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2003 Fairfax County Awards

December

• Pinnacle Award Presented to Celebrate Fairfax!
  Celebrate Fairfax! won a Bronze Pinnacle Award from the International Festivals and Events Association for its “Best Community Outreach Program,” which included partnerships with DECA Marketing Clubs at Oakton High and Robinson Secondary School, and the festival’s new “Battle of the Bands” competition. The Pinnacles are a highly competitive and very prestigious, with more than 1,000 total entries from around the world. 2003 marked the fourth consecutive year that Celebrate Fairfax! has earned such an honor from its professional association.
  
  
• Transportation Director Honored with Leadership Award
  The Lee District Association of Civic Organizations presented Ho Chang, Fairfax County’s director of transportation, the Les Dorson Distinguished Public Service Leadership award.
  
  
• Supervisor Gross Recognized with Annual Public Service Award
  Fairfax County Supervisor Penelope Gross (Mason District) was honored at the annual meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments with the Elizabeth and David Scull Metropolitan Public Service Award. The Scull award is presented each year to elected officials who have made significant contributions to the region during their time in office. Gross was recognized for her distinguished service and commitment to regionalism, including her leadership on a variety of issues ranging from water and air quality to transportation safety and regional homeland security. Gross is a member of the COG Board of Directors and yesterday was also announced as one of COG’s new vice presidents for 2004. Earlier this year she was appointed to chair COG’s newly reorganized Public Safety Policy Committee, leading that committee as it focused on impaired driving, truck safety and developing a stolen property database. Gross was also appointed COG secretary-treasurer in 2003 and is responsible for quarterly financial presentations to the COG Board. In addition, she served on COG’s Pension Plan Administrative Committee, headed the COG Board subcommittee responsible for revamping the executive director’s performance evaluation process and chaired the Water Supply Task Force.

November

• Ozone Action Day Program Honored
  At the University Conference Center and Inn at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus, Fairfax County was given an honorable mention by Clean Air Partners in the category of “Outstanding Ozone Action Days Program.” The county was recognized for its efforts in establishing voluntary actions to reduce ground-level ozone through an Ozone Action Days plan, its efforts to encourage and facilitate public awareness of air quality issues, and its efforts to encourage employees to take personal voluntary actions. Clean Air Partners (originally known as ENDZONE Partners) is a volunteer nonprofit organization that was created and chartered in 1997 by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The partnership represents a coalition of public and private sector groups including businesses and environmental, civic and professional organizations, governments and citizens committed to improving air quality in the Washington and Baltimore regions. The partnership’s primary focus is the promotion of easy and effective voluntary actions that individuals, groups, businesses and government can take to reduce air pollution. Fairfax County government has been a member of Clean Air Partners since 1998, and has been proactive in efforts to inform county employees and residents about air quality programs and ways to reduce air pollution. The county has a notification program that involves the posting of Ozone Action Day forecasts on Fairfax County Government Cable Television Channel 16, and the county Web site, as well as sending e-mail notifications to county employees. These messages include appropriate actions to take to reduce contributions to ozone formation. Some actions currently practiced by Fairfax County government when a Ozone Action Day is forecast include the refueling of vehicles after sunset; the restriction of non-essential motorized operating equipment; encouraging employees to telework and teleconference to participate in meetings off site; and the offering of free trips on the Fairfax Connector and on Metrobus, in cooperation with other local jurisdictions in the region. Also, in an effort to reduce ozone-producing emissions, the county uses ultra low sulfur diesel fuel in its Fairfax Connector buses throughout the year.
  
  
• EDA President Gerald Gordon Honored at Israel Bonds Technology Tribute
  Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) was honored at a Nov. 5 Technology Tribute Dinner in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Development Corporation for Israel, which offers Israeli State bonds and securities in the United States. The event honored those who contributed to the development of the technology industry in the Washington area. Gordon was recognized for his work to advance the technology industry in Fairfax County. He has headed the FCEDA since 1987. Fairfax County is home to 4,800 technology companies and more than 30 venture capital organizations. Gordon was instrumental in bringing to Fairfax County the 1998 World Congress on Information Technology that drew 1,900 technology executives from around the world.
  
  
• Fairfax Library Director Becomes President of Virginia Library Association
  Edwin S. Clay III, director of the Fairfax County Public Library, officially took office as president of the Virginia Library Association on Nov. 7, at the organization’s annual conference in Hot Springs, Virginia. Clay, who served as VLA’s Vice President/President Elect in 2002-2003, has chaired the organization’s Legislative Committee and served as past president of the Virginia Public Library Director’s Association. In April 2002, that association named him Outstanding Library Director for his work on reducing proposed cuts to public libraries in the state budget. Clay has been the director of the Fairfax County Public Library since 1982. In this position, he manages all aspects of this 21-branch system, the largest public library in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, as well as the largest in Virginia. In fiscal year 2003, more than 600,000 Library cardholders checked out more than 11 million books and other items and made five million visits to FCPL branches. A recent report in the American Libraries journal ranked FCPL among the top 10 libraries of its size in the U.S. Clay has received numerous honors during his tenure at FCPL; in November 2000, Clay’s leadership was recognized with one of Fairfax County, Virginia’s top distinctions: a Managerial Excellence Award. Perhaps one of his most auspicious honors includes the scholarship in his name launched by the FCPL Foundation in summer 2002. The Edwin S. Clay III Scholarship benefits students pursuing MLS degrees.
  
  
• Healthy Families Fairfax Program Wins Community Leadership Award
  Leadership Fairfax Inc., a not-for-profit organization that cultivates community leaders in Fairfax County, named Healthy Families Fairfax as the recipient of this year’s “Community Partnership Award.” The award was presented at the 2003 Northern Virginia Leadership Award ceremony in the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly. The Community Partnership Award recognizes organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership in the successful collaboration of a public and private partnership. Healthy Families Fairfax is Fairfax County’s version of a nationwide program that provides intensive home visiting services to first-time parents who are at high risk due to family histories of abuse or other stress factors. The Fairfax program is a unique partnership of three nonprofit agencies—United Community Ministries, Northern Virginia Family Service and Reston Interfaith—and two public agencies—Fairfax County’s Department of Family Services and the Health Department. The goal of the program is to begin supporting parents soon after they become pregnant to ensure a healthy birth and promote positive parent-child relationships. This support continues until the child’s fifth birthday. As a result of the Healthy Families Fairfax partnership, the capacity of the program to serve families has grown from fewer than 80 families in 1997-1998 to 649 families in 2002-2003 – an increase of about 800 percent. The program collaborates closely with hospitals and military bases in Northern Virginia and is a key component of a continuum of child abuse prevention programs run by the Department of Family Services.
  
  
• Economic Development Authority’s Gordon Named Outstanding Public Sector Advocate for Northern Virginia Workforce Development
  The Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board presented its the 2003 Northern Virginia Workforce Leadership Award to Gerald Gordon, president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Gordon was named Outstanding Public Sector Advocate for Northern Virginia Workforce Development at the 2003 Annual Community Forum on Nov. 13, at the Reston Hyatt Regency.
  
  
• Fairfax County is first Virginia County to Receive StormReady Designation by National Weather Service
  At the Board of Supervisors meeting held on Nov. 17, the board celebrated the county’s designation as the first StormReady county in the commonwealth of Virginia. The StormReady program, created by the National Weather Service, is a nationwide program that helps communities better protect their citizens during severe weather by being more proactive in improving their hazardous weather operations. Although many laws and regulations are in place to guide emergency managers with handling a variety of crises, there are few guidelines to help with weather related emergencies. The National Weather Service recognized this as a significant void when considering nearly 90 percent of all presidentially declared disasters are weather related. These events lead to roughly 500 deaths each year and approximately $14 billion in damage. The StormReady program focuses on improving communication and preparedness in communities through outreach and public awareness education. Communities who are a part of this program are even more prepared for all types of severe weather, because they have detailed and clear guidance to improve procedures and formalize plans for hazardous weather situations. To be certified as StormReady, communities must:
  • Establish a 24-hour warning point and have an emergency operations center
  • Have more than one way to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings and to alert the public
  • Create a system that monitors local weather conditions
  • Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
  • Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises
  
  
• Two County Employees are Among 11 Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year Award Winners for 2003
  Fairfax County Chief Information Officer David J. Molchany and Department of Information Technology Director Wanda Gibson were among 11 winners of Governing Magazine's Public Official of the Year awards for 2003, given in recognition of outstanding achievement at the state and local level. Molchany and Gibson were recognized for having found innovative ways to align county resources with changing customer requirements, and to establish a 21st century IT enterprise with an unyielding commitment to deliver service to the public. The award winners were profiled in the November issue of Governing and honored at a dinner Nov. 13 in Washington, D.C.

October

• 2003 Governor's Community Service and Volunteerism Award Presented to Volunteer Interpreter Program
  Governor Mark R. Warner, at the Virginia Governor’s Commission on National and Community Service annual Governor’s Community Service and Volunteerism Awards Ceremony and Reception, presented the Volunteer Interpreter Program (Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court) the Governor’s Community Service and Volunteerism Awards Government Award. The Volunteer Interpreter Program assists the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court staff and clients who encounter communication obstacles due to language differences. Approximately 35 interpreters assist the court and provide services to other courthouse and offsite programs. The Volunteer Interpreter Program assists staff in conducting intake hearings, telephone calls, and written translation of forms and brochures.
  
  
• GIS Receives “Best of Breed” Award
  Fairfax County’s GIS Program received the “Best of Breed” Award in the 2003 Digital Counties Survey conducted by the Center for Digital Government, in partnership with the National Association of Counties. CDG is an international research and advisory institute on information technology. This survey, underwritten by Microsoft Corp., was open to applications from all counties in the United States. Awards were given to the nine top counties for their technology-savvy projects that improved government operations and customer service to their citizens.
  
  
• Fairfax County Web site Named One of Best Government Sites in the Country
  Fairfax County has one of the best government Web sites in the country, according to the Center for Digital Government, an international research and advisory institute on information technology in government and education. More than 260 public-sector Web sites entered the contest. A panel of IT experts judged each entry based on its innovation, Web-based delivery of public services, efficiency, economy and functionality for improved citizen access.

September

• Reston Community Center Program Guide Judged Best in Virginia
  The Virginia Recreation and Park Society presented an award for the “Best Promotional Effort/Best Promotional Piece” to the Reston Community Center (RCC) for its Program Guide. VRPS is a statewide association for recreation and leisure services. It makes its awards “in recognition of outstanding accomplishments by individuals and organizations in the field of recreation and parks throughout Virginia.” The RCC Program Guide, which is produced three times a year and distributed to 27,000 residences and businesses in Reston by the Community Center, serves as both an information resource and the Center’s primary marketing tool. In addition to giving information on RCC programs, the Program Guide also includes information on community and cultural events that are sponsored by other area organizations. This provides Restonians with a “one-stop shopping source” where they can learn about opportunities for enrichment in their community. Because the Reston community is made up of a wide range of ages, ethnicities, income levels and interests, RCC designed the Program Guide to reflect this diversity and appeal to the broadest possible audience. The VRPS Award, an attractive plaque in the shape of the State of Virginia, is on display at the Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods. This is not the first time RCC has received an award for its Program Guide. In 2001, the Program Guide won an “Award of Excellence” from the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO). The Reston Community Center is located at 2310 Colts Neck Road in Reston.
  
  
• Mallard Appointed to FCC Consumer Advisory Committee
  Ron Mallard, director of Fairfax County’s Department of Cable Communications and Consumer Protection, was appointed by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to a newly established Consumer Advisory Committee. Mallard is the only representative of local governments and is representing the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators on the FCC committee. The remaining 34 members of the committee include representatives of industry and special interest groups from throughout the United States. Issues that the Consumer Advisory Committee will address are deployment of broadband services and improved consumer input into FCC decision making, including recommendations for modifying how the FCC conducts its regulatory role.
  
  
• Fairfax County Wins International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Award
  Child Care Central, a collaborative project with the Department of Information Technology and the Department of Family Services, was recognized with an ICMA Annual Award.
  
  
• Channel 16 Honored with National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors Government Programming Awards Fairfax County Government Cable Channel 16 won six awards for programs from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. They were:
  • Information Avenue (2nd place Library category)
  • Celebrate Fairfax Public Service Announcement (2nd place Event Promotion category)
  • Occoquan (3rd place Public Education category)
  • Your Community, Your Call (Honorable Mention Public Affairs category)
  • Historic Treasures of Southern Fairfax County (Honorable Mention Documentary Profile category)
  • Consumer Focus (Honorable Mention Interview/Talk Show category)

July

• Solid Waste Management Division and the Department of Vehicle Services Designated as an Environmental Enterprise by Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
  On July 8, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality designated the county’s Solid Waste Management Division and the Department of Vehicle Services as an Environmental Enterprise, or E2, in accordance with Virginia’s Environmental Excellence Program. An E2 is a facility which is interested in beginning or is in the early stages of implementing an environmental management system emphasizing pollution prevention. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality presented the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors a certificate designating Fairfax County as an Environmental Enterprise at the Monday, Aug. 4, meeting of the Board of Supervisors. The Solid Waste Management Division designation includes the I-95 Solid Waste Disposal and Resource Recovery Facility, Lorton; the I-66 Transfer Station, Fairfax; and Refuse Collection, Lorton. The Vehicle Services designation includes the Newington Maintenance Facility, Lorton; the West Ox Maintenance Facility, Fairfax; the Alban Maintenance Facility, Springfield; and the Jermantown Maintenance Facility, Fairfax.
  
  
• Fairfax County Attorney Named President-Elect of the Virginia State Bar
  Fairfax County Attorney David P. Bobzien is the new president-elect of the Virginia State Bar. Bobzien has served the Virginia State Bar in various positions. Currently, he is a member of the VSB council, the executive committee, and the budget and finance committee. He also represents the executive committee on the Virginia Law Foundation’s Committee on Continuing Legal Education. Bobzien is a past president and current board member of the Fairfax Bar Foundation. He is past president of the Local Government Attorneys of Virginia and past chair of the VSB local government law section.
  
  
• Library Wins Awards in Parade
  The Book Cart Drill Team of the Fairfax City Regional Library won first place in the Novelty Division in the Fairfax City's 2003 4th of July parade. It also won 2nd place in the Mayor and City Council award.
  
  
• Lowe Tapped for Board of Visitors
  Governor Mark R. Warner named Sandra Stiner Lowe, Director of the Fairfax County Office of Partnerships, to the Board of Visitors of Virginia Tech.
  
  
• National Association of Counties (NACo) Awards Acts of Caring and Counties Care for Kids Awards to Three County Agencies
  The Volunteer Interpreter Program in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and Project SUCCESS in the Department of Community and Recreation Services (CRS Therapeutic Recreation Services) won “Acts of Caring” awards while the Department of Family Services’ Healthy Families Fairfax program was recognized with a “Counties Care for Kids” award. Project SUCCESS was also selected to receive the NACo “Youth Service Award,” which is presented by NACo to the program that best identifies a critical need in the youth community and addresses it, in part, by engaging young people in service.
  
  
• National Association of County Information Officers Awarded Six Awards to County Programs
  2003 NACIO Awards of Excellence Competition
  • Annual Reports, Other Format
  Excellent
  2002 Fairfax County Park Foundation Annual Report
  Fairfax County Park Authority
  • Annual Reports, Other Format
  Meritorious
  2002 Annual Report and 2003 Calendar
  Public Information and Life Safety Education
  Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
  • Internal Publications, Newsletter format
  Excellent
  NewsLink
  Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
  • Internal Publications, Magazine format
  Meritorious
  Line Copy
  Public Information & Life Safety Education
  Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department
  • Special Projects, Ceremonies
  Meritorious
  Laurel Hill Razor Wire Cutting Ceremony
  Laurel Hill Ceremony Committee
  • Special Projects, Community Events
  Excellent
  The Reston Multicultural Festival
  Communications Department, Reston Community Center
  
  
• National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) Awards Numerous Honors to County Agencies and Staff in Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards Competition
  Blue Pencil Awards Competition
  • Articles Category
  Honorable Mention (tie)
  The Blue Line "A First Hand Perspective from the Pentagon"
  Public Information Office, Fairfax County Police Dept.
  Presented to: Fairfax County (VA) Public Safety Communications Center
  • Press Kit Category
  Honorable Mention
  Budget Press Kit
  Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
  Presented to: Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
  Amy Carlini, PIO II
  • Newspapers Category
  Honorable Mention
  Weekly Agenda
  Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
  Presented to: Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
  • Crisis Communication Campaigns
  Second Place
  Sept. 11, 2001 Crisis Response
  Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
  Presented to: Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
  • Gold Screen Video Awards Competition
  External Communications Category
  Honorable Mention (tie)
  Transportation Options in Fairfax County
  Fairfax County Department of Transportation
  Presented to: Fairfax County Department of Transportation, Transit Services Division
  • Public Service Campaign Category
  Honorable Mention
  e-ffordable Fairfax: Finding Solutions for Affordable Housing
  Dept. of Housing & Community Development
  Presented to: Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Public Relations Category
  Honorable Mention
  Make a Living, Make a Difference
  Presented to: Fairfax County Government
  
  
• Fairfax County Wins 9 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards
  Nine Fairfax County programs (out of 13 total County entries) were recognized in the annual National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards competition. One of these programs, the Park Authority’s “Fitlinxx: A Virtual Training Partner” was also named Best of Category. In this 34th year of the awards program, NACo’s Achievement Awards recognize the hard work by County staff to promote responsible, responsive, and effective county government. This year’s NACo Achievement Award winners represent 24 states and 107 counties with a total of 464 winners selected from 723 entries. This year’s winners wee honored at the NACo annual conference during a luncheon on July 13.
  2003 Fairfax County NACo Achievement Award recipients:
  • DPWES/Facilities Management Division
  Program Title: Emergency Response Planning Program
  Category: Emergency Management and Response
  • DPWES/Solid Waste Collection and Recycling
  Program Title: Keep It Green “E-Waste” Program
  Category: Environmental Protection & Energy
  • Department of Information Technology
  Program Title: GIS Use in Crime Analysis by Fairfax County Police Department
  Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
  • Department of Family Services/Adult and Aging Services
  Program Title: Task-Based Home Care Services
  Category: Human Services
  • Department of Family Services/Office for Children and the Department of Information Technology
  Program Title: Child Care Central
  Category: County Administration and Management
  • Department of Finance
  Program Title: Returning Unclaimed Money to Rightful Owners
  Category: Financial Management
  • Department of Management and Budget
  Program Title: Youth Leadership Program
  Category: Civic Education and Public Information
  • Fairfax County Park Authority (Two awards)
  Program Title: After Hours: Reaching Out to the Teen Population
  Category: Children and Youth
  Program Title: Fitlinxx: A Virtual Training Partner (Best of Category)
  Category: Parks and Recreation
  
  
• Fairfax County Wins One Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) Achievement Award and One VACo Honorable Mention
  Fairfax County received one VACo Achievement Award and one honorable mention in the annual Virginia Association of Counties awards competition. Fairfax County’s winning program, “Using Technology to Enhance Government Services,” was one of 13 programs from across the state honored. The program will be featured in a special VACo publication and the association’s Web site as well being recognized at the VACo annual meeting on Monday, Nov. 10. The County’s “Laurel Hill Razor Wire Cutting” ceremony entry was also recognized as one of only seven statewide honorable mention awards. The VACo Achievement Awards selections were based on innovation and collaboration, as well as the potential for the program to provide a model that other local governments may learn from or implement in their own localities.
  
  
• Channel 16 Wins Two Awards from Alliance for Community Media - Hometown Video Festival
  “County Magazine,” the county’s monthly informational magazine program won an Honorable Mention in the News category and “Make a Living, Make a Difference” was honored with an Honorable Mention in the Municipal category. Both programs are part of the Fairfax County Government Cable Channel 16 programming schedule.

June

• Child Care Central Wins E-Gov Trailblazer Award
  The Fairfax County Department of Family Services’ Office for Children earned a 2003 E-Gov Trailblazer Award for innovation in e-government for Child Care Central, an online resource for child care information in Fairfax County. The award was presented by E-Gov at the E-Gov 2003 Conference on Tuesday, June 10, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The Trailblazer Award winners are recognized for excellence in enabling better government for citizens and businesses through their e-government efforts. The E-Gov conference program explores information technology’s role in improving government efficiency. Staff from the Office for Children and the Department of Information Technology partnered on the development of the comprehensive Web-based information found within the pages of Child Care Central. The Web site has become a one-stop resource for child care information in Fairfax County and it is continually updated to reflect the growing needs of citizens.
  
  
• Sheriff's Department Receives Accreditation
  Fairfax County Sheriff, Stan Barry, announced that the American Correctional Association (ACA) and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) continued the two decade tradition of accreditation for the Adult Detention Center. Both accreditations play vital roles in protecting the county’s financial assets by minimizing potential lawsuits and also ensure accountability to the public, media, courts, and peers in the correctional field. The ACA accreditation marks the longest running endorsement for adult jails in the United States and compliments the mandatory requirements set by the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Corrections. Through the accreditation process, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office continues to reap the rewards of peer judgment and operate as a high performance organization.
  
  
• National Award Honors Fairfax County’s Wastewater Management Program for Environmental Stewardship
  Fairfax County’s Noman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Control Plant recently received the prestigious Platinum Peak Performance Award from the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) to recognize the facility’s outstanding accomplishments in wastewater treatment and environmental protection of water quality in the county, as well as improvement of the Chesapeake Bay water quality. The Platinum Award pays special tribute to those municipal wastewater treatment facilities that, for the past five consecutive years (1998 – 2002), have received Gold Awards for achieving 100 percent compliance with all National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit limits during a calendar year. The Noman Cole Plant, operated within the Fairfax County Wastewater Management Program, was recently honored at a special awards ceremony held in May 2003 in conjunction with AMSA’s 2003 National Environmental Policy Forum and 33rd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Noman Cole Plant, located at 9399 Richmond Highway, Lorton, is the largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the commonwealth of Virginia with design capacity of 54 million gallons per day. Nearly half of the 95 million gallons per day of wastewater generated in the county is currently treated at the Noman Cole Plant. The plant is operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the help of highly trained and skilled wastewater professionals in the field of operations, maintenance, information controls, engineering, management, and related critical support services, as well as water quality testing and environmental monitoring services.

May

• Fairfax County Recognized for Excellence in Procurement
  Fairfax County has received a renewal of certification of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award. The award formally recognizes excellence in public procurement by establishing a body of standards that should be in place for a solid purchasing operation. The Department of Purchasing and Supply Management is the primary agency for the procurement of goods and services for Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools. Only 55 governments throughout the United States and Canada have attained this distinction. NIGP is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to helping governments manage tax dollars wisely.
  
  
• FAIRFAX CONNECTOR Selected One of Metro Magazine’s 10 Most Improved Transit Systems
  The May 2003 issue of Metro Magazine, a publication that covers transit issues, recognized FAIRFAX CONNECTOR as one of the 10 most improved transit systems in the country. They not only achieved, but surpassed the fiscal year 2002 goals of increasing ridership on the FAIRFAX CONNECTOR Bus System by 4.76 percent and reducing adverse customer comments by 21.9 percent from 41 to 32 per 100,000 riders. Ridership on the FAIRFAX CONNECTOR Bus System in fiscal year 2002 was 6,831,313 passengers, an increase of 11.8 percent over fiscal year 2001 ridership; and the adverse customer comments decreased by 26.8 percent to 30 per 100,000 riders. A number of improvements in customer service were made to the FAIRFAX CONNECTOR bus system to achieve this new level of customer satisfaction. They began by addressing top concerns revealed in customer survey results. After learning that reliability of service was a concern, FAIRFAX CONNECTOR hired a new contractor to operate the routes with persistent problems. They also replaced 57 of the fleet’s 136 buses, resulting in an average age of 5 years for the fleet. They created a Web site to make bus route information more easily accessible and added a connector host, who helps transferring riders find their connections during rush hour. This is a function many customers had looked to bus drivers to handle, but FAIRFAX CONNECTOR found a designated host is able to do it more efficiently. Improvements extended to the bus drivers as well. Their seating compartments were adjusted to reduce back strain, which helped improve the bus drivers’ attitudes and overall customer service approach.

April

• Fairfax County Recognized as a Charter Clean Water Partner
  The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Fairfax County as a charter 2003 Clean Water Partner for its leadership role in the protection of the Chesapeake Bay at a special presentation held on Tuesday, April 1. The recognition was given to the county for the efforts of Wastewater Management, a division of the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, which has voluntarily monitored the ecology of Gunston Cove and the surrounding area for almost 20 years. The voluntary monitoring has partnered the water quality sampling and analysis expertise of Fairfax County with the ecology expertise of George Mason University. Staff from the county’s Environmental Monitoring Branch evaluate physical, chemical and biological elements of Gunston Cove, a Potomac River embayment along the southeast portion of the county where water lovers can enjoy sailboats, paddle boats, water skiing and wind surfing. The purpose of the monitoring is to determine changes over time as a result of point-source and non-point-source pollution.
  
  
• Bicycle Association Honors Two Fairfax County Supervisors
  At the 30th annual meeting of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association on Thursday, April 3, two Fairfax County Supervisors were honored for promoting bicycling at the local and regional levels. Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (Hunter Mill District) and Supervisor Dana Kauffman (Lee District) were among eight award recipients from government, private industry and citizen organizations. Hudgins was honored for promoting bicycling to work with the first bike-to-work rally in Fairfax County at the Reston Town Center complex and for supporting improved bicycling facilities in Fairfax County, including recommending specific signs requiring motorists to yield to the right-of-way of cyclists and pedestrians in crosswalks. Kauffman was recognized for promoting bicycling with a bike ride in Lee District, the Tour de Lee—a family event for bicyclists of all abilities, for supporting the first on-road designated bike lanes in Fairfax County along Beulah Street and for encouraging better bicycling access to area Metro Stations.
  
  
• Office of Partnerships Selected as Promising Practice in After School Programming
  The Computer Learning Centers Partnership, a program of the Fairfax County Office of Partnerships, was selected as a “Promising Practice in After School Programming” for having a program that provides positive outcomes for children and youth. This distinction was given by the Academy of Educational Development (AED) Center for Youth Development and Policy Research.

February

• County Executive Named Stone Practitioner Award Winner
  Fairfax County Executive Anthony H. Griffin was named the 2003 “Stone Practitioner Award” winner by the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), which seeks to promote and encourage the study, understanding and improvement of the intergovernmental system, its infrastructure and related cooperative and coordinative efforts of all levels of government and the private sector.
  
  
• CIO Wins Federal 100 Award
  Fairfax County Chief Information Officer David J. Molchany is a recipient of a 2003 Federal 100 award. Molchany was one of four state or local government officials recognized. He was nominated for giving local government a voice in the federal bureaucracy, and specifically for working closely with the federal government on the information architecture for several GIS and e-government projects such as the geo-spatial and recreation.gov one-stops.

January

• Fairfax County CFO Appointed to Professional Committee on Government Budgeting and Management
  Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Ed Long was selected by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) to serve a three-year term on their standing committee on Governmental Budgeting and Management, beginning this month. GFOA is the professional association of nearly 15,000 state, local and provincial finance officers in the United States and Canada. In his role on the Committee on Governmental Budgeting and Management, Long will advise GFOA and recommend policies in budgeting, management and related public finance areas. The committee actively promotes the professionalism of budget practitioners through the development of recommended practices and researching various initiatives. In meeting these responsibilities, the committee serves as a forum for the exchange of information about emerging issues, concepts and techniques in public budgeting and management.