Coles District Newsletter SUPERVISOR YESLI VEGA
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Coles District Newsletter SUPERVISOR YESLI VEGA February 2021 12th Edition Dear Neighbor, January and February has been dominated by the vaccine rollout. While your Board of Supervisors is the level of government farthest away from the decision making process, please know that our office has been doing what we can to stay on top of the daily changing news about the distribution, vaccination sites, and the general process in Virginia and here in Prince William County. While Prince William County has distributed the second most vaccines in the Commonwealth (we are the second largest jurisdiction) we are still way behind the rest of the region in vaccination rates based on our population. As of today, you would have to drive down to King William County, nearly two hours away, to find a locality with a worse vaccination rate based on population. Nobody seems to be taking responsibility for the local lag, but we’re told most of the blame falls at the state level. I recently tried pushing for a reconfiguration of the wait list numbers to help give county residents some expectation of where they’re at in line. As most of you know, random wait list numbers were assigned that provided no indication of where you stand. Unfortunately, the recent merger of the county’s data into the statewide database makes this near impossible. My office will continue to do what we can to help make this process most transparent for our residents. In other news, the Board majority defied the wishes of the planning office, the planning commission, and most importantly, the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Prince William County residents by beginning to chip away at the rural crescent with their vote on the Preserve at Long Branch, on January 19th. Subsequent news stories and quotes from the majority have confirmed this is likely only the beginning, and was indeed the precedent setter we predicted that an approval would be. Thank you for reading, and, as always, we welcome your feedback. For Coles, Yesli Vega /ColesDistrict 1 February 2021 12th Edition Table of Contents How to sign up for a COVID-19 Vaccine ............................................................................................................. 4 How to sign up for COVID Vaccine (Cont.) ......................................................................................................... 5 How to sign up for COVID Vaccine (Cont.) ......................................................................................................... 6 COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Numbers .......................................................................................................... 7 Attend the Prince William COVID-19 Vaccination Town Hall .......................................................................... 8 County COVID-19 Testing Locations .................................................................................................................. 9 Virginia Flu Numbers Nonexistent Compared to Years Past/Extended Lockdowns ..................................... 10 CDC Advises Those Who Get COVID-19 Vaccine/CDC Access to Vaccination and Reopening Schools ....... 11 Teachers Union Demands Vaccines Before Allowing/Reading Gap Widens ................................................... 12 Return To Learn Update .................................................................................................................................... 13 PP Restarting! Important PPP Information ..................................................................................................... 14 Virginia Enacts First-in-The Nation Permanent COVID-19 Workplace Safety and Health Edicts ............... 15 Dem Majority Approves Housing Development in the Rural Crescent .......................................................... 16 Board Approves Dar Al-Noor Mosque Expansion with Conditions ................................................................. 17 Board Approves Dar Al-Noor Mosque Expansion with Conditions (Cont.) .................................................... 18 Census 2020 and Redistricting ........................................................................................................................... 19 Lt. Mitch Nason Named President of PW Professional Fire Fighters/PWCS Firefighting Program .............. 20 Newsham Sworn-in as Fifth Police Chief for Prince William County .............................................................. 21 PD Seeks Applicants for Cadet Program ............................................................................................................ 22 Homicide Investigation in Dumfries/Police Thank the Community for Supporting Polar Plunge ................ 23 County Fills New Equity and Inclusion Officer Position ................................................................................... 24 PWCS Superintendent Budget Projects $29M Increase in Spending/PWCS Deputy Superintendent .......... 25 Gainesville High School Renaming Fails Angering School Board Member .................................................... 26 C.D. Hylton High School Students Gather to Watch the Sunrise and Celebrate Their Senior Year .............. 27 Board Unanimously Approves Cattle ZTA/Supervisor Boddye Directive on Cows Passing Gas .................... 28 Animal Shelter Completion Delayed by Three Months/Prince William County Historical Lecture .............. 29 Public Transportation Ridership Down 85%-95% From Last Year/New Veterans Commission Approved . 30 Prince William Recent Economic Developments ............................................................................................. 31 2 February 2021 12th Edition Table of Contents Prince William County Announces $2.4 Billion in Intended Capital Investment and 1,531 New Jobs ........ 32 New Passport to Prince William Program Supports Area Businesses/Recreation Bags to Fight Social ........ 33 Four New Hotels/County Assistance for First Time Homebuyers/Board Creates 2040 Comp Plan ............. 34 PWC Parks Recreation and Tourism is Hiring Lifeguards/Parks, Recreation and Tourism Unveil .............. 35 Eco Park– Outdoor Discovery Trail Update ...................................................................................................... 36 Yard Waste Collection and Apartment Recycling Changes in 2021 ................................................................. 37 Prince William County Litter Control Program/Prince William County Young Adult Survey ....................... 38 New Library Opening Delayed/Prince William Public Libraries Digital Library ............................................ 39 Stafford Regional Airport Groundbreaking/ Meeting with the Girls of Scout Troop 4670 ............................ 40 Supervisor Bailey Elected Vice-Chair/Board Legislative Update/Chair Wheeler Delivers 2021 State……… 41 February Holidays .............................................................................................................................................. 42 Upcoming Coles Land Use Cases ....................................................................................................................... 43 February Board of Supervisors Meetings .......................................................................................................... 44 Board / Commission / Committee Meetings ..................................................................................................... 45 Contact Information: Board of Supervisors & School Board ............................................................................ 46 Contact Information: Supervisor Vega’s Citizen Appointments....................................................................... 47 Contact Information: Statewide Officials, State Senate & House of Delegates ................................................ 48 Contact Information: U.S. Senate / U.S. House / County Departments .......................................................... 49 3 February 2021 12th Edition How to Sign Up for a COVID-19 Vaccine Virginia Department of Health launches newest appointment system, more information released regarding vaccinations at CVS Pharmacy in Gainesville On February 16th, the Virginia Department of Health launched Vaccinate.Virginia.gov. This new centralized distribution system allows individuals to sign up for an appointment and check their registration. Along with the launch of this new online system, the Virginia Department of Health has also created a centralized call center. To sign up for an appointment by phone or obtain more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, citizens can call 877-ASK-VDH-3 (877-275-8343) between 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Language translation is available, and TTY users can dial 7-1-1 for assistance. The PWHD Call Center will call those who are registered for their second dose within 7 days of their due date to schedule an appointment. If they are overdue for their second dose, or if it is within three days before they should receive their second dose, then they should call the Call Center (703-872-7759). Those who have previously pre-signed through the Prince William Health District have been automatically imported into the new system and do not need to register again. Your position on the Prince William Health District waitlist will not change as the date and time you filled out the form and your vaccination eligibility category will remain the same in this new system. In a statement, the Virginia Department of Health said it “may take several days for