This week has been a busy one on the vaccination front. With the Governor and the Virginia Department of Health announcing last Friday the commencement of the Phase 1b rollout on Monday, the vaccine registration system operated by the Fairfax County Health Department was flooded with literally hundreds of thousands of calls. I share your frustration that the county was not prepared for the enormous response. Improvements to the vaccine registration and scheduling system have been made and are ongoing. As chair of the Board of Supervisor's IT Committee, I put this at the top of yesterday's meeting and you can watch the video of the meeting here.

One of the most repeated questions we have heard is regarding when an eligible resident can expect to hear back with an appointment after filling out the online pre-registration form. Unfortunately, there is not yet a simple answer. In order to schedule a vaccine appointment, the Health Department has to know how much vaccine they will receive and have on hand. Our Health Department is often getting significant lower amounts of vaccine doses requested or expected. It is an enormous day-to-day planning challenge. The current plan is that you will be contacted for an appointment when the Health Department knows they have a sufficient number of doses. Not the answer many of us want, but we must try to remain patient during what is the largest vaccine deployment in our country's history.

That said, I have been assured by the county executive that efforts are underway to improve our processes and it is the county's top priority to get vaccines into arms as soon as possible. I also promise to provide you with important updates as soon as they are available via this newsletter email list, as well as my Twitter and Facebook platforms.

If you can, I encourage you to participate in the Reston Community Center's MLK activities, or check with your local faith community or nonprofit for Day of Service information.

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, Jan. 25, 7 to 9 p.m. Details and the agenda will be found here. 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: 179 456 6385. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. (Please note each meeting has a unique link and call-in information.) You will also be able to watch a live stream of the meeting on YouTube Live, which is also where you can watch the Jan. 11 meeting.

The next TAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, 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:179 390 8392. This is also the number to use if accessing TTY 711. Learn more about the Fairfax County TAC. 

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) continually evaluates bus service on Fairfax Connector to ensure that it is meeting the needs of our residents. Outreach on a ten-year Transit Strategic Plan is beginning and you are encouraged to provide input through a survey and three virtual meetings held Jan. 12-14. Learn more.

The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) seeks the public's input on how to provide for the emerging sport of pickleball and invites participation in an online survey. The survey will be open through January 24, 2021. More information.

Construction on the new Fire Station 25 in Reston is coming along nicely. Estimated occupancy is the Summer of 2021. Funding for the new station was included on the 2015 Public Safety Bond Referendum approved by voters. Learn more.

The Fairfax County Police Department's Victim Services Division recently launched a new webpage, which provides crime victims and the community access to information and resources specific to crime victim rights and support. The new webpage ensures 24/7 access to online information, victim rights forms and resources.

The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) is hosting a series of virtual town halls to present new interactive GIS-based data dashboard. It is a tool designed from community input and rooted in the principles of transparency and fair and impartial policing. Key data points include arrests, citations and warnings. FCPD training and policies related to the data sets will be discussed. The Reston District Station town hall is Thursday, Feb. 4. at 5 p.m. You can join the Zoom meeting here.

North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston

Learn more.

Fairfax County Government is closed on Monday, Jan. 18 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and on Wednesday, Jan. 20 for the Inauguration. Learn more.

The Fairfax County Park Authority has scheduled its annual community comment meeting on the agency’s proposed fee adjustments. The public is invited to share their perspectives on the proposals with the Park Authority Board either at the meeting, via correspondence or by email. The virtual public meeting is Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021 at 5 p.m. Learn more.

Congratulations to the residents who helped the county recycle more than five million pounds of glass at our 15 purple bins located across the county. Learn more about the purple bin program, including locations.

FCPS Receives First Electric Bus

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) received its first electric bus yesterday, Jan. 12, at the Stonecroft Transportation Center. The bus is the first of eight buses that are being funded by a grant from Dominion Energy. The remaining buses are expected to be delivered by the end of the month. Learn more.