Arlington Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Jun. 18.
This morning, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce held the State of the County & Public Safety Awards, which celebrated Arlington's economic achievements, the community's future, and those who make the area a great place to live and work. Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti gave an address highlighting Arlington's economic status. The Chamber then honored public safety personnel and first responders from Arlington County's Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management, and Sheriff's Office who have exemplified heroic actions and exceptional performance of their duties.
The annual event was held as a webinar with a catered breakfast provided to 100 first responders and public safety personnel through the support of event sponsorships and registrations.
Matt de Ferranti began his State of the County address by saying, “We can be proud that we have stabilized the health of our residents, we have a 0.6% test positivity rate, and one case per day over the past two weeks.” But he also recognized the loss of the past year, committing support for the families of those we have lost, and pausing for a moment of silence “to recognize that even as we stabilize, we have lost 257 Arlington residents to COVID.”
Turning to the future, de Ferranti said, “The state of our county is finally healthy and on the road to recovery.” But he added, “Recovery is not all that we’re looking for at this moment. The state we have not reached, and that we must create, is renewal.” He shared Arlington Economic Development’s work, such as the ReLaunch program and plans for a new small business grant program, noting that small businesses are still feeling the impact of the shut downs and need more support. He also praised the Temporary Outdoor Seating Area program for rapidly assisting restaurants, and supported continued work to help restaurants as capacity reopens.
de Ferranti noted signs of optimism and overall improvement in Arlington’s economy, including commercial real estate leases, pent up demand likely to lead to new deals, and new projects that will drive economic growth. Arlington’s unemployment rate has also declined to 3% from 7.2% a year ago. He expressed confidence that Arlington would be able to bring down its office vacancy rate, which has increased 2.1% in the past year.
“There are many indications of economic recovery. What we have not yet realized is the economic renewal we want and need,” said de Ferranti. “We still haven’t addressed some of the inequity questions that linger and that we need to create systemic equity and renewal.” Focusing on deepening the equity of Arlington’s economic growth, he highlighted work on access to health care and housing affordability, including getting two-thirds of eligible Arlingtonians vaccinated against COVID-19 and bridging gaps in the housing market through the Missing Middle study.
“I want to thank our sworn officers who were called to duty on January 6 to help secure our Capitol Building and ensure the safety of our community later that evening,” de Ferranti said, acknowledging the work of Arlington’s public safety personnel. Speaking about work in Arlington and across the country to improve public safety, he added, “I respectfully ask all of us to see both how hard the job of policing is and to acknowledge that all of us in Arlington County government have work left to do to address racial injustice.”
de Ferranti closed his remarks by thanking Arlington’s businesses and residents for their efforts to support the community during the pandemic. “You did it week after week, and month after month for the past 15 months,” he said. “That’s resilience, that’s persistence, and I’d argue that’s the spirit we’ll need as we work on recovery and move toward a new era of renewal.”
Following the State of the County address, awards were presented to honor Arlington County's public safety personnel and first responders. Ten honorees were recognized for their courageous, and often life-saving, actions in the line of duty and beyond. Leadership of all respective departments submitted nominations for the honorees, based on their performance over the past year.
These honorees went above and beyond their call of duty to ensure the safety of our community. Meritorious Service honorees included a deputy administrator from the Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management who has confidently displayed his ability remain calm and calculated in crises for nearly 30 years, including during 9/11 and COVID-19. Three police officers were recognized for their quick action in saving the life of a man having a medical emergency, as was a Sheriff's deputy for using CPR to assist someone having a heart attack at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Two members of the Fire Department received Valor and Valor with Life-Saving Awards for their heroic actions risking their own personal safety in saving the life of a person who had fallen 30-40 feet off an embankment located on the George Washington Parkway.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Arlington Chamber of Commerce
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