Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station report a car stolen from the 1500 block of Northgate Square. The Ford Taurus was reported stolen on June 8.
In other crime news for the week ending June 11:
Police conducted a directed patrol on June 6. Officers from the Reston Police District patrolled the area searching for drunk drivers. No drivers were charged with DWI. Ten summonses and 11 warnings were issued.
LARCENIES:
2500 block of John Milton Drive, liquor from business
10500 block of Leesburg Pike, liquor from business
900 block of Locust Street, cell phone from business
1800 block of Park Glen Court, bicycle from residence
2500 block of Reston Parkway, phone from business
1400 block of Alston Place, money from residence
2400 block of Centreville Road, bicycle from residence
Honors For SLHS Soccer Player — Junior Sara Vigen, a girls soccer goalkeeper at South Lakes High School, was named Washington Post First Team All-Met. Sara is the first SLHS girls soccer player to be named First Team All-Met since 1987.
Take A Break Concerts Return — Reston Community Center’s Take A Break Concert series returns to Lake Anne Plaza tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. The Barretones (Bluegrass) will perform on the Plaza. The free concert series will continue each Thursday through Aug. 28 with a variety of Jazz, Blues, Latin and other entertainment. [Reston Community Center]
Celebrate Sizanani — Reston-based Global Camps Africa will host Sizanani Family Fun Day from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Counselors from Camp Sizanani, a residential camp in South Africa for children who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, will be here to celebrate with founder Phil Lilienthal and other Restonians who have volunteered at the camp. [Camp Sizanani Facebook Page]
Gibson Official Files To Take On Connolly — Independent Mark Gibson, seeking the VA 11th Congressional spot, officially filed his Declaration of Candidacy and Petitions of Qualified Voters with the Virginia State Board of Elections (SBE). Gibson will challenge incumbent Democrat Gerry Connolly in the Nov. 4 general election. [Gibson for Congress]
Photo: Surf Reston SUP via Flickr
Classic Reston is a biweekly feature sponsored by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce that highlights businesses, places and people with deep roots in Reston.
Before there was Reston Now, or Reston Patch, the Reston Connection or the Reston Times (now Fairfax Times), there was the Reston Letter.
In fact, the Reston Letter predates Reston residents.
The Reston Letter was a combination newsletter and marketing material aimed at updating readers about the progress of this “New town” to be built in the cow pasture near the new Dulles International Airport.
See the entire first Reston Letter here.
Volume I, Number I is part of the George Mason University Digital Archives. Let’s take a look at what it was saying about Reston in February of 1963:
Reston is a 10-mile square tract of gently rolling Virginia hill country, 18 miles west of Washington, D.C. and four miles east of the newly opened Dulles International Airport. It is bisected by the airport’s high-speed access highway which takes travelers quickly in and out of the nation’s capital.
Comprising 6,800 acres, Reston could easily have been developed along well trod, conventional lines. Instead, Reston has been planned in a way that suggests a new, creative solution to the twin dangers inherent in America’s enormous population increase and rapidly changing pattern of living — unsightly suburban sprawl and haphazard urban spread.
The letter says Reston hopes to have a population of 75,000 by 1980.
It details the plans for Lake Anne Village Center to resemble a European village where residents can live and shop in the same place. “The first of the seven villages was started in October 1962, when work began on a 500-foot earth dam which will create a crescent-shaped 35-acre lake,” it reads.
The plans for housing units at Lake Anne are detailed, as well as plans for the south end of Reston, where 100 acres would be turned into low density housing surrounding a community horse stable.
“Bridle paths are to be laid out so they lead from the [horse] academy to one of the village centers,” the letter said. “This village will be planned so horse riders will be able to actually ride into town.”
The homes were eventually built (with horse homage street names such as Steeplechase and Paddock). The stables were in action for several years (though hitching the horse at the Hunters Woods Safeway never quite caught on). The barn later burned down, and the site at Steeplechase and Triple Crown is now Pony Barn Pavilion, a Reston Association park.
The early materials encouraged prospective residents that things were about to happen very quickly here.
“By Spring of this year, Reston will be a good place to visit,” the letter says. “By Spring of next year, Reston will be well on its way to becoming one of the best places in the nation in which to live.”
More than 50 years later, has Reston lived up to its marketing? Tell us in the comments.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday night on the transformation of Reston Town Center’s surface parking lot to a mixed-use development.
Developer Boston Properties’ plans for the surface lot at Reston Town Center include two high-rise residential buildings as well as a park with a yoga area, public art and picnic areas. The 6.35-acre site, called Block 4, is currently a 251-space surface parking lot, the only remaining surface lot at Reston Town Center. The lot is currently zoned for up for 250,000 square feet of office space.
According to the county planning staff report, which recommends approval of the project, the 250,000 square feet of office density represents the last remaining non-residential density available under the proffered maximum 3.465 million square feet of non-residential development approved within Reston’s urban core.
The meeting is at the Fairfax County Government Center, 8:15 p.m. To sign up to speak, visit the Planning Commission website.
Boston Properties is seeking to move the office development to Block 5, where the current FedEx/Kinkos and Ann Taylor are now located, with additional office space above.
The plan calls for turning the three-story retail/office building, part of One Fountain Square, into a 17-story building with 276,788 square feet of office space and 7,800 square feet of ground-floor retail. The building would also have four levels of underground parking.
Block 4 and 5 development will flow into other approved high-density development nearby.
The Spectrum, a low-rise strip mall located just across New Dominion Parkway, has been approved for redevelopment into 774,879 square feet of non-residential use and 1,422 multifamily residential units in seven new residential buildings. The new area will feature a hotel, and Harris Teeter is the only retailer expected to remain under the current plan.
Additionally, part of the Spectrum will wrap around the planned 23-story office tower at Bowman Towne Drive and Reston Parkway. That building, which will contain retail and 18 stories of offices, was approved by the supervisors in 2012.
On Thursday, the Reston Association Board of Directors will hold a special meeting to discuss who can get an exemption from RELAC, the lake water-fueled air conditioning system that about 300 homes near Lake Anne are required to use.
Homes that have a RELAC system are bound by deed to use it unless owners can show a reason for a medical exemption. The RA board has been discussing changes to the RELAC policy since last year. It was slated to be revisited by February.
(Update: 6:22 p.m.)- The National Weather Service has now issued a tornado watch for Northern Virginia until 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Be prepared for some rough weather Wednesday evening.
The National Weather Service says Fairfax County and all of Northern Virginia is under the threat of severe thunderstorms, with lightning, hail and the potential for tornadoes.
The worst of it will come through from 4 to 8 p.m., just in time for rush hour, so plan accordingly.
From the NWS:
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES… WITH TEMPERATURES REACHING THE MID-TO-UPPER 80S WITHIN AND SOUTH OF THE WASHINGTON DC METROPOLITAN AREA..
THE REGION IS UNDER THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY CONTAIN DAMAGING WIND…FREQUENT CLOUD- TO-GROUND LIGHTNING… AND LARGE HAIL. ADDITIONALLY…TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN A FEW OF THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS.
THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS BETWEEN 400 PM AND 800 PM EDT. THE AREA MOST VULNERABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64 ACROSS VIRGINIA`S NORTH-CENTRAL PIEDMONT AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 95 SOUTH OF THE CITY OF BALTIMORE MARYLAND TO FREDERICKSBURG VIRGINIA. THIS INCLUDES THE GREATER WASHINGTON DC AND BALTIMORE METROPOLITAN AREAS…HAGERSTOWN MARYLAND…THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SHENANDOAH VALLEY…AND CHARLOTTESVILLE VIRGINIA. RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO THIS REGION…ALONG WITH MARINERS ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER…SHOULD HAVE AN INCREASED AWARENESS OF THE THREAT OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
IF A SEVERE WEATHER WARNING IS ISSUED…SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY…PREFERABLY IN A BASEMENT OR THE LOWEST LEVEL OF A STURDY BUILDING. IF YOU ARE IN A BOAT…SEEK SAFE HARBOR IMMEDIATELY.
Elections for Reston Citizens Association (RCA) board of directors will be open online through June 22.
RCA is a citizens advocacy group that was founded in 1967 to promote and protect Reston’s founding principles and quality of life by serving as a non-partisan forum for all residents and business owners.
RCA is currently working on educating the community on the new development spurred by the arrival of the Silver Line and Phase II of the Reston Master Plan while also recommending smart growth solutions for transportation, education, environment, and accessibility to local and County officials and associations.
The following seats are up for election: North Point Director, Lake Anne/Tall Oaks/Town Center Director, South Lakes Director, Hunters Woods Director, and an At-Large Director. Each seat
carries a three-year term.
RCA Bylaws say an election must be held even if candidates are running unopposed, which they are this year. The South Lakes district has no candidate but is accepting write-ins. Anyone over age 18 who resides in SMall Tax District 5 is eligible to vote.
To cast your vote, visit the RCA website.
Continue reading after the jump for bios on the candidates.
Two Reston Companies Among Fortune 500 — Reston-based Leidos and NII Holdings were among the 10 Fairfax County firms chosen as part of the 2014 Fortune 500 list. NII Holdings, a mobile communications company, is ranked 495. Leidos, technology consulting, is 442. [Fairfax County Economic Development Authority]
Montgomery Schools Chief Urges No Bell Change — Fairfax County Public Schools are looking at changing high school start times in order for students to get more sleep. A similar measure is on the books across the Potomac in Maryland’s Montgomery County, but the MCPS Superintendent said Tuesday he does not recommend the change because it would be too costly at about $21 million. There is also considerable pushback from elementary school parents. [Bethesda Now]
Local High Schools Shut Out Of Cappies — Students from Herndon and South Lakes High Schools were not among the winners at Sunday’s 2014 Cappies Awards. The awards, voted on by student critics, honor high school theatre students. [Reston Patch]
FCPS and Potential Business Partners Meet Up — Fairfax County Public Schools are looking for support from the business community. The Foundation for FCPS brought companies and school administrators together to talk about potential partnerships last week at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. [Fairfax Times]
Commuters who plan on replacing a bus-Metro combo with a straight shot on the new Silver Line should plan on paying more to get to work.
After Metro announced its peak and non-peak Silver Line fares last week, advocacy group Reston 2020 crunched the numbers and found some commuters may pay twice as much to get to Downtown D.C.
Some of the highlights:
- Current rail and bus users will see a nearly 40-percent increase over current round-trip costs (from $10.60 to $14.80 per day). Annually, the total will be $2,960.
- For those who park in the Wiehle garage rather than ride the bus to the station, daily costs will increase 56 percent (to $16.55). That works out to $3,130 a year.
- Costs for riders with a reserved parking space in the garage will nearly double (rising to an average of $20.45 per day, a 92 percent increase). They will face a total annual cost of $4,090.
See the entire analysis on Reston 2020’s blog.
Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston) wants to let her constitutes know she is right here.
“Despite what you may have been reading on Republican blogs and some inaccurate press reports, I am not in Africa,” she wrote to Restonians in an e-mail and on Facebook Tuesday. “Today, I am in Reston. Yesterday, I was in Richmond working with other Senate negotiators on the budget. Thursday, I will be in the Capitol for a Senate Finance Committee meeting and the session.”
Howell, a senior member of the Senate Finance committee, is responding to a Richmond-Times Dispatch story that was picked up by other media outlets and blogs saying the state budget may not be passed before the July 1 deadline in part because she will be on a vacation in Africa until June 24.
The Virginia General Assembly has been at a budget impasse for three months. The July 1 deadline is important because the commonwealth may face a government shutdown or deep cuts in state aid if a budget is not adopted by then.
Howell, who has represented Reston for more than 20 years, said she had a long-planned trip with her granddaughter, but that trip will now be shortened to attend to the budget issue.
“I have had to shorten a trip with my granddaughter that has been planned for a year and a half in order to live up to my responsibilities as a senator,” Howell wrote. “When I ran for office, I made a commitment to the people in the 32nd District to actively represent them. I will always keep that commitment.”
The General Assembly’s budget standoff comes over Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s plan to expand Virginia Medicaid to 400,000 uninsured Virginians. Republicans are opposed to the idea because there is no longterm plan to fund it, which may leave the commonwealth paying the bill in the future.
On Monday, Sen. Philip Puckett (D-Russell), resigned his seat. That gives the Republicans a 20-19 edge in the Senate.
McAuliffe says Puckett’s resignation had created uncertainty for his plan.
“I am deeply disappointed by this news and the uncertainty it creates at a time when 400,000 Virginians are waiting for access to quality health care, especially those in Southwest Virginia,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “This situation is unacceptable, but the bipartisan majority in the Senate and I will continue to work hard to put Virginians first and find compromise on a budget that closes the coverage gap.”
With heavy rain expected Tuesday, the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for Fairfax County and most of the Washington, D.C. area.
The watch, which means conditions may develop that could lead to flash flooding, is in effect from 2 p.m. Tuesday to 2 a.m. Wednesday.
From the NWS:
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF MARYLAND… THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA… INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS… IN MARYLAND… ANNE ARUNDEL… CARROLL… FREDERICK MD… HARFORD… HOWARD… MONTGOMERY… NORTHERN BALTIMORE… PRINCE GEORGES AND SOUTHERN BALTIMORE. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA… FAIRFAX… LOUDOUN AND PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK.
* THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
* HEAVY RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA… CENTRAL MARYLAND… AND WASHINGTON DC TODAY. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT MORE HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL WITH THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. ANY STORMS THAT FORM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
The anticipated opening of the Silver Line rail extension this summer has meant a hiring blitz for Metro. The organization has added 460 new employees in recent weeks, Metro deputy general manager Rob Troup said.
After months of delays, the Silver Line’s Phase 1 — the 11-mile extension from East Falls Church to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue — is tentatively slated to open by summer’s end, though Metro has not set an opening date.
Metro began a 90-day testing and training period on May 27. Troup said Metro’s testing and training is proceeding on schedule. Metro conducted a public safety exercise at Wiehle-Reston East 10 days ago.
Troup said on Monday Metro is concerned that Dulles Transit Partners, the division of Bechtel contracted by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to construct the $2.9 billion Phase 1, is behind schedule on its remaining punch list items. DTP has only completed “about 4 or 5” of the 33 items, and all must be finished before passengers can board the trains, Troup said.
New Metro hiring breaks down to 302 new employees in maintenance; 102 in operations; 41 transit police; 10 in IT; 2 in customer service; 3 in finance. Additionally, 48 train operators and 23 station managers have already been hired.
Not all new employees will work on the Silver Line, Troup added.
Metro will conduct simulated service for a week prior to opening. No passengers will ride the trains during the training runs, said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel. Trains will run on the Blue and Orange Lines from Largo Town Center to East Falls Church, but at East Falls Church they will go out of service and run on the Silver Line from East Falls Church to Wiehle-Reston East.
Metro will conduct a second public safety drill at the Spring Hill Station on June 29, Stessel said.
Twelve South Lakes High School athletes were among the top finishers at the VHSL 6A Track and Field Championship in Newport News Friday and Saturday.
Leading the way were Senior Grace Gillen, juniors Claire Nieusma, Delaney Wickman and sophomore Golden Kumi-Darfour, who placed third in the 4×400 meter relay with a 3:55.44. They will compete at Nationals this weekend in Greensboro, N.C.
Wickman also finished fifth in both the 200 meters (25.54) and 400 meters (57.25). Kumi-Darfour ran a school-record 2:12.81 for fifth place in the 800 meters. The old mark of 2:13.27 was set by Jeraldine Cofie in 1998. Both Wickman and Kumi-Darfour will compete in those individual events at Nationals as will Devyn Jones, who qualified for the freshman triple jump.
Kumi-Darfour and Gillen teamed with senior Abby Reinhold and junior Augusta Durham for seventh in the 4×800 meter relay (9:33.73). They earned All-State honors along with teammates:
- Senior Khayri Denny, 4th, long jump, 21-08.50
- Sophomore Eric Kirlew, 7th, triple jump, 44-05.50
- Boys 4×400 meter relay team (seniors Michael Kerr, Luis Rivas, Daniel Johnsen, junior Sam Arpee), 6th, 3:23.10
Other SLHS performances at the state championship:
- Senior Danielle Hale, 11th, long jump (16-01.75); triple jump, 13th (36-00.75)
- Junior Claire Nieusma, 13th, 300 meter hurdles (47.09 personal best)
- Jones, 10th, 100 meter hurdles (15.92)
- Denny, 9th, 100 meters (11.29); 13th, 200 meters (22.66)
- Johnsen, 13th, 400 meters (50.15)
- Kerr, 12th, 800 meters (1:57.35)
- Rivas, 22nd, 800 meters (2:00.45)
- Girls 4×100 meter relay team (Hale, freshman Nikayla Hoyte, juniors Ozioma Chinaka, Jordan Lozama), 13th (49.43)
- Boys 4×100 meter relay team (Denny, seniors Ben O’Connor, Anthony Mayo, sophomore Skander Ballard), 17th (44.16)
- Boys 4×800 meter relay team (Kerr, Rivas, junior Andrew McCool, sophomore John LeBerre), 12th (8:08.91)
— Submitted by Valerie Lister; photos courtesy of Ed Lull via Facebook.
More Sleep For Students — Fairfax County Public Schools administrators are in the midst of gathering community feedback about proposals to alter school bell times in order for high school students to get more sleep. Across the river in Montgomery County, Md., the school board is getting ready to vote on a similar measure. [Washington Post]
Sunny Days — It is not your imagination. The last 10 weekends in the D.C. area have been free of rain. [Capital Weather Gang]
This Month in Reston Today — Reston Association’s monthly video looks at the RA yard sale, public art at Lake Thoreau and the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. [YouTube]
Online tickets are now available for the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s Taste of Reston, which returns to Reston Town Center Friday and Saturday.
Festival hours are Friday from 3 to 11 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. The carnival rides will also be open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission is free, but patrons will need tickets to purchase food and beverages and ride the rides. Discount advance purchase food/drink tickets are $24 for $20. Advance purchase ride tickets are $24 for $20. You can also purchase an all-you-can ride wristband for $20. Visit the ticket section of the Taste of Reston website to buy.
Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Taste of Reston.
Taste of Reston is the largest outdoor food festival in the area and was voted 2012, 2013, and 2014 “Northern Virginia’s Best Food Festival” by Virginia Living magazine.
More than 20 restaurants will offer tastes of their menus in the booths along Market Street. Among the booths: Clyde’s, Big Bowl, The Counter, Il Fornaio, M & S Grill and more. Visit Taste of Reston online for a complete list. Hooked Seafood & Sushi, whose crab cake sliders won first place in the 2013 Taste, will also be returning to the festival.
The Taste of Reston will also offer wine and beer for patrons 21 and over. Among the brews on tap: Fat Tire, Blue Moon and Sierra Nevada.
Other highlights of the Taste of Reston:
- A Wine n’ Dine section, where some of the area’s top chefs will demonstrate their favorite food and wine recipes. Wine n’ Dine participants include Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro, Paradise Springs Winery, Paolo’s Ristorante and The Melting Pot. On Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., the Wine ‘n Dine section will feature a Market Place, where vendors will sell cooking-related products.
- Live entertainment on four stages, including the Main Stage in the Pavilion and a a family fun stage at Market and Presidents Streets. See the full entertainment schedule on the Taste of Reston website.
- A Family Fun Zone! sponsored by the YMCA Fairfax County Reston and the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. The Family Fun Zone! will feature fun activities, interactive games, demonstrations, arts and crafts for all ages. On Saturday from noon to 6:30 p.m. there will be food, fit and fun demonstrations.
Photo: Taste of Reston/Credit: Reston Town Center
The Reston man who told Maryland officials he was shot while kayaking in April, shot himself in Reston last week when Fairfax County Police arrived at his home with a search warrant, Fairfax County Police said.
Fairfax County Police went to the Lakeshore Crest Drive home of David Seafolk-Kopp on Thursday with the warrant after Maryland Natural Resources Police found inconsistencies in Seafolk-Kopp’s account of being shot on Bodkin Creek in Maryland on April 12.
Investigators said Seafolk-Kopp’s hands showed gunpowder residue and the angle of the bullet wound was consistent with a self-inflicted wound. Seafolk-Kopp, a gun collector, had 31 guns registered to his name, police said.
“We were looking for guns consistent with what he was shot with,” said MDNR police spokesman Candy Thomson. “We were looking for a .38 mm, a .357 or 9mm, which was working with what the doctor removed from him.”
When authorities arrived at Seafolk-Kopp’s home, they found him with self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the the jaw and torso, said Thomson.
“The suspect was at home and he was injured,” said Fairfax County Police public information officer Lucy Caldwell. “We assisted with the rescue. Thompson said Seafolk-Kopp, 56, was taken to a hospital, where he remains sedated and in critical condition after several surgeries.
Thomson said Maryland authorities have a warrant to search the Glen Burnie, Md., home of Seafolk-Kopp’s daughter.
“We served the search warrants trying to close out this case and assure the public there is is not someone out there shooting,” said Thompson.
Seafolk-Kopp, a former Maryland resident who has lived in Reston since 2010, told police in April he was shot while taking a break from paddling on Bodkin Creek. He said he saw a red dot near the lower part of his stomach and felt an excruciating amount of pain shortly thereafter. He said he was unable to make it back to shore, where he had launched near Pasadena Md., until the next morning.
The bullet entered just below the sternum, hit Seafolk-Kopp’s ribs and lodged in his back. He was taken to Baltimore’s Shock Trauma, where he was treated and released.
According to the police affidavit, the medic who treated Seafolk-Kopp said the man exhibited no signs of hypothermia even though he said he was on the water all night long.
Police also said several guns were taken from Seafolk-Kopp’s home earlier this month.
