The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a request for a North Reston church to add nearly 40 spots to its parking lot.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 1515 Poplar Grove Dr. seeks to increase parking from 121 to 160 spaces and replace an existing shed.

The proposal is a continuation of a quest that began two years ago.

In 2013, the church inquired with Reston Association about buying three parcels of land on Fox Mill Road. RA did not formally consider selling the land.

RA’s Design Review Board (DRB) did, however, give the church permission in February of 2014 to expand the lot.

That decision did not sit well with neighbors in the Birchfield Woods Cluster.

Birchfield Woods residents appealed the decision, saying it will result “in a net loss of over 80 trees which serve as a buffer between the church and the Birchfield Woods Cluster.”

The DRB initially voted down the church’s proposal in November 2013, with specifics on how the church could revise their plan: reduce the number of proposed parking spaces, reduce the number of impacted trees, and produce a traffic study.

The original proposal offered adding 51 spaces, new light poles and removing 117 trees.

The new plan calls for planting of replacement trees and shrubs to provide a 25-foot buffer, as well as a tree preservation plan.

Tennis Kudos — The Greater Reston USTA JTT (U.S. Tennis Association Junior Team Tennis) under-14 intermediate team won the state championship tournament last weekend at Old Dominion University in Norfolk and will now move on to the Mid-Atlantic Sectional on Aug. 7-8. [Reston Patch]

Ruling Against Confederate Flag Plates — A Federal Judge ruled on Friday that Virginia will be allowed to remove the Confederate flag from license plates. No word yet on whether the 1,700 already issued plates to members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be recalled. [ARLnow.com]

Geer Grand Jury Tally — The Grand Jury investigating the police shooting of John Geer heard from at least 16 witnesses last week, and will hear from at least that many more when it reconvenes later in August. [Washington Post]

On the hunt for a new home? Get out there this weekend to check out these open houses. For more open houses and complete real estate information, visit Reston Now’s Real Estate section.

2304 Cavesson Court
4 BR, 3.5 BA SFH
$619,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

2337 Archdale Road
4 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$550,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

2281 Emerald Heights Court
3 BR, 1.5 BA TH
$324,900
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

12118 Stirrup Road
5 BR, 3 BA SFH
$680,000
Open Sunday 1 to 3 p.m.

10818 Oldfield Drive
4 BR, 3 BA
$625,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1591 Brass Lantern Way
3 BR, 4 BA TH
$655,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

1851 Stratford Park Place 
2 BR, 2 BA Condo
$535,000
Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

1649 Bennington Hollow Lane
5 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$679,900
Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

A project that began as an idea to add a concrete floor to Reston Association’s Pony Barn Pavilion has morphed into a total remodeling of the park, including a playground accessible for people with disabilities, a tot lot, a paved pathway, a historical information kiosk, cooking grills and a deck to overlook a butterfly garden.

The makeover has also upped the price tag to about $350,000.

Reston Association’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the new concept at its meeting on Thursday. The RA Board allocated $30,000 for the project more than a year ago, but it has not made a commitment to paying the remainder of the costs.

Larry Butler, RA’s senior director of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources, pointed out that the board has “$175,000 for each of the next two years available in the capital budget.”

Whether to allocate the needed money will be discussed at upcoming 2016-17 budget hearings. There was also mention on Thursday of fundraising and partnership opportunities to be explored.

Butler said the $350,000 price tag is not out of line considering the North Hills Pavilion area cost about $250,000 to build in the early 1990s.

The Pony Barn area, once the site of an actual pony barn in Reston’s early days, is a small park at Triple Crown Road and Steeplechase Drive. It currently has a swing set, a grill, a small parking area, a grassy area and a picnic pavilion with a mulched floor.

RA asked members for ideas at a series of meetings in summer 2014, where the mention of a Memorial Garden of Reflection, endorsed by the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) caused some friction among citizens.

By late 2014, that idea was tabled, and a Pony Barn Working Group was formed. The group came up with the current proposal.

“We really value the parks,” said group member Renette Oklewicz. “Our primary goal is to refresh the parks and keep them part of the neighborhood and accessible to all Restonians.”

Oklewicz said the Pony Barn is really two parcels of land “that have been neglected.”

“Maybe we have earned some extra [money],” she said.

North Point Director Dannielle LaRosa questioned whether the working group had a prioritization list in case the entire funding amount does not come through. At-Large Director Ray Waddell said that the board should save money for what may a battle to fight development at Reston National Golf Course.

“This is a pretty big budget,” he said. “I am not saying it is not necessary, but I consider the golf course the biggest issue in this town. This is one example of competing for resources. The Pony Barn may be able to wait 6 or 12 months; the golf course cannot.”

RA will pay for an upcoming engineering study, said RA spokesman Mike Leone. The concept will also move on this fall to RA’s Design Review Board for discussion, changes and approval.

A driver was extricated from his car by Fairfax County Fire Rescue crews and taken by helicopter to the hospital Friday morning after his car hit a tree at Baron Cameron Avenue and and North Village Road, Fire Rescue officials said.

A Fire Rescue spokeswoman said the driver in the one-car accident hit the tree a little after 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

The driver, the only occupant of the car, was seriously injured. Rescue crews landed the chopper at Baron Cameron Park about 11 a.m. and transported the driver to the hospital.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

file photo

August begins tomorrow. It’s hot. Camp may be over and school is more than a month away.

Every weekday in August, Reston Now will be offering suggestions for a Summer Bucket List — things to do, places to check out and activities to try n and around Reston before summer’s end.

Obviously, different ideas will appeal to different residents in different age groups. But we are open for ideas. If you have any “must-dos” of summer (even better: with a photo of you/your family participating in said event), email us at [email protected] and we will consider it.

Happy last month of summer!

Summer Bucket List No. 1 – Take your dog to a party

Law firm McCandlish Lillard is inviting the community and their canine friends to its annual Hound Dog Day Saturday, Aug. 1 at Reston’s Lake Fairfax Park from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The firm began the event years ago as a corollary to Groundhog Day. The saying went, “if the hound dog crossed the porch and drank from his water bowl, we would have six more weeks of of summer.” If he didn’t stop for a drink, then fall would come early.

Either way, bring your (leashed) dog and enjoy free kids activities such as face painting, jugglers, and a photo booth. There will also be live music, food trucks and pet-related vendors. All net proceeds from the event will go to local dog rescue groups FOHA (Friends of Homeless Animals), Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, Mutt Love Rescue and The Shiloh Project.

Happy dog and owner/Pet Fiesta file photo

Fairfax County officials said the recent 2015 World Police & Fire Games brought more than $83.85 million in economic benefits to the area.

The estimate exceeds the $50 million economic benefit the organizers predicted just before the Games. The biennial event ran here from June 26 to July 5.

Barry Biggar, president of the Fairfax County Convention and Visitors Corporation, told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a meeting Tuesday the figures are conservative and do not include spending by 3,500 volunteers, who received 17,000 complimentary meals but likely spent some of their own money, or overnight stays by from participants Virginia, Maryland and D.C.

Figures are based on Fairfax County’s 6-percent hotel-occupancy and sales-tax rates, he said.

Figures are not available yet on a location-by-location basis and will be tough to calculate, officials said. Reston likely saw a good portion of spending because the Athletes Village was headquartered at Reston Town Center, drawing athletes and their families to visit Reston and spend money here. There were also several athletic events in Reston.

There were 10,000 participants in the Games and about 2,000 of those athletes were local, organizers said. The Games featured competition at 52 venues, most of which were in Fairfax County. The Games were marred by a sad incident, when a Brazilian police inspector was fatally injured in a bike race.

Biggar said that based on the police games success, Fairfax will now pursue the 2019 National Senior Games. The 2017 Police Games will be held in Montreal.

The Supervisors said they were pleased with Fairfax being shown in a positive light at the event.

Photo: Canadian soccer players at Reston Town Center

Fairfax County Public Schools are continuing to take citizen feedback on how to slash up to $100 million from the 2016-17 budget.

FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza said in June that the school system — which serves more than 180,000 students — may face a deficit that large if drastic action is not taken.

“It is not possible to maintain the level of excellence for which Fairfax County Public Schools is known when we are annually faced with making impactful cuts to the system,” Garza said in a statement. “While we have tried hard to protect the classroom to the fullest extent possible, we now have no choice but to consider cutting student programs and services.”

The FCPS Board approved a $2.6 billion budget for 2015-16. The board still needed to cut $7 million from the budget in order to cover such items as later high school start times (going into effect in the fall), the expense of full-day Mondays for elementary schools, and staff pay increases.

The school system says many of the cost drivers for 2016-17 are “items outside of FCPS’ control,” like retirement and enrollment increases, and providing competitive compensation for our teachers. FCPS the cost drivers include:

• a growing student population with diverse needs.
• increased state-required retirement contributions rates.
• increased health insurance costs.
• increased compensation for teachers.

The school system has organized a task force comprised of community members, teacher and school employees, among others, to brainstorm savings ideas.

It has also been asking residents for suggestions and to vote on other citizen suggestions.

Here are some of the hot topics on the FCPS “What Are Your Ideas?” web page. (Vote totals as of Thursday, July 30):

Keep the seven-period day at the secondary level (280 votes)

“Many students end up majoring in college subjects that are considered electives.
It will not save FCPS any money to go to a six-period day. It will mean the county has to hire more teachers to teach the classes mandated by the state.”

Keep all performing arts in schools (158 votes) Read More

New Reston Now Mobile Friendly — Lots of Reston Now readers are coming to us via their smartphones. That’s why we’ve rolled out a new mobile site that will make the user experience easier. Check us out from your phone and see a cleaner way to access all our top stories.

Opening Night — Herndon High summer theatre production of Anything Goes opens tonight. [Herndon Drama]

Reston Woman Inspires School Supply Charity — In her 23 years as a teacher, Susan Ungerer of Reston saw that so many kids were in need of school supplies. She has turned that into a nonprofit that will help more than 25,000 get ready for the 2015-16 school year. [Washington Post]

Hey, Pro Football Neighbor — Ryan Kerrigan kicks back at home at Reston Town Center. [Washington Post]

MAXIMUS Contributes to Charleston — Reston-based MAXIMUS has donated $20,000 to the Lowcountry Ministries – Reverend Pinckney Fund to aid the community affected by the recent church shootings in Charleston. [Business Wire]

Seniors who like to sing: Reston is getting a new outpost of a nationally recognized chorale program.

The Encore Chorale, which grew from study on creative aging and an idea from DC’s Levine School of Music about 15 years ago, will start a 14th regional group at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods in September.

Encore Chorale of Reston is for singers 55 and older. It will be under the direction of David Brian Lang, conductor of the Reston Chorale.

There are no auditions for the Encore Chorale of Reston, singers may be seated for rehearsals and performances, and rehearsals are held during daylight hours.

Encore Chorale says it is for evertone: “If you have sung sometime in your life, want to return to singing, or have never sung outside the shower.”

Weekly rehearsals will be held at the RCC Tuesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. starting on Sept. 1. The first two rehearsals, on Sept. 1 and Sept. 8, will be held at an alternate location, the Reston Community Center Lake Anne, due to unavailability at Hunters Woods those weeks.

After 15 weeks of rehearsal, Encore Chorales perform free concerts for friends, family and the community, at large, high profile venues. The highlight of the holiday season for the last seven years has been the Dec. 23 concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which features more than 200 Encore singers on the Millennium Stage.

Registration opens Aug. 1 for Reston residents (Aug. 8 for non-residents). Contact Cheri Danaher, RCC Arts Education Director at 703-390-6175 or [email protected] to register.

Tuition is $160.00 for Reston residents/$240.00 for non-Reston residents.

Photo: David Brian Lang/Courtesy Reston Chorale

The Reston Kids Triathlon gets underway Sunday at 8 a.m. While registration for the annual event for kids ages 6 to 14 is full, here is what you should know if you are cheering for your favorite athlete or simply live near the course.

The course varies depending on age group.

Race begins at Ridge Heights Pool, 11400 Ridge Heights Rd.

Bike course: 6-8 year olds ride down Ridge Heights Road from the Ridge Heights Pool to Seahawk Drive and then back to the pool. Older kids will leave Ridge Heights Pool and head east to South Lakes Drivel west to Soapstone Drive to right on Ridge Heights Road in a two-mile loop (9-11 year olds will do one loop; 12-14 year olds will do two loops).

Roads will not be closed, but lanes will be blocked for race safety.

Run course: The run portion will take place on paths around Langston Hughes Middle School, South Lakes High School and Terraset Elementary School. Visit the race web page to see exact details by age group.

The race can still use volunteers.

Proceeds benefit Reston Association and YMCA Fairfax County Reston programs.

Fairfax County Police said two cars were stolen from the 1600 block of Becontree Lane earlier this week.

The thefts were reported to Fairfax County Police on Tuesday. One car was a 2002 Toyota. The other was a 2012 Toyota Corolla.

The Reston District Station also reported a burglary in the 1900 block of Crescent Park Drive on Tuesday. A resident reported someone went into the garage about 4 p.m. and took property.

In other police news:

LARCENIES

2100 block of Enright Place, wallet from residence

1600 block of Parkcrest Circle, bicycle from residence

2000 block of Royal Fern Court, packages from business

Red’s Table, the soon-to-open restaurant at South Lakes Village Center, is on a hiring spree.

The owners hope to start serving by the end of August, so they need lots of people to make it a success.

Red’s Table is holding hiring open houses Monday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday, Aug. 4, 1 to 5 p.m.

Apply in person at 11150 South Lakes Dr. if you are interested in the following openings:

• Experienced Line Cooks, Shuckers, Prep Cooks
• Experienced Servers and Bartenders
• Dishwashers
• Host Staff
• Bussers

Here is what the Red’s Table folks want you to know:

At Red’s Table, we believe in hospitality on a personal level, inviting customers to our ‘table’ as readily as William “Red” Tracy did when he entertained family and friends as guests throughout his lifetime. We believe in knowing the farmers who grow our food and bring our seafood to market as well as we know our local customers. We believe in crafting food and drink from scratch, using top ingredients to bring our guests an experience to remember and a reason to return to Red’s Table time after time.

We are an independent group of locals who own multiple locations and have been in the business for two decades.  We don’t have a soul sucking corporate atmosphere but that doesn’t mean we don’t take our businesses, our jobs and our craft seriously. Under the direction of Executive Chef Adam Stein and General Manager Sharon Wetteland, we will be rocking Reston with creative, seasonal, locally sourced food and drink at a location like no other in town.

If you want to leave the cookie-cutter corporate nonsense and crushing DC commute behind, we would like to meet you. Know your stuff? Bring it.

Just A Drill — A safety drill will be conducted at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station Thursday at 8 a.m. This drill is for construction workers only and is expected to last approximately 20-25 minutes, Metro officials said. You may hear the blasting of air horns, but there is no need to be alarmed or take any action.

Strong Market — Virginia home sales are at their strongest since the recession. The second quarter of 2015 saw $10.6 billion, up 11 percent from the same period a year ago and the highest since 2008. [WTOP]

Beware the Wayleaf — Restonian has some fun with Reston’s newest invasive plant. [Restonian]

4H Fair Starts Today — The 67th Annual4H Fair begins today at Frying Pan Park. There will be rides, live music, animal demonstration and contests. [Reston Now]