Fairfax County’s volunteer fire departments are persevering in an era of change, local leaders were told earlier this week.
The current situation can be summed up as “good,” but “nothing is ever just a one-word answer,” Shawn Stokes, chair of the seven-member Volunteer Fire Commission, said when delivering the organization’s annual report to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The McLean Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) welcomed a brand-new fire engine this weekend, doubling the number in its fleet.
According to department leaders, the community’s support was crucial throughout the process, which began with fundraising and ended with a push-in ceremony in the middle of an open house on Saturday (Oct. 10) where everyone from kids to Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman and Congressional Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) literally put their back into placing the engine in its new station.
Under a blazing summer sun, volunteers spent Wednesday evening planting an American flag at every mailbox in McLean Hamlet, transforming the 507-home neighborhood into a patriotic display ahead of the Fourth of July and the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.
The effort, organized by the McLean Hamlet Community Association, saw a team of volunteers spread throughout the neighborhood, placing one miniature American flag at each home while others decorated neighborhood entrances with patriotic ribbons and larger American flags.
Fairfax County supervisors saluted the Garden Club of Fairfax on May 5 for its members’ efforts over the past century.
“Thank you for all you do in our community,” said Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, who sponsored the centennial resolution while acknowledging that he, unlike club members, lacked a green thumb.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors could soon receive a staff proposal on potentially consolidating “placemaking groups” that promote either the county as a whole or specific communities in it.
County Executive Bryan Hill said he expects to detail his proposals to elected officials later this spring.
Officially, Arbor Day won’t be recognized in Virginia until the end of April, but Reston Association will get a head start on observing the occasion with a volunteer event at the end of March.
The homeowners’ association is inviting community members to help clean up and enhance some of its natural areas next Tuesday (March 31) from 9:30 to noon.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (March 17) lauded 50 years of service by the county’s Master Gardeners program.
During a presentation, Board Chairman Jeff McKay praised the “dedication, expertise and spirit of service” of volunteers who have supported the effort over the past half-century.
Fairfax County’s Stuff the Bus food drive to restock local food pantries will return to sites across the county on Saturday (March 14).
Eight grocery store parking lots will serve as collection points from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Each site will benefit a different local food pantry. Residents are encouraged to donate non-perishable food or gift cards at the collection sites.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed County Executive Bryan Hill last Tuesday (Feb. 3) to consider ways a number of “placemaking” organizations — including Visit Fairfax, Volunteer Fairfax and the Tysons Community Alliance — could be consolidated or restructured to reduce costs and be more operationally strategic.
“While each provides value, fragmentation and duplicative services dilute impact and reduce efficiency,” board members said in the directive to Hill.
Fairfax County supervisors in coming days will be compiling a list of positives and negatives related to the local and state response to late January’s crippling snow and ice storm.
Their comments and questions will then be forwarded to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and other agencies responsible for clearing snow.
