(Updated 10:40 a.m.) Fairfax County Police say a prisoner who escaped from Inova Fairfax Hospital early Tuesday stole a second car after his escape. He is now believed to be at large driving a dark gray Hyundai Elantra with Virginia tag XTU-5024. The car was last seen at Monterey Drive and Route 236 near Annandale.
(Updated 8:20 a.m.) Streets have reopened near Inova Fairfax Hospital, but a heavy police presence remains in the area after a prisoner escaped from security guards overnight. The suspect, considered armed and dangerous, may now be in the Springfield area after carjacking a woman there at 7 a.m.
(Updated 8:05 a.m.) Fairfax County Police say the escaped prisoner allegedly carjacked woman at Backlick Road and Cindy Lane at 7:01 a.m. in the Springfield area. The car is a 2002 Toyota Camry, Virginia license plate XZP-8153.
(Original story, 7:30 a.m. Tuesday) Fairfax County Police are searching for a prisoner who escaped and is considered armed and dangerous after shots were fired at Inova Fairfax Hospital early Tuesday.
If you have an appointment at or work near the hospital, note the hospital is on lockdown and is not accepting any new patients. All entrances to the hospital are blocked, and several nearby streets have been closed as of 7:30 a.m.:
Route 50 between Prosperity Avenue and Gallows Road; Gallows Road between Arlington Boulevard and Woodburn Road; Woodburn Road between Gallows Road and Prosperity Avenue; and Prosperity Road between Woodburn Road and Arlington Boulevard. Ramps from the Beltway are also closed.
Police are urging residents and motorists nearby to be alert and expect traffic delays. Hospital employees will be picked up by a shuttle bus from Falls Church High School. The school is closed to students as it spring break.
The suspect is Wossen Assaye, 42, who was arrested by federal authorities in Arlington last week for a series of bank robberies in Northern Virginia, police said.
Assaye was being held at Alexandria City Jail, where federal suspects are held, when he attempted suicide and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital for medical treatment. Police say a private security company was hired to guard him at the hospital.
At about 3 a.m. Tuesday, Assaye overpowered the guard, taking the security officer’s weapon. Police say one shot was fired, but no one was injured. It’s not clear who fired the shot. Assaye is considered armed and dangerous.
Assaye fled the hospital room and was last seen wearing only a hospital gown and no shoes. He is 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds.
Police say Assaye may be with his girlfriend, whose picture they released.
Photos: Top – Wossen Assaye. Bottom – Woman who may have helped him escape from Inova Fairfax Hospital/Both courtesy FCPD
Reston Association has begun the process of adding the 450-unit BLVD apartments to the association.
RA’s Board of Directors voted at its regular meeting on March 26 to undertake the necessary steps to add the 450-unit luxury high rise currently under construction above the Reston Station parking garage adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro.
BLVD, which will have one-, two- and three-bedroom units, is expected to begin leasing later this year.
Under RA Bylaws, properties can be added to the association with written consent of fee simple owner (in this case, Comstock Properties) and a two-thirds vote of BOD, said RA CEO Cate Fulkerson.
“Before submitted to deed, the board must give notice to members and conduct public hearings,” she said.
The Board of Directors passed a motion several years ago to make adding new construction in Restona priority for the association. Properties within Reston Town Center are not in RA territory. New buildings such as The Harrison, which recently opened on Reston Parkway, and BLVD, as well as planned new and replacement construction at the Crescent Apartments site, are slated to be RA members.
The RA board will vote on the BLVD process on April 15. There will be public hearings on May 28 and June 25, with a final vote by the board in June.
Reston Association’s 2015 Board of Directors Election closes Monday night.
If you have not voted yet, cast your ballot on RA’s website.
Here are candidate profiles of the 2015 candidates:
South Lakes
North Point
At-Large
See Reston Now’s recap of the March candidates forum.
Election results will be be announced on April 14.
Photo: RA election 2015/Courtesy of Reston Association
Fairfax County Public Schools will begin 2015-16 school year on Sept. 8.
The FCPS School Board approved the 2015-16 school year calendar late last week. The calendar has a school start the second week of September because of a late Labor Day this year (Sept.7).
The school board had prepared an alternate calendar in mid-March, just in case the school system used an 11th snow day this year (it did not). FCPS officials said then if the system had one more day of school cancelled this year due to inclement weather or an emergency situation the district could apply to the state for a waiver, allowing FCPS to begin school the week prior to Labor Day.
In order to apply for a waiver in Virginia, a school district needs to average eight full days of school lost due to inclement weather, energy shortages, power failures, or other emergency situations in five of the previous 10 years.
FCPS students missed four days during the 2006-07 school year; 10 days during the 2009-10 school year; four days during the 2010-11 school year; 11 days during the 2013-14 school year; and 10 days during the current school year.
Since the 1980s, FCPS has been under Virginia’s “Kings Dominion” law, a 1986 Virginia statute that mandates school start in September. When the law was passed, it was helped along by the tourism industry, which said it needed students as staffers (and families to keep on vacationing) through Labor Day.
Other details for 2015-16:
Thursday, June 23, 2016, is the last day.
Student holidays are planned for the following: teacher workdays on Nov. 2; February 5, 2016; and April 22, 2016; a staff development day on Jan. 19, 2016; and school planning days on Oct. 9; Nov. 3; and March 28, 2016.
Students will be released two hours early on the following days: Oct. 30, Nov. 25; Dec. 18; Feb. 4, 2016; April 21, 2016; and June 23, 2016.
Winter break is Dec. 21 through Jan. 1, 2016, and spring break will be held March 21-25, 2016.
Makeup days may be used to ensure 990 hours of instruction during the 2015-16 school year, says FCPS. Missed days, delayed openings, and unscheduled early dismissals are considered in the calculation of these hours. FCPS has the equivalent of 13 days (78 hours) built into the 2015-16 calendar. If a 14th day is missed, no makeup is required by the state. If a 15th day is missed, April 22, 2016 will be considered a makeup day.
The owner of the former Reston Visitors Center said he has had talks with several local restaurant owners about purchasing the building for nearly $3 million, according to an appraisal done by Reston Association.
Reston Association is also seeking to buy the 32-year-old building, currently owned by Tetra Partners commercial real estate and used as its office space. RA will hold a referendum in April where it asks members whether it should borrow up t0 $2.65 million to obtain the building and repurpose the 3.48 property at 11450 Baron Cameron Ave. for recreational and community space.
In a Feb. 4 appraisal report, by W. Scott Gudely and Kathleen Moist of The Robert Paul Jones Company, the appraisers noted the competition for the building on the banks of Lake Newport, even though the property is not formally listed on the market.
From the appraisal:
It is our understanding that the clients [Reston Association] are interested in purchasing the subject property. The property contact, Mr. Bill Lauer, reports that the property has not been listed for sale, but that he has had discussions with [RA land use attorney John] McBride and the Reston Association about the Association’s potential acquisition of the subject.
He reports that his asking price is $2,700,000 and that he would not be interested in selling unless his price is met. He also reported that he had met with Clyde’s Restaurant and that a price of $3,000,000 for the entire property was discussed, but that the restaurant entity decided it did not fit their business plan. He also reported that a restaurant in Tysons, Woo Lae Oak, had been interested in the property.
RA released the appraisal and conditional contract on its website Sunday. There had been criticism by some RA members about a lack of transparency relating to the transaction thus far.
Purchasing the property, which is adjacent to other RA recreation space such as Brown’s Chapel Park, would give the association 98 continuous acres of open space and protect against overdevelopment, RA says in its revised fact sheet on the subject. RA also expects to earn revenue from event rentals at the building. However, members would see a potential rise in their assessments beginning in 2018, RA CEO Cate Fulkerson said at RA’s regular meeting last week.
The property is zoned for commercial or office space and is permitted to add up to 6,930 square foot more to the 3,128-square-foot building, RA says in the fact sheet.
Other notes from the appraisal:
The subject property is currently vested in the name of Lake Newport, LLC, who acquired title from Westerra Reston, LLC, for $750,000 on Dec. 22, 2003.
Overall, the subject building is an above-average quality office building assumed to be in average condition for its age. The building is functional and able to compete with the similar buildings in the area, although it is somewhat isolated from other complementary commercial uses and is hampered by its lack of visibility from major transportation arteries.
The 2014 Fairfax County tax assessment is $1,248,370 (Land: $845,840; Building: $402,530). That represents a decline of 4 percent from 2010, when the assessment was $1,300,870, and a 20.9 percent decline from the 2009 assessment, when the total assessment was $1,577,450. The appraisers said the decline is primarily attributable to the land since the improvements assessment in 2010 were $381,720. The land was assessed for $1,175,670 in 2009 and $919,150 in 2010.
See the entire appraisal and conditional purchase contract on RA’s website.
Play Ball — Hundreds of young baseball players will fill the streets as Reston Little League Opening Day Parade will take place Saturday, April 11, 9:30 a.m. at Reston Town Center.
Kudos For SLHS Musicians — South Lakes High School’s Music Department received Superior ratings Band, Guitar, Orchestra and Chorus at the recent state evaluations. The Music Department will receive the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award again this year from the Virginia Music Educators Association.
Call For Young Artists — High School student artists living in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District are encouraged to enter the annual Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery. Winners will be announced in May, and winning entries will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year. [Rep. Gerry Connolly website]
Know An Outstanding Park Authority Volunteer? — Nominate a group or individual that has given back to the Fairfax County Park Authority for the 2015 Elly Doyle Park Service Awards. [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Photo: Little runners at the Kids Mighty Mile at Reston Town Center March 28/Credit: Reston Town Center via Facebook
A longtime hair and nail salon at North Point Village Center has a new owner and an expanded menu of beauty services.
Nail Studio & Day Spa at 1458 North Point Village Center is now Sahel’s Medical Spa & Beauty Studio.
The salon was recently purchased by Sahel Yamini, who also owns Smooth Exposure Medical Spa in McLean. Dr. Ahmad O. Noori M.D. is the medical director.
In addition to hair and nail services, the North Point location offers medical spa services. Among them:
- Laser hair removal
- Photo facials
- Fractional laser treatment for skin care
- Injectables such as Botox and Restylane
- Spray tanning
- Chemical peels
Visit Sahel’s Medical Spa & Beauty Studio online for prices and package information. Call 703-481-6245 for an appointment.
April specials include:
- 20 percent off first service for new clients
- $5 off custom airbrush spray tans
- Spa mani/pedi for $75 ($15 discount)
- Brazilian wax for $45 ($15 in savings)
(Updated 4:30 p.m. Friday with additional details) A 42-year-old Reston man has been charged with burglary and assault after police said he forced his way into his neighbors’ Reston Town Center condo Wednesday evening.
Fairfax County Police said two residents of The Savoy, at 12000 Market St., were home about 11:18 p.m. when they answered a knock at the front door.
The suspect, identified by police as Justin Hughes, entered the condo, assaulted the victims then fled on foot.
Police said the victims and Hughes are next-door neighbors in the apartment building and knew one another.
One of the victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Officers then located Hughes in the hallway outside the victims’ apartment and charged him with with burglary and two counts of assault.
In other crime news this week from FCPD’s Reston District Station:
Two burglaries in the area on March 19. In the first incident, a resident of the 13000 block of Rose Petal Circle, near Frying Pan Park in unincorporated Herndon, reported someone entered the residence and took property. Police said a 1999 Toyota Corolla was also stolen from the same block that night, but it is not known whether it was from the same home.
Also on March 19, a resident of the 10900 block of Thanlet Lane in Reston reported someone entered the residence and took property.
LARCENIES
- 13100 block of Parcher Avenue, cash from business
- 2400 block of Alsop Court, property from vehicle
- 1100 block of Dranesville Road, purse from vehicle
- 11900 block of Heathcoat Court, cash from vehicle
- 1000 block of Autumn Mist Lane, property from residence.
- 11900 block of Democracy Drive, phone from business.
- 1700 block of Business Center Drive, bag from business
- 8700 block of Potomac Hills, purses from vehicle
- 1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, medication from vehicle
- 2300 block of Old Trail Drive, items from vehicle
Photo: Justin Hughes/Credit: FCPD
Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station has a new commander. Capt. Ronald Manzo took over as the district’s top cop on March 1.
Manzo, a 47-year-old Fairfax County native, has been with FCPD for 22 years, rising through the ranks at various stations around the county. He spent 13 years at the Franconia District station, where he was everything from a crime prevention officer to detective.
His two most recent postings since rising to the rank of captain were as the Assistant Commander at West Springfield and commander of the Planning Research Bureau, which works directly with the Chief of Police.
Reston Now spent a few minutes with Capt. Manzo this week at his office in the new $18 million Reston District Station on Cameron Glen Drive. He says one of his goals is to “get back to basics” in policing here — have a greater visibility and more effective outreach with citizens.
Reston Now: You have been posted all over the county in your career, but never before in Reston. What strikes you as unique about Reston compared to other stations?
Capt. Manzo: I have only been here three weeks, so I am still getting a feel for Reston. The community has been very supportive. Supervisor Hudgins has done great things here.
Reston is growing. Other parts of the county don’t seem to be growing as fast. The Metro, the bike paths. These are different challenges I face as a commander on how we provide services here.
Reston Now: A common thing some people say is “Metro brings crime.” Metro has been here for eight months and according to FCPD stats, crime has not gone up. So is that statement a myth?
Capt. Manzo: I have only been here three weeks, so I have not looked at all the numbers. But in talking to the officers, we have not seen an increase. I think more people getting on Metro here and riding to where they need to go than people heading here.
Crime is down across the county. I think Metro is a good thing, a great thing.
Reston Now: You were talking about getting back to basics and getting officers out on bikes. What else are you instituting here?
Capt. Manzo: In coming here one of the first things I did is run the stats on officers in the station to see where we were as a station. I want to focus on improving our service. I dusted off our strategic plan, which each station has, looked at areas we can improve.
We can improve in community outreach. We support the mission of preventing and fighting crime, too, of course, but I want to get us back to the basics. Getting patrol officers to “own” patrol area. Creating a police service area manager so I can monitor some of the citizen complaints in Reston that don’t necessarily rise to criminal level. I can assign that to a PSA officer, and they can put it out and then get back to me with what actions were taken. Read More
A building inspection performed on the former Reston Visitors Center has revealed elements and systems that will need to be replaced in the next 5 to 10 years. Among them:
- Major elements of the HVAC system are in need of replacement
- The roof needs replacement
- Exposed trusses and supports on the exterior need to be replaced
- Some windows and siding need to be replaced
- Some minor exterior drainage issues need to be addressed
- Minor water damage on the interior needs to be repaired
RA land use attorney John McBride says the seller of the building, Tetra Partners, knew about the roof and HVAC on the 32-year-old building already and has agreed to pay for replacement. The rest of the list, compiled by Criterium Engineers this week, will be further examined and may be open to negotiation on the $2.65 million purchase price, McBride said.
RA announced in January it is seeking to purchase the 3.48-acre property that features a 3,128-square-foot building on the banks of Lake Newport. The building will be used for community and recreation space, as well as available for event rentals.
Purchasing the property, which is adjacent to other RA recreation space such as Brown’s Chapel Park, would give the association 98 continuous acres of open space and protect against overdevelopment, RA says.
The purchase cannot go forward until it is put to a member referendum in April.
On Thursday, at the second of two public hearings on the purchase, the RA Board of Directors heard from a half-dozen members in person and several more via emails read by President Ken Knueven. Reaction was mixed — some members, including Reston founder Bob Simon (via a phone conversation with Knueven) — said they approve of the purchase, but still need more information. Others said they did not understand the rush to acquire the property and questioned whether the expense of even putting the idea to referendum ($20,000 to $30,000) was necessary.
Much of the meeting centered on changes to the fact sheet on the purchase. See the revised fact sheet on RA’s website.
One of the changes: RA has factored in snow removal and landscape maintenance costs, which were originally left off because they will be done by RA staff. The additional annual expense of more than $15,000 means RA members will see an impact in their assessment a year earlier (2018) than originally forecast.
RA forecasts a $2.57 impact in 2018, $4.55 in 2019 and $4.43 in 2020, though RA CEO Cate Fulkerson said with new properties being added to the association by then, the increases may not happen at all.
The board narrowly approved the changes to to the fact sheet. South Lakes Director Richard Chew was the lone dissenter (two directors abstained and one was absent).
Said Chew: “Our support was contingent on a fact sheet that made a compelling case to our members. As presented tonight, the fact sheet fails to do so. It fails to spell out that there is a full develpment plan. … I am not convinced our failure to purchase will result in overdevelopment. It does not say how much it will cost RA to increase and enhance green space.”
Chew also said the fact sheet does not discuss how the $8.50 increase per member (in 2018-2020) may be mitigated.
The board voted to approve the conditional purchase contract and release the property appraisal once the contract is executed. It also voted to hold at least one community meeting in April for additional member comments.
More Cuts For Libraries — Fairfax County Public Library employees say cutbacks are hurting the already struggling system. [Fairfax Times]
Police Programs For Teens — The Fairfax County Police will hold a Teen Police Academy this August for high school students interested in a law enforcement career. [FCPD]
SLHS’ Sneak Peek: Hairspray — The South Lakes High School Theatre Arts program is busy rehearing for the musical Hairspray, which will run the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May. [YouTube]
Reston Part Of Location Trend? — Young people are seeking homes near urban-style, town-center type suburban areas. [Al Jazeera]
Herndon High Student Earns Top Writing Honor — Herndon High School’s Colleen Flanagan won a Gold Key in the 2015 Scholastic Writing Awards Competition. [FCPS]
Photo: Terraset Elementary students make African masks in GRACE Art enrichment/Courtesy Terraset PTA
One of Reston’s premier athletic events takes place on Sunday as the third annual Runners Marathon of Reston hits the streets of South Reston.
Registration for the Reston Runners-sponsored event is closed, but the course could slow traffic on Reston roads.
Here is what you need to know if you are participating, watching or just trying to get around Reston on Sunday:
The marathon and half marathon both begin at 7:30 a.m. at South Lakes High School.
Packet pickup is at SLHS on Saturday from 12:00 – 6:30 p.m. and beginning at 6 a.m. on race day. There is also a pre-race dinner at SLHS from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday (Cost: $10).
The full marathon is a certified course and times can be used as a Boston Marathon qualifier.
The course will be on Reston roads, as well as trails. Some of the streets affected include Ridge Heights Road, Sunrise Valley Drive, Soapstone Drive, Twin Branches Road, Steeplechase Drive, South Lakes Drive, Colts Neck Road and Lawyers Road.
The 13.1-mile half-marathon course map and the 26.3-mile marathon course map are available on the Runners Marathon website.
Affected roads will not be closed, but lanes could be blocked and that may slow traffic.
Fairfax County was named Virginia’s third-healthiest — behind Arlington and Albermarle Counties — in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2015 County Health Rankings.
The rankings look at 30 factors, including poverty, education, transportation, housing, violent crimes, jobs, access to healthy foods and access to medical care.
Some stats contributing to Fairfax’s high marks:
An adult smoking rate of 11 percent, and lower-than-average rates of obesity (20 percent), physical inactivity (15 percent) and excessive drinking (20 percent). Fairfax also earned very high marks for access to health care professionals and exercise opportunities.
But some lifestyle factors are not so great here. Fairfax was No. 37 (out of 133 counties) for physical environment. That means average levels of air pollution and housing problems and a way-above-average length of commute for many residents.
In Maryland, Montgomery County earned top honors.
Too see all Virginia stats, visit the County Health Rankings website.
Running in Reston/file photo
The Dulles Toll Road’s westbound exit at Hunter Mill in Reston will be EZPass only from Friday morning through Monday morning so crew can do upgrades at the toll booth, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said.
The full-service lane will close at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 27 and reopen at 5:00 a.m. on Monday, March 30. MWAA says it does not expect additional traffic backups or delays.
The scheduled maintenance will replace and upgrade equipment at the Hunter Mill exit that assists in identifying vehicles using full-service lanes.
If non-EZPass drivers must use the westbound exit ramp for Hunter Mill Road while the work is being performed, they should contact MWAA Customer Service Center at 877-762-7824.
When the project is complete, full-service lanes will continue to be available at the exit ramp for those wishing to pay with cash. MWAA says nearly 80 percent of drivers using the Dulles Toll Road are utilizing EZPass transponder instead of coins.
Graphic courtesy of MWAA
Reston Association will hold its second and final public hearing on the planned purchase of the former Visitors Center Thursday night.
This is the last chance for RA members to offer their thoughts on the purchase of the 3.48-acre property that features a 3,128-square-foot building on the banks of Lake Newport.
The public hearing begins about 7:25 p.m. at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.
The purchase price for the property will be $2.65 million, based on a recent appraisal, said RA CEO Cate Fulkerson. RA plans to borrow the entire purchase price, according to RA’s Tetra Fact Sheet.
RA has not yet made the appraisal public, saying it is pending the conditional contract for the property.
However, RA members need to also voice their opinion on the purchase in the April referendum. The association needs 10 percent of households (or 1,751 of 17,506 eligible households) voting for the referendum results to be valid.
RA announced in January its intent to purchase the property, which is currently office space for Tetra commercial real estate. Last year’s county tax assessment values the building at 11450 Baron Cameron Ave. more than $1 million less than the sales price, but RA land use attorney John McBride said that is not unusual since the building can be used for many other purposes than its current small office usage.
The original plans for the building approved years ago include the possibility of a second story addition that could make the structure 6,930 square feet. The building is currently zoned “convenience center” under the current Reston Master Plan, which make it possible for a commercial business to operate their, RA officials said.
RA has been advocating for planners to change the designation to “limited office space/community use” as part of the Reston Master Plan Phase 2 draft process, which should be completed in the next several months.
RA is still seeking community input on the best use for the property. Some ideas — after camp care, community classrooms and meeting and special event rentals, the latter of which would bring in revenue for RA.
The acquisition of the property would also give RA 98 acres of contiguous open space, as the property abuts other RA parcels such as Brown’s Chapel Park and Lake Newport Tennis.
RA President Ken Knueven said at Monday’s South Lakes District Meeting there are three main reasons why the association wants to purchase the property:
Protect against overdevelopment — RA’s purchase of the property as common area prevents further commercial development.
Increase and enhance green space — Since RA would repurpose the building for community and recreation purposes. RA also says it will plant more trees and shrubs and reduce parking, which contributes to stormwater runoff at the site.
Increase community and recreational use — RA’s current, year-round programming space is limited, and acquiring the building would be a valuable addition.
The board will vote on the referendum question wording and its conditional contract (which will be pending outcome of the referendum) at tonight’s meeting.
