The Cook Advisory

Supervisor Cook's Citizen Governance Conference this Saturday Please RSVP Today to Reserve your Place

A community of engaged citizens has the potential for extraordinary accomplishments, and Supervisor Cook has remained committed to this goal through his Community Engagement Initiative and believes this conference will be an enhancement of his earlier efforts.

The May 5^th Citizen Governance Conference will be held at the Junior Achievement Finance Park on the campus of Frost Middle School and run from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. This Conference will provide people with the information and structure needed to help form and participate in a number of Advisory Committees that will work directly with Supervisor Cook and his office, advising on policy and helping create a long term vision for Braddock District.

The morning of the conference will provide attendees with the context and knowledge base to begin to see where their input is needed. It will include a presentation on the Braddock District's demographic characteristics, a review of the current comprehensive land use and transportation plans for Braddock, and a panel discussion made up of leaders of citizen committees in other districts, so that participants have the background needed to help design their own committees. The afternoon will be focused on five breakout sessions that will each cover a specific policy area: Land Use and Environmental Management, Transportation, Aging in Braddock, Education, and the Fairfax County Budget. The goal is that the individuals attending each breakout session form the nucleus of a new citizen advisory committee on that particular policy area.

While attendance for this event is not capped, the Braddock Office is asking that if you are interested in attending, please RSVP to braddock@ fairfaxcounty.gov to ensure enough lunches are provided. Additionally, for ease of planning, please indicate which breakout session you think you would like to participate in. Supervisor Cook would also like to thank the event's corporate sponsors, Mike Doherty of Fairfax Memorial Park, Wegmans and Saxbys, for their participation in making this event possible.

If you would like the Full Agenda for the conference you can view it on our website at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/braddock/citizengovernanceconference/agenda.htm or if you would like to view the pdf version you may go to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/braddock/pdfs/agenda_-_citizen_governance_conference.pdf.

Public Hearing for Cardinal Forest Plaza Scheduled

Edens, Inc., the owner of Cardinal Forest Plaza, plans to build a TD Bank in an area of the parking lot adjacent to Old Keene Mill Road and Rolling Road (SE 2011-BR-016 and PRC-A-787-02).  The size of the bank will be approximately 3,900 square feet with three drive-thru lanes.

This case comes to the Planning Commission for public hearing on May 3 at 8:15 p.m.  No hearing before the Board of Supervisors has yet been scheduled.  A link to the staff report and analysis can be found here:  http://ldsnet.fairfaxcounty.gov/ldsnet/ldsdwf/4383647.PDF   Staff is recommending approval of this application.

To testify before the Planning Commission on this case call (703) 324-2865 prior to 3:00 p.m. on the day of the public hearing to be placed on the pre-registered speaker's list. You can also sign up on-line at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning/speaker.htm.  A letter can also be submitted to Planning Commissioner Nell Hurley care of this office: 9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke, Virginia 22015.  E-mails can also be sent to Braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov or PlanCom@fairfaxcounty.gov

Some of the features of the current proposal, which have been modified to reflect concerns voiced at the Community Information Meeting, include:

* 7 new trees and 167 shrubs will be planted on the perimeter and in the parking lot of the center;

* The number of drive-through lanes has been reduced from 4 to 3

* The owners of the bank will seek LEED green building certification for this structure;

* The amount of impervious surface at the center is being reduced by over 8,000 square feet;

* The eastern entrance to the shopping center on Old Keene Mill Road will be reconfigured to physically prevent left turns in and out of the shopping center to improve traffic flow and safety.  It will also be reconfigured to meet current VDOT standards for entering the shopping center

* The architectural features of the bank will be redesigned to make it similar to and compatible with other facades throughout this property.

Reminder: Guinea Road Closed this Weekend

On Friday, May 4 at 10:00 p.m. Flippo Construction will be placing a detour of traffic from Guinea Road while the contractor sets the precast Conspan sections on Phase II abutments. All work will be completed by 5:00 a.m. on Monday, May 7. 

How to Get the Best from Your Cable Company

Learn how to deal with cable service problems such as outages, unclear or distorted picture or sound, customer service, timely telephone response or missed service appointments.  Find out how to file consumer complaints, including cable billing and contract issues.  Examine your options to possibly reduce your cable costs.  Determine when new cable service may become available on your street.  Learn how to report and cure a cable safety or construction issue in your neighborhood. 

County staff can be reached at 703-324-5902 to assist citizens with resolving problems with their cable providers. Preliminary information may also be found on the County website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cable. 

A review of the above services for County residents will be presented on Wednesday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Kings Park Shopping Center Meeting Room (located between San Vito's and Hunan West's restaurants), 8970 Burke Lake Road, Springfield. Time will be provided for Questions & Answers.  In addition, beginning on Wednesday, May 30, detailed information will be available on the website, including photographs of safety issues that you may spot throughout your HOA and nearby areas.