The meeting was called to order by Council President Mark McConn at 7:00 PM.

Council Members:

Lewis Grimm – 2nd Vice President, Franklin Farm Foundation

Jim Horner, Century Oak

Priscilla Knight – Secretary, Sully Station II

Mark McConn – President, Bull Run

Jeff Parnes – 1st Vice President, Chantilly Highlands

Rick Vaughan – Dartmoor Woods HOA

Presenters/Guests:

Mary Ann Cannon – Rep. Frank Wolf’s office

Himanshu Doshi – Partner, Kid Junction

Vishali Ennala – Partner, Kid Junction

Jim Hart – At-Large Planning Commissioner & Member, Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals

John Litzenberger – Sully District Planning Commissioner

Kristen Michael – Budget Director, FCPS

Mark Mittereder – Archgroup, Inc.

Parab Pujara – Partner, Kid Junction

Jonathan D. Puvak – Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, Emrich & Walsh, P. C

Kevin Wolfe – Visitor

• Ms. Kristen Michael, director of budget, FCPS, presented the proposed school budget for 2014. She discussed revenues and expenditures.
  1. FY 2014 Proposed Budget Overview
     1. $2.5 billion operating budget -- $62.7 million, or 2.6% more than the FY 2013 approved budget. The increase is necessary mainly because of the need to educate a growing population of students and for more employee compensation.
     2. Average cost per pupil: $13,680. By comparison, Arlington County spends the most at $18,675 and Prince William the least at $10,163 out of eight counties and cities in Northern Virginia and two Maryland suburbs.
     3. Achievement scores – FCPS students scored higher on the SATs (1659) than students in Virginia (1510) and in the nation (1477) among White, Asian, Black and Hispanic populations. In Fairfax County, 91.3% of students in the Class of 2012 graduated on time; 88% did so statewide.
     4. The number of students is projected to increase from around 181,000 to 184,000. FCPS’s forecasts student enrollment to increase because of larger kindergarten enrollment in recent years. About 27% of students receive free or reduced-cost meals.
     5. 196 schools and centers
     6. About 24,000 teachers, administrators, etc. About 15,000 of these employees are teachers. Ms. Michaels said education is labor intensive; therefore 88% of the expenditures are for employee compensation. FCPS ranks middle to low in compensation compared to the nine other nearby jurisdictions. For instance, the top salary for teachers in Arlington is $109,000. It’s $96,000 in Fairfax -- only Prince George County’s top salary is lower.
     7. About 15,000 buses – The fleet is getting old and many buses must be replaced.
  2. FY 2014 Proposed Budget Summary Highlights
     1. County transfer increase of 5.5%
     2. All other revenue is a net decrease.
     3. Unavoidable expenditure increases of $46.8 million
     4. Identified compensation needs of $49 million
     5. Significant program needs of $16.l7 million
     6. Reductions of nearly $50 million
     7. Virginia Retirement System reserve fully expended
     Ms. Michael noted that surrounding counties contribute a little money for Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology.
     The police resource officers are paid for by the County. Immediately after the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut where first graders and staff were gunned down, Fairfax County increased the number of police officers at schools.
     It was suggested that schools coordinate assignments with county library resources so that dozens of students are not assigned books to read and the libraries have only a few copies

1. 8:30
   • Proponent: Jonathan D. Puvak, Walsh Colucci Lubeley Emrich & Walsh, P.C. for The Crossings by Smith/Packett
   • Action: Rezoning and development application for an independent living and medical care facilities
   • Location: Centreville Road, to the north of McLearen Road
     The proponents have made presentations to our council at our June, September and November meetings.
     Jonathan D. Puvak from Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, Emrich & Walsh, P. C. discussed the plan for the proposed independent living and medical care facilities at The Crossings. The development is planned for Centreville Road and McLearen Road. The County Staff denied the special permit. The developer -- Smith/Packett -- has proposed changes that would satisfy County staff and officials. Lynne Strobel from Walsh et. al. said they will write a letter to the County regarding unresolved issues.
     Smith/Packett is trying to squeeze more parking spaces underground for residents. Parking above ground is planned for staff and visitors. The developers have agreed to follow the same practices regarding the health advisory board at the new facilities as in their older facilities. The developers have agreed to increase the height of the berm, improve the plantings, and lower the retaining wall from seven feet and let it taper down towards Centreville Road for a better appearance. The cover over the connecting walkway will be higher.

     The Sully District Council agreed by CONSENSUS that it does not have any objections to the revised proposed plans for The Crossings by Smith/Packett.

2. 9:00
   • Proponent: Mark Mittereder for Kreative Minds t/a Kids Junction
   • Action: SP for commercial recreation
   • Location: 5.1 acres at the SE corner of Pleasant Valley Rd. and Rt. 50, in the Lafayette Center development
     Mark Mittereder and three gentlemen for Keative Minds have proposed a children's play area for children up to age nine called Kid Junction: The Ultimate Party Experience. It’s a new venue in the Washington area. There are two in New Jersey. The center will be located at the intersection of Rt. 50 and Pleasant Valley Road. It will face Rt. 50. Access will be from Pleasant Valley Road. The peak use would be on Saturdays and Sundays. The sign would be above the front and back doors.
     See the following handouts:
     • Kid Junction Aerial View
     • Kid Junction Front Entrance
     • Kid Junction Sign Location
     • Kid Junction Presentation (PDF) (PPT)
     The building is in a mixed-use development and the permit would be for commercial/recreational use. Recreational use requires a special permit from the County because the facility would be in an “I” district. The Special Permit hearing will be in February.
     The developers would like to start construction modifications by the end of February and open in May.

     By CONSENSUS, the Sully District Council has no objection to the special permit for recreational use for Kid Junction.

• Transportation Funding
  • Mr. Grimm presented a draft he prepared for the SDC to consider.

    He said that the predictions for expenditures for transportation will only be for road maintenance. Therefore, there is not enough money for improvements. The draft says the Council endorses finding more sources of revenues for road improvements -- without recommending those sources.

    Mr. Grimm made a MOTION to send the “Statement in Support of Increased Transportation Funding” to all elected officials who represent the Sully District. Mr. McConn SECONDED the motion. The motion was APPROVED. (6-0)

    Statement In Support Of Increased Transportation Funding

    Over the past decade, it has become increasingly apparent that the nation’s transportation infrastructure is steadily deteriorating. In many of the country’s urban areas, traffic congestion levels, which were once experienced only during peak travel periods, are being regularly encountered throughout much of the day. In many rural areas, roadway pavements have been allowed to become cracked and rutted. Throughout the country, an ever-increasing number of bridges of all ages and sizes are classified as either structurally or functionally obsolete. While increases in population and employment and associated growth in travel demand are responsible for a portion of these issues, a major part of the problem can be attributed to the growing gap between the amount of money required to operate, maintain, and expand transportation systems and the revenues available for this purpose. It has been estimated that the Commonwealth of Virginia alone needs approximately $1 billion annually to alleviate this gap. Virtually all other states face similar gaps between the value of estimated needs and likely available funding. This issue is thus one which directly affects Fairfax County, the rest of the Northern Virginia region, the entire Commonwealth of Virginia, and the rest of the United States.

    Assuming that population and employment will continue to grow over time, and further assuming that the existing transportation infrastructure will continue to be further stressed as travel demands increase, it is the belief of the Sully District Council that additional revenues dedicated to the operations, maintenance, and expansion of the nation’s surface transportation systems must be generated from all appropriate public and private sources at the federal, state, and local levels.

    The members of the Sully District Council neither explicitly support nor oppose any specific form of revenue generation; we leave those decisions in the hands of our elected representatives at the federal, state, and local levels. Rather, we call upon our elected representatives to individually and collectively support the generation of additional revenues sufficient to meet the magnitude of the estimated needs of improvements to the existing transportation system over a period of no less than the next 10-20 years.

    Adopted this 23rd day of January, 2013
    Mark McConn
    President
    Sully District Council of Citizens Associations

• John Litzenberger said Supervisor Michael Frey reported to the Western Fairfax County Citizens Association that the new HOT lanes have been so successful that a joint task force will consider implementing them on I-66.

• The February meeting will take place on February 27^th and will feature an update of Transportation developments by FDOT and VDOT (invited)
• The March meeting will take place on March 27^th and will feature an discussion of the FY 2014 Fairfax County Budget
• The April meeting will take place on April 24^th and will feature an update on the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) and Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
• The May meeting will take place on May 22^nd and will feature the annual report from Richmond by the Sully District State Assembly delegation
• The June meeting will take place on june 26^th and will feature the annual State of Sully by Sully Supervisor Michael Frey

There being no further business before the group, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:43 PM.

Respectively submitted by,

Priscilla Knight

Secretary
Sully District Council