Aided by Amazon, Fairfax County to open innovation skills hub in May:
A new innovation hub in the Lee District Community Center (7950 Audubon Avenue) is expected to open in May.
With the support of private partners and state and federal funds, the Workforce Innovation Skills Hub (WISH) is intended to expand job opportunities for residents living along the Richmond Highway corridor.
“With Amazon and Virginia Tech making significant investments a few miles to our north and the proximity to Fort Belvoir and their stream of contracting opportunities, the Richmond Highway Corridor is the ideal location for a workforce development program,” Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk’s office said.
Lusk hopes the workforce training program will give residents a chance to earn a middle-class income and end generational poverty.
“The ultimate goal of the WISH is to create an accessible community hub where residents can walk to and receive training in the trades and technology jobs of the future,” he said.
Lower Real Estate Tax Rate Supported By Lee District Supervisor:
During a Thursday town hall, Supervisor Rodney Lusk said he supports lowering the real estate tax rate as well as reducing the personal property (car) tax assessment.
On the subject of real estate, Lusk noted Lee District had the highest average assessment increase of the County's nine supervisor districts in 2021. Average assessment increases were even higher across all districts this year. The average residential property value increase is 9.57, and 92 percent of Fairfax County residential properties had a value increase. In Lee District, the average value increase was 8.88 percent.
"I recognize, as we all must, that these changes are driven by market forces, and that those forces are especially pronounced in our district, where home prices are among the most desirable in the region, driving up prices as more and more people compete for fewer and fewer homes. I understand that homeowners of all income levels are facing difficult financial situations due to our current economic climate."
"To say it very clearly, keeping or increasing the current tax rate is not something I will be able to support," said Lusk. "With that, we also need to be realistic about the fact that lowering the tax rate means decreased revenues. That means we're going to need to be proactive about finding creative solutions to maximize county funds and resources to better serve our residents."
Little Hunting Creek Cleanup Set for April 30:
Sen. Scott Surovell, Del. Paul Krizek and Supervisor Rodney Lusk are partnering with the Friends of Little Hunting Creek to sponsor the annual 2022 Little Hunting Creek Cleanup event on Saturday, April 30.
Little Hunting Creek is one of the most severely degraded streams in Fairfax County. In 2007, it was named “Fairfax County’s Trashiest Stream” by Fairfax County which spent over $50,000 of taxpayer funds removing trash. The area is impacted by a substandard stormwater system, a significant retail presence, a large concentration of apartments with trash containment problems and a large homeless population, which results in significant litter dispersal throughout the watershed.
Over the last 12 years, Surovell, Friends of Little Hunting Creek and their volunteers have removed 228 shopping carts, over 500 bags of trash, over a dozen bikes, over 60 tires and multiple car seats. Additionally, volunteers helped dispose of one large metal jungle gym, one bathtub, one bounce house, one lawn chair and numerous liquor and beer cans. An extensive cleanup such as this is not possible without the help of the Mount Vernon community who take time from their schedules to help improve the local environment.
