Sully District Council of Citizens Associations

P.O. Box 230042
Sully Station, VA 20120-0042

Agenda for 24 February 2021 Sully District Council Meeting
by Jeff Parnes

1. The Sully District Council of Citizen Associations will meet virtually at 7:00 p.m. on 24 February 2021.


2. Meeting Information:
   The Sully District Council requires each participant in our online meetings to identify themselves. If your screen name does not provide enough information to identify yourself, or you are a call-in participant, you will be asked to to identify yourself. If after repeated requests, you choose not to do so, you will be disconnected from the meeting.
   • Meeting link: https://webmaster2020.my.webex.com/webmaster2020.my/j.php?MTID=m5d7f328d4011419b6851efcdf8173456
   • Meeting number: 798 657 178
   • Password: pKKWb3X3QZ2
   • Join by phone: +1-408-418-9388 (Access code: 798 657 178)
   
   
3. Time to renew your association's membership in the Sully District Council. Our membership application can now be submitted on line! Please complete it, and then print a copy to enclose with your check.

   Has yours made plans to join us for 2021?

4. Sully District Council is Social!
   • Sully District Council Tweets! —€ Follow us at @SullyDistrict!
   • Sully District Council is on Facebook! —€ Like us at @SullyDistrictCouncil!
   
   
5. This month's Council meeting is scheduled for 7:00, Thursday, 24 February 2021.
   • Topic: Public Safety in Sully and the Larger Community:
     Participating:
     • Fairfax County Sheriff's office: Lt. Col. Mark Sites, Chief Deputy of Administration
     • Virginia State Police: 1st Sergeant Terry Luce, Area 9 Commander, Covering I66 from the Prince William/Fauquier County Line to I495
     • Fairfax County Police including
     • Interim Chief of Police (tentative)
     • Sully Police District Station; MPO Sabrina Ruck, Crime Prevention Officer
     • Fair Oaks District Station: MPO Rich Genus, Crime Prevention Officer, and MPO Reanna Jacobson,Community Outreach Officer
   • Sheila Dunheimer requested that the Council consider its next action in response to the message it received from the interim director of the Fairfax County Park Authority based the Joint Sully District Land Use and Transportation Committee's letter on the Naming of the New bridge at Gabrielson Gardens. See the second tab in the discussion of the Joint Committee's February meeting, below
   She provided these three attachments:
   1. Draft Letter from the Coalition to Replace Gabrielson Bridge to the Fairfax County BOS and Park Authority Board requesting that the Park Authority Board immediately rescind the its action on naming of the bridge at Gabrielson Gardens
   2. 2018 Wickens Quitclaim Deed to BOS
   3. 1996 Complete Gabrielson Tract Draft Conceptual Plan
   
   
6. The Joint Sully Land Use and Transportation Committee (JSDLU&TC) met on Monday, 15 February 2021.
   • 7:00 — AT&T Application for Telecommunications Facility at 6400 Old Centreville Road
   • The Joint committee requested that they coordinate with the surrounding communities and return in February after a new community meeting and a rescheduled ballon test. The test was postponed due to adverse weather and they were asked to return in March
   • 7:30 — Naming of the New bridge at Gabrielson Gardens
     • Jehanne Arslan and Sheila Dunheimer gave the committee a heads up on some recent "developments" with the new Gabrielson Bridge. Sheila wanted "Gabrielson Bridge" added as an agenda item because of the immediacy of action needed to address citizens' concerns.
     • The Joint committee approved a letter to the Park Authority on this matter
     • We received this response to our letter from Sara Baldwin, Fairfax County Park Authority, Acting Executive Director
     Dear Mr. Parnes and Mr. Chulick,

     Thank you for your recent correspondence relative to the renaming of Gabrielson Gardens Bridge, an amenity in proximity to Gabrielson Gardens Park on the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail (GCCCCT) within Difficult Run Stream Valley Trail. We have read the correspondence of the Sully District Council of Citizens Associations and West Fairfax County Citizens Association Joint Land Use and Transportation in which you note your concerns with the process undertaken by the Fairfax County Park Authority Board. We are heartened that there is no objection to the actual renaming in honor of the Burnet Family and hope we can address process concerns by explaining the protocols outlined in Policy 304 which provides guidance and direction in naming or renaming Fairfax County Park Authority parks, facilities, or resource management areas.

     In seeking clarity on this issue, it is important to understand some of the subtleties in the policy. This policy applies to original naming for parks which often happens at the time of master planning or the opening of a new park. It also addresses renaming of parks or facilities, and in this case, it addresses the renaming of facility within an existing park. The process for each is spelled out and each one has different requirements.

     As noted above, Gabrielson Bridge is a facility on the Difficult Run Stream Valley Trail within the GCCCT. As such the Park Board was renaming an (sic) facility within an existing park which requires only conformance with at least one of six stated conditions. I am highlighting the section of the policy which applies: "They may be named for an individual, family, or combination of family names, living or deceased under the following conditions and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis:

     1. The entity has made a significant gift of land to the Authority; or
     2. Is memorialized for a significant contribution to the Fairfax County park system; or
     3. Has made a significant contribution to the protection of natural, cultural, or horticultural resources of the Fairfax County park system; or
     4. Has substantially contributed to the advancement of commensurate types of recreational opportunities within the Fairfax County park system; or
     5. Has made a significant contribution to the betterment of a specific park; or
     6. Has made significant contributions to Fairfax County toward the betterment of the county and the park system."
     In this case, based on the information provided to Park Authority Board Member Maggie Godbold and then to the Park Board, we believe that conditions one, three, and six are applicable.

     The Park Board properly advertised the agenda item on the website as mandated. The item was taken up publicly during the February 10, 2021 Park Board meeting, and subsequently approved. This process is regularly used to name and/or rename facilities such as fields within a park, rooms within a facility or other existing amenities such as a volleyball court within a park.

     I sincerely hope this addresses the concerns outlined in the correspondence. Should you have any further questions, we are glad to discuss the matter further.

   
   
7. New Business


• Planning for future Sully District Council of Citizens Associations meetings
• We are working with Sully Supervisor Kathy Smith's staff to invite her BAC appointees to address our membership. We've found the almost any of the BAC appointees can give an interesting report about sometimes little known areas of the county. Checking over past presentations we've heard from the Sully members of the Parks Authority, School Board, Transportation Advisory Commission, Housing Authority, Planning Commission and Tree Commission. For those not accustomed to speaking to citizen groups like ours, attending as a member of a panel might be an easier way to get them to appear before our group.
• We've categorize the BACs into generally-related areas which could be grouped for a panel discussion, such as:
  1. Community Services
  2. County Services
  3. Courts and Public Safety
  4. Environmental
  5. Health
  6. Infrastructure
  7. Parks and Recreation
  8. Transportation
• Here are some BACs that might be of interest, with the parenthetical number indicating the discussion panel into which they might be grouped:
• Airports Advisory Committee (8)
• Animal Services Advisory Commission (2)
• Architectural Review Board (6)
• Athletic Council (7)
• Building and Fire Prevention Code Appeals Board (3)
• Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance Exception Review Committee (4)
• Child Care Advisory Council (1)
• Citizen Corps Council (3)
• Commission on Aging (1)
• Community Action Advisory Board (1)
• Consumer Protection Commission (2)
• Convention & Visitors Corporation Board (2)
• Criminal Justice Advisory Board (3)
• Economic Advisory Commission (2)
• Environmental Quality Advisory Council (4)
• Fairfax Area Disability Services Board (1)
• Employees' Retirement System Board of Trustees (2)
• Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (1)
• Health Care Advisory Board (5)
• Health Systems Agency Board (5)
• History Commission (7)
• Human Services Council (1)
• Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee (2)
• Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Citizens Advisory Council (3)
• Library Board (2)
• Parks Authority (7)
• Planning Commission (6)
• Redevelopment and Housing Authority (6)
• Route 28 Highway Transportation District Advisory Board (8)
• Small Business Commission (2)
• Trails, Sidewalks and Bikeways Committee (7)
• Transportation Advisory Commission (8)
• Tree Commission (4)
• Water Authority (2)
• Please feel free to suggest changes to the categorization of the BACs if you think they're misaligned.
• Right now our tentative schedule for 2021 looks like this (subject to change and Supervisor Smith's availability, of course)
• 24 February: Public Safety in or near Sully (Invited: Fairfax Police, Va State Police & County Sheriff)
• 24 March: Fairfax County and Public Schools budget (or we're willing to co-sponsor any Virtual Budget Town Hall Supervisor Smith holds, whenever it is)
• 28 April: Our first BAC report Library and Redevelopment and Housing Authority board members
• 26 May: Either Supervisor Smith's State of Sully or Sully Legislator's Report from Richmond
• 23 June: Either Supervisor Smith's State of Sully or Sully Legislator's Report from Richmond
• 28 July: No summer meeting
• 25 August: No summer meeting
• 22 September: Either Legislative candidate's night with the League of Woman Voters, second BAC report (group 1 or 4 see above) or Emergency Services in or near Sully
• 27 October: Either Legislative candidate's night with the League of Woman Voters, second BAC report (group 1 or 4 see above) or Emergency Services (fire and rescue) in or near Sully
• 17 November: Either second BAC report (group 1 or 4 see above) or Emergency (fire and rescue) Services in or near Sully
• 15 December: Dulles Airport
• It would probably be a good idea to invite the BAC members that are related to any topic of interest, such as the Airports Advisory Committee member when we invite Dulles Airport, or the Building and Fire Prevention Code Appeals Board member when we invite the Emergency (fire and rescue) Services, etc.
8. Items of General Interest:
• Fairfax Federation Seeks Nominations for Fairfax County 2020 Citizen of the Year
  • The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations is soliciting nominations for its 2020 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year. Each year, a selection committee of county-wide organizations meets to review nominations for the Federation's "Citizen of the Year" and merit awards. The winners are honored at our annual banquet, tentatively planned for 24 September 2021
  • Both the Citizen of the Year Award and the Citation of Merit recognize and honor those citizens whose voluntary contributions of time and talent resulted in major accomplishments that have enhanced the quality of life for citizens of Fairfax County.
  • Eligibility:
  • Nominees must be current residents of Fairfax County.
  • Elected officials and full-time county or commonwealth employees are ineligible for consideration if their contributions are related to their full-time positions.
  • The Citizen of the Year is recognized for voluntary acts that are not related to employment.
  • Criteria:
  • Contributions and accomplishments must have countywide rather than local significance.
  • The nominee's achievements can be either:
  • General, such as multi-year community service with one or more organizations or activities with cumulative impact over the years of current importance or with positive implications for the future, or
  • Specific, including intense efforts as the major promoter of a single program or project completed in a finite period of time.
  • Persons whose contributions of time and talent resulted in major accomplishments that have enhanced the quality of life for citizens of Fairfax County, who do not meet the published eligibility standards for the Citizen of the Year consideration, may still be honored by the Federation. Please submit information about these nominees on the nomination form, indicating that this is an alternative nomination.
  • Nominations are being accepted from 1 December 2020 to 28 February 2021. The nomination form is available online from the Federation's website, http://www.fairfaxfederation.org.
  • The Federation, established in 1940, is the countywide voice for homeowner, civic, and community associations. An all-volunteer organization, the Federation works on issues that impact Fairfax County residents, including education, transportation, environment, human services, land use, county budget, and county, state and federal legislation.
  • For more information please contact Awards Committee Chair.
  
  
• Fairfax Connector Passengers Reminded of Federal Face Mask Mandate on Buses, Transit Hubs:
• Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) officials would like to remind Fairfax Connector passengers that they must wear a mask or a face covering, as now mandated by federal law, when taking public transit or visiting a transit hub in Fairfax County. Details
• This safety measure, which has been in place on board Fairfax Connector buses since May 2020, aims to protect passengers and bus operators during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This requirement also aligns with the January 29, 2021, federal order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


• COVID-19 Vaccination Registration
• The Fairfax County Health Department is offering vaccination appointments/a> to qualified individuals. More information about vaccine phases and availability in the Fairfax Health District.
9. Scheduled Meetings/Events
• Arts Fairfax to Hold Engagement Session on Capital One Facilities:
• Learn about the Capital One Hall facilities including the 1500-seat performance hall and The Vault - a 250-seat black box theatre, the user application for the second season, and the scheduling process.
• The session will be presented online and is open only to Fairfax County-based non-profit arts organizations. ArtsFairfax encourages attendance. Registration is required to secure the link to the session.
• Event Details: Thursday, February 25 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Registration is required https://artsfairfax.org/capital-one-hall/


• Climate Action in Fairfax County: Be a Part of the Solution - take part in three Climate Planning Surveys Available Until March 14:
• The Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is currently working with county residents and stakeholders to develop the first-ever Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan, or CECAP. Today, we want to share some information with you about this initiative and why it matters.
• It's a fact: 97 percent of climate scientists agree that human-driven climate change is taking place now. Climate change occurs when greenhouse gases build up in our atmosphere and trap heat that might otherwise escape, causing shifts in global temperatures and weather patterns over time. In the United States, and in Fairfax County specifically, the two greatest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are the burning of fossil fuels to provide electricity for buildings, and the burning of fossil fuels by vehicles on our roads. Fairfax County is not immune to the effects of climate change, we already experience stronger storms related to climatic shifts. A single severe storm in 2019 cost Fairfax County taxpayers $14 million. That is money that could have been spent on other county services, programs, and projects. While there are limits to what the Fairfax County government can do to address climate change locally, individual residents can make a major difference. The CECAP will define actions we can each take to be a part of the solution.
• They encourage you to learn more about climate action in Fairfax County.
• The Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination is pleased to announce the release of three online public surveys to capture the input and feedback of county residents and stakeholders on the development of a Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan, or CECAP. The surveys, which are each designed to take less than 10 minutes to complete, cover three different areas of focus.


10. As circumstances permit, next month's meetings will start at 7 PM virtually
• The date of the next Sully District Council meeting is. TBD .
• Topic: — Sully District Budget Town Hall held Jointly with Sully Supervisor Kathy Smith and Sully School Board Member Stella Pekarsky
• Next month's Joint Sully Land Use and Transportation Committee is scheduled for Monday, 15 February 2021.
• 7:00 — We've asked the proponents of the AT&T Application for Telecommunications Facility at 6400 Old Centreville Road to return.
• 7:20 — We've asked the proponents of the AT&T Application for Telecommunications Facility at 6400 Old Centreville Road to return.
• 8:00 — We've asked the proponents of the AT&T Application for Telecommunications Facility at 6400 Old Centreville Road to return.
• 8:40 — Sully Planning Commissioner Evelyn Spain will talk about her experiences as a Planning Commissioer

Respectfully submitted,

Jeffrey M. Parnes
First Vice President
Sully District Council