Reston Association is ready to dive into a new swimming season — one that will open all 15 pools to members for the first time in half a decade.
The 2024 pool season will kick off tomorrow (Saturday) with the heated pools at North Shore and Ridge Heights opening at 11 a.m. Eight other facilities, including the newly renovated Lake Thoreau Pool, will follow suit on May 25 for Memorial Day weekend.
All 15 pools will then be open from June 15 to Aug. 11 before the season starts tapering off as Labor Day approaches.
RA will hold a grand opening ceremony on May 24 for the Lake Thoreau Pool, which last opened to patrons for the 2019 pool season. The facility at 2040 Upper Lake Drive was demolished in 2022, and construction on a new pool finished in December.
The $3.5 million renovation project added six lap lanes, a redesigned deck, a bigger parking lot with 25 spaces, an overlook with a pollinator garden and expanded bathhouses, which were shifted away from the spa. It also brought the facility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to a promotional video released earlier this week by RA.
“We have a ramp, a beach entry, a family restroom, and the bathrooms are all ADA-compliant,” Reston Aquatics Facility Manager Nate Wheeler said.
This season will also reintroduce Shadowood Pool (2201 Springwood Drive), which could have a new name by the time it opens on June 15. Closed since 2020, when pool access was generally limited due to the pandemic, the Shadowood facility underwent a renovation that added lap lanes, heaters, interior bathhouse enhancements and a splash pad in place of the wading pool.
The splash pad will be accessible even when the main pool isn’t open, according to Wheeler.
In addition to unveiling the completed renovations, the upcoming pool season will feature longer operating hours, with some sites opening as early as 9 a.m. and closing as late as 9 p.m., depending on the day. RA extended the hours after conducting a community survey last year that identified “limited hours” as one of the top barriers to pool usage.
“This year, we really took the feedback we got from last year’s community survey to heart,” RA communications director Cara O’Donnell said by email. “Our members told us they wanted all 15 pools open — and they wanted pools open extended hours and things like dedicated fitness hours, which we’ve tried to accommodate at a number of facilities.”
The survey also identified the cost of pool passes as a barrier. In response, the RA board adopted a budget last fall that eliminated the fee for recreation passes, which are now available to all members as part of their annual assessment.
Though there’s no longer an extra charge, members still need to register or renew their pass for this season, which can be done online or in person at RA’s headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive), Wheeler noted.
With all 15 pools opening, RA faced a challenge this year when it came to hiring the workers needed to support those facilities. According to O’Donnell, the organization has about 200 people on the aquatics staff, but there are still positions available.
“Hiring enough lifeguards and other staff to handle the volume at all 15 pools is always challenging,” O’Donnell said. “We are fortunate to have a wonderful team of returning seasonal staff and have already hired dozens of new seasonal workers for this year, but we are definitely still hiring! Anyone interested in a summer job can visit our careers page at reston.org.”
Live Fairfax is a bi-weekly column exploring Fairfax County. This week’s column is sponsored and written by JaneEllen Saums of McEnearney Associates. Questions? Reach JaneEllen at 703-861-3523.
Did you know that living near a park or greenspace increases the value of your home?
According to the University of Washington, residents who live near a large park or “greenbelt” with biking and hiking trails will have up to a 32% increase in home values compared to a home that isn’t located near a park. That’s only one reason why the many parks in Fairfax County are such gems, including Riverbend Park which is located in the northern part of the County on the Potomac River.
Riverbend Park offers something for everyone: it has 10 miles of hiking trails as well as trails for horses and mountain bikes. In addition, the hiking trails connect with the Potomac Heritage Trail, so it’s possible to hike to Great Falls National Park as well as to Algonkian Regional Park for longer hikes.
There’s also a boat launch, boat rentals, a nature center, and visitor’s center in addition to many programs that the Park hosts. These include the iconic Bluebell Festival in the spring which heralds in the beautiful spring ephemeral Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) which carpet the low land near the Potomac River. There’s also a birdwatching group, fishing (it’s possible to rent a pole for free), adult adventure and art camps, multiple summer camps for kids, kayak classes, and scout programs, to name a few.
Riverbend’s name is well-suited since it’s located at a large bend in the Potomac River. Because the River’s watershed includes the highlands in western Maryland, West Virginia and parts of Pennsylvania, by the time the water reaches the bend where the Park is located, it slows down and deposits silt along with seeds which normally wouldn’t be found in the rest of the area. This makes Riverbend one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems along the East Coast. In fact, Riverbend Park is home to more than 10% of dragonfly species in North America according to the Fairfax County Park Authority.
I encourage you to explore this wonderful gem and remember to treat it with care so all may also enjoy it
JaneEllen Saums is a Realtor® with McEnearney Associates and is also a Master Naturalist with Fairfax County. 703-861-3523 | JaneEllenSells.com | 1320 Old Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
New research shows that thousands of Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church deeds from the early-to-mid 20th century had language barring people of certain races, nationalities, or religions from buying property.
Researchers contend that these practices, known as restrictive covenants, play a major role in the segregation of neighborhoods throughout the county and across Northern Virginia, the effects of which are still evident today.
“The demographic makeup of our region is very different today in comparison to the period that we are analyzing, in part because of major inroads made by civil rights and immigration policies after World War II,” said Krystyn Moon, a University of Mary Washington historian and one of the lead researchers. “That being said, the residue of the practice of using racially restrictive covenants remains with us today, and inequities persist.”
Moon and researchers from Arlington’s Marymount University created a website with interactive maps to showcase properties with discriminatory deed language that referenced specific racial, ethnic and religious groups.
The website notes that the most commonly used exclusionary phrase was “any person not of the Caucasian race,” which applied to both residential and business properties.
Unlike redlining, a practice where banks and insurance companies systematically deny services to residents in certain areas based on their racial or ethnic composition, restrictive covenants are explicit legal agreements prohibiting the ownership, lease, or use of property based on race.
To help people visually trace the impact of these policies, the researchers used public land records from 1900 to 1968 to construct the maps. Areas shaded in orange mark locations where racial covenants have been confirmed, starkly illustrating the geographical extent of segregation.
The project’s goal, as stated on the website, is to highlight that segregated neighborhoods in Northern Virginia were not simply a result of individual choices but were predominantly influenced by systemic, racially discriminatory practices that restricted where African Americans and others could live.
Racial and other discriminatory covenants are no longer enforceable because of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. But researchers say the language is still part of localities’ public land records, unbeknownst to many home and business owners.
“Quite a few homeowners have emailed us to share their experiences upon discovering racial covenants on their property,” said lead researcher Janine DeWitt, a sociology professor at Marymount University. “They are often surprised to learn how common these restrictive racial covenants were in our region.”
Although nearly all homes with restrictive covenants in Falls Church and Fairfax City have been identified, Moon told FFXnow her team is gathering additional data for Fairfax County, which they plan to upload to the site in the coming weeks.
“We’re working mostly chronologically,” she said. “We actually have 5,000 parcels that we’re going to hopefully drop in the next week onto the map for Fairfax County.”
Currently, the map displays parcels in Fairfax with restrictive covenants dating from 1920 to 1939. The upcoming updates will include data from 1940 to 1946, followed by parcels from 1946 into the 1950s.
After identifying all local land agreements with racial covenants, researchers plan to “shift their attention to creating maps that integrate the African American, or ‘non-Caucasian’ resident experience.”
Moon explained that African Americans made significant progress in securing land post-Civil War until the introduction of restrictive covenants in 1915. Using a combination of data and anecdotal evidence, she and her colleagues intend to highlight how they continued to persevere despite these setbacks.
“It’s a story that really needs to be told [but] hasn’t been told,” Moon said. “…We should have told this story eons ago.”
Deal Reached on State Budget — “Budget negotiators in the Virginia General Assembly have reached a bipartisan deal, ending a lengthy standoff over the spending plan and avoiding a highly unusual state government shutdown. Lawmakers will be back in Richmond on Monday to vote on the deal during a special legislative session.” [WTOP]
Pedestrian Safety Measure Approved — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on May 7…updated the county code to match the state code requiring drivers to stop — not just yield — for pedestrians at unsignalized intersections. It also prohibits drivers from overtaking vehicles stopped for pedestrians. Violators can be charged up to $500.” [Annandale Today]
Metro Retires Oldest Trains — “If you ride the Metro, you may be familiar with the carpeted trains. These are the Metro’s oldest cars, which were introduced in 1983. On Friday, the 2000-series trains will retire. The trains were built to last approximately 40 years, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.” [NBC4]
Tysons Contractor Creating AI Supercomputer — “A key supplier to the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies is building a $20 million supercomputer with buzzy chipmaker Nvidia to speed deployment of artificial intelligence capabilities across the U.S. federal government, the MITRE think tank said Tuesday.” [Washington Post]
New Apartment Building Coming to West Falls — Falls Church City’s West Falls neighborhood will include an eight-story, 400-unit apartment building called The Alder, developer Hoffman & Associates announced yesterday. The building will have 26,000 square feet of amenity space, including a fitness center, pet spa and courtyards with a swimming pool and TV lounge. [Falls Church News-Press]
County to Seek Grant for Preserving Mobile Homes — “Fairfax County’s Department of Housing and Community Development is seeking public feedback on a draft application it’s submitting for a brand-new competitive grant program for the preservation and revitalization of manufactured housing units and manufactured housing communities.” [On the MoVe]
Athletic Courts Refresh Begins at Fairfax Station Park — “The Fairfax County Park Authority is expecting to begin revitalization work at the Popes Head Park basketball and tennis courts on Friday, May 10. The project will include the replacement of old asphalt surfacing, fencing, goals, net posts and footers. New sealcoat, color coat and playing lines will also be applied to the courts.” [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Expect showers and thunderstorms with a high near 61. Precipitation chance is 70%, with rainfall between a tenth and a quarter inch, potentially higher in thunderstorms. For Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy with a low around 49 and a 60% chance of rain. [NWS]
(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) Police are investigating a fatal crash on the Dulles Toll Road along the Reston and Herndon border.
The crash involved two vehicles that collided around 11:20 a.m. near Fairfax County Parkway, according to a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) spokesperson.
One driver died at the scene, while the other was taken to a hospital. MWAA didn’t have any information about the hospitalized driver’s condition, but spokesperson Crystal Nosal confirmed that there were no passengers in either vehicle.
The highway’s eastbound lanes closed to traffic near Van Buren Street, the Virginia Department of Transportation said shortly after noon. Drivers were advised to expect delays and follow police directions.
Eastbound traffic was detoured off the highway via Exit 10 at Centreville Road, according to the Dulles Toll Road’s official Twitter account. The toll road reopened to traffic at 3:20 p.m. as MWAA Police wrapped up its investigation.
The DTR is still closed at 2 p.m. as police continue investigating a two-vehicle crash. The collision was a fatality.
— Dulles Toll Road (@Dulles_Toll_Rd) May 9, 2024
#Herndon: Rt 267 (@Dulles_Toll_Rd) EB lanes closed near Van Buren St due to crash. Expect delays and please follow @mwaapd direction. #VaTraffic pic.twitter.com/TZ8Z03JJ4t
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) May 9, 2024
Map via Google Maps
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will soon unveil its proposals for transforming Wiehle Avenue in Reston into a more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly street.
The department will host a community meeting at Langston Hughes Middle School (11401 Ridge Heights Road) on Thursday, May 23, from 7-9 p.m. to share three concepts for possible future improvements to the roadway.
“Concepts include lane reductions, wider sidewalks and landscaped buffers, dedicated bicycle facilities and roundabouts,” FCDOT said in a news release.
The county launched its Wiehle Avenue study in November with a community workshop, where attendees brainstormed ideas for improving the road between Sunrise Valley Drive and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
Plans to explore ways to turn Wiehle Avenue from a suburban road primarily designed to move cars into a “multimodal urban designed street” had been on the table since the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a redevelopment of the Campus Commons office buildings (1900 & 1902 Campus Commons Drive) in 2019.
However, the board didn’t officially initiate the study until September 2021 after a group of residents and other community representatives rejected the Campus Commons developer’s proposals for a new pedestrian crossing on Wiehle at the Dulles Toll Road’s eastbound access ramps.
The Wiehle Avenue study will help determine a concept for the crossing, which will be funded in part by a $1.65 million contribution by Campus Commons developer TF Cornerstones.
FCDOT staff will use feedback from the upcoming community meeting to finalize a “preferred alternative” for the future Wiehle Avenue.
“FCDOT hopes to announce the Preferred Alternative by the end of this summer,” the department said.
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The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
(Updated at 10:35 a.m. on 5/10/2024) Fairfax County police are investigating a fatal single-vehicle crash that shut down Georgetown Pike in Great Falls for hours early Thursday morning (May 9).
First responders with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to a “crash on fire” at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Falls Chase Court near the Great Falls Church of Christ at 12:21 a.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
A police dispatcher reported that a 911 caller was “advising there’s a vehicle on fire that was involved in a crash” and that the driver was “possibly DOA.”
Upon arriving at the scene, an FCFRD responder confirmed at 12:25 a.m. that the driver had died, indicating that his car had crashed into a tree.
“He’s entrapped with what’s left of the car,” a responder said on the scanner.
The Fairfax County Police Department tweeted at 1:19 a.m. that its Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives were at the scene and Georgetown Pike was closed between Falls Chase Court and Falls Bridge Lane.
The road opened to traffic around 5 a.m., according to the FCPD.
In an update released today (Friday), the police department reported that the driver, 22-year-old Osman Elgamri of Sterling, had veered off Georgetown Pike in a 2017 Lexus IS300 and “struck a tree.” He was the vehicle’s only occupant.
“Preliminarily, detectives believe speed was a factor in the crash,” the FCPD said. “Detectives are continuing to investigate to determine if alcohol or narcotics were also factors in the crash.”
Detectives from our Crash Reconstructive Unit are on scene of a single-vehicle fatal crash on Georgetown Pike and Falls Chase Ct in Great Falls. The motorist was pronounced deceased on scene. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/T2olcYH4fH
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 9, 2024
Cookie Baked in Space to Be Displayed in Chantilly — “The first food ever baked in space is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia — and it’s a chocolate chip cookie…The dough was provided by McLean-based Hilton, the same cookie dough used to baked the warm chocolate chip cookies given at check-in to guests at its DoubleTree hotels.” [WTOP]
Longtime Hybla Valley Vacuum Store to Close — Sun Sew Vac will close on June 29 after nearly five decades of business. First opened in Mount Vernon Plaza in 1975 before moving to 7770 Richmond Highway in 2013, the vacuum and sewing machine store experienced a boom during the pandemic, but owner Robert Hines Jr. has now opted to retire. [On the MoVe]
Don’t Bother Baby Deer, Police Say — “Each spring, numerous fawns are frequently found causing residents to seek help from wildlife professionals to treat or raise these young animals. In most cases, fawns are healthy and need no human intervention.” Fawn rehabilitation is prohibited in Fairfax County after Chronic Wasting Disease was detected in a deer during the 2022-2023 hunting season. [FCPD]
Annandale Woman Concerned by Vape Shops — Thurraya Kent is “concerned about how many vape shops are in Fairfax County…Ms. Kent’s son died of a fentanyl overdose in January 2023. Her son Malcolm was 17 years old. Ms. Kent is not saying any of the Annandale vape shops had anything to do with her son’s death. But she’s still concerned about what these shops are selling.” [WJLA]
Community Hub in the Works for Culmore — “A new project in Culmore is connecting residents to healthcare, education, afterschool programs, and much more in their own neighborhood. The Culmore and Bailey’s Crossroads Place-Based Initiative (PBI) is creating a hub for community-serving programs at Culmore United Methodist Church.” [Annandale Today]
FCPD Seeks Grant to Assist With Recruiting — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday (May 7) allowing the police department to accept a state grant for a new Criminal Justice Training Academy program that “will facilitate the transfer of former out-of-state, federal and military law-enforcement personnel who are seeking to relocate to Fairfax County.” [Gazette Leader]
Herndon Opens Registration for Summer Classes — “Hey Town of Herndon residents! Get ready for an epic summer! Registration is officially open for our summer classes and programs. From fitness to family fun, we’ve got it all. Don’t miss out on exciting events! Secure your spot now!” [Herndon Parks and Recreation/Twitter]
It’s Thursday — Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 76. Precipitation chances are 70%. Chances of showers and thunderstorms decrease to 50% before 2am, with a low temperature around 58 at night. [NWS]
(Updated at 2 p.m. on 05/10/2024) As the Virginia summer looms, residents of Reston’s tent encampment are preparing for challenges beyond sweltering temperatures.
Many are anxious about the impending installation of no-trespassing signs, which will mark the beginning of a two-week countdown before they must leave the forested area between Inova’s emergency room, the North County Government Center and Sunrise Assisted Living. The encampment stretches across multiple properties owned by Inova and the county.
Fairfax County officials have assured the 40-plus unhoused individuals residing at the encampment — the largest in the county — that they will get access to a temporary shelter at the North County Human Services Center across the street, once the no-trespassing signs go up.
However, encampment residents, like Andy “Pops” Whiddon and Xavier Turner, say they’re reluctant to move because of health risks, such as diseases and parasites, that come with crowded shelters.
“I’m not gonna sleep six inches from somebody else,” Whiddon told FFXnow. “It’s a health hazard.”
Temporary shelter plans in limbo
Whiddon, who has been at the encampment for about eight months, says he and his neighbors were left in the dark for weeks about when the site will be cleared.
Their concerns were somewhat eased when Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said during a town hall-style meeting at the government center in April that it may be another few months before the no-trespassing signs are put up.
“He said, ‘You won’t know until they put up the no trespassing signs,'” Whiddon recalled. “Once they put up the signs, then we have two weeks we gotta go. And we got no choice.”
Alcorn told FFXnow by email on Friday (May 3) that the county is still in the process of creating a temporary shelter, and he was told by the Office to End and Prevent Homelessness it would be a “matter of weeks rather than months” until it was ready.
“I had shared this information with residents in and around Reston Town Center North — including unhoused individuals,” Alcorn said. “I have asked county staff to keep me updated on progress towards getting this critical service in place, and as soon as plans for this temporary overflow shelter are available, I will make sure they are shared with all interested parties in our community.”
Thomas Barnett, deputy director of the Fairfax County Office to End and Prevent Homelessness, said he would announce more details about the temporary shelter “shortly” but declined to provide an official timeline or specific details about the project.
“Fairfax County aims to compassionately wind down the encampment of people experiencing homelessness in Reston and connect these individuals to housing and other services,” Barnett said. “We continue to formalize plans to enable the temporary overflow shelter and our plan is to begin transitioning people once it is open.”
So many of the families we talk with during the admissions process are wondering if private school tuition could ever be affordable for them.
They recognize the value of the small school and classroom, the opportunity for extraordinary educational experiences, and the potential to finally find a school that fits their kid. They also have to live in reality, where the tuition costs are substantial, and they wonder if they could be affordable.
About half of our families receive financial aid of some sort
When we describe our tuition aid program to families, they usually express some combination of shock and disbelief. Their assumption was that “the price was the price,” and that an independent school education was out of reach for their child, no matter how great a fit the school might be. The truth is, most independent private schools have a significant financial aid program.
The Howard Gardner School actively seeks to have a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds in our community. To achieve that, our community and board supports the process, and we are able to help all kinds of different families afford their child’s tuition. HGS isn’t unique in this. In fact, most of the private independent schools in the region work specifically to help families from a variety of financial circumstances find a way to afford the educational setting that best fits their kids.
“Well, I don’t think we’d qualify.”
“We make too much for aid, but not enough to afford tuition.”
These are two common misconceptions we hear from families. In fact, at The Howard Gardner School we provide as many 25% aid awards as we do 50% and 75% aid awards. In other words, our financial aid program is specifically designed to help a family regardless of financial circumstance. HGS, like most schools, also provides a small number of full scholarships (99% aid awards), but our financial aid program is set up to help provide a broad diversity of access.
Monthly payments, lump sum discounts, 529 plans
Another way to “take the edge off,” for families seeking the best fit for their student, is to help provide monthly payment planning without the burden of finance costs. In fact, at The Howard Gardner School, we provide a discount to families who choose to pay in a lump sum. By spreading the costs of a private school education over the full school year, families can budget and plan in a way that might not otherwise be possible. Additionally, using money from a 529 plan is now permitted to pay tuition at private schools in Virginia. Many schools in this region have a variety of options when it comes to planning for or spreading out payments, and their admissions staff can help you understand those.
The key is to reach out
The staff at independent schools want to help — whether that means helping with aid applications to organizations like ISM FAST or NAIS SSS (both financial aid recommenders), sharing the ways that each school helps their families budget, plan, and ultimately afford tuition, or just offering their expertise and experience with this process. Financial aid is an important way for places like The Howard Gardner School to build a strong, healthy community of families from a variety of backgrounds and financial situations.
The Howard Gardner School is an intentionally small, hands-on, experiential, university prep school serving students in grades 6-12. It is our mission to help bright, creative, non-traditional students use their unique strengths to thrive academically, intellectually, and emotionally.
Please check out our website at www.TheHowardGardnerSchool.org, and call or email to learn more about how the school that is great for your child can be affordable for your family.
The Howard Gardner School
Serving bright, creative, non-traditional learners in grades 6-12
Alexandria, VA & Sterling, VA
703-822-9300
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
