Facility Meeting
<bt>Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, in conjunction with the architectural firm of Wisnewski Blair Associates of Alexandria, will host a third community design review meeting for the Dulles South Multipurpose Facility Project Wednesday, Oct. 12, in the Freedom High School auditorium, 25450 Riding Center Drive in South Riding.
An informal drop-in session will be held from 1:30-4:30 p.m. The formal public session takes place from 7:30-9 p.m. The purpose of these meetings is to obtain input from the community regarding facility design considerations and to allow the design team to share their latest ideas and concepts. For more information or project updates, visit www.loudoun.gov/prcs/facilities or call 703-737-8425.
<sh>Candidate Forum
<bt>The Loudoun League of Women Voters will be holding a candidate forum with 32nd District House of Delegates candidates incumbent Dick Black (R) and challenger David Poisson (D) at Cascades Senior Citizens Center, 21060 Whitfield Place, Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 7:30-9 p.m.
Local newspaper reporters will ask candidates questions, followed by questions from the audience. Open to the public.
<sh>Meeting Time Change
<bt>The next meeting of the Public Safety Committee of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will begin at 7 p.m., a half-hour later than usual, Monday, Oct. 17, in the Lovettsville Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E. in Leesburg.
Packets for the board's standing committees are posted online several days in advance of the meetings and may be found on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/bos/documents.htm.
<sh>Deadline Nears
<bt>The deadline to register for Make a Difference Day, hosted by Loudoun Volunteer Services, is Oct. 15.
Make a Difference Day is an annual event that takes place nationally on the fourth Saturday of every October. This year's event will take place Saturday, Oct. 22.
Loudoun Volunteer Services has again selected the Holiday Coalition as its service project and needs volunteers to help collect household items to be distributed during the holidays. One of three suggested baskets Ñ a Homey Household Basket, a Squeaky Clean Basket, or a Yummy Tummy Basket Ñ will need to be delivered Oct. 22, to Algonkian Elementary School, 20196 Carter Court, Sterling, between the hours of 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
In addition to dropping off a donation, the community is invited to stay and visit the volunteer fair, also being hosted by Loudoun Volunteer Services, where nonprofit organizations and businesses will be available to talk about their volunteer needs.
For more information or to register to donate items for one of the above baskets, please call Lisa Rose, volunteer coordinator, at 703-777-0113.
<sh>Fire Prevention Week
<sh>Oct. 9-15 has been declared "National Fire Prevention Week" across the United States. Fire-Rescue members throughout Loudoun County will join together in recognition of this event. This year's theme is "Use Candles with Care. When You Go Out, Blow Out!", encourages people to observe simple safety precautions when using candles.
In an effort to battle home fires before they start, fire and rescue companies throughout Loudoun are having local activities and events to raise awareness of key fire safety issues, helping attendees prevent fires and fire injuries, especially at home.
In addition to using candles safely, Loudoun County residents are urged to ensure that smoke alarms are installed on every level of the home and kept working with monthly testing and annual battery replacement. All smoke alarms should be replaced with a new unit after 10 years. Each member of the household needs to know the fire escape plan, and all should practice it twice a year. Loudoun County residents can learn more about candle safety and all forms of fire prevention by contacting Joy Brown, public education manger, at 703-777-0333 or the NFPA's official Fire Prevention Week Web site www.firepreventionweek.org.
<sh>Emergency Drill
<bt>In the event of a widespread outbreak of disease, mass medication dispensing sites might need to be opened throughout Loudoun County to keep residents safe. On Oct. 22, Loudoun County will be conducting "PotomEX 05," an emergency preparedness exercise designed to test the county's mass dispensing site plan and to familiarize residents with the process of obtaining medications should an emergency occur.
Anyone interested in participating should to go Potomac
Falls High School between 10-11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 22,
and invest approximately three hours of their time to better protect themselves, their family and their community.
Potomac Falls High School is located at 46400 Algonkian Parkway. More information about PotomEX 05 is available online at www.loudoun.gov/health/volunteer.htm.
<sh>Flu Season Nears
<bt>As the flu season approaches, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is advising everyone to get vaccinated, especially those people who are at risk of developing complications from influenza. Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza, or the flu, and its potentially severe complications.
The vaccine is available from most physicians, local health departments and many local pharmacies. Until Oct. 24, VDH is asking vaccine providers to give the first available doses to people in high-risk groups and to health-care providers who have contact with patients in those groups. Beginning Oct. 24, all Virginians will be eligible for vaccination. However, citizens should check with their local physician or local health department to gauge the status of vaccine supply and to determine which patients will be provided with vaccine. Providers will be receiving vaccine throughout the season and supplies may vary at times.
Influenza can cause fever, cough, sore throat, headache, chills and muscle aches. Unlike the common cold, the flu causes severe illness and can be life threatening. Complications from the flu can lead to pneumonia and other serious illnesses, such as infections of the brain and heart. There are two types of flu vaccine available in the United States and their formulas are changed each year to attack the strains of the virus that are in circulation. This is why it is important to be vaccinated every year.
The best time to receive influenza vaccine is during October and November, however vaccination in December, or even later, can still prevent the flu. January and February are typically peak flu months in Virginia, but increased flu activity can last into March. Protection develops about two weeks after vaccination and may last up to a year.
For more information, visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov. Additional resources, including a vaccine clinic locator, may be found on the American Lung Association's Web page http://www.flushotsvirginia.org or by calling (800) LUNG-USA.
<sh>Get Involved
<bt>The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors' Human Services Committee Chairman, Stephen J. Snow, is encouraging residents to take part in the public comment session, which occurs at the beginning of each committee meeting.
The Human Services Committee was formed in January 2005 and meets on the third Wednesday of each month, at 6:30 p.m., in the Board Room of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E. in Leesburg. The next three scheduled meetings are Oct. 19, Nov. 16, and Dec. 21.
The Board's other regularly scheduled standing committees and their meeting times at the government center are:
* Economic Development, fourth Tuesday, at 5 p.m.
* Finance/Government Services, first and third Tuesday, 15 minutes after the conclusion of the Board meeting.
* Public Safety, third Monday, at 6:30 p.m.
* Transportation/Land Use, fourth Monday, at 1 p.m.
Packets for the committee meetings, which include action items, agendas and other relevant documents, are posted online prior to the meetings and may be found online at www.loudoun.gov/bos/documents.htm.
<sh>County Receives Award
<bt>The Loudoun County Division of Procurement has received the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award for 2005 from the National Purchasing Institute.
The national award is presented to organizations that demonstrate excellence in procurement by obtaining a high score on a rating of standardized criteria designed to measure innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement and leadership attributes.
This is the seventh year in a row that Loudoun's Procurement Division has received the award, one of only 20 agencies to receive the award at least seven times. Also, Loudoun was in the top 10 of all counties for total points achieved.