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| Bond would fund Metro improvements and maintenance. |
Three Fairfax County bond referenda are expected to appear on the ballot on Election Day, Nov. 8, totaling $312 million.
A $120 million transportation bond would be used to pay for the county’s share – $30 million annually over the next four years – of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s capital improvement program.
That includes safety and system maintenance projects, new rail cars, power upgrades for running eight-car trains, additional buses for operating “priority corridor networks,” and rail station improvements to increase the capacity of the Metrorail system infrastructure.
An $85 million human services and community development bond includes $48 million to renovate, expand, or replace four homeless shelters, including the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter, as well as the Patrick Henry, Embry Rucker, and Eleanor Kennedy shelters.
All four are aging facilities, always full to capacity, and can no longer meet emergency needs of homeless individuals or families, states a description of the proposed bonds. “The bond funds could enable the county to improve the service delivery model by providing both emergency housing services and permanent housing solutions in one location.”
That bond also includes $37 million for the replacement and expansion of the Sully Senior Center and a new Lorton Community Center.
A $107 million park bond would fund capital improvements and replacement of existing parkfacilities. That includes $94.7 million to address priorities identified in the Park Authority’s needs assessment, previously identified funding needs, and the growing need to maintain the Park Authority’s aging infrastructure. Funds would be included for the renovation of the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale.
The park bond also includes $12.3 million to sustain the county’s capital contribution to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority over the next four years.
The Board of Supervisors has requested the Circuit Court to order the bond referenda to be placed on the ballot.