At Tuesday's Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, I invited everyone to join us at the 1st Anniversary celebration for the Lorton Community Center, Library and Park. Fall Fest will be a free, family-friendly event this Saturday, October 14 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. with food, music, games and more!

I also recognized Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross for her work on the Potomac Watershed Roundtable, a group focused on improving our Chesapeake Bay Watershed, that she has led for the past 21 years. Thank you, Supervisor Gross, for your tremendous work on all of our behalf's to protect and preserve our watershed and our environment.

The Board also approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District to expand the scope of the County Energy Conservation Assistance Program to support community-based installation of projects that reduce carbon emissions, as well as educate and assist the community to adapt to be more resilient to the effects of climate change. This cost-sharing program is available to homeowner's and civic associations, as well as places of worship within Fairfax County. Learn more.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is behavior that harms a current or former spouse or dating partner. It also impacts family members, children, and other people in the home. This includes behaviors that harm, intimidate, manipulate or otherwise force partners to act in ways they don’t want to, and may involve the use of physical violence, threats, emotional abuse or financial control. Domestic violence knows no gender, racial, religious, economic or sexual identity boundaries. It is a family, community and public health issue with widespread ripple effects that impact all parts of our community. I am pleased to have worked with three strong community women, Mattie Palmore, Lisa Sales and Karen Stone, who were deeply committed to fighting domestic violence. Through our efforts, we proudly opened the Artemis House Region 1 in 2019, bringing the first family Domestic Violence Action Center and housing to our area. Learn more about County resources for those experiencing domestic violence.

Respectfully yours in public service,

Dan Storck

The following are highlights from the Board of Supervisors October 10, 2023 meeting, including items of particular interest to Mount Vernon residents. For additional information, please go to the County’s Board Agenda and Meeting Schedule. The clerk to the board's official Summary of Board Actions is available the week following each meeting. Information is also available by a video linked to the board agenda and the Board of Supervisors Highlights podcast. 

Para recibir la información de nuestro boletín electrónico en español, o para hablar con un hispanohablante, comuníquese con Madeleine Carcamo Reyes a su preferencia, por teléfono al (703) 780-7518 o por correo electrónico: [email protected].

To view the October 10, 2023 Board Package click here. For a complete listing of public hearings held and approved, please see the Clerk to the Board's official Summary of Board Actions, available the week following each meeting.

Item 1: Approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District to expand the scope of the County Energy Conservation Assistance Program. Learn more about the program. The full item can be read here.

Item 6: Approved a Memorandum of Understanding for the Promotion of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail to collaboratively promote the trail and its benefits to the region. The full item can be read here.

Lorton District Police Station and Fairfax County Animal Shelter Lorton Campus Ribbon Cutting, Open House - Joint with Chairman Jeff McKay and Supervisor Herrity

Please join us for the greatly anticipated opening of the new Lorton District Police Station and Fairfax County Animal Shelter Lorton Campus on Saturday, October 28, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. After remarks at 10:00, a community celebration with games, animal adoptions and refreshments will follow. This new collocated, state of the art 54,000 square foot facility will serve the growing population of southern Fairfax County, providing shorter distances to drive for police officers responding to calls, strengthen our community policing model, and offer rabies clinics, pet adoptions, spay and neuter services, wildlife education and a volunteer program. This will be the 9th police station located in Fairfax County and the newest to open in 20 years. It is also the last major capital investment that was envisioned by the Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Citizens Task Force in the mid-2000’s to complete the Lorton Community and meet the public safety needs in southern Fairfax County.

I was very pleased to join Black Women United for Action (BWUFA) at this years' Slave Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony this past Saturday, October 7 at George Washington's Mount Vernon. The Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony is in honor of all of the Slaves, not just laid to rest at Mount Vernon, but wherever they may lie that lived and died as Slaves. Every year this ceremony becomes more and more meaningful. Each year, BWUFA and its partner for this event, The Mount Vernon's Ladies Association, bring to life this ceremony and celebration with dance, music poetry reading, historians, and completed with a silent walk from the once plantation yard to the Slave Memorial where everyone joins in praise and the laying of the wreath in honor of our ancestors.

I was also pleased to join the Randall Estates community this past Saturday, October 7 to unveil a new wall marking the entrance to their historic community and commemorating the importance of this community. The William H. Randall Estates, a 20-acre subdivision located in the Mount Vernon District, was platted in 1960. It was developed on land that George Mason of Spring Bank and his wife Sally Eilbeck Mason, descendants of one of the nation’s Founding Fathers, George Mason IV, transferred to an initial group of African American individuals. These included: Henry Randall (the father of the subdivision’s namesake), William Robinson, Lucy Ann Thornton and Mason’s coachman, Griffin Johnson. The Randall Estate community was unique in that it was developed by African Americans for middle class African Americans and was built during a time of elevated racial tensions. All 42 original homes were custom built to the specification of the owners.

Oct. 25: SP-2023-MV-00060 Simple Changes Farm LLC, 10800 Belmont Blvd. To permit a riding or boarding stable with residences for a Manager or Employee.

Early in-person voting is happening now at our Mount Vernon Governmental Center and starting on October 26 at the Lorton Community Center until November 4. In-person voting and ballot drop box times are:

Learn more.

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention.” In celebration of Fire Prevention Week, all FCFRD fire stations will be hosting an Open House on Saturday, October 14, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. We invite you to stop by your local station that day to join in the activities. FCFRD will also posting fire and life safety messages throughout the week. Follow them at:

Our commitment to sustainability and a greener future is reaching new roadways with the introduction of Fairfax Connector battery-electric buses. These cutting-edge buses are paving the way for a more eco-friendly and efficient public transportation system across our county. On Thursday September 29, these new buses were celebrated as the latest sign of environmental progress alongside an all-electric trash truck and solar-powered county fire stations, among other recent achievements. Learn more.

The Fairfax County Police Department has successfully wrapped up their 2023 “Road Shark” campaign, issuing close to 25,000 citations and warnings to dangerous drivers on Fairfax County roadways. For the last few months, officers and troopers around the county have been working tirelessly to educate and ticket drivers exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors. The Road Shark campaign has proven to have a positive impact throughout the county, which has resulted in hundreds of Driving While Intoxicated arrests. Learn more.

Wednesday, October 23

6 - 7:30 p.m.

Sherwood Hall Regional Library Community Room

In Fairfax County, the Amazon Housing Equity Fund has invested $118.2 million into affordable housing. In total, over $1 billion in loans and grants have been committed to affordable housing initiatives in the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas through their Housing Equity Fund. A list of projects can be found on the Amazon Housing Equity Fund’s website.