A new indoor baseball training facility has opened at Reston Station.
The 6,000-square-foot facility, known as Reston Bullpen, is a training facility for local little league and high school teams. It’s located at 1901 Reston Metro Plaza.
Comstock, the developer of Reston Station, worked with Bradley Baseball Academia, a baseball training school, to design the facility. Local teams can schedule practice times for individual and team practice, conditioning clinics and skill drills for free.
The facility includes several pitching and batting tunnels as well as a weight and aerobics gym.
“Playing youth baseball and softball teaches some of life’s greatest lessons to young people,” said Timothy J. Steffan, executive vice president of Development and Asset Management at Comstock, wrote in a statement. “Providing a facility of this quality to youth house league and public school players that typically do not have access to such facilities, not only allows them an opportunity to improve their game, but also advance their understanding of teamwork and how to set and achieve goals.”
For now, teams can make reservations in 60-to-90-minute intervals. Bradley Baseball Academia has moved its offices to the property and will host free coaching clinics for teams.
“My staff and I are excited to be a part of this community endeavor and look forward to running our headquarters and programming out of the facility,” said Andy Bradley, Founder and Executive Director of Bradley Baseball Academia.
Masks and social distancing are required. The facility is also requiring temperature checks and health screenings.
Due to uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, the Town of Herndon is taking a precautionary approach as it develops its capital improvement program for the next six years.
In a memo to the town’s Planning Commission, staff noted that the latest plan prioritizes a handful of projects and delays others, noting that there are “major uncertainties” facing the plan.
“It may be viewed as a best-case scenario and the commission should recognize that the Town Council could face a decision to sequester all or part of the project funding,” staff wrote in a memo to the commission.
Town Manager Bill Ashton has suggested prioritizing three or four projects in case funding sources fall through. Projects were prioritized based on legal or contractual obligations, whether or not the project served a public safety priority, or if federal, state, and local timelines required the project to move forward.
This year’s plan includes the following new projects
- Herndon Parkway and Sunset Park Drive intersection improvements
- Police parking lot expansion
- Replacement of roof and four HVAC units for the building located at 1481 Sterling Road
- Design and construction of energy conservation measures at Herndon’s four major buildings
- Town Shop underground fuel storage tanks
The Town’s Capital Improvement Program becomes a part of the town’s annual operating budget. It is a planning document used to detail funding sources through major project stages from design to construction.
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Local Police Conduct Mock Travel Stops — The Fairfax County Police Department conducted mock traffic stops for drivers with disabilities. Police and community members came together to learn how to safely interact with one another during traffic stops. The goal was to ensure that drivers with disabilities are well-versed in what happens during traffic stops. [Local DVM]
Health Department Hires Staff to Help with Pandemic Response — The county’s health department is looking for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to join its vaccination team on a part-time, temporary basis. The plan is to hire 100 people. [Fairfax County Government]
In-school Learning to Resume Next Week — Fairfax County Public Schools will bring back its first group of students for in-person instruction on Feb. 16. Students who have already selected to return to in-person instruction will still be able to do so two days a week. [FCPS]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Eligible Fairfax County residents will soon have another option for getting innoculated against COVID-19, as CVS plans to start distributing vaccines at 36 stores in Virginia later this week.
CVS Health announced on Feb. 2 that it will offer the COVID-19 vaccine at its pharmacies in Virginia and 10 other states starting this Thursday (Feb. 11). The company anticipates receiving 250,000 total doses for the initial rollout of its vaccination program, which is being enabled by a partnership with the federal government.
“Our presence in communities across the country makes us an ideal partner for administering vaccines in a safe, convenient, and familiar manner,” CVS Health President and CEO Karen S. Lynch said. “This is particularly true for underserved communities, which have been a focus for us throughout the pandemic.”
Though Virginia was initially expected to receive approximately 26,000 doses that will be distributed to 28 stores, CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault told Tysons Reporter that the vaccine will be available at 36 locations across the state, including in Fairfax County.
Patch reported on Feb. 4 that the CVS at 3921 Prosperity Ave. off of Little River Turnpike will be among the stores to get the vaccine.
Thibault says a full list of the specific stores will be available through the CVS website and app once the stores start receiving shipments and appointments become available.
“Because locations and supply remain limited, we want to prevent stores from being overwhelmed by those who may seek a vaccination without making an appointment,” Thibault said.
Vaccinations will be available by appointment only. CVS has an online scheduling tool on its website and app for people to determine their eligibility and find locations offering the vaccine, but it has not opened up to Virginia yet.
CVS and Walgreens have been administering COVID-19 vaccines at long-term care facilities in Virginia, including Fairfax County, since Jan. 11 as part of the federal pharmacy partnership program.
Health officials told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors during its health and human services committee meeting last week that 2,936 residents and 3,133 staff at 55 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the county have gotten at least one vaccine dose so far, with four more facilities scheduled to start vaccinating residents and staff early this week.
According to Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, the Fairfax County Health Department’s director of epidemiology and population health, the two national pharmacy chains are conducting three vaccine clinics at each of the county’s long-term care facilities.
“They’ve done a fairly good job in terms of reaching people, with some facilities having 95 to 100% of their residents being vaccinated,” Schwartz said.
The Fairfax County Health Department says it will have more information to share on the CVS vaccine program for other eligible populations in the next day or so.
The number of daily reported COVID-19 cases continue to drop and return to similar case loads recorded in June.
The rolling weekly average of cases for this past week stood at 289 cases, down from a reported high of nearly 697 cases on Jan. 17. The number of daily cases has continued on a steep decline.
The peak of average weekly cases in June stood at 303 cases.
Still, the number of daily reported cases is still comparatively high. As of today, there were 289 daily new case reported, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.
The drop in the cases is also reflected in statewide statistics. As of Feb. 7, the rolling weekly average of cases was 3,478. Although this is still higher than any weekly average before December, the overall number of cases are declining steeply.
So far, the pandemic has claimed the lives of 807 people in Fairfax County.
The drop comes as Gov. Ralph Northam directs all school divisions to explore options for in-person learning by March 15 and look into plans for extending school into the summer.
In Fairfax County, more than 120,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered and 26,175 people are fully vaccinated.
Photo via Virginia Department of Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the restaurant industry hard, including many establishments in Reston and Herndon.
Two restaurants — which have delayed their openings by more than a year — are now firming up plans to open at Reston Station near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station by May.
Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co., a DC-based burger and craft beer restaurant, is expected to open sometime in March, according to a company spokesperson for Comstock, the developer of Reston Station.
The business will take up roughly 3,000-square-feet at the BLVD, Reston Station’s first apartment tower. It was originally expected to open in late 2019 or early 2020.
Matchbox, DC-based wood fire pizza restaurant, plans to open sometime in May, but so far, there’s no set date, according to company spokeswoman Victoria Thornton. The 5,500-square-foot space was originally set to open in early 2020 at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive, the building designed by Helmut Jahn that Google currently anchors.
‘Our Reston location is having some minor delays,’ she tells Reston Now.
Local Podcast Explores ‘Gray Love’ — Reston resident Laura stasis is returning with the second season her podcast for people over the age of 50. The podcast is called Dating While Gray. [Reston Patch]
True Food Kitchen On Track for April Opening — The business is still on track for an April opening in Reston Town Center. It will be located at 11901 Democracy Drive. [The Burn]
Delayed Opening for Inova Vaccine Clinic — Because of yesterday’s wintry mix, Inova’s vaccination center is planning for a delayed opening today. All canceled appointments will be honored. [Inova]
School Board Approves Capital Improvement Program — The Fairfax County School Board approved the capital improvement program for FY2022-2026. The program includes partial funding for the Silver Line Elementary School. [FCPS]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
More snow may be on way as the previous week’s storm melts away.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for most of the region. The watch is in effect from late Saturday night through Sunday afternoon.
Heavy snow with total accumulations of five or more inches is possible.
More from the alert is below.
* WHERE…THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MARYLAND, NORTHERN VIRGINIA, AND EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA.
* WHEN…FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
* IMPACTS…PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION
Photo by Doug Errett
Local police are investigating the theft of an ATM at a Sunoco gas station in Herndon.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, two men broke into the Sunoco at 11516 Leesburg Pike a little after 3 a.m. on Feb. 3 and stole an ATM machine.
The two men then escaped in a van.
Local police are investigating the incident. They were alerted when an alarm sounded in the area after the men broke a door to the closed business.
Image via Google Maps
A bill that would add additional criteria for future toll increases on the Dulles Greenway has cleared the Senate with a 32-5 vote. The proposal, which was sponsored by Sent. John Bell, heads to the House of Delegates for a vote.
If approved, the bill would require Toll Road Investors Partnership II, the operator of the toll road, to receive the approval of the Virginia Department of Transportation before toll increases go into effect.
The greenway covers 14 miles of road from Dulles Airport to Leesburg.
The company will have to provide a forward-looking analysis including information that that shows the proposed rate is reasonable in nature, unlikely to discourage the use of the roadway and provide the operator with ‘no more than a reasonable return.’
The bill also bars the State Corporation Commission from authorizing any toll increases if the above criteria are not met
In a statement, Bell, who represents Loudoun and Prince William counties, said the bill would ‘bring accountability to the greenway and “prevent unjust toll increases.”
He also noted that the bill has been “a long time in the making” and would not have been possible without the support of the Loudoun Delegation and the Loudoun Board of Supervisors.
In recent years, county officials have slammed the road’s operator for proposed toll increases.
Photo via Dulles Greenway website
Updated at 3 p.m. with updated information about the charge against Clark. The Herndon Police Department previously misstated Clark was charged with forcible rape
A Herndon man was arrested in connection with the rape of a juvenile victim, according to the Herndon Police Department.
Dario Alfonso Figueroa Rodas, 41, was arrested on Jan. 27, according to information released by the police department today.
HPD said that the victim was known to Rodas, who was arrested on the 1200 block of Springtide Place.
In an unrelated case, HPD also arrested a Manassas man on four felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship.
Daniel Warren Clark, 43, was arrested on Jan. 26 in Manassas. HPD made the arrest after conducting an investigation with the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.
Both men are currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
Northam to Extend School Year into Summer — Gov. Ralph Northam will announce a plan to extend the school year into the summer today. N details have been released, but the plan is intended to help students catch up. [Inside NOVA]
Reston Association Board to Meet Next Week — RA’s Board of Directors will hold a special online meeting on Monday evening to have a consultation with counsel. [RA]
Food and Coat Drives Set for Tomorrow in Reston — Cornerstones’ Coat Closet is accepting winter items from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at the North County Government Center while Stuff the Bus will have buses parked at the center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for donations. [Reston Patch]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Virginia’s iconic “LOVE” letters have descended at Reston Station near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.
The letters, which were installed in late January, will remain at Reston Station as part of its permanent art collection, according to the Virginia Tourism Corp.
The 7,676-pound display was designed by artist Dylan Myers with glass fiber reinforced concrete and carbon fiber rebar. The colors of the letters were created with glass pieces. The sign is located on Wiehle Avenue in front of Google’s offices.
Here’s more from the state’s tourism website on the display.
Each letter is supported 18″ from the top of the base with stainless steel all-thread rods in order to achieve the ” floating” effect. Bases were cast with a board form technique, creating depth and character. This is how concrete was cast before the days of plywood forms like you see now. In order to give the exact degregrated look, every single exposed rock was time intensively hand placed prior to casting. After the concrete had cured, the rocks were sheared off by hand with a hatchet. No machines were used for this process. This achieved the true look of a wall that underwent an enormous force.
It’s not the first time Virginia’s LOVE letters have made an appearance in the area. The letters are one of more than 250 installations in towns and cities across the state in order to model the state’s slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers.”
Comstock, the developer of Reston Station, says the inclusion of the installation affirms the company’s commitment to public art.
“Comstock believes the inclusion of art in development projects serves the common good in a manner that enhances architectural designs, landscaping and streetscapes,” says Christopher Clemente, CEO of Comstock.
Photo via Virginia Tourism Corp.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has endorsed county efforts to expand food scrap drop-offs to more farmers markets and evaluate a possible curbside collection pilot program.
Such collection opportunities would mark a step toward the county’s ambitious goal of making schools and government operations zero waste by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2040.
The board asked the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services last summer to research and report options for bringing an internal compost pilot — an employee-led food scrap recycling program called the Fairfax Employees for Environmental Excellence — to the public.
Fairfax County Director of Engineering and Environment Compliance Eric Forbes told the board during its environmental committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday) that DPWES has “a number of pilot programs” and the county “has been discussing working toward organics diversion for quite a while.”
Food scraps, which can be composted and converted into nutrient-dense soil, make up 30% of what gets thrown away in the county. Diverting this potential resource represents “the next rung on the ladder for our community,” Forbes said.
The county unveiled composting drop-off sites at the I-95 Landfill Complex & I-66 Transfer Station in November. He said these sites have rescued about 4,500 pounds of food scraps so far. People can also bring food scraps to farmers’ markets or hire one of four vendors in the county that offer curbside organics collection services.
In the near future, the county is looking to expand collection opportunities at farmers’ markets run by the Fairfax County Park Authority, FRESHFARM, and Central Farm Markets. These three organizations have expressed interested in working with the county, according to Forbes.
The county is also mulling over a curbside collection program, which would let residents mingle food scraps and yard waste in their green bins. Through an inter-county agreement, the food scraps could be taken to a facility in Prince William County.
“I like the idea of regional players taking the responsibility,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said. “I appreciate Prince William stepping up to build their own food scrap recycling.”
Still, Braddock District Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw told Forbes the county should “aggressively” promote backyard composting. He said doing so is especially important if the county finds that a curbside collection program would increase emissions.
“I want to make sure we do that analysis before moving forward with expansion of curbside,” he said.
Likewise, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay said he appreciates the pilot programs and partnerships, but there needs to be more communication with the “average Joe homeowner.”
Forbes said his staff is looking to purchase electric vehicles for trash collection. As for educational opportunities, he said the county publishes lots of educational material and presents ways to eliminate food waste at homeowners’ association meetings.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik encouraged the county to look for year-round and seasonal farmers’ markets near apartment buildings.
“I want to make sure we are looking at equity through this issue,” she said. “Families will be happy to participate as long as we look at some of the barriers that exist.”
Photo via Seth Cottle on Unsplash
Reston Association Has No Plans to Remove Snow with Plows — The association does not plan to remove snow on its pathways because they do not have enough snow on them for the organization to safely operate the plows. Instead, crews have removed high traffic areas by hand. [RA]
Virtual Instructional Job Fair Set for Feb. 20 — Fairfax County Public Schools is hiring a virtual job fair on Saturday, Feb. 20 from 8-11:30 a.m. Virtual interviews are planned from Feb. 22 through March 5. [FCPS]
Fairfax Connector Issues Reminder of Mask Requirement — ‘Fairfax Connector passengers are reminded that they must wear a mask or a face covering, as now federally mandated, when taking public transit or visiting a transit hub in Fairfax County. This safety measure, which has been in place on board Fairfax Connector buses since May 2020, aims to protect passengers and bus operators during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.’ [Fairfax County Government]
Reston District Station Town Hall Set for Today — The police department will introduce its new data dashboard at a virtual meeting today at 5 p.m. [Zoom]
Photo via Marjorie Copson
