<sh>Free Carseat Inspections
<bt>Certified technicians from the Sully District Police Station will perform free, child safety carseat inspections, Thursday, Dec. 14, and Tuesday, Dec. 19, from 5-8:30 p.m. each day, at the station at 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. They’ll make sure the carseat is correct for the child’s age, height and weight, the child is securely placed in the seat, and the seat is properly installed in the vehicle.
No appointment is necessary. But residents should install the child safety seats themselves, so the technicians may properly inspect and make adjustments, as necessary. Call the Sully District Child Seat Information line (703-814-7000, ext. 5140) to confirm dates and times. For additional child seat inspection times throughout Fairfax County, call the Fairfax County Operations Support Bureau at 703-280-0559.
<sh>Westfield Community Coalition
<bt>The next meeting of the Westfield Community Coalition is Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 1 p.m. in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd., in Chantilly. Call Nancy Bennett at 703-266-2370.
<sh>WFCCA Land-Use Meeting
<bt>A church, a bank pad and two county zoning-ordinance amendments are all on the upcoming agenda of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee. The next meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. Cases on tap are as follows:
* Mount Olive Baptist Church: Attorney Steve Fox will present further details about Mount Olive Baptist Church's new sanctuary. Proposed are a 55,000-square-foot church seating 1,150 people (with plans for 350 more seats in the future), a preschool/childcare facility and 382 parking spaces.
* Bank pad: A site for a 4,000-square-foot bank pad is planned for Centreville's Sully Station Shopping Center off Westfields Boulevard. If approved, a drive-in bank could be built on it in front of the Ace Hardware store.
* Residential lots: A proposed zoning-ordinance amendment would allow for a waiver of a requirement for a minimum lot width for residential property. County staff is recommending approval, and this matter goes before the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 26.
* Portable storage: A proposed zoning-ordinance amendment would enable residents to have larger, temporary, portable storage containers. County staff is also in favor of this idea. The issue goes to the Planning Commission on Feb. 8 and to the Supervisors on March 26.
<sh>Sully District Council Meeting
<bt>The Sully District Council of Citizens Associations and its Land-Use and Transportation Committee will meet Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd., in Chantilly. Call Jeff Parnes, evenings, at 703-904-0131.
<sh>Land-Use Committee Selected
<bt>The Springfield District/Fairfax Center Land-Use Committee has selected its committee members, plus new chairman and vice-chairman, for the two-year term that will begin Jan. 1, 2007. Philip Poole, of the Cannon Ridge Civic Association, and Fred Bailey, of the Deerfield Forest Homeowners Association, are the chairman and vice-chairman, respectively.
Former chairman, Mark Cummings, of the Brentwood Civic Association, is still on the new committee. But the former vice-chairman, Lowell Smith, of the Birch Pond Homeowners Association, retired and moved to Arizona.
Also returning to the committee are: Gail Brugger, Little Rocky Run Homeowners Association; Sherry Fisher, Ridgetop Commons Homeowners Association; Tom McDonald, Buckner Forest Homeowners Association; Steve Wallace, Greenbriar Civic Association; and Claudette Ward, Greater Willow Springs Civic Association. And now joining them is Tom Pennington of the Buckley's Reserve Homeowners Association.
Jeff Saxe, representing the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, and Ron Smith, of the Robertson Farm Homeowners Association, were chosen as alternates.
<sh>Library Launches Self-Checkout
<bt>The Fairfax County Public Library system has a new, book-scanning system called Express Checkout. Each of the library's 21 branches now has a scanner that reads the bar codes on library books being checked out, along with the bar code on the reader's library card.
For routine transactions, customers may check out their own books and go. Library staff will continue to help customers check out DVDs, pay fines, pick up reserved items, etc.
<sh>Cuccinelli's New Web Site
<bt>Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-37th) has a newly updated campaign Web site. It's a way to learn about the senator’s background and examine the policy priorities he's worked on as a legislator. The Cuccinelli for Senate Web site is at www.cuccinelli.com.
<sh>Meals on Wheels Needs Drivers
<bt>The Fairfax Area Agency on Aging "Meals on Wheels" program is in immediate need of drivers to deliver meals, Monday through Friday, to senior adults living in Fairfax County. Volunteers who speak Vietnamese are also needed.
The job involves picking up meals at specified sites between 10:30 a.m.-noon and delivering them to seniors by 1 p.m. Drivers may choose to deliver meals on a daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly or substitute basis. Call the Fairfax AAA Volunteer Intake Line at 703-324-5406 or e-mail melanie.mitchell@fairfaxcounty.gov.
<sh>Role Models for Children
<bt>Volunteers are needed throughout Northern Virginia to be positive role models for children who currently have an incarcerated parent. Mentors meet with children two hours per week. Weekly meetings are supplemented by monthly group recreational activities. The only qualification required is a desire to help a child in need.
To sign up for the mentor training session at the Center for Multicultural Human Services in Falls Church, call Ellen Klene, Volunteer Program manager, at 703-533-3302, ext. 107, or see www.cmhs.org.
<sh>Blood Donations are Sought
<bt>The Inova Blood Donor Center in the Centremed I Building on Route 29 in Centreville (across from the Centreville Multiplex Cinemas) is in urgent need of blood donations — especially O positive or negative, as well as A and B. They're accepted Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. For an appointment to give blood, call 703- 322-1970, or drop in at your own convenience.