Providence Community Center’s new name is up for a vote

Fairfax County has already decided to rename the Providence Community Center after the late Jim Scott, a former Providence District supervisor and state delegate.

The exact phrasing of the new name, however, remains up for debate.

Fairfax County Neighborhood & Community Services launched a public vote on June 1 to determine which name out of three options should be adopted:

• Jim Scott Community Center at Providence
• Jim Scott Providence Community Center
• Jim Scott Community Center

Votes can be cast online or in person at the Providence Community Center lobby. Respondents are limited to one vote per device.

The poll will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 23.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted on Oct. 25 to initiate a process to rename the community center after Scott, who represented Providence District on the board for 14 years, starting in 1971. He was then elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991 and served 11 terms.

Scott died in 2017. Here’s more from the county on his legacy:

During his decades of service in local and state government, Jim was a strong advocate of affordable housing, education and school-based daycare centers, and civil rights. Rep Gerald E. Connolly, former Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, credited Jim as a “gentle but forceful advocate for all who feel powerless.”

Jim championed formation of the School Age Child Care program, which provides Fairfax County children in kindergarten-sixth grade with high-quality before- and after-school educational care. We look forward to naming the building in his honor to recognize and preserve the legacy of Jim Scott’s community-first representation.

Located at 3001 Vaden Drive in Oakton, the Providence Community Center provides classes, summer camps, and other programs as well as meeting space. It operates on Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

It’s also one of 12 additional sites that will open at 9 a.m. tomorrow for early voting.