August 29, 2007

COMMENTARY

        My latest do-it-yourself summer building project was to construct a garden storage shed for my in-laws. I told them that I thought it would cost about $200 in materials. After I designed it, purchased needed supplies, and made a few upgrades that I thought might make it more useful, the final price tag for materials was $420. By any measure, a huge price increase or budget overrun. But I can explain why.

My first guesstimate was on a concept that got a little more complicated when I actually designed it. Lumber costs much more than I remembered when I undertook a project like this previously. And my little upgrades particularly in the doors that made the shed look nicer and be more functional also added to its cost.

Projects are like that. The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project continues to get a bad rap in some quarters because its current price based on preliminary engineering is more than the first guesstimate made several years ago. But the soundness of the current price and schedule was demonstrated again last week as the Federal Transit Administration Project Management Oversight Consultant, Hill International, reported on the rail assessment associated with the Dulles Project's scope, budget, schedule, and contingency. There are issues to be resolved, but I was pleased with the substantial agreement that exists between the project plan and the findings of the risk assessment. Contrary to the concerns of some, the public-private partnership agreement did not result in higher costs.

There are adjustments that must be made for sure, and these adjustments have been the subject of press coverage. The price difference can be easily accommodated without affecting ridership. The project partners, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Fairfax County, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency, have made it clear that they are fully committed to supporting the risk assessment process leading to approval for final design and a full funding agreement.

We have come a long way on this project over the last several years. A lengthy environmental process was concluded and a final record of decision was received from the federal government in the fall of 2006. Preliminary design has been underway for several years with a contract signed with Dulles Transit Partners in March, 2007. Transit-oriented development planning around the rail is already underway in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. The risk assessment ensures that taxpayer dollars will be spent wisely.

I did not have a fixed schedule for my garden shed project, but I was able to build it in four days over a two-week period. I hope the Federal Transit Administration will move expeditiously to approve entry into final design and a full funding agreement in order that we can get the Dulles Metrorail Project built. Bureaucratic delay will certainly add to its cost.

Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report"
on Reston Comcast Channel 28

Tonight – Wednesday, August 29 at 10:30 p.m. – Delegate Ken Plum's "State of the Commonwealth 2007" Report

Tuesday, September 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, September 5 at 10:30 p.m. – Ron Kirby, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments – "What if the Washington Region Grew Differently?"

Re-Election Campaign

Ken is a candidate for re-election to the House of Delegates on November 6, 2007. To ask Ken a question about the issues, e-mail kenplum@aol.com. To contribute electronically to his campaign, go to www.kenplum.com.

Announcements

The date for the August webinar of the Virginia Department of Business Assistance is TODAY, August 29, noon to 1:00 p.m. This month's topic is "Entrepreneur Hour: Procurement Meets the Entrepreneur Express!" Visit www.vipnet.org/conference/cgi-bin/conference.cgi?confer_id=166 THIS MORNING to register. Participants will need a phone line to connect to the conference call. Sorry for the late notice -- the original date for the August webinar had to be rescheduled.

The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities and State Special Education Advisory Committee (SSEAC) are collaborating to create a grassroots communications network to more effectively and efficiently distribute information about special education issues in Virginia. To participate in the network, go to www.vaboard.org/vsenform.htm.

Visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, www.cpsc.gov, periodically to review current and past recalls of toys and other items.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is holding information sessions about new regulations that establish uniform statewide standards for traffic impact analyses of land-use proposals that will substantially impact the state-controlled transportation network. The intent of the regulations is to improve the coordination between land-use and transportation planning decisions by providing information to lcoal government officials and citizens. For more information visit www.vdot.gov.

Recycle your old cell phones and ink jet cartridges at Fed-Ex Kinko's.

Beware! If you receive an email from "Internal Revenue Service" with a subject of "Tax Refund," DELETE it. It is asking you to fill out a form and submit it. Instead of going to the IRS, it will go to someone gathering your information.

Calendar of Events

The Fairfax County Planning Commission's Environment Committee will hold a public workshop on developing an approach to use the Comprehensive Plan to encourage implementation of green building practices for private sector development. The workshop will be held on Thursday, September 6, 7:00 p.m. in the Board Auditorium, Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning for more information.

Discover the world in Reston! Attend the 2007 Reston Multicultural Festival on Saturday, September 8, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza. The event is free.

Join Delegate Ken and Jane Plum and their family at a Family Picnic and Political Rally on Sunday, September 9, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Temporary Road Park (Corner of Temporary Road and North Shore Drive near the Reston Town Center). Bring your family and friends. There will be food, entertainment, games and very short speeches. Visit www.kenplum.com to rsvp and for ticket and sponsorship information.

SIDS Mid-Atlantic, The CJ Foundation for SIDS, and Wawa Food Corporation will sponsor the 11th annual Walk to Fight SIDS at Locust State Park in Triangle, Virginia, and at Buddy Attick Park in Greenbelt, Maryland on Sunday, September 9, 8:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The mission of SIDS Mid-Atlantic is to support family members and others who have been affected by the sudden, unexpected death of an infant and to provide education and outreach to help prevent SIDS. For more information about this event and about SIDS, visit www.sidsma.org.

Attend the Sully Quilt Show and Sale, "Stitches of Friendship – Quilts from the Quaker Community," on Sunday, September 9, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Show and Sale will be held at the Sully Historic Site, 3601 Sully Road, Chantilly. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully or call 703.437.1794 for more information.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors cordially invites you to attend a Remembrance Ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Grove on Monday, September 10, 2007, at approximately noon. The ceremony will begin after the morning session of the Board of Supervisors' meeting. Please gather by 11:45 a.m. in the Forum of the Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. For more information, directions, or ADA accommodations, call 703.324.3187, TTY 711

The 2007 International Children's Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. This year features young performers from Bolivia, Nepal, Spain, and Sweden. There will be entertainment on four stages featuring over 20 performing groups form near and far including interactive art experiences. Volunteers are also needed. Contact volunteericf07@artsfairfax.org to volunteer or for more information.

The Aaron Burr Association (www.aaronburrassociation.org) will meet in Richmond on October 5 and 6 for the 200th Anniversary of Burr's trial. On Friday night, October 5, members of the association will return to the "scene of the crime," the Old House Chamber in the Virginia State Capitol, to witness a dramatization of the 1807 trial that pitted the most brilliant legal minds of their day against each other and against President Thomas Jefferson. On October 6 they will convene at Sam Miller's Warehouse Restaurant for lunch and a lecture by historian Charles Hobson, noted for his work as the editor of the papers of John Marshall. Contact association president Stuart Johnson at 301.641.0494 for more information about events and cost.

This year's Commonwealth of Virginia Energy & Sustainability (COVES) Conference will be held on October 16-18 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA. Visit www.covesva.org for registration and conference details.

Attend the Family Day Care Provider Professional Development Conference on Tuesday, October 30, at the Waterford at Fair Oaks, 12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax. For more information visit www.infanttoddler.com.

The Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council will host a one-day regional conference, "Turning a New Leaf," on Friday, November 9, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Northern Virginia Community College's Annandale campus. The conference will feature tracks on conservation landscapes, green development, and creative stormwater management. Topics include eco-friendly lawns, native alternatives to traditional plantings, backyard forests, rain gardens, stream restoration techniques, and public-private partnerships for green development.  Registration has begun. Visit chesapeakelandscape.org for more details.

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191