Dear Neighbor,
Tonight, Thursday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will present an update on the Braddock Road Multimodal Improvement Project during a public information meeting. The project team will make a short presentation and answer questions.
I encourage you to join and provide your thoughts. If you are unable to attend, you can watch the recording later and submit feedback by email, mail, or an online survey tool that will soon be available. VDOT will accept feedback until Thursday, February 24. You can find additional project details below. Use this meeting link to join.
Next Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day. Since 1994, MLK Day has been a national day of service established to honor Dr. King's legacy, and to encourage residents to volunteer in their community. I'll be joining the Kings Park West Civic Association to help clean up Rabbit Branch Park at 9:00 a.m.
As it turns out, the first 10 days of 2022 produced almost 10 inches of snow in parts of Fairfax County! According to forecasters, we might get more wintery weather this weekend. On that note, I want to re-share the Snow Advisory I sent earlier this year. You can monitor the latest forecasts by signing up for severe weather alerts from Fairfax Alerts. I also recommend reviewing Fairfax County's Snow Guide for a compiled list of weather resources. |
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Supervisor Walkinshaw Playing Pickleball with Braddock Residents. He lost. |
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Many Braddock residents enjoy Pickleball. That’s why I’m glad to report the Fairfax County Park Authority Board endorsed the final Park Authority Pickleball Study Report at their recent meeting. This report will serve as a guide for future County Pickleball site planning and design. The report was crafted following an extensive comprehensive study, which began in 2020. Want to learn more about the report and its recommendations? Visit the Park Authority’s Pickleball Study website. |
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On a lighter note, local resident Mary Robinson's photo taken at Lake Accotink Park was selected as a winner in the Fairfax County Park Authority's First Hike Fairfax Photo Contest. Mary won the Best in Show (Pets) category. Mary's picture is featured on the right. Learn more about the challenge and the local winners on FCPA's website. Congratulations, Mary! |
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Supervisor James Walkinshaw |
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Tonight's Virtual Public Meeting for
Braddock Road Multimodal Improvement Project
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A virtual public information meeting will be held tonight, Thursday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m. Alternative concepts will be presented for three intersections along the Braddock Road corridor: Rolling Road, Wakefield Chapel Road/Danbury Forest Drive and Burke Lake Road.
This project will construct multimodal and access management improvements along three miles of Braddock Road (Route 620) between Humphries Drive in Burke and Ravensworth Road in Annandale, including the eastbound and westbound Braddock Road ramps to southbound I-495 (Capital Beltway Outer Loop) and a half-mile of Ravensworth Road between Braddock Road and Heritage Drive.
The improvements include:
- Intersection enhancements, including at Rolling Road, Wakefield Chapel Road/Danbury Forest Drive and Burke Lake Road
- New and upgraded shared-use paths along both sides of Braddock Road
- A pedestrian overpass just west of Burke Lake Road
The project's right of way and construction will be done in two phases:
- (Phase 1) Southampton Drive to Ravensworth Road
- (Phase 2) Humphries Drive to Southampton Drive
Within the project limits, Braddock Road averages about 71,000 vehicles a day and Ravensworth Road averages 14,000 based on 2019 data.
Phase 1 is fully funded and Phase 2 is partially funded. The project is financed with federal, state (including Smart Scale) and local funding. Estimated project costs continue to be developed as the proposed improvements and preliminary design are refined. Learn more about the project from this online PDF.
Project Schedule*:
First Virtual Public Information Meeting - January 13, 2022
First Virtual Public Information Meeting Comment Deadline - February 24, 2022
Second Public Information Meeting - Fall 2022
Design Public Hearing - Winter 2022/23
Design Approval - Spring 2023
*The schedule will be updated over the next several months as the project team refines the design and evaluates project delivery methods. Join the meeting tonight, Thursday, January 13, at 7:00 p.m. by using this meeting link.
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Community Meeting on Day Property on Zion Road Postponed |
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A rezoning proposal has been filed for 10121 Zion Drive, a wooded undeveloped site known as the Day property. The applicant has requested a change in zoning from the R-1 District to the PDH-3 District to permit the development of seven single-family detached homes. The applicant has requested a deferral in the schedule to allow time to further examine redevelopment options for the site. For that reason, the virtual community meeting previously scheduled for January 31 has been postponed. Look for more information and a rescheduled meeting date later this year. |
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Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Search Survey |
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The following excerpt was originally shared by Braddock School Board Member Megan McLaughlin in a recent newsletter:
The Fairfax County School Board is committed to hiring the best possible candidate for Fairfax County Public Schools’ next superintendent. With that in mind, the Board has contracted a search firm to conduct a national search for the new superintendent. Your voice is an important part of this effort!
Please weigh in by participating in the Superintendent Search Survey. The survey allows FCPS parents/guardians, staff, high school students, and community members to share their thoughts on the leadership characteristics and qualities of the next superintendent. Information gathered through the survey, focus groups, and upcoming town halls will help inform the selection of FCPS’ new superintendent.
Please check your email for a survey link from K12 Insight (survey administrator), which was sent on January 4.
High school students received their survey invitation on January 5, via their FCPSSchools.net email accounts.
If you are a FCPS community member and would like to take the survey, click here. Then scroll down the webpage for the link to the Superintendent Search Survey for Community Members.
The survey deadline is Tuesday, January 18.
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FCPL Announces Schedule Modification |
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Due to staffing impacts caused by COVID-19, beginning this Sunday, January 16, and effective through April 1, all regional and community Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) branches will be closed every Sunday and Monday. These branches will open in keeping with their regularly scheduled hours Tuesday through Saturday.
Regional libraries will be open Tuesday and Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Community libraries will be open Tuesday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Access Services branch located at the Fairfax County Government Center will maintain its usual hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For a map of FCPL branches and for information about how to enjoy FCPL resources visit their website.
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Retirement Webinars
Take charge of your financial future. Retirement planning doesn’t have to be daunting. Learn tips for determining if you are on track and learn practical strategies to help you achieve retirement peace of mind. It’s never too late to take charge of your financial future.
Webinars will be held:
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Prepare to Care Virtual Webinar
If you are taking care of a family member or loved one, AARP can help you plan and prepare for the future. No matter where you are in the journey of family caregiving – just beginning to anticipate a need, helping to coordinate a big move, or taking care of a family member full-time – having a good framework to help guide both you and your loved one will make the process easier. During this one-hour session, AARP will share a framework to help you make plans to care for friends, family members, or loved ones. You will have the opportunity to connect with other family caregivers, exchange tips and advice, and learn about resources available to you and your loved ones.
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The Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives announced today that it has awarded more than $16,000,000 in PIVOT grant funds to 1,016 Fairfax County businesses adversely affected by the pandemic. Businesses in the most hard-hit sectors of the Fairfax County economy, including hotel, food service, retail and personal services, and arts and culture industries, were targeted and received grants between $1,500 and $207,000. The goal of the program was to help those businesses continue their recovery by providing needed capital for ongoing operations.
More than 78% of the businesses receiving grants were woman, minority and/or veteran- owned businesses. Among business owners, 69% identified as minority-owned, 44% are women-owned, and 3% are veteran-owned. The average revenue loss between 2019 and 2020 reported by grant recipients was 40%. Businesses currently have an average of 6 employees, with the highest average among hotels, which averaged 23 employees. Retail accounted for 51% of the funds distributed. A breakdown of PIVOT grant awards by funding type, industry sector and geographic location is available on the 2021 PIVOT Business Recovery Grant Program dashboard.
PIVOT was the third business recovery program instituted by Fairfax County. Previous programs included the Microloan program in April 2020, and the RISE Grant program in June 2020. In total these three programs have distributed more than $70 million to the Fairfax County business community to respond to the economic impacts of the pandemic. |
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Interested in learning more about local law enforcement? The Community Police Academy is designed to give participants a glimpse behind the badge and to provide information about training, policies, and the many units and divisions within the Fairfax County Police Department. Applications are now being accepted. Apply now.
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Are you a 60+ resident who would like someone to connect with you? CareRing is a free program with friendly staff who call people to chat, check-in on you, and offer reminders. They’re available 24 hours a day. You can choose when you’d like to receive their calls.
CareRing partners with local law enforcement and first responders, so if you have an emergency and can’t answer the phone, they have a way to check on you.
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Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube |
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