Yesterday the new Board of Supervisors (BOS) met to kick off the 2024-27 Board term! It was a pleasure to welcome new Board Members Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez and Dranesville District Supervisor James Bierman, Jr. We started the day with several Board organization items. We elected Sully District Supervisor and my decades-long friend and former School Board colleague Kathy Smith as Vice-Chair of the Board, as well as identifying members for intergovernmental committees and leadership positions of the BOS Standing Committees. I am honored to serve this term as Chair of the Board's Economic Initiatives Committee, Economic Advisory Commission and Audit Committee. I look forward to chairing the Board’s efforts on bringing new development and business opportunities to the County and the Mount Vernon District and on continuing to ensure that the County performs at a high level! While I am no longer the Environmental Committee Chair, I remain deeply committed to continuing my work to address climate change and adaptation and look forward to incorporating those efforts into our economic development strategies. I will also continue to serve on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Board where I will be its Treasurer and a full member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC).

During our moment of silence, I recognized three members of our community who passed recently. Richard Bierce served as a member of the County's Architectural Review Board for 30 years, advocating to protect and preserve historic buildings, sites and communities, including the Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse site and the Woodlawn and Arcadia partnership. Retired Air Force Public Affairs Officer Colonel Douglas John Kennett served on the United Community Board and Emeritus Board, as well as his Condominium Board of Directors. For Doug, volunteering was never a discretionary activity, it was a component of his character. Lifelong Tauxemont resident Elizabeth Ann Dixon Smith and her husband Reg were stalwarts at every election in Mount Vernon. She was an avid gardner and volunteer at the American Horticulture Society.

Please join us for our 37th Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, February 10 at Mount Vernon High School and live on Channel 16 and Facebook. The morning will begin at 7:45 a.m. with an exhibit hall of County and community service providers, followed by a program at 9:30 a.m. featuring guest speakers, Q&A and a virtual tour of the District. Join us after the program for the Taste of Mount Vernon from 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. to sample food from local restaurants.

Respectfully yours in public service,

Dan Storck

The following are highlights from the Board of Supervisors January 23, 2024 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 January 23, 2024 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 11: Approved the Department of Family Services (DFS) to accept grant funding totaling $400,000 from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development for the Workforce Innovation and Skills Hub (WISH). The full item can be read here.

Item 1: Approved the 2024 Board of Supervisors meeting schedule. The full item can be read here.

Item 4: Approved a memorandum of understanding and cost reimbursement agreement between the police department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington DC Metro Safe Streets Task Force. The full item can be read here.

Item 5: Approved project agreements between the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Fairfax County for the receipt of FY 2024 transit assistance grant funds. In our area, this includes funding for operating costs of Fairfax Connector Route 393, which operates from the Saratoga Park-and-Ride Lot and the Gambrill Road Park-and-Ride Lot to the Mark Center and the Pentagon. The full item can be read here.

Item 8: Approved supplemental appropriation resolution AS 24080 to accept grant funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission for the 'The One' Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the amount of $10 million. The full item can be read here.

Approved changes to the Tree Commission's Charter to formalize the Commission’s participation in activities related to the Board’s Natural Landscaping Policy, the Fairfax County Tree Action Plan and the Community of Practice, as identified in the Tree Action Plan, that maintains and manages the urban forest. It is important to have our Tree Commission more involved in advocating for tree preservation and I am pleased to see the Commission expanding their charter and areas of engagement. This public hearing was reheard from December 5 due to a procedural error. The full item can be read here.

Approved agreement with Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District for fund administration, including the Private Stormwater Management Assistance Fund approved by the Board on September 12 and the Flood Mitigation Assistance Fund, presented to Board's Environmental Committee on October 3. Funds will be used to issue grants and provide technical guidance to private property owners and common interest communities (CICs). This public hearing was reheard from December 5 due to an advertising error. The full item can be read here.

Approved changes to the Zoning Ordinance Section 5108 to add a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees as the primary type of parking lot landscaping and will reduce the evergreen tree requirement for transitional screening to 50% if 25% of the screening is made up of existing vegetation. The full item can be read here.

Once again, this year I am fortunate to have the opportunity to continue a Mount Vernon tradition established by my predecessor in 1988, the annual Mount Vernon District Town Meeting. The Town Meeting will be at Mount Vernon High School and residents can also join us from their homes by streaming on Channel 16 and Facebook. The morning will begin with an exhibit hall of County and community service providers, followed by the official program with a "virtual tour” of the District and Q&A’s with local leaders and special recognitions. Join us after the program for a Taste of Mount Vernon featuring a sampling of local restaurants.

I am pleased that Congressman Gerry Connolly, Chairman Jeff McKay, County Executive Bryan Hill and Mount Vernon School Board Representative Mateo Dunne will be presenting and answering questions from residents. Our event will also include features such as the KidBiz Young Entrepreneurs Expo, Fairfax County Health Department vaccine clinic with flu vaccines and the Mount Vernon High School String Quartet and Marine Corps JROTC Color Guard.

I invite all my colleagues and County residents to join me for this annual event the Saturday before the Super Bowl, February 10, with the exhibit hall opening at 7:45 a.m., program from 9:30 a.m.– noon and a Taste of Mount Vernon from 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.

Proclamation Recognizing February as Career and Technical Education Month - Joint with Supervisor Dalia Palchik and Supervisor Kathy Smith

Career and Technical Education (CTE) month is a public awareness campaign held every February to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of programs nationwide. Its programs are aimed at preparing students for high-skill, high-wage and in-demand careers. In these programs, students develop critical thinking, time management and problem-solving skills. Currently, there are 12.5 million students enrolled in CTE courses across the nation. The average high school graduation rate for students concentrating in CTE programs is 93%, compared to an average national freshman graduation rate of 80%.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has CTE programs offered in every middle and high school. The programs include Business and Information Technology, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health and Medical Sciences, Technology Education and Engineering and Trade and Industrial Education. Within these programs, students also receive industry credentials and learn the technical skills of many occupations while preparing for higher education or entry-level employment. All FCPS CTE programs incorporate workplace readiness and set students up to be confident and professional in their chosen field.

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) also play a role in enhancing students learning through leadership, personal development and real-world application. Through competitive events and programs hosted, students get the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to succeed in those careers as well as network with business and industry partners. FCPS offers many CTSOs so students can join and grow in careers.

Proclamation Recognizing the Pohick Church on its 250th Anniversary - Joint with Chairman Jeff McKay 

When traveling north on Richmond Highway from Lorton, you can find a great deal of history tucked right next to Fort Belvoir at the edge of Mason Neck. Celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, Pohick Church has been an active spiritual home of many of our nation’s founders as well as present day community members. Pohick Church played a pivotal role as the spiritual sanctuary of George Washington, who was a Truro Parish vestryman; and as Church Warden and land surveyor, he played a crucial part in the relocation, design and construction of Pohick Church on its present site in Lorton.

Rightly called “the Mother Church of Northern Virginia,” Pohick was the first permanent church in the colony to be established north of the Occoquan River, sometime prior to 1724. The only artifact surviving from this period is the baptismal font, which has been identified as a large Medieval mortar, likely dating from the eleventh or twelfth centuries. The existing building was completed in 1774, just before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Vestrymen George Washington, George Mason and George William Fairfax supervised the construction and along with other wealthy landowners of the parish purchased, and to this day still have, family pew boxes.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places and bearing historical significance as an elegant specimen of Georgian-style architecture reflecting its colonial-era origins, Pohick Church is rich in our nation’s history. During the War of 1812, oral tradition recounts that the British raided the church because of its association with George Washington. Pohick was periodically abandoned in the early 19th century and fell into disrepair. The community again banded together for the reconstruction of “General Washington’s Church.” Among the contributors to this renovation were President Martin Van Buren, former President John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and Francis Scott Key. 

Pohick Church holds many community events throughout the year from its Annual Fall Fair to Vacation Bible School and more. In celebration of the 250th Anniversary, Pohick Church will hold Semiquincentennial events throughout 2024. To ring in this joyous year, Pohick Church held a Bell Ringing Ceremony on Sunday, January 14 where they rang the steeple bell 250 times. Join Pohick Church for their Jubilee Grand Celebration at Mount Vernon Estate on February 10, from 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. followed by other celebratory events throughout the year. Read more.

This is a reminder that Fairfax County Department of Transportation is holding an open house about the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system - "The One" to discuss updates on the project, such as, what has been completed, a recap of decisions and milestones and next steps. Learn more.

In-person: Tuesday, January 30, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Capital One Hall, 750 Capital One Tower Rd., Tysons, Register here.

Virtual: Wednesday, January 31, 1 - 4 p.m., Register here.

Currently there are more than 100,000 jobs open in Northern Virginia and nearly 30 percent of those jobs are in tech. From January 30-31, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) is hosting a free, two-day tech and cyber networking and hiring event, to connect job seekers and employers to help fill thousands of high-priority positions. Learn more.

The past year was an incredibly successful year for traffic safety in Fairfax County thanks to the hard work of our Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD). Here are a few highlights:

Potholes are a way of life on the roads, especially as temperatures fluctuate, water causes damage or some asphalt simply ages. Please report potholes you encounter! Your car and fellow drivers will thank you. Learn more.

Fairfax County invested $51.9 million in affordable housing during the past fiscal year, according to the newly-released Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s (FCRHA) fiscal year 2023 annual report. The report also highlights data and accomplishments from across the agency – from rental assistance, to preventing and ending homelessness, to affordable home preservation. Learn more.

Eight local jurisdictions across metropolitan Washington have finalized a Regional Fair Housing Plan, submitted their portions of the plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in December, and are now looking ahead at implementing its goals and strategies. The update on the plan, which marks the first time in 25 years that local jurisdictions have joined together on a similar effort, was announced at the Board of Directors meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).

Fairfax County’s new THRIVE Program is accepting applications until April 30 (or until the last 500 slots are filled). THRIVE is offering businesses up to $10K in expert consulting. Perfect for home-based, sole proprietors or small businesses with ≤49 employees. This is your chance for FREE help in digital marketing, financial planning and more! Learn more.

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) seeks to expand the number of rental properties available to local participants of the Housing Choice Voucher program. These renters utilize subsidies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to cover part of the cost of their rent. As such, they bring reliable rental income to properties despite economic fluctuations, as well as potential tax breaks, lower leasing costs and free advertising. Learn more.

Fairfax County will conduct a “Point-In-Time” count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, beginning tonight, January 24 and continuing through the morning of January 25. This highly coordinated effort provides critical data on the numbers of Fairfax County residents living in shelters, in time-limited transitional housing programs, as well of those unsheltered in the Fairfax-Falls Church community. Learn more.

Are you considering going solar at your home or small business? If so, Solar Switch can help. This program from Solar United Neighbors (SUN) makes it more affordable for homeowners to install solar panels and battery storage systems. By signing up for the program, you can access a group discount that will help you save on a turnkey solar and battery installation. Registering comes at no cost and you're under no obligation to buy solar panels. Fairfax County residents can still take advantage of this opportunity by registering by February 13. Have questions but not ready to take action? SUN also offers a Solar Help Desk, a free resource that supports people who are considering rooftop solar.