GFCA Leadership Change
March 12, 2025

Greetings members of the Great Falls Citizens Association

The Board of the Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) is committed to ensuring strong and effective leadership in service to our community.

At a duly held Special Board meeting on March 10th, 2025, a leadership change was made in the best interest of GFCA’s mission and governance.  Accordingly, the Vice President, Dennis Huber will now serve as the President. 

This leadership change does not impact any of GFCA's commitment to our core missions or special committee initiatives for the community including the Special Committee on Schools. 

We remain dedicated to serving the Great Falls community and ensuring a smooth transition during this period of leadership change.  We value the engagement and support of our members and welcome interested members to serve on the Board or our committees. 

The GFCA Board will need some time during this leadership transition to fill open positions, and your support is most appreciated.  If you are interested in serving on a GFCA committee or on the Board, please e-mail nominations@gfca.org.

Dennis Huber
President@GFCA.org

Seeking Candidates For the
GFCA Executive Board

March 9, 2025

An Open Letter to GFCA Members and
Great Falls Community Residents

I am pleased to announce that the Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) is actively seeking candidates to serve on its Executive Board.  We have a number of current vacancies for Directors and for candidates for the upcoming election.  Our annual election is typically held on the second Tuesday in June, subject to confirmation by our Board.  GFCA Directors serve a two year term beginning July 1.

The GFCA Executive Board serves a critically important role in the community by advocating for the preservation and enhancement of all aspects of community interest accruing to a common good, as well as the historic, low density, semi-rural character of Great Falls and its natural resources. 

The Executive Board plays a key role in governing and managing the business of the organization.  These positions require residency in Great Falls, current membership in the GFCA, and a commitment and willingness to attend monthly meetings and participate in committee activities and events throughout their term. 

The GFCA is a non-partisan, non-profit, tax-exempt community organization recognized under 501(c)(4) of the IRS Code with the purpose to promote “the common good and general welfare of the community.”  GFCA has been advocating on behalf of our membership and the citizens of Great Falls since 1968. 

Our work is supported by volunteer members who participate in our standing Committees that address Environment & Parks, Transportation, Land Use & Zoning, Membership, and Communications.  Two other Special Committees address Schools and Legislation.  However there are many other issues that are crosscutting or fall outside of those categories.  Because of that, GFCA must be agile and keenly aware of current events.

If you are interested and you meet the qualifications described above, please return a completed application to GFCA’s Nominating Committee.  Please email it to: Nominations@GFCA.org.  The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, March 24 at 5:00 p.m. for our upcoming June election.  We look forward to hearing from you!  Thank you.

 Regards,

John Halacy, President
President@GFCA.org

 GFCA Special Committee on Schools' Focus on FCPS:
Capital Improvement Plan Data and their
Boundary Committee Selection Process

Image courtesy of a Great Falls NextDoor Member

The GFCA’s Special Committee on Schools (SCS) continues its efforts to work with Fairfax County Public Schools and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid to increase the accuracy of the data that is contained in the FCPS Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).  FCPS is conducting a comprehensive school boundary review that could impact “School Pyramids”.  Draft boundary change scenarios are planned to be published between March and June 2025. 

SCS committee representatives and representatives of the FairFACTs Matters Foundation (FFMF) received a presentation from the FCPS CIP Team that detailed processes for forecasting student enrollment.  That process is updated twice a year.  The SCS and FFMF team members pointed out that at the school pyramid level, the forecasts can be off.  That is where boundary decisions are made by FCPS.  Dr. Reid said she would be open to her CIP Team considering forecasting tools that other districts are using.

SCS and FFMF representatives have reasserted that the biggest weakness in the forecasting process is the fact that they do not consider residential developments that are in the counties permitting process but have not broken ground.  A FFMF representative said FCPS should add expected student growth from these future developments and apply some statistical probability to account for the reality that some will get built and some will not.

In addition, the SCS and FFMF representatives have focused attention on a recent development involving FCPS’ Boundary Review Advisory Committee (BRAC).  A Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) request submitted to FCPS disclosed apparent inconsistencies in how the members of the BRAC were selected.  Video recordings obtained by residents through that VFOIA request demonstrated a process wherein FCPS staff generated a random number matched to a spreadsheet containing potential BRAC candidates’ names.  The selected name was added to the BRAC. 

The video segment for the Langley High School Pyramid showed a number being generated but, instead of announcing the name associated with that number, FCPS staff paused, showed the name list to another staff member who remarked that the spreadsheet had to be redone and left the room with the spreadsheet in hand.  Subsequently, questions and concerns are being discussed about FCPS transparency in the Boundary Review Process and how BRAC members were selected.  GFCA has determined that a post on the NextDoor Network regarding this video segment generated in excess of 17,000 views.

Meanwhile, GFCA SCS is pursuing the scheduling of a community forum to be held within the next months in collaboration with FFMF and other concerned residents and groups.  Dr. Reid has committed to attend.  The event will afford larger community participation and information sharing.  More information on this event will be published when details are finalized.

VDOT Denies Request for Lowered Speeds

Acting on a promise made at the Community Meeting hosted by the GFCA on January 30, Dranesville Supervisor Bierman asked Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to consider expanding the 25 MPH speed limit beyond the immediate Great Falls Village area to enhance pedestrian safety.  Members raised that suggestion during the meeting concerning the upcoming Library crosswalk/pedestrian refuge project.  Unfortunately, as Supervisor Bierman anticipated, VDOT has declined to make any changes to the current 25 mph speed zone along Georgetown Pike's business district.

In a separate request, following recent complaints of speeding and dangerous driving on Leigh Mill Road, Supervisor Bierman's office was notified.  Similar complaints were raised in Spring 2024, when GFCA asked the Supervisor to request VDOT to consider reducing speeds on certain segments of Leigh Mill Road.  Again, VDOT declined to lower posted speeds at that time. 

During a May 2024 speed analysis conducted by Fairfax County Department of Transportation, speeding was confirmed on Leigh Mill Road.  Residents were advised that VDOT could post signage indicating additional fines for speeding violations on Leigh Mill Road, if that option was supported by the residents and the Supervisor.   When GFCA reported that option to the residents who had raised these concerns in 2024 several expressed their opposition to added fines.  GFCA is continuing to examine the process and encourages all concerned residents to email transportation@gfca.org about their concerns.

New County-wide Trash Collection Plan Announced

Fairfax County is developing a new trash collection platform called the Unified Sanitation Districts (USD) to roll out over the next few years. Under this proposed system the county will manage waste hauling contracts directly with private contractors.  All trash collection will be by individual contractors, selected by the county for the various geographic districts.

Trash collection services have been a continued concern for our residents over the years.  County officials state that a centralized system will improve reliability, lower costs and reduce the number of trucks on the roads (reducing greenhouse gasses).

Last September GFCA announced the Fairfax County Zero Waste Resident Survey.  The county invited residents to complete the survey to provide feedback on current trash and recycling practices and the proposed countywide zero waste strategies.  The survey was open until September 30. Seventy-six responses came from Great Falls out of the over 300 from the Dranesville District.  The survey questions and cumulative results are at: https://publicinput.com/Report/ggu4ieyaq1l). 

On December 10, Matthew Adams, Division Director of the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, presented the update on this initiative.  To listen to the report visit: https://video.fairfaxcounty.gov/player/clip/3629?view_id=9&redirect=true

The GFCA Environment and Parks Committee will host Mr. Adams at their June 9 zoom meeting for further updates on this trash collection initiative.

GFCA recognizes that there are many unanswered details associated with this trash collection initiative and GFCA will continue to update as more information becomes available.  For current information and the public input timeline visit: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/boardofsupervisors/sites/boardofsupervisors/files/Assets/meeting%20materials/committees/2024/Agenda%20Item%202_SWMP%20Update_A-1a.pdf

House Subcommittee Action Halts Casino Bill

February 12, 2025; 6:00 PM

Dear GFCA Members and Friends:

Late this afternoon the Virginia House Appropriations Subcommittee on, Commerce, Agriculture, and Natural Resources effectively halted Senate Bill 982 to authorize a casino in the Tyson Area of Fairfax County.

The Subcommittee agreed to "Pass the Bill By for the Day".  However, the Chairman, David Bulova, commented that today's meeting was the subcommittee’s last meeting of the session.  Therefore, the casino bill may be left in committee. 

Reacting to this action, Lynne Mulston, spokesperson for the No Fairfax Casino Coalition offered her grateful appreciation to all the elected officials who spoke up and spoke against this ill-conceived bill.  "We extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Jennifer Boysko, whose bold, decisive leadership led the opposition to this casino bill.  Of significance, we acknowledge the thousands of Fairfax County residents who signed petitions opposing the bill, wrote members of the General Assembly, donated to the fight, planted yard signs, attended our rallies and traveled numerous times to Richmond in order to voice opposition."  

As a community organization partner in the No Fairfax Casino Coalition, the GFCA, also thanks Supervisor Jimmy Bierman for his strong opposition to the bill, a position that he made clear on numerous occasions at events throughout the county and in Richmond.

Mulston emphasized: "This bill was not requested by the local government, unlike the five other casinos that were authorized.  This bill is the product of a local developer who stands to benefit from the carefully crafted language of the bill that targets his holdings and possibly one other nearby site.  Further, the idea of a casino has been rejected by thousands of residents of the county who believe that a casino does not comport with the long term plans for Tysons."

The No Fairfax Casino Coalition will continue to monitor the status of this legislation and is preparing for any future similar casino legislation.  Mulston added: "The current bill followed from a previous failed effort by Senator Dave Marsden, in last year's session.  So, it is likely to resurrect itself in another piece of legislation in the future."

GFCA’s Special Committee on Legislative Action and the Land Use & Zoning Committee will also continue to monitor the casino issue and any new initiative that may develop in the future.

  For any questions, email: legislativecommittee@GFCA.org