Sadly, yesterday I was informed that the Audrey Moore RECenter was broken into and vandalized overnight. This senseless act resulted in significant damage to the facility and necessitated a temporary closure. The Fairfax County Police Department is investigating. Please contact their non-emergency number at (703) 691-2131 if you have any information regarding this crime. The RECenter was closed yesterday, but is now open and back to normal hours of operation.

On a more positive note, the online Voter Registration Deadline has been extended until 11:59 p.m. this evening, Thursday, October 15. The deadline was extended after a fiber optic cable was inadvertently cut causing the Voter Registration webpage to experience an outage. If you have not done so yet, make sure to register or update your registration online today!

If preferred, you can also register to vote in-person at your local general registrar's office by 5:00 p.m. All paper applications MUST be postmarked by October 15.

Finally, early voting at 14 satellite locations started yesterday, Wednesday, October 14. The hours are 1:00 p.m. through 7:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and Saturdays from 9:00 am through 5:00 p.m. These 14 new locations are in addition to the location at the Main Fairfax County Government Center There are also ballot drop off boxes available at the 15 locations during voting hours. You do not need to wait in line to drop off your absentee ballot at the drop boxes! Find a voting location near you!

Continue reading for information on:

-COVID-19 Vaccination Planning

-Upcoming General Election Information

-Last Day to Be Counted in the 2020 Census

-FCPS and Braddock School Board Member Updates

-Upcoming Braddock District Council Meeting

-Upcoming Flu Shot Clinics for Senior Citizens

-The 2020 Pathways to Recovery Conference

-VolunteerFest 2020

-Input Needed for County Consolidated Community Funding Pool

-Scouting USA Patriot District Food Drive

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.

Planning is underway at the federal, state, and local levels to order, distribute and administer a safe and effective vaccine as soon as it becomes available. The Fairfax County Health Department is working with the Virginia Department of Health to develop these plans for our health district.

While vaccine development can take time, researchers are not starting from scratch to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Past research in other types of coronaviruses has identified potential approaches, some of which have been used before to create vaccines. Together with funding from the government and global coordination, companies have been able to expedite the process by running the vaccine clinical trial phases in parallel with the manufacturing process, without compromising on safety.

Only the vaccine candidates that are deemed to be safe and effective will be approved for distribution to the general public.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine planning.

September 18 - October 31: Absentee in-person/early voting is underway at the Office of Elections, 12000 Government Center Pkwy., Fairfax, VA.

October 14: Absentee in-person/early voting began at 14 satellite locations.

October 15: Voter Registration Deadline. In-person: 5:00 p.m., online: 11:59 p.m.

October 23: Deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail, 5:00 p.m.

October 31: Final day for absentee in-person/early voting, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

November 3: Election Day. Your regular polling place will be open from 6:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. Check the Citizen Portal to find your polling place and confirm your voter registration status.

November 3: Deadline for mailed absentee ballots to be postmarked. Deadline to hand deliver absentee ballots to the Office of Elections is 7:00 p.m.

November 6: Ballots postmarked by November 3 must be received by the Office of Elections by 12:00 p.m. (noon).

Currently, there is a drop box at the Office of Elections at 12000 Government Center Parkway, and one available 24/7 outside of the Government Center. You do not have to wait in line to drop off your completed and sealed absentee ballot.

 Important Notice

For information on the Virginia Constitutional amendments and the four bond questions about Public Libraries, Parks, Transportation and Health & Human Services, visit the elections website.

There are four bond questions on the Nov. 3, 2020, general election ballot. Voters will be asked to vote YES or NO on each of these questions.

Tonight, Thursday, October 15, at 11:59 p.m. is the deadline to be counted in the 2020 Census. The census is vital to our community and we encourage everyone to respond and be counted.

Ways to respond:

• Internet self-response will be available across the nation through October 15, 2020 until 11:59 p.m. Visit 2020Census.gov to respond today.

• Phone response will be available for its regularly scheduled time on October 15, 2020. Check to find a schedule and a list of numbers.

• Paper responses must be postmarked by October 15, 2020.

• Nonresponse Follow-up census takers will continue resolving nonresponding addresses through the end of the day on October 15, 2020.

Tonight, Thursday, October 15, at 6:00 p.m., Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand will present to the School Board his updated plan for bringing additional students back in November, prioritizing early learners and transitioning students for in-person instruction. You can watch the meeting live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) or on the FCPS website. 

The meeting will be recorded for future viewing and posted to the FCPS School Board YouTube page.

Braddock District School Board Member Megan McLaughlin will be hosting two virtual town halls on Wednesday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m. through 11:30 a.m. and from 7:00 p.m. through 8:30 p.m. (morning and evening sessions) in order to allow constituents an opportunity to provide input about the current virtual learning environment as well as future plans for in-person learning.

The town hall will be an open discussion and participants may join in at anytime.

School Board Member Megan McLaughlin will send login instructions on Monday, October 19. Sign up for her newsletter by entering your email on her website.

On Wednesday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m. the Braddock District Council will host its October meeting via Zoom. The topic this month will be the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance Modernization Project, otherwise known as zMOD.

In 2017, Fairfax County launched a major initiative to modernize its Zoning Ordinance that was first established more than 40 years ago. Dubbed “zMOD,” the effort will help the county carry out its strategic plan to grow and diversify its economy. The modernization plan was presented on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Development Process Committee.

“We want to be sure that our ordinance is forward-thinking in terms of being able to accommodate uses that we don’t know about today that will be here in the future,” said Barbara Byron, Director of the Department of Planning and Development. zMOD will work in tandem with the County’s existing process for amending its zoning laws by prioritizing proposed changes of County-wide significance. Zoom invitation details for the BDC October Meeting are below. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. The Zoom connection will be open at 6:30 p.m. for first-time users to confirm audio and video settings.

Topic: Braddock District Council October 2020 Meeting

Time: Wednesday, Oct 21, 2020 7:00 p.m.

URL: Click here for the link.

Meeting ID: 847 0122 9448

Passcode: 764971

Dial In: (301) 715-8592

Each year the flu causes millions of illnesses in the United States, and people age 65 and older account for the majority of flu hospitalizations and deaths. An annual flu vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk of getting sick.

To help protect older adults in our community, the Fairfax County Health Department of Neighborhood and Community Services are offering flu vaccination clinics at select Senior Centers.

This service began on October 6 and is available to residents 50 and older by appointment only (see dates below).

Lincolnia Senior Center, 4710 N. Chambliss St., Alexandria

(times also available Oct. 21 & 22)

Original Mt. Vernon High School, 8333 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria

(times also available Oct. 28 & 29)

Little River Glen Senior Center, 4001 Barker Ct., Fairfax

(times also available Nov. 4 & 5)

Lewinsville Senior Center, 1613 Great Falls St., McLean

(times also available Nov. 10 & 12)

For your safety, appointments are limited, and face masks and temperature checks will be required. Don’t wait – take control of your health this season and get a flu vaccine!

To make your appointment, call (703) 246-6010, TTY 711. Learn more about the flu season on the Fairfax County Health Department's website.

*The High Dose Flu Shot is not available at these clinic, only the regular flu shot.

This year, the Pathway to Recovery Conference (a conference committed to the health and safety of our community) will be held virtually on Thursday, October 22, at 9:45 a.m. through 12:30 p.m.

This year's conference includes keynote speaker and mental health advocate, David Woods Bartley, a dynamic speaker who uses real-life anecdotes to inform and captivate audiences. Northern Virginia Mental Health Foundation, a foundation dedicated to raising awareness and acceptance of individuals living with a mental health condition, is the organizer of the event.

Registration is required to attend this conference.

For over 20 years, Volunteer Fairfax has hosted its annual fall volunteering event, VolunteerFest, to mobilize volunteers across Fairfax County to help nonprofits and government agencies accomplish wish list projects, meet new volunteers and secure donation needs for the upcoming holiday season. Volunteer Fairfax is committed to doing that again this year on October 24-25.

While many of the traditional, large-scale opportunities are not possible this year, Volunteer Fairfax is pleased to be able to offer volunteers a wide range of opportunities to serve at home putting together projects or kits for nonprofit partners as well as offering some smaller in-person options.

Visit the VolunteerFest website to register and pick from a variety of volunteer opportunities.

If you have any questions about VolunteerFest, please contact Hollie Gordon at hgordon@volunteerfairfax.org.

Fairfax County’s Consolidated Community Funding Pool is an allocation of funds earmarked by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to be administered to local nonprofits and community-based organizations as an investment in programs and services that strengthen the county’s ability to fill the human services needs of its residents. To determine how these funds should be allocated, Fairfax County, with significant community input, establishes categories that are reflective of the needs residents feel are most important in their communities.

In preparation for the next funding cycle, Fairfax County Neighborhood & Community Services is seeking your insight and feedback on our current categories.

Take a moment to share your thoughts and opinions by taking the Community Feedback Survey online. The survey will be available until Friday, October 30, 2020.

The Scouting USA Patriot District (roughly contiguous with Braddock District) Scouts have already held several Food Drives to support community members affected by the current crisis. Their next drive is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, in support of ECHO. The food drive will take place rain or shine. Patriot District is supporting ECHO by sponsoring a food drive on Saturday, October 17, 2020 from noon till 4:00 p.m.