Lee District Monthly Newsletter

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Edition 10 
January 2015 
 
The McKay Messenger
  
Welcoming 2015 at Lee Open House 
A shot from last week's open house.

I enjoyed seeing so many Lee District residents at my annual open house on January 24. The open house is a great, relaxed environment where my staff and I can catch up with people, hear what's on their minds, and also enjoy the great pastries made by students in Edison High School's Culinary Academy. The Springfield Art Guild exhibited and donated artwork from its members as door prizes and the Franconia Museum opened its doors to display our local history. 

 

From discussions about our legislative priorities to the latest store openings planned at Springfield Town Center, I truly appreciated your feedback and participation. 

Adopting Our First Bicycle Master Plan
The County adopted it's first bike master plan.

Just before the calendar shifted to 2015, my Board of Supervisors colleagues and I adopted the County's first Bicycle Master Plan. The plan calls for the addition of 1,130 miles in on- and off-road bike routes across the County, more than triple the amount of miles (353) that currently exist. The plan also incorporates the creation of new facilities and additional bike racks, as well as improvements to existing trails. 

 

In Lee District alone, the plan adds more than 25 miles of bicycle lanes and nearly 10 miles of shared-use paths.  

 

Although some of the new facilities called for in the plan will take many years to be installed or completed, some on-road lanes can be created by reconfiguring existing road markings -- work that the County has already begun. In fact, almost all of the county's existing on-road bike lanes were installed at no cost through the Virginia Department of Transportation's annual repaving program. 

 

You can view the entire plan here, which includes a graphic dedicated to the new paths, trails, and facilities coming to Lee District.

Reviewing 2014's Survey Results

Anecdotal information can be compelling, feel absolutely right, and yet be wrong. That's why early last summer I asked Lee District residents to tell me what they think about some of the key issues in Lee District and Fairfax County.

 

Thank you to all who responded to my brief survey and thank you also for the additional comments that let me know your concerns or approval regarding specific transportation, zoning enforcement, and other issues that affect our daily life. Overall, I heard a lot of positives and while those are always good to hear, I also want to hear about our challenges so that we can help get them resolved.  

 

Here's an overview of the five survey questions and responses: 

 

The first question asked correspondents to rank the importance of county services including schools, parks and libraries, transportation, human services, public safety, zoning enforcement, and environmental protection. The largest percentage of correspondents rank schools first, closely followed by transportation and public safety.

 

The largest number of respondents want the state to increase K-12 education funding. A much smaller number of mail respondents favor raising property taxes while instituting a meals tax and cutting services ranked last. A number of respondents also support cutting programs.

 

More than 50 percent of the County's budget goes to fund our schools. While a majority of respondents agree that 50 percent is the right amount, there was also a substantial minority that would like to see County funding at a lower level.

 

While respondents want to see expanded transit options, almost as many want road capacity expanded and a substantial number would like improved bicycle and pedestrian amenities.

 

Most respondents prefer to get their Lee District news through my monthly e-newsletter although a substantial minority prefers a print newsletter and Facebook updates are also popular.

 

While this survey is now closed, my door is not. I always welcome your thoughts and positions on issues. You can reach me at 703-971-6262 or [email protected].

 

Thank you again for your valuable input.

When it Snows
VDOT at Work
VDOT is responsible for maintaining the public roads in Fairfax County, including snow plowing. To find out about local road conditions, you can call 511 or visit www.511virginia.org. During a snow storm, you can also visit www.vdotplows.org to track which roads have been cleared. For concerns about snow plowing, you can contact VDOT at [email protected] or 800-367-7623. Of course, you can also contact my office and we will coordinate with VDOT to address your concern.
  
Thank you for subscribing to my monthly e-newsletter. I hope these updates will keep you in the loop with some of the major events in our District.

If you'd like to learn more about something in the newsletter or have an idea for a future edition, please don't hesitate to contact me or my staff.
  
Sincerely,

Jeffrey C. McKay

Lee District Supervisor

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

703-971-6262
Jeffrey C. McKay
 
Supervisor McKay has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2007.  
Did You Know?

Question: Where can I find a meeting room for my group?

  

Answer: The community room in the Franconia Governmental Center is available free of charge to non-commercial groups. The community room can comfortably hold up to 80 people. It has a blackboard and viewing screen, as well as a small kitchenette suitable for light refreshments.

 

The community room is scheduled on a first come, first served basis. The community room is frequently reserved so it's advisable to schedule well in advance. Reservations for the following year open in September.

 

You can review the rules and regulations for community room use along with the reservation form here. 

 

To reserve the room, check with Sarah Hughes on availability, then complete the community room reservation form and fax (703-971-3032) or email it to Sarah ([email protected])
 

Sarah will then contact you to confirm your reservation.

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