Summer is almost officially here and that means it's time for our free summer concert and children's series, Braddock Nights and Arts in the Parks! The full schedule for this year's concerts is below. Please check it out and plan to join us for free, family-friendly performances!

To kick off the season, bring your kids and grandkids and join us at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, June 18 for our first Arts in the Parks children's performance at Wakefield Park in front of the Audrey Moore Rec Center. This week's featured performer is Mr. Lilo, a singer-songwriter who has touched the lives of thousands, sending the message that all cultures can unite to build a better world for all.

Join us this weekend to formally dedicate two commemorative benches outside of the Braddock District Office honoring the service of former Braddock District Supervisor and Chairman Sharon Bulova, and former Braddock District Supervisor John C. Cook.

The ceremony will be held rain or shine on Saturday, June 18, at 9:00 a.m. at the Braddock District Office (9002 Burke Lake Road) and will include remarks from Congressman Gerry Connolly and Chairman Jeff McKay. Many past and present Fairfax County Supervisors, County officials, and past and present Braddock District staff will be there to celebrate the service of these two public servants.

After a brief ceremony, the benches will be unveiled and a reception will follow.

This Sunday we celebrate Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Americans. On June 19, 1865, the last of the enslaved Black people were told the Civil War had ended. After 156 years of Juneteenth celebrations, the United States Congress recognized the first federal observance of the Juneteenth liberation in 2021 after approving its status on June 16, 2021.

Fairfax County has a dedicated Juneteenth page with history, impactful stories of Black history in Fairfax County, and information on Juneteenth-related events taking place in the County.

Supervisor James Walkinshaw

DMV Connect will be at the Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035) in the South Atrium on the 1^st Floor on Wednesday, June 22 & Thursday, June 23, 2022. This event is by appointment only. Residents can schedule an appointment online.

Available services include:

* DMV Connect can process title transactions but cannot print titles. Titles processed by DMV Connect will be mailed to customers.

The ramp from I-66 West to Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metrorail Station (Country Creek Road and Virginia Center Boulevard) will be closed for about three weeks for continued construction of the new westbound I-66 express and general-purpose lanes. This work is part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.

Drivers will be detoured around the closure via Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and I-66 East. As an alternate work around, drivers may exit prior to the closure at Nutley Street.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has updated Supervisor Walkinshaw's office on the studies and analysis being conducted at the Guinea Road/Olley Lane/Harford Lane intersection.

Based on the recent evaluation, VDOT Traffic Engineering has implemented

additional pedestrian safety improvements at the intersection. VDOT stated that the following improvements have been included:

• Installation of additional pedestrian crossing signage in the median at the marked crosswalk

• Relocation of Intersection Warning sign on the eastbound approach for reduced maintenance related to vegetative trimming/ improved visibility

• Speed Advisory panels on Intersection Warning signs will be reduced from 25

MPH to 20MPH

• Installation of reflective strips on the warning sign posts on Guinea Road on each approach, and at the intersection

• Trimming of vegetation along Guinea Road on each approach and at the

intersection to improve overall sight lines

• Installation of a pavement marking extension of the concrete median nose on the westbound approach to help create a buffer between pedestrians/ motorists

• Installation of SLOW text marking in advance of exiting PED XING markings on both approaches *

• Installation of additional SLOW PED XING markings on both approaches closer to the existing high-visibility crosswalk *

*Note: the use of the pavement marking text messages referenced with (*) are being implemented as part of a pilot study specific to this location because the SLOW PED XING message is not an item in general use. As such, and at this time, Traffic Engineering is limiting the use of this atypical message to this

particular location for study purposes.

Information about the I-495 Southside Express Lanes study can be found on VDOT's 495 Southside website.

VDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and other federal, state and local agencies in Virginia and Maryland, is conducting an environmental study on potentially extending the express lanes system on the southern section of I-95/I-495 (Capital Beltway) by 11 miles from the Springfield interchange (I-95/I-395/I-495) in Fairfax County, Virginia, across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, to the MD 210 interchange in Prince George’s County, Maryland. This location was identified in the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s adopted I-95 Corridor Improvement Plan as an area for additional study.

June 21 is the Democratic Party primary only for the 8^th Congressional District of Virginia. Following the 2020 Census, some changes were made to the congressional districts in Fairfax County. In the Braddock District, the North Springfield and Heritage precincts were drawn into the 8^th District.

There is no Republican primary in Fairfax County. The Republican Party nominated its congressional candidates by convention.

If you are unsure of what congressional district you vote in, you can find it on this interactive map. The County sent a mailer with your new precinct, polling place, and districts for U.S. Congress, Virginia State Senate, and Virginia House of Delegates last week.

For information about voting early in person or by mail, visit the Fairfax Office of Elections website. Regular polling places in the 8^th District will be open on Primary Day June 21 from 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

The Fairfax County Government Center will be open for 8^th Congressional District Democratic Primary voting weekdays 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. through Friday, June 17, and Saturday (June 18) 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) hosted a virtual community input meeting yesterday, June 15 on Fairfax Connector proposed service changes for January 2023. The presentation and route profiles are available on the FCDOT website. Feedback on the proposed changes is encouraged via the online survey and by email, mail and phone through Friday, July 6, 2022.

Webinar Wednesdays are back for the Summer! Attend a 30-minute lesson on how to use PLUS, the new Planning and Land Use System from the comfort of your home or office on July 13, 20, and 27! The one stop shop online portal unites multiple agency online applications into one customer service platform. Using PLUS, residents and businesses can conduct online transactions under the Health Department, Land Development Services, Fire and Rescue, Code Compliance and Planning and Development. Bring your questions and learn how this centralized platform helps streamline the customer experience.

This review is taking place in two phases, with the first phase already complete .To help with the second phase of the review, two surveys are now available for you to help assess the county’s response across the entire government (not just health) and for specific business-related interactions.

National Night Out is back! This will be an in-person event on August 2 and the Fairfax County Police Department is looking forward to meeting with everyone again, and maybe some new people too!

Whether your community hosts a simple ice cream party or an all-out festival, National Night Out is an opportunity to gather with your neighbors, get better acquainted, and talk about issues of common concern.

It’s an opportunity:

• for fun, food and fellowship in your community

• to get to know your Police and Public Safety Team

• to heighten crime prevention awareness

• to send the message that your neighborhood is organized against crime

Complete this form to register for the event (if you registered with the NNO organization directly, you still need to register with this form. They do not share your personal information). If there are any questions, feel free to reach out to the Crime Prevention Officer of your local police station.

This week, an independent advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized two COVID-19 vaccines for young children.

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

Additionally, with increasing COVID-19 cases across Northern Virginia, residents should consider both testing and masking more frequently. Testing is important as prevention because those who are positive should stay home and away from others (isolate), reducing the chance of spreading infection to others in one’s family, to co-workers, or to people in the community.

Please be sure to check the Fairfax County Health Department’s vaccine page and the Emergency Information Blog frequently, as information will be updated there regularly.

The federal government, utility companies, and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), have increased support for energy efficiency and weatherization programs. The U.S. Department of Energy last month announced a $3 billion investment in the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to support lower income households. This is the country’s largest whole-house energy efficiency program and helps to reduce utility costs and make efficiency upgrades for low-income households. Most major Virginia utilities now offer energy efficiency programs for age and income qualifying households as well. Programs serve renters and homeowners across Northern Virginia, with WAP reducing utility bills by around 20%. But programs remain underutilized.

Community Housing Partners (CHP) Energy Solutions is the largest Weatherization Assistance Program provider in Virginia, and the WAP provider for Northern Virginia. CHP Energy Solutions helps income and age qualifying households reduce energy costs by improving the energy efficiency and health of their homes – all at no cost to the homeowner, renter, or landlord. Using the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, and in collaboration with gas and electric utility partners, CHP Energy Solutions has served 10,000 homes in Northern Virginia over the past decade. But there is more work to be done. 

Improving the energy efficiency of our houses, apartments, manufactured homes, and multi-family properties will be an essential piece in addressing the climate and housing challenges facing Northern Virginians. Households interested in applying for weatherization programs can fill out a brief screening form on the CHP Energy Solutions website, or give them a call at 888-229-3714.

Read the full NVRC article here.