Reston’s outdoor ice rink has returned to Market Street.

Reston Town Center’s pavilion made the transition from summertime concert location to winter skating rink over the weekend and is now open for business.

The rink will hold its annual fundraiser for Character Counts! Reston Coalition on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

During open skating hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Character Counts will receive 50 percent of ice skating admission fees to support their work with Ethics Day at South Lakes High School in November. Also benefitting from the proceeds will be the Reston Kids Triathlon, the Cornerstones’ Best of Reston event, and other charitable initiatives to support character-building for students in the community.

Character Counts! is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan, character education initiative designed to help youngsters and adults develop and practice the basics of good character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Character Counts! supports programs in Reston in conjunction with Reston Association, Reston Community Center, Cornerstones, Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, Reston CitizensAssociation, YMCA of Reston, and the office of Fairfax County Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins.

Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion 2014-2015 Season

Hours:

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday: 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Hours are extended on holidays and school closing days. Call or email the Skate Shop for more information, 703-709-6300, [email protected].

Rates:

Adults: $10

Children under 12: $9

Senior Citizens (55 and up): $9

Skate rentals (figure and hockey) $5

For lessons, parties, and private reservations, and more information, call or email the Skate Shop, 703-709-6300, email: [email protected].

Photo of Reston Town Center Skating Rink/File photo by vballslife via Flickr

Thanksgiving Food Drive Underway — Cornerstones’ annual Thanksgiving Food Drive will go on until Nov 24. Check out this list of drop off sites and the most-needed items to help the less fortunate in the community. [Reston Community Center]

Vote! — Forget which polling place is yours? Enter your address on Fairfax County’s website to guide you to the right spot. [Fairfax County]

Metro Looking At 2016 Budget — Metro officials will begin discussions this week to develop a balanced budget for FY2016. This early discussion will provide guidance to the General Manager/CEO in presenting his budget proposal next month, which will lead to budget adoption in early 2015. [WMATA]

Celebrating Public Art — The Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) will hold its 2014 Annual Reception on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in the lounge of The Avant at Reston Town Center.  The reception will honor the recent “Pyramid of Light” project created by South Lakes High School art students. Tickets are $50 ($25 for “Contemporary Friends” ages 20 to 35). [IPAR]

Photo: Dawn in Reston by Busybee via Flickr

Tuesday is Election Day. Are you ready to vote? Reston Now has prepared this guide to get your where you need to go to cast your ballot.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fairfax County will use new integrated voting machines.

Not sure where you vote? Enter your address on this Virginia Board of Elections site to find your polling spot.

New this year: You must have a photo ID to vote.  Acceptable IDs include

• Valid Virginia Driver’s License or DMV Identification Card
• Valid Virginia DMV issued Veteran’s ID card
• Valid United States Passport
• Other government-issued photo identification cards (must be issued by US Government, the Commonwealth of Virginia, or a political subdivision of the Commonwealth
• Valid college or university student photo identification card (must be from an institution of higher education located in Virginia)
• Employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer’s business
• Virginia Voter Photo ID Card obtained through any local general registrar’s office

On the ballot:

U.S. Senate: Incumbent Mark Warner (D) faces challenges from Ed Gillespie (R) and Robert Sarvis (Libertarian).

U.S. House of Representatives: Reston is in the 11th District. Incumbent Gerry Connolly (D) is being challenged by Suzanne Scholte (R), Joe Galdo (Green) and Marc Harrold (Libertarian).

Voters will also vote on a Constitutional amendment about property tax exemption for certain surviving members of veterans killed in action. Read more about it on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Voters will also be asked about a $100 transportation bond referendum for pedestrian, bicycle and road improvements countywide. Read more details on the Fairfax County website.

The Reston Association Board of Directors is considering making changes to annual assessments that could affect some of Reston’s lowest-valued properties and their owners.

Currently, all Reston Association members are set to pay a 2015 assessment of $642, a rise from this year’s assessment of $634. All members pay the same amount regardless of the value of their property.

The board will discuss at its board planning meeting on Monday, Nov. 3 a proposal by RA CEO Cate Fulkerson to reduce the assessment for properties valued at under $128,000 to 0.5 percent of assessed value.

That valuation would likely only affect a small number of properties in Reston, where the average home is valued at $439,000, according to Zillow.

Additionally, owners who qualify for Fairfax County Tax Relief, currently given a reduced assessment ($624), would be given a much deeper discount under the proposal ($321).

Reston Association members are bound by the deed to pay the annual assessments, which go towards maintaining and operating common areas, such as RA’s paths, pools and tennis courts.

The board conducts a biennial budget review, where it examines expenses and sets the assessment amount for the next two years.

The RA expects to collect more than $13 million in assessments in 2015. Total estimated revenue for the year comes in at more than $16 million, according to RA, with $5.4 million spent on management and headquarters costs; $2.7 million spent on recreation services; and $2.1 million spent on park maintenance.

While the increase from 2014 to 2015 is only $8, the rate rose 7.45 percent from 2013 to 214, and has risen by $127 annually in the last five years.

Also, the suggestion to pro-rate assessments according to property values is a slippery slope, according to Reston-watchers Reston 2020.  Is RA heading toward a whole new structure?

“Neat!  We introduced the concept of a prorated assessment fee,” Reston 2020 wrote on its blog last week. “Next year (or the year after), the RA Board can move (again on short notice with no public input) to apply that 0.5% rate to all Reston properties (except those already exempted by this amendment).  So, if you live in an average $600,000 home in Reston (which is just about the average in Reston home valuations), you could well be paying a $3,000 annual RA assessment fee.”

This is a Q-and-A with Gerry Connolly, Democrat incumbent candidate for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. His answers are unedited. To read thoughts from Republican Candidate Suzanne Scholte, read Reston Now’s Q-and-A with her.

Reston Now: You have been in close races and you have also won big in the past. You are leading this race in fundraising, have the endorsement of Washington Post and your opponent has never held elected office. Do  you ever take any challenger lightly?

Gerry Connolly: I don’t take any election lightly and always run like the devil is at my heels. This year is no different. Representing Northern Virginia in Congress is the great honor of my life and I never take it for granted.

RN: Midterm elections can be tough. Have you approached this campaign any differently?

GC: Every campaign is, of course, a little bit different. But just like in previous campaigns, I am running on my record of getting things done for Northern Virginia. Since my first election in 1995, I have worked with Democrats and Republicans to grow our economy, invest in transportation improvements, and make our community a great place to raise a family.

My opponent and I have very different views and philosophies of government. I am pro-choice — she is a leader of a right-wing organization that wants to ban abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, end funding for Planned Parenthood, and limit access to birth control for women.

I support reasonable gun safety measures — she has an “A” rating from the NRA and is their choice because she would support their extreme agenda.

I support the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform — she opposes citizenship even for the children of undocumented immigrants. She certainly has a right to those views, but they just don’t reflect Northern Virginia or Reston values. Read More

A locally owned pet supply shop will soon open at Lake Anne Plaza.

PetMAC Marketplace and Adoption Center, which has a store in Arlington, has signed a lease to take over the spot formerly occupied by The Cupcake Ladi at 11412 Washington Plaza.

PetMAC owner Cindy Williams, a Reston resident, says she hopes to open at least part of the store in early to mid-December.

Williams says PetMAC specializes in nutritional needs for pets. In addition to pet toys and supplies and higher-end and all-natural brands of pet food, she also has the products and expertise to help with allergies, behavioral problems and other pet needs that can be addressed with supplements and food.

The other component of PetMAC’s business is working closely with rescue groups to find homes for dogs and cats. Look for weekend adoption events with area rescue groups, as well as a few cats for adoption who will be in residence at the store.

Williams, who left corporate America nearly a decade ago to go into the pet business, says she thinks Lake Anne Plaza — with hundreds of dog owners living in walking distance — is an ideal spot to open a new store.

“My Arlington store is a little out of the way,” she said of her current store on N. Kenmore Street. “Here at Lake Anne, it is a beautiful, supportive place. I really feel like part of the community here. It is a very small-business oriented environment.”

Check out PetMAC online or on their PetMAC Lake Anne Facebook page.

Orthodontist’s Annual Candy Buy-Back — Reston orthodontist Stephan Tisseront is hosting his annual Halloween candy buy-back Monday from 12 to 4 p.m. at 11720 Plaza America Dr. Bring your leftover candy, and Dr. Tisseront will give you $1 a pound and also donate $1 a pound to Children’s National Medical Center. Last year’s event gathered more than 1,500 lbs. of candy, which was sent overseas to the troops. [Tisseront Orthodontics]

TJ Open House Coming Soon – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), the Regional Governor’s School for science and technology in Northern Virginia, will hold its annual Open House on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Due to construction at the high school, the Open House will be held at Holmes Middle School, 6525 Montrose St. in Alexandria, less than half a mile away from TJHSST. 

Practicing For Plane Travel — Families with special needs children took part in a special event at Dulles International Airport Saturday, where kids could practice navigating air travel. A similar event, sponsored by Wings for Autism, will be held at Reagan National on Nov. 8. [Washington Post]

Fairfax County Police are thanking Reston citizens for their help in locating a missing elderly woman Thursday night.

Officers from the Reston District Station said the 77-year-old woman, who suffers from dementia, walked away from the 9700 block of Georgetown Pike near Great Falls about 5:30 p.m., said police spokeswoman Lucy Caldewell.

Police patrols, including a bloodhound, searched for several hours, but were unsuccessful. About 10 p.m., they enlisted the Office of Emergency Management, which placed a reverse 911 call to homes in the Reston-Great Falls area.

Caldwell said some 22,000 homes with landlines within a five-mile radius of Georgetown Pike received calls.

“Immediately, dispatch phones rang with reported sightings of the missing woman,” Caldwell said. “Finally, after six hours of searching, thanks to a thoughtful resident that received the reverse 911 call, the woman was located on a top floor parking garage stairwell at Reston Town Center at 11:45 p.m. She was ushered to warmth and safety at the Reston Police Station. “

Caldwell said some residents were upset at receiving the call at the late hour.

“Due to the nature of the circumstance (critical missing person — life threatening emergency) the decision was made to implement reverse 911,” she said. Reverse 911 is not something residents sign up for. In emergencies, these landline numbers are provided to public safety personnel and are to be used only in life-threatening/urgent situations, she added.

Nov. 1 marks the beginning of Cornerstones annual coat drive.

The Reston nonprofit that helps people who are homeless or experiencing poverty has been collecting coats for those in need the last few weeks. The organization will continue collecting new or gently used coats through November in order to aid those in the community who can use a warm winter jacket as winter approaches.

Need a coat?

Stop by 11484 Washington Plaza West at Lake Anne Plaza, Room 320. Hours: Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon; Thursdays, 6 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Closed on Federal Holidays and Saturday, Nov. 29.

Have coats to give?

Cornerstones will take donations of children and adult-sized coats, as well as new hats, gloves and scarves, at the same location. All sizes are needed, but there is an extra need from children’s sized and men’s XXL-5XL.

Halloween is not just for little ones — especially when the holiday falls on a weekend.

So leave the Trick-or-Treating to the kids. Reston Now has some ideas for some adult-level fun nearby on Oct. 31.

Paolo’s at Reston Town Center is having an adult costume contest from 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a DJ, dancing and cash prizes for first-, second- and third-place winners.

Morton’s at Reston Town Center is offering a “No Tricks, All Treats” four-course meal Friday for $35 per person. There will be a variety of food choices, including a 6 oz. Filet Mignon, Honey Chili Glazed Salmon and Baked Five-Onion Soup.

The Reston Community Players will perform You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, with special $10 tickets for the 8 p.m. show Friday.

Lake Anne Plaza will host a HOWL-O-WEEN celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Pets and their owners are encouraged to come in costume for contests, games, music and “yappy” hour specials at Lake Anne restaurants.

Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern in Herndon will host its 18th annual Halloween Bash. The fun starts at 9 p.m.  There will be a DJ and dancing with no cover charges. Also, a $150 prize for “best costume,” scary scream contests and more.

If you are going to celebrate with a Halloween ale or two, remember the SoberRide program will be offering free rides homes from 10 p.m. on Oct. 31 to 4 a.m. on Nov. 1. Call 800-200-8294 (TAXI). AT&T customers may dial #WRAP from their wireless phones.

• You must be 21 or older to use the SoberRide service
• All requests for SoberRide service must be called to and dispatched from 1-800-200-8294. Do not call a taxi company directly for SoberRide service as the ride will not be covered under this program.
• Riders are responsible for fares over $30.

Know of any other area public parties or specials? Tell us in the comments.

Photo: Will Hoover via Flickr

Now THAT’s A Toll — A Fairfax County woman who was charged more than $10,000 for 11 unpaid trips on the 495 Express Lanes went to court on Wednesday and won a partial victory over the company that operates the toll lanes. The problem stemmed from the woman’s faulty E-ZPass and administrative fees, but she still owes a lot of money. [WTOP]

Reston’s A Hot Address — The built-in higher density and walkability of Reston Town Center makes Reston an in-demand place for offices while it may take Tysons Corner a while. [Washington Post]

Clarabridge Has Big Plans — Reston’s Clarabridge, a firm that uses social media data to advise big business clients — recently doubled its Reston office force and has plans to expand more in the next year. [Bisnow]

Photo: Fall leaves at Reston Town Center/Credit: Reston Town Center

This is a Q-and-A with Suzanne Scholte, Republican candidate for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. Her answers are unedited. We will have one upcoming with incumbent Democrat Gerry Connolly as well.

Americans will go to the polls on Tuesday for a midterm election that could have implications for incumbents, especially in Congress, where the House as a whole as a 79 percent disapproval rating, says Real Clear Politics.

What will the 2014 race bring for Virginia’s 11th District, which is includes Reston and where Gerry Connolly is running for re-election?

In Virginia’s 11th, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D), defeated Republican Keith Fimian in his first Congressional race in 2008 (back when Reston was in the 8th District). In 2010, he beat Fimian again — but this time by less than 1,000 votes. In 2012, with a race against Republican Chris Perkins and several Independents, Connolly took 61 percent of the vote.

Which brings us back to 2014. For starters, quick answer this question — who is Connolly’s major party opponent? That would be Republican human rights activist Suzanne Scholte (and also Independent Marc Harrold and the Green Party’s Joe Galdo.

Connolly has raised more than $1.8 million for his campaign; Scholte, $227,457, according to a Oct. 15 Opensecrets.org report. He received the endorsement of The Washington Post last week.

Also, the district next door, Virginia’s 10th, is stealing the spotlight. Longtime Congressman Frank Wolf (R)  is retiring, and three is a big money, hotly contested race between Republican State Del. Barbara Comstock and Democratic Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust taking place.

Nonetheless, Scholte is undaunted. Reston Now asked Scholte, the president of the non-profit Defense Forum Foundation since 1988, a few questions this week.

Reston Now: What motivated you to take on Connolly for your first run for elected office?

Suzanne Scholte: I’ve spent my life working to promote freedom, democracy and human rights abroad–even to the point of rescuing refugees escaping oppressive regimes and literally saving people’s lives.  Over the last few years, I began to realize freedom isn’t just in jeopardy abroad, it’s also in jeopardy here. 

Whether it was the healthcare overhaul forcing people to lose their healthcare, the IRS and the Obama administration targeting certain political groups, the administration’s crackdown on respected reporters like CBS’s Sharyl Attkisson, or the government shutdown hurting so many Northern Virginians — I saw a toxic environment of partisan fighting with little regard for what was best for Northern Virginians or the American people in general. 

All my life’s work has been about working across party lines to advance noble ideals and cause. Frankly,  I am just so concerned that our country is in real danger. We need to work together to address the serious challenges facing us today and I chose to challenge Gerry Connolly because he embodies so many of these problems.

As an aggressive partisan, he tried to block investigations into government abuse. He also voted for sequestration — unlike Congressman Jim Moran — and voted twice against reversing these draconian cuts.  His failures to work with both parties helped contribute to the government shutdown. 

Gerry Connolly is the exact opposite of some of the great bipartisan legislators we’ve had in Northern Virginia — Tom Davis and Frank Wolf being the ultimate examples. We have a history in Northern Virginia is finding compromise, and Gerry Connolly is defaming that legacy.

RN: Congress is notoriously at an impasse on many issues. What can you do differently?

SS: Build relationships with both sides of the aisle — it’s not rocket science, but partisans on both sides of the aisle are making things difficult. Gerry Connolly doesn’t even get along with Virginia Republicans in our delegation, much less Republicans from other states. I’m proud to have a lot of Democrats supporting my campaign -in fact, two of my coalitions are headed by Democrats.  As a Republican, I look forward to working with Democrats in Congress just as I have worke with so many Democrat Members of Congress over the last two and half decades. 

RN: What are the biggest issues in Northern Airginia and what can you do in Washington tohave an impact on them?

SS: There are many, so let me pick three.  Read More

Dozens of pets are waiting for you at Reston Town Center this weekend.

The nonprofit GoodDogz.org is sponsoring its 10th annual Home 4 The Holidays pet adoption event, where more than 40 rescue organizations will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Some of the rescue groups include Friends of Homeless Animals, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation and Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART). In addition, several breed specific groups will have booths, as will companies selling pet products.

See the full list of exhibitors on the GoodDogz.org website.

GoodDogz.org also organizes the annual Pet Fiesta, a similar event in the summer at Reston Town Center.

Photo: Pets and People at Home 4 The Holidays/Credit: GoodDogz.org