By Nicole Woods
Fort Belvoir Public Affairs Office
Thursday, February 9, 2012

Mount Vernon residents learned about the growth and development of Fort Belvoir during the 25th annual Town Hall, at Mount Vernon High School, Saturday.

Garrison Commander, Col. John Strycula, provided an overview of Fort Belvoir after Base Realignment and Closure at the event hosted by Mount Vernon District Supervisor, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Gerry Hyland.

Strycula addressed the significant growth and development from 1912 to now, noting the installation’s centennial celebration this year. He also mentioned the new Wounded Warrior complex and Family support center expected to be complete in the next 11 months.

During the meeting, U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly, Virginia’s 11th District, U.S. House of Representatives, addressed the topic of traffic on and around Belvoir. Connolly said he was proud of the partnership with Belvoir and glad Fort Belvoir’s Garrison Commander was there to discuss the issue of traffic due to BRAC.

On the subject of traffic, a Mount Vernon resident expressed her concern with the back-up caused by Walker gate. The backups force drivers to either sit in traffic or take a longer route to get around.

“We plan to start putting additional police officers by the gate to direct traffic and are considering putting up an additional traffic light to delineate the problem,” Strycula said.

The commander highlighted the commuter partnerships Fort Belvoir has developed with Virginia government agencies to address traffic issues.

“Through partnerships formed from BRAC, with Virginia Department of Transportation, Fairfax County, and other federal partners, we now have the Eagle Express together,” Strycula said. “The garrison is developing plans to get more traffic off the road. It is a quality of life issue. No matter how much we have grown and changed, our mission stays the same, to support Soldiers and their Families to the best of our ability.”

Strycula addressed the issues of the legal jurisdiction over Fairfax County Parkway and adequate school facilities for elementary students.

The commander explained that he was working on a plan to team up with local law enforcement and Belvoir’s police force to help control the parkway area, adding that he was discussing the issue with the Corps of Engineers.

As for the school facilities, Strycula said he is waiting for funding to become available.

“We already have a location in place. This will allow us to solve the capacity issue and not have to bus students off-post,” he added.

The town hall also featured an exhibit area with static displays from many agency representatives in Fairfax County, including the Federal Credit Union, Fairfax County Police, VDOT, Urgent Care.

Representatives from the Fort Belvoir community included the National Museum of the Army and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

Attendees took advantage of the opportunity to interact with representatives who shared their distinctive roles within the community.

After residents explored the exhibit area, Hyland took them on a “Virtual bus tour” in which he addressed the major changes expected throughout the county. He applauded the strong partnership with Fort Belvoir.

According to Hyland and Sharon Bulova, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Belvoir is a good neighbor with which the county collaborates often. As a partner, Belvoir helps to maximize opportunities for transportation and to ultimately improve the quality of life for members of the community.