Exiting Belvoir Commanders Honored by County Board

Col. Mark Moffatt and Col. John Strycula will both leave their duties at Fort Belvoir in June.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last week honored two U.S. Army Colonels who are leaving Fort Belvoir this month. Col. Mark Moffatt, deputy garrison commander for transformation and BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure), retired on June 1 after 28 years of service. Col. John Strycula will leave his post as garrison commander at Belvoir on June 25 for an assignment in Afghanistan. Both Moffatt and Strycula worked closely in partnership with the county to oversee the costly and well-documented BRAC process, which brought thousands of federal employees to the base. Moffatt arrived at Belvoir in 2007 and during his five years at the base, he helped oversee the construction of three multi-billion dollar facilities, including the post’s …

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Fairfax Govt: Human Services Hearing, BRAC Commanders Honored

Public hearing on closing shortfalls in Community Services Board budget.

The Fairfax County Human Services Committee will kick off a series of public hearings Monday regarding gaps in the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board budget and the agency’s budget management plan. The Community Services Board (CSB) faces an $8 million hole in its $150 million 2012 budget and an additional $9.4 million shortage in its budget for 2013. The CSB is self-described as "your link to local services for people with mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities," according to the CSB website. During its May 22 meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors begrudgingly approved measures to mend the budget problems.  The CSB has identified ways to relieve stresses on its budget — …

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Richmond Highway Development May Spare Woodlawn Stables

Three plans under consideration would enable business to continue.

This is the second in a multi-part series from Patch about the economic and other impacts of the declining equestrian industry in Fairfax County. Part 1: Fairfax County Losing Equestrian-Related Revenue Due to Lack of Planning was published Tuesday, Feb. 21. Part 3: Laurel Hill Equestrian Facility Moves Forward was published Thursday, Feb. 23. Part 4: Fairfax County Equestrian Opportunities was published Friday, Feb. 24. -------------  Woodlawn Stables, a horseback riding institution near Fort Belvoir, may be spared by upcoming road improvements to Richmond Highway after all. The stables, at 8907 Richmond Hwy., have been in continuous operation since 1979, when the area had fewer commercial developments and significantly less traffic. …

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Susan Larson

10:13 am on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Via email continued: This is an excellent opportunity for the county and state to enter into a Public-Private partnership for the on again/off again equestrian center at Laurel Hill less than 7 miles away which could double the size of the Woodlawn Stables providing for all residents of Fairfax County and not just those in the Woodlawn area. Regards, D. Glen Taylor Burke, Virginia Hampstead, NC   more ›

Phone App Will Connect BRAC Commuters

Avego Driver pilot program begins at BRAC locations in June.

By Amir Vera Capital News Service Thanks to a new phone app, it soon will be easier for commuters to share rides to military worksites in Northern Virginia. The app, called Avego Driver, will begin its pilot program in Northern Virginia around June. It will be available to government contractors and military employees offering or seeking rides to and from Fort Belvoir, Quantico Marine Corps Base and Alexandria’s Mark Center, three sites seeing more traffic because of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). The pilot project is managed by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Peggy Tadej, BRAC coordinator for the commission, said the new initiative will help commuters get to and from their destination. “Many of the BRAC employees have …

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UPDATE: Pentagon Grants Millions for Rt. 1 BRAC Improvements

The Department of Defense will provide $180 million for Route 1 widening.

U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) announced today that the Pentagon will provide $180 million for traffic improvements to Route 1 in the Fort Belvoir area to accommodate thousands of new employees related to the Base Realignment and Closure process (BRAC). The funding will allow for Route 1 at Belvoir to be widened from four to six lanes, and according to a release from Moran's office, Fairfax County is already conducting an environmental study in anticipation of the funding. The money is part of a $300 million appropriation secured last year by Moran and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) for BRAC-related transportation improvements. “This is a big win for Northern Virginia as a region, the commuters along Rt. 1 and DoD employees at Ft. Belvoir,” …

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BRAC Causes More Traffic Jams at Fort Belvoir

I-95 South and Fairfax County Parkway seeing backups, officials say.

As residents and legislators feared, the BRAC move of thousands of federal employees to Fort Belvoir is causing an increase in traffic jams around the base. According to WTOP, Virginia Sectretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton said backups have worsened on southbound I-95 and the Fairfax County Parkway. Connaughton said the state was concerned about traffic light safety along the parkway because of increased traffic.  When Patch spoke with Connaughton in June, he was worried about the "immensely negative" impacts BRAC would have on roadways in Northern Virginia. "“It’s going to have a very serious impact on not just the commuters going on I-395, but actually, we think it’s going to have an impact on 95 itself, 495 and then have …

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cmvoorhees

7:56 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Let's see - the GW Memorial Parkway is heavily travelled southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening. Residents who live along the Parkway are finding it difficult to turn left to go north in the morning and some are going over the Alexandria Ave stone bridge causing a line of cars waiting to go north on Southdown Road. Cars are streaming off the Parkway at Belle Haven Road so that …   more ›

BRAC Jams Traffic Near Fort Belvoir

Transportation officials seeing backups on Southbound 95.

Photos: Police, Fire and Rescue Honored At Stars and Stripes Tribute

First responders from Franconia, Fort Belvoir, Kingstowne, and Mt. Vernon all received honors at the Mt. Vernon-Lee Chamber Of Commerce Stars and Stripes Tribute on Thursday night.

Outstanding service, professionalism, courage, and heroism: these were just a few of the many ways honorees were described at Thursday evening's Stars and Stripes Tribute. The Mt. Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual event to award honors to this year's exceptional police, firefighters and EMTs. Held in the ballroom at the Belle Haven Country Club, first responders and their families celebrated the outstanding service the night's honorees have performed this year.  As dinner was served, speakers such as Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland and Fort Belvoir Garrison Commander Col. John Strycula remarked about how grateful they are for the service performed by those in uniform. As this week marks the tenth anniversary of…

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The Inevitability of BRAC: An Interview With Col. Mark Moffatt

The sixth part in a series of interviews with key officials.

Thousands of federal workers will relocate to new offices in Northern Virginia in less than two weeks. Base Realignment and Closure, since it was announced in 2005, has threatened to cripple road networks as nearly 50,000 employees will soon be working at Fort Belvoir's main post, the former Engineer Proving Ground in Springfield and Alexandria's Mark Center off Interstate 395 and Seminary Road.  "We've basically doubled the footprint of Fort Belvoir in four years - pretty phenomenal," said U.S. Army Col. Mark Moffatt, Fort Belvoir's Deputy Garrison Commander for Transformation and BRAC. "We were asked to do a mission set that's basically going to bring $4.5 billion worth of construction to reality. That equates to about 6.5 million square…

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Photos of the Day: The Springfield BridgeWalk

Ten years and going strong.

Today, hundreds of Fairfax County residents marched across the Veterans Bridge in Springfield. For some, the 10th Annual Springfield BridgWalk marks the end of summer, and for others it is an affirmation of community support for our Armed Forces. At 7:30 p.m., a color guard from the American Legion and a contingent of soldiers from Fort Belvoir led participants across the bridge. After a greeting by the King's Park Band, community leaders signed an Army Community Covenant. The covenant said:  We the Community, recognize... Enjoy the pictures!

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