Many people who have boycotted or protested Reston Town Center over Boston Properties’ paid-parking system aren’t just upset with having to pay. In addition, they don’t want to download and use BXP’s ParkRTC app.

Now, customers can go to Mon Ami Gabi (11950 Democracy Drive) and they’ll help you get around the system.

According to the restaurant’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/MonAmiGabiRTC/photos/a.10150106972747583.276304.67277367582/10154444525552583/?type=3&permPage=1

A representative of the restaurant told Reston Patch that they will take care of parking for anyone who uses the Orange Garage, whether they dine at Mon Ami Gabi or not.

As we reported last week, though, there is some question about whether parking is even being monitored in the Orange Garage. After Jackson’s was granted a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit over the paid-parking system, customers of that restaurant can use the Orange Garage without using ParkRTC; however, no official word on how that is being enforced has been provided.

Parking is free in all garages after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as on weekends. It will also be free all day Tuesday, July 4.

Who doesn’t love the oohs and aahs of a fireworks display on Fourth of July weekend?

Whether you’re staying in Reston this weekend or heading out for a little getaway, you’re sure to be able to find the American tradition wherever you go. Lay out a blanket and enjoy the show.

Here are some of the locations around the area where you’ll be able to celebrate the nation’s 241st birthday this long weekend:

TONIGHT

• South Riding: South Riding Golf Club (43237 Golf View Drive) — The event kicks off with the Star Spangled Parade, which will leave from Town Hall (43055 Center St.) at 5 p.m. From 6-9 p.m., enjoy music by The Reagan Years. The night concludes with fireworks at approximately 9 p.m.
• Warrenton: Aquatic and Recreation Facility (800 Waterloo Road) — Music, games, swimming, vendors and more. Family-friendly fun. Fireworks at dusk. Free, everyone is welcome. Event begins at 4 p.m.

SATURDAY

• Reston: Lake Fairfax Park (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive) — 7 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Features live music, puppet show, food vendors and of course, the fireworks. Parking is $10 per car. The Water Mine water park and the Lake Fairfax boat rentals/rides will also be operating.
• The Plains: Great Meadow Foundation (5089 Old Tavern Road) — Gates open at 4 p.m. There will be a huge variety of children’s activities included with general admission purchase, including rock wall for climbing, pony rides, moon bounces, slides, the famous rain machine, lasertag and more. Throughout the day enjoy a choreographed air performance, polo exhibitions and rocketry demonstrations. The grand finale comes at dark with one of the metropolitan area’s biggest fireworks shows.

SUNDAY

• Leesburg: Lansdowne Resort (44050 Woodridge Parkway) — Celebrate America’s most patriotic holiday at Lansdowne Resort and Spa with live music, food trucks, local brews and wines, and fireworks. $5 admission fee.

MONDAY

• Waterford: Water Street Meadow (15513 Loyalty Road) — Parking at the Old School and Waterford Elementary School. No parking on the meadow except cars with handicapped tag. No sparklers or other fireworks allowed

TUESDAY

• National Mall — Considered one of the best fireworks shows in the country, viewing areas on the National Mall near the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool will be accessible only through secure access points. Begins after sunset. Plan to arrive early. Other viewing areas in D.C. include the U.S. Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, National Mall, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, The White House Ellipse, West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park and Anacostia Park; in Virginia, check it out from the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
• Herndon: Bready Park (814 Ferndale Ave.) — Events begin at 6:30 p.m. with games, bingo and children’s arts and crafts, followed by entertainment at 7:15. Fireworks show choreographed to music begins at dark, about 9:30 p.m.
• Great Falls: Turner Farm Park (925 Springvale Road) — Kicks off with a 5K Walk/Run at 8 a.m., followed by the hometown Fourth of July Parade at 10 a.m., at the Great Falls Village Centre, 776 Walker Road, Great Falls. After the parade, enjoy the food, music, field games and festivities on the Village Centre Green. Turner Farm Park will open its gates at 6 p.m. for music, games, contests and food trucks until the fireworks show gets underway just after dusk.
• Fairfax: Fairfax High School (3501 Rebel Run) — After a parade from 10 a.m. to noon, and a day filled with activities, live music will start at the high school at 5:30 p.m. building up to the fireworks show at about 9:30.
• Vienna: Yeonas Park/Southside Park (1319 Ross Drive SW) — Fireworks will begin at dark, about 9:30 p.m. Prior to the fireworks, Fat Chance will entertain with songs from all generations. kids’ pie-eating contest for ages 5-10 takes place at 7 p.m., followed by the chili dog-eating contest. Little League concession will be open for refreshments at Yeonas Park. Call 703-255-6352 for details.
• Leesburg: Ida Lee Park (60 Ida Lee Drive NW) — The Independence Day celebration begins with the annual parade at 10 a.m. and continues with a concert and fireworks at Ida Lee Park in the evening.
• McLean: Churchill Road Elementary School (7100 Churchill Road) — Begins at 6:30 p.m. with a disc jockey providing the music and food trucks selling a variety of entrees and snacks, followed by fireworks. Off-site parking and shuttles available. Admission is free.
• Mount Vernon — (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Salute the first commander in chief during Mount Vernon’s annual Independence Day event. Watch dazzling made-for-daytime fireworks shoot off over the Potomac River and listen to the roar of cannon fire while viewing special military re-enactments throughout the day.
• Woodbridge: Potomac Nationals (7 County Complex Court) — The P-Nats will clash with their “Battle of the Beltway” rival, Frederick Keys, for a special 6:35 p.m. first pitch. Gates will open at 5 p.m., signaling the beginning of the Food, Fireworks and Fun picnic in the Bullpen Picnic Patio. After the game, the night sky with light up with the best fireworks show of the 2017 campaign.
• Manassas Park: Signal Hill Park (9300 Signal View Drive) — Fireworks celebration from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Signal Hill Park. There will be free shuttles from the VRE Station and City Hall starting at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. Parking is $5 beginning at 5 p.m. There’s on-site parking for handicapped individuals only.
• Fredericksburg: Pratt Park (120 River Road) — The Heritage Festival is an all-day affair that includes a 5-mile run, a downtown parade, a street festival with more than 100 vendors, live music and a fireworks display. Gates close at 8:30 p.m.; earlier if police determine the crowd is too large. Alcoholic beverages, sparklers and grills are not allowed. All dogs must be on a leash.

Some Reston Association members have strong feelings about the community’s relationship with Fairfax County — and specifically, Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins.

“In terms of what Reston looks like, what Reston feels like — she’s moving Reston away from it,” Stephen Canner said. “We don’t want that.”

Canner was speaking to RA Board directors and CEO Cate Fulkerson during an informal feedback-gathering meeting Thursday evening at RA Headquarters. Canner and others expressed their displeasure with how they feel Hudgins and other members of the County Board of Supervisors are allowing developers to take over Reston.

“They’re moving us in a different direction, trying to make us look like Arlington,” Canner said.

Victoria White, Hunters Woods/Dogwood District director, said Board president Sherri Hebert and vice president David Bobzien have been having weekly meetings with Hudgins to try to facilitate more communication. Eric Carr, At-Large director who moderated the meeting, said it’s the start of a conversation to try to improve Reston’s standing with the County.

“One of the underutilized resources we have is our ‘soft power,'” Carr said. “We don’t have any legislative power, we’re not a municipality, but boy, can we be annoying — in a good way.”

Carr said it is important for Reston Association members and the Board to stay vigilant in letting the County know the problems Reston citizens have with new developments and other legislation. Some members also expressed displeasure with what seem to be futile attempts to get their opinions heard during county meetings, citing particularly the recent public meetings on the Planned Residential Community zoning ordinance amendment.

John Mooney, At-Large director, harkened the St. John’s Wood public meetings — which resulted in the project being deferred indefinitely — as he reminded residents that their well-formed and -organized thoughts on specific plans do matter.

“You have to have the community involved on policy level issues and zoning ordinance issues, but you also have to have communities get really informed, bust their butts understanding what’s going on in particular projects,” he said. “You have to have those two levels of citizen interactions … for political change to happen. It can’t happen with just one line of attack or one line of engagement.”

Mooney said that in addition to the meetings taking place between RA Board leadership and Hudgins, there are staff-to-staff meetings and other interaction going on with the County. Members in attendance said they’d like to know more about how those conversations are progressing.

Members continued on to say it is difficult to learn any information about what is happening within Reston Association, because of a lack of communication and what they view as a confusing website. Most agreed they get more information from local media and from Nextdoor than they do from RA itself. Carr agreed that work needs to be done to better reach members.

“We have an extensive site, but we’re not reaching you the same way other avenues of information are reaching you,” Carr said.

Mike Leone, RA’s communications director, said he is working to increase Reston Association’s presence on Nextdoor to push more news out to the community more efficiently. Attendees were also encouraged to sign up for RA’s email bulletins and other local newsletters.

(This article was updated at 12:10 p.m. Friday, June 30, with a statement from Rosenthal Properties.)

Customers looking for Panera Bread in the Woodland Park Crossing plaza in Herndon have been surprised recently to find it is no longer there.

The restaurant at 2328 Woodland Crossing Drive has had its outdoor signage stripped. All that is left is a sign posted on the door that reads simply: “Sorry for the inconvenience, We are Closed Permanently.” Nearby locations of the restaurant chain are listed on the sign, including the Worldgate Drive, Elden Street and Reston Town Center cafés.

A Yelp reviewer posted Monday that she “asked an employee at a nearby business [who] said it had something to do with issues with the landlord.”

Woodland Park Crossing is managed by Rosenthal Properties, who list the former Panera Bread’s 4,817-square foot space as available. According to a statement from Billy Orlove, Rosenthal director of leasing, sent to Reston Now on Friday:

Panera Bread’s lease expires today (6/30/2017), and Panera elected not to renew its lease with the landlord.

Rosenthal is actively working with an exciting new tenant to backfill the Panera Bread space, and we will happily share that news with you and the Reston/Herndon community as soon as we can.

Work has begun to take down a six-story office building at 11720 Sunrise Valley Drive, making room for 54 townhomes in what will soon be a bustling residential area.

Demolition of office at 11720 Sunrise Valley Drive, making way for townhomes @RestonNow https://t.co/dHU8V5WrGw

— Dave Emke (@emkedave) June 28, 2017

Located just east of JBG’s Reston Heights development, the 69,000-square-foot building was bought by Rooney Properties in 2013. A sale of the property to Toll Brothers was reported in April.

The new development is planned to have a quarter-acre pocket park located north of a private street that will run through the center of the property. The park will include benches, a butterfly garden, public art and more.

Developers also plan to build six-foot sidewalks along Sunrise Valley Drive and Roland Clarke Place to help make pedestrian connections to Silver Line Metro stations. The plan also incorporates a separate, 10-foot wide path for bicycles along Sunrise Valley Drive.

The entrance to the community will be on Roland Clarke Place. The developers have a dedicated right of way for a future traffic signal at the corner of Sunrise Valley and Roland Clarke.

The destruction of the building comes about nine months after the American Press Institute building, just across Roland Clarke Place at 11690 Sunrise Valley Drive, was brought down. Sekas Homes is now working to construct 34 townhouses and 10 condos on that site, forming the future Sunrise Square cluster.

The frames of the first row of townhomes there are in place, and signage in front of the property advertises an August move-in date for new tenants. Rooney Properties owns that development as well.

Following a Washington Post report that the man accused of killing 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen last week is involved with MS-13, county police say otherwise.

In a media alert Wednesday afternoon, the Fairfax County Police Department says there is no credible information to link 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres, a Salvadoran national living in Sterling, with any gang.

“Homicide detectives investigating the murder of 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen looked into whether the suspect, Darwin Martinez Torres, is a gang member or affiliated with gangs, but have found no credible information to support any connection. The case remains active and we will release additional information as we can. Martinez Torres remains at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.”

Using information received from a Loudoun County woman, the Washington Post reported Tuesday that Torres “had punched, choked and sexually assaulted [the woman] and was a member of the MS-13 street gang.” The newspaper also cited Loudoun County Child Protective Services documents that “were read to a Washington Post reporter.”

FCPD has worked to combat rumors throughout its investigation into the brutal killing last Sunday morning. It has also repeatedly shot down community insistence that the Muslim teen’s slaying was hate-motivated. Rather, they’ve said, Torres was experiencing extreme road rage when he drove onto the curb, exited his vehicle with a baseball bat and attacked.

Nabra’s violent death has struck a chord within the community at large. A crowd in the thousands came out for a vigil in her honor last week at Lake Anne Plaza.

A freshly surfaced track will be waiting for South Lakes High School students when they return to school at the end of August.

Work on the project began earlier this month and is expected to continue through mid-August, South Lakes Athletics reported on Twitter. The account has been providing updates on the work as it progresses.

Update on the track work. We are making progress. The stadium is closed during this time @RestonNow @RestonPatch @RestonOnline pic.twitter.com/iwcZkGx0zd

— South Lakes Athletics & Activities (@SeahawkSports) June 23, 2017

The track and the stadium are both fenced off during the project. It’s the first time resurfacing has taken place in about a decade, said Linda Sarabia Jones, SLHS director of student activities.

Camps that have in past years met on the field are taking place on the upper turf fields of the campus this summer, Jones said.

A new Memorandum of Understanding being proposed by the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees is being labeled by library supporters as a “money grab.”

Specifically, Fairfax Library Advocates say a call that individual library Friends’ groups can only keep a designated amount in reserve while turning the rest over to the library system for general programming is a case of the county trying to overstep its bounds.

“All of the Friends are 501(c)(3) organizations. We’re all in compliance with state and federal laws, we all publish our financial records every year,” said Dennis Hays, a board member of the Friends of the Reston Regional Library and chair of Fairfax Library Advocates. “The county has no ability to dictate how an independent group conducts its internal affairs.”

Hays said the Friends groups have always in the past had agreeable MOUs with the Board of Trustees. The proposed MOU would require all Friends groups, even the smallest, to be subject to the same licensing and auditing requirements.

“If something isn’t broke, why are you trying to fix it?” he said, adding that some Friends groups may not survive such new rules. “There has never been, to my knowledge, any issues or problems with the Friends.”

Hays said the Friends groups have not been informed by the Trustees why this change, which would only allow groups to hold in reserve three times their annual donation, is necessary. In an interview with The Annandale Blog earlier this month, Fairfax County Public Library Director Jessica Hudson said the proposed MOU is a preventive and protective measure that will also allow the system to “find good ways to spend that [surplus] money, not just have it sit there.”

Hays said that in Reston, where the Friends group has close to $1 million saved, money is being held for a rainy day that is just over the horizon.

“Part of the reason we have a big surplus at the moment is, as you know, we’re looking at a renovation of the library,” he said. “That could last, if worse come to worse, three or four years where we will have to operate off our existing funds if we want to continue to support the library.”

Funds collected by the Friends through donations and events such as their book sale go toward supporting designated projects at the library. The proposal from the Library Board of Trustees to dip into those funds, Hays said, is all about control.

“For the county to try to come in and micromanage these things doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I think they’re headed down that path, and I think it’s a destructive path. I’m hoping that they see the light and back off a little bit on all this.”

Hays has presented an alternative MOU, which he says has been “ignored.”

“What we understand is they are working on their version, which will be presumably released at some point and then we will have to deal with it,” he said. “At the end of the day, we want to work with the County. This is what we do.”

In her interview with The Annandale Blog, Hudson said the work of the Friends groups is valued.

“We would not do anything to egregiously harm the Friends groups,” she told the blog. “The Friends are wonderful people who work very hard.”

There are 23 library Friends groups across Fairfax County.

Reston 20/20 Slams Fairfax County — In a detailed report examining Fairfax County’s proposal to allow a substantial increase in population density in Reston’s Planned Residential Community (PRC) zoning area, the Reston 20/20 Committee critiques the County’s motivation for the accelerated passage of the amendment. [Reston 20/20]

FCPS Free Lunch Program Underway — The Food for Every Child to Eat During Summer (FEEDS) program provides picnic-style summer lunches each day from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for all. Locally, they are available at Dogwood Elementary School (12300 Glade Drive). [Fairfax County Public Schools]

91 Metro Stations, 91 Songs — An Alexandria man has worked for over six years to compile a series of songs about the stops on the Metro. His completed work, which includes a song about Wiehle-Reston East, spans eight albums. [Washington Post]

If you’ve wanted to reserve a Reston Association garden plot but there’s never been space, now is the time to put down roots.

Patricia Greenberg, RA’s environment resource supervisor, says that “for the first time” there are open plots available with no waiting list.

“There are nine plots available right now, of different sizes and in different locations in Reston,” Greenberg said. “It’s an incredibly popular program, and [right now] there is only a waiting list for the plots in South Reston, and that’s only two or three people.”

Plots are available to Reston Association members only, and are available at half-price since the growing season is already half over. Discount prices to reserve available plots for the rest of the season are as follows:

• 119.9 square feet and below: $15
• 120 to 199.9 square feet: $25
• 200 to 280.9 square feet: $37.50

Gardeners get right of first refusal for their plots, Greenberg said.

“They can renew the same garden plot rental every November, unless they notify us that they do not want the garden plot,” she said.

Anyone interested in reserving a plot should call 703-437-7658 or email [email protected].

(This article was updated at 7:45 p.m. with a statement from an Il Fornaio representative.)

Rumors circulating about the impending closure of Il Fornaio (11990 Market St.) are true, employees say.

The California-based Italian restaurant opened its first East Coast location in 2007 in Reston. Now, as its 10-year lease comes to a close, the business will shutter rather than renew at an increased rate. Its last day of operation will be Friday.

Patrons have been learning the news in recent days.

@IlFornaioReston SO sad 😭 you’ll be leaving RTC. I have a lot of fond memories. #illmissyou

— Patricia B. Vives (@angelwings0122) June 20, 2017

https://www.facebook.com/brenda.zuzolo/posts/1146030515542448

Il Fornaio is located in the Retail at Midtown block of Reston Town Center, which is not owned by Boston Properties. JBG is the block’s landlord, and there is a free parking lot for customers.

Regardless, however, employees on duty Monday reported that business has taken a nose dive since Boston Properties’ paid-parking initiative went into effect in January and led to many customers staying away from Reston Town Center altogether. Lunchtime has been dead and dinner reservations have disappeared by the hundreds, they said.

A “Last Happy Hour” event, scheduled for Friday evening, has been set up by customers on Facebook.

Ted Laymon, vice president of sales and marketing for Il Fornaio, sent the following statement to Reston Now on Monday evening:

Since opening at the Reston Town Center, Il Fornaio has been a proud partner in the community as we strive to provide the most authentic Italian dining experience outside of Italy.

However, after 10 years in the Town Center, we will be closing our doors effective July 1st, 2017, as our lease is not being renewed. Our Senior Leadership at Il Fornaio worked diligently over the past several months to execute a new lease with the current landlord, and unfortunately, we were not able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

We have so many wonderful memories at the Town Center, and throughout the years have developed a loyal guest base who we know are going to be as sad to see us leave, as we are at leaving the Town Center. Most of all, we are saddened that we will be saying goodbye to many of our wonderful employees (many of whom have been with us for the entire 10 years!), while some will be moving back to our locations in California.

Il Fornaio takes pride in creating, developing, and strengthening relationships in our neighborhoods, communities, loyal guests, and most of all our employees.  We know this closure is difficult for so many people, but we wish the Town Center, the greater Reston area, and most of all our loyal guests and wonderful employees, a wonderful second half to 2017 and beyond. We also hope that when you are in California, Las Vegas, Denver, or Seattle, you will visit one of our Il Fornaio or Canaletto restaurants to once again experience the most authentic Italian dining experience outside of Italy!

Grazie Mille Reston!

Ribbon Cutting for Clothing Store — Scout & Molly’s (11944 Market St.) hosted its official ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday morning. Among attendees were Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), Del. Ken Plum (D-Fairfax), Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, representatives of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and more.

Summer Meals Program Starts Today — The Free Summer Meals for Kids Program provides free, healthy meals to children ages 5 to 18 at designated meal sites in Fairfax County. [Fairfax County]

Officials Talk Metro, Fields, More — Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova, Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and more addressed the Vienna Town Council recently to give updates on the Silver Line, placement of athletic fields and more. [The Connection]

Kids Can Earn Prizes for Reading — Kids who complete the summer reading adventure at any Fairfax County library by Sept. 2 can win a coupon book with dozens of free and discounted fun treats like ice cream and miniature golf. [Fairfax County]

Image courtesy Powers Brand Communications LLC

(This article was updated at 1:15 p.m. after Ganesan confirmed to Reston Now that he is stepping down from his role as Reston Citizens Association president.)

Eschewing recent precedent, the Reston Association Board of Directors decided Thursday evening to directly appoint a replacement to a vacant At-Large seat.

Sridhar Ganesan, who had been named the Board’s treasurer last month, was selected to fill the seat vacated by Eve Thompson earlier this month. Ganesan will occupy the position until next spring, at which time the final year of the term will be voted upon by members in the Board election.

In at least the last three instances when a seat was vacated mid-term, a call for candidates was posted and members of the community were able to put their hats in the ring. Ray Wedell, At-Large director, presented to the board that they should choose between Ganesan and Ven Iyer, who finished a close runner-up to Eric Carr in the most recent At-Large election. He said Ganesan and Iyer were clearly the top two candidates and that opening it up to the community would only create the opportunity for more controversy.

“The idea that we have some great candidate out there and there’s an open competition — it’s not. It’s a way to bring somebody who could a good resume writer, a good interviewer, who knows somebody else on the board, to slip in without running for the office,” Wedell said. “This [would be] potentially opening it up to some charges of cronyism and everything else. We don’t need that.”

Not everyone agreed with Wedell’s assessment. John Mooney, North Point District director, said consistency with recent past practice should be followed by the Board.

“It’s unlikely that people would come forward who would be a surprise, but it is possible,” Mooney said. “I don’t believe that as we strive for openness and asking the community to participate that we should foreclose that possibility.”

President Sherri Hebert said that as the Board is in the middle of crafting its biennial budget, filling the position as quickly as possible was preferable.

“We’re telling you what we want to do and why we want to do it, and that’s about as open and transparent [as we can be],” she said. “Whether people in the community agree or disagree, that’s always going to be [the case].”

Julie Bitzer, South Lakes District director, pointed out that the Board has no budget sessions planned between now and their July meeting.

“Bringing someone on tonight [as opposed to waiting until July] would make basically no difference in our ability to move forward with our budget and our discussions,” she said.

Hebert responded by saying there is budget work going on “behind the scenes,” and she believes there “could be a gap” if the Board continued for a month or two with a vacant seat.

A motion to put Ganesan and Iyer up for an immediate vote to fill the seat carried by a narrow 4-3 margin. Hebert, Wedell, Carr and David Bobzien voted for it; Mooney, Bitzer and Victoria White voted against it. (At-Large Director Michael Sanio was not present at the meeting.)

Ganesan was then elected to the Board by a vote of 6-1, with Wedell casting the lone vote for Iyer. In addition to his work with the Board, Ganesan is also a chief financial officer with over 20 years of experience in media, technology, satellite and telecom sectors. He also led Mediaworld Ventures LLC in its efforts to review the Lake House purchase.

He was the president of the Reston Citizens Association; however, he told Reston Now on Friday morning that he has withdrawn from that role.

“A new RCA board will sit next week on June 26, 2017 and it is the right time to step away and given RA’s budget cycle, I plan to focus on my role as Treasurer and At-Large Director. This morning, I have withdrawn myself from the North Point district seat on RCA’s new board and there will be a new president for RCA on Monday.”

The RA Board’s discussion of the appointment can be viewed on the Reston Association YouTube channel.

Photo via Reston Association

Last Day of School — Today is the final day of the 2016-17 Fairfax County Public Schools year. Congratulations to all the students and enjoy your time off!

Fourth of July Schedule in Herndon — It’s only a couple weeks away. Get ready for the July 4 celebration in Herndon, which will take place at the Herndon Community Center and will culminate with fireworks choreographed to music. [Town of Herndon]

SLHS Students Get Arduino Kits — STEM Engineering students at the school recently received Arduino kits. An Arduino consists of a physical programmable circuit board and a piece of software that is used to write and upload computer code. The kits were funded by a $4,000 grant from AIS Inc. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

‘Field Guide’ to Ticks — Fairfax County has provided a list of need-to-know information about ticks, which have been out with great force this season. [Fairfax County]

Metro Work in Evening Hours — After 10 p.m. tonight, Saturday and Sunday, the Silver Line will only run from Wiehle-Reston East to Ballston. This is due to work on the Orange and Silver lines. [WTOP]

Customers of Jackson’s restaurant can park for free in the Orange Garage at Reston Town Center all day, every day.

But how is that being monitored?

Last week, Jackson’s was granted an injunction in its case against Boston Properties, allowing the restaurant’s customers to park for free — without using the ParkRTC app — at all times. For other visitors to the Town Center, all daytime parking sessions (even those that are less than one hour, and therefore free) require registering through the app or at a kiosk.

The question that has been asked by many is: Just how exactly will they KNOW who is a Jackson’s customer and who isn’t? How can some people get away with not using the app in that garage while others still need to?

The answer, a week later: We still don’t really know.

Officials at Jackson’s have directed questions about the system to a corporate spokesperson, who has not yet been able to provide a firm answer. The following explanation was posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page Tuesday:

Our guests have been parking in the Orange garage without engaging the app or starting a session and have not had any issues today or yesterday. There has been some added signage from the landlord stating that parking is free for Jackson’s guests in the Orange garage. If you have any further questions, please contact Boston Properties directly at 703.579.6720!

Boston Properties has been similarly vague in responding to requests for clarification. Spokesperson Kathy Walsh, of the Fallston Group on behalf of BXP, said:

“As it always has been, parking in the Orange garage is free for customers of Jackson’s. The only change is that those customers now do not need to start a parking session.”

Boston Properties cannot comment further due to ongoing legal discussions.

(Parking was previously free at Jackson’s with a validation code through the app.)

So, readers, we’ll turn this over to you. Have you parked in the Orange Garage at RTC this week? What has your experience been? Let us know in the comments so we can all get to the bottom of this.