The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is looking to fund upgrades for its aging public safety facilities and transportation network through bond referenda that may appear on the November ballot.
The supervisors unanimously endorsed a plan yesterday (Tuesday) to seek voter approval for a $306 million investment that would modernize Metro facilities, refurbish old fire stations and build a new police training center.
A circuit court judge needs to approve the proposed referenda before they’re officially added to the general election ballot.
Under Virginia law, residents must approve a local government’s proposal to borrow money through bond sales for specific public projects, such as building schools or improving infrastructure. The locality must petition a judge to review the proposal’s legality and decide whether to order the bond initiative be placed on the ballot.
For the coming election on Nov. 5, the county is planning two separate bond referendums: one for $180 million to fund Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) transportation upgrades and another for $126 million to finance public safety facility renovations.
The transportation bond funds would be distributed over four years in installments of roughly $45 million to help cover Fairfax County’s share of WMATA’s recently approved $12.5 billion capital improvement program (CIP). The county’s contributions over the next six years is estimated to total $285.6 million, per WMATA’s plan.
“The WMATA CIP includes safety and system maintenance projects needed to reach a state of good repair, new rail cars and power upgrades for running eight car trains, additional buses for operating Priority Corridor Networks, rail station improvements to increase the capacity of the Metrorail system infrastructure, and facility renovations to support zero-emission goals,” county staff said in a report for the board.
The public safety bond would give the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department $56 million to rebuild or renovate three fire stations and the Fairfax County Police Department $70 million for a new training center, projects included in the county’s fiscal year 2024-2028 capital improvement plan.
The fire department money would include $25 million each to build a new Tysons Fire Station and relocate or renovate the Fox Mill station south of Reston. Built in the 1970s, the stations need upgrades to address aging building systems and accommodate growing demand, given their high-density development service areas.
Another $6 million is set aside for essential upgrades at the Oakton Fire Station, including HVAC, electrical, and roof repairs.
“The renovation/expansion or replacement of the fire stations will enable the Fire and Rescue Department to meet current operational requirements, including expanding equipment bays to provide adequate space for apparatus, provide space for current station minimum staffing requirements and provide gender neutral bunkrooms and shower/locker facilities,” county staff wrote.
A new Chantilly fire station was once slated for this public safety bond cycle, but the county decided to defer that and other projects due to a backlog in bond sales.
The FCPD portion of the bond funding would go to replacing the Criminal Justice Academy, which currently trains 2,300 recruits and current officers annually, with a modernized Police Training Center.
An approved 2018 bond referendum included $18 million for initial upgrades to the existing academy in Chantilly, but county staff said the current facility remains outdated and unable to meet current training needs.
“The current facility lacks the ability to meet today’s training needs for recruits and incumbent officers, and the academic and scenario-based training rooms fail to meet the needs for today’s training,” the staff report states.
A Department of Public Works and Environmental Services spokesperson says the new 95,000 square-foot facility would relocated near Dulles and integrated with a new Emergency Vehicle Operations Center and Canine (K9) Training Center. It would also enable outdoor training not feasible at the current site and align with the county’s energy and sustainability goals.
The court is expected to rule on both referendums by August. If they’re approved, the county would advertise them in September, and they would appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.
