November 28, 2007

COMMENTARY

Extending Metrorail through the Dulles Corridor from West Falls Church through Tysons Corner and Reston to DullesAirport and into LoudounCounty is a wildly popular idea for residents of the region, according to the results of a scientific poll conducted for the Dulles Corridor Rail Association.

An amazing 93 percent of residents in Northern Virginia favor the project as do 86 percent of the residents of the Greater Washington area. Even District of Columbia residents favor the project by an 88 percent margin and Maryland suburbanites favor it by 80 percent. Name another endeavor for which there is such widespread support in the Washington Metropolitan area; there is not another. Clearly the entire region is united behind this project.

Some have observed that there has not been a more popular public works project since Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced the WPA during the Great Depression. Certainly the original 103-mile Metro project had widespread public support throughout the region, and its operation has seemingly only added to the public's enthusiasm of its expansion.

Support for the project is intense. Of those who favor the project, 77 percent of Northern Virginians and 68 percent of the residents of the Greater Washington area go beyond simply favoring it to being strongly in favor of the expansion.

With all the public discussion about the project cost, design and contract, those who know the most about the project favor it the most. Among those Greater Washington area residents who say they are familiar with the project, 84 percent indicate they strongly favor it. Even those who say they are not familiar with the project favor it by 61 percent. The results suggest that the public seems to have a clear perception that mass transit is the direction in which we need to move in the urbanized region in which we live.

Interestingly, those residents of the region who say they will be affected by the construction of the extension are among the strongest supporters of the project; 84 percent strongly favor it.  If they are affected by its construction, they are much more likely to be in a location where they can use the system. The residents apparently are willing to accept short-term inconveniences for long-term gain in their transportation alternatives.

Another measure of the strength of support for the extension is the 89 percent of the respondents who indicated that they felt the project is important to the region's future. Of the total polled, over half (55 percent) thought the extension was extremely important. Only 11 percent did not think the project is important. Recognition of the importance of the project is likely to come from the visible growth in the Dulles Corridor; employment in the Corridor is expected to increase 63 percent over the next 20 years. Already Tysons Corner is the Commonwealth's largest employment center and Reston-Herndon is second. The Metrorail extension will run through the middle of both these employment centers. Also adding to the importance of the extension in the Dulles Corridor is the expected growth of the WashingtonDullesInternationalAirport whose passenger load is expected to grow from 27 to 55 million per year.

The public is clearly clued in to the benefits of the Metrorail extension. Most see it as another way to get to and from DullesAirport (85 percent). An almost equal number recognize that it provides another way to get to and around the region (84 percent). They recognize that the extension will connect more people to jobs (82 percent). Environmental benefits are recognized as well with 82 percent indicating it will help reduce fuel consumption and energy use, and 79 percent see it as helping to improve air quality.

For further details of the poll findings and methodology, go to www.dullescorridorrail.com.

According to the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project website (www.dullesmetro.com), utility relocation for construction of the 23-mile Metrorail project should begin this fall. With approval of a full funding agreement with federal funding authorities, construction could begin next year. For a public that clearly supports the project and eagerly anticipates its completion, completion of the project cannot come anytime too soon.

Constituent Survey – 2008 General Assembly Session

Please take a moment to complete my annual Constituent Survey. Your responses to questions about current issues will help me as I prepare for the 2008 General Assembly Session. Take the survey by clicking on the following link. Thank you in advance for sharing your views.

Click here for Survey

Pre-Session Town Meeting in January

Join Senator Janet Howell and me for our annual Public Meeting prior to the upcoming General Assembly session on Thursday, January 3, 2008, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods. Let us hear from you about issues affecting our neighborhoods and our region.

I have also scheduled a Public Meeting with Senator Mark Herring on Monday, January 7, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Fox Mill Elementary School, 2601 Viking Drive, Herndon. Senator Herring and I look forward to seeing you and having your views.

Please plan to attend one of these important Public Meetings. I look forward to talking with you and finding out what is important to you.

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

View Delegate Plum’s Virginia Report online at http://www.rctv28.com/videosVR.htm.

Tonight – Wednesday, November 28 at 10:30 p.m. – Penny Pompei, Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce – "Our Community's Business Voice Sponsors the Black & White Ball"

Tuesday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, December 5 at 10:30 p.m. – Max Croes, Sudan Divestment Task Force – "The Divestment Movement: A Catalyst for Change in Darfur"

Announcements

Governor Timothy M. Kaine has proclaimed November as Adoption Awareness Month in the Commonwealth.  First Lady Anne Holton launched her initiative, "For Keeps," earlier this year to identify and develop ways to find and strengthen permanent families for children in foster care to ensure that they develop into successful, independent adults.  Specifics on the First Lady's initiative can be found at www.forkeepsvirginia.org.

Help save the life of the Chesapeake Bay by stopping the use of dishwasher detergents that contain phosphates. Go to www.reducephosphates.com for a list of alternative products.

Calendar of Events

Come to the area's largest Alternative Gift Market on December 1, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1625 Wiehle Avenue, Reston. Alternative gifts are donations to local and international charitable organizations that help those most in need. For more information or directions, visit www.uureston.org.

Enjoy "Lake Anne Heralds the Holidays!" on Saturday, December 1 with a variety of activites. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. enjoy a petting zoo, ornament making for children, performances, and more. Santa will arrive by barge at 12:30. Tree lighting and caroling begins at 6:00 followed by a Holiday Concert at Washington Plaza Baptist Church at 7:00 p.m. All of these wonderful events are free.

The Reston Chorale is performing two concert dates this Holiday season. The first will be sung at the Reston Community Center on Saturday, December 1 with performances at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. Advance tickets are available at www.restonchorale.org. Click on Concerts, then click on Instant Seats. The second performance is with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra for its "Holiday Pops" concert on Sunday, December 16 at 3:00 p.m. at George Mason University Center for the Arts. The Chorale will sing with this great community orchestra conducted by Bill Hudson.  Advance tickets are available at www.fairfaxsymphony.org.

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

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