Fairfax County Public Schools now predicts a $72 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2017, about 25 percent less than the gap it forecasted last April.

FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza said last spring that the school system — which has more than 180,000 students — could face a deficit of $100 million in the upcoming fiscal year. At a community meeting at South Lakes High School in September, she said the gap would be more like $80 million.

Garza said much of the cost drivers are out of the system’s control. Among them: Increasing enrollment; increasing need for special programs such as English as a Second Language; increased employee health care costs; raises for staff; and contributions to the state retirement fund.

The county has created a Budget Task Force, introduced a citizen online budget tool and has asked citizens for feedback on potential places to make cuts. Among the suggestions: cutting back on sports and activities, larger class sizes, cutting custodial positions, cutting Central Support positions and eliminating all-day Kindergarten, among others.

FCPS gets about 70 percent of its $2.6 billion (2016) budget from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, which has said to expect about a 3-percent increase for 2017, said Garza.

The county budget staff says the reason for the updated forecast of $72 million still takes into account a 3-percent increase in the county transfer, but also takes into considers:

State Aid — Reflects a lower projected LCI (Local Composite Index) loss based on the Governor’s budget comments combined with the loss of one-time compensation funding included in FY2016 offset by projected enrollment increases

Health Insurance —  FCPS is finalizing the plan offerings for calendar year 2016, and rates are projected to increase.

Virginia Retirement System — The rate projection was updated based on the decrease in the rate for FY2016

Utilities — Assumes increases primarily in electricity, offset by cost avoidances from our contract with the energy conservation company, Cenegistic.

See the updated forecast in this document on the FCPS school board site.

Plans for the last remaining undeveloped lot at Reston Town Center will go before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday with slight tweaks that make a building closer to Fountain Drive, but do not change the density, scale basic plans for the project.

Block 4, as it is called, is Boston Properties’ project that will turn the surface parking lot at RTC into two high-rise residential buildings with up to 549 units and nine levels of underground parking.

The plans also call for a park with a yoga area, public art and picnic areas.

Boston Properties had to go through a rezoning for the project (that land was slated to be office/commercial space). The project was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in summer 2014.

But the developers recently had to go back to the Fairfax County Planning Commission for the slight alterations. The planning commission approved the changes last month, and the supervisors will vote on them today.

The project’s western residential tower will run in staggered building sections in an east-west direction parallel to New Dominion Parkway in order to break up the mass of the building.  The middle section of the building will now be narrower by about eight feet for an approximate width of 34 feet and will extend 21 feet closer to Fountain Drive.

Says a county staff report on the project: “This modification is proposed to better align with the structured parking and retail space below to create a greater physical relationship with the base of building rather than a deep setback. “

The eastern end of the residential tower has been modified to extend six
feet to the east. Such modifications only affect the residential levels (7 through 21) of
the building.

The modification to the building massing does not change the approved height, density, setbacks, streetscape, or number residential units approved for the building in 2014, the staff report says. In addition, there is no change to the ground floor uses and parking or to the eastern residential tower.

Block 4 will also have an increase in open space. There will be about 1.85 acres (40 percent) of open space, which is a half acre more than previously planned. There will also be an additional vegetated roof (original plans called for just one on the main building entrance).

It was necessary to go back to the planning commission, the staff report says, because  modifications to the building massing could not be achieved through a minor modification request under the zoning ordinance.

The South Lakes Village Center Starbucks may soon become a place for a glass of wine and small plates in the evenings.

The South Lakes location, at 11170 South Lakes Dr., is one of several Virginia locations seeking a license to sell wine and beer. The application was filed last week, according to Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control permit records. Other Northern Virginia Starbucks also seeking to add beer and wine service are in Arlington, Purcellville, Chantilly, Sterling and Great Falls.

The effort is part of the Starbucks Evenings program, which rolled out in August. The company began testing it in New York City, Denver, Miami, Orlando and Northern California. It has filed alcohol license applications for several hundred locations nationwide.

“We learned resoundingly that our customers want to come to Starbucks and have a glass of wine or a craft beer,” Rachel Antalek, Starbucks vice president of concept innovations, told USA Today in August. “There aren’t that many places to go in the evening where you can go very relaxed, very casual. It’s not loud. You can actually have a small group and hear yourself talk.”

On the Evenings menu: cheese plates, bacon-wrapped dates, spinach and artichoke dip, and truffle popcorn. There are about 10 wines on the wine list (available by the glass or bottle), as well as craft beer.

The coffee menu is also available during evening hours, Starbucks said.

The Fairfax County Park Authority is preparing for fall trout season by stocking Reston’s Lake Fairfax with 2,000 lbs. of rainbow trout.

Fall trout fishing season opens Saturday and runs through Nov. 8.

A total of 2,000 pounds of rainbow trout will be stocked in the lake, the park authority says.

There is a one pole and six-fish limit. For more details, visit the park authority website.

The trout come to Reston from Casta Line Trout Farm in Goshen, Va.

Daily fishing passes can be purchased from the Lake Fairfax Park’s main office. The fee is $15 for adults, $10 for 65+, and $7.50 for children 12 or younger.

In addition, fall season passes and yearly passes are available. Virginia freshwater fishing permit is also required.

Going fishing? Here’s a tip from Park Manager Dan: “Try fishing a Berkley Mice Tail three feet below a slip bobber on a 1/32 ounce of 1/16 ounce jig head.”

A combination of water lily treatment, shallow water and excessive lake fertility due in part to fertilizer runoff have led to an invasion of matted aquatic plants at Lake Newport.

Reston Association says the lake has been experiencing a dramatic growth of bladderwort, a submerged aquatic plant that floats to the surface forming dense mats.

“Bladderwort is unique in that it captures its food in tiny bladders, similar to the venus fly trap,” RA said in a release. “There are no health-related issues associated with the existence of this plant on the lake.”

Even though the matted plants are unsightly, they are actually ecologically beneficial.

Bladderwort is a beneficial habitat for fish and aquatic insects, turtles and frogs, says RA. And now that it is October, bladderwort, like all aquatic plants,  is expected to die back within the next 30 days when the water temperatures start to get colder.

RA says bladderwort likes to grow in shallow water and that Lake Newport. Meanwhile, Lake Newport has been filling in with sediment over the last 10-13 years and is scheduled to be dredged in 2017.

Says RA:

“RA has treated Lake Newport to control the white water lily.  In doing so, it opened the lake bottom sediments up to additional light. There is excess fertility of the lake with the added nutrients from the decaying lilies and runoff of fertilizer and lawn chemicals. The bladderwort reproduces quickly and is coating the entire visible lake bottom.

RA staff removed some of the bladderwort by hand on Sept. 16-17., but much of the plant still remains.”

RA says it will not be further treating the invasion this late in the season.

“Even if RA treated it this fall, the plant would still come back next spring,” said Nicki Bellezza, RA’s Watershed Manager.

Also, the association will be going to a more natural control agent next year: stocking the lake with plant-eating grass carp in the spring to feast on the new plants.

Photo: Bladderwort removal at Lake Newport/Courtesy Reston Association

Reston Association North Point Director Dannielle LaRosa is suggesting the Board of Directors to take a look at an operating fund surplus to see if it can be used to offset a member assessment increase for 2016 and 2017.

Member assessments for 2015 were $642. The board is currently holding a series of meetings to determine budget priorities for 2016 and 2017. The final budget will be voted on by the board — and the annual assessment amount set — in November.

According to the first draft of the biennial budget, the board is looking at a $675 assessment (a 5-percent increase) for 2016 and a $692 amount (3 percent over 2016) for 2017.

LaRosa made a presentation to the board on at its budget planning session on Thursday that looked at using available cash to possibly offset the rise in assessments.

LaRosa, the board’s treasurer, said she worked the numbers to “see if RA can limit our assessment increase.” She said she is looking only at operating cash flow, and not money already earmarked for various projects.

La Rosa pointed out that the cash balance in the associations’s operating fund was $2.9 million in 2010 and grew to $5.7 million at the end 0f 2014. The reserve balance was about $4 million the last several years, then shot up to $5.2 million in 2014.

“The cash available is about $2-3 million each year for the last few years,” said LaRosa. “If you took that money away, nothing is really going to change within the organization. But you can’t take the balance down to zero. That is kind of like flying without a safety net.”

RA CEO Cate Fulkerson says the increase in funds in the last few years are due to board resolutions that said there needed to be more money put in reserve and operating funds.

“We didn’t spend all we said we would, and we put more in,” said Fulkerson “We didn’t complete some of the work.”

LaRosa estimates that at the end of 2015, there will be $1.4 million available that could be used to offset a rise in assessments.

“Right now, as of today, the total cash we have is $13 million,” she said. “$6.2 million is for reserves and we can’t touch it. $4.4 million leftover estimate. That leaves us with with $2.5 million roughly in our accounts. $1.4 million has not been earmarked for use.”

“We still need to be very prudent. …. let’s look at how much assessment will go up; let’s look at how we can offset that.”

The board directed the fiscal committee to review LaRosa’s findings and report back by the Oct. 22 board of director’s meeting.

To see LaRosa’s full presentation, watch the budget session on You Tube. The presentation begins at the 1:50 mark.

Rainy Walk Raises More Than $30K — Despite heavy rain, Mayflowers Floral Studio’s annual Walk to Help the Homeless raised more than $30,000 for Cornerstones last week.

Police collect Nearly 2,000 Pounds of Unwanted Meds — Fairfax County Police collected leftover and unused prescription meds at police substations on Sept. 26. Citizens turned in 1,900 lbs. of drugs, which were disposed of properly, police said. [Fairfax County Police]

Red’s Table For Lunch — New South Lakes Village Center dining spot Red’s Table will be open at 11 a.m. for lunch beginning today. The restaurant will also serve weekend brunch (Saturdays at 11 a.m.; Sundays at 10 a.m.)

SLHS Football is 4-1 — The Seahawks topped Washington-Lee 28-2 on Friday. [Reston Connection]

Photo: Mayflowers Walk/Credit: Chip McCrea

Lake Anne Plaza is about to have a remodeled coffee house and its first nanobrewery. What should go in this small Washington Plaza space?

Cindy Williams, owner of Lake Anne’s PetMAC, says she recently purchased the 700-square-foot space, formerly home to New Family Naturals.

She has been putting the word out the community to help find the right fit.

Says Williams:

The space is about 700 square feet and is located right next to the soon-to-open Lake Anne Brew House, a nano brewery. They are going to be brewing their beer on site and thus, will not have space to offer any food. I would love to find a tenant for my space who can provide “walkable” food that would go along with beer.

Lake Anne has three other restaurants and a coffee house, but no good take-out type food [such as] sausages/brats, panini, hand pies, etc. Something savory and heavy enough to be a dinner with beer. There is no hood or exhaust, so cooking is limited to methods that do not require that — panini press, convection oven, induction burners, etc.

Not only would this location have a built-in customer base from the Brew House, but there are 1,600 people living within a five-minute walk of the lake, and the Saturday Farmers Market is the largest in Fairfax County, bringing between 2,000-3,500 people each Sat. Delivery would also be a great option when the weather turns cold.

Williams also says “some sort of upscale, but locally owned retail shop would be a great asset to the merchant community at the Plaza.” Meanwhile, the space is hosting crafters in a pop-up market starting Saturday.

Check out the full listing and rental price on this Craigslist post.

Given the suggestions, what do you think should open here?

Don’t let a little rain stop you. There are lots of houses to see this weekend. For complete real estate information and more open houses, visit Reston Now’s Real Estate Section.

2111 Colts Neck Court
3 BR, 2 FB, 2 HB TH
$399,998
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

2015 Sarazen Place
3 BR, 2.5 BA TH
$419,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

10819 Cross School Road
4 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$650,000
Open Sunday 1 to 3 p.m.

11775 Stratford House Place
2 BR, 2 BA Condo
$449,000
Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

2623 Steeplechase Drive
4 BR, 2 FB, 2 HB SFH
$825,000
Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

1528 Scandia Circle
4 BR, 3.5 BA TH
$459,900
Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

10807 Oldfield Drive
3 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$599,000
Open Sunday 1 to 3 p.m.

11908 Blue Spruce Road
4 BR, 4.5 BA SFH
$750,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

A woman who assisted a sex trafficker in prostituting young girls in Reston and Herndon hotels was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a federal judge on Friday.

Giedre Ruseckaite, 24, a Lithuanian citizen who had been living in Nevada, pled guilty to sex trafficking of a child in June.

According to court documents, Ruseckaite was the girlfriend and trusted assistant of Lenny Paul “2 Much” Haskins, 34, of Las Vegas, who was sentenced in May to 40 years in prison for sex trafficking of a child.

The charges stemmed from an incident in summer 2014, when authorities said Ruseckaite assisted Haskins in sex trafficking and prostituting two girls, ages 15 and 17. Haskins met the girls, runaways from foster care, in California. He instructed them to take a bus to Herndon from the purposes of being prostituted there, officials said.

Once he recruited them, Haskins also performed sex acts with the victims, officials said.

Haskins, who operated his ring in Northern Virginia for nearly a decade, frequently provided women and girls who were prostituted with various drugs, including marijuana, ecstasy, liquor, a drug known as “molly,” a drug concoction known as “lean,” and other controlled substances so that they could work longer without sleep, U.S. Justice Department documents said.

Even after Haskins was jailed, he continued to run his sex trafficking business from inside, officials said. With the assistance of Ruseckaite, proceeds from the sex trafficking conspiracy were forwarded to Haskins in jail so that he could purchase items and make telephone calls. Because jail calls are monitored, Haskins would give instructions via code words.

Authorities said Ruseckaite helped Haskins operate his venture in several ways, including assisting in the rental of hotel rooms where victims were prostituted; assisting in the collection of prostitution proceeds from victims; transporting victims; purchasing and distributing condoms to victims; advising the victims on how to perform sex acts; and assisting in the creation and posting of prostitution advertisements on Internet websites.

When Ruseckaite was arrested last spring, she was with her 3-year-old son at the Crowne Plaza Herndon on Elden Street. She was charged by Fairfax County Police with child neglect, prostitution and keeping a bawdy place.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with substantial assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department and the Herndon Police Department.

Photo: Giedre Ruseckaite/FCPD

In Reston’s only contested race this fall, Fairfax County School Board’s Hunter Mill representative Pat Hynes will face challenger Mark Wilkinson, an Oak Hill tech consultant.

The entire FCPS school board is up for re-election in the Nov. 3 race. There are nine candidates running for three At-Large seats.

The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a Hunter Mill Candidates Forum on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, who is running unopposed for re-election, will also be at the event.

Hynes, of Reston, is a former lawyer and teacher who has served on the board since 2012. She is the current board chair.

“Maintaining Fairfax County Public Schools’ world-class reputation in the twenty-first century demands visionary leadership,” Hynes says on her website. “This community expects its schools to be the best. We are preparing our students for careers that do not yet exist. What we know for sure is that our graduates will have to be flexible, creative problem-solvers who collaborate well and have strong communication skills. We must continue to build a culture that innovates from the classroom, supports our world class educators and sets high expectations for every student.”

Wilkinson says on his website he is concerned about FCPS’ budget, class sizes, and other issues.

“I believe that the children of Fairfax County must come first with any decisions made by the school establishment, particularly the School Board,” says Wilkinson. “I am well suited to be an independent and non-partisan advocate for children and sound education.

“As a parent, I know that no one knows a child and his/her needs as well as a parent. I have been troubled by the appearance, the current Board has given, that it has a disregard for parent knowledge and involvement.  There is no room for a “we know best” attitude from the School Board.”

Photos: Pat Hynes (left) and Mark Wilkinson (right).

The Reston Home Tour returns on Oct. 17 with a new perspective on six Reston homes.

The theme for the tour’s 14th year is “Spaces Reimagined.” The six Reston homes featured for 2015 have been “altered and reimagined with creativity and inspiration to reflect their owners’ visions,” home tour organizers said.

The tickets to the self-guided tour are now on sale ($25 prior to Oct. 10; $30 from Oct. 10-Oct. 17 and anytime online. Tickets for groups of 10 or more are $20 each.

Proceeds benefit the Reston Historic Trust and Museum.

Here’s a sneak peek at the homes:

Links Drive

After 30 years and two renovations, the owners of this  art-filled home overlooking Hidden Creek Country Club course still call it “ongoing.”

Lake Newport Road

Home 1 — This is the home of an interior designer, who was able to alter the spaces to take full advantage of the views of Lake Newport. The owners added stepped terraces, a water feature and a gas fire pit cocktail table.

Home 2 — The owner and founder of KPA Design Group wanted a house with great bones in a beautiful setting, and one that was “in need.” The owners altered some of the floor plans, adding organic materials, ledge stone, wood cabinetry and flooring, warmed and naturalized the interior.

The Harrison

Check out the lifestyle at one of Reston’s newest luxury rentals. Public spaces at The Harrison include an indoor lap pool with spa, a cycle-spinning, yoga and Pilates room, a fitness center with cardio equipment and a rooftop club and pool with an outdoor prep and grilling area.

Turtle Pond Drive

This home has Reston’s only residential cinema — complete with a Marilyn Monroe bathroom.

Moorings Drive

This renovation began within minutes of ownership.  Tedious, painful and toxic (and ongoing for four months) is how the owners describe removing the popcorn and decades of paint to expose the beautiful, modern concrete slabs that are now their ceiling.

Governour’s Square

When builder Klingbill constructed this traditional home, he separated each space with doors and walls, as was the fashion in 1968. Reston’s Synergy Design and Construction had a another idea, and today’s version is open, spacious and contemporary.

For more information and photos of the Home Tour homes, visit the Reston Museum’s website.

Photo: Remodeled kitchen of Links Drive home/Courtesy Reston Home Tour

A Reston family that is greatly concerned about the use of crumb rubber in artificial turf fields and the effects on children’s health was featured on NBC Nightly News on Thursday.

Reston’s Jon and Laura Damm, both environmental lawyers, have been lobbying Fairfax County officials for more than a year to take a second look at the use of crumb rubber, which is essentially ground-up tires, in the use of artificial turf fields.

See the NBC Nightly News story.

South Lakes and Herndon High Schools, as well as most FCPS high schools, have artificial turf fields.

Anecdotal evidence collected by University of Washington Soccer Coach Amy Griffin shows more than 60 young players, most of them goalies, have gotten cancer in the last few years.

However, the U.S. Environmental Agency has not taken a stand on the issue, and no major study has linked crumb rubber to cancer.

The Damms are not taking any chances, however. They started a local petition last year urging Fairfax officials to replace fields.

“Right now, what we are seeing is our kids are the guinea pigs, said Jon Damm. “We are not willing to let our kids be the guinea pigs.”

Fairfax County, which has more than 80 turf fields with crumb rubber infill, most of which have been installed in the last few years, say they have  contacted officials in the Seattle area, where the NBC investigation started more than a year ago.

But there is not yet official data, so Fairfax County has no plans to replace fields, county spokesman Tony Castrilli told The Washington Post. However, the county says it will continue to review local cancer rates and other studies.

Meanwhile, Montgomery County, Md., has recently begun using more natural products in its fields. That decision was spurred by parental feedback, a county spokesman told NBC.

In the District, an Artificial Turf Task Force is also examining the issue. The D.C. Government says no crumb rubber will likely be used in future projects.

The Safe Fields Alliance, which represents turf manufacturers, said the BCA report was “misleading and without context.”

“The NBC report cited several chemicals found in crumb rubber as points of concern,” the group said in a statement. “However, this information is misleading without context and without baselines, especially given that we all eat, drink, and breathe trace levels of chemicals in our daily lives. [The] Industry voluntarily ensures the levels of any chemicals in synthetic turf fields are lower than the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s lead and chemical standards for children’s toys and the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe standards for urban and rural soils.”