A new elementary school in Herndon that will open in August officially has a new name.
The Fairfax County School Board voted last week to name the new elementary school on the existing McNair Elementary School campus.
The new building, which will serve students from third to sixth grade, will be called McNair Upper Elementary School. The existing building, which will serve students from pre-K through second grade, will be called McNair Elementary School.
The school system reached out to the community earlier this year to seek comment on possible names for the new school.
Here’s more from FCPS on the process:
In accordance with FCPS Regulation 8170.8, a one-month period of public comment was held beginning January 29, and a community meeting was held on February 19 to solicit name suggestions from the community. Community members also had the opportunity to submit recommendations and feedback via an email link. A public hearing was held on February 20 and, after compiling feedback from stakeholders, Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand recommended on March 5 that the School Board name the new facility McNair Upper Elementary School, the most frequently suggested name by stakeholders. The recommended name aligns with other FCPS paired schools, such as Fort Belvoir Upper and Bailey’s Upper.
Enrollment at the current elementary school has increased steadily from 897 in 2001 to 1,342 in 2016. The new school is intended to relieve current overcrowding at McNair Elementary School.
Image via Google Maps
Construction at the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride bus loop will resume next month.
The project is part of ongoing efforts to prepare for the conversation of the location to the Herndon Metrorail Station as part of the Silver Line extension part. Improvements to the bus loop are planned.
Fairfax Connector bus service will be relocated to temporary stops on Sunrise Valley Drive beginning May 4.
The project is to finish sometime in June, according to county officials. The current garage will remain open and the garage that is currently under construction is expected to reopen in September.
The following routes will be affected by ongoing construction:
More information about the project is available online.
Darryl ‘Smitty’ Smith, the first African American officer hired by the Town of Herndon and a community fixture known for his volunteerism, has died.
Smith, who was hired by the department in 1973 and retired in 2004, made history once again in 2004 when he became the first African American elected to the Herndon Town Council. He served as vice mayor from 2004 through 2006.
After his retirement, Smith served as the police chief o the Purcellville Police Department for nine years. He lived in the Town of Herndon with his wife, Maria.
The Town of Herndon’s Police Chief Maggie DeBoard wrote the following about Smith:
“Daryl spent much of his life as a highly respected law enforcement professional in service to the Herndon community before moving on to Purcellville. He will be forever remembered for his huge heart, compassionate nature, and sincere commitment to improving the lives of our youth in town. Our HPD family sends our sincere condolences to his wife, Maria, and the entire Smith family.”
Smith was first hired by the police department in April 1974 as the first detection and youth crime prevention officer. He rose to the rank of captain by September 2004. He founded Neighbors United, a volunteer after-school program to provide a safe haven for local youth. In 1998, he received the Virginia Municipal League Achievement Award — one of the most prestigious awards in local government.
During his time on the council, Smith was a staunch advocate for public improvement projects like downtown planning, revitalization of the town’s older neighborhoods, Sugarland Run Trail and Jefferson Street Park, and the expansion of the Herndon Community Center.
He collected many other accolades in his career, including the Herndon Rotary Club Citizen of the Year Award in 1986 and 2006, the Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award in 1997 and the Best of Herndon Dulles Award in 2000.
Photo via Herndon Police Department
Gov. Ralph Northam Outlines Blueprint for Reopening — “The lifting of restrictions will include a phased approach based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Beyond a steady decline in new cases, the state will also have to increase testing and contact tracing, while ensuring hospitals have the necessary capacity, Northam said.” [Inside NOVA]
Meat Company Offers Free Delivery — D’Artagnan, a purveyor of “sustainably raised” meat, is offering free delivery for Reston residents via its refrigerated trucks. More information on the program is available online. [D’Artagnan]
Rumor Control: Don’t Swallow Cleaning Products — “Drinking bleach and other cleaning product will not kill the virus inside your body, but it could result in serious illness or injury.” [Fairfax County Government]
Photo by Beth Allgaier
Before we head off into another weekend with a stay-at-home order in effect, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- Local Online Predators Arrested in ‘Operation COVID Crackdown’
- Health Department Issues Rabies Alert for Reston
- COVID-19 Deaths Double in Fairfax County
- Report: 11 COVID-19 Deaths Linked to Longterm Care Facility in Herndon
- Fairfax County COVID-19 Counts Nears 2,000 Mark
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your social distancing plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Image via FCPS
Two Herndon men have been arrested in connection with the April 21 robbery of an Exxon in Sterling.
Jorge A. Alvarado-Soriano, 19, and Elias G. Guzman, 20, were arrested and charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.
Police believe the suspects entered the convenience store of the gas station at 45601 Falke Plaza at around 1:15 p.m. One suspect jumped over the counter as the second suspect attempted to purchase a drink from the store clerk. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken.
Although no weapons were displayed during the robbery, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office described the robbery as “strong-armed.”
Both suspects are being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on no bond. Alvarado-Soranio was arrested yesterday (April 23) and Guzman was arrested on April 17.
Metro is taking advantage of low ridership and traffic-free highways to speed up work on the Silver Line.
A summer shutdown for the Silver Line will begin on Saturday, May 23 and continue through the fall. Metro is working on connecting the new stations in phase two of the Silver Line extension project, which is being built by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
“This is about two things: working smarter and working safer,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiedefeld. “Closing the stations to get the work done while ridership is historically low allows us to limit the exposure of our frontline staff and contractors, mitigate delays to our capital program, and minimize inconvenience to the public.”
All trains will begin and end service in Ballston and Orange Line service will run from Ballston to New Carrollton.
Free express and local shuttle bus service will be available for essential workers only. Shuttles will run every day and operate during the same hours as Metro (5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends).
Ridership has dipped to roughly 1,200 customers per weekday at stations west of Ballston due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo by Jay Westcott
County Budget Hearings Begin Next Week — “The Board of Supervisors and county staff value public input on the revised FY 2021 Budget proposal. To keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no in-person testimony during the rescheduled budget public hearings, Tuesday through Thursday, April 28 to 30, but there are many ways to share your input.” [Fairfax County Government]
Hunter Mill District Town Hall Today — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn is hosting an online budget town hall today (Friday) from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Board member Melanie Meren will also attend the town hall. [Walter Alcorn]
How to Join Reston Association’s Annual Meeting — The association offers an update on how to take part in the annual meeting via zoom. The meeting takes place on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. [Reston Association]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Local Muslims are gearing up for a drastically different Ramadan this year as stay-at-home orders put an end to communal prayers only done during the month of fasting and other mosque-based customs.
The Reston Islamic Center, a small mosque that opened last year in office space near Reston Town Center (11701 Bowman Green Drive), is hoping to keep the Ramadan spirit and community spirituality alive.
The first day of fasting begins tomorrow. Muslims refrain from food and drink every day from sunrise to sunset. Every night, mosques across the country host a communal prayer called taraweeh that is only conducted during Ramadan.
Although RIC will not offer congregational prayers, the mosque is turning to virtual platforms to keep local Muslims engaged. The center is offering two classes a week and updates via its Facebook page.
“Of course, it is a drawback that we do not get to see each other and build on that community cohesion, but the silver lining is working on ourselves and our spirituality with our creator, which is the main purpose of this beautiful month,” Hewad Aziz of RIC told Reston Now.
The mosque is encouraging families to lead prayers in their homes and use quarantine time for personal introspection.
Social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders came amidst a critical time for the mosque, which recently launched phase two of its expansion project. The organization hopes to expand to two floors in the building it currently leases. The second floor would be dedicated specifically to women and families.
The mosque was banking on fundraising during Ramadan to reach funding targets. But with mosque doors closed, organizers are still hopeful they can keep the expansion project going. A crowdfunding campaign has raised $1,621 of its $45,000 target.
“We have great hope that the community will band together and we will meet our goals,” Aziz said.
Photo via Reston Islamic Center
Megaphone, a podcasting hosting and advertising technology provider, has signed a lease at Comstock’s Reston Station.
The company will take up roughly 10,000 square feet in the first office building at the mixed-use development, the tower designed by architect Helmut Jahn at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza.
With 165,000 square feet of leased space, Google is the anchor tenant of the building. Other tenants include Rolls-Royce North America (18,000 square feet) and infrastructure management firm Solar Winds (16,349 square feet) and digital identify firm Certipath (7,500 square feet).
Tim Steffan, executive vice president of assets management, leasing and development for Comstock, said Reston Station now has a diverse mix of technology firms.
“The addition of Megaphone compliments the impressive lineup of national and global tech players that have chosen Reston Station,” he wrote in a statement.
The company is. currently headquartered in DC.
ICF Global, a global consulting firm, will occupy the third office building currently being developed by Comstock. That building, which is located at 1902 Reston Metro Plaza, is set to be complete in 2022.
Neustar, a global information services company, is the anchor tenant for another office tower located at 1906 Reston Metro Plaza. The company plans to relocate its headquarters from Sterling to Reston Station later this year.
Photo by Bako Glonti
A coronavirus outbreak at a long-term care facility in Herndon has been linked to 11 deaths.
The Associated Press reports that the deaths occurred at the Dulles Health and Rehab Center in Herndon since the first test on March 28. Since then, 63 patients have tested positive for the respiratory illness.
Jeannie Adams, the director of legal services for Commonwealth Care of Roanoke, which provides management services for the center, also noted that 19 members have tested positive.
State officials reported 91 outbreaks at long-term care facilities in the state, resulting in 78 deaths.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has created a task force devoted to handling outbreaks at long-term care facilities. The task force is aimed at ensuring facilities have resources to fight COVID-19, strengthen staffing and infection control measures, and ensure information about the pandemic is readily available.
Photo via Dulles Health and Rehab Center
Two Men Rob Victim in Parking Lot — Police believe that two men assaulted and robbed a man at gunpoint on the 1600 block of Reston Parkway on April 21. The victim was not injured. The suspects were described as black men in their 20s or 30s. [Fairfax County Police Department]
FCPS Assistant Superintendent Resigns — The fallout of the school system’s distance learning debacle continues. Maribeth Luftglass, who oversaw the school system’s department of information technology, is stepping down from the role she has held for 21 years. [Twitter]
Delays in Daily COVID Count — The process that compiles daily case counts overnights underwent an error. Case information is unavailable this morning. Staff is working to resolve the issue. [Virginia Department of Health]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
County health officials are cautioning residents about a rabies alert in Reston.
A red fox that was captured on Monday (April 20) tested positive for rabies.
Anyone who may have been touched or bitten by this an adult red fox should call the county’s rabies program at 703-246-2433, extension 711. To report pets that may have come into contact with the animal, residents should call Fairfax County Animal Protection Police at 703-691-2131, extension 711.
Precautionary steps to avoid rabies include not allowing pets to roam unattended and ensuring pets are vaccinated against rabies annually.
The animal captured near North Shore Drive and Wiehle Avenue.
Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease that infects the central nervous system. It is transmitted through direct contact with saliva or nervous system tissue from an infected animal.
Photo via Unplash
A security guard at Lake Anne Fellowship House, a 240-unit development for seniors in need of affordable housing, has tested positive for coronavirus.
Fellowship Square Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides affordable housing and support services for low-income seniors, is working with the security company to identify if the guard came into contact with staff or residents, according to Christy Zeitz, the foundation’s CEO.
A cleaning crew is also conducting deep cleaning and sanitizing of all areas where the guard was in and around, including common areas, doorknobs, elevators, the front desk, and handrails.
In a notice to tenants and families yesterday (April 21), Zeitz said the foundation is working with the Virginia Department of Health and the security company to contain the spread of the virus.
“The health and safety of all residents and staff is our foremost priority,” Zeitz wrote. “We are working closely with the company and state health officials to ensure all necessary steps are taken, including the identification of staff who recently came into contact with the vendor.”
All residents have been instructed to stay in their apartments. Service coordinators will contact residents and their families over the phone or email to ensure residents have food and other necessities.
Older adults and people with several underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of developing more serious complications from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All potentially affected staff are at home in quarantine and there is no personal contact between staff and residents.
The Fellowship House is seeking donation of food and groceries for residents so that they don’t need to leave the premises for supplies, as well as protective masks. Although the organization is awaiting an order of 1,700 masks for its residents, it’s unclear when the shipment will arrive.
File photo
Alcorn to Host Budget Town Hall — Hunter. Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn is hosting a town hall on Friday at 12:30 p.m. to discuss the updated budget for the next fiscal year. Residents can take part by submitting Facebook Live comments, emailing video, and calling in during the meeting. [Patch]
Letter from Reston Association Hank Lynch — Lynch says that the core business of the association continues. Work on capital projects, including the dredging and dock replacement at Lake. Staff are making contingency plans for later starts for various events and activities. [Reston Association]
Herndon Village Network Answers the Call — The network, which is part of the county’s Neighbor to Neighbor program, has offered volunteer rides for older adults. Recently, the network coordinated grocery drop-offs for residents. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
