Friday, December 15th, 2023

Dear Friend,

It was my greatest honor to be sworn in for my second term Wednesday night as Supervisor for the Franconia District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Thank you for placing your trust in me as I continue the work we started together 4 years ago.

My staff and I are wishing you the very best this holiday season. Our office will be closed on Monday, December 25th and Monday, January 1st. The Lusk Report newsletter will be on a winter break - we will see you back in January!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office.

Email: Franconia@fairfaxcounty.gov

Phone 703-971-6262

View as Webpage

Table of Contents

New Term, New Opportunities
Fairfax Connector Holiday Bus Schedule
Hypothermia Prevention Program Info
Thrive
Library of Things
Holiday Gifting Guide
Winter Camp 2023

Out and About

Willie Bailey's Toy Drive
WISH High School Welding Cohort
Heroes and Helpers Holiday Shopping
Leadership Fairfax
Northern Virginia Chorale at St. Mark's Church

ICYMI

Salt More, Shovel Less

New Term, New Opportunities

I’m excited to continue the work I’ve been doing for the Franconia District and wanted to share the new opportunities we have available in my office. If you’re interested in public service, please take a look at the following openings:

· Winter Internships (High School and College Students)

· Communications Manager

If you are interested, please send a cover letter and resume to Franconia@FairfaxCounty.gov. Please visit our website for more information on the specific job requirements.

Fairfax Connector's Christmas & New Year's Day Service Schedule

Holiday Bus Plan: Sunday service on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

If you see someone who is unsheltered and you think is at risk for hypothermia, call 703-691-2131 TTY 711. This is the non-emergency police number. A police officer will respond and conduct a wellness check.

Learn more here.

Thrive - Introducing the THRIVE Program, an initiative designed to fuel your growth.

If you've been in business since 2021 or earlier and have 49 or fewer employees, this is your chance. THRIVE will offer 600 businesses up to $10,000 in specialized consulting across key areas like digital marketing, operations, and financial planning.

Visit here for eligibility and to apply now!

Library cardholders can now borrow a variety of testing devices from their neighborhood branches. Nine types of meters and readers are available for check out at 21 of Fairfax County Public Library’s 23 locations as part of its Library of Things.

The initial batch of meters and readers available to check out include:

Air Quality Monitors

Battery Testers

Carbon Monoxide Meters

Radon Gas Monitors

Each device is available to check out for three weeks at a time and, if not immediately available, can be put on hold online or by visiting the information desk at any branch.

To learn more: https://research.fairfaxcounty.gov/

Help make the community a little brighter this holiday season! Find a variety of ways to donate to those in need, including toys, winter gear, gift cards and food donations. Find the Holiday Gift Giving Guide here.

Winter Camp 2023 for Grades 1-6

Week 1 - December 18-21

Week 2 - December 26-29

For more info or to register, visit here: Out-of-School Time Camps | Neighborhood and Community Services (fairfaxcounty.gov)

Out and About

Thank you to Willie Bailey and the many partners you’ve cultivated over the years for another successful Toy Drive for our families who need the most help in the Route 1 corridor. I met Ember, the K-9 Caring Angels Therapy Dog today at this event. You can learn more about her here.

Happy to share that the initiative I championed, which resulted in the creation of the WISH (Workforce, Innovation, and Skills Hub), launched their first high school Welding Cohort that will run till the end of the school year with students from Bryant and Lewis High Schools. The goal of the welding cohort is to mitigate the obstacles that prevent students from applying and qualifying for apprenticeships. They were able to launch this during the school day by providing transportation to the students through collaborating with FCPS. The 19 students were joined by representatives from the Steamfitters’ and Sheet Metal unions. All 9 of the seniors submitted applications for at least 1 of the two unions. The students who joined the Steamfitters union will be placed into apprenticeships and the ones who joined the Sheet Metal union will be given provisional placement to apprenticeships.

Thank you to the Mount Vernon Police Station and Neighborhood and Community Services for organizing this year's Heroes and Helpers event. 24 students from Hybla Valley and Gum Springs were given $100 Target gift cards and police officers and student police cadets assisted the students in shopping. Thank you to Target for the extra hot cocoa and cake pops. The kids all left smiling with items they chose for themselves.

I had a great evening at the L eadership Fairfax, Inc. 2023 Alumni Holiday Reception! It's always great to be among friends. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak at this holiday program. I am a proud graduate of the Class of 1998.

I was pleased to attend the Northern Virginia Chorale's presentation of Some Children See Him ... With Visions of Sugarplums. It was nice to see old friends while enjoying this production. Thank you for inviting me!

ICYMI

Shovel More, Salt Less

Road salt plays a key role in keeping Northern Virginia residents safe in the wintertime by melting snow and ice off of roads, sidewalks, and other surfaces that they walk and drive on. However, only one tablespoon of salt can permanently pollute 5 gallons of water. When salty runoff enters local creeks and streams, increased levels of chloride can impact the taste of drinking water, harm plants and aquatic life, and even corrode pipes, vehicles, and other infrastructure.

1. When it starts to snow, shovel early and often.

2. If the sun comes out and you can wait, allow time for sunlight to melt some of the snow and ice before you apply salt.

3. Make sure to clear snow and apply salt only where needed.

4. After the storm, sweep up extra salt to use again next time winter weather hits. Read the full blog post here.

Visit our website for more information on Snow and Ice Maintenance Tips and Smart Salt Management.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Rodney L. Lusk

Franconia District Supervisor

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