The new pickleball program, as well as a new gardening program, were approved at Thursday night’s RA board meeting.
Beginning and advance pickleball clinics will be offered in the near future alongside the usual tennis programs at the Colts Neck recreation area. Each clinic would be able to accommodate between 3 and 8 people, and would cost $36.50 for Reston residents and $38 for nonresidents.
After hearing a detailed presentation of the Hook Road Working Group’s Master Plan, Reston Association board members on Thursday night voted to include $50,000 in the 2019 budget for architectural, engineering and design work to help the project move forward.
Featuring improvements on everything from play areas to permanent bathrooms to traffic calming measures, HRWG members Stu Gibson and Aaron Webb, along with capital projects manager Chris Schumaker, provided a detailed presentation of the master plan Thursday night, with special emphasis on the priorities they identified through public engagement meetings over the past year.
First Round of Spring Thunderstorms Likely On Thursday – The Capital Weather Gang predicts that temperatures will turn warm and humid on Thursday, before a cold front collides with it, bringing the season’s first round of thunderstorms. The likely window for these storms is between 2 and 8 p.m., which could make for a dicey evening rush-hour commute. Temperatures in Reston are predicted to reach highs in the low to mid-80s in the afternoonn. (Washington Post)
Reston, Herndon Teens Featured in ‘Sports Illustrated Kids’ – South Lakes High alum Spencer Alston and Herndon High alum Olivia Dunston are featured in an article for “Sports Illustrated Kids” this month, all about what it’s really like for high school athletes who receive scholarships to play sports in college. Alston was offered a scholarship to Ohio State to play lacrosse, though he instead accepted an offer to play football for Yale. Dunston accepted a scholarship to Virginia Tech for competitive running. The article aims to answer many students’ and parents’ questions, such as how much of the costs of tuition and room and board a scholarship really covers, and whether you are allowed to play multiple sports when you were picked to receive a scholarship for a particular sport. (Sports Illustrated Kids)
Reston Beats The National Average For Parks – The Trust For Public Land recently released a study of how many Americans live within 10 walking minutes of a park, and Reston blew the national average out of the water. Reston is home to 73 parks with a total of 1,278 acres of park land–the equivalent of 975 football fields–and according to the study, 92 percent of all Reston residents live within 10 minutes’ walking distance of a park, compared to only 55 percent of Americans nationwide. The study suggests that usage of a park increases by 400 percent when a family lives inside that 10-minute distance. (ParkServe)
Lake Anne Elementary Wins Outdoor Learning Grant – Lake Anne Elementary in Reston has been awarded more than $4,000 in grants to fund student-driven projects to restore, expand and protect the outdoor learning garden on its campus. The grant money is being provided by Eco-Rise. The school district said priorities for the grant money will be restoring raised beds, providing soil for vegetable beds, creating a garden path, and purchasing garden tools. The Lake Anne students won a competition for the grant money by filming videos explaining what they would like to do with the money if they won. (Fairfax County Public Schools)
See ‘Nosferatu’ With Live Music Tonight — Get into the Halloween Eve spirit with a showing of F. W. Murnau’s spooky film “Nosferatu,” based upon the 1897 novel, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” The film will be enhanced with live musical accompaniment by Tom Teasley. Plus, if you come dressed as Dracula, you will receive a special Halloween surprise. The showing is part of the 2017 Washington West Film Festival and is sponsored by the Reston Community Center. The film begins at 7:30 p.m. at CenterStage in RCC Hunter’s Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road. All ages are welcome. [Reston Community Center]
Meeting Thursday About Future of Hook Road Recreation Area — Residents are invited to a meeting Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. about the future of the Hook Road Recreation Area. Members of the Reston Association staff and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will be on hand to discuss and solicit feedback on ideas for the park facility’s usage and more. This meeting is one in a series of community engagement meetings the two groups will be hosting this season on the matter. The meeting will take place at the Lake House, 11450 Baron Cameron Ave. Questions and written feedback can be sent to [email protected]. [Reston Association]
Airbnb has become a hot topic throughout Fairfax County over the past year. County officials have sought to remind residents of the laws regarding short-term rentals of less than 30 days. Special permits must be obtained for operating one’s home much like a bed and breakfast, and for the most part, only single-family homes are allowed to do so, and not attached homes such as apartments, condos or townhomes.
Reston Association has previously mandated that, as part of the county, residents follow the county laws. However, the RA has been receiving some complaints about residents that have been renting out their homes on Airbnb anyway.
Ganesan immediately took his new seat at the directors’ table after the ballots were counted.
Ganesan is president of the Reston Citizens Association and also heads the group that applied to conduct the audit of the Tetra/Lake House purchase and renovations.
South Lakes Student is Conference Player for Second Year — Matt Hughes has been named Liberty Conference Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Hughes largely credits the skills he honed with the Herndon-Reston Youth Lacrosse team. Hughes and his fellow HRYL alum, Dodson Piotrowski, were first-team All-Conference selections this year. Hughes has committed to playing Division 1 lacrosse at Mercer next year. [Fairfax Times]
Reston Firm Has Innovative Mobile Tech — After filing for bankruptcy in 2012, Reston-based LightSquared has re-emerged as a strong contender in the mobile services industry. With a new name, Ligado, the firm has promised to deliver the world’s first wireless network using ground-based airwaves, which many in the industry had long considered “unsuitable” for cellular use. Taking it one step further, Ligado says it also plans to join that capability with a satellite hovering above North America. The pairing is expected to benefit both industrial commercial customers as well as the average smartphone user. [The Ledger]
Garrett Skinner comes to Reston Association from Atkins, a global design, engineering and project management firm with offices in Maryland and Virginia, where he served as a senior project manager and office leader. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Geography from the University of Maryland as well as certifications in floodplain management and project management.
RA voted to create the new Capital Improvement Planning and Projects department in order to keep a closer eye on community projects and ensure they are completed on time and within budget, particularly after many members criticized the handling of the recent Lake House project.
Emke comes to Reston Now from his previous position as editor of The Journal, a print newspaper in Martinsburg, West Virginia. He is a native of Chautauqua County, New York.
Emke’s move to Reston Now means some big changes for him — both in the busy hustle and bustle of the D.C. Metro area, and with the switch from print to hyperlocal digital news.
Route 7 Getting Upgrades to Connect Communities — The widening of Route 7 will also include new trails and a tunnel that will connect Tysons Corner to Reston. The plans apply to a seven-mile stretch from the Dulles Toll Road to Route 193, and work is expected to be completed by 2025. [Greater Greater Washington]
Two Area Schools Get New Principals — Fairfax County Public Schools welcomed five new principals this week. Among the schools to receive them are Herndon High School and Herndon Elementary. Herndon High welcomes Elizabeth Noto and Herndon Elementary welcomes Teresa Fennessy. [FCPS News]
The Reston Runners have ended their tradition of gathering at Reston Town Center, citing parking fees that went into effect this week as the reason.
The local running club has long met at the Potomac River Running Store on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to begin their group runs. The store has served as something of a flagship for the group, as it even sells Reston Runners gear and gives discounts to members. The store also regularly sponsors some of the club’s events, such as the annual Runner’s Marathon of Reston.
FCPS’ previous superintendent, Dr. Karen Garza tendered her resignation in September and closed out her tenure in December. She took a job as the CEO of an Ohio education nonprofit, even though she had recently signed a four-year contract extension.
Now, FCPS has hired the firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates to conduct a formal search for Garza’s replacement. Dr. Steven Lockard, who had been the district’s deputy superintendent, is serving as interim superintendent.
Fairfax County Expert Talks Coyotes — Coyotes can be found all over Fairfax County, certified wildlife specialist Katherine Edwards says in a video aiming to educate residents. Edwards says coyotes generally avoid humans, but they may prey on small domestic animals like cats and dogs. The biologist says it’s best to avoid keeping pets outdoors for long periods of time, and to keep their food indoors. [Fairfax County/YouTube]
South Lakes Sports Back in Full Swing — South Lakes High School’s winter break is over and Seahawks sports teams are back in action. This week, the basketball teams engaged in several contests with McLean High. The varsity boys team scored a 73-45 win, while the JV boys dropped a close one, 47-45. The boys freshman team also lost, 59-51. The JV girls team scored a victory, however, winning 47-36 in overtime. [South Lakes Athletics]
SB 893, being proposed by Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax), was officially filed for consideration Dec. 20. It would make it “unlawful for any licensed manufacturer, licensed importer or licensed dealer to sell, deliver or transfer any handgun to any person… unless the handgun is accompanied by a warning, in conspicuous and legible type in capital letters printed on a label affixed to the gun and on a separate sheet of paper included within the packaging enclosing the handgun, that handguns should be locked and kept away from children…”
The only exception in the bill is for firearms that are “accompanied by a locking mechanism,” though it also allows leeway for law enforcement and governmental agencies.
