(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) Members of the Reston Association Board of Directors held an executive session after a public meeting Wednesday night to continue contract discussions with MediaWorld, the firm it voted to put in charge of a review of the Tetra/Lake House’s budget overrun.
According to RA’s director of communications, Mike Leone, the board ended up taking no action at the meeting.
That means the matter continues as it has for roughly two-and-a-half months since the RA board voted 4-3 to task MediaWorld with the review.
The board has not yet announced any future meetings.
If you’re just catching up to speed with the issue, here’s a little background:
After renovations at Lake House (formerly the Tetra Building) were found to be nearly triple what was originally budgeted, a review of the handling of the funds was deemed necessary. Earlier this year, RA moved $430,000 from its operating budget to help cover the project’s deficit.
All of that came after many citizens said they feel the RA overpaid to purchase the building in the first place. Fairfax County tax estimates put its value at closer to $1.2 million.
Following completion of the project, the RA Board formed a panel consisting of residents and staff to audit the entire project’s books, though many citizens and staff members urged the board to hire an independent firm to ensure the process was completely impartial. An initial search found, however, that such a firm could cost in the six figures.
A compromise was found in MediaWorld, who agreed to do the review for just $1 if RA members could be used to perform some of the necessary work.
Commercial Trucks Pulled Out of Service for Safety Violations — Fairfax County Police randomly chose 10 commercial trucks operating in Reston on Tuesday and inspected them for safety compliance. Authorities found 35 safety violations, and four trucks were taken out of service for “serious safety violations.” [FCPD]
Hernon Residents Show Holiday Spirit in Annual Home Tour — Residents throughout the area showcased some of their favorite holiday decorations during the annual Holiday Homes Tour of Herndon. [Reston Connection]
What Lurks in the Woods of Reston? — Local authors Eric MacDicken and Kristina S. Alcorn will sign copies of and speak about their new book, “Myths and Monsters of Reston, Virginia,” at Scrawl Books independent bookstore (11862 Market St.) at Reston Town Center this Sunday from 3-5 p.m. The book details “the phenomenal and frightening findings” of “what lurks in the woods of Reston.” [Scrawl Books]
Winter Coat Closet Open For Residents in Need — The annual Hunter Mill District Winter Coat Closet is now open for underprivileged local residents to come and get a warm winter coat if they cannot afford to buy one. Coats are available now through March 18 in the Community Room of the North County Governmental Building (1801 Cameron Glen Drive). The Closet is also in need of donations of new as well as clean, gently-used coats, jackets, hats, gloves, mittens and scarves through Feb. 16, 2017. [Cornerstones]
Photo of sunrise over Reston via Twitter user @JGS.
A Reston Town Center jewelry store is set to donate 20 percent of its proceeds during a special sale next week to help combat human trafficking in Northern Virginia, with the help of Mrs. DC America.
The Kendra Scott at 11924 Market St. is scheduled to have a “Kendra Gives Back Party” with Mrs. DC America 2015 Elaine Espinola Keltz this coming Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. The shop will donate 20 percent of its sales to the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative, a local nonprofit organization that helps victims of human trafficking get back on their feet.
NOVA-HTI was formed after Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) from the neighboring 10th District asked faith-based organizations to get more involved in the fight against human trafficking in Northern Virginia in 2010. A local consortium of pastors then established NOVA-HTI.
The organization works to create awareness of human trafficking, and helps connect victims with support services within the area.
Virginia is among the top 10 U.S. states with the most cases of human trafficking, according to NOVA-HTI’s website. In particular, teen sex trafficking is one of the most common types of victimization that takes place in the area.
Photo via KendraScott.com
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved the rezoning of nearly 12 acres of office space near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station along with Vornado Realty Trust’s plans for its transformation.
The area, adjacent to the Metro station at Wiehle Avenue and Sunrise Valley Drive, will be redeveloped by Vornado into 1.5 million square feet of residences, hotels, restaurants and retail. Washington Business Journal first reported on the approval yesterday.
The nearly 12 acres have long been zoned as industrial. With Vornado’s redevelopment plan, three existing six-story office buildings will remain, but the rest will be transformed into a live-work-dine-shop destination for those who want to be close to Metro and Reston’s busy business corridor.
The development will include a seven-story building that will fit up to 200 residences, another 24-story building that will fit up to 300 residences, a new 22-story office building of more than 350,000 square feet, and a new 14-story hotel that will feature around 175 rooms, according to Vornado’s application as reported by the county.
These new buildings will be among some of the tallest in Reston.
Occupants of the new development will have access to both the north and south sides of the Metro station, from Sunrise Valley Drive via Commerce Park Drive. Retail and dining businesses would be on ground floors of the buildings and would aim to minimize car use.
The plans also include a total of 1.5 acres of open space, with small parks, bicycle tracks and a promenade along the businesses, and will feature public art including a water feature.
Residents of the development will also be Reston Association members, and therefore would have access to the pools, tennis courts, event and recreation opportunities that come with membership.
In Defense of Political Theater Over the Silver Line — Metro board members Jack Evans and Corbett Price have threatened to veto the opening of the Silver Line to Dulles and Loudoun County if Virginia doesn’t help fund Metro more. In response, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) called those suggestions “parochial theater,” and labeled some board members’ comments “cheap and reckless.” Are they really? GGW’s David Alpert says maybe not. “Their argument about the Silver Line isn’t totally crazy,” he argues. “Still, it’s dangerous for one jurisdiction to block new service in another.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Beware of Package Thieves — The Fairfax County Police Department had at least 15 reports of packages being stolen from doorsteps across the county this past weekend, it said. The arrival of the holiday season generally means an uptick in package and mail theft. Whenever possible, police advise citizens to require a signature for package deliveries, ask that packages be delivered to neighbors if you will not be home, or have packages delivered to their offices. [Patch]
Reston Singing Groups to Open Registration — Two local singing groups for people over the age of 65 are opening to new members: Encore Reston Chorale, which performs classical choral music, and Encore Rocks Reston, which performs more contemporary and rock-and-roll music. Members do not need prior singing experience or know how to read music. Singers may also be seated during rehearsals and performances, if needed. Weekly rehearsals in Reston are scheduled to begin next month. [Encore Creativity]
Network, Celebrate, and Check Out New Reston Homes — The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce will host its annual holiday celebration, “Tinsle ‘n Tinis,” tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m. in the rooftop bar at Reston Station’s BLVD apartment complex (1908 Reston Metro Plaza). Attendees can network with other local business professionals, celebrate the holiday season and enjoy festive martinis and hors d’oeuvres during the event. Proceeds from the event are slated to go toward a local education nonprofit. [Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce]
Fairfax County Police Respond to Annandale Shooting — Two women were shot and wounded after a fight outside of a home in Annandale last night. Fairfax County Police rushed to the scene of the crime around 6:30 p.m. yesterday. [NBC Washington]
Capital One no longer has a branch in Reston Town Center, the company that manages the shopping area confirmed today.
The bank has “moved out” of Reston Town Center in just the past few days, according to a representative of Boston Properties. Friday was the bank’s last day in business there.
A sign posted on the bank’s window urges customers now to visit other branches in Reston (11874 Spectrum Drive), Herndon (1201 Elden St.) and Brambleton Town Center (42405 Ryan Road).
It wasn’t immediately clear why Capital One decided to vacate the popular shopping center. But the Reston location is just one of dozens of Capital One outposts across the country that have closed since 2012.
Capital One locations in the D.C. metro area have gone down from 206 in 2012 to around 174 in June 2015, the Washington Business Journal has reported. CEO Richard Fairbank said earlier this year in an earnings report that the bank is “accelerating” closures and renovations on its brick-and-mortar locations in a strategy to save money and increase efficiency.
Per that strategy, Capital One has closed some of its lesser-visited branches and renovated many of the locations that remain with upgraded features, largely due to the fact that more and more of its customers are managing their bank accounts online.
Photos courtesy of Michael McFarland
The Reston Association Board is scheduled to hold a special meeting Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. to discuss contract issues with MediaWorld, the firm it voted to put in charge of a review of the Tetra/Lake House’s budget overrun.
It has been more than two months since the Board voted 4-3 to go with MediaWorld for the budget review but the Board has yet to approve an official contract with the firm that would allow them to begin work.
After renovations at Lake House (formerly the Tetra Building) were found to be nearly triple what was originally budgeted, a review of the handling of the funds was deemed necessary. Earlier this year, RA moved $430,000 from its operating budget to help cover the project’s deficit.
All of that came after the RA took out a $2.7-million loan to purchase the building from its former occupants, Tetra Partners, which many citizens said they thought was too much to pay for the property in the first place. Fairfax County tax estimates put the building and land’s value at closer to $1.2 million.
In August, RA organized a panel to choose a professional firm to “review of the processes and internal controls that were followed across the organization in handling all decision-making, governance, administrative and financial aspects of the Association’s purchase, including the referendum, planned use, and renovation of Tetra (now known as the Lake House property), that have led to cost overruns and revenue shortfalls.”
Originally, citizens and RA staff members urged the Board to hire an independent firm to conduct the review in order for it to be completely impartial. But when it became obvious that the hiring of an outside firm could cost as much as six figures, the Board voted on a compromise — namely, going with MediaWorld but offering the help of RA members.
MediaWorld is a Reston-based company that offered to conduct the review for a fee of just $1 with the understanding that they could use RA members to help do some of the work.
In Wednesday’s special meeting, the RA Board said it will continue discussions over a potential contract with MediaWorld to spearhead the Tetra/Lake House review.
It is expected that the Board will go into executive session to conduct the contract negotiations–meaning it will be closed to the public due to attorney-client privilege, RA staff said.
The meeting could go a number of ways. The Board could come to an agreement with MediaWorld and vote to approve the contract, meaning work on the review could begin soon.
Or, if the two parties are unable to come to an agreement, the Board could decide not to continue negotiations with MediaWorld and decide to seek another company to work with.
At that point, they could go back to the list of firms that originally submitted proposals to the RA and decide to open negotiations with one of them. Or, the Board could decide to start a new search and allow other companies to submit proposals.
Wednesday’s meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at RA Headquarters, located at 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive.
A Winter Wonderland for Reston’s Young Ones — The Reston Association plans to welcome little ones to its annual Winter Wonderland celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Kids can enjoy holiday arts and crafts, games and a festive snack. Registration is $8 for RA members and $12 for non-members and must be made in advance. [Reston Association]
Reminder: GRACE to Unveil New Art Exhibition This Week — The Greater Reston Arts Center is slated to debut a new art show featuring the work of six visual artists this Friday. During the new art show, six artists will showcase work that explores “spirituality, modern life, and ecological concerns through a variety of delicate and precisely crafted cut paper.” [Reston Now]
Members of Congress Slammed Metro Board Friday — Members of the Metro Board appeared before Congress Friday and were not met with a warm welcome. In particular, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) called board member Corbett Price’s suggestion to cancel Virginia’s Silver Line extension “parochial theater,” and labeled some board members’ comments as “cheap and reckless.” [Washington Post]
Toys for Tots volunteers are set to accept donations of cash and new, unwrapped toys to benefit children in need at the Reston Town Center Pavilion this week.
Volunteers from United Methodist Family Services of Northern Virginia and local hauling company 123Junk are slated to help collect donations from 1-4 p.m. Friday.
UMFS has support services for children aged 12 to 17 who are at-risk or in crisis. The organization helps advocate for foster parents to take in children who have no capable family members to care for them, and works with families to help them provide for their children.
The organization also operates Leland House, which provides up to 45 days of intervention and stabilization care for children in crisis. Kids receive therapy, education and behavior management, among other services.
“Stop by and enjoy the feelings of the holidays, knowing your gift is making a child’s wishes come true,” Reston Town Center’s website says.
Photo via Reston Town Center
Last week, the Fairfax County School Board approved an August start date for the next school year, marking the first time in decades that area schools will start before Labor Day.
That means school will also let out earlier next year on June 15. In past years, students have gone to class as late as June 25.
Outgoing FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza said earlier this year the change is being made to provide more instructional time before winter break, provide enhanced flexibility to help students and school staff members meet college application deadlines and to end the school year earlier in June.
Additionally, some FCPS parents have said they are glad for the change because letting out earlier in June will afford their children better summer internship and enrichment opportunities.
However, many families have expressed dismay over the decision, citing a number of reasons:
‘Traditional’ summer vacation — In a poll issued to FCPS families prior to the school board’s vote, 84 percent of those against the earlier start date said they preferred a “traditional” summer vacation schedule, giving kids all of August off before starting school in September. Others said it made no sense to them to start school before Labor Day when right away in the second week of school, they have a day off to observe the Labor Day holiday. Sixty-four percent of families said the new schedule would disrupt long-held vacation plans.
Shortening of summer/temporary status of waiver — Twenty-eight percent of families against the earlier start date pointed out that the waiver from the state, allowing FCPS to start school before Labor Day — which has long been mandated via the 1986 “King’s Dominion Rule” — is temporary, only allowing the district to start school in August through the 2019-20 school year. Many parents said they did not support the earlier start date if it is going to be temporary, especially if they would have to switch back again in a few years once the waiver expired.
Others pointed out that, in the first year of implementation, their children are losing a week of summer vacation with the early start.
Hot temperatures in August — Many parents say they are worried about students being in hot, under-air-conditioned classrooms in summer temperatures that are often in the 90s.
What do you think of the new August start date? Vote in our poll and leave your comments below letting us know why you voted the way you did.
Fairfax County to Settle Overtime Pay Lawsuit — The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that fire captains are due the overtime pay that they have been denied for years. The county had reportedly long been denying overtime to fire captains, arguing that they are “executives and administrators” that are not owed overtime pay according to law. A number of Fairfax County fire captains filed a lawsuit in 2014 saying they deserve overtime pay because they are first-responders that do not operate solely as supervisors. The court has awarded Fairfax County fire captains a total of $7.85 million in back overtime pay. [Washington Post]
South Lakes Football Season Comes to An End — It has been a long and exciting season for the South Lakes High varsity football team, but unfortunately, the Seahawks lost to defending state champs the Westfield Bulldogs in the Region 6A semi-finals at Westfield Saturday. The Seahawks, which lost 42 to 12, entered Saturday’s game with a winning record of 12-1. [Reston Patch]
Get Photos In For Your 2017 Tennis and Pool Passes Now – Reston Association members must provide a photo for each member of their household that wants to have a pass for pools and tennis courts. RA says, you can start emailing those photos now to [email protected] with the subject line “Pass Photos.” Be sure to label each photo with the person’s name, and include the name of the primary person and address on the household account. Passes go on sale Dec. 15 through the RA’s new WebTrac system. [Reston Association/WebTrac]
Photo by David Cordts: South Lakes Seahawks varsity football, October 2016
The area around Reston’s lakes should start looking especially festive soon.
That’s because it’s time for the 4th annual Festival of Winter Lights, an annual event that encourages residents to light up their lake-facing homes or boats with twinkling holiday lights.
The yearly yuletide event from the Lake Thoreau Entertainment Association (LTEA) helps create dazzling displays and also benefits a number of local charities.
From now until the first week of January, donations will be made to local organizations for every lit-up house, townhome, condo or boat facing one of Reston’s four lakes.
LTEA confirms that $10 per boat or home that hangs lights will be donated to Outward Bound Baltimore, an organization that teaches wilderness and survival skills to teens to help build their self-confidence and self-reliance, as well as $10 to Initiative for Public Art in Reston (IPAR).
In past years, the Festival of Winter Lights has raised as much as $10,000 for area nonprofits.
For more information about the challenge or to donate, email James Pan from LTEA at [email protected].
It’s official: The first day of school in Fairfax County next year will fall in August, marking the first time in decades that area schools will start before Labor Day.
The Fairfax County School Board approved the calendar for the 2017-18 school year this week, with school starting on Monday, Aug. 28, and ending earlier than usual, on Friday, June 15.
Although the law in Virginia — called the “Kings Dominion Rule” — mandates that school should start after Labor Day, Fairfax County Public Schools applied for a waiver from the commonwealth. FCPS was informed in February that it could get the waiver until at least the 2019-20 school year because the district had canceled school an average of at least eight days per year in at least five of the past 10 years due to inclement weather.
In the 2013-14 school year, FCPS was forced to add three days to the end of the school year due to missing more than the maximum number of school days allowed, Washington Post reported.
Following that school year, discussions began about starting the instructional calendar earlier. This past spring, the district polled families to gauge their support for moving the first day of school into August.
Parents who participated in the survey were fairly evenly split, 52 to 47 percent, between those in favor of and those opposed to the earlier start date, respectively. More than 60 percent of responding FCPS staff said they favored the change.
Outgoing FCPS Superintendent Karan Garza had long advocated for the change as well.
“These changes are being made to provide more instructional time before winter break, enhanced flexibility to help students and school staff members meet college application deadlines, and to end the school year earlier in June,” FCPS officials said Thursday.
The 2017-18 school year will include a full two weeks off in winter, letting out Dec. 18, 2017 and resuming on Jan. 2, 2018.
The full 2017-18 calendar is on the district’s website.
Photo via Fairfax County Public Schools
Metro Aware of Track Problems Before Silver Line Derailment, NTSB Says — Metro was aware of track issues that could cause cause a derailment before a Silver Line train went off the tracks outside of the East Falls Church Metro station in July, according to the he National Transportation Safety Board. [Washington Post]
Reston Chorale and Symphonic Brass to Hold Holiday Concert This Weekend — The Washington Symphonic Brass is set once again to join the Reston Chorale for their annual holiday concert. The performance is scheduled for Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at CenterStage at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road). Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors 62 and older. Military personnel and children 17 years old and younger are free. [Reston Community Center]
South Lakes to Face Westfield in Finals Saturday — South Lakes High School’s varsity football team is set take on defending state champion Westfield High School tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the Region 6A Finals. The winner of this game will go on to the state finals in Hampton. South Lakes is currently ranked No. 5, and Westfield is ranked No. 10. [Washington Post]
Holiday Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides Begin This Weekend — Reston Town Center will start having horse-drawn carriage rides this Saturday. They generally will run from 4 to 9 p.m. Pickup is in front of Clyde’s on Market Street. A donation of $5 per person, to benefit local charities, is asked of any riders age 5 and older. [Reston Town Center]
(Corrected at 3:30 p.m.: This article previously suggested the Reston Community Center and Reston Association are the same entity. They are not. We’ve corrected the error.)
Priority registration began today for winter and spring season activities at the Reston Community Center.
Activities offered include aquatics, business and computer classes, music and theater performances and arts and crafts classes.
The community center is also scheduled to hold a New Year’s Fitness Challenge in January that will include prize drawings.
