July 16, 2020

Dear Neighbor,

Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors met for our first in-person meeting in months. Sitting six feet apart and talking through masks, we allocated additional funds to support small businesses and non-profits, outlined our priorities for the upcoming special session of the General Assembly, and began a review to explore ways to reduce the burden on law enforcement by deploying unarmed professionals to calls where mental or behavioral health are the fundamental issue. You can watch video of the full meeting here and review the full Board package here.

Many of you have asked about the status of Braddock Nights, our summer concert series held at Lake Accotink Park and Royal Lake Park. Unfortunately, due to continued public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Park Authority has canceled all in-person concerts for 2020. While this is the right decision, I know it will be disappointing for many of our devoted Braddock Nights fans.

But there is a silver lining. We will be hosting a series of virtual concerts beginning July 30 through the end of August. You'll be able to enjoy some of your favorite performers live and from the comfort of your air conditioned living room! These performances will be held at 7:30 PM Thursday-Sunday. Stay tuned for a full schedule.

And in a first for the Braddock District, we are also launching Arts in the Parks, a Saturday morning children's program featuring kid-friendly musical acts, magic shows, and puppet shows. We had hoped to offer these shows live, in-person at Wakefield Park, but will offer them virtually instead. Stay tuned for a full schedule but they will be held at 10 AM on Saturday mornings.

Continue reading for more information on:

Yours in service,

Supervisor James Walkinshaw

P.S. Forward this message to your neighbors in Braddock District! Residents can click here or email [email protected] to subscribe to the monthly Braddock Beacon newsletter and Advisories like this.

We have had several new reports of a black bear in several Braddock District neighborhoods. According to our wildlife professionals, it is likely the same young bear that has been seen previously in residential neighborhoods in the Fairfax and Annandale areas. Based on reported sightings, we believe this bear had been in the Fairfax Station and Clifton areas before moving back along the Braddock Road corridor last weekend.

Bear sightings should be reported to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline at (855) 571-9003, TTY 711. Unless the animal is sick or injured, or poses a threat to public safety, the Fairfax County Animal Protection Police do not remove bears from a neighborhood. Bears have a natural fear of humans, and in most cases, would rather flee than encounter people.

You can also help manage the bear population by keeping your property clear of food attractants.

Follow these tips:



Watch this video for additional helpful tips on how to be bear aware!

On Tuesday, July 14, the Board of Supervisors approved installing Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk $100–$500 Violation Fine signs at 114 locations.

The following Braddock District locations were approved for Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk signs:

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, July 14, to add $20 million in funding to the Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (RISE) program, bringing total program funding to $46 million. Fairfax RISE assists small businesses and nonprofits affected by COVID-19. The additional funding will come from the county’s portion of federal CARES Act funds.

The RISE grant program is intended to help address funding gaps that may exist among complementary programs at the state and federal levels and provides relief to small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fairfax RISE grants do not have to be repaid. A minimum of 30% of the program’s funding is allocated for minority-, veteran-, and women-owned businesses. More than two-thirds of the businesses who applied for RISE grants fall within those categories.

Over 2,000 of the original 6,100 applicants were offered grants. The additional funding, along with $1 million from the Town of Vienna, will allow the program to serve at least 4,000 total applicants. At this time no new applications will be accepted. All grants will be offered to the initial applicants who applied, but were unable to be funded due to the volume of requests.

The Department of Economic Initiatives will oversee and monitor the Fairfax RISE grant program. For more information visit the Fairfax County website or contact the Department of Economic Initiatives at [email protected] or call (703) 324-5171.

George Mason University's Master Plan will provide a framework for decision making regarding the University’s growth and development and offer specific alternatives about the use of Mason’s physical space. It builds on and will integrate on-going priority initiatives, including the launch of the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) at Arlington and the on-going development of the Innovation Park around the SciTech campus.

Since the initial Master Plan briefings, the following has occurred:



Analysis of this information is now underway and focuses on what Mason’s enrollments might look like in 2025 and in 2040, what facilities Mason will likely need to support these enrollments and the corresponding impact on capital priorities, and how programs might be distributed across the Arlington, Fairfax, and SciTech campuses.



Once these studies are completed, the university will consultatively identify preferred scenarios and investigate them in more depth. This second phase of work, which will begin in the fall, will include:

Another direct outreach Master Plan update will be provided in the fall, however all current information about the Master Plan and an email link where you can provide your thoughts and input can be found at the Mason Master Plan site .

We regret to inform you that due to public safety concerns caused by COVID-19, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) summer entertainment series in-person concerts have been cancelled.

In its place, FCPA will be providing live virtual concerts for each magisterial district beginning July 30 through the end of August.

These live virtual concerts will be held Thursday through Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and children’s shows will be held on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. A schedule of virtual events will be released later this month.

For more information, contact the Park Authority at (703) 324-8700 or send an email to  [email protected] .

Long Branch Stream Valley Park and Rutherford Park Trails will be closed for maintenance from July 29 - November 19, 2020.

Below is a project map of the construction zone. We anticipate that this project will take approximately 5 months. Signs have been placed in areas that can be easily seen to alert residents of the temporary trail closures. "Pardon Our Dust" letters will also be sent out to residents adjacent to construction.

Burke Lake Park Loop Trail Repair Update

The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin work on the Burke Lake Park Loop Trail Repair Project. The work will involve replacing culverts, milling existing asphalt trail, overlaying existing asphalt trail with new asphalt, and shoulder restoration along the trail section from the marina to the ADA fishing piers.

For more information, please contact Construction Maintenance Project Manager Karen Kressin at (571) 789-6697 or e-mail  [email protected] .

Low-cost enhancements aimed at relieving congestion and improving safety and operations are complete at two intersections in Fairfax County, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

New Separated Right-Turn Lane at Burke Lake Road and Braddock Road in Springfield

Drivers on northbound Burke Lake Road now have a smoother, safer merge onto eastbound Braddock Road. One of the two right-turn lanes on northbound Burke Lake Road was recently separated by new pavement markings and flexible delineator posts, allowing for a continuous turn. The improvements cost $4,900 to implement.

More than 96,000 vehicles travel through the intersection each day.