Fairfax County leaders have joined their Fairfax City counterparts in backing an overhaul of their adjacent health and community facilities.
The county’s Board of Supervisors ratified an agreement yesterday (Tuesday) with the Fairfax City Council to move forward with construction of a new $127.2 million Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center in the 3700 block of Blenheim Road in the City of Fairfax.
Unanimously supported by the Fairfax City Council last week, the amended agreement finalizes a maximum cost negotiated with the project’s construction contractor, The Christman Company, and updates the timing of when funds will be paid, according to a county staff summary.
Board Chair Jeff McKay pronounced himself “just delighted to see this moving forward.”
“This has been worked on for a long time,” said McKay, stressing the word “long.”
“We’ve had multiple mayors involved in this, multiple City Council members, multiple county staff,” he said.
The county government will pay $73.4 million in construction costs, with the city government covering the rest in installments paid on a quarterly basis. The two partners will split operating costs once the facility opens.
“It sets the stage for more partnerships across jurisdictions,” Braddock District Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer said. “I’m really glad to see this move forward.”
Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity abstained from the vote. While he supported the project, he thought it was too costly.
“This project’s cost has increased, and a lot of that cost increase has been driven by our policies,” he said, specifically citing commitments to reducing the facility’s energy use and carbon emissions. “… I don’t believe that’s in our taxpayers’ best interests.”
McKay noted that the higher price tag is also the result of “tariffs,” increased labor costs and other factors.
County voters in 2020 approved a $58 million bond referendum to support the construction plan.
The three-year project calls for the demolition of the 30,000-square-foot Joseph Willard Health Center, which ceased operations at 3750 Blenheim Blvd last October.
It will be replaced with a 100,000-square-foot health and community center serving both county and city residents. The new facility will include a new preschool program.
There will be two levels of underground parking, plus site improvements. The new building would be connected by a pedestrian bridge to the existing Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center at 3740 Blenheim Blvd.
The two governments opted not to include a $4 million renovation of existing performing arts facilities at the Sherwood Community Center as part of the project. Leaving the upgrade out of this plan does not preclude it from being conducted at a later time, officials said.
