October 2007
The Board Corner: Perspectives from Penny
American citizenship confers a number of privileges and responsibilities.
One of the easiest, and yet often not exercised, is the right to vote. In Fairfax County, where we have a federal, state,
or local election every year, voting has been made easier with the addition of In-Person Absentee Voting at satellite locations
throughout the county. If you will not be able to go to your regular polling place on Election Day, November 6, you can vote
absentee in-person at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale, beginning on Wednesday, October
17, and continuing through Saturday, November 3. Voting hours are 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m.
until 5 p.m. on Saturdays. In-person absentee voting is not available on Sundays.
Absentee voting may also be done by mail. To vote by mail, you must first submit a completed Absentee Ballot Application,
which is available for downloading on line at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb, or pick up an absentee ballot application at my office. The application must be mailed or faxed to the Office
of Elections by October 30 in order to receive an absentee ballot by mail. All mailed absentee ballots must be received at
the Electoral Board office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. No hand-delivered ballots will be accepted.
The Virginia General Assembly recently added a provision for registered voters to utilize the absentee voting procedures
(in person or by mail) if they will be working, including their commute to and from work, for 11 hours on Election Day. For
Northern Virginia's congested commutes, this new provision may be helpful to you and your family members.
If you are a new resident and qualify to vote in Mason District, there is still time to register to vote. The deadline
to register to vote is Tuesday, October 9, at 5 p.m. Call the Office of Elections at 703/222-0776 for more information.
2007 Bond Referendum Informational Presentations Available to Communities
If your community would like
to have an informational presentation about the 2007 Bond Referendum, contact Mr. Alfred Thieme, Mason District representative
to the Fairfax County 2007 Bond Referendum Citizen Committee, at 703-241-9163 or by e-mail at
dthieme@cox.net. Mr. Thieme has served on three bond referendum committees and can answer your questions about the 2007 Bond
Referendum.
George Mason Regional Library Book Sale
The Friends of the George Mason Regional Library will host its ever-popular, semi-annual book sale on October 11, 5 - 9
p.m.; October 12, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; October 13, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and October 14, 12 - 5 p.m. The book sale will be at the
library, 7001 Little River Turnpike in Annandale.
Route 50 Pedestrian Bridge Groundbreaking Ceremony
The Virginia Department of Transportation, in
collaboration with Fairfax County, will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the Route 50 Pedestrian Bridge on October 22 at
10 a.m. The event will be held at the parking lot located between Peyton Randolph Drive and the Willston Shopping Center off
westbound Route 50 Service Drive (F-713). (Across the street from Home Depot.) For more information, contact the Fairfax County
Department of Transportation at 703-324-1100 (TTY: 703-324-1102).
Fire Department Observes Fire Prevention Week
Fire Prevention Week will be observed from October 7-13,
2007. Fire Stations throughout Mason District will host Fire Prevention Open Houses on Saturday, October 13 from 10 a.m.-
4 p.m. For more information call 703-246-3801, or visit the Web site at
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr.
Farmers Market at Mason District Park
There are five weeks left when you can join your
friends and neighbors at the Farmer's Market on Thursday mornings from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Mason District Park, 6621 Columbia
Pike in Annandale. The Farmer's Market will be open until November 1, and it offers vine-ripe produce, fresh baked goods,
herb plants, and much more. For a complete schedule of Farmer's Markets hosted by the Fairfax County Park Authority, and other
activities, visit their Web site at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.
Annandale Fall Festival Parade
The Annandale Fall Festival Parade will be held on Saturday, October
27, from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. For more information, or to participate in the parade, contact the Annandale Chamber of Commerce
at 703-256-7232.
Construction Continues for Little River Turnpike (Route 236) Spot Improvement Project
The Virginia
Department of Transportation (VDOT) is continuing construction at Route 236 at the Wakefield Chapel Road intersection, and
on the Route 236 median, between Ridgelea Drive and Woodburn Road, to facilitate widening and reconstruction of eastbound
Route 236. This median detour construction is being done in three sub-stages, and then the entire eastbound traffic will be
shifted to the middle of the road. During construction, left turns will be permitted at signalized intersections only. No
U-turns on Prosperity Avenue will be permitted because of safety reasons. Median crossovers at non-signalized intersections
will be closed temporarily during the median detour construction. Only emergency vehicles will be allowed to cross. VDOT completed
construction improvements at the intersections of Route 236 at Lake Drive and Route 236 at Pickett Road, and the permanent
signal work is in progress at these intersections. For more information, contact Mr. Giles Njumbe, construction manager at
703-359-1137, or by e-mail at Giles.Njumbe@vdot.virginia.gov.
Mason Matters! The Television Show
The October edition of Mason Matters! the television show that
brings you news and information about our Mason District community, hosted by Supervisor Penny Gross, features Alfred Thieme,
Mason District representative to the Fairfax County 2007 Bond Referendum Citizen Committee, and Len Wales, Fairfax County
Debt Manager in the Department of Management and Budget. This fall, voters will be asked to consider a total of $475 million
in bonds: $365 million for school construction and renovation, and $110 million for transportation improvements. Find out
about some of the projects that were funded from past bonds, and what projects are on a list for funding for the upcoming
bond. Mason Matters! is aired on Cable Channel 16 every Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and every Friday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m., and
daily on the Web at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mason.
Mason News and Updates
If you know someone who would like to receive news and updates about Fairfax
County services and events in Mason District, ask them to send me an e-mail at MasonBOSInfo@fairfaxcounty.gov to subscribe. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter or the news and updates, please send me an e-mail
and include unsubscribe in the subject line, and I will remove your e-mail address from the subscription list.
