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| Monthly Newsletter from Chairman Sharon Bulova |
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Greetings,
During our Monday afternoon staff meeting, members of my "Chairman's Team" had a debate regarding the word "re-invigorate" and whether it was redundant to the word "invigorate." A reference check showed some distinction. Invigorate means "
to give life and energy to (someone): to cause (something) to become more active and lively." A definition for reinvigorate reads, "to put vitality and vigor back into (someone or something).
The difference seems pretty minor but it brings to mind the state of Fairfax County past and present.
I arrived in Fairfax County during the late 1960's, a product of the Baby Boomer generation. My husband and I bought our first home, a Prince model, in a brand new subdivision called Kings Park West located next to Patty's Farm and Riding Stable. The Board of Supervisors at the time was building a classroom a day in their efforts to keep up with the county's growing population of young families. In addition to those classrooms, libraries, police and fire stations were constructed and parkland was purchased.
You could say Fairfax County was being invigorated as it transformed from a sleepy dairy farm community into a thriving suburbia. It wasn't always an easy transition. Our region struggled to plan for and build highways and the Metrorail System. Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University opened to provide higher education and brand new Dulles Airport was criticized for many years as a "White Elephant" because of its remote location in Chantilly.
Land use wars raged on growth versus no growth; roads versus no new roads.
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| The first cars try out the Virginia section of the National Capital Beltway, 1964. |
Fairfax County's major growth years took place from the 50's through the 80's, a period when our population grew from less than 100,000 to over 800,000. Today we have stabilized at just over a million.
The homes and businesses that were built during those growth years are aging along with schools and other public facilities. You could say that today Fairfax County has entered a stage for reinvigoration.
Our land use policies today are focused on revitalizing and redeveloping older commercial and industrial parts of the county that, if left alone, could deteriorate. More compact, walkable, mixed-use development is encouraged to reduce reliance on cars as a means of getting around and offer more lifestyle choices to our residents in addition to traditional neighborhoods.
While our Board's predecessors were building a classroom a day as Fairfax County's population swelled, the Board of Supervisors today is focused on renovating and modernizing the schools and public buildings that have served us over the decades. And on the transportation front, we are planning and investing more in transit, bike and walking infrastructure. We are also challenged, as a region, to shore up our aging Metrorail system.
You can find in this issue of the Byline some examples of what the County is doing to ensure the kind of reinvigoration that will keep our community attractive and vibrant - an awesome place to live, work, play and grow older comfortably.
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Sincerely,
Sharon Bulova
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
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| New Opportunities Under Tysons Plan Spur Growth |
The
Tysons Plan is working to grow the County's commercial tax base. Our Board adopted a new Comprehensive Plan for the Tysons Urban Center in FY2011, and we have seen a steady rise in commercial property values in Tysons ever since. This is particularly exciting because Tysons is outperforming the rest of the D.C. metro region, which experienced several years of negative growth and stagnation over the same interval. Since the
Silver Line opened in July 2014, the rate of annual growth in Tysons increased by 3.1% in FY2016 and a whopping 10.8% in FY2017.
Tysons is the largest business district in the county and is home to a wide range of employers, including AT&T, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Capital One, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Freddie Mac, Gannett (USA Today), Hilton Worldwide, IBM, MicroStrategy, The MITRE Corp., the National Automobile Dealers Association, Northrop Grumman, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, SAIC, Sun Microsystems and Intelsat.
Attracting businesses and growing the commercial tax base is a priority for Fairfax County, and we are proud to see that is happening as a result of a lot of hard work and strategic planning.
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| Embark Richmond Highway Pushes Route 1 Revitalization Foward |
Embark Richmond Highway is a multi-year effort involving land use, transportation planning, design and construction activities that will result in a bus rapid transit (BRT) system operating from Huntington Metro to Fort Belvoir, and a future extension of Metro's Yellow Line to Hybla Valley.
The County is focusing primarily on planning for walkable, urban-style, mixed-use development near future transit stations to create vibrant communities where people can live, work and shop - all with easy access to transit.
Fairfax County will hold a community meeting on the plans and work currently underway on the Embark Richmond Highway project on Monday, May 9, 2016, from 7 to 9pm at Walt Whitman Middle School, 2500 Parkers Lane. Hope you can make it to hear from local Supervisors Jeff McKay and Dan Storck on this important step forward for the Richmond Highway Corridor!
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| Fairfax County Applauds and Partners with Green Businesses |
The new Fairfax County Green Business Partners Program recognizes local businesses that are leaders in environmental stewardship. These businesses integrate sustainability principles like energy conservation, waste reduction and smart water use in their day-to-day operations. Visit the Green Business Directory to find a Partner in your area and learn about ways to save resources and money. Membership is free and open to any business in Fairfax County. If you are a local green business, you can apply to become a Partner! Member benefits:
- You will be listed in the Fairfax County Green Business Partners Directory, which potential customers can use to find green businesses.
- Your Sustainability Profile will be posted in the Directory so that potential customers can read about your achievements.
- You can use the Green Business Partners logo on your own promotional materials.
- You will receive free Green Business Partners window decals to post at your place of business.
- Members are periodically highlighted in press releases and feature articles.
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| FY2017 Budget Officially Adopted on April 26 |
On April 26, the Board of Supervisors voted to increase funding for schools by $104 million and made strategic investments that protect the quality of life in Fairfax County. After amending County Executive Ed Long's FY2017 Advertised Budget, the Board voted 7-3 in favor of a $1.13 tax rate for FY2017, an increase from the FY2016 rate of $1.09 per $100 of assessed value. The 4-cent increase will generate approximately $93 million in additional County revenue that will invest in valued County services such as education, public safety and human services.
Our Board is committed to investing in what makes our County great: its schools, its employees, and its services. Education is absolutely a top priority -- and this budget reflects that. The major change the Board made to the County Executive's Advertised Budget was to provide an additional $33.6 million to Schools. This was done by allocating an entire penny of the tax rate and using reallocated funds from Third Quarter Review. With FCPS receiving 52.7% of the County's General Fund budget, the elected School Board will have enough funds to address teacher compensation, preserve existing programs, and begin working to decrease class sizes.
It was no doubt a tough budget year. We know that many of our citizens are struggling in this sluggish economy and continued increases in the real estate tax rate are not sustainable. Collaboration between our Board and the School Board, revenue diversification from Richmond, and efficiencies in County programming are very important moving forward. Read more.
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| Breaking the Cycle of Crime with Treatment Instead of Jail |
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CSB Merrifield Center, 8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Dr |
One in five adults in the U.S. experience mental illness, and more than half did not receive treatment within the past year. Across the country, more people with mental illness are in jail than in psychiatric hospitals, with 2 million people with mental illness brought to jail every year. The criminalization of mental illness is a social, health and justice issue that Fairfax County has tackled head-on in this year's FY2017 Adopted Budget.
Diversion First, a new Fairfax County initiative, aims to reduce the number of people with mental illness in our jail. When people with mental illness have a non-violent or low-level encounter with the law, police officers can take them to the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board's (CSB) Merrifield Crisis Response Center for treatment rather than jail. During this January alone, 265 mental health investigations were conducted by Fairfax County police officers in the field, and 40 percent of those investigations involved the CSB Merrifield Crisis Response Center.
Fully implementing Diversion First was a recommendation of Fairfax County's Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission. In the county's FY2017 Budget, the Board of Supervisors invested $7.5 million to implement many of the Commission's recommendations, including $3.89 million and a number of new staff positions for Diversion First.
As part of Diversion First, Fairfax County police officers and deputy sheriffs are receiving 40 hours of state-certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to learn about the challenges of living with a mental illness and how to de-escalate crisis  situations, both in the community and in the jail. CIT training is also aimed at changing the way law enforcement and the judicial system interact with people who have substance use disorders or intellectual and developmental disabilities.
After completing the training, CIT officers and deputies are better equipped to identify individuals who are experiencing an episode related to mental illness. They can make an informed decision to take persons to the Merrifield Crisis Response Center for assessment rather than arresting them and bringing them to the Adult Detention Center. Or, CIT officers may be able to de-escalate the crisis and resolve the situation on the spot.
If you call 9-1-1 for a mental health crisis or emergency, you can request a CIT-trained officer to respond.
In a crisis that is not life threatening or when involving law enforcement is not necessary, you can call CSB Emergency Services 24/7 at 703-573-5679.
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| High Demand for Foster Families in Fairfax County |
May 2016 is Foster Care and Foster Family Recognition Month in Fairfax County. Foster Care is the temporary placement of a child into a new residence due to a variety of possible reasons, such as when a child has been the victim of neglect or abuse, or when a parent cannot provide for their child. In Fairfax County, approximately 300 children, ranging from infancy to 20 years old, are in the County's foster care system.
Foster families who can host siblings, children over the age of 9, medically fragile children, children with different language needs, and/or teen moms with babies are in high demand.
If you're thinking about becoming a foster parent, please attend an orientation meeting, which are held the 2nd Monday of each month at 7pm in the Pennino Building. Afterwards and if interested, you'll have a case worker visit your home and you can participate in Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE) training.
You can also help in another way: Children ages 16-18 who are currently in foster care can receive assistance through our Independent Living Program. This program helps teens transition from foster care to successful, adult lives. Through financial donations or volunteering, you can make a difference in setting these kids up for a healthy and successful lifestyle.
The Fairfax County Foster Care and Adoption Office, provided through our Department of Family Services, can be reached at 703-324-7639 |
fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/childrenyouth/fca.htm
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| Support Local Kids with Cancer by Donating a New Hat! |
During the month of May, the Fairfax County Police Department's Victim Services Section will be collecting hats in support of
Ellie's Hats. What started out as collecting hats for one child with cancer has blossomed into a cause that brings joy to thousands of kids going through cancer treatments. The hope is that by showing these brave children that others are thinking about them, it will bring a little cheer into their day. We would love your help! If you'd like to donate...
* All hats must be new.
* Remember, quality over quantity!
* Hats are for boys and girls of all ages.
There will be boxes at the following locations with the Ellie's Hats Logo for drop off:
* Fairfax County Police Department: 10600 Page Avenue (Police Annex/Victim Services Main Office)
* Fairfax County Courthouse: Commonwealth Attorney's Office
* Any of the eight Fairfax County Police District Stations
* You can also mail to: Saly Fayez, 10600 Page Avenue, Fairfax, VA 22030
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| Help Hospice Patients by Shopping at New Tysons Store |
Twice As Nice, a second-hand furniture and home décor shop in Tysons, recently opened and offers furniture, wall art, antiques, decorative pieces and many unique items.
The shop is staffed by volunteers for Capital Caring, a non-profit organization that has helped hundreds of thousands of patients and family members for almost 40 years. 100% of all proceeds from Twice as Nice sales help provide hospice and palliative care for patients with advanced illness, regardless of their ability to pay. Capital Caring also provides counseling for their families. Stop by their store in Tysons, 8344 Leesburg Pike, if you'd like to contribute to Capital Caring's work in our community.
Email [email protected] for more info.
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| 11 Farmers Markets Open First Week of May |
What do you look forward to at the beginning of May? Many would say the return of farm fresh products with the opening of the 11 locations of our
Farmers Markets. You can look forward to the freshest produce, meats, cheese, baked breads, honey, ice cream, sweets and cut flowers our region has to offer. Our markets are strictly "producer-only," which means that all vendors must grow or produce everything they bring to market. This offers a unique opportunity to connect directly with farmers who are eager to answer questions about their growing practices, animal care, recipes and more. Find a market near your home or work - we have many locations! My staff and I often visit the Government Center location for a quick snack on Thursday afternoons!
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