April 14, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

My top priority continues to be ensuring that our residents – especially our residents most at risk and suffering most from this pandemic – are fully vaccinated as quickly as possible. On Saturday morning (April 10), I stopped by the First Baptist Church of Vienna to visit their community vaccination event with church pastor Dr. Vernon Walton (left in photo) done in partnership with HealthWorks for Northern Virginia. Efforts such as Pastor Walton's and other faith communities are tremendously helpful and necessary in the equitable distribution of vaccine. Thank you Pastor Walton!

I realize that the news about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may make some hesitant about getting their shot, but I encourage everyone to get vaccinated when they can. I recently received my second shot and it feels great to be able to see extended family and to start to get back out in the community.
 
Confederate Names Virtual Town Hall
I am hosting a panel discussion and town hall on Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. to provide information on the countywide inventory and report on Confederate street names, monuments and public places and to discuss possible next steps. The meeting will be hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. If you prefer to listen to the meeting on your phone, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use access code: 129 974 5772. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. You can also watch a live stream of the meeting on YouTube Live.
More information. I hope you will join us!
 
Earth Month
Finally, Earth Month 2021 continues and you will find more information below on steps the county is taking on environmental initiatives, including the announcement of this year's Solarize program.
 
Respectfully,
Walter
Today's COVID-19 Updates (April 14)
New Call Center
The Health Department has implemented a new call center system to better meet the needs of residents during the upcoming transition to Phase 2 vaccine distribution and beyond. Wait times for callers may be longer than expected. The quickest way to register for vaccine is to use the online registration form Learn more.

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Will Not Be Administered Until Further Notice
The county will not be administering Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines until further notice following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Virginia Department of Health to pause all J&J vaccinations because of a potentially very rare side effect. No county vaccine clinics or appointments will be affected. Learn more.

Moving Toward Food Security: How to Get Help From and Donate to Local Food Pantries
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for food in Fairfax County and thousands of people in our community are experiencing food insecurity. For those in need, the county has many resources available where residents can receive food as well as donate food. Learn more.

Contact Information
If you have questions about COVID-19, you can contact the Fairfax County Health Department:
  • Call 703-267-3511 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends)
  • Email ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov (monitored 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays)

Vaccine Updates

Testing

Current Number of Cases in the Fairfax Health District
  • Daily reported case information for the Fairfax Health District: here and scroll down to get to ZIP Code data.
  • Daily reported case information throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia: here and ZIP Code data look for Data Download bar.

COVID-19 Case Information Chart (as of publication on April 14)
Earth Month 2021
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April 13 Environmental Board Actions
At its meeting yesterday, the Board of Supervisors voted to add two items for consideration to be included in the current FY 2021 Third Quarter Review
  • $300,000 for Green Banks: Green banks offer invaluable funding to environmentally-focused businesses that have historically struggled to find capital through traditional means. Having this financing tool on hand will allow us to ensure our economic recovery is targeted to communities with the most need in both an equitable and sustainable manner. This project could be crucial for building community resiliency alongside other COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.
  •  $100,000 for a Zero Waste Plan: The Joint Environmental Task Force recommendations call for a series of actions to approach zero waste in our government and schools by 2030. To meet these goals, we need to take prompt action. The county's Zero Waste Planning Team has already developed a plan to be finalized by June 30. It is expected that the total cost of this project will be $100,000 to develop.   

Are You Ready to Solarize?
The county is again participating in the annual Solarize program, bringing bulk discounts on solar systems to residents and businesses in partnership with the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP). Through the program, home and business owners are granted access to a pre-qualified solar installer for a no-cost evaluation of their property and can take advantage of cost savings should they decide to pursue a solar installation. The 2021 program began this week and runs through June 30, with additional enhancements. Learn more.

Be informed
As I noted in last week's newsletter, the county's Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is publishing a series that explores some of the most promising solutions to our most pressing environmental issues. The articles will be included in this newsletter when available or you can follow on Twitter and Facebook 

April 10 Hunter Mill District Cleanup Efforts
I had the opportunity on Saturday, April 10 to participate in several volunteer cleanup efforts as part of the annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, including at the historic Ash Grove house in the Vienna area, as well as around the Reston Regional Library and Hunters Woods area. A huge thank you to the Reston Association and other volunteers who did a lot of hard work!
Ash Grove House
Hunters Woods
Photo credit: LeRoy & Eve Wallin
North Reston
2021 Community Champion Lydia Russo
Yesterday, April 13, at the Board of Supervisors meeting, I had the privilege of recognizing Lydia Russo as the 2021 Community Champion for Hunter Mill District. She will also be honored with other county community champions at the Volunteer Fairfax annual Volunteer Service Awards on April 20. Here are my remarks from yesterday's meeting:

"Serving as a volunteer with the Town of Vienna’s Fire Department since 2006, she assists with fundraising, outreach, and marketing. In addition, she turned what was supposed to be a purely social endeavor, a Facebook Group called “Vienna VA Foodies,” into a vehicle for raising money, awareness and community action for food-insecure families, front-line workers, first-responders and more. Her efforts weren’t limited to Vienna either, when the Black Lives Matter movement grew over the summer, Vienna Foodies fundraised to help the Anacostia area of DC. In one day, the group raised $20,000 to support Martha’s Table, a nonprofit helping children, families, and the community."

Board of Supervisors Update
Budget Public Hearings April 13-15
The public hearings for the Proposed FY 2022 Budget began on Tuesday, April 13 and will continue today, April 14 and tomorrow, April 15. You can watch the public hearings on live stream or posted here after the meetings.

Virtual Tax Relief Workshops April 15 and 22
For Seniors and People With Disabilities
The Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration (DTA) will be hosting virtual Tax Relief Workshops on Thursday, April 15 and Thursday, April 22, 10:30 a.m. to noon. DTA staff will present information about the real estate and personal property tax relief programs for seniors and people with disabilities. Staff will also answer general questions about completing the 2021 tax relief application. For privacy reasons, individual consultations will not be possible, but residents can make appointments for assistance.
 
No registration is required for residents to attend either one of the two identical sessions – however, a free download of Microsoft TEAMS will be required for a video link. An audio only call-in option is also available. To join a Tax Relief workshop, please go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/workshops and select the virtual link to participate or call in using the phone number and conference ID number provided. For additional information email taxrelief@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-8234 (TTY 711).
Transportation and Land Use
Metro Begins Phasing Out Older SmarTrip Cards
Do you have some old Metro SmarTrip cards sitting in a drawer? Metro is beginning to phase out older SmarTrip cards as part of upgrades to faregates and fare payment technology. The best way to tell if you need to replace your card is to check the serial number on the back. All newer SmarTrip cards start with the serial number “0167,” any others will need to be replaced. Learn more.

Bike and Pedestrian Safety Webinar: The Case Study of Germany and the Netherlands
Join the Northern Virginia Regional Commission for a webinar on Monday, April 19, noon to 1 p.m. with Dr. Ralph Buehler, professor and chair of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech, who will share the designs, policies and strategies that German and Dutch cities have developed to the benefit of bike and pedestrian safety programs and how these might inform equivalent efforts in Northern Virginia. Learn more.

ActiveFairfax Transportation Plan Community Conversations
Join the Fairfax County Department of Transportation for virtual community conversations on the ActiveFairfax Transportation Plan. Learn about the plan and tell us how you travel and access destinations by biking, walking, rolling (scooter/wheelchair/stroller), hiking, running and riding in and around your local community. The Hunter Mill District meeting is Monday, April 19, 7 p.m. Join online or join by phone at 1-844-621-3956, use access code 129 428 6027. Learn more.

Reston Planning & Zoning Meeting, April 19, 7:30 p.m.
The Reston P&Z virtual meeting is Monday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. More information.

Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Task Force Meeting, April 26, 7 to 9 p.m.
To learn more about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study and the task force, visit the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study webpage. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, April 26, 7 to 9 p.m. Details and the agenda will be found here. You can watch a live stream of the meeting on YouTube Live, which is also where you can watch the prior meetings.

Hunter Mill District Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC) Meeting April 28
The next TAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28, 8 to 10 a.m. The meeting will be hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to listen to the meeting on your phone, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use access code: 129 652 8477. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. Watch recent TAC meetings here.
The Hunter Mill District Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC) meets quarterly on community transportation issues. For additional information or to be added to the HMD TAC email list contact:Shyamali.Hauth@fairfaxcounty.gov.
 
Wiehle Avenue Pedestrian Crossing Study Group Meeting, April 29, 7 p.m.
Wiehle Pedestrian Crossing Study Group virtual meeting is Thursday, April 29, 7 to 9 p.m. The meeting is hosted on the Webex platform – use this link to attend and participate in the meeting. You will be prompted to register with your email address and ZIP code before logging into meeting. If you prefer to only listen to the meeting, you may call 1-844-621-3956 and use Access Code: 173 385 8066. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. To submit feedback, questions or comments, email WiehleCrossingStudyGroup@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Public Safety News
Phones Down!
A reminder from the Fairfax County Police Department to please put your phone down while driving it's the law since Jan. 1 and our officers have issued several hundred tickets to violators countywide already this year. According to a Virginia Tech report, 80% of all crashes and 65% of all near crashes involve driver inattention within 3 seconds of the crash. Learn more.
2 Spring Things to Know Today
Open Air Spring Market in Vienna
The Vienna Arts Society will offer a curated selection of handcrafted items from independent designers, artists, and emerging brands at an Open Air Spring Market from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 25, in front of the Windover Building, 243 Church Street NW. (Rain date is Sunday, May 2.) In addition, artists will help children paint a small gift for their moms in time for Mother’s Day. Learn more.

Park Authority Amusements and Facilities to Reopen for Spring
It’s time to reopen Park Authority amusements and facilities that have been closed for the winter. Welcome the warm weather by taking a spin on a carousel, going for a train or wagon ride, launching a boat, playing a round of mini golf or practicing your swing at the batting cages. More information. 
Stay Informed and In Touch
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn
703-478-0283, TTY 711