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Monthly Newsletter from Chairman Sharon Bulova
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Sign up for the Bulova Byline
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| Did You Know? | |
The first Thanksgiving in North America was held in Virginia in 1619. Have a great Thanksgiving!
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Stay Connected
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Email
Website
Office
(703) 324-2321
Please contact my office with any comments, questions, concerns or ideas. I look forward to hearing from you!
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Greetings,
Years ago I read the book "The Hot Zone" and thought it was pretty scary. I didn't think I would ever be in a position where Ebola would be on my agenda. But that was the case on Friday, October 17th when I approached the Inova Fairfax  Hospital campus for a tour of their new Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI).
While en route to the hospital, I heard on the radio that a woman had become ill in the Pentagon parking lot earlier in the day. She was reportedly being transported to Arlington Hospital Center as a possible Ebola patient. Much to my surprise, when I arrived at the Inova campus, Fairfax County emergency vehicles were everywhere. The patient had been rerouted to Fairfax where proper isolation capabilities were in place.
Banks of TV reporters had set up at the entrance roads. Police and Fire & Rescue were preparing to handle traffic issues and access to the hospital, as well as potential decontamination for emergency workers. For hours, everyone believed that this was the real thing.
The incident turned out to be a false alarm. It was, however, an impressive learning experience for everyone involved, including me.
Ebola is a very serious illness. It is important that common sense precautions be taken to prevent its spread and contain any outbreak in this country. It is also important not to overreact, have a good understanding of the Ebola virus, how it is spread, and how it is being treated. The following link is a good source of information on Ebola www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/ebola/. I will also continue to keep you up-to-date on Fairfax County's efforts via my Facebook page.
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The world seems to have become a smaller place. In addition to our focus on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, our office has become a collection site for Blankets for Syrian Refugees who have fled a brutal civil war to safety in Turkey. Fairfax County has a Sisterhood relationship with Kecioren in Ankara, Turkey. Last year, after visiting the Adana Refugee Camp on a cultural exchange trip, several Northern Virginia elected officials came home with a desire to assist the families they met. With no budget and little planning, Northern Virginia mobilized to collect 18,000 blankets which were collected free of charge by Paxton Van Lines at houses of worship and government offices to be shipped at no cost to Turkey by Maersk Shipping Company.
The situation in Turkey has become even more dire during the past year. Once again we are collecting blankets. This time Prince William County, Arlington and Alexandria have joined Fairfax, Loudoun and Purcellville in this effort, which is being coordinated through Northern Virginia Regional Commission. See below for more information about the Syrian Refugee Blanket Drive and how you can help!
Here at home:
- Area houses of worship are gearing up to serve as Hypothermia Centers for our small but important homeless population;
- And polling places will be open on Tuesday, November 4th for elections! Remember to bring Photo I.D.
Thanks so much for keeping informed via this Byline. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
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Sincerely,
Sharon Bulova
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
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 Election Day is tomorrow! |
Precinct and Polling Places:
Use the My Neighborhood application on the County's website to locate your precinct and polling place information.
- Go to the website: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/gisapps/myneighborhood/default.aspx
- Click on "Continue to The Application"
- Type in your address in "Number" and "Street Name" then click "Search"
- Do not include the type of road (such as Lane or Drive) with Street Name
- Click "View Full Report"
The full report will be an extensive look at your neighborhood which includes information about Elected Officials and Voting, Public Safety, Schools, Health and Public Services, Parks and more.
Registration and Photo IDs:
Check to make sure you are registered to vote at your current address by visiting the Virginia Department of Elections website www.vote.virginia.gov/search.
Virginia law requires all voters to provide photo identification when voting in person at polling places. There are many different types of acceptable photo IDs. These can be used up to a year after ID has expired. The acceptable types of photo IDs include:
- Valid Virginia Driver's License or Identification Card
- Valid Virginia DMV issued Veteran's ID card
- Valid United States Passport
- Other government-issued photo identification cards (must be issued by US Government, the Commonwealth of Virginia, or a political subdivision of the Commonwealth)
- Valid college or university student photo identification card (must be from an institution of higher education located in Virginia)
- Employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer's business
Voting on Election Day:
Polls are open on Election Day from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information on the Election, including sample ballots, please visit the Fairfax County Office of Elections website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/upcoming.htm.
Transportation Bond Referendum:
Tomorrow, voters will be asked to consider a $100 million county transportation bond question. If the bond measure is approved, proceeds will fund pedestrian, bicycle and spot road improvements. These projects were identified through the Community Wide Dialogue on Transportation last summer. This bond financing is a component of the Transportation Priorities Plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors in January to allocate $1.4 billion in local, regional, state and federal transportation funds, which Fairfax County expects to receive over the next six years. Learn more.
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| Syrian Blanket Drive: November 1 - 22 | 
Join us in a region-wide effort to collect blankets for refugees fleeing from violence in the Middle East. More than 1 million people are fleeing to Turkey from Syria and Iraq and living in temporary refugee tent camps. When asked what they need, "blankets" was the overwhelming response.
New or gently-used blankets can be dropped off at collection points all over Northern Virginia, including my office at the Fairfax County Government Center, from November 1 -22. Loudoun Board Chairman Scott York, Arlington Board Chairman Jay Fisette, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, Prince William Chairman Corey Stewart and I are chairing this effort. Last year, we collected nearly 18,000 blankets. This year, we're hoping to double that!
This is a completely volunteer effort. Paxton Van Lines will be collecting the blankets free of charge and delivering them to Maersk Shipping Company for transport to Turkey at no cost. Visit www.helpsyrianrefugees.us for a complete list of drop-off locations and additional information on the blanket drive.
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| Hypothermia Shelters Prepared for Winter | 
As winter approaches, faith communities, civic organizations, businesses and individuals are gearing up to serve our homeless population through Fairfax County's Hypothermia Prevention Program. This is an incredible, collaborative effort to serve the needs of people who are homeless and exposed to frigid weather.
Last winter, the Hypothermia Prevention Program served 1,056 individuals at all shelter locations, and there were no hypothermia-related deaths reported during those cold months. This year, emergency homeless shelters will operate under a "no turn-away" status during freezing temperatures.
The Hypothermia Prevention Program is one of the County's most successful and important public-private partnerships. We are grateful to partner with our nonprofit and faith-based groups to help us care for our most vulnerable neighbors. The hypothermia shelters operate from November - March every year.
For further information on the Hypothermia Prevention Program, please contact the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness at 703-324-9492, or email [email protected].
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| UPDATE: 95 Express Lanes | 
In case you have not driven along I-95 recently, I wanted to let you know that tremendous progress has been made on the 95 Express Lanes Project. The Express Lanes team and the Virginia Department of Transportation have announced that they expect the new lanes to open as early as December - approximately a month ahead of schedule! I will notify Byline recipients by email when an official opening date is announced.
When the project is completed, the 95 Express Lanes will extend from Edsall Road in Fairfax County to Garrisonville Road in Stafford County and will include a connection to the 495 Express Lanes. The 95 Express Lanes will operate similarly to the 495 Express Lanes, which local drivers may already be familiar with. The Express Lanes use EZ Pass and dynamic tolling technology to adjust tolls based on real-time traffic conditions. The cost to travel to different exits is shown on electronic signs as drivers approach entrances. Tolls are collected based on communication between a vehicle's EZ Pass and the overhead gantries, so there is no need to slow down for toll booths. The Express Lanes will be patrolled by Virginia State Troopers for enforcement and monitored by video to clear broken down vehicles and respond quickly to drivers needing assistance. These features will provide Express Lanes users a quicker and more predictable trip along the I-95 corridor.
Users with an EZ Pass Flex can use the 95 Express Lanes for free with 3 or more people in their vehicle by switching their EZ Pass to HOV mode, so there will be an opportunity for carpoolers and buses to take advantage of the faster and more predictable travel times the Express Lanes will create.
The 95 Express Lanes are different from the 495 Express Lanes because the 95 Express Lanes are reversible, and will open to serve the peak traffic movement. On weekdays, the lanes are expected to support northbound traffic in the morning and southbound traffic in the evening; opening and closing times will depend on actual traffic conditions so drivers are advised to read the signs as they approach entrance ramps carefully.
For more information about this project, including where you can enter and exit and how to get an EZ Pass, visit www.95expresslanes.com/.
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| Route 1 Transit Study |
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit (DRPT) has completed a study reviewing transit, roadway, bicycle and pedestrian improvements to Route 1 in Fairfax County and Prince William County. The Route 1 corridor is one of the activity centers which the community has identified for revitalization, and the transportation improvements considered through the study have the potential spark to accelerate this reinvestment.
At the end of October, the Executive Steering Committee for the study endorsed an alternative which would create a consistent six lane roadway in the project corridor; ten foot wide paths for bicycles and pedestrians; Bus Rapid Transit operating in dedicated lanes in the median of the roadway; and an option to extend the Metro Yellow Line to Hybla Valley in the future. I anticipate this recommendation will come to the Board of Supervisors for consideration as the locally preferred alternative in early 2015. You can find more information about this study and the recommendations here: route1multimodalaa.com/.
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| World Police & Fire Games Wants YOU | |
 You might think that 12,000 police officers and firefighters all gathered in one place would be enough to handle any potential situation that might arise; but when the World Police & Fire Games comes to Fairfax County next summer, that number will fall short by about three or four thousand. What could possibly be needed over and above that throng?
The answer is: VOLUNTEERS.
When the 2015 World Police & Fire Games turns Northern Virginia into the largest athletic playground the area has ever seen, a virtual army of VOLUNTEERS will be necessary to ensure that the 61 different individual, team and tactical events spread across 53 venues in ten days will come off without a hitch. To facilitate that need, Fairfax 2015, the non-profit organization established to manage the Games, has formally launched its VOLUNTEER drive with an eye toward that lofty objective.
"Our VOLUNTEERS will be the backbone, heart and soul of our event, both during the Games next summer and over the course of the next 10 months leading up to the Games," said Kim Palmese, Director, Workforce for Fairfax 2015. "We will look to these individuals for dozens of roles and functions ... everything from welcoming visitors, transporting athletes and assisting our sports coordinators at each competition venue to helping behind the scenes with technology, medical, protocol, communication, marketing, even the posting and dissemination of competition results."
 The rewards, Palmese says, will surely transcend the time devoted. "The World Police & Fire Games offers our VOLUNTEERS the opportunity to inspire, celebrate and honor those public safety officials who give so much to us every day of the year," she said.
"This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play a major role in one of the largest, multi-sport, multi-venue events the world has ever seen."
According to Palmese, VOLUNTEER opportunities are available immediately. While college and university interns are already contributing their time, talents and capabilities for real-world experience and school credits, supporting needs are very much prevalent throughout every division within the Fairfax 2015 corporate office. Additionally, Fairfax 2015 will create their own series of proprietary promotional events and participate in a series of external, existing events, virtually all of which require VOLUNTEER support.
"Words cannot express the gratitude that we have for our public safety officials, but actions can," Palmese said. "As such, we encourage all area residents to VOLUNTEER and support the public safety officials who have dedicated their lives to serving us and our community."
To VOLUNTEER, please contact Kim Palmese at [email protected] or visit www.fairfax2015.com/volunteer.
DONATE: No amount is too small to help ensure the success of the Games! Visit fairfax2015.com/donate.
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| Chairman Bulova's New Year Reception - You're Invited! | |
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