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Connector Bus route schedule Change below:
• Note that the polling place for the Lorton Library is
• The 2020 tax relief application due date for seniors
Connector Bus route schedule changes here: Effective Saturday, April 11, 2020, Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will make temporary adjustments to Fairfax Connector bus service due to reduced ridership associated with the impacts of COVID-19, and to protect the health and safety of Fairfax Connector passengers and operators. Routes operating regular service: 101, 109, 151, 152, 159, 161, 162, 171, 231, 232, 308, 310, 321, 322, 334, 335, 340, 341, 371, 372, 373, 401, 402, 461, 462, 463, 466, 467, 721, 937, 950, 951, 952, 980, RIBS 1, RIBS 3 and RIBS 5. Routes that will operate Saturday service during weekdays: 423, 605, 630, 640, 650, 505, 551, 558, 559, 574, 981, 983, RIBS 2 and RIBS 4. Routes that will not operate: 301, 305, 306, 393, 394, 395, 396, 422, 424, 432, 494, 495, 621, 622, 623, 624, 631, 632, 634, 641, 642, 644, 651, 652, 698, 699, 507, 552, 553, 554, 556, 557, 585, 599, 724, 924, 926, 927, 929 and 985. Fairfax Connector customers will continue to be required to enter and exit the bus using the rear doors. This does not apply to customers who need to use a wheelchair ramp. Fare collection on buses also continues to be suspended, due to the location of fareboxes and SmarTrip equipment at the front entrance of buses.
Nine Member Police Civilian Review Panel Appointed The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed nine Fairfax County residents to serve on the newly established Police Civilian Review Panel on February 28, 2017 The creation of a Civilian Review Panel was recommended by the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission in their October 2015 final report to the Board of Supervisors. "The Police Civilian Review Panel will promote further transparency and openness in community policing," Chairman Sharon Bulova said. "Each appointed member will bring a valuable perspective, extensive knowledge and years of community involvement to the table. Together with their impressive skillsets, this group of individuals will set the bar high for how the Civilian Review Panel will operate. I am very proud of our Fairfax County Police Department. This Panel will contribute toward making us a model of excellence for the nation." The Civilian Review Panel will act as an independent avenue or "portal" for residents to submit complaints concerning allegations of abuse of authority or misconduct by a Fairfax County Police (FCPD) Officer. The Panel will also have the authority to request and review completed Police Department internal administrative investigations regarding a civilian complaint against an officer. Examples of complaints and cases for the Civilian Review Panel to receive and review may include: Here are the names and short bios of the Police Civilian Review Panel Members (in alphabetical order): Hansel Aguilar, Fairfax Kathleen Davis-Siudut, Springfield Steve Descano, Springfield Hollye Doane, Oakton Douglas Kay, Fairfax Randy Sayles, Oak Hill Jean Senseman, Lorton Adrian L. Steel, Jr., McLean (Chairman) Rhonda VanLowe, Reston For more information, please contact Chairman Bulova's Chief of Staff, Clayton Medford, at 703-324-2321 or email clayton.medford@fairfaxcounty.gov.
County Pulls a Fast One By Floyd Harrison, Publlisher Fairfax County has changed the name of Lorton Road illegally, encouraged by Gerry Hyland and with the cover of blunders of the Mt. Vernon Council and the South County Federation. Legally, the residents must agree but they were not informed. It was on the drawings before they knew. We have signatures that they do not approve and this must not be allowed to stand because it obscures Lorton history and records. We will be appealing to the State to have this noxious abuse rectified.
Signs Keep Sprouting By Lion Joe Chudzik On one weekend in October, I removed nearly 40 illegal commercial signs from the public right of way. It is clearly apparent, that Fairfax County is not enforcing the Zoning Ordinance (Article 12 Signs) and the violators continue to litter our neighborhood streets and highways with non-conforming advertising signs with impunity! Other residents and Adopt-a-Highway volunteers have also made significant efforts to remove these illegal signs to no avail. The violators know they have nothing to fear from the lack of enforcement action by Fairfax County. The mandate by the BOS for the Fairfax Sheriff’s Office Community Labor Force to collect illegal roadside advertising signs from certain streets in the County has completely failed.
Open Letter to Fairfax County Government Letter by the Old Grouse I feel that recent actions of Fairfax County Government in my neighborhood have been oppressive, careless and offensive. I call for a change in how the government treats citizens, especially seniors. If it’s important, it’s important to handle correctly in respect of citizens. Government of the people, by the people, for the people would be gentle, respectful, conciliatory, sensitive and helpful. What Fairfax County has done on a couple of occasions in the last week has been more like brash cowardly vandalism with no care for their target residents. They hit and ran without understanding the situation at those residences. I cry foul for my neighbors. You earn trust and respect; it’s not automatic. In the first instance of my notice, a florescent green paper was taped to the middle of a glass storm door when the citizens were on vacation. It was garish and looked like something a kid would do. I mentioned to another neighbor who guessed what it was and we went and looked. It was a notice from zoning of tall grass violation. Tell me why it was so urgent to mark the house as unattended when they could have addressed the citizen in person when they could deal with it. I bet I know who complained; the same person who anonymously complains about everyone else. If they had cared and talked to the citizen or anyone else, they could have learned that that front lawn can’t be mowed due to bad back fill work resulting from a main sewer repair. It’s not the citizen’s fault; they need help, not harassment. But, we’re not going to get help from Fairfax County, just oppressive meddling. I think we pay too much. In the second recent instance, the citizen, a senior, was hospitalized, and Animal Control came and taped a notice to the middle of the front window, again, screaming that the resident was not home, besides looking tacky. Fortunately, he returned within the day but all they wanted was proof that a cat had a rabies certificate. I didn’t even know he had a cat. Tell me this couldn’t have waited until they could talk to the citizen. Again, they childishly hit and run with no respect for the citizen or their personal life, security and health, vandalizing the neighborhood with papers stuck to the front of a house. Now, I appreciate some standard of maintenance in close communities and rabies control. I only protest how the county regards citizens. This lazy, careless, hit and run vandalism has to stop. And this is only one issue; I have many protests about the County’s illegal, oppressive, careless, abuse of citizens. It’s clearly all about the money not service. We are responsible to perform to their rules but they can be lax and take their sweet old time to respond to us and make errors with impunity. It’s very one sided. It’s not so different than corporate policy but we have a right to expect more from our government and we should demand it. I do demand it. Sincerely, The Old Grouse, not The Famous Grouse
Citizens Can Help Stop Dumping Contributing reports from Lion Joe Chudzik and Clean Fairfax, Jennifer Cole Illegal dumping continues to be a problem in Fairfax County, particularly in the South County area. Lions continue to remove trash from our parks and roads but litter keeps returning. The real solution would be to catch the culprits so that the Lions can get ahead of the trash and do something more productive. Citizens can help by being vigilant and providing good reporting. Lion Joe Chudzik reports three Lions Club led clean-up activities last month: • The Mason Neck Lions, removed the graffiti from the Pohick Creek Bridge at Richmond Highway in Lorton, despite near freezing temperature and the wintry mix, they painted over the offensive graffiti. • Four volunteers collected twelve bags of litter from the roadside of Old Colchester Road on Mason Neck. Mason Neck Lions Club members Ethel Mitchell, Rich LaVallee and Joe Chudzik, together with BLM Meadowood Field Station Manager Gina Robison, participated in this community clean-up project. • Eight volunteers turned out to help collect litter and clean-up the Lorton Regional Library grounds and County Park. Seven large bags of trash were collected together with five scrap tires and two mattresses. Volunteers who participated: Lions Rich LaVallee; James and Sharon Fussell; Ethel Mitchell; Reba and Foster Morse; Joe Chudzik and A. Morgan, a resident of the Hagel Circle Community. An illegal trash dump was discovered at the intersection of Old Colchester Road and Gunston Road. Eight black trash bags full of yard waste and some polystyrene insulation had been dumped next to the cemetery at Cranford Methodist Church. Fairfax County and VDOT have been requested to arrange removal of this trash dump for proper disposal at the Lorton Waste Facility. Have you seen construction debris or trash and tires littering the side of the road like someone just backed up and dropped it? Jennifer Cole with Clean Fairfax says there are things you can do about it: See: Citizens Can Help in the sidebar. • Write down the most exact address of the dump site, and what the dumped material is—take pictures if you are comfortable doing that. It is important to be able to give the most detailed information in order to start an action on the issue. • If you witness a dumping in progress, do not engage the violators, instead observe at a safe distance and try to get the license plate number and any other identifying information (color of vehicle, number of persons involved, name of company on truck, etc.) and contact police. Anyone witnessing the release of toxic waste, gasoline, leaking barrels or other hazardous materials should call 911 immediately. • Try to determine (if possible) who owns the property—is it part of your Homeowners’ Association land? Is it on a Park Authority trail in a wooded area of a park? • Call the police non-emergency number 703-691-2131 to make an official report. Give them the best information you have, GPS coordinates, physical address, materials dumped. This is important because it creates a record of the incident. • Do the same thing with your district supervisors’ office, let them know you’ve made a report with the police and ask if they can help follow up. If you aren’t sure who your Supervisor is for your district, you can find out by visiting www.fairfaxcounty.gov They all have phone numbers and emails that are answered and monitored by dedicated staff members. • Call the Northern Virginia VDOT office if it is clearly on the Right of Way. 800-367-7623 • Contact the County’s Health Department: 703-246-2300 and Department of Public Works and Environmental Services: 703-591-6435 with the information you gave to the police and your supervisor’s office. This may seem like a lot of work on the resident who stumbles across an illegal dump site, but remember that Fairfax County is over 400 square miles, and there is not nearly the staff in any department to monitor all corners for dumping and littering. The Lions keep doing a lot of work to clean up the same parks and roadsides over again so catching one litterer would be a big help. Fairfax County Commits to Bicycling 2014 was a banner year for bicycling in Fairfax County. At their October 28 meeting the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the county’s first-ever bicycle master plan. which will guide the development of bicycle facilities, programs, and policies for the next 10-20 years. The plan is now officially incorporated into the Transportation component of the Comprehensive Plan. For the first time in many years the Board of Supervisors committed to spending $204 million over the next six years for pedestrian and bicycle projects of which about $40 million is for bike projects. While specific funding sources have not been identified for all projects, the Board is committed to finding those funds. The list of projects includes, Mason Neck Trail ($5 million), Other projects spread all over the Coounty include close by Cinderbed Road Bikeway ($4 million). With the opening of Jeff Todd Way/Mulligan Road, bike access has been restored through Fort Belvoir. Cleaning Up the Dumping From info provided by Joe Chudzik Illegal dumping continues to be a problem along Old Colchester Road and Furnace Road. It is near the County Dump on Furnace Road which charges a “tipping fee”. People who don’t want to pay have found this particular nearby site where the refuse is layered. See photo. The problem is so bad that the County drags their feet to come clean it up. Meanwhile, some serious surveillance and enforcement are needed to catch a couple of these offenders so that the word gets out that this is not a good place to dump. Bodies of homicide victims have even been dumped there. Some of the trash is locally sourced; Note the RSSY bag. Multiple signs and a video camera have not been effective. You’d be doing the community and the environment a favor by reporting what you know about illegal dumping. Two volunteers; Lara Chudzik and Joe Chudzik, completed a litter clean-up of the “Chudzik Family” section of Gunston Road (#242) on Saturday, October 18th. Six large bags of trash were collected and placed at roadside for removal by VDOT for proper disposal. Interestingly, a pair of disc brake drums were found. Four hours total volunteer effort. Last week, the Fairfax County DPW&ES removed a load of illegally dumped trash from Furnace Road and a load of yard waste from Gunston Road on Mason Neck. Occoquan Park Major Makeover The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority now going by the moniker of NOVA Parks is announcing a massive facelift for Occoquan Regional Park, which is located in Fairfax County, on the river across from the Town of Occoquan. A new Packard Occoquan Center will be the main component. The proposed makeover includes a number of improvements to the park, beginning right at the entrance on Route 123, with the installation of new landscaped features with park and facility signage visible from the road. Inside the park, proposed renovations would include the development of a 3.1-mile (5k) multi-use trail loop through the entire park, which will then connect with a new landscaped waterfront plaza area adjacent to concessions and the boat ramp. The plan also calls for the addition of a large group rental shelter near the batting cage at the rear of the park, as well as construction of new roads and parking areas. Occoquan Regional Park is a favorite among local boaters and fishermen for its access to the beautiful Occoquan River, which provides access to the Potomac River. The multipurpose building at the heart of the renovations will include a historic/environmental education area, a special event rental space overlooking the river, and a concessions area to serve boaters and other park patrons. The Packard Occoquan Center will also feature interpretation of a chapter in history when John Smith and his crew sailed up the Potomac and visited this site in 1608. This point of first European contact will allow visitors to learn about Native Americans and native flora and fauna of the region. The Center will be named after Jean Packard, a long time Fairfax County community and civic leader who previously served as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Packard was also on the NOVA Parks board for 24 years until retiring just two months ago. She has been a driving force for environmental protection in Fairfax County for many decades. Across the River, Prince William County Supervisors voted to allocate the remainder of the 2006 Park Bond which was funded this year as part of the FY2015 county budget to Park Projects across the County. Items for Woodbridge District include: Lighting at Veterans Park and installation of turf and lighting at Woodbridge Middle School. Conrad Mountain Expansion Denied By Floyd W. Harrison, Publisher Surprise and delight, the County BOS actually denied ESI’s application to expand Conrad Mountain outright in a 6-4 vote. CLOSE Lorton Landfill says “We won”. Not so fast. That’s not a mere vote to delay however don’t expect that it’s really over. The board has let it be known that they would discuss such foolishness. Chairman Bulova voted for it after all her noise about finding out what the community wants. The vote wasn’t a landslide. Do you think that ESI will just go away? Not a chance. The site is too valuable and they have too much invested. They still have until 2018 to continue building Conrad Mountain. But, I bet the next time they make an application, it will have a lot less fluff in it and be harder to turn down. We’ll be doing this battle again and they’ll be trying to swing elections. Bill Lynch of CLOSE Lorton Landfill says: “Everyone in the community is to be commended for their hard work on this issue starting with Supervisor Gerry Hyland, his aides Christine Morin and Marcia Hanson, and Nick Firth, Larry Clark and Martin Rizer of the South County Federation and a host of others who worked tirelessly to make sure the Supervisors really understood the community’s concerns on the application.” They are hopeful that it’s over but they are keeping their .org website up just in case. Good choice. Lorton Valley Star also thanks our Professional Engineer, Soloman Abraham Botage`for his technical contribution to our case against the expansion and the green energy park hoax. We need smart and aware citizens. Were you duped by ESIs pretty little green energy park campaign over at the Workhouse? Those three windmills anchored to debris would be funny if it weren’t such a vulgar assault. Of course, the Supervisors are really not in the know and their staff isn’t giving them good information. Fairfax County Board has a history of having the wool pulled over their eyes. They are just doing their little political jobs not qualified to make technical decisions. There’s not a contractor or engineer among them. We have to keep informing them because ESI is going to keep screaming at them. Prepare for the next round next year. This will continue to be one of the battles of the decade.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Volunteer IN Lorton: See the Lorton Valley Star Charity Catalog first with Fairfax County: EVENTS: Fairfax County’s free Family Caregiver Telephone Support Group meets by phone on Tuesday, April 14, 7-8 p.m. This month’s topic is “Working with Care Professionals — How to Get the Help You Need”. Register beforehand at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/caregiver.htm. Call 703-324-5484, TTY 711. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: The Kingstowne Center for Active Adults in Alexandria needs an instructor to teach Mosaic Art or Jewelry Making. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Sully Senior Center in Centreville needs a certified personal trainer, preferably with experience working with older adults. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. Korean Meals on Wheels needs Korean-speaking volunteers to deliver meals in Centreville, Reston, Fairfax, Annandale and Falls Church. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. Fairfax County needs volunteers to drive older adults to appointments and programs. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Bailey’s Senior Center in Falls Church needs an office assistant to answer phones, greet and check in participants and complete some data entry. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Gum Springs Senior Center in Alexandria needs a Spanish teacher for a beginner's class. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Lewinsville Senior Center in McLean needs an office assistant and instructors for the following classes: Book Club, Hot Topics/Current Events, American Sign Language, Knitting/Crocheting, Certified Arthritis Exercise, Ballroom or Square Dance, Basic Guitar, Meditation, Art, English as a Second Language, and Basic Spanish. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Wakefield Senior Center in Annandale needs a front desk assistance, an experienced Canasta Player, and certified instructors for classes in Pilates, Chair Exercise, and Ballroom Dance. Volunteer instructor positions could lead to part-time employment. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Mount Vernon Adult Day Health Care Center in Alexandria needs a social companion, a volunteer to play the piano and lead a sing-along, a Spanish-speaking social companion and a front desk volunteer. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Hollin Hall Senior Center in Alexandria needs a DJ, Ballroom Dance Instructor and an Italian Instructor. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. Vietnamese Meals on Wheels needs drivers in Falls Church to deliver meals. (Speaking Vietnamese not required.) For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. Meals on Wheels needs substitute drivers for routes throughout the county. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. The Annandale Adult Day Health Care Center in Annandale needs Spanish-speaking social companions and a lunch assistant. For these and other volunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer Solutions. Respite Care volunteers give family caregivers of a frail older adult a well-deserved break so they can go shopping, attend a doctor's appointment or just have coffee with a friend. Volunteers visit and oversee the safety of the older adult for a few hours each month. Support and training are provided. Contact Kristin Martin at 703-324-7577, TTY 711, or Kristin.Martin@fairfaxcounty.gov. |
Citizens Can Help Stop Dumping Have you seen construction debris or trash and tires littering the side of the road like someone just backed up and dropped it? Jennifer Cole with Clean Fairfax says there are things you can do about it: • Write down the most exact address of the dump site, and what the dumped material is—take pictures if you are comfortable doing that. It is important to be able to give the most detailed information in order to start an action on the issue. • If you witness a dumping in progress, do not engage the violators, instead observe at a safe distance and try to get the license plate number and any other identifying information (color of vehicle, number of persons involved, name of company on truck, etc.) and contact police. Anyone witnessing the release of toxic waste, gasoline, leaking barrels or other hazardous materials should call 911 immediately. • Try to determine (if possible) who owns the property—is it part of your Homeowners’ Association land? Is it on a Park Authority trail in a wooded area of a park? • Call the police non-emergency number 703-691-2131 to make an official report. Give them the best information you have, GPS coordinates, physical address, materials dumped. This is important because it creates a record of the incident. • Do the same thing with your district supervisors’ office, let them know you’ve made a report with the police and ask if they can help follow up. If you aren’t sure who your Supervisor is for your district, you can find out by visiting www.fairfaxcounty.gov They all have phone numbers and emails that are answered and monitored by dedicated staff members. • Call the Northern Virginia VDOT office if it is clearly on the Right of Way. 800-367-7623 • Contact the County’s Health Department: 703-246-2300 and Department of Public Works and Environmental Services: 703-591-6435 with the information you gave to the police and your supervisor’s office. This may seem like a lot of work on the resident who stumbles across an illegal dump site, but remember that Fairfax County is over 400 square miles, and there is not nearly the staff in any department to monitor all corners for dumping and littering. The Lions keep doing a lot of work to clean up the same parks and roadsides over again so catching one litterer would be a big help.
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