Last week Congress passed the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act legislation, a comprehensive investment in improving and maintaining our roads, bridges, rail and other essential needs. The Board of Supervisors has been working on many of these issues, so while this is good news for our country, it is particularly welcome here in Fairfax County and the Hunter Mill District in addressing transportation and climate challenges.

Here are some highlights of the anticipated investments that will impact our community provided by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority

More details are available here. There is a lot more information forthcoming and I will make sure to pass along updates that are particularly important to our community. If you have questions, you can contact my office at huntermill@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Tomorrow, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all our veterans who have served to protect our country. I am the proud son of a veteran – my father, the late Dr. Roy Alcorn (pictured), served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army that fought and defeated the Nazis in 1945.

Vaccine Options for Ages 5 to 11

The Board of Supervisors met yesterday, Nov. 9 with a full agenda, including public hearings. You can review meeting materials and watch the recorded video here. Below are summaries of several of the actions taken.

In response to homeowners concerns about the safety of older decks, I presented a Board Matter on July 27 requesting community outreach on deck safety and maintenance, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors. In response, the county recently published a blog post with helpful information to extend the lifespan of your deck and ensure it is safe to use. If you have a deck, I encourage you to take a few minutes to review.

Fairfax County's Department of Planning and Development and Land Development Services are embarking on an initiative to review Article 6 of the Zoning Ordinance, which regulates off-street parking and loading. In conjunction with an analysis of parking by staff and a consultant, extensive outreach and listening sessions are being scheduled to get feedback and to survey residents on future proposed changes. The meeting is hosted on the GoToMeeting platform. Use this link to attend. If you prefer to only listen to the meeting, call 1-877-309-2073 and use code: 988-720-485. For more information, visit Parking Reimagined.

The meeting is hosted on the Webex platform. Use this link to attend and participate. 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 code: 2339 428 6344. More information.

The Reston Comprehensive Plan Study Task Force has weekly meetings scheduled through the fall. Information on the next meeting is below. To learn more about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study and the task force, visit the Reston Comprehensive Plan Study webpage. Meeting details and agendas will be found here. You can watch live streams of the meetings on YouTube Live, as well as the video archive of all past task force meetings.

The ActiveFairfax Transportation Plan team is developing recommendations for a Fairfax County Safe Streets for All Program, a comprehensive initiative to address systemic transportation safety issues for people walking, biking and using other forms of active transportation. Fairfax County Department of Transportation will hold two virtual public meetings to present the draft recommendations and take questions and comments from attendees. Learn more

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 code: 2339 873 6536. For information, contact Jose Delcid, 703-478-0283.

The county is evaluating potential changes to the Site-Specific Plan Amendment Process (SSPA) and wants to hear from you. A community survey is open now through Friday, Dec. 10 and is an opportunity to share your thoughts and priorities for future long-range planning studies for individual sites. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Korean, and many other languages. Take the survey now.  

Earlier today my staff and I met with the commanders of the Reston District Station and other Police Department representatives to discuss residents concerns about traffic safety and specifically speeding. We are looking at solutions and as Capt. Pagerie notes in his message below, it takes all of us to make our roads safer - please slow down.

"For more than two decades, speeding has been a factor in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide. To ensure the safety of our community, officers assigned to the Reston District Police Station are tasked with proactively patrolling our roadways to identify and curtail dangerous driving behaviors. Keeping motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians safe is a continuous partnership with the community. Everyone must play a role in protecting lives and property. If you are experiencing traffic safety concerns in your neighborhood and would like to share the details, please contact our Reston Traffic Enforcement Unit at FCPDRestonTrafficEnforcementUnit@fairfaxcounty.gov.

As winter and the holidays quickly approach, many organizations in our community are collecting and distributing donations to neighbors in need. In the coming weeks, several of opportunities will be featured in this newsletter.

Louise Archer Elementary School Third Annual Warm Winter Clothing Closet

Staff from two of our Vienna community elementary schools, Louise Archer and Flint Hill, are holding a warm clothing drive for families in need, Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Requested donation are noted below and can be dropped off at Louise Archer Elementary School, 324 Nutley Street, N.W. in Vienna. You will see boxes and bins at Door 1 in front of the school labeled Warm Clothing Donations. Please consider perusing your closet and donating new or gently used (in very good condition) youth, teen, and adult winter clothing. Please only donate clean clothes that have been laundered and place clothing in sealed garbage bags. 

Gift Card Donations for Children Impacted by Crimes

The Town's holiday stroll event is Monday, Nov. 29, 6 to 8:30 p.m. on historic Church Street. Enjoy live holiday music from local groups, a tree lighting led by Mayor Linda Colbert and great deals from local businesses. More information: call the Vienna Community Center at 703-255-636.

Town of Vienna residents and businesses are invited to “Light up Vienna” and participate in this year’s holiday decorating contest. For contest details and to register, visit www.viennava.gov/contest by Dec. 6 or call the Parks and Recreation Department at 703-255-6360. A photo of your finished display must be submitted by Dec. 6.

Get Answers to Your Recycling Questions on Monday, Nov. 15

The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services is hosting a Facebook Live event on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. to provide residents with the opportunity to ask questions about recycling in the county. The event is in conjunction with America Recycles Day and you can watch/participate here.

For more information and to download candidacy forms click here. Candidacy forms must be filed by 5 p.m. on Jan. 28. Additional information will be provided at an election information session scheduled for Jan. 11. Questions may be sent to electionscommittee@reston.org

The Fairfax County Park Authority is reminding county residents that the forests, fields and wetlands of county parks are great places to enjoy the autumn and all that the season has to offer. However, they are not an appropriate place to discard old pumpkins or other waste. More information.