Wexton secures 10 Community Project Funding requests in House appropriations legislation, totaling $12.9 million for key Virginia-10 priorities

Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) has successfully secured $12,910,000 in federal funding for all 10 of the Community Project Funding requests that she submitted as part of the fiscal year 2022 House appropriations packages.

The requests include funding for local transportation and infrastructure projects, a first-time homebuyer down payment assistance program, funding for local police departments to improve community policing initiatives, workforce development, and support for telehealth services in Northern Virginia.

The appropriations packages next go before the full House of Representatives for a vote before being sent to the Senate.

“This targeted federal funding will help to restore and rebuild our physical infrastructure, improve critical community services, and invest in new educational and job opportunities,” said Wexton. “I am proud to be a member of the House Appropriations Committee and to have secured these critical dollars for projects to meet the needs of families and communities across Virginia’s 10th District. These projects have widespread support in their localities and are longstanding priorities that will be made possible thanks to this new federal funding.”

Projects to be funded through the Community Project Funding program are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible nonprofit entities are permitted to receive funding.

The Appropriations Committee is enforcing a series of reforms to ensure the proper use of the Community Project Funding program, including the public disclosure of all project requests, a ban on for-profit recipients, demonstration of community support, and more.

Wexton has certified that she, her spouse, and her immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects she has requested. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding is available  here .

Information about the 10 projects that Wexton has secured can be found below:

Manassas Police Department Law Enforcement Mental Health and Domestic Violence Case Management Team
Funding level: $270,000
Description: The City of Manassas proposes to use the FY2022 Community Project Funding to establish a case management team within its police department that will increase domestic violence victim and mental health consumer access to services that will reduce the number of emergency police interventions in the community.

The Manassas City Police Department will utilize this funding to staff one full-time mental health professional and one full-time police officer to create a case management team focused on directing individuals to community services before an emergency incident occurs. The current resources available to the police department are insufficient to meet its community-oriented objectives related to the response to mental health and domestic incidents.

Funding for this project will be used to create a domestic violence and mental health case management team comprised of a mental health professional and a reassigned veteran officer made available through the hiring of a new police officer. The case management team will be established within the police department’s community services section and will report directly to the sergeant assigned to community services.

Establishment of the case management team will resolve the inefficiencies in the police department’s efforts to mitigate domestic violence incidents and significantly increase coordination with the local Community Services Board to address mental health concerns. The case management team will also significantly increase the police department’s ability to respond to the future initiatives of the Marcus Alert system. Funding of the case management team will also permit the police department to focus more of its limited resources on other important community services initiatives.

Prince William County Police Department Use of Force Assessment, Evaluation and Analysis
Funding Level: $250,000
Description: The Prince William County Police Department to assess, requesting funding to evaluate and analyze its use of force policies, training programs, police culture, supervision, de-escalation strategies and tactics with the assistance of an independent contractor. 

The independent contractor will also evaluate and assess what environmental factors or precursors are commonly associated with uses of force using the police department’s use of force data. The contractor will recommend what adjustments may be needed in existing use of force policies and training programs. Additionally, the contractor and agency partnership will analyze what use of force data is already being collected, what additional data should be collected and how the existing data should be interpreted and made available to the public.

Frederick County Diehl Water Treatment Plant Improvements
Funding Level: $3,000,000
Description: The purpose of the Diehl project is to improve water quality and increase water capacity at the James H. Diehl Water Treatment Plant in Stephens City, Virginia. The plant is owned and operated by Frederick Water, an independent water authority located in Frederick County, Virginia.

The project improvements consist of constructing a new, 500,000-gallon raw water storage tank, a pump station to deliver the raw water to the Diehl Water Treatment Plant, larger sediment basins to improve the quality of recycled plant process water, and larger finished water pumps to deliver the increased flows to the community. Currently, the only direct source of water for the plant comes from a quarry. Ground water recharge to that quarry is supplemented by a deep-water withdrawal from another nearby quarry and two deep water wells. The supplemental sources make up most of the raw water needed but are all mixed in the single source quarry. During the summer months, the length of time the water from the other water sources spends in the quarry prior to entering the water treatment plant allows the water temperature to rise and allows for the introduction of algae and potentially other surface contaminants. The contaminants are removed at the water treatment plant, but at a considerable capital cost and reduction in water quantity.

By providing a closed, raw water tank for the groundwater sources, algae and other contaminants can be greatly reduced if not eliminated, thereby increasing water quality and production, as well as reducing the cost to treat the raw water. A new raw water pump station will pump that cleaner water to the plant at an adjustable flow rate to maximize water plant efficiency. The water plant filters must be backwashed occasionally to remove accumulated sediments.

The backwash water is sent to sedimentation ponds to allow the solids to settle out and allow the water to be re-used. The current ponds are undersized, allowing sediments to make it back to the plant intake. This project would remedy that by constructing new, larger ponds. Finally, larger finished water pumps are required to deliver the additional water to Frederick Water’s customers at an adequate pressure. The pumps will have an adjustable speed to meet fluctuating customer demands and maximize plant efficiency.

Manassas City Water Transmission Main
Funding Level: $2,400,000
Description:The City of Manassas provides water to its 42,000 residents and city businesses and industries. In addition, the City also provides drinking water to the City of Manassas Park and a portion of Prince William County. A single 24-inch transmission main transports water approximately eight miles from the water treatment plant to the City’s distribution system.

This existing 24-inch transmission main was constructed in the late 1960s using ARMCO steel pipe with Jute and Tar connections. This pipe lacks cathodic protection, making it more susceptible to degradation and failure due to pitting and corrosion. It has outlived its useful life and has reached its capacity. Beginning in 2007, the City included the replacement of this transmission main in its Capital Improvement Program.

The CIP calls for the replacement of this transmission main with a new 36-inch ductile iron transmission main. This specific project will replace 4,200 linear feet of pipe along Fitzgerald Way with new 36-inch ductile iron pipe. The total cost of this construction project is $3,000,000. The replacement of this line will increase the reliability and volume of water needed to meet the City’s current and future demand and that of its neighboring jurisdictions. Design plans are complete and have already been approved by the Virginia Department of Health. Federal funding assistance will allow this project to be completed sooner.

The total estimated cost to replace the entire eight miles of transmission main is $29,060,000. To date, the City has been able to replace approximately 60 percent. The Fitzgerald Way water main project will replace another 10 percent of this transmission main.

Fairfax Community Services Boards Local Inpatient Purchase of Services and Discharge Assistance Planning Data Collection and Management System Project
Funding Level: $375,000
Description: The Local Inpatient Purchase of Services and Discharge Assistance Planning Data Collection and Management System project will be creating a secure data collection and management system for the administration of inpatient hospital bed purchases as part of the LIPOS program and state-mandated data collection requirements.

The project will establish the capability for all Region II Community Services Boards, including Prince William, Alexandria, Arlington, Loudoun, and Fairfax-Falls Church, to access a secure common interface. Through the LIPOS program, uninsured clients or those without other financial resources are provided private inpatient (hospital) services to maintain their safety and the safety of the greater community.

There is state-mandated data reporting as well as reporting that falls under the State Performance Contract. The LIPOS and DAP programs have grown yearly, and projections are that they will continue to grow based on the limited availability in state hospitals and US Department of Justice mandates to create individual, community-based services, as opposed to state facility-based services.

The current system is an outdated Access Database and a lengthy Excel spreadsheet. It utilizes a labor-intensive manual process to review documents to verify state standards are maintained. Limited personnel resources and associated labor costs hinder the ability to manage the programs and ensure accurate data collection. The new system will consist of a secure web-based portal with common secure access by regional CSBs. The portal will be accessible (access controls in place) by six different locations with the ability to enter data simultaneously.

Quantum Science Workforce Initiative
Funding Level: $650,000
Description: The George Mason University Quantum Science and Engineering Center project would inspire the next generation to pursue quantum and support the growth of a diverse quantum workforce in Northern Virginia.

The George Mason QSEC was founded in 2018 with support from the university and is focused on quantum research and workforce development that brings together expertise in disciplines from physics to computer science to bioengineering and more. The project would seed K-20 quantum workforce development efforts that will become the basis for the Northern Virginia high-tech pipeline.

The program will develop interest and basic knowledge of quantum in elementary and secondary students in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, create some of the first elementary and secondary quantum curricula, and provide career-connected and experiential learning experiences for students and teachers.

This effort will increase quantum literacy for teachers and their students. At the same time, the opportunity for students and teachers to engage in research and industry experiences will help them see what is possible in this emergent field that is poised to have an impact on everything we do, as classical computing did when PCs became ubiquitous forty years ago. There is an evaluation component included in the program to gain insight into the efficacy of these efforts and position the QSEC to gain support from other funding sources for the most effective elements of these programs into the future.

Fairfax County Homeownership Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance
Funding Level: $1,030,000
Description: This project would provide first time homebuyers with down payment and closing cost assistance. Based on the current zoning projects approved through January 2022, there are 78 Affordable Dwelling Units and 25 Workforce Dwelling Units in the pipeline to be placed in the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development’s First Time Homebuyers Program.

The FTHB currently offers financial assistance to qualifying applicants on their down payment and closing costs through the use of Community Development Block Grant funding. CDBG funding is limited. This requested funding would enable the program to continue to meet the need for assistance.

Lawson Road Pedestrian Crossing of Tuscarora Creek
Funding Level: $935,000
Description: Tuscarora Creek has significantly deteriorated the low water crossing between two cul-de-sacs on Lawson Road. A new stream crossing will provide bicycle and pedestrian access to the W&OD Trail from residential communities.

Bank erosion approximately 200 feet upstream of the crossing will be stabilized to reduce further bank loss and potential impacts to the crossing and reduce sediment transport downstream.

Middleburg Town Hall and Police Department Facility
Funding Level: $2,000,000
Description: This request is for a community project to build a combined Town Hall and Police Department facility for the Town of Middleburg, Virginia.

The new Town Hall will provide multiple economic and community development benefits to include: at least four public meeting rooms for use by the broad community, including not-for-profits, small businesses, and government agencies; Council Chambers large enough to host small business seminars, workforce development events, and other business development activities; and adequate space to house the Director of Business Development and Community Partnerships, whose primary focus is the growth, retention, and success of small businesses.

The Town’s Comprehensive Plan, adopted in October 2019 and the result of months of public input by hundreds of residents, identifies the need for a new Town Hall and Police Department. In addition, the project will include two separate public open space park areas, which fulfills another goal of the Comprehensive Plan.

These efforts achieve key community development goals that are otherwise challenging to implement in a small Town with limited available land. In the Town Office at this time, there are seven full-time staff, to include three staff in the upstairs that is only accessible via a narrow, spiral staircase.

The Town Office has only one public meeting room, which serves as the Council Chambers, conference room, break room for staff, and public gathering space. There are no other public meeting spaces in the building.

The Town has also had to conduct mold remediation three times in the past eight years to resolve moisture and mold issues in the building. Finally, there are ADA limitations in the current space due to the age of the building and lack of space to add certain accommodations. Overall, the project will enhance the economic prosperity of the Town of Middleburg and the thousands of citizens who live within this region of the 10th District of Virginia. Through this project, we anticipate better service to residents, businesses, and visitors.

Waxpool Road/Loudoun County Parkway Intersection Improvements
Funding Level: $2,000,000
Description: This project provides for the planning, design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction for widening and intersection improvements along Waxpool Road (Route 625) at Loudoun County Parkway (Route 607).

The scope of work includes the development of triple left turn lanes from Westbound Waxpool Road onto Southbound Loudoun County Parkway, and a channelized free flow right turn lane with an acceleration lane from Northbound Loudoun County Parkway onto Eastbound Waxpool Road. The project is designed to accommodate the Westbound Waxpool Road left turns onto Southbound Loudoun County Parkway, as well as the Eastbound right turn lanes from Loudoun County Parkway onto Waxpool Road.