Four candidates are running for three three seats in this year’s Reston Community Center Preference Poll.
Come hear what they have to say at the 2014 Candidates Forum Monday at RCC Hunters Woods at 7 p.m.
Residents of Small Tax District 5 (Reston) are asked to cast votes in the annual poll to fill open seats on the RCC Board of Governors. Voting begins Sept. 12 and runs through Oct. 3.
The community will elect three, three-year positions as the terms of board members Bill Penniman, Cathy Vivona and Vicky Wingert are expiring.
Penniman and Wingert are running for another term on the board. The other two candidates are William Keefe, who served on the RCC Board from 2008-13, and Linda Singer, a longtime Reston resident who has been active in many local and county organizations.
Each property in Small Tax District 5 will receive a ballot in the mail. Mail-in ballots must be received by the counting agent (a pre-addressed envelope is provided with the ballot; postage is required) no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2. Walk-in and online ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3
The RCC Board of Governors guides policy, budgeting and programming for the community center, which has locations at Hunters Woods and Lake Anne. The board may also authorize in the next year a community referendum for a new $30 million indoor pool and recreation center. The board has been studying the feasibility of such a project for several years.
Market Street at Reston Town Center was turned into a colorful gallery on Saturday as chalk artists took part in the Initiative for Public Art Reston’s (IPAR) first ChalkFest.
The winners:
Professional Artist
1st prize: Penny Hauffe
2nd prize: Erica Fallen
3rd prize: Lynn Nguyen
Audience Choice
1st prize: Penny Hauffe
2nd prize: Daniela Munoz
3rd prize: McKinley Gillespie
Families & Kids
1st prize: Oishee and Rovnakwie
2nd prize: Alexa Alfeo
3rd prize: Anisha Shetty
Amateur Artists
1st prize: Daniela Munoz
2nd prize: McKinley Gillespie
3rd prize: Kara Brownback
For more photos, including the winners and their works, visit IPAR’s Facebook page.
New At GRACE — Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) opens a new exhibition this week. Dalya Luttwak: Germination of Gold will run from Sept. 11 to Nov. 1, with an opening reception on Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. Luttwak is an Israeli-born artist who is now based in Washington, D.C. Luttwak is well-known for her large-scale, site-specific sculptures inspired by plant roots. [GRACE]
Fairfax Earns High Marks — The real estate site Movato recently ranked Fairfax County No. 3 on its list of the “10 Best Counties in America.” Fairfax comes in behind Virginia neighbor Loudoun County and Douglad County, Colo., in the rankings based on the second-highest household income behind Loudoun), with residents making an average of over $103,010, annually. Fairfax also has the third-highest median rent, 12th-fewest number of families below the poverty line, and an unemployment rate under 6 percent. [Movato]
A “Love Letter” To Reston — A long piece on Medium.com, an open writing site, covers a “short, deliberate history” of Reston and asks the question “Can a suburb really be a place?” [Medium]
Photo: Cannabis Sativa by Dalya Luttwak/Credit: GRACE
The Reston Association Board of Directors will consider a proposal to look at using goats to manage invasive plant species in Reston.
Hunters Woods/Dogwood Director Lucinda Shannon approached RA CEO Cate Fulkerson and RA Environmental Resources Manager Claudia Thompson-Deahl earlier this summer, pointing out that Tree Pittsburgh, an environmental nonprofit, recently used goats from Eco-Goats, a company in Maryland, to restore vegetation on a hill in the city.
Goats were also used last year to manage invasive plants at Congressional Cemetery in D.C.
Here is how it works: Eco-Goats trucks in several dozen goats to the site. A temporary fence is installed, and goats graze for a few days on the offending plants. Meanwhile, goat droppings make great fertilizer for the return of the native plants, Eco-Goats says.
Goats are able to eat plants that are poisonous to other animals and their mouth structure destroys the seeds of the invasives.
Invasive plants such as Purple Loosestrife, Winged Burning Bush and English Ivy, among others — are an issue on both Reston Association and privately owned land in Reston. They damage the native plants and affect wildlife.
The RA board will talk about the goat idea at its planning meeting this week.
Meanwhile, there is an item in the Reston deed that prohibits livestock, but the board and the Design Review Board may be able to get around it with the idea that the goats will be temporary.
Photo: Eco-Goats goats get to work/Credit: Eco-Goats
Deer management season begins this week in Virginia, which means many Fairfax County parks will have skilled volunteer archers at work controlling the deer population.
Fairfax County officials say archery “has been shown to be a safe and effective deer management tool to control deer populations on public and private lands in Fairfax County and other high-density jurisdictions.” Fairfax has been using bowhunters for deer management since 2010.
Parks and land near Reston include Fred Crabtree Park, Little Difficult Run, Difficult Run and Waples Mill Meadow. See a full list of locations on the Fairfax County website.
In 2013, the county archery program culled more than 1.000 deer. The county says 848 were killed by bow and arrow. Since Virginia began tracking hunting injuries in 1959, no injuries related to archery have been reported by bystanders anywhere in the state, Fairfax County officials said.
Archers are approved to hunt at assigned sites Monday through Saturday during legal hunting hours, 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset through Feb. 21. Florescent orange and yellow signs are posted wherever managed hunting activity takes place and archers must stay 100 feet from property lines and 50 feet from established park trails.
Reducing the deer population cuts down on thousands of deer-vehicle collisions that occur in Fairfax County each year, as well as the spread of diseases such as Lyme disease, says county police chief Edwin Roessler.
“Reducing the number of injuries and fatalities that result from deer-vehicle collisions is one of the primary goals of the deer management program,” Roessler said in a news release. “Deer management is an integral part of creating a culture of safety in Fairfax County.”
Meanwhile, private homeowners on Sourwood Drive in Reston may also be hunting on their properties soon. In late June, Reston Association approved the three homeowners’ request to hire a private deer management company to cull deer. The homeowners were concerned about the deer population damaging property and harboring potential Lyme Disease-carrying ticks.
The Reston hunt was supposed to be OK for this deer-hunt season, but an RA spokesman said insurance and other final paperwork has not yet been finalized.
RA says it will discuss its overall deer policy in a meeting later this month.
There is still time for amateur artists to register for tomorrow’s ChalkFest at Reston Town Center.
The Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) is sponsoring the first ChalkFest at RTC. A similar event took place and was well received earlier this year at Lake Anne Plaza.
The event is open to amateurs of all ages, as well as to professional artists.
Here is what you need to know:
- Visit IPAR’s website to register and reserve your chalk plot. You must register in advance.
- Space reservations are $15.
- Professionals and teams of more than three started work on Friday. Other artists will work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Saturday.
- Cash prizes will be awarded for each category: professionals, amateurs, audience choice and families and kids.
- IPAR will provide the chalk.
- For more information, read these rules and tips from IPAR.
- Watch the video above to see a clinic and tips from a professional mural artist.
Lake Anne Plaza — the original Reston’s village center that is about to embark on a revitalization project that developers hope will transform the area — has had a string of business turnover news in 2014.
To recap:
- Jasmine Cafe, longtime restaurant, evicted for non payment of rent
- Lake Anne Pharmacy, sold after more than 40 years on the plaza so owner could retire; Slated to close in September
- Cafe Lakeside, food counter within Lake Anne Pharmacy, closed as space was sold and owners retired
- Cupcake Ladi, closed in August after four years
- New Family Naturals, closed in August after two years
- Lake Anne Coffee House, for sale
- Lake Anne Florist, Virginia Wine and Gourmet, business for sale after more than 30 years; owner retiring
Is it a streak of bad timing, a sign of the economic times or a changing of the guard?
A little bit of all three, says Rick Thompson, president of the Lake Anne of Reston Condo Association, which oversees commercial space as well as residences at the plaza.
Thompson points out that many of the recent closings are from longtime store owners who had businesses at Lake Anne for dozens of years.
“Any set of businesses in any location are always going to go through periods of change,” he said. “Tastes change, businesses go through cycles. I think there are a lot of different reasons at work here.
“Take the cupcake store. She rode the cupcake trend, but that’s probably in the rearview mirror now. Jasmine — he was in business 25 years, but he did not continue to invest in his business and it atrophied. Larry (Cohn, owner of the pharmacy) held on way past retirement. Linda Fuller (of Lake Anne Florist) ran her business a long time. She wasn’t ‘working for the man’ somewhere.”
So what will open at Lake Anne Plaza? It takes a certain type of business owner, but Thompson says he thinks space at Lake Anne will appeal to independent-minded, cost-savvy entrepreneurs. While there is no rule against chain stores at Lake Anne, the size of most storefronts usually deters businesses looking for a more uniform space.
“If it is the kind of business that makes sense here, it is a great location in a growing area,” he said. “It is an affluent economic [area] and there will be redevelopment nearby.”
Rents are far lower at Lake Anne than they are at many other Reston shopping centers or at Reston Town Center, says Thompson. At Reston Town Center, for instance, business owners are bound by management rules. Space at Lake Anne is individually owned with fewer rules.
But that can also work against the plaza, which has a voluntary merchants committee. Some shopkeepers keep irregular hours or do not maintain property properly.
Also impeding progress is Lake Anne Plaza’s historic designation. That means that the “horseshoe” part of the plaza cannot be altered, even if it means outdated entryways or tight fits for delivery trucks.
“There is no way to roll back the historical designation,” said Thompson. “It is already in the county code. Is it better to have free reign and let the architecture go to hell? I don’t think anyone would want that.”
David Peter, president and CEO of Republic Land Development, which is redeveloping Crescent Apartments and the land surrounding Lake Anne Plaza, says the vacancies do not worry him. In fact, they help boost his plan that the Lake Anne area is ripe for higher density and renovation.
“I think this bolsters what we have been saying for two-and-a-half years — that this place needs to be revitalized,” he said. “We think we have a plan that will achieve that. Obviously, we hope other people will pick up where the others left off.”
Peter said Republic’s goal is to start construction in mid or late 2015.
Tense Talk About Mini Mondays — Fairfax County Public Schools approved the elimination of “mini Mondays” earlier this year, but conversations turned tense at meetings this week as they discussed how to pay for the longer elementary school days. [Washington Post]
California Tortilla To Help Kids — California Tortilla restaurants are teaming up with Share Our Strength to support Dine Out for No Kid Hungry! From Sunday, Sept. 7 to Saturday, Sept. 13, California Tortilla will donate $1 for every “Fresh Deal” they sell. California Tortilla has worked with No Kid Hungry for several years in a row, donating over $100,000 since their partnership began. The Reston location is located at North Point.
Taxicabs Rates to Rise? — The Consumer Protection Commission will hold a public hearing on Sept. 16 in the matter of revising the county code that sets taxi rates. Suggested changes: an increase in the initial charge from $3.25 to $3.50; an increase in the mileage rate from $2.10 per mile to $2.16 per mile,; a change in the billing increment from one-seventh of a mile to one-sixth of a mile, among others, that will increase the average taxicab trip of seven miles by approximately 3.5 percent. [Fairfax County]
Dredging at Bright Pond — Dredging operations will begin at Bright Pond in North Reston Saturday. The dredging equipment will be delivered to the site, including a 15-foot boat, and eventually, there will be two 75-foot dewatering bags on the pathway along the dam. There is a natural surface trail that goes around the southern side of the pond, which will remain open. The dredging will take three to five weeks, and the dewatering process will be 8 to 12 weeks.
Photo credit: Surf Reston via Facebook
On Fridays, we take a moment to thank Reston Now’s advertisers and sponsors.
Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, the business community for the vibrant region.
Reston Station, Comstock’s mixed-use development and parking garage at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro stop.
The Avant, new luxury rentals in the heart of Reston Town Center.
Berry & Berry, PLLC, Reston law firm specializing in federal employment, retirement, labor union, and security clearance matters.
Just Cats Clinic, Reston’s first cats-only vet practice.
Reston Real Estate, Eve Thompson of Long & Foster Real Estate specializes in Reston homes.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment, bringing you the Washington Mystics season.
Reston Community Center, Serving Reston’s recreational and cultural needs.
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s School of Real Estate, where prospective Realtors can get training to become licensed.
Cindy L. Beyer Design, Reston-based interior design firm with creative ideas for residential and commercial clients.
Van Metre Homes, handcrafted homes since 1955.
Apartment Showcase, your guide to apartments for rent in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Dulles Town Center, the premier shopping and dining destination of Loudoun County.
Plans to open a Pure Barre studio on Market Street at Reston Town Center have fallen through, a company spokeswoman said.
Pure Barre, a franchised exercise studio with locations nationwide, announce in December that it had signed a lease for space at 11990 Market St., on the ground-floor of the Midtown Condo.
A local rep had said the studio expected to open in February, but little action towards building out the space could be seen as time went on.
The spokesman said that “unforeseen issues with permitting in our intended space for the Reston studio,” led to the cancellation.
Barre exercise — as in ballet barre — is a recent trend where participants do small muscle movements, similar to the workouts of ballet dancers, to create long, lean muscles. Fees are $25 for single 55-minute class, but packages are available. There are nearby Pure Barre locations in Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Fairfax, Rockville and McLean.
Photo courtesy of Pure Barre
Fairfax County Police say they are investigating a peeping incident that occurred earlier this week in Reston.
A resident in the 2000 block of Royal Fern Court told police they looked out the window and saw a man looking into the room about 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday. The suspect fled before police arrived.
The suspect was described as Hispanic and about 30 to 35.
In other recent reported crime news:
LARCENIES
1900 block of Isaac Newton Square, license plates from vehicles.
11100 block of South Lakes Drive, merchandise from business.
2000 block of Upper Lake Drive, property from residence.
The Fairfax County Public Schools board has narrowed down its favored option for changing high school start times.
The board will discuss an amended version of Option No. 3 at a work session on Monday. The proposal is one of four schedules developed by sleep experts from Children’s National Medical Center that were presented to the community for feedback last spring.
High school students in Fairfax County currently start school at 7:20 a.m., a time that leaves them chronically sleep deprived. Pushing high school start times past 8 a.m. would have an impact on everything from behavior to grades to driving records and sports injuries, the CNMC experts say.
The FCPS Board voted in 2012 to change start times. They hope to have a plan implemented by the 2015-16 school year.
The original Option 3 had a 6 hour, 40 minute school day, with high schools beginning from 8 to 8:10 a.m. and ending between 2:30 and 2:40 p.m. Elementaries would start between 8 and 9:20 a.m., which is essentially the current schedule. Middle schools would see a big change with a 7:20 a.m. start and a 2 p.m. dismissal.
The amendments that will be discussed by the school board include a school day that is five minutes longer and pushing the middle school start until 7:30 a.m. The board says that in the future, “our goal will be to continue to seek
improvements for even later start times so that middle schools will move towards 8:00 and high
schools will move towards 8:30.”
The revised plan will cost less than anticipated, according to FCPS documents. The original Option 3 was estimated to cost $5.5 million, mostly to cover 46 new buses.
The revised plan will use fewer buses, and the purchase of 20 new buses has already been allocated in the FY 2015 school board budget, bringing costs to an estimated $1.5 million to $4.9 million, depending on which areas are amended.
The board says it intends to vote on a final bell change in October.
Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston) and his wife Jane will host the annual Plum Family Picnic and Pre-Election Rally from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the North Hills Picnic Pavilion on North Village Road.
Special guests will include Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va. 11) and Dranesville Supervisor John Foust, who is the Democratic candidate for the Virginia 10th District Congressional seat.
Also on hand: State Sen. Janet Howell, Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring.
The annual casual event is hosted by Friends of Ken Plum to thank supporters and to gather momentum for the upcoming general election.
The event is a Democratic fundraiser. Donations of $35 to Virginia’s Act Blue are encouraged. To register or donate visit Act Blue’s website.
Photo: Janet Howell (l) and Ken Plum/File photo
Fairfax County Public Schools have added security measures in place for the new school year.
The Washington Post reports that all FCPS high schools now have secured doors with video surveillance in place.
The new measures are part of stepped up security that officials put in place after reviewing procedures in the wake of the 2012 school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
Fairfax schools security coordinator Jim McLain told the Post that at the time of the shootings, five elementary schools and all but one of the county’s 22 high schools lacked advanced door-locking systems. McLain says all front entrances at high schools in Fairfax, including at Herndon High and South Lakes High, are equipped with new door-access systems.
The county’s 1,300 cameras can be accessed in real time by administrators on site and remotely at other locations, he added.
“I think closed-circuit television has become as fundamental to today’s society as doors and window locks,” McClain said. “We want their kids to be safe in schools.”
To review FCPS’ safety and security questions and answers, visit this FAQ section on the FCPS website.
First Day Thoughts — The first day shows lots of promise, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza says of the 2014-15 school year. [FCPS Video]
Kudos For Bechtel — Bechtel, which has a large headquarters in Reston, has been named one of the world’s top contractors by Engineering News-Record (ENR), a leading publication for the engineering and construction industry. The company ranked third on the magazine’s Top 250 International Contractors list, the same as last year, and ninth on the Top 250 Global Contractors list, one spot up from last year. On both lists, Bechtel was the highest-ranked company headquartered in the United States. [Bechtel]
Virginia Indian Festival This Weekend — Celebrate Virginia’s Native American roots at the annual Virginia Indian Festival Saturday at Riverbend Park in Great Falls. There will be storytelling, demonstrations, archery and help to build a dugout canoe, among other activities that recognize life here 600 years ago. [Fairfax County]
Pink Heals At Reston Town Center — Fairfax County firefighters and police officers will take part in the “Pink Heals” tour Saturday at Reston Town Center. The event, sponsored by the Guardians of the Ribbon, supports women with breast cancer. Pink rescue vehicles will on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. [Guardians of the Ribbon]
Photo: South Lakes High School Band at first football game of 2014 season/Credit: Melissa Gifford
