June 1, 2025
1 – Community Yard Sale – Saturday, June 7
2 – Community Feedback at Annual Meeting
3 – ECHO News
4 – Unified Sanitation District Virtual Town Hall June 3
5 – Graduations at EagleBank Arena affecting traffic on Braddock Rd
6 – Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting Tuesday, June 3 at West Springfield Police Station
7 – Calendar
1 – The Community Yard Sale will be this Saturday, June 7, 8am-noon. I apologize for the incorrect deadline of May 3 which should have been June 3 to be included in the participation list. Send me your name, address, and a brief description of what you are selling. It is also a great way of getting rid of free stuff.
If you want to help put up and take down signs that morning/afternoon, please let me know. We have signs we put up along Rolling Rd and a sign in front of each participating house.
2 – I mentioned a few things people said at the Annual Meeting and wanted to do some research before saying the rest. Here is what people had to say:
- Please keep your dog on a leash. You might not think your animal can hurt anyone, but it can trigger people who were attacked by a dog. It is also the law.
- If you are walking your dog, please let it do its business in the grass strip between the curb and sidewalk and not in people’s yards – especially on their mailbox post. Also, a reminder that it is the law to pick up your dog waste.
- Someone brought up people driving too fast in our community – especially at hills and turns where it not safe to drive the posted speed limit. They said that areas are encouraging “20 is Plenty” policies for how fast people drive in their subdivisions. There were no objections and a lot of agreeance from people in the meeting about it. There is no law saying how much below the speed limit you can drive where it becomes illegal. The only thing I saw was if it impeded traffic, but 20 in a 25mph speed limit does not qualify. This is a warning to you, your family, and people who drive to visit you that there are people who might be driving below the speed limit in our area. It is also an invitation to be civilly disobedient towards people who drive too fast.
3 – From the latest ECHO newsletters:
ECHO Needs Help With School Backpacks This Summer
ECHO is looking for volunteers 13 years old or older to help stuff 1300 backpacks with school supplies. These will be distributed before school starts in the fall to families in need of assistance. We will welcome youth and adult volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 5:00 from July 1 through August 21. Because we have limited space and can accommodate only 10 helpers per session, volunteers must sign up in advance through SignupGenius. The link will be on the ECHO website, echo-inc.org, under the Volunteer tab beginning in mid-June.
Volunteers may sign up for up to 6 work sessions, but must commit to stay for the full three hours for each session they attend. Volunteers under 18 years old must have a permission form signed by a parent or guardian. The permission form will be emailed to the volunteer when they complete the signup.
Please note that we only use new items in our backpacks in order to give every child the fresh start that they deserve. Beginning in mid June, those who wish to donate supplies for the Backpack Program can find a list on our website under the Donate Goods tab. There will also be a link to ECHO’s Amazon Wishlist for those who would like to have supplies delivered directly. Any questions should be emailed to echobackpacks@gmail.com.
Mark Your Calendar
The 33rd annual Burke/Fairfax CROP Hunger Walk is scheduled for Sunday, November 2, 2025. This event is one of 550 similar walks held around the country to raise awareness of local and global hunger and to raise funds to end the scourge of food insecurity. The donations go to Church World Service (cwsglobal.org) which sends 25% of the funds back to hunger-fighting organizations where the funds were raised. ECHO sponsors a team of walkers, collects non-perishable food donations at the walk, and receives a portion of the proceeds from Church World Service. Join ECHO’s team or walk on your own. Find out more and register at the website, burkecropwalk.org.
Food Drive Coming Up
Burke Community Church, 9900 Old Keene Mill Road, Burke, is holding a food drive for ECHO in their parking lot on Saturday, June 7, from 9:00 am until noon. Volunteers from the congregation will be receiving non-perishable foods and personal hygiene items from donors who may drive through and drop off. One item that ECHO needs (and donors rarely think of) is instant coffee. Many of our clients would like to have coffee, but do not own coffee makers. Our Food Pantry also especially needs dried beans, rice, canned fruits, healthy snack foods, laundry detergent, dish detergent, shampoo and toothbrushes.
Winter Jackets in June?
Yes, ECHO currently has a low inventory of men’s winter jackets. While we won’t be distributing them immediately, we need to have them on hand for distribution starting in late August. We want to make sure people are prepared before the weather turns cold. If you have any warm jackets to spare, please consider donating them to ECHO now. Our Clothing Department also needs men’s short sleeve tops as well as spring and summer jackets for both sexes and in all sizes. And, as ever, donations of new socks and underwear are deeply appreciated.
ECHO’s Housewares Department could really use functioning vacuum cleaners and microwaves as well as frying pans and flatware.
ECHO’s Donation Door, 7205 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, is open from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on weekdays and from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings plus one Saturday morning a month.
Upcoming Dates to Note
June 7 - Saturday Opening
June 19 - Closed for Juneteenth Holiday
July 4 - Closed for Independence Day
July 12 - Saturday Opening
July 16 - Exec Comm meets
Congregational and Other Food Drives
June - St. Mark’s Lutheran and Westwood Baptist
July - First Baptist Springfield, Westwood Baptist
4 – From the Springfield District newsletter. This is regarding the County considering the establishment of a new solid waste collection system for single family homes through Unified Sanitation Districts (USD). This means the County wants to collect trash and eliminate private trash companies:
Unified Sanitation Districts Virtual Town Hall (June 3)
On June 3rd, at 6:30 PM, I will be hosting a Unified Sanitation Districts Virtual Town Hall with the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. I hope you will join me on June 3rd at 6:30 pm on Facebook Live and Channel 16. There will be an initial presentation followed by an opportunity for the community to ask questions or make comments about the proposal. To ask questions you can call in during the live broadcast at 703-324-1114 or you can email questions in advance tospringfieldbos@fairfaxcounty.gov.
More information regarding the June 24th Public Hearing can be found here: Board of Supervisors Meeting: June 24, 2025 | Board Of Supervisors. You can see staff’s presentations to the Board on this matter at the links below:
Update 1: PowerPoint Presentation
Update 2: PowerPoint Presentation
Update 3: PowerPoint Presentation
Update 4: PowerPoint Presentation
The recorded meetings are also online for you to view comments by staff and Supervisors.
5 – A reminder of extra traffic along Braddock Rd and Route 123 for a few weeks:
6 – From the FCPS website. Their next meeting is this Tuesday at 7pm:
Want to be more involved with the Fairfax County Police Department? Want to provide a valuable service to your community, and be more informed about county issues and laws at the same time?
Consider joining your local FCPD Community Advisory Committees (CAC). Meetings are held at your police station each month as shown below.
CACs enhance communication between residents and the FCPD and offer residents a chance to dialogue with members of their local police districts. Members are kept informed about significant safety matters in their neighborhoods, and are encouraged to bring any issues or questions to the attention of local police commanders.
Learn more about your community; become a CAC member! See below for contact information:
West Springfield Police District, 1st Tuesday of the month at 7 pm
Major Ryan Lazisky, 703-644-7377
CAC contact: Jim Shrouds, Email: wscacmailbox@gmail.com
7 – Calendar
June 7 – CAWSV Community Yard Sale – 8am-noon
June 15 – Father’s Day
June 17 – last day of school
June 19 – Juneteenth (Federal and County Holiday)