarksburg Farmers
Market, in the heart of the Clarksburg
Town Center.
“Farmers markets provide a very
important source of income for local
farmers, while at the same time providing
a relaxed community gathering
place where residents can catch up
with each other as they purchase farm
fresh local products,” said Jeremy
Criss, manager, Agricultural Services
Division, Department of Economic
Development. “Customers really enjoy
having the opportunity to ask farmers
how their products are grown and get
first-hand advice on the best ways to
prepare them.”
For a complete listing of market
locations, days and hours of operation,
and variety of produce and other
goods available, go to www.
montgomerycountymd.gov/
farmersmarkets.
SPRINGFIELD, VA
GREATER SPRINGFIELD
CHAMBER UNVEILS
COMMUNITY FLAG
The newly designed Greater
Springfield community flag
will be raised for the first time
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at
10:00AM at the Springfield American
Legion. The flag raising ceremony
will be performed by members of Boy
Scout Troop #881 under the direction
of Mr. Bill Swarm. The American Legion
is located at 6520 Amherst Avenue.
The public is invited to attend.
The flag was designed by Matthew
Tiemann in conjunction with The
Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s
50th anniversary celebration
as the Chamber moves into its second
half century of community service.
Matthew, son of Michael and Cindy
Tiemann, of Burke, Va., attended Braddock
Secondary School and received a
$1,000 scholarship for his winning design.
The design contest was open to
all school students, elementary through
high school, residing or attending
school in the Greater
Springfield area. Over eighty (80)
students submitted entries in the flag
initiative competition.
Elements of the flag include the
white graphic encircling a blue field
framed in green. The center white outline
reflects the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly,
the official Virginia Commonwealth
symbol, as well as reflecting
the Springfield crossroads and interchange
of 3 major highways. The blue
field represents Greater Springfield’s
80 square mile sphere of influence.
Flag colors are blue for fidelity, green
for suburban landscape and white for
purity.
Flags are available at the Greater
Springfield Chamber of Commerce,
6434 Brandon Avenue, Suite 3-A. For
more information call 703-866-3500.
10 THE METRO HERALD