Repairs to Reston Parkway’s bridge over the Dulles Toll Road will be part of a Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) $5.6 million project next spring.
VDOT says it will be performing preventative maintenance projects on bridges on Monroe Street, the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride Ramp and Reston Parkway in advance of Metro’s Silver Line Phase 2, which is currently under construction.
The main purpose of the project is eliminating and closing the bridge deck joints above the Silver Line tracks. Doing it before Phase 2 opens in 2019 will save VDOT money in the end, the department says.
“Future construction of the tracks in the median of Route 267 (the Dulles Toll Road) will limit the access to the bridge existing piers,” VDOT said in a statement. “The cost of performing any future repairs to the bridge piers would need to include cost of coordination with Metro, which would significantly increase future repair costs.”
The Reston Parkway dual bridges over the Toll Road are 385-foot.-long, six-simple- span, steel plate girder bridges.
The northbound bridge was constructed in 1959 and widened and deck-replaced in 1989. The northbound total bridge width is 42.33 feet and consists of a 1.66-foot raised median, one-foot shoulder, three 12-foot traffic lanes, two-foot shoulder and 1.66-foot barrier.
The southbound bridge was constructed in 1976 and widened in 1989. The southbound total bridge width is 51.66 feet and consists of a 1.66-foot raised median, one-foot shoulder, three 12-foot.traffic lanes, three-foot shoulder, 1.66-ft. barrier, 8.33-foot. path and one-foot curb with pedestrian fence.
The Monroe Street/Van Buren Street dual bridges over the Toll Road are 378-foot-long, six-single-span, steel plate girder bridges. There is a 38-foot gap between the northbound and southbound bridges. The northbound bridge was constructed in 1963, and the deck was milled and overlaid in 1989. The southbound bridge was constructed in 1989.
The Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride Ramp bridge is a 613-foot-long, seven-single-span, steel plate girder bridge. The bridge was constructed in 1999.
Here is more cost and scheduling info:
Monroe Street/Van Buren Street Bridge Joint Closures
Anticipated Schedule
Advertisement for construction – March 2016
Construction – May 2016
Estimated Costs
Preliminary engineering – $180,000
Construction – $530,000
Total – $710,000
Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride Ramp Bridge Joint Closures
Anticipated Schedule
Advertisement for construction – March 2016
Construction – May 2016
Estimated Costs
Preliminary engineering – $168,000
Construction – $500,000
Total – $668,000
Reston Parkway Bridges Deck Mill and Overlay and Barrier Repair
Anticipated Schedule
Advertisement for construction – March 2016
Construction – May 2016
Estimated Costs
Preliminary engineering – $132,000
Construction – $1.4 million
Total – $1.5 million
Reston Parkway Bridge Joint Closures
Anticipated Schedule
Advertisement for construction – March 2016
Construction – May 2016
Estimated Costs
Preliminary engineering – $200,000
Construction – $2.5 million
Total – $2.7 million
Photo: Bridge over Dulles Toll Road/Credit: VDOT
Local National Merit Semifinalists — Four from Herndon High School and two from South Lakes High School are among Fairfax County’s National Merit Semifinalists. [FCPS]
66 Goes High Tech — New sensor, camera and computer system goes into effect on Wednesday to help manage traffic inside and outside the Beltway. [Washington Post]
Fairfax Times Has New Website — Weekly paper’s site was offline for a few weeks to undergo a makeover. [Fairfax Times]
ChalkFest’s Best — Check out the winning murals from the weekend’s ChalkFest at Reston Town Center. [Facebook]
ChalkFest 2015 photo by Chip McRea
Reston-area nonprofits Cornerstones and Kid R First were able to send nearly 3,000 Reston and Herndon students back to school last week with the items they needed, including new backpacks, school supplies, and gift cards for shoes, haircuts and other necessities.
Student recipients of the 2015 Back to School Drive included Cornerstones’ clients, as well as other local students who receive free or reduced cost school meals, Cornerstones said.
“Childhood is a critical time for all, often setting the course for an individual’s overall social, emotional and physical health as well as economic circumstances,” Cornerstones CEO Kerrie Wilson said in a press release. “Cornerstones works on behalf of the essential needs of our youngest clients through programs that provide resources and care to help our kids excel and feel a sense of normalcy and belonging.”
Thousands of backpacks were donated to Cornerstones by individuals, businesses and organizations through its annual summer backpack drive. Kids R First provides school supplies for the backpacks. Community members also helped with sorting and stuffing backpacks to get ready for the first day of school.
The Reston Citizens Association is concerned that the Reston Regional Library will be minimized in the upcoming Reston Town Center North development plans.
Fairfax County is preparing for the redevelopment of 49 acres from New Dominion Parkway to Bowman Town Drive and Town Center Parkway to Fountain Drive. The area encompasses the current Reston Regional Library, the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, the North County Human Services Center and the former Cameron Glen Care Center site.
The development will be completed in phases, and the county recently received Requests for Proposals (RFP) for developers interested in working on the first two phases. There will be more discussion on the RFP at a community meeting Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Reston Community Center Lake Anne).
In a white paper authored by RCA member Hank Schonzeit, RCA highlights the importance of Reston Regional Library in the community and outlines concerns such as a long shutdown, like the one at Pohick Library, which recently closed for renovations for an estimated 18 months.
“The Reston Regional Library is an integral and vital part of Reston and for many of us it is one of our most valued local institutions,” reads the white paper. “It is also the busiest library in the Fairfax library system. At the same time the community recognizes that the Reston Regional Library is currently undersized, underfunded and understaffed.
The library goals are derived from RCA discussions with library staff, email correspondence, and independent research. Library staff was not asked to take an official “position” as they are employees of the County, said RCA.
Some of RCA’s goals for the new library:
- The library management should have oversight and final review of the design of a new library.
- The Phase I redevelopment should include a modern, accessible library, with adequate dedicated free parking.
- Given that the Phase I of the RTC North redevelopment does not include Blocks 1, 3 and 5, the location of a rebuilt library should be within Blocks 7 and 8.
- The new library must be sized right, for both Reston’s current and planned growth – between 60,000 and 80,000 square feet.
- Funding for the increased staff needed for a larger library should be allocated by Fairfax County.
- The redevelopment should eliminate or minimize the time that library is in temporary quarters.
- Consideration should be given to opportunities for added revenue generation such as the inclusion of a café within or adjacent to the library.
“Many Restonians feel that the library is under siege,” the author continues. “The library budgets continue to be cut and many staff positions have been left unfilled. At the same time, other local counties are investing more in their libraries. For instance, Loudoun County has one library staff person per 1,500 residents, while Fairfax County has one per 3,000 residents.
“At the July 29 meeting both speakers stated only that the library ‘may’ be included in the redevelopment. Given this atmosphere, RCA is concerned that the library will be moved to temporary quarters and remain there for years, as have the classroom trailers around Reston. ” Read More
Advocacy group Rescue Reston is holding its first golf classic Oct. 5 at Reston National Golf Course.
Rescue Reston was formed three years ago to support keeping Reston National as open and community space. Many of its founders live on homes backing to the golf course, which is also a wildlife habitat.
Rescue Reston’s owners, RN Golf Management, inquired in 2012 whether the land could be developed residential. When Fairfax County said it was community space, the owners took the case to the board of zoning appeals.
The BZA ruled this year that the space could be redeveloped without a comprehensive plan amendment. That leaves open the possibility that residential development could occur at the course at Sunrise Valley Drive and Colts Neck Road. No specific redevelopment plans have been filed.
Redevelopment of the 166-acre course would affect golfers, of course, but also hundreds of homeowners who purchased nearby because of golf course views and nearby open space.
Rescue Reston, along with Reston Association and Fairfax County, and continuing to fight the ruling. There will be a hearing on motions for summary judgment to reverse the decision in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County on Nov. 6.
Meanwhile, there is golf to be played and money to be raised to aid in Rescue Reston’s battle with developers. Here is what you need to know:
- 2 p.m. shotgun start/5 p.m. dinner provided by Glory Days Grill.
- Fees (greens fees, carts, beverages, and dinner): Foursome $240; Individual $60.
- Proceeds help fund Rescue Reston’s litigation costs
- Sponsorships available
- Not a golfer? There will also be a guided nature hike. The hike is free, but a $20 minimum donation will also gain you entry to dinner and clubhouse activities.
For more information and to sign up, visit Rescue Reston.
Sunny skies and cool temperatures made for perfect conditions in the Reston Triathlon on Sunday.
Nearly 500 athletes took part in the 32nd annual event, which includes a 1,500-meter swim in Lake Audubon, a 40K bike ride on Reston roads a 10K run that finished at South Lakes High School.
For complete results, visit the Reston Triathlon website.
Reston’s Ben & Jerry’s store has closed its doors.
As of Sunday, the windows at the store at 11928 Market Street were papered over and a sign is on the window saying the store is closed — but just temporarily until it reopens at another Reston Town Center spot.
We’re Mooooooving!!!
Sorry — we’re closing temporarily.
We will re-open a few yards up the street soon.
Look for our mobile cart in a week!
Ben & Jerry’s management did not say where the new store will be located, but the PR at Partners beauty salon located at 11944 Market Street will soon be available as that business is relocating to a new space on Democracy Drive, also at Reston Town Center.
Meanwhile, a new tenant for the Ben & Jerry’s space has filed renovation permits for the space. Fairfax County permits identify the new tenant only as a “future tenant” but do not provide a name of the business.
Photo by Jennifer Heffner
Remember the other day, when you were humming a tune from the 1970s, still rolling around your brain or perhaps fresh from Deep Tracks on SiriusXM?
Larry Burnett, who has worked at The UPS Store at South Lakes Village Center for a decade, is humming some of them too. That’s because he wrote and played guitar a few of them, back when he was a member of the band Firefall, enjoying lots of hard living as a soft rock star.
Forty years ago, Burnett was playing “You Are The Woman,” “Just Remember I Love You,” “Strange Way,” and writing “Cinderella,” all Top 40 hits.
Now he is the man to see for your shipping needs.
“I am grateful it all happened,” Burnett, 63, says. “But I lacked gratitude then. I know there would people lining up around the block who would have been dying for the opportunity.”
Burnett’s still singing and songwriting, playing as a solo, duo and part of a trio at places like the Birchmere in Alexandria and the Tally Ho in Leesburg. He’s had the same guitar for 30 years and says “it would be difficult to live without it in arm’s reach.”
“Whatever’s there is still there,” he says of his love of music.
But a man’s still got to have a day job.
Burnett’s story is sort of a right-place-at-the right time, a pretty good singer and 
acoustic guitar player in the era of the singer-songwriter (think early 70s and the Eagles, Jackson Browne, America, Poco).
Burnett, who lives in Sterling, says he first picked up a guitar at age 8 and taught himself to play by ear by listening to a local folk music radio station and his mother’s record collection of Chet Atkins, Les Paul and Mary Ford, among others.
He formed a band at Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School called The Broken Limbs.
“We were a bunch of white guys playing R & B,” he said. “We weren’t that good, but we were popular. We had personality and played pretty good music.”
That was also around the time Burnett discovered drugs, he said.
“I started shooting dope at 14,” he says. “It stayed with me a long time.”
He dropped out of T.C. Williams, went to live with his father in California and dropped out of high school there too.
By the early 1970s, Burnett was working construction, driving a cab and playing gigs around DC. He played Sundays at open mic night at the old Cellar Door in D.C. The sound and lighting guy recorded one of his sets, and then slipped the tapes to headliners like Bonnie Raitt and John Prine. The sound guy also gave one to Rick Roberts, a singer-songwriter who played with The Flying Burrito Brothers.
“One day, Rick called me and said he got me a plane ticket to Colorado, where he lived, the next day [to start forming a band],” says Burnett. “I was due in court the next day on drug charges. I told him if it didn’t go well, I would be tied up for the next 5 to 40 years. If I am not there, start without me.”
The charges didn’t stick. Burnett made it to Colorado. They formed a band and cut a demo for Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers opted not to sign them, but they took the tape to Atlantic Records, which did.
The first album, Firefall was released in May 1976 and was Atlantic’s quickest record to reach Gold status at the time.
There were six more albums and about five years of near-constant touring as headliners and as openers for the Steve Miller Band, the Doobie Brothers, The Band and the Electric Light Orchestra. They were the opening act for Fleetwood Mac during the Rumors era.
“I was a huge fan of all those people,” said Burnett. “I was in heaven.” Read More
Local Playwright — Meet Ginna Hoben, whose play “No Spring Chicken,” is being performed at Herndon’s Next Stop Theatre as part of the Women’s Voices Theatre Festival. [Herndon Connection]
Flash Mob For Fighting Cancer — Reston’s Ravel Dance Studio is organizing a flash mob next weekend on the National Mall as part of CureFest 2015 and the effort to fight childhood cancer. [Modern Reston]
Plum Family Picnic — Ken Plum will host the annual Plum Family Picnic and Pre-Election Rally Sept. 20 at North Hills Picnic Pavilion. Several other local and state officials will also be present. Plum, who has represented Reston since 1982, is running unopposed for his state delegate seat. [Ken Plum]
The Lake Anne Coffee House will close its doors Friday — but it is just temporary while it gets a new look and new owner.
Ownership of the longtime cafe at Lake Anne Plaza officially changed hands on Friday. New owners Eve and Rick Thompson, who are longtime Lake Anne residents, plan a top-to-bottom renovation, new staff and new menu items.
While the renovations are underway, the coffee house patio will be open during Saturday’s Farmers Market. Tomorrow, there will be free coffee and pastry samples. On following Saturdays, limited items will be available for purchase (for example, brewed coffee only; they will not be making espresso drinks until they are fully reopened, Even Thompson said).
Lake Anne Coffee House will be using coffee blends from Manassas-based Monument Coffee Roasters and pastries from Sterling’s Baguette Republic. Thompson said it is the businesses’ goal to use as many locally-sourced products as possible.
The Thompsons hope to complete renovations and be fully open in November.
(Editor’s Note: Eve Thompson’s other business, Reston Real Estate, is a Reston Now sponsor).
It’s nearly fall, and so begins a new round of outdoor activities, festivals and other fun in Reston. Here are a couple of things happening this weekend.
ChalkFest — Beginning mid-day Friday, Market Street will turn into a colorful row of chalk murals at the second annual ChalkFest at Reston Town Center. Professional artists will get started today, with the 4-by-8 foot spaces opening up to amateur artists, including children, on Saturday.
The event is sponsored by and will benefit the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR). There still may be room to register in your division. Visit the ChalkFest website.
Reston Association’s Community Yard Sale — RA’s annual sale includes 95 tables of household goods, baby items, toys, and other things for bargain shoppers, Vendor tables are sold out, but hundreds of shoppers are expected. Sale is in RA Headquarters parking lot (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive) from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Get there early for best selection.
Diving Dogs — The Chesapeake Dock Dog Diving Club returns to Lake Anne Plaza for a free demonstration. The trained dogs perform extreme leaps and jumps, landing in the lake. The event is sponsored by Lake Anne Plaza’s PetMAC, which will also have animal rescue groups and animals for adoption on hand. The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m.
What county services should be offered at Reston Town Center North?
That will be the subject of a community meeting hosted by Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins on Sept. 19 (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Reston Community Center Lake Anne).
The county is preparing for the redevelopment 49 acres from New Dominion Parkway to Bowman Town Drive and Town Center Parkway to Fountain Drive. The area encompasses the current Reston Regional Library, the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, the North County Human Services Center and the former Cameron Glen Care Center site.
The county issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) this summer for the first phase of redevelopment. The RFP application deadline was Aug. 20. The county has not announced the next step in the process or who was chosen for the project.
The county eventually envisions a mixed-use district, with renovated or relocated space for the library and shelter, as well as offices, hotels, a performing arts center and at least 1,000 new residences.
The Fairfax County Park Authority also plans to build an indoor pool and recreation center at Town Center North. Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie said earlier this year the recreation center would primarily be funded with bonds, including an $87.7 million bond in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020. He said the park authority would seek developer proffers to help pay for the facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said.
The North County Human Services building (1850 Cameron Glen Drive) houses such offices as Adult and Aging Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care and Adoption Services and Child Abuse Prevention Services.
Hudgins’ office says the discussion at the Sept. 19 meeting will include Fairfax County Deputy County Executive Patricia Harrison, who will highlight the proposed health, housing and human services community input process.
Fairfax County Deputy Executive Rob Stalzer and Andrew Miller, Project Coordinator of the Public-Public Private Partnership Branch will discuss the county and Inova’s (which owns some of the land) general plans, including the (RFP process and potential development scenarios that may be considered for Town Center North.
The county envisions a mixed-use district, with renovated or relocated space for the Reston Regional Library and Embry Rucker Community Shelter, as well as offices, hotels, a performing arts center and at least 1,000 new residences.
“Participants have the opportunity to identify critical needs that should be addressed in the redevelopment of the County owned property, as well as the larger site,” Hudgins said in a statement. “It is important to continue the conversation on how best to maintain a vibrant and livable community for all.”
Reston’s premier race returns on Sunday at the 32nd annual Reston Triathlon original.
Born 1984, when triathlons were a relatively new pursuit, the race has grown up along with Reston.
Today’s field includes close to 600 participants and depends on hundreds of volunteers to make it run smoothly.
The race begins at 7 a.m. at Lake Audubon and ends at South Lakes High School. The first finishers will start coming in about 9 a.m. Athletes swim 1,500 meters in Lake Audubon, bike 40K on Reston roads and then run a 10K, mostly on Reston Association paths and the SLHS track.
There will be no parking at Lake Audubon on race day. Race officials say any vehicles parked on Twin Branches near the Lake Audubon Pool will be towed. The best plan for racers is drive to and park at South Lakes High School/Langston Hughes Middle School and drop off bike/run transition gear at South Lakes High School and ride your bike to the lake. All athletes should plan to be at the lake and ready to swim no later than 6:30 a.m.
Spectators should also park at the schools. It is also possible to park at South Lakes Village Center and then walk the three blocks down Twin Branches to watch the swim portion.
Sunday’s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 70. It may be much cooler at sunrise when swimmers enter the lake.
Streets on the cycling course will not be shut down, but lanes will be closed and police and volunteers will be directing traffic. Allow for extra time if you have to be somewhere during the race.
Affected streets include: Colts Neck Road, Sunrise Valley Drive, Soapstone Drive, South Lakes Drive, Twin Branches Road, Glade Drive, Reston Parkway and Lawyers Road. Visit the Reston Triathlon website for course maps.
For more history, statistics and other Reston Triathlon information, visit the official Reston Triathlon website.
Leadership Fairfax Names Cleveland President and CEO — Reston’s Karen Cleveland has been selected as Leadership Fairfax’s President and CEO. Cleveland had been serving as Interim CEO following the resignation of Elizabeth Murphy. Cleveland has held many leadership positions, including CEO of Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia, and heading her own consulting firm, The Cleveland Group. She is also a former chair of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce.
New At GRACE — A new exhibit at The Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) opened on Thursday. Ephemeral, an exhibition held in conjunction with the Washington Sculptors Group, will explore the nature of non-permanent, three-dimensional work addressing the concept of ephemerality. The exhibition runs through mid-November. [GRACE]
Population Cap Increase? — Reston 2020 says Fairfax County is working on zoning changes to increase population in Reston. [Reston 2020]
Video Of Encounter That Led To Inmate Death — Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office has released tape of the incident between deputies and a mentally ill inmate last winter that led to the inmate’s death. The commonwealth’s attorney says the deputies will not face charges. [Washington Post]
State Sen. Janet Howell (D-32nd) announced on Thursday she is recovering from breast cancer treatment.
The Reston resident, who has served in Richmond since 1992, said in her newsletter to constituents that the diagnosis was “totally unexpected” and that she finished a course of radiation treatment last week.
Said Howell:
The summer began with a totally unexpected diagnosis of stage 1 breast cancer. A screening mammogram revealed an 8mm malignancy.
Biopsies, a lumpectomy and several weeks of radiation followed. The radiation was completed last week.
The treatments have totally discombobulated my schedule and I have missed many events I otherwise would have liked to attend! I am extremely grateful for the wonderful medical care I received from all the caring professionals at Kaiser Permanente. They assure me that my prognosis is excellent.
Howell, 71, has been an advocate for expanding Medicaid in Virginia. The Republican-led Virginia General Assembly has voted against the program that would provide coverage to thousands of low-income citizens, saying Virginia will end up having to pay for it eventually.
“From this experience I have become even more aware of how important it is for everyone to have health insurance,” she said. “Not having to worry about paying for the expensive treatment has been a blessing. I wish everyone were so fortunate. The cruelty of those who would deprive healthcare coverage to nearly 400,000 of their fellow Virginians is unfathomable to me.”
“This is especially true given that failure to expand Medicaid means turning back $5 million dollars of federal aid daily, damaging the viability of our hospitals, and spurning 30,000 well-paying healthcare jobs.”
Howell is running unopposed for re-election in November.
