A consultant hired by Fairfax County has rounded up some thoughts from regional government, business and non-profit leaders on what was hit most by the pandemic and where the most help is needed.

The feedback is one of the first steps on HR&A’s task of building an Economic Recovery Framework, a recovery strategy commissioned by Fairfax County and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

“This strategy will guide the County through stabilization and outline recommendations for fostering an equitable, inclusive recovery,” HR&A said in a report on the preliminary findings of their study.

In the initial findings, county and civic leaders highlighted the disproportionate impact of the virus on Latino and immigrant populations in Fairfax. The pandemic has also affected access to housing, with lost jobs leaving families without the ability to pay rent.

“Continue to invest in programs that support economic mobility and enrich residents’ lives (job training, continuing education, disability support resources) despite budget shortfalls,” said one unnamed County leader sourced in the findings.

Meanwhile, non-profit and health service providers said their capacity has been under-strain and expect further fundraising challenges in the upcoming year. Suggested solutions mainly involved streamlining services and trying to find efficiencies.

Major employers in the region, meanwhile, said decisions about real estate investments are being deferred until more certainty can be stablished, balanced only by hopes for a more efficient permitting process and a doubling down on tourism and leisure investments.

Smaller employers said they are still struggling with a lack of consumer confidence in returning to businesses and negative impacts have rippled along the supply chain. Many small businesses in the area are still focused on survival. Proposed solutions included more clear safety guidelines, streamlined online permitting, and rent deferment for small businesses.

More analysis of potential recovery scenarios is currently in the works, with a final report being drafted after that.

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

The Fairfax County Government Center will open for in-person absentee voting tomorrow, a week earlier than the county originally planned to start holding Saturday hours for early voting.

Early voting locations were scheduled to start opening on Saturdays on Oct. 17, but the Fairfax County Office of Elections announced on Tuesday (Oct. 6) that it will commence Saturday hours this week instead to accommodate record numbers of early voters, who have faced long lines and extended wait times.

“The short answer is due to the large number of requests from voters, from elected officials, and my electoral board all asked that we consider if it was possible to provide an extra day of voting,” Fairfax County Office of Elections director and general registrar Gary Scott said when asked about the change.

Voters can cast absentee ballots this Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the government center, which is currently the only place in Fairfax County open for early voting.

Additional relief from the crowds that have swarmed the government center since early voting began on Sept. 18 will arrive on Oct. 14, when 14 satellite voting locations open — almost twice the number of sites that the county provided in past years, according to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.

Satellite locations in the Tysons area include the McLean Governmental Center, Providence Community Center, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, and Thomas Jefferson Library.

Early voting hours at these locations are from 1-7 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and 9-5 p.m. on Saturdays. All sites are closed on Sundays.

Public health anxieties and the Virginia General Assembly’s auspiciously timed approval of no-excuse absentee voting have contributed to high levels of early voting around Northern Virginia.

The Fairfax County Office of Elections reported on Thursday that voters have cast almost 62,500 vote-by-mail ballots so far, a 40 percent increase over the total from 2016, the last year with a presidential race on the ballot.

As of Oct. 7, Fairfax has gotten about 18,000 in-person voters, with about 1,300 people showing up per day, according to Scott.

City of Falls Church director of elections David Bjerke told WUSA9 that the city has seen 100 to 200 voters coming in-person every day, and 5,337 people — 50% of the city’s voters — had either cast or applied for a mail ballot as of Oct. 6.

In-person early voting ends on Oct. 31, and the last day to request an absentee ballot by mail is Oct. 23. Absentee ballots must be hand-delivered to a polling location or postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 3, with Nov. 6 as the deadline for the Office of Elections to receive mailed ballots.

Scott warned voters against requesting a ballot by mail and then trying to vote in-person.

“Having requested a ballot by mail will slow down their process when they go in and try to vote in person,” Scott said. “They’re certainly welcome to do it. They just need to understand that it will take longer for them, once they check in, to actually vote than it would be to return the ballot, either by mail or putting it in one of our drop boxes.”

Staff Photo by Jay Westcott

The Falls Church City Council issued a proclamation on Oct. 7 declaring next Monday (Oct. 12) to be Indigenous Peoples’ Day in lieu of Columbus Day.

To commemorate the occasion, the City of Falls Church is asking residents to “reflect upon the many contributions as well as the continuing struggles of Indigenous Peoples,” according to the city’s press release.

City Hall and all government offices, including the Commissioner of the Revenue, the Treasurer’s Office, and the Elections Office will be closed for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Falls Church will also not have any in-person early voting on Monday.

Curbside pickup from the Mary Riley Styles Public Library will not be available Sunday (Oct. 11) or Monday (Oct. 12). The library is already otherwise closed to the public due to COVID-19, as is the Falls Church Community Center.

In honor of this day, Falls Church will hold its third annual Indigenous Peoples’ Coat Drive at City Hall starting today (Oct. 9) until next Friday (Oct. 16). Donations will again go to support the Oglala-Lakota Nation.

Items requested for donation include new or gently worn winter coats and hooded sweatshirts of all sizes, baby blankets, new socks of all sizes, and bars of soap.

Once collected, they will be shipped to Re-Member, a nonprofit on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

The donation drop box is located near the elevator of the West Wing entrance of City Hall (300 Park Ave.), the press release said. All visitors must also wear a face covering before entering the building.

Times for donating will vary depending on the day:

• Friday (Oct. 9) – 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Tuesday (Oct. 13) – 1:00-4:00 p.m.
• Wednesday (Oct. 14) – 1:00-4:00 p.m.
• Thursday (Oct. 15) — 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Friday (Oct. 16) — 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Photo via City of Falls Church Government/Facebook

School Board Votes Unanimously to Rename Mosby Woods Elementary School — The Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved a name change for Mosby Woods Elementary School during its regular meeting on Thursday (Oct. 8). Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand will present recommendations for possible new names to the board on Oct. 22. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

IT Company Paradyme Management Opens Tysons Office — “To support this growth and also serve as a hub for its growing IT lab, the company opened a new Tysons office at 8255 Greensboro Drive in McLean, Virginia, with close to 4,000 square feet of space.” [Herald-Mail Media]

McLean Area Pumpkin Patch Guide — “If your family has a visit planned to a local pumpkin patch in McLean or Fairfax County, we have a list of stands open in the area.” [Patch]

Staff photo by Michelle Goldchain

Outdoor screenings of movies, whether drive-ins or out on a lawn, have come a hit during the coronavirus pandemic. The Eden Center near Seven Corners is keeping that tradition going with an outdoor viewing of Ghostbusters this Saturday (Oct. 10) at 6:30 p.m.

The screening will take place in the Eden Center parking lot and will be free.

“Enjoy a delicious dinner at Eden Center then stay and watch the movie from your car,” the Facebook post for the event said.

Free popcorn and candy will also be provided. Guests are encouraged to come in costumes for a costume contest and trick or treat stations will be set up around the Eden Center.

Photo via Eden Center/Facebook

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) unveiled suggestions for ways to address speeding and safety concerns on Shreve Road in Falls Church during a virtual public information meeting on Oct. 7.

Possible improvements range from minor alterations, such as optical speed bars and vegetation management, to potentially complex projects, like Shrevewood Elementary School roundabouts.

Led by VDOT and the consulting firm Kittelson & Associates, the Shreve Road Corridor Study team emphasized that its goal is to give the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County options to consider, not to make decisions on funding or construction.

“This is a planning-level study,” VDOT transportation planning manager Amir Shahpar said. “The purpose of this study is to develop proposed improvements for localities to apply for funding for some or all of the recommendations.”

VDOT launched the Shreve Road Corridor Study on Mar. 25 in response to the advocacy efforts of the Shreve Road Community Working Group, which formed after a woman was killed in a hit and run at the intersection with Hickory Street in August 2019.

The study focuses on the two-mile section of Shreve that connects Route 29 with Route 7. That stretch averages up to 10,000 vehicles a day, according to VDOT, raising concerns about traffic speed and pedestrian and bicycle safety in the surrounding neighborhoods.

To address the Hickory Curve, the study team proposed adding optical speed bars, enhanced signage, and other means of slowing traffic ahead of the curve; moving the pedestrian pathway; clearing vegetation to improve visibility; or creating a barrier curb and gutter.

VDOT also considered installing additional guardrails to shield pedestrians from motorists but found that they are “not warranted” for that particular location, Kittelson engineering associate Amelia Martin says.

Options for improvements outside Shrevewood Elementary include building roundabouts or removing the street median, but the area’s topography, the presence of utilities, and other factors would make those complicated undertakings. Read More

Tysons-based MicroTech, which earlier this summer was working to address PPE shortages, has won a $38 million contract with the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (DUSA) to review the department’s organizational structure and operations.

MicroTech is a veteran-owned business that provides support for infrastructure, telecommunications, cyber-security to both private and public sector clients.

“MicroTech is elated to have received this DUSA contract from the U.S. Army,” said Tony Jimenez, President and CEO of MicroTech, in a press release. “As a Retired Army Officer who has served on the Army Staff, I am always excited for an opportunity like this to help the U.S. Army implement transformational changes to its organizational structure, governance, and business operations.”

The DUSA directs the Army Science Board and Analytics Group, oversees the Civilian Leadership Service Management Office (CLSMO), and serves as the Deputy Chief Management Officer to the Under Secretary of the Army, MicroTech said.

Photo via MicroTech/Facebook

Custom clothing brand Tailor on Tap will hold the grand opening of its showroom in Tysons Corner Center on Oct. 16. 

The grand opening will be preceded by a private, invite-only event on Oct. 15 to celebrate the opening.

“I’m excited to bring our custom clothing options to Tysons Corner shoppers,” Adam D’Angelo, the founder and CEO of the company, said in a press release. “I founded Tailor on Tap to provide high-end, tailor-made clothing to anyone from college students and athletes to young professionals. Our new showroom allows them a chance to meet with stylists, browse fabrics, and create their unique pieces in comfort and style.”

There will be different promotions running throughout the grand opening, according to the release. The first 50 shoppers to enter the store on Friday will receive free gift bags with a value of more than $100. Additionally, shoppers who spend more than $749 will receive a free custom blazer.

The brand was founded in Pittsburgh, Penn. in 2018 by four college students. Their showroom claims to offer the “comfort of home,” while letting customers browse dozens of fabrics, threads, and buttons with the help of their own personal style consultant, according to the release.

The showroom is located in BrandBox on Level 1 of Tysons Corner Center. Operating hours will go from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., or by appointment with a style consultant.

Photo courtesy of Tailor on Tap

The Fairfax County School Board will discuss a proposal to overhaul admissions policies for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology at its meeting tonight (Wednesday).

With the goal of improving the diversity of prestigious magnet school, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand has proposed eliminating the standardized test currently used to evaluate applicants, waiving the $100 application fee, and implementing a merit lottery system to allocate seats.

“This process that we shared keeps rigor in the application while eliminating the testing component that squeezed out talent and squeezed out diversity in our system,” Brabrand told the school board at its work session on Oct. 6. “There are other ways beyond a test to be sure that we can support making sure that students can be successful at TJ.”

The school board agreed that the test requirement and application fee should be jettisoned and showed its support for creating a different admissions process for Thomas Jefferson Class of 2025 applicants in a consensus vote.

However, like the Fairfax community more broadly, board members were divided when it came to the question of a merit lottery, asking Brabrand to develop another possible admissions model that does not involve a lottery before its Oct. 8 meeting.

Since it was proposed on Sept. 15, the idea of using a lottery to select students for a school prized for its high academic standards and strong focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has proven contentious.

Concerns that top-performing students would be shut out prompted Brabrand to present a second proposal to the school board on Tuesday, where 100 of the 500 seats available to Fairfax County students would be allocated to the “highest-evaluated” applicants.

The remaining 400 slots would be awarded through a lottery in proportion to student enrollment in each of FCPS’s five regions. Under Brabrand’s original proposal, a merit lottery would have been used to select all 500 seats. Read More

Fairfax County is seeing record numbers of locals turning out to vote early, in some cases leading to long lines at polls.

The County is planning to open more locations starting Wednesday, Oct. 14, as millions of Americans nationwide vote early in the election.

Upcoming voting facilities in the Tysons area include:

• McLean Governmental Center (1437 Balls Hill Road)
• Providence Community Center (3001 Vaden Drive)
• Tysons Pimmit Library (7584 Leesburg Pike)
• Thomas Jefferson Library (7415 Arlington Blvd.)

Staff photo by Jay Westcott