See You There at the Fair
That summer buzz you hear ain't just AC and mosquitoes.
This being later-August, it's dog-day time for the Arlington County Fair, rising anew at Thomas Jefferson Community Center. This week into Sunday, take a deep-fried trek through the timeless foods, rides and competitions—while saving room for a generous heap of information-delivered-casual by the County's best sources.
The very-DES Sustainability section, accessible during indoor hours, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 19-21, promises a healthy tasting menu of food scraps, water quality, recycling and equitable stormwater utility, served up with a gaggle of games and giveaways. You'll want to plug into "The Electric Ride Experience" from WalkArlington and BikeArlington. See DES trucks, lots of trucks. And don't forget to bring that water bottle for bottomless refills.
The Arlington County Fair begins outdoors-only Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 17-18. For schedule and more, visit https://www.arlingtoncountyfair.us.
News to use from DESTech
PC Replacement Schedule on Track
The DES 2022 computer replacement process is underway. There are 264 computers that are currently due for swap-out. Your DES technical coordinator will be in touch if you are to receive a new machine. Questions or concerns? Contact your DES technical coordinator or Jerry Coates at Gcoates@arlingtonva.us.
Make Sure You're Using OneDrive Backup
One of the most important tools on any Arlington County government computer is the OneDrive Backup feature. OneDrive Backup automatically backs up data in Documents and Pictures folders and anything on the Desktop. Over the years, far too many County employees have experienced computer glitches that ended with work and data permanently lost. OneDrive Backup automatically puts files into those three folders on your County cloud storage, which is protected by Microsoft. No more fear of crashes and other data disasters.
Use these instructions to verify that your OneDrive Backup is turned on.
Keep Eyes Peeled for Bonus Pay
All permanent employees are to receive a $1,600 bonus ($800 if you work fewer than 20 hours per week) this month. Note: The Fiscal Year 2023 bonus amounts are before taxes and will be included as part of regular payroll.
And while details are still being finalized, staff considered "front line workers" during the darkest months of the pandemic are to receive a $1,000 bonus in September.
The County has also instituted a pilot referral bonus program for current employees who refer candidates hired into permanent and temporary positions with Arlington government.
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DES Deputy Director for Transportation and Development Dennis Leach plans to retire in January after almost 20 years with the County. Below he reflects on cutting through the morass to create an award-winning multimodal Arlington.
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When I showed for an Arlington transportation staff-led walking tour of Wilson Boulevard in the late 1990’s as a new homeowner in the Ashton Heights neighborhood, I could not have foreseen the journey and opportunities that would come with that. Back then, all I wanted was to make it easier and safer to walk along and across Wilson Boulevard to access the Metro and local services. So of course, Arlington’s bicycle and pedestrian planner recruited me to serve as a member and later chair of the Pedestrian Advisory Committee. I was later asked by the County Board to serve on the Transportation Commission and then as Chair from 2003 to 2004. After some years of service as a volunteer, I would eventually leave my transportation consulting practice to serve as Arlington’s first Director of Transportation in the Department of Environmental Services.
The opportunity to serve the Arlington community and the many great staff in transportation and throughout the County government in this role is something for which I am immensely grateful. I am proud of the work we have done together, and it has been a delight to have done it with so many talented, hardworking, and visionary colleagues. With your collective efforts, we have been able to deliver a transportation system in Arlington that rivals the reputation of much larger cities across the country. We’ve achieved a level of walkability and transit access far beyond the norm for a small community, brought to life a data-driven transportation safety program in Vision Zero. We also nurtured the idea of a shared bike system into the Capital Bikeshare network - which now has over 600 stations in seven regional jurisdictions.
As I move on to the next part of my journey, I am excited to see where you will take the Arlington community next. I cannot thank you enough for your friendship, partnership and all your good work over the years.
And keep doing the walking tours—you never know who might show up.
DES Getting Health Smarter
Vijetha Huffman is the new DES wellness ambassador. She will join representatives from each department in the County to assist HealthSmart in creating and maintaining an innovative workplace of wellness and self-care.
Vijetha tells us there's an Indian expression, "Health is wealth." So take advantage of clinic appointments, hand sanitizer, masks and testing kits when on the job, courtesy of Arlington County.
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Upcoming Official Arlington County Holidays
- Monday, Sept. 5 - Labor Day
- Friday, Nov. 11 - Veterans Day
- Thursday, Nov. 24 - Thanksgiving Day
- Friday, Nov. 25 - Thanksgiving Friday
See the complete FY 2022 schedule including pay periods and paydays.
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