For more than 30 years, members of the Board of Supervisors have selected outstanding residents for designation as Lord and Lady Fairfax, part of the annual Celebrate Fairfax! event in June. More than 60 Mason District residents have been designated as Lord and Lady Fairfax since the original selections by then-Supervisor Tom Davis in 1984 – Marion “Mixie” Houk and Thomas “Bo” White. This year, it is my pleasure to designate Charles DeSeve and Deborah “Debo” Burke as Mason District’s Lord and Lady Fairfax.

Charles DeSeve is the longtime chairman of the Lake Barcroft Watershed Improvement District Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the Watershed Improvement District developed a closer working relationship with Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria and the Virginia Division of Dam Safety and secured funding for an emergency warning system and backup equipment for dam operations in the event of severe storms. As part of the maintenance of the lake and the needs of more than 1000 Watershed Improvement District members, Chuck negotiated, with my help, a no-cost disposal of dredge soils at the Lorton construction debris landfill. He also established a million dollar reserve and 10-year plan for needed repairs and restoration to keep the massive Lake Barcroft dam near Columbia Pike functioning as designed. Chuck’s commitment to the environment, good financial practices, and his neighborhood merits his selection as Mason District’s 2016 Lord Fairfax.

Deborah “Debo” Burke is one of those premier volunteers who helps maintain and improve the quality of life in Mason District and Fairfax County. For more than 25 years, Debo has been a leader in both the Broyhill Crest Community Association and the Broyhill Crest Recreation Club. She is a Master Gardener, an Adapted Aquatics volunteer for children with special needs and an election officer. More recently, she has assisted with fundraising and scholarship selection for the Team Joyner Foundation, created in memory of young Clayton Joyner, Falls Church High School swimming coach. Debo also created the RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) Pack, coordinating local volunteer activities with those in search of community service projects. Whether serving homeless persons, wrapping presents or removing invasive species from a local park, Debo Burke brings amazing talents to her community as the 2016 Mason District Lady Fairfax.

Chuck and Debo will be honored, along with designees from other Supervisors, at a televised (on cable Channel 16) ceremony at the May 17 Board of Supervisors meeting. They also will be honored at a dinner at the Fairfax County Government Center on Tuesday, June 7. Congratulations to Chuck and Debo!

A well-attended meeting last Monday evening informed interested residents about plans to replace the Jefferson Fire Station 18 with a new and expanded facility at the existing Hodge Place and Woodley Lane location. A temporary station is planned for a parcel at South Street and Annandale Road and will maintain fire and rescue services during reconstruction of Station 18. Construction of the temporary facility is expected to occur in mid-2017 and the new permanent station would be completed in 2019. Fire and rescue services and response times from Station 18 should not be affected.

 Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.