Now you see it. Now you don’t.
Several Reston Now readers have inquired as to why the sign for the forthcoming Red’s Table restaurant at South Lakes Village Center was up for months — only to be taken down down last week.
Red’s Table is still on track to open, but has encountered several delays in the process.
Ryan Tracy, one of the trio of Reston-raised brothers who own the restaurant, told Reston Now last month that they discovered an unexpected structural issue in the building that formerly housed Lakeside Inn for 22 years.
Repairs involve the building’s roof, so the sign had to come down in order to access it, said Tracy.
The issues were a frustrating delay, said Tracy. Red’s Table had planned to open this month (which in itself was a delay of several months). Tracy and his brothers Matt and Pat have been working on the project for more than a year. They have hired a well-known chef and were in the midst of hiring other staffers when the issue was discovered.
Opening has now been pushed back to summer, said Ryan Tracy.
And look for the sign to go back up when the repairs are complete.
Reston Association is looking towards the next budget cycle with an eye towards cutting small costs that could add up to organizational — and possibly member — savings, says RA CEO Cate Fulkerson.
Saving money and generating revenue have been a priority for more than a year as RA plans its 2016-17 budgets, she told members at the South Lakes District meeting earlier this week.
RA annual member assessments have been steadily rising over the last several years, to $642 in 2015. Cost savings could eventually have in impact in stabilizing assessment rates.
“We are now in year two of a two-year budget cycle,” she said. “When [the current budget] was organized in 2013, the focus was on capital asset upkeep and management. The board needed to put $2.5 million in reserves to maintain our assets.”
In Jan. 2014 and 2015, Fulkerson said she asked the staff to “look inward” with these questions:
- How can we improve the way we are doing business?
- What are we doing that is unnecessary?
- What should we be doing instead?
Some of the answers: step up RA’s marketing program; increase number of popular programs; capture non-member revenue; and eliminate processes that burden members and impact expenses.
The brainstorming has already paid off, says Fulkerson.
“At the end of 2014, for the first time in about 10 years, the CEO did not ask for additional money to cover operating expenses,” she said. “Operations came in under budget and the savings were put into reserves.
Fulkerson pointed out some of the potential and actual savings and revenue-generating changes. Some of them:
- Savings of $8,700 in changing way outdoor pools are closed at end of the season
- Savings of $4,700 in eliminating unnecessary printing
- New revenue of $1,170 by adding Cedar Ridge garden plots
- New revenue of $3,000 by getting maximum capacity at recreational vehicle lot
- Savings of $2,000 by offering digital HOA documents
- Revenue of $12,000 by charging outside vendors for table space at workshops
- Revenue of $7,500 to $10,000 for charging commercial properties for Design Review Board applications
- Savings of $10,000 in changes to stock portfolio administration
The changes resulted or will result in a little over $100,000 in impact on RA’s $15,000,000 budget. But Fulkerson says “every little bit helps.”
One area where the association is projecting longterm savings is by going paperless in many departments. Fulkerson said electronic-only delivery of election materials, for example, saves the association $2 per member. Electronic-only assessment delivery would be savings of $1.34 per member.
Reston Association has 21,300 member households — a number that is expected to increase significantly with new and under-construction multi-family residential properties set to join the association in the near future.
“We had $132,000 projected for postage in 2015,” said Fulkerson. “I realize not everyone [in RA] is ready to receive materials electronically.”
She said if 5,000 members opt for email only, it would save the association $24,000 next year.
According to RA Bylaws, though, members must give permission for that to happen. To opt in, email [email protected] with this info:
- Electronic correspondence requested (Options include assessment notices, Board of Directors elections, referendums, Design Review Board decisions and RA News).
- Full name, property address, primary household email and whether you are a renter or owner.
RA will continue discussing the upcoming budget over the next several months (member feedback is welcome) and will vote on it in November.
File photo of RA CEO Cate Fulkerson
Changes At The Top In Wake Of Police Shooting — Fairfax County’s Attorney David Bobzien said changes are coming to the management structure if his office to fix communication problems that were part of the county’s handling of an investigation into the August 2013 fatal shooting of an unarmed man. [Washington Post]
Honors For South Lakes HS Magazine – South Lakes High School’s student literary magazine, Portfolio, (Suzanne Abdelrazaq, adviser), earned a Silver Crown at the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) awards for excellence in scholastic journalism in New York City last week. SLHS was one of six Fairfax County public schools to earn an award. [FCPS]
New Nearby — Longtime Reston Farmers Market vendor 100 Bowls of Soup now has a retail shop and kitchen in Herndon. [Modern Reston]
RA Hires New CFO — Reston Association has hired Robert Wood as its new Chief Financial Officer. He comes from Opower in Arlington, where he was Director of Accounting Operations. He replaces David Harris, who recently left for a new opportunity. [Reston Association]
It’s pothole season in Northern Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Transportation says it has filled more than 10,000 potholes in Fairfax and surrounding counties as of late last week. Crews are using a “cold” and “hot” mix asphalt, with both mechanized and hand work to fill the holes.
Crews also have the mechanized “pothole killers” that shoot a temporary asphalt patch. VDOT owns two “Python 5000s,” which make a permanent patch with a scraper and roller in about two minutes. There are only a handful of Pythons in use in the United States, with about 30 total in operation, says VDOT.
Crews are also using Aquaphalt, a fast-drying material that creates a durable, permanent patch.
VDOT also says it will start a $168 million paving project in April that will further improve roads and rides for drivers across the region.
“This is the largest paving season we’ve seen in Northern Virginia,” said Branco Vlacich, VDOT’s district maintenance engineer, said in a statement. “We estimate crews will place about one million tons of asphalt and four million linear feet of pavement markings this spring.”
Vlacich says the $168 million in paving includes “31 lane miles of interstates, almost 50 lane miles of primary routes as well as extensive paving on secondary roads and neighborhood streets of almost 1,000 lane miles. Crews are also extending the life of more than 110 lane miles with preventative maintenance such as latex and sealing.”
See roads scheduled for paving in Northern Virginia, see this interactive map on VDOT’s website.
Regarding potholes, VDOT asks drivers to continue to be alert to lane closures for patching. Crews in northern Virginia are on the road from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays, and may work other times outside of rush hours.
Drivers can report potholes to VDOT online or to operators 24/7 at VDOT’s Customer Service Center at 800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623).
VDOT is responsible for the vast majority of roads in Fairfax County. Some roads are maintained by the county, however. If you see damage on a county road, call 703-877-2800. In Reston, many residential streets are maintained privately. If there is damage on your street, contact your homeowners association.
For more information on how potholes form and what to do if your car sustains damage, visit this VDOT page.
Have you seen any potholes that still need attention in Reston? Tell us in the comments.
Photo: Pothole/Credit: State Farm Insurance
Some merchandise is available and there are deep discounts to be had at the Radio Shack at 1404 North Point Village Center.
The store is one of is on the list of the nearly 2,000 locations nationwide that were marked in February for closing as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Radio Shack has been around since the 1920s as a place to purchase radio and electronics parts. But in the technology boom of the last 20 years, it failed to keep pace with big box stores such as Target and Best Buy, as well as online retailers.
In addition to what remains of the stock, the store is also selling its fixtures such as shelves and display cases.
JBG’s RTC West project was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, clearing the way for 40,000 square feet of retail and dining close to the future Reston Town Center Metro station.
The public hearing portion of the supervisors meeting had no speakers and the project was unanimously approved.
The planning commission recommended the project for approval in late February. There was no significant opposition, but the developer had to agree to many conditions, mostly to add traffic and pedestrian access.
A January county staff report also recommended approval for RTC West, provided transportation conditions were met.
The 13-acre site currently houses three office buildings. Much of the development will convert the first two floors of the office buildings.
JBG says it plans to convert 15,100 square feet of office space to retail/restaurant space and add 25,000 square feet of new retail/restaurant space (on the southwest corner of the site), including outdoor seating.
The area is bordered by the W & OD Trail on the side of Reston Town Center, Town Center Parkway, Sunset Hills Road and the complex that currently houses Chipotle, Potbelly, Chick-fil-A, Carrabba’s and Extended Stay America.
Some of the transportation conditions include adding walkways and crosswalks to the W & OD Trail and Town Center Parkway and moving access to the office park about 440 feet north of the Parkway’s Intersection with Sunset Hills Road.
See the entire staff report on the Fairfax County Planning website.
This week’s Reston Pet of the Week is Goomba, an English Bulldog puppy. Here is what his owner Heidi has to say about the little guy:
Meet Goomba, our new English Bulldog puppy! He’s 9 weeks old.
He is our first puppy so we are learning and having a blast trying to keep up with him!
He’s full of energy and makes us laugh with his crazy expressions.
Goomba loves playing tug-of-war with his toys. He’s definitely mastered the “puppy dog eyes” that make you just melt. Everyone loves him and he loves attention from people.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet.
Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
A dog named Sassy and an officer from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station were hailed as heroes by FCPD on Tuesday for saving the life of a Great Falls man earlier this month.
During the eight-inch snowstorm in the area the first week of March, Jim Cassell appeared to be napping in his recliner at his Great Falls home. Sassy, his English Setter-Border Collie mix, sensed something was wrong and barked excitedly near his owner’s chair.
It turns out Cassell, 64, was suffering a massive heart attack, police said. The barking alerted Cassell’s wife Susan, who noticed her husband’s condition and immediately began doing CPR. Their son called 911.
Reston District Officer Nathan Keysor was the first emergency responder on the scene, police said. He recognized Cassell had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. He took over for Susan Cassell, administering chest compressions and succeeded in getting Jim Cassell breathing again.
The Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department team arrived, took over, and served as the next link in the “chain of survival” to help save Jim Cassell.
He was rushed to Reston Hospital Center, where he remained in a coma for eight days.
Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers awarded Keysor the “Lifesaving Award” at the Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday.
Keysor’s family and police and fire colleagues, along with Susan Cassell, were there to support and congratulate him. Jim Cassell remains hospitalized and will head to a rehabilitation facility soon. He expected to recover.
“Any of my colleagues and fellow officers would have done the same thing I did,” said Keysor, “I was in the right place at the right time.”
Photos: Top – Reston District Station officer Nathan Keysor (left) visits Jim Cassell in the hospital; bottom – Sassy/family photo
Class sizes in Fairfax County Public Schools elementary schools could see a cap in the near future.
FCPS’s School Board is looking into class size caps for elementary schools starting next school year. The proposal would limit classes to 27 students for grades 1-3 and 30 students for grades 4-6.
The school system has no set maximum class size, but classes in some area schools have pushed beyond 30 students in a cost-savings measure in recent years.
It was a popular complaint by Reston-area parents when FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza brought her Superintendent’s Listening Tour to Hunters Woods Elementary School in December.
“This is a major, major issue,” one Aldrin Elementary School parent told Garza. “My daughter’s math class is 36. Teachers have gone above and beyond the call of duty. At some point, they are going to be tapped out and can only go so far.”
State regulations allow up to 30 students per class in grades 1-3 and up to 35 students in 4-6.
Last year, the school system approved increased class sizes in order to balance the budget deficit. FCPS allowed for an additional 0.5 students per teacher for elementary and middle schools and 1.0 student per teacher for high schools. The changes allowed FCPS to cut 225 teaching positions, whcih saved $16.4 million.
But that was the third time since 2009 that ratios have been raised in order to save money.
The FCPS average elementary school has 23.5 students, the school system says. Out of 3,505 elementary classes countywide, 393 (11 percent) are above the proposed class size ceilings, according to an analysis by The Fairfax Times.
The school system’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2016 shows $3.1 million to support smaller class sizes. The School Board will present its budget to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, April 7.
School Board At-Large Member Ryan McElveen says smaller classes will allow decrease teacher workload an enable FCPS to put additional resources towards classrooms with the greatest needs.
“As financial resources have become scarcer and scarcer over the past few years, we’ve had to rely on increasing class size to balance our budget,” he said. “And, to no one’s surprise, those years of cuts have created oversized classes, particularly at the elementary level where class size has the greatest impact on student achievement.
“FCPS decided to institute class size caps to provide a universal standard that allows us to target resources to schools with high class sizes using our staffing reserve without disadvantaging those classrooms with higher percentages of FRM and ESOL students,” said McElveen. “By working to slowly bring class sizes back down to a manageable level, we will help decrease the workload of our overburdened teachers and also allow for increased differentiation and individual attention, which is so important particularly for our younger students.”
Kindergarteners at Lake Anne ES/file photo
International Skating Kudos For Reston’s Melnyk — Reston figure skater Olesky Melnyk won the Junior Men’s Division in the Gardena Spring Trophy Figure Skating Event in Italy. [Gardena Spring Trophy]
Police Review Commission Has “Emotional” Meeting — The Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission, formed by Fairfax Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova in an effort to review police policies, held its first meeting Monday. [Springfield Connection]
Burglars May Be Targeting Chinese Restaurant Owners — Fairfax County Police say a series of home burglaries in Herndon and Fairfax may be related as the victims are all owners of Chinese restaurants in the area. Suspects may be looking for valuable Chinese liquor. [Washington Post]
Lake Anne Students perform “Beauty and the Beast Jr.”/Courtesy Grace Yakubisin
They are a familiar sight all over Reston: Reston Association Camp T-shirts on the backs of campers from ages 3 to 14. Kids in most of RA’s camps are required to wear the shirts daily.
The shirt design had not been updated in more than 15 years, said RA Camp Program Manager Dan Merenick said. So this year, the shirts have gotten an update.
Merenick said camp organizers wanted something that better reflected “Reston.” 
The new design features RA’s new mascot, Walker Woodpecker, with images of campers doing camper things such as hiking and playing soccer and and tennis.
The shirt also features the year — so expect yearly updates, says Merenick.
“We are going to ask campers for their own versions of what to put on future shirts,” he said.
Graphics for the 2015 shirts were done in-house, so the new design did not cost RA anything, he added.
RA has printed 680 shirts for the season. The shirts are $8 for youth sizes and $10 for adults and are available at RA Headquarters.
There is no requirement to purchase the new shirt, though. The old shirt is still an acceptable uniform (and a badge of honor for veteran campers).
Space is still available in some of the 2015 programs. Visit Reston Association’s website for more information and registration.
Photo — Top: RA Camp Program Manager Dan Merenick (left) and Deputy Director for Recreation Laura Kowalski show off 2015 camp T-shirts; Bottom: Old RA camp T-Shirt design.
Chamber Spotlight is a feature sponsored by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Today’s Q-and-A is with chamber member Mike Jennings, President of BEI Networks. Jennings and his wife, Ellen own the company, which provides IT support to businesses throughout the Washington area.
Why did you decide to start your business in Reston? We purchased BEI from the former owners when it was located in Arlington. We moved it to Reston in 2004 because we reside here, the Dulles corridor was growing, and we are very involved in Reston in both our business and personal lives.
What are the challenges and rewards of being a business owner? Challenges: hiring good people, balancing working “in” the business and working “on” the business. Rewards: getting to know and helping our clients (I’ve learned so much about many different types of businesses) and working with smart, creative, dedicated employees
Name something about your business that most people don’t know? BEI was launched in 1987 and supported mostly Novell networks in the beginning; We’ve been an Ultimate Seahawk Sponsor of South Lakes High School’s athletic programs since 2009; We are the leading provider of IT support to ambulatory physician practices in metro DC and the only IT service provider with its own internal HIPAA compliance program.
What is the unique value proposition your client’s know of when using your services? Healthcare practices come to us when they’re tired of their operations and clinical workflow being impacted by never-ending IT problems. We help by solving healthcare’s unique IT challenges and then proactively managing their IT with a thorough knowledge of and deep experience with EMRs, medical devices, and HIPAA. This allows them to focus on seeing patients efficiently and thereby increase patient satisfaction and improve cash flow.
Describe a typical day as the business owner — I’m in charge of our service operations, so there is a lot of continuous interaction with our support engineers throughout the day. I also have my fair share of meetings. I meet with clients regularly, with vendors who help support our clients (phone, cabling, telecom, software and hardware vendors) and with our management team. I often function as the VCIO (Virtual Chief Information Office) for many of our clients so that means working with them to plan how their technology should evolve as their businesses grow and change.
How has the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce helped your business grow? We’ve met partners and prospects via the Chamber, but also have learned a lot about the Reston community. I already live in Reston, my kids have attended Reston schools (my son is at Virginia Tech and my daughter has graduated from UVA), I own a business in Reston, I am on the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee and the Chamber has helped me complete that circle.
What is the quote that best describes your business? We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle 8.
What is your advice to someone who is thinking about owning a business? Enjoy the highs and when you hit some lows have the confidence that you’ll get through it. It may seem like there is NO WAY to overcome the rough patch you’re in but if you stay focused on what you believe are the right things to do then it won’t be long before that rough patch is just a memory.
The story of Patrick Dougherty, the environmental artist who will produce a large-scale artwork at Reston Town Center next month, will be presented in a free film showing at Reston Community Center’s CenterStage Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Dougherty uses natural materials such as branches and saplings to create large installations. Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) received a $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts ArtWorks Grant to help support the project.
Willowsford, a Loudoun residential development, is also giving $30,000 as well as materials to the project, which will remain in Town Square Park for one to two years.
The movie, Bending Sticks: The Sculpture of Patrick Dougherty is a feature-length documentary that celebrates Dougherty’s 25- year career.
The film follows a year in Dougherty’s career and the creation of five Dougherty commissions in different locations — inside the new wing of the North Carolina Museum of Art, on Main Street in Rock Hill, SC, at a private home in Chapel Hill, NC, at the Bascom Art Center in the mountains of NC, and in the gardens of Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, DC. At each location, viewers will see how Dougherty and many others transform piles of sticks into energetic lines and exuberant forms.
Photo of Patrick Dougherty courtesy of IPAR
JBG’s RTC West project will go before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
JBG plans to bring 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space to what is currently an office park off of Sunset Hills Road close to the future Reston Town Center Metro station.
The planning commission recommended the project for approval in late February. There was no significant opposition, but the developer had to agree to many conditions, mostly to add traffic and pedestrian access.
A January county staff report also recommended approval for RTC West, provided transportation conditions were met.
The 13-acre site currently houses three office buildings. Much of the development will convert the first two floors of the office buildings.
JBG’s says it plans to convert 15,100 square feet of office space to retail/restaurant space and add 25,000 square feet of new retail/restaurant space (on the southwest corner of the site). The planning commission approved outdoor restaurant seating for the complex.
The area is bordered by the W & OD Trail on the side of Reston Town Center, Town Center Parkway, Sunset Hills Road and the complex that currently houses Chipotle, Potbelly, Chick-fil-A, Carrabba’s and Extended Stay America.
“The development vision includes the upgrade of the first one or two floors within the office buildings to be more suitable to retail uses, and extensions of the retail program in specific areas of the site,” says JBG materials included in the staff report.
The development of RTC West brings Reston Town Center-style amenities closer to the planned Reston Town Center Metro station, slated to open in 2018 or 2019.
Frank de le Fe, Hunter Mill representative to the planning commission, said he expects to see more changes to the site.
“This is what I call an ‘interim development’ of this site,” he said at the planning commission’s most recent hearing. “In the future, I am sure we will be seeing [the location] with new redevelopment under the new [Reston] Master Plan. This makes sure what is being done in the interim meets current needs in marketplace without negatively affecting what we envision in master plan for this site.”
Some of the transportation conditions:
Connecting an existing walkway to the adjacent trails along the public roadways and adding two new crosswalks across Town Center Parkway.
Connecting the development to the W & OD trail, which runs on the northern part of the property. One development condition for JBG is working with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) and Dominion Virginia Power to establish an easement for a pedestrian connection between the site and the W&OD trail.
Closing the existing exit-only driveway on Town Center Parkway and to construct new signalized access point about 440 feet north of the intersection at Sunset Hills Road. Constructing an entrance in this location will require the relocation or closure of an existing entrance for the property across Town Center Parkway to avoid an unsafe intersection, JBG says. JBG will have to work out an agreement with Boston Properties, which owns that parcel, as a condition of development.
Two new crosswalks across Town Center Parkway at a new access point.
A new turning lane on Reston Parkway.
See the entire staff report on the Fairfax County Planning website. The public hearing portion of the BOS meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Photo: Rendering of RTC West/Credit: JBG
Take A Peep At Reston — Have you entered Chesapeake Chocolates’ “Reston in Peeps” contest? Here are some dioramas to watch. [Modern Reston]
A Double Decker I-66? — Dr. Gridlock ponders whether this would ease traffic on the constantly clogged road. [Washington Post]
South Lakes Swimmer Raising Awareness For Cerebral Palsy — South Lakes High School student Katie Grealish organized “Dollars for Daniel” swim-a-thon in honor of her cousin. [Reston Connection]
Big Honor For Sunrise Valley Teacher — Longtime Sunrise Valley ES sixth-grade teacher Mary Anne Rossbach accepted the 2015 William C. Lowry Mathematics Educator of the Year award earlier this month. [Reston Connection]
Reston Association Kids Trout Fishing Day 2015/Credit: RA via Facebook
