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TextBraddock Neighborhood News
Reaffirming its Strong Credit Rating, the County Receives a 2.23 Percent Interest Rate on Bond Sale, Saving Taxpayers
Fairfax County received a 2.23 percent interest rate, one of the lowest
interest rates recorded in recent County history, for its General
Obligation Bond Sale for Series 2013A and Series 2013B held Wednesday,
January 9. The total sale was for $334.34 million to JP Morgan
Securities. There were four bidders, indicating strong support of Fairfax
County’s bond offerings.
In addition, three ratings agencies, Standard and Poor’s Corporation,
Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, affirmed the County’s
triple-A rating. Moody’s noted these ratings “reflect the county’s
satisfactory financial position supported by strong management practices,
large tax base with socioeconomic indices that are well above average and
reasonable debt burden with manageable future borrowing plans.” Moody’s
did, however, retain its “negative outlook” due to Fairfax County’s
economic relationship with the federal government.
The Series 2013A bonds were approved by the voters between 2004 and
2011. These bonds totaled $249.23 million to fund the following capital
improvements:
Schools - $169 million
($155 million for school improvement projects and $14 million for the
Newington bus garage).
Transportation
improvements and facilities - $61.23 million.
Parks and parks
facilities - $19 million.
The Series 2013B bonds were a refunding of $128 million, generating net
value savings of $12.21 million or 9.49 percent of the refunded bonds. As
a result of its excellent triple-A bond rating, Fairfax County has saved
an estimated $580.63 million from its bond and refunding sales.
Phase 1 of the Dulles Metro Project Now 87 Percent Complete
Construction of Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project from
East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue in Reston is currently on schedule.
Pedestrian bridges are being put into place at all five stations and work
has shifted from heavy construction to systems testing. Track work for
the 11.6-mile alignment, including the track over the aerial guideway
(bridges) in Tysons Corner and at the I-66/Dulles Connector Road, is
essentially done. When work is completed, the Metropolitan Washington
Airports Authority (MWAA) will turn the project over to the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which will determine the
exact start of revenue service.
Below are some construction milestones that were recently
achieved:
•All five stations - McLean (Tysons East), Tysons Corner (Tysons Central
123), Greensboro (Tysons Central 7), Spring Hill (Tysons West) and
Wiehle-Reston East (Wiehle Avenue) are well along in final construction.
Completion of mechanical and electrical equipment are the current
focus.
•Construction of pedestrian bridges which provide access to the stations
across some of the County’s busiest roads - Route 123, Route 7 and the
Dulles Access Road/Dulles Toll Road - will be completed in February with
installations at the Spring Hill Station on Route 7 and at the Tysons
Corner Station on Route 123 at Tysons Boulevard.
|•Testing of the Line started in late 2012 with the running of a
clearance car, a specifically outfitted vehicle with feelers extending
all around it, mimicking the space that a Metrorail car would be expected
to use during normal operations. The car is preceded by a Hi-Rail
vehicle, a truck equipped to travel on rail, to ensure that the track is
clear. The two vehicles are the first obvious testing of the new line,
and will be seen for much of 2013
County Sheriff’s Office Announces College Scholarship Opportunity
Are you currently or will you be enrolled in a Virginia college or
university? Are you pursuing a degree in the field of criminal justice?
If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, then you are eligible
to apply for a college scholarship from the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute
(VSI) Scholarship Program. Scholarships are available to both full- and
part-time students.
As part of the application process, Fairfax County Sheriff Stan Barry
must submit a letter of recommendation on behalf of the applicant. To
obtain a letter of recommendation, please contact Lieutenant Steve Elbert
at shf-pio@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-246-3251.
For more information on the VSI Scholarship Program or to download the
application, go to http://vasheriffsinstitute.org/scholarship/
Founded in 1981, the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute is a non-profit
professional and educational organization. In May 2012, the VSI
Scholarship Committee awarded 63 scholarships for a total of more than
$30,000. There are $500 scholarships available for full-time students and
$250 scholarships available for part-time students. The number and amount
of scholarships awarded each year vary depending on the number of
eligible students and the amount of money that is raised.
Dates for Secure Document Shredding Have Been Released
The Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program will be sponsoring one
secure document shredding event in each Supervisory District per calendar
year. These events are open to Fairfax County residents along with
residents of the Towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton and the Cities of
Fairfax and Falls Church.
Accepted: Residential material of a sensitive nature such as tax
documents, financial records, etc. (Please recycle junk mail and
magazines through your normal collection service.) Up to 5 medium-sized
packing boxes per vehicle.
Not Accepted: Business documents, even if they are brought in by a
County resident; items that can damage shredding equipment. For a full
schedule and list of prohibited items go to the following site: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/shredding.htm
All shredding events are held from 8:00 a.m. to Noon. Upcoming
Events:
March 23: South County
Government Center, 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria
April 27: I-95 Complex,
9850 Furnace Road, Lorton
May 11: Langley High
School, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean
May 18: Mason
Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale
June 22: Braddock
Supervisor’s Office (at the Kings Park Library), 9002 Burke Lake Road,
Burke
Next Three Electric Sunday Events Have Been Scheduled
Fairfax County residents can recycle televisions, computers and
peripheral devices – including keyboards, speakers, printers, external
drives and other such materials – and unbroken fluorescent light bulbs
and tubes on Electric Sundays. There is No Charge for Fairfax County
residents to participate in Electric Sunday; however, they may be
required to show proof of residency. Events for the next three months are
shown below. For a full listing go to the following website: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/electric-sunday.htm
All electronics recycling events are held from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00
p.m.
Feb. 24: I-66
Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax
March 24: I-95 Complex,
9850 Furnace Road, Lorton
April 28: I-66 Transfer
Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax
Resources and Assistance for Federal, State and County Tax Forms
One stop on the Fairfax County website connects to many resources to help file this year’s taxes. Links include federal and state forms, deadlines and resources and helpful tips. Fairfax County resources include real estate and personal property (car) tax relief for seniors and people with disabilities and a list of free workshops, in addition to information on tax relief for disabled veterans. Tips for choosing a tax preparer, sites for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and a calendar of tax preparation events at library branches, plus customer service phone numbers are also available at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2013/tax-resources-2013.htm
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