November 12, 2020

Dear Neighbor,
The holiday season is right around the corner. For most families, the holidays are a time to enjoy in the company of extended relatives, close friends, and loved ones. Many community members are wondering how to safely celebrate the holidays this year. Recently, the Health Department has released holiday guidelines that assess the level of risk of traditional holiday activities. These guidelines provide sound advice to help you and your family stay healthy while enjoying the holidays. Continue reading the advisory to learn more.

On the transportation front, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) has scheduled three virtual community meetings (taking place on Tuesday, November 17, at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 18, at 12:00 p.m., and Thursday, November 19, at 7:00 p.m.) to solicit public feedback on three bus service alternatives. While the bus service review is for the Centreville, Chantilly, Vienna, and Tysons Areas, a few of these routes go from the main Government Center area (Braddock District) to Tysons. Make sure to register if you would like to attend one of these virtual community meetings and provide feedback on these routes.

Lastly, if you are struggling to make ends meet, please know that you are not alone. Fairfax County continues to provide resources to help those affected by COVID-19 or tough financial times. Make sure to check this list of compiled resources if you or someone you know may need rent, housing, food, or tenant legal assistance. You can also reach out to my office for help on finding additional resources by emailing Braddock@Fairfaxcounty.gov. We are here to serve you!

Continue reading for more information on:

-Fairfax County Health Department's Holiday Guidelines
-Today's COVID-19 Dashboard
-Braddock District Land Use and Environment Committee Meeting
-Braddock District Council Meeting
-Provide Input On The I-495 American Legion Bridge Transit Study
-FCPD's Upcoming Virtual Town Hall Series
-3 Steps on How to Report Streetlight Outages
Yours in service,
Supervisor James Walkinshaw
P.S. Forward this message to your neighbors in Braddock District! Residents can use our sign up feature or email braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov to subscribe to the monthly Braddock Beacon newsletter and Advisories like this.
COVID-19 Holiday Health Guidelines
As the Thanksgiving and winter holidays approach, many residents may be wondering how to celebrate safely this season. While travel and large gatherings are typically common during this time of year, it is vital to remember that we all have an important role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

We encourage you to make this your most relaxing Thanksgiving ever by following the guidelines below.

Higher-risk activities that are not recommended this year include:
  • Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on or after Thanksgiving.
  • Participating or being a spectator at a crowded race.
  • Attending crowded parades.
  • Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household.

Some additional alternatives that have been determined to have a moderate level of risk include:
  • Having a small outdoor dinner with family and friends who live in your community.
  • Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching produce, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing.
  • Attending small outdoor sports events with safety precautions in place.

Activities for the upcoming holiday that are considered lower risk include:
  • Having a small dinner with people who live in your household.
  • Having a virtual dinner and sharing recipes with friends and family.
  • Preparing recipes for family and neighbors and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others. This is a great option for sharing the holiday spirit with those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
  • Shopping online (rather than in person) on the day after Thanksgiving and other sales holidays.
  • Watching sports events, parades and movies from home.
Today's COVID-19 Case Data
The Fairfax County Health Department continues to monitor new COVID-19 cases daily. For more information on COVID-19 in the community and what you can do to keep yourself and others safe, please visit the Health Department's website.
Today, November 12's COVID-19 Report
Braddock District Land Use and Environment Committee Meeting
The Braddock District Land Use and Environment Committee will hold an electronic meeting on Tuesday, November 17, at 7:00 p.m. The agenda will include a presentation on the draft Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the northwest corner of Lee Highway and Waples Mill Road. A draft agenda and details on how to connect to the meeting will be posted on the Braddock District website three days in advance. Braddock District Land Use and Environment Committee meetings are open to the public, and interested residents are encouraged to participate. 
Braddock District Council Meeting
For the past several years, the Braddock District Council and the Braddock District Supervisor’s Office have joined together to host a meeting with community leaders to share concerns and goals, and to ask questions. Supervisor Walkinshaw has expressed his interest in continuing this yearly event despite COVID-19, and thankfully it can be done in a virtual format using Zoom.

The Braddock District Council has set up the meeting, and the information is as follows:

Topic: Braddock District Council November 2020
Meeting Time: Wednesday, November 18, 2020 7:00 p.m. (Zoom connection opens at 6:30 p.m. for attendees to check audio/video settings)
URL: Click here to join (Click the Blue "Launch Meeting" Button)
Meeting ID: 870 5961 0790
Passcode: 470276
Dial In: (301)715-8592 (audio only)

Join us for this first roundtable with Supervisor Walkinshaw!
Provide Input On The I-495 American Legion Bridge Transit Study
Do you occasionally travel up to Maryland? If so, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), will hold a virtual public information meeting on Wednesday, November 18, from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. to provide information and answer questions about Virginia and Maryland's efforts to study multimodal transportation options aimed to reduce congestion, improve trip reliability and regional connections, and enhance existing and planned multimodal mobility, and connectivity on I-495 and the American Legion Bridge.

DRPT will provide a briefing and overview of draft recommendations on the I-495 American Legion Bridge Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Study, which is being conducted jointly by DRPT and the Maryland Transit Administration.
 
VDOT will also provide updates on its proposed I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) Project, which would extend the 495 Express Lanes by about three miles from near the Dulles Toll Road and I-495 interchange to the George Washington Memorial Parkway in the vicinity of the American Legion Bridge. 

Join through WEBEX
Join the meeting directly through Webex by using this link.

If joining through Webex.com, use access code: 178 792 0785 and event password: rEbyC2Cc7J5

Join By Phone
+1-517-466-2023 US Toll
+1-866-692-4530 US Toll Free
 
Access code: 178 792 0785
 
Watch on Youtube
The meeting will be streamed on YouTube at VDOT Live. This option does not allow participants to ask questions. 
FCPD Virtual Town Hall Meeting
Join one of Fairfax County Police Department's (FCPD) upcoming virtual town hall meetings where they will debut their new interactive GIS-based data dashboard – a tool designed from community input and rooted in the principles of transparency, fairness, and impartial policing. Key data points include arrests, citations and warnings and FCPD training and policies related to the data sets will be discussed. FCPD stated, "We look forward to implementing this additional layer of accountability and leveraging data analytics to continue to strengthen trust and confidence in your police department."

Each virtual town hall will begin at 5:00 p.m. To join a meeting, click the meeting links below.
Fair Oaks District – November 18
West Springfield District – November 24
Sully District – December 9
Mount Vernon District – December 16
McLean District – January 6
Mason District – January 20
Reston District – February 4
Franconia District – February 7

These meetings will be recorded and available to our community at a later date. Any questions, please contact FCPDChiefsOffice@fairfaxcounty.gov.
3 Steps to Report Streetlight Outages
One way you can help your community is by reporting streetlight outages in your neighborhood and in other areas you frequent.

Reporting an outage is simple and helps keeps neighborhoods safe; it also helps keep pedestrians visible and safe.

Streetlights along public roadways in Fairfax County are typically maintained by Dominion Virginia Power or the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC). The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) operates the streetlights along interstates and at major interchanges.

We’ve created a new Streetlight Reporting Map to make it easier to identify pole numbers and report streetlight outages from your desktop or mobile device. The Streetlight Reporting Map shows streetlight service areas and individual streetlight locations and pole numbers in Fairfax County. 

3 Steps to Report Streetlight Outages

  1. Look for the pole ID number, which can be found on the pole.
  2. If you can’t find the pole number or if you notice a streetlight outage while driving, use the online streetlight locator tool to find pole numbers. Zoom in on the map to see streetlight locations.
  3. After finding the streetlight on the map, report it online in the link provided on the map.
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