Your Voice in Fairfax County
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In This Issue...
- The County Should Be Taking the Baby Steps of Phase One - Unfortunately, Fairfax County will not have the opportunity to take the same small steps towards reopening that the rest of Virginia will be taking on Friday, May 15th. While the Governor allowed this delay at the request of local leadership, it is disappointing that the full Board was not consulted before this position was taken. The goal of Phase One is to slowly reopen our economy while containing the spread of COVID-19 through cautious measures of social distancing, limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people, wearing face masks, and more. This virus will be with us for a long time, and with no end in sight, we need to take small, cautious steps forward to allow struggling families to get back to work and some form of normalcy.
- $25M Relief Grant Program Approved for Small Businesses and Nonprofits -At Tuesday's meeting the Board voted to unanimously approve a relief grant program for small businesses and nonprofits using $25 million in federal CARES Act funding. I was happy to support this initiative as we look for ways to help our small businesses stay afloat until they can reopen.
- Older Adult Services Continue - One group that has been most affected by the pandemic is our older adult community which is higher risk and makes up 27 percent of Fairfax County's population. Read about the actions I have undertaken as Chairman of the Older Adults Committee and our County's efforts to assist older adults below.
- Other News and Information
- Help from the Heart Community Drive
- Stuff the Bus
- Fairfax County Health District Dashboard
- Purple Bins
- Fairfax County Public Libraries
- On the Lighter Side
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Fairfax County Should Be Taking the Baby Steps of Phase One of Reopening Virginia
It is unfortunate that Fairfax County will not have the opportunity to take several small steps towards reopening that the rest of Virginia will be taking on Friday May 15th. While the Governor allowed this delay at the request of local leadership, it is disappointing that the full Board was not consulted before this position was taken. The goal of Phase One is to slowly reopen our economy while containing the spread of COVID-19 through the cautious measures of social distancing, limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people, wearing face masks, and more. This virus will be with us for a long time, and with no end in sight, we need to take small, cautious steps toward reopening to allow struggling families to get back to work and some form of normalcy.
It has been established that COVID-19 is a serious virus and should be treated as such. Phase One acknowledges this in that while it is a step towards reopening, it's still very restrictive and does not open the floodgates. Phase One continues to encourage teleworking, wearing face masks, and limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people. For service businesses like salons and barbershops, it has specific guidelines including mandating that services must be appointment only and only serve one customer at a time. Restaurants, wineries, and breweries may open their outdoor seating areas at half capacity as long as customers are seated six feet apart per CDC guidelines. Overall, Phase One is a very slow step toward reopening and is by no means a full return to normal life.
I'm supportive of this small step to reopen because what we are doing now simply is not sustainable for our residents and businesses. Currently, there are more than 72,575 county residents on unemployment and thousands more have been furloughed or have seen wage cuts. Many businesses are struggling to survive, even with the County's microloan program and federal CARES Act funding. The threat of this virus will be with us for a long time - we need to start learning how to adapt to it and Phase One was a small commonsense step.
Another benefit of moving into Phase One is that it allows more options for outdoor activity where there is very low risk for virus transmission due to air circulation. It's extremely important for the mental, physical, and emotional health of community that we have the chance to be outside and exercising, which is why I've pushed for the Fairfax County Park Authority to reopen what can safely be reopened, including parking lots so our residents, including those with disabilities, can access our wonderful parks. I'm so pleased that garden plots, golf courses, and farmers markets are now open for residents and I'm still working to get the parks' parking lots open.
Overall, Phase One is a very slow step toward reopening and is by no means a full return to normal life. In delaying this very small step to reopen some businesses in a highly restrictive manner, Fairfax County is missing the opportunity to adapt to the impacts of this pandemic. There are issues we need to continue to address including increased testing and dealing with more meticulous safety standards for our congregate care facilities. I'm grateful for the healthcare workers who are tirelessly working to help the sick and we need to continue to practice safety guidelines to continue to have available hospital capacity. Safety is paramount, and I'm proud of the many residents and businesses who have contacted my office with creative ways for maintaining public health guidelines and also getting back to normal life. These are the creative ideas that will help contain the spread of the virus while also allowing our struggling families get back to work.
I am hoping Fairfax County residents and businesses will have the opportunity to take these small steps on or before the new date of May 28th. To read Executive Order 61 that outlines the details of Governor Northam's Phase One, visit his website.
Please let me know your thoughts.
$25M Relief Grant Program Approved for Small Businesses and Nonprofits
At Tuesday's meeting, the Board voted unanimously to approve a relief grant program for small businesses and nonprofits using $25 million in federal CARES Act funding. I was happy to support this initiative as we look for any way to help our small businesses. As I mentioned above, I shared my support of these grants and loans, but emphasized that what ultimately will help businesses, as many have reached out to tell me, is any small step that can be taken toward safely reopening.
The grant program, called the Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (Fairfax RISE), will provide immediate help for businesses and nonprofits to cover the following:
- Employee compensation (including wages and benefits)
- Working capital
- Equipment
- Inventory
- Rent
- Other business-critical operating expenses
The grant application process is expected to begin in early June 2020.
To be eligible, applicants must be established and have one or more location(s) in Fairfax County, including the principal place of business. Fairfax County includes businesses and nonprofit organizations located in the Towns of Herndon, Vienna, and Clifton. Additionally, awardees must have less than 50 total employees across all locations, have been in operation over 1 year; and, except for nonprofits, have a valid Business, Professional and Occupational Licenses (BPOL).
The amount of Fairfax RISE awards will be made based upon the number of full-time equivalent employees according to the following structure:
- Employees, 1 - 10: $10,000
- Employees, 11 - 25: $15,000
- Employees, 26 - 49: $20,000
The two other programs I've supported recently for small businesses and nonprofit recovery include the $2.5 million Microloan Program and the $25 million Safety-Net Non-Profit Grant Program. Each of these programs have been oversubscribed because of the great need in our community so my hope is that this additional grant program will close even more gaps.
or call 703-324-5171.
Older Adult Services Continues
One group that has been most affected by the pandemic is our older adult community that is higher risk and makes up 27 percent of Fairfax County's population. While we have had to delay the progress of getting community input for the SHAPE the Future of Aging Plan, as the Chairman of the Older Adults Committee I'm proud to say that our Older Adult Services group has continued to work to serve those in need including:
- Department of Family Services, Health Department, Housing, and Neighborhood & Community Services have partnered to ensure over 10,000 meals are delivered to the homes of older adults.
- Caregiver webinars and telephone support calls have continued monthly. Sign up for Fairfax Alerts to Family Caregivers. To receive email or text notifications of Fairfax County caregiver services and programs visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/alerts to create or sign into your Fairfax Alerts account and then select Area Agency on Aging.
- Department of Family Services is working with Office to End and Prevent Homelessness to support older adults with emergency beds and services.
- Volunteers have continued calling socially isolated older adults in nursing, assisted living facilities, as well as homebound older adults for social visits one day per week.
- Senior educational opportunities are continuing with remote Senior Center activities, Golden Gazette mailed monthly and 50+ e-news as well as Chronic Disease Self-Management classes available online.
I continue to push for the release of case numbers in our congregate care facilities so we can further assess the impact on our senior population. Maryland and DC have taken this step, but Virginia has not. There will now be a
federal requirement to provide the information. I will share as soon as it is available.
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Other Helpful News & Information
Help from the Heart Community Drive
Fairfax County is hosting a 24-hour community drive for most needed items around the county. Drop boxes are located at all the Fairfax County police stations. Items most needed are toothpaste & brushes; deodorant & lotions; diapers & baby wipes; soap, shampoo, & conditioner; feminine hygiene products; adult incontinence underwear; laundry & dish detergent; household cleaners; paper towels & toilet paper. You can find more information here.
Stuff the Bus
Please join me at this year's 'Stuff the Bus' food drive at one of the two Springfield District locations. On Saturday, May 16th, volunteers will be collecting food from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at West Springfield Government Center. On Tuesday, May 19th, you can drop donations off at the Mott Community Center from 10:00 am to 3:00. Donations will be used to fill the shelves of local nonprofits' food pantries. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for help has surged in Fairfax County. You can find more information here.
Fairfax County Health District Dashboard
Fairfax County is now proving more data on its COVID-19 Case Data Dashboard. In addition to cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities; rates by age, racial and ethnic groups; epidemic curve; and trajectory of cases; the Fairfax Health District data dashboard now includes data on probable cases, deceased cases by age group, and COVID-19 testing by week. Case rates will also be presented by 5-digit zip codes. You can view the dashboard here.
Purple Bins
I am happy to share that the purple bin for glass recycling has returned to the West Springfield Government Center. You can now continue to bring your glass recyclables to the bin to be properly recycled. Please remember not to recycle your glass products curbside. Not only will glass "recycled" curbside end up in the landfill, it will also contaminate other products.
Fairfax County Public Libraries
Library Administration has confirmed that it is in the development of a process for a curbside material pick up program. While a start date has not yet been set, it is anticipated that this contactless process will be available at all County library locations. At this time, the Library plans to send out an email blast to cardholders before the start of the program to inform them of the pickup process and provide contact information for those who would like to call their local branch to have staff hand pick genre-specific items on their behalf.
- Are you a fan of pizza? If so, check out this chef in the making.
- Are you looking for someone to walk your dog? If so, Troy may be willing to help you out. Below is a picture of a note Troy slid under his neighbor's door (courtesy of @lyndonbjocelyn).
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Email
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Teen Job Fairs
Free Concerts in the Park
Randy Thompson Band
July 8th at 7 pm
Practically Einstein
July 15th at 7 pm
The English Channel
July 22nd at 7 pm
The Woodshedders
July 29th at 7 pm
The Johnny Artis Band
August 5th at 7 pm
The Skip Castro Band
August 12th at 7 pm
The Colin Thompson Band
August 19th at 7 pm
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Four-Legged-Friend of the Month
May's four-legged-friend of the month is Tru! He is a four-year-old, mastiff mix. He weighs 110 pounds, has a big personality, and he's definitely a diamond in the rough. Tru is great with other dogs and has become the cornerstone the cornerstone of the shelter's dog playgrounds. You can find more information about Tru here.
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