"Having it all in one place is going to be wonderful."
That assessment of Fairfax County's new South County Center came from an organization that many may perceive to be in competition with the social services side of county government — the United Christian Ministries (UCM).
Sharon Kelso, UCM executive director, said, "The new building is going to impact us very positively. Many of our clients don't have the transportation to get to various service locations. And we don't duplicate services."
Located at 7511 Fordson Road in Hybla Valley, UCM was incorporated in 1969. It provides a wide variety of services to the community such as clothing, furniture, child care, and employment services.
"The county provides these things as well, but from a different perspective," Kelso explained. "In many instances the county provides money while we concentrate on the actual services. We supplement the county's money."
She noted, "While we may provide some of the same type services, it's all part of a continuum. We work together cooperatively. We don't duplicate one another's efforts."
Located at the intersection of Mohawk Lane and Route 1, the new South County Center is scheduled to be fully operational by May 1. It will provide an accessible location for a comprehensive array of county services to the citizens of the Mount Vernon and Lee Districts of Fairfax County.
"There is a very strong partnership between Fairfax County government and organizations like UCM which enables us to aid families, build self-sufficiency, and get through crisis situations," Kelso emphasized.
One of the programs moving into the new five story structure at 8350 Richmond Highway is Healthy Families. It is a joint endeavor between UCM, the County's Health Department and Department of Family Service, according to Kelso. It addresses the problems of abuse and neglect encountered by first time parents.
UCM employs about 80 staff in their 10,000-square-foot headquarters, Kelso said. They also have separate sites for their childcare and employment centers as well as the store, known as the "Back Porch."
Approximately 35 percent of UCM funds come from the county to provide specific services, Kelso explained. Other financial sources include area churches, proceeds from the Back Porch, individuals and foundations.
ANOTHER ORGANIZATION ANXIOUSLY anticipating the inauguration of the Center is the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC). Located in Pear Tree Village, SFDC's mission is the redevelopment and revitalization of Richmond Highway.
"I am thrilled with the new Center. It is everything we expected it would be," Becky Witsman, SFDC executive director said. "The more people use it they are going to realize how valuable an asset it is. It brings a lot of services to this end of the county that weren't readily available before."
As a contributing agency to county government, SFDC operates with an 18 member volunteer board and two staff. "One of the great things about the new Center is the very creative financing. It has been planned a long time but the financing proposals never worked," Witsman said.
"To be able to lock in your rent for 30 years and then to own the building at the end of that period is a very good deal. We can't wait for it to be operational," she enthused
"This new Center gives us the opportunity to attract other new investments around it. Right now there is a five year window on making changes to the comprehensive land use plan and we are proposing to have the Center viewed as a new community business center on that plan," Witsman explained.
In addition to the myriad of social, employment, family and medical services, plus meeting facilities for the community at large to be housed in the new Center, it will also become a new satellite home of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
Located in the Mount Zephyr Building, 8305 Richmond Highway, for the past 12 years, the Court will be become the Center's first occupant on April 3, according to Roxanne Tigh, director of South County Probation Services.
"As a satellite office of the Court, we do not have sitting judges. We have probation offices here and operate two alternative school programs," Tigh explained.
To be located on the ground floor of the new building, the Court has its own entrance. It has been in a variety of locations on Richmond Highway over the past 25 years. South County Center will become it's permanent home in this portion of Fairfax County.
Tigh noted that 18 staff from their present location on Richmond Highway will be relocating to the new Center plus some from Fairfax. They will be from the Probation Office and Domestic Court.
"A lot of staff from the Fairfax office use our office when they are in this part of the County," she said. "We are one of four satellite offices throughout the County."
ALONG WITH ITS LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES, the Court provides two Alternative School Programs geared to high school students who have been expelled from their base school due to a variety of behavioral causes, according to Tigh.
"In the Gunston Alternative School Program, all the students are either on probation or have been expelled. These kids spend from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in classes. They are earning credits toward graduation," Tigh said.
"If they do well for one semester they may be reinstated to their base school. But, they must request reinstatement, it's not automatic. The decision is up to the school and is dependent upon the terms of their expulsion," she explained. "In some cases the student remains in the program through graduation."
In the Independent Study Program, the other educational offering under the jurisdiction of the Court, many of the students are working on their GED. This program relies more on self motivation, according to Tigh.
The Court deals with juveniles in the 12 to 18 year old age bracket. "They come here through police, probation officers, citizen complaints, and even through parent or guardian initiatives," she noted. "If they come to us by the parents it's usually because they are chronic runaways or as a result of abusing their parents."
But one obstacle remains to the successful operation of the South County Center. And it could prove a deadly hazard to all who work, enjoy and avail themselves of the many advantages of this new citizen facility.
That obstacle is the snail's pace decision process of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to install a traffic signal at the Mohawk Lane/Route 1 intersection. With all the use anticipated for the building, into the evening hours, it could become one more target spot on what some in the county are calling "the Route 1 killing field."
Jon Hass of MDP Buckman, LLC, developers of the building, said, "It is out of our hands at the moment. We have been promoting a [traffic] light there from the beginning. We have completed the warrant and synchronization studies."
It is the responsibility of the developer to install the light, which Haas readily acknowledges. They are prepared to do it as soon as it is cleared by VDOT. However, the alignment of Mohawk Lane with Route 1 must also be done first. That is the county's responsibility.
County Supervisor Dana Kauffman (Lee District), said, "We have no estimated time frame for the signal but we hope it will be functional in the next two or three months. The money is available through the proffers on the project.
"It has met all the tests for a traffic signal and the county hopes to get the alignment of Mohawk Lane done as quickly as possible. The problem is we are dealing with a less staffed VDOT."
With or without a traffic signal, the new South County Center will welcome its first occupants April 3. By May 1, it is scheduled to be under full sail as the flagship of Fairfax County Government servicing the needs of citizens throughout the Mount Vernon and Lee districts.