City Council Meeting

Kevin Andersonpublic commentI want to thank you for this opportunity. I'm a county resident and a member of the Young at Heart Senior Center Council. And I'm here to speak in favor of the Willard Sherwood Project. Now, Green Acres is an apt name when you consider the ball fields and the surrounding grounds, but the building, the HVAC system, and the utilities can hardly be considered green. Since I don't have access to the specifics of Green Acres, I utilized AI to assist me with my research. and I could have used the AI to write my comments for me, but I was thinking that might be a little bit of cheating. Plus, I didn't want to sprout a six-finger on my hand either. So my research found that a 41,000-square-foot school built in 1961

Janet Jaworskipublic commentthe need for a full-service community center. So I do support it for all the reasons that you've been hearing from all of the other residents coming up to support it. I'm going to focus on something a little bit different, I am a member of the senior center, but I'm going to try to highlight some benefits for adults of all ages. As a former competitive athlete, I think the walking track, the gym, the fitness center are going to be so key to both the physical and mental health of our residents. As we all know, mental health and physical health are intertwined. and a happy, healthy, both mentally and physically population here is really something that you cannot put a price tag on. I realize, as Mr. Stewart said, we all know there's a price tag involved.

Alan Glennpublic commentThank you. Alan Glenn, long-time resident of the city and now a resident just outside the city. I wanted to speak tonight also in favor of the project, the Willard Health Center, Sherwood Center. I'm both on my wife's behalf, Judy Blanchard, and myself. strongly in support of it. We've benefited from some of the services over the years. Our kids were vaccinated at the health center in their early childhood period. We've had other counseling and services over the years. Both of us have used the senior center and continue to be members there. I think the expanded opportunities for child care and public health that will be offered and available through this project are very much in demand. To me, this project is one of a number that I consider crown jewels in the community,

where the city partners with the county in coming up with a wonderful facility to serve everyone, included the public schools where both our kids went and the public library that we've used and the health centers. Personally, I think you all have a difficult job as elected leaders to a two-year term where you have to consider the strategic needs of the community and balance them against costs and budgetary issues. But I think in this case, the project will solve a need to update and replace the senior center that's now at Green Acres and provide better health and public services and child care and early childhood health for residents. The nice thing about this is it serves everybody in the community,

William Pitchfordpublic commentthe community's current and future needs the facility was built in 1961 as an that was before schools had air conditioning. It was retired in 2000. It was never intended to be a community or senior center. The building is well beyond its useful lifespan. It's located in the center of a residential community, has no public transportation access, poor ADA compliance, and a dangerous parking lot, especially at night. I had the honor of attending a Fairfax City Citizens for Smarter Growth meeting at Green Acres in February of this year. Like most community service organizations, this is where they have meetings. And just like this council meeting, it started at 7 p.m. Unlike the normal council meetings, it ended at the decent hour of 8.30, which was still well past sunset.

Toby Sorensenpublic commentWe know the higher level of class and rental fees that will cover operating expenses, plus provide a surplus that can be put toward the yearly bond payment. We know what the bond payment will be if the city goes to bond this spring. We know that we will be able to keep a senior center and have it located in a modern facility with better services. We know that we will be able to keep a much needed preschool in the city. We know that we will have a well located community center that will draw people and businesses to the downtown area. We know that we will have continued access to important health department services right Finally, we know when this project will be completed. If you do not vote to fund Willard Sherwood, there are many things we will not know.

Would we begin again to create a plan to build or rebuild a community center? How much would that new planning cost? Would a new project be located at Green Acres? Would a new project be located elsewhere? Where would that be, and how much would it cost? How far into the future will we be looking and how much will the cost of bonds be at that time? If we do nothing, will we lose the senior center and the preschool? Since the City Council and the County Board of Supervisors signed a letter of understanding for full design and construction of the joint project, would the county expect the city to compensate them for the money they have spent on the project so far? expect the city to compensate them for the money it will need to begin their

planning and design process anew. Would the county choose a different location for the health center, one that would not be in the city? If the county chose a different location, what would they decide to do with the land that they own next to the Sherwood Center? We want to continue to have a senior center and a preschool and community spaces for our residents as well as to have a health the city if you believe you have a hard decision to make about funding Willard Sherwood think think also about the really hard decisions you will have to make if you don't vote to fund it thank you for listening

Mary McDanielpublic commentOur population has grown, and along with that is the need for child care. Public health services, again, larger population means more demand. On top of that, the federal government has significantly reduced spending on public health and plans to continue to do more. So states and localities have to step up. Community space. In the past 10 years, we have learned a lot about the importance of personal contact and mental health. You know, texting is fine for some things, but face-to-face communication is far more important, as is exercise. So the Senior Center is really critical. Something that doesn't get talked about much is parking. The Sherwood Center parking center fills up when popular programs are taking place in the evening,