News / Articles

Citizens for Great Falls has learned that the Fairfax County School Board has authorized the acquisition of the King Abdullah Academy. Located in Herndon, the 40-acre site previously housed high school and middle school students for an enrollment of about 800 students. Currently assessed at $117,665,760, it is a fully equipped high school complete with state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, and an eight-lane Olympic-style, 25-yard competition pool.

Fairfax County is taking decisive steps to reduce aircraft noise for residents living south of Reagan National Airport. Following a year-long study by aviation consulting firm Vianair, county leaders were briefed on proposed flight path changes aimed at minimizing noise over densely populated neighborhoods. The recommendations include rerouting planes over the Potomac River, industrial zones, and highways, while maximizing altitude and dispersing flight tracks to avoid concentrated noise in sensitive areas.

The proposals, which could reduce flight paths over some communities by up to 43%, are now under review by the county’s Community Noise Working Group. If approved, they will be submitted to the FAA for final consideration—a process that could take several years. Fairfax County Board Chairman Jeff McKay called the changes “no-brainers” that could significantly improve quality of life for thousands of residents.

(Scott Gelman, WTOP News)

The recently organized non-profit civic association, Citizens For Great Falls (CFGF) hit the ground running, in April forwarding correspondence to the Regional Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to request initiation of action to assist with groundwater monitoring for the wells in the vicinity of the above-referenced incident; and, to initiate a formal enforcement investigation by the Virginia DEQ as a consequence of the release of approximately 2,600 gallons of Gasoline from a fuel transport tanker into the waters of the Difficult Run Tributary in Great Falls, Virginia. simultaneously issuing comments to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors regarding their planned cuts to essential services in the FY 2026 budget.

Under the provisions of the Virginia Code, the volunteer officers of the newly formed Citizens for Great Falls selected John Halacy as President. Halacy assumed his duties immediately upon the vote of the officers.

Membership in CFGF is open for all residents of the 2206 Zip Code in Fairfax County and for residents who are in the Langley High School Pyramid designation. Annual Dues are $20 per member.

A membership meeting is being planned for July to kick-off plans for the upcoming legislative session and to raise other community items that members would like to put on the agenda.