In this Issue…
Addressing Trash Service Concerns - I have been working with senior Fairfax County staff to monitor the complaints we have received regarding trash and look at what legal options the County has to address these issues if necessary. Several major factors are contributing to the delays and missed pickups you may have seen with your private trash hauler or County trash service: the ongoing labor shortages (the “Great Resignation”), the shortage of CDL drivers, the current Omicron COVID surge, and the recent snowstorms. Below, I’ll address the major factors affecting trash service and share what the County is doing to mitigate those issues. I’ll also share what options you have as you choose your trash service provider.
Addressing Safety on the Fairfax County Parkway - At our December 7 meeting, the Board approved my motion to improve safety on the Fairfax County Parkway between Clara Barton Drive and Burke Centre Parkway. According to the DMV website there were six crashes last year (not counting the fatal crash from November) just in this section of the Parkway. The motion directed the Fairfax County Dept of Transportation to review crash data and previous studies and recommend a way forward on safety improvements. In the interim, I’d like to extend my thanks to VDOT’s Traffic Engineering Section which has already taken the initiative to install curve warning signs as well as chevron signs through the curve itself.
Protecting Our Residents and Airports - The Fairfax County Planning Division is scheduled to hold two virtual community open houses to discuss the Plan Amendment for Airport Noise Contours at the end of the month. As you may recall, I supported the adoption of the most recent noise contours which are in line with the latest guidelines from MWAA (Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority) when further development was proposed but the Board pretended they did not exist. We need to protect our airports as valuable economic assets as well as the quality of life of current and future residents living near them. Please see more below on the issue and how to attend.
Other news and information…
- Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
- West Springfield CAC Community Engagement Meeting (2/1)
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AARP: Be on the Lookout for Online Relationship Scams (2/10)
- Osher Life Long Learning Institute Special Promotion (2/18)
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Addressing Trash Service Concerns
I have been working with senior Fairfax County staff to monitor the complaints we have received regarding trash and look at what legal options the County has to address these issues if necessary. Several major factors are contributing to the delays and missed pickups you may have seen with your private trash hauler or County trash service the ongoing labor shortages (the “Great Resignation”), the shortage of CDL drivers, the current Omicron COVID surge, and the recent snowstorms.
In 2019 we addressed similar challenges with trash service that were driven both by an ongoing national shortage of CDL drivers and a trash provider that expanded its operations too quickly. I engaged the haulers and County staff and the situation improved but has not returned to the level of service we expect. See my Herrity report here.
The driver shortage is a national problem and some jurisdictions have had to suspend recycling service altogether until the shortages can be addressed. It was a problem before the pandemic and has since been exacerbated by it. Despite the challenge of disease and staffing shortages, we are fortunate to have been able to continue collecting trash, recycling, and yard waste.
At the County level, I have reiterated to the Board the critical need to address these staffing challenges that exist in all sectors, most notably in public safety. Recruiting workers in the public and private sector is one of the top challenges we are seeing in this economy. The sanitation industry has felt this impact significantly as some decided that the risks of handling trash, especially during a pandemic, were not worth it.
Adding to this, earlier this month, our area experienced several snowfall events which caused significant delays to refuse and recycling services.
Further adding to this is the recent Omicron surge which at times is causing a 20 percent reduction in workforce due to employees contracting the virus, managing exposures, or needing to care for family members. With fewer drivers employed, when haulers have had a wave of COVID run through their teams, it has meant fewer routes can be covered, leading to delayed and missed pickups. Both private and public haulers across the country and in Fairfax County have felt this impact.
The staffing shortages cause a direct impact to your service because if there are not enough employees to collect the waste stream routes (trash, recycling and yard waste), then priority of service must be assessed. This is why some of you have seen your trash taken, but recycling and yard waste remain by the curb. Trash is always the priority with regards to the hierarchy of collection, followed by recycling, then yard waste. When a decision is made to delay services due to shortages, recycling and yard waste are delayed because they do not cause as significant a public health risk as trash does. Last August, the County temporarily allowed solid waste service providers to collect trash and yard waste together if they were experiencing labor shortages that prevented them from completing their routes in a timely manner. This helped haulers maximize their routes even with a limited number of drivers.
I have been closely monitoring the complaints we are receiving about trash service and working with County staff to identify ways the County can help relieve these issues in both the public and private sectors as well as when and what legal action may be required. One way the County has helped is by communicating directly with the haulers on your behalf. Many of you have reached out to our office when your trash pick up has been repeatedly missed and we and county staff have been able to flag your address for your hauler.
What options do you have?
Many of you have told me you are frustrated with your service and you want to know your options. While all haulers are likely experiencing some form of delay because of the challenges I mentioned above, residents who are serviced by private haulers have the option to select refuse and recycle haulers of their choice.
Our neighbors from the Greenbriar community offer a possible model for your consideration. A group of neighbors were unhappy with their service and decided to reach out to a different hauler to service their neighborhood. While many haulers will not pick up one-off homes, the group of neighbors formed a large enough cohort to bring the hauler to their neighborhood.
The County does not solicit, market, or contract refuse companies to operate within Fairfax County we only license them. There are a limited number of companies who provide “subscription service” service provided to individual homes. Service provided to homeowners associations is termed as “contract service”, there are companies listed on our website that offer both contract and subscription service.
Other Actions You Can Take: The County has set up a special email to register a complaint with your service provider if you are not receiving trash pick-up as promised by your provider. You can register a complaint with the county at trashmail@fairfaxcounty.gov. Please continue to notify us of missed service so we can further document the issue.
If you have any issues with credit/billing complaints, you can direct them to our Fairfax County Office of Consumer Affairs. You can forward information to consumer@fairfaxcounty.gov or the online complaint form.
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Addressing Safety on the Fairfax County Parkway
At our December 7 meeting, the Board approved my motion to improve safety on the Fairfax County Parkway between Clara Barton Drive and Burke Centre Parkway. I requested that our Dept. of Transportation obtain updated crash data and revisit past studies in response to the high number of crashes in this section of the Parkway, the number of inquiries my office has received from citizens about the need to improve this section of the Parkway, and of course, in response to the terrible fatality in this area of the Parkway that took place in late November. According to the DMV website there were six crashes last year (not counting the crash from November) just in this section of the road between the Clara Barton Drive bridge and Burke Centre Parkway alone. While the planned widening of this section of the Parkway should ultimately alleviate the safety issues associated with the road’s design, these improvements are not currently funded, and implementation is still many years away.
There have been several studies done of this corridor, including a safety study undertaken in 2010 that specifically identified where median barriers and other safety-related improvements could be made. In 2017, VDOT undertook a study to identify multimodal improvements that could be made on the Parkway in the following 5-10 years. Some of the recommendations made in the studies have been completed but not those that address this specific location. Both studies offered solutions for this stretch of the Parkway that could address the safety concerns, including additional median barriers, ‘signal ahead’ signs and beacons, ‘posted speed’/’your speed’ signage, and others.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will be revisiting the recommendations made in the previous studies as well as investigating any newer technologies or strategies that may be available to address these safety concerns. FCDOT’s review is underway, and staff will be reporting back to the Board with its recommendations. It is my hope this happens sooner than later as I am aware of two more crashes that have occurred at the location since the Board’s discussion. In the interim, I’d like to extend my thanks to VDOT’s Traffic Engineering Section which has already taken the initiative to put into motion the installation of curve warning signs as well as chevron signs through the curve itself.
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Protecting Our Residents and Airports
The Fairfax County Planning Division is scheduled to hold two virtual community open houses to discuss the Plan Amendment for Airport Noise Contours at the end of the month. As you may recall, I supported the adoption of the most recent noise contours which are in line with the latest guidelines from MWAA (Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority) when further development was proposed but the Board pretended they did not exist. We need to protect our airports as valuable economic assets as well as the quality of life of current and future residents living near them.
This article from the Connection Newspapers provides some good background information. My hope is that the Board regains its senses, recognizes the reality of the new contours and adopts them to protect the economic engine the airports are as well as our residents’ quality of life
Virtual Community Open Houses for this Plan Amendment are scheduled for Thursday January 27, 2022 at 7:00 pm and Saturday January 29, 2022 at 11:00 am:
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Other News and Information
- Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
- West Springfield CAC Community Engagement Meeting (2/1)
-
AARP: Be on the Lookout for Online Relationship Scams (2/10)
-
Osher Life Long Learning Institute Special Promotion (2/18)
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Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
Residential households in the US are now eligible to order Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests through a partnership with USPS. To receive your order of 4 COVID-19 tests per household, click this link: https://special.usps.com/testkits
West Springfield CAC Community Engagement Meeting
The West Springfield District Community Advisory Committee will be hosting a Community Engagement Meeting on February 1, 2022, at 7:00 PM. These meetings help to enhance communication between the residents and police department of Fairfax County. It also offers residents a chance to dialogue with the officers of the West Springfield Station.
Our speaker will be a representative of the FCPD Victim Services Division. The topic will be "How Victim Services helps and supports the victims of crime in the county". The meeting will be held via Zoom, and the link will be below.
Consider joining the West Springfield District Station Community Advisory Committee (CAC). This is a free program, and all ages are welcome to attend. The meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00PM (except for July and August).
If you have any questions, contact PFC Tony Capizzi at 703-277-2363.
Password: 119455
Or Telephone:
Dial:
USA 636 651 3141
USA 8774029753 (US Toll Free)
Conference code: 404496
AARP: Be on the Lookout for Online Relationship Scams
Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 2:00 PM
Learn how to recognize online relationship scams in this thirty-minute webinar! Lots of people meet friends and potential love interests online through dating sites, social media, or mobile apps. It can be a great way to meet people, but recognize that not everyone is who they say they are online. These scams aren’t just targeted at people who are looking for a relationship on a dating site or app. They can occur through social media and even through email. In this 30-minute webinar, we’ll discuss the red flags to be on the lookout for anyone engaging in online relationships. Don’t let scammers ruin your Valentine’s Day!
Osher Life Long Learning Institute Special Promotion
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University (OLLI Mason) offers a robust level of class offerings and recruits a wonderful set of teachers from all walks of life, including George Mason University, OLLI membership, and outside experts.
Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, OLLI Mason thrived as an organization. In 2021, they continued to program and deliver over 500 classes on a broad spectrum of subjects. Over 20 clubs continued to meet online, giving members the ability to stay connected. They plan to resume field trips and in-person classes during our spring term (March 28—May 20).
Currently, OLLI Mason membership is available to new members at an incredible value. They are offering a $300 special promotion rate for those who purchase an annual membership during our winter 2022 term (January 24—February 18), so act now! Curious about their class offerings or want more information about our organization? At no cost to you, please visit the OLLI George Mason University YouTube channel. You can view a sample of their recent, class offerings. You can find more information about OLLI Mason on their website or by emailing the administrator at olli@gmu.edu.
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