Herndon Middle School was temporarily on a lockdown earlier this afternoon after a report that someone displayed a gun during a fight near the school, according to police.

According to the Herndon Police Department, reports were received that a middle schooler displayed a handgun during a fight between an unspecified number of middle-schoolers.

The incident is reported to have happened off-campus near the 900 block of Alabama Drive, which is located roughly half a mile from the school.

The lockdown was lifted around 4 p.m. today, a staff member told Reston Now.

HPD says officers are continuing to investigate. No other information was immediately released.

INCIDENT ALERT: Herndon Middle School was on lockdown after reports of an OFF CAMPUS altercation (near 900-blk Alabama Dr) between what appeared to be middle school-aged juveniles, one of which displayed a gun. Officers continue to investigate. Details as available. #herndonpd pic.twitter.com/m5XtXG9TB2

— Herndon Police (@HerndonPolice) November 4, 2021

Image via Google Maps

Freeze Warning In Effect — A freeze warning is in effect from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday while a frost advisory remains in effect until 9 a.m. today. [National Weather Service]

Toys for Tots is On — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is taking part in the annual toys for tots campaign. Stations will accept donations through Dec. 12. This year, collection boxes will be placed outside the front door of every fire station each morning. Residents have until 8 p.m. to drop off today every day. [FCFRD]

Dump Your Pumpkins Elsewhere — The Fairfax County Park Authority is reminding residents that parks aren’t for pumpkins. Residents should not discard pumpkins at county parks. [Fairfax County Government]

Candidate Call for Reston Association Board — Three seats are open for the association’s Board of Directors. The month-long election is held every March. Positions for at-large director, Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District director, and North Point district director are open. [RA]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Man Wanted in Connection with Elden Street Robbery — Local police have issued an alert for a suspect in connection with the Oct. 17 robbery of a business on Elden Street. Police are searching for Abraham Bresner Porres, who has tattoos on his left hand. [Herndon Police Department]

Police Investigate Reston Crash — Local police are still investigating a crash that seriously injured the driver of a car. The car crashed on the 1700 block of Fountain Drive.  Fountain Drive was closed between Spectrum Center and Bowman Towne Drive, but has since reopened. [FCPD]

Appraisal Roadshow Cancelled — Reston Association has canceled its annual appraisal roadshow, which was set to take place on Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. [RA]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

Democrats continued to hold onto their trifecta of power in local races for the Virginia House of Delegates.

With 12 of 17 reporting, Democrat Ken Plum retained a stronghold over challenger Matt Lang, a Republican veteran, retaining nearly 72 percent of the vote for the 36th District. Lang secured a little over a quarter of the total vote.

Plum has served as House Delegate for the 36th District since 1982. He turns 80 the day after the election.

Democratic candidate Irene Shin — who knocked off incumbent Ibraheem Samirah in the June Democratic primary — also had a dominant lead over her Republican opponent, Julie Perry for the 86th district seat.

Shin clenched 66 percent of the vote while Perry had just 33 percent of the vote as of around 9 p.m. today.  Just two of the county’s 13 precincts remain open.

Perry is a public school history teacher while Shin is the executive director of a nonprofit organization on civic engagement.  The seat covers Herndon, Oak Hill, and Chantilly and some parts of Loudoun County.

Plum handily defeated a primary challenge with more than 77 percent of the vote in June.

After an otherwise uneventful day, the county’s Office of Elections had to rescan 20,000 in-person early voting ballots. Spokesperson Brian Worthy said there was “corrupted electric media” where votes were recorded in the machine used at early voting sites. The issue affected four of 38 machines.

Roughly 66 percent of Fairfax County voters voted for Democrat Terry McAuliffe — cementing its historically blue history. But Republican Glenn Youngkin appears to be inching ahead, with around 55 percent of the vote across the state.

The county’s elections office reported a turnout of 49 percent overall. But that number is expected to rise, as it did not account for three hours of voting.

All 100 House of Delegates seats were on today’s ballots. Currently, Democrats have a majority with 55 members to 45 Republicans.

This story was updated at 10 p.m. Angela Woolsey contributed to this report.

A new assisted living development called “The Canopy” is coming to Reston by 2023.

Silverstone Senior Living, a Dallas-based company, plans to build a three-story assisted living development at 10819 Leesburg Pike. The project, which will include 135 apartments and four levels of care for seniors, is expected to break ground later this year.

A spokesperson for the company said Reston was chosen because of its “deep roots.”

“As Silverstone expands its portfolio in the D.C. region, we wanted to provide the next generation of assisted living and memory care in a community with deep roots such as Reston.  Reston was ranked as the Best Place to Live in Virginia by Money magazine for its expanses of parks, lakes, golf courses, and bridle paths,” the company spokesperson said

The Canopy was chosen to reflect the area’s tree canopy and the parks and woodlands that the company says make Reston a “highly desirable place to live.” The design attempts to emphasize outdoor living and includes pickleball courts, an indoor and outdoor fitness facility, and access to 22 acres of walking paths and gardens.

Levels of care include active assisted living, traditional assisted living, living for people with mild cognitive impairment, and memory care.

Silverstone is working on a larger facility at The Boro in Tysons. That development includes a new 15-story building with 198 units. The company is also behind The Providence in Fairfax’s MetroWest neighborhood.

Construction would wrap up by the third quarter of 2023.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic did not change the construction timeline, the design of the new facility is intended to help limit the spread of the pandemic. Touchless door openers, bleach-cleanable fabrics in dining rooms, and special filtration systems will be installed to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The building includes six units that are considered affordable by standards set by the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services.

The company declined to release information about monthly rents, noting that the figure would be set based on market rates when the property opens.

Photo via Silverstone Living

Man Suffers Serious Injuries in Reston Crash —The driver of a car that crashed in the 1700 block of Fountain Drive in Reston was taken to the hospital for life-threatening injuries. The single-vehicle crash happened around 8 p.m. last night. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Winners In for Pumpkin Contest — Reston Association has selected the winners for its annual pumpkin carving contest. Entrants transformed pumpkins into eyeballs, a fat-o-lantern, and a zombie apocalypse. [RA]

Last Day for Farmers Market in Herndon — This Thursday is the last farmers’ market of the season in Herndon. The market is located on Lynn Street in front of the red caboose on Thursday between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

Plans to replace Shadowood pool with a different use or new facility are officially out the door.

A community survey found that most residents want Reston Association to upgrade and renovate the aging pool, which has been closed because major repairs are needed.

“The general conclusion is that the community wants to keep the pool,” said committee  member John Farrell.

A resounding 77 percent of the survey’s 467 respondents said they want the pool to reopen as or with renovations. Respondents also want RA to clean up the pool — debris and pine needs often float at the surface — and improve its curb appeal. Other options for improvements include ensuring there’s enough area for shade and sun and adding lap lanes.

At a board meeting last week, RA’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a motion directing staff to begin preliminary engineering and feasibility studies for the renovation project.

A tentative completion date for the renovation project was set for the summer of 2023. Board member Caren Anton cautioned that this date was an estimate.

In September, RA courted public input on the future of the pool and recreation area. The pool is one of four pools that are on the bill for repurposing because of low usage.

The board and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee have also discussed the issue. Board members lauded parks and recreation staff for what they said was extensive outreach.

Outreach was conducted by volunteers and staff, not data analysis or professional researchers.

The discussion follows a long-anticipated evaluation of RA’s recreational facilities. The study by the Recreational Facility Work Group found a major increase in funding is needed to address capital improvement work at decades-old facilities.

A motion by board member Sarah Selvaraj-D’souza directing staff to move the project forward was unanimously approved by the board Thursday.

RA has been sitting on the funds in order to ensure adequate opportunity for community feedback was afforded, said acting CEO Larry Butler.

Selvaraj-D’souza noted that money has already been allocated in the 2021 budget and also wrapped into current budget talks.

“Just a repair will not really hold us through,” she said.

Before we head into a weekend, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on the site in recent days.

1. New hot chicken spot opening in Herndon next month
2. Herndon teen John Gluck takes his star turn on NBC’s “Ordinary Joe”
3. Local tech company relocating headquarters to Reston Town Center
4. Halley Rise development looks to move forward on timber office
5. Major construction at Innovation Center South continues for senior facility

If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip. Photos from around the Reston and Herndon area are also welcome, with credit always given to the photographer.

Feel free to discuss these topics, your socially distanced weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.

Photo via Facebook/Hangry Joe’s

The clock to begin the stalled redevelopment of downtown Herndon by the end of the year is ticking.

Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have expressed support for providing $5 million for the delayed development of downtown Herndon — a project that faced a nearly $25 million funding gap last year.

The $109 million project would transform 4.7 acres in the town’s historic district with 273 apartments, 17,000 square feet of retail, a 16,265-square-foot arts center, and a 726-space public parking garage, 330 of which would be reserved for the town.

At a meeting with the board earlier this week, town manager Bill Ashton said a major funding gap prompted the town to turn to the county for help.

The Town of Herndon and Comstock, its private development partner, agreed to split a funding gap of roughly $24.6 million. Tax abatement efforts and several design changes — including eliminating the mezzanine of the arts center and reducing one underground level of the planning parking garage — still left a $5 million funding gap.

The project has been marred by delays since its inception. Groundbreaking was originally planned for December 2019.

The estimated price tag of the project rose from $79.4 million in 2016 to $111 million in 2019 due to increases in the cost of construction, materials and labor, Ashton said. 

Comstock rebid the project in 2020 in order to leverage possible savings due to the pandemic, but a significant funding gap still remained.

The town then quickly crafted a robust tax break program, creating the mechanism to offer Comstock $2.4 million in fee reductions and $1.9 million in real estate tax abatement.

The project is expected to result in $886,500 in Fairfax County General Fund Real Estate taxes after the first year of occupancy, according to an analysis by JLL.

County staff suggested dishing out funds over a period of years in order to minimize the impact of the request on the reserve fund. The economic opportunity reserve fund is intended to purchase real estate, fund capital development projects and provide programming support for economic development activities of “strategic importance,” according to the county.

Board chairman Jeff McKay encouraged staff to ensure that the delivery of funds was tied to development milestones. County staff noted that funds would be dispersed conditionally. 

The board is expected to vote on the funding request at its board meeting on Dec. 7. Groundbreaking is expected to begin in December — nearly two years after the first estimate.

The garage will be completed by August 2023, followed by the arts center in December of that year. The entire project is expected to close out in March 2024. The Town selected Comstock for the redevelopment project in November 2016.

It’s not the first time the town went before the board for project funding.

In 2018, the board approved $1.2 million in funding for the project. But no funds have been dispersed to date because the agreement required the town to contribute $1.2 million first.

The arts center will include a black box theater with programming by ArtsHerndon and NextStop Theatre Co.

Mason District Penny Gross urged the Town of Herndon to ensure the arts center is accessible to all, especially in a town with as much economic diversity as Herndon.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn also said he wanted to ensure the arts center and the overall project was an asset to the public.

Ashton said that the arts center will include programmable outdoor space and a public plaza. The council will determine an operating model for the arts center once groundbreaking begins, he said.

Photo via handout/Comstock

Metro Service Reductions Continue — Metro will continue with reduced levels of service through at least November 15 as Metro works with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission on a plan to make sure its 7000-series railcars are safe for service. [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]

Loan Outreach Center Now Open — The U.S. Small Business Administration has opened up a temporary disaster loan outreach center in Montgomery County, Maryland to help local businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Ida. Fairfax County is an eligible jurisdiction. Residents and businesses can seek help for disaster loan assistance applications. [Fairfax County Government]

County Seeks Police Officers — The county is looking to fill a number of positions in the public safety sector. Applications are open for the Fairfax County Police Department. Salaries range from around $54,000 to $88,000. [FCPD]

What You Need to Know About Vaccines for Kids — Pediatric doses for children between ages five and 11 are expected to begin in the county in early November. As a result of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation, 97,000 kids in the Fairfax Health District are now eligible for the vaccine. [Fairfax County Government]

Photo by David Taube

Boosters Available in Fairfax County — Fairfax County’s health department and other providers have begun offering boosters for eligible adult groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. [Reston Patch]

Reston Farmers Market Going Strong — So far, the Reston Farmers Market has had a successful year. The popular market is scheduled to run through Dec. 4. This year, a general sense of normalcy has returned to the market. [Reston Patch]

Last Week for Pumpkin Carving Contest — It’s the last week to submit an entry for Reston Association’s Great Pumpkin Carving contest. Registration is required. [RA]

Glade Clay Tennis Courts Closed — The courts are closed due to standing water. Our Reston tennis team will revaluate the courts today at 5 p.m. [RA]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr