Dear Neighbor,

I want to thank the staff, volunteers, property owners, and participants who made this year's Oak Hill Day possible. Historic Oak Hill is a privately-owned 18th-century Georgian-style home and the last remaining home from the 22,000-acre Ravensworth tract. Last Saturday, more than 300 people came to see the home and learn about its history, including the history of slavery on the property and in the surrounding area. 

As I said at the event, while it's important to appreciate the history of the home and the beauty of its landscaping, we also have to reckon with the fact that it is a place where human beings were held in bondage. We know that our history continues to shape our present, and understanding that history is key to addressing the challenges we face today. (Image Credit: Fairfax County Park Authority)

Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk

Next Saturday, October 1, from noon to 4:00 p.m., Supervisor Smith and I will lead the Fairfax County team in this year's American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Out of the Darkness Walk to raise awareness for suicide prevention.  This event raises support for scientific research, evidence-based resources, training, and advocacy. AFSP does life-saving work, and I invite you to register today. I hope to see you there!

Government Center Affordable Housing Community Meeting

In order to provide affordable housing opportunities in the community, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority has proposed to construct affordable and workforce apartments at the Government Center campus, making use of a portion of the underused surface parking. The development is proposed at the northeast corner of Government Center Parkway and Post Forest Drive.

This proposal requires a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and a Rezoning approval by the Board of Supervisors for the Government Center Campus. Further information on the concurrent rezoning application may be found in the county’s Planning and Land Use System (PLUS).

I will host a virtual community meeting to discuss the proposed development on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. For more information, view the project website.

Virtual meeting details will also be posted on the project website.

Continue reading below for more information on:

• Out of the Darkness Walk October 1
• Early Voting Starts Tomorrow
• National Drive Electric Week Event
• State Tax Rebate
• Celebrate Native Trees Week
• September is for Socks
• Venture Into Volunteering
• Emergency Preparedness
• Transportation Update
• PLUS System Integration
• REVIVE! Training
• Public Health Information

On Saturday, October 1, Supervisors James Walkinshaw and Kathy Smith will once again lead Team Fairfax in the annual American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Out of the Darkness Walk to fight suicide. This event raises support for scientific research, evidence-based resources, training, and advocacy. AFSP does life-saving work, and they invite you to register today.

Many people’s introduction to AFSP comes through the Out of the Darkness Walks, taking place in cities nationwide. In their Community, Campus and Overnight Walks, those affected by suicide – and those who support them – raise awareness and much-needed funds, strongly sending the message that suicide is preventable, and that no one is alone.

Walk Date: October 1, 2022

Walk Location: Veterans Amphitheater-10485 Armstrong St, Fairfax VA

Walk Event Timeline:

• 11:00 a.m.: Check-in / Registration / Pre-Walk Activities

• 12:30 p.m.: Opening Ceremony 

• 1:00 p.m.: Walk Begins 

• 2:30 p.m.: Event Ends

Registration

Registering to vote is easy. The deadline to register is October 17. Residents are welcome to come to the Braddock District office to complete a voter registration form in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, or Korean. Residents may also complete their voter registration online at the Department of Elections Registration website. Additionally, all branches of the Fairfax County Public Library will be hosting the League of Women Voters to register Fairfax County residents to vote on National Voter Registration Day, September 20 from 1:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Early Voting

Tomorrow, voters will begin to participate in 2022 midterm elections. In-person and mail-in early voting will continue through November 5, the Saturday before election day on November 8. For those voting by mail, please remember to mail your ballot at least one week before the date of the election. If you decide to vote early in-person, the following locations in and near the Braddock District are open to voters on the following dates and times:

September 23–November 5 at the Government Center

Weekdays 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Saturday (Only September 24, October 29, and November 5) 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday (Only October 30) 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Fairfax County Government Center

12000 Government Center Pkwy

Conference Rooms 2/3, Fairfax 22035

October 27–November 5 at Satellite Locations

Weekdays 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday (Only October 29 and November 5) 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday (Only October 30) 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Burke Centre Library

5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke 22015

West Springfield Governmental Center

6140 Rolling Road, Springfield 22152

Mason Governmental Center        

6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale 22003

For a full list of all Fairfax County early voting sites, visit the Fairfax County Early Voting website.

Volunteer as a Poll Worker— Vietnamese and Korean Speakers Needed

The Fairfax County Office of Elections needs bilingual election officers to assist voters in the General Election on November 8 and in future elections. Specifically, individuals who speak Vietnamese and English fluently or Korean and English fluently are encouraged to serve in Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly, and Falls Church.

Officers will perform all regular election duties, including assisting voters in English, but will be assigned to precincts with a significant number of voters who may primarily speak Vietnamese or Korean. To serve as a designated bilingual election officer, you must also complete a short oral language skills assessment.

Fairfax County is the largest voting jurisdiction in Virginia with 264 precincts countywide. It takes thousands of enthusiastic and trained election officers to ensure that we have efficient and well-run elections. Compensation begins at $175, and training is provided online for new officers. To apply, visit the Vote4Fairfax website (be sure to indicate if you speak Vietnamese or Korean). Visit Working at the Polls for more information.

The Sierra Club's Potomac River Group, Great Falls Group, and Virginia Chapter are pleased to invite you to attend their National Drive Electric Week Electric Vehicle Showcase at George Mason University's Parking Lot C on Sunday, September 25 from 1:00–4:00 p.m.

The 2022 Virginia General Assembly passed a law earlier this year giving taxpayers with a liability a rebate of up to $250 for individual filers and up to $500 for joint filers.  Not every taxpayer is eligible. If you had a tax liability last year, you will receive up to $250 if you filed individually, and up to $500 if you filed jointly. Tax liability is the amount of tax you owe throughout the year minus any credits, deductions, or subtractions.

You can check your eligibility on the Virginia Tax webtool.

From September 26–October 2, garden centers and other organizations throughout Northern Virginia will be promoting native trees and shrubs. A native tree is one that evolved within a given local ecosystem and therefore participates fully in its intricate plant/animal/fungal/soil interactions. Residents are welcome to visit the Celebrate Trees Week page to learn how to support projects, plant native trees, sign the native tree pledge, and more.

September is for Socks! The Fairfax County Domestic and Sexual Violence Services program is requesting donations of socks throughout the month of September. Socks should be new. They need socks for women or children in low-cut or crew-cut. A variety of sizes are needed. The last day to donate socks is September 30.

You can bring your sock donations to the Braddock District office located at 9002 Burke Lake Rd. Burke, VA 22015 during office hours (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Mon-Fri), or place your sock donation in a box located outside the office during library operating hours. If you would like additional information, please call (703) 425-9300 or email Irma.Mejia-Lewis@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The 17th Venture into Volunteering Fair is returning virtually in October, 2022.  Don’t miss this opportunity to explore various ways to volunteer in Fairfax County.  Events will be held Wednesday–Friday, October 12, 13, and 14, 2022 from 10:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

You may join the virtual Zoom event at any time, for any of the 30-minute presentations. No pre-registration necessary.

Twenty-seven non-profit organizations and Fairfax County agencies will share how they incorporate volunteers in service and be available to answer questions. Chairman Jeff McKay will give opening remarks.

Find the schedule and details here. 

Each week in September, the National Preparedness Campaign is focusing on preparing individuals, families, and communities using the Community Emergency Response Guide (CERG) Series.

National Preparedness Month - Week 5: Get Involved 

We are all in this together. Building a culture of preparedness makes Fairfax County a more resilient community. Creating a trained, informed, and engaged public is the best way to empower individuals to support those in need. There are many ways to get involved so you can make a positive difference.

Visit the Emergency Management Volunteer Page.

Use the 5 Steps to Neighborhood Preparedness guide and accompanying toolkit in the CERG to build a disaster plan for your neighborhood. 

Steps: 

1. Define your area. 

2. Recruit leaders.

3. Scout your area. 

4. Build your team. 

5. Plan your approach. 

5 Step Neighborhood Guide: Fairfax County Community Emergency Response Guide

Emergency Preparedness Survey

Fairfax County is also launching the 2022 Emergency Preparedness Survey to assess the culture of personal disaster preparedness and resilience in Fairfax County. How prepared are you? Take the survey today.

Public Input Sought on Northern Virginia Hazard Mitigation Plan

The 2022 Northern Virginia Hazard Mitigation Plan (NOVA HMP) is a multi-jurisdictional plan that includes Fairfax County, as well as twenty other counties, cities or towns. The plan, required to be updated every five years, aims to minimize or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from known hazards, such as droughts, floods, winter weather, high winds, and other major disasters. Hazard mitigation efforts could include projects such as flood channel clearing, road and bridge design changes, property buy-outs, building code changes, or public alert systems.

Fairfax County’s Department of Emergency Management and Security — along with the other jurisdictions in Northern Virginia — is seeking public comments on the proposed plan through 5:00 p.m. on October 8, 2022.

Please send comments or questions on the draft NOVA HMP plan to NOVA2022PublicComment@iem.com.

Temporary Braddock Road Lane Closure in Front of Erickson Senior Living Facility from September 26-October 14

Beginning next Monday, September 26, the right lane of eastbound Braddock Road and the shared use path in front of Erickson Senior Living’s new Woodleigh Chase project will be closed for two weeks. The closure will impact the one-block area between Burke Station Road and Rec Center Road (across from the entrance to Fairfax Memorial Park). The road closure will be in effect from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. The sidewalk will be barricaded and closed until the road work has been completed. Signage will direct pedestrians to use the north side of Braddock Road. This closure is necessary to continue construction related to the new right turn lane being built at Rec Center Road.

On October 31, Fairfax County will transition from its legacy online land use system to the new Planning and Land Use System (PLUS). PLUS is a major endeavor undertaken by the County to Planning, Land Development, and Environmental Health to make their applications more accessible and customer responsive. Customers will be able to use this platform to create and submit applications, pay fees, track applications, and find existing permits. Beginning on October 21 and ending on October 31, the legacy system will not be available for use as existing plans are integrated with the new system. 

If you would like to learn more about this new system and how to interact with it, residents are welcome to join the Fairfax County PLUS staff for live webinars answering all your questions about the new Planning and Land Use System—PLUS. You can also access all Webinar Wednesday sessions through the GoTo Webinar PLUS Channel.

REVIVE! trains individuals on what to do and not do in an overdose situation, how to administer naloxone, and what to do afterwards. Learn how to save a life from an opioid overdose.

Sign up for a virtual training!

• September 30 at 10:00 a.m. - sign up here

COVID-19 Vaccine Update — Omicron Resistant Bivalent Booster

The CDC recommends a single dose of the new COVID-19 bivalent booster at least two months following a completed primary series or previous booster vaccination. The bivalent vaccines, also known as “updated boosters,” target the Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, as well as the original COVID-19 strain. The updated Pfizer booster is for people ages 12 and over and the Moderna version is for those 18 and older.

Learn how to schedule your booster appointment at the Fairfax County Health Department website.

Novavax Vaccine Available to Individuals Over 18 Years of Age

Adults 18 years of age and older who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine and are interested in getting one can now make an appointment for the recently authorized Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted. Due to limited availability, Novavax will only be offered by appointment.

You can schedule an appointment at the Fairfax County Government Center or the Fairfax County South County Hyland Center vaccination clinics by visiting www.vaccines.gov or by calling the COVID-19 call center at (703) 324-7404. Novavax is administered as a two-dose primary series, three weeks apart.

Mobile COVID Testing Sites

The mobile testing lab rotates between sites each day. Tests are available on the following days and times at these locations:

Tuesdays and Fridays, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

• Bailey’s Community Center: 5920 Summers Lane, Falls Church

Tuesdays Only

• Centreville Library: 14200 St. Germain Drive, Centreville (Tuesdays 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)

Wednesdays and Saturdays

• Richard Byrd Library: 7250 Commerce St., Springfield (Wednesdays 9:00 a.m.–5:00p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m.–6:00p.m.)

Thursdays 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sundays 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Both Locations

• New Grand Mart: 6255 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria
• James Lee Community Center: 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church

Saturdays Only

• Groveton Baptist Church: 6511 Richmond Highway, Alexandria (Saturdays 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.)

More COVID-19 Information



If you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, effective treatment is available that can prevent illness from becoming worse, leading to hospitalization and death.

An expert panel of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified Paxlovid (ritonavir boosted nirmatrelvir) as the preferred therapy with strong evidence supporting its use. In a randomized clinical trial, Paxlovid was 88% effective in preventing hospitalization or death from COVID-19 among high-risk patients. In that trial, there were no deaths among people who received Paxlovid compared with 12 deaths among those who received a placebo.

Fairfax residents continue to be encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine and stay up-to-date on their boosters. If you are eligible for a vaccination or a booster, please visit the federal resource page for COVID-19 vaccines or book an appointment through the Fairfax County Health Department. Vaccines are available to all individuals over 6 months of age.

If you tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed, it is important to take the steps recommended by the Fairfax County Health Department to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in your family and in the community.

Check the most up-to-date COVID figures at the Virginia Department of Health website.

Questions?

• Contact the Health Department COVID-19 Call Center during business hours Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at (703) 267-3511.

• Text FFXCOVID to 888777 to receive updates from Fairfax County about COVID-19; text FFXCOVIDESP to 888777 for updates in Spanish.

• Email questions or concerns to ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This email account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Monkeypox

The County provides resources and information on the Monkeypox virus. The Fairfax County Health Department is working with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and with other local public health agencies to respond to outbreaks of monkeypox occurring in the U.S. and in other countries.