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.
As Sunset Hills Montessori School prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary, school founder Eileen Minarik reflects on the hundreds of students that have grown up with the school.
Those kids who started as tots in 1994 are now graduating from college, and Minarik says she can’t wait until the second generation of SHMS students starts enrolling.
“We’re like a family,” Minarik says of both her staff and the relationship with the school’s parents and children.
The family feeling comes, in part, from most of the staff remaining at SHMS for a long time, says Minarik. Many staffers have been there 10 years or more. Minarik says she is thrilled to promote from within, sending many from SHMS to additional teacher training.
Minarik says teachers get to know the whole family — even the extended family.
“We have established a certain atmosphere,” she said. “Grandparents, au pairs, nannies, all caregivers of our children. They are very much a part of the community. There are now five Montessori schools in Reston. They all have different personalities. Our personnel makes the difference.”
Minarik had already been involved in area Montessori schools for many years when she and her husband Joe opened Sunset Hills Montessori Children’s House in Isaac Newton Square in 1994.
By the end of the decade, after adding primary grades, the school was outgrowing its space.In 2003, the Minariks bought the former United Christian Parish building at 11180 Ridge Heights Rd.
Minarik said she used to drive by at night when the building was a church and see serenity in the lights of an evening service. When the space became available, she envisioned that sanctuary as an incredible place for the SHMS community.
She was even able to find the original church architect, Lawrence Cook, (who was also a Montessori parent) to renovate and add on to the building, which now has 24,000 square feet of space.
When the school moved to Ridge Heights it also changed its name to better reflect its offerings for toddlers through sixth graders. The current enrollment is 185 students.
The current location is nestled in a residential neighborhood, and Minarik says the school takes full advantage of the nearby Reston lakes, woods and paths. Also, many families are specifically looking for a school that they can reach by walking or biking, something they can easily do if they live close by, says Minarik.
The school has a host of extracurricular and after-school activities, says Director of Admissions Garrett Wilhelm. Among them: yoga, soccer, arabic, spanish and cooking. The school’s International Day attracts hundreds of community members. Last week, the entire Elementary program traveled downtown via Metro to attend the U.S. Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington Convention Center. Of course, they ran into some of Minarik’s former students on the Metro.
Prospective families are invited to join the school community for the May 18 anniversary celebration from 2 to 4 p.m. at the school. There will be music, entertainment, food games and prizes, as well as a tribute to the Minariks and a slideshow of SHMS’ history.
Photo: Sunset Hills Montessori campus/Credit: SHMS
(Updated, 2:12 p.m.) — The National Weather Service has extended the flash flood watch until 4:15 pm. and a flood warning until 9 p.m.
More flooding: Hunter Mill between Hunter Station and Cobble Pond now closed. Lawyers at Hunter Mill closed again.
The NWS says two to four inches of rain have already fallen in the area and more rain will continue to fall throughout the afternoon.
(Updated, 11:19 a.m.) Fairfax County Police say Lawyers Road near Hunter Mill has been reopened as of 11:15 am.
The National Weather Service in Sterling has issued a flood warning for urban areas and small streams in Fairfax County and most of the metro Washington, D.C. area.
A flood warning means floods have been reported or are imminent. The warning is in effect until 3 p.m.
As of 9 a.m., radar indicted that one inch of rain had fallen in the area in the last two hours. Similar rainfall rates are expected for the next several hours, which may cause streams to rise out of their banks and cause flooding, the NWS says.
As of 10 a.m., two roads in the Reston area were reported closed due to flooding: the 2800 block of Fox Mill Road (near Crossfield Elementary School) and Lawyers Road east of Hunter Mill Road.
Fairfax County Police are reminding motorists that most flood deaths occur in automobiles. Never drive into areas where the water covers the roadway as flood waters are usually deeper than they appear.
This story will be updated with more weather alerts as they happen.
Photo: High water by shores of Cameron Pond in Reston/Credit: Kaitlin Franks via Facebook
Market Master John Lovaas will ring the old Inca cow bell at 8 a.m. on Saturday, announcing to the community that the Reston Farmers Market at Lake Anne Plaza is open for the season.
Lovaas says the 2014 market has come a long way since it began in 1998 with 12 vendors.
This season, there will be 28 vendors at Lake Anne — featuring everything from seasonal produce to naturally-raised meats to fresh baked goods and speciality items such as Colonial Kettle Corn and Fresh Crunch Pickles.
The Farmers Market, under the direction of Fairfax County, will also take Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits this year. The county received two grants to support expansion of SNAP’s at-market benefits program, formerly known as food stamps. The 2014 grants will allow for an expanded program that will make farmers markets more accessible to low-income families shopping for fresh, locally produced food, says Fairfax County.
Expansion of the program was made possible through partnerships with Cornerstones, Arcadia, INOVA and the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, says Fairfax County.
The farmers market will be open Saturdays through November (except for Sept. 28), 8 a.m. to noon.
The farmers market is located in the parking lot of Lake Anne Plaza. Nearby on the market is the Reston Market, where local crafters and artisans sell their wares. The craft market is sponsored by the Friends of Lake Anne.
The average Fairfax County homeowner will pay more than $300 more in taxes next year after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally adopted the Fiscal Year 2015 budget on Tuesday.
The budget includes a real estate tax rate of $1.090 per $100 of assessed value, a half-cent increase from the FY 2014 $1.085 rate.
The $3.72 billion General Fund budget is an increase of 3.62 percent over the FY 2014 Adopted Budget Plan. The total of all appropriated funds is $6.97 billion, which includes the general fund as well as other appropriated funds such as grants, and solid waste and sewer funds, county supervisors said.
The increase in the real estate tax rate was voted on by the supervisors last week. The vote passed 7-3. Supervisors Pat Herrity (Springfield) , Linda Smyth (Providence), and John Cook (Braddock) voted against the rate. Yesterday’s budget vote was also 7-3, with the same supervisors voting no.
County Supervisor Sharon Bulova said the increase was necessary as Fairfax County, like many places in the country, continues to recover from the recession.
The increase will provide an additional $10.9 million for the county and will mean an additional $25 annually in average tax, she said. However, rising assessment values also mean homeowners will pay about $330 more annually as well.
“In total, along with the FY 2015 increased based on equalization, the average annual tax bill for county homeowners increases by approximately $357,” said Bulova.
“Our nation, region, and county continue to struggle during these sluggish post-recession years. The good news this year is that real estate values are beginning to rebound. The bad news is that only residential values are rising; business taxes are flat and commercial assessments are a decrease from Fiscal Year 2014.”
The additional tax revenue ($10.9 million) combined with $6 million in savings achieved on the general county side of the budget will be used to increase the transfer to Fairfax County Public Schools by $17 million (3 percent), the supervisors said.
The school board had requested a 5.7 percent increase (to $98 million) in February. It will get $51 million from the county. Superintendent Karen Garza has said there may be staffing cuts and other cost-cutting measures.
The county will be able to increase compensation for employees and offer step raises to public safety officers without drawing on reserves and creating a further imbalance. However, the budget reduces funding for some public services and the public libraries.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle on Thursday — Reston Town Center is hosting its R4 Recycling event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday. Bring items to the pavilion. They can recycle: cell phones, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), computers and electronics (hard drives will be destroyed on site), glasses and hearing aids. There will also be document shredding.
DREAM A Reality For Virginia Children — Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) said on Tuesday that children of undocumented immigrants can qualify for in-state tuition at Virginia colleges and universities. [Washington Post]
McDonnell Gets Teaching Job — Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is teaching part time as a visiting professor of government at Liberty University. [Washington Post]
Summer At GRACE — The Greater Reston Arts Center is hosting many week-long art camps this summer. Camps will take place at Reston elementary schools. Camps are for first through eighth graders. [GRACE]
Two burglaries have been reported in Reston in the last week, Fairfax County Police said.
Police said that an employee of a business in the 11900 block of Market Street at Reston Town Center told police someone entered the business on April 21 and took property. Police did not say what was stolen.
The second incident was reported on Saturday, April 26. A resident of the 11400 block of Washington Plaza (Lake Anne) told police someone entered the residence and took property.
Police did not say what was stolen in the second incident.
In this week’s other crime news reported by the Reston District Station:
LARCENIES
12100 block of Sunset Hills Road, cell phones from business
2000 block of Golf Course Drive, personal documents from vehicle
12700 block of Roark Court, license plate from vehicle
2300 block of Emerald Heights Court, cell phone from business
2200 block of Cocquina Drive, medications from residence
2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza, liquor from business
11200 block of Roger Bacon Drive, cell phone from business
STOLEN VEHICLES
11900 block of Freedom Drive, 2010 Toyota Corolla
11600 block of North Point Court, 2013 Nissan Maxima
11480 block of Commerce Park Drive, Chevy Trailblazer
A 15-year-old girl was treated for alcohol poisoning and a 48-year old woman charged after officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station were called to a Great Falls party on Saturday.
Police responded to a report of an alcohol overdose at a party in the 10000 block of Akhtamar Drive in Great Falls on Saturday, April 26 around 11 p.m.
Officers transported the teen to the hospital after they found her unconscious on a couch in the home.
Police also found about 50 other teenagers at the home. The teen party had allegedly been advertised on social media, they said.
The host, a 48-year-old woman, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a misdemeanor under Virginia law. She told NBC4 she did not give the girl alcohol and that the girl had crashed the party with some other teens.
Police and the Unified Prevention Coalition want to remind residents that the “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” program is underway in the month of May. The program is dedicated to keeping youth and young adults safe and drug free.
Police say parents need to know:
- It is illegal for anyone under 21 to drink alcohol.
- Under age 24, the brain is still growing and negatively affected by alcohol.
- Parents can be prosecuted under the law for hosting underage drinking parties.
- It is unsafe and illegal for persons under 21 to drive after consuming alcohol (.02 blood alcohol content or above).
- Don’t risk living with the burden of an unnecessary death or accident because you provided or allowed alcohol use by someone under the age of 21.
World of Beer is planning to open at Reston Town Center on May 26, says owner Evan Matz.
Construction is ongoing at 1888 Explorer St., a 4,500-square-foot space on the ground floor of The Avant at Reston Town Center.
World of Beer is a Florida-based national franchise. Metz also owns the WOB in Ballston, which opened in summer 2012. WOB has about 500 different beers that rotate through the menu, including 50 on tap, says Matz.
The restaurant will also have a full menu.
WOB will also have drink specials nightly and happy hour Monday through Friday, as well as live music Thursdays through Saturdays.
WOB is one of several ground-floor tenants in The Avant, Boston Properties’ new luxury residential building across from Reston Town Square Park. The Avant welcomed its first tenants in late 2013 and has units available for lease.
Other new tenants planned for the building are a CVS store, Barcelona Wine Bar and Bartaco Restaurant.
On Wednesday, May 7, all eight of Reston’s elementary schools will participate in National Bike to School Day.
Each school is running its own celebration event, and all eight are competing as a group with the eight elementary schools in Vienna to see who can get the most cyclists riding to school that day.
National Bike to School Day is a spinoff of Walk to School Day, which happens in October, says the National Center for Safe Routes the School, which sponsors both.
The first National Bike to School Day took place on May 9, 2012, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Month. Almost 1,000 local events in 49 states and the District of Columbia joined together to encourage children to safely bicycle or walk to school. Last year, more than 1,700 schools in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated.
Want to know what is planned for your neighborhood school? Contact the coordinators below.
Aldrin: [email protected] (Jennifer Johns)
Armstrong: [email protected] (Ingrid Freeman)
Dogwood: [email protected] (Amber Badgley)
Forest Edge: [email protected] (Melissa Baldwin)
Hunters Woods: [email protected] (Kristin Eddy)
Lake Anne: [email protected] (Melissa Romano)
Sunrise Valley: [email protected] (Steve Gurney)
Terraset: [email protected]; [email protected] (Annette Bobby or Alison Stobie)
Planners of Tysons Corner’s transformation from car-clogged roads to a walkable edge city also want to see 154 acres of additional parkland so the expected nearly 100,000 future residents will have places to play.
With an eye on building Tysons into a city, Fairfax County would like to add one-and-a-half acres of parkland per 1,000 residents and one acre for every 10,000 employees (of which there are expected to be more than 200,000 by 2050). Tysons currently has 89 acres of parkland.
In a recently released report on the Tysons Park System Concept Plan, the county said it would need 29 playgrounds, 22 sports courts, 2 dog parks and 1 skate park to meet the needs of the expected population over the next 40 years.
What does this have to do with Reston? Reston, like Tysons, is predicted to experience a boom in growth due to the opening of Metro’s Silver Line, which may go into service in the next few months. It remains to be seen if the large list of recreation recommendations ever come to be in Tysons.
The Reston Comprehensive Plan Amendment that was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors earlier this year called for the construction of only three playing fields near Reston’s Metro stations, where most of the development will occur and new residents will move.
Those areas have almost no existing park space. The Wiehle-Reston East Station is located in what used to be zoned a strictly industrial/commercial area. With no previous residents, there are no existing residential amenities such as parks and playing fields in the immediate area.
The Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force had recommended that 12 additional playing fields be constructed in Reston to accommodate 40,000 new residents.
Earlier this year, Reston 2020 co-chair Terry Maynard called the plan for recreation in Reston “unacceptable.”
“The suburban standard is five acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents; the urban one is 1.5 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents topped with a one-acre dollop of space for every 10,000 employees,” he wrote in an analysis of the field allotments. “In Reston, the county suburban standard would lead to about 270 acres of parkland in the station areas.The urban standard leads to 95 acres in Reston’s station areas.
“The result is that less than six percent of the total Reston station area space will be devoted to parks. By comparison, New York City’s Manhattan Borough, the most densely populated, most densely employed, and most valuable piece of urban real estate in the United States, has more than 19 percent of its land devoted to parks and recreation.”
In Reston, there are no current plan for additional parks, though Baron Cameron Park is in the midst of a Master Plan revision.
Fairfax County Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie, a Reston resident, says Reston already has the recreational structure in place, therefore there is not as great a need for major park and playing field expansion.
Reston was planned with open space as a priority, and significant amenities are already here,says Bouie. That includes 55 miles of trails, 16 Reston Association pools, pocket parks, playing fields and three major parks (Lake Fairfax Park, Baron Cameron Park and Brown’s Chapel Park).
Bouie said that fields at Reston schools, including the new turf fields at South Lakes High School, are also considered amenities already in place.
“There is so much here already,” says Bouie. “We don’t have nearly the assets in Tysons.”
In the future, up for grabs in Reston may be the area called Town Center North, which encompasses the site of the recently-closed Cameron Glen Rehabilitation Center. There has been talk of using the 47-acre site, currently owned by the county and by Inova Health Systems, as mixed-use development, the site of the new Reston Regional Library and open space.
Town Center North has also been mentioned as a possible location for a proposed Reston Community Center facility that would include a 50-meter indoor pool.
That $35 million facility has been studied and discussed for more than a year for Baron Cameron Park, which is Fairfax County Park Authority property.
One Baron Cameron Master Plan proposal calls for revitalizing the 10 playing fields there with artificial turf and lights to get more use. The other involves the indoor recreation center — which would mean the park loses several fields to make room for the indoor facility.
The 30-day public comment period for the Baron Cameron Park Master Plan ended Sunday. Bouie said the board will likely vote on it in June.
Sign Up For Reston Relay Tri — Reston’s first relay triathlon, benefitting the YMCA and Reston Association, is June 22. Registration is now open (Cost: $105/team). [Reston Relay Tri]
Higher Education On The Rise — The Commonwealth of Virginia ranks 10th in the nation for college attainment, according to a Lumina Foundation report. That’s down a spot from last year, even though Virginia’s total number of students earning a degree rose. [WJLA]
Do You Subscribe to Reston Now? — Have you subscribed to Reston Now’s free daily email newsletter? Get all the day’s news in your inbox weekdays about 4 p.m. [Reston Now]
Photo: Comcast employees help Reston’s Laurel Learning Center playground get into Spring shape/Credit: Cornerstones
Would you pay more for your dinner if it means more money for county services and schools?
Last week, Fairfax County Supervisor Sharon Bulova established a task force to examine whether a county meals tax could be a reliable source of revenue. A meals tax, at about 4 percent, could provide $88 million annually, Bulova said.
A meals tax would go through without a voter referendum. The county last tried that in 1992. The question failed to advance.
The task force will be led by former Board of Supervisors chairs Tom Davis and Kate Hanley, who will report back to Bulova by June 17. It will be made up of members of two dozen county organizations, including Republican and Democratic parties, the county Chamber of Commerce, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, Visit Fairfax, the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance and the Fairfax Education Association.
The task force will be asked not only to recommend, or reject, a meals tax referendum, but also to suggest what year the question should be asked and how the resulting revenues should be used.
Photo: PassionFish at Reston Town Center/Credit: File photo
Fairfax County Police say residents need to be on the lookout for black bears.
Over the weekend, there were several bear sightings in Vienna, said Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell.
A bear was reportedly hit on the Dulles Toll Road Saturday morning between Beulah Road and Hunter Mill Roads, the latter of which borders Reston. A resident of the 1600 block of Fremont Lane in Vienna called in a report of a bear in his backyard Saturday at about noon.
Caldwell said police do not know if it was the same bear or two different bears.
There are usually a few bear sightings each year — there were several near Baron Cameron Road and Reston Parkway a few years ago — says Caldwell. However, late April is very early for the bears to be out, she said.
“It is unusual to see them in April,” she said. “In past years we have seen them in June.”
Animal Control Officers say should not panic or feel alarmed when they see one.
From the county:
Bears typically avoid humans, but in their search for food it is not uncommon to see one. Most often, bears will keep moving through an area once they fail in their attempts to find food.
Unless the animal is sick or injured, or poses a threat to public safety, animal control officers do not take actions to attempt to remove bears from a neighborhood. Black bears have a natural fear of humans, and in most cases, would rather flee than encounter people.
If addressed quickly, wildlife issues caused by food attractants in yards can be resolved almost immediately.
Take the following precautions to keep bears and other wildlife away from your home:
• Do not store trash on porches, decks or in vehicles.
• If a bear is sighted in your neighborhood, remove birdfeeders.
• Take garbage to the curb on the morning of pickup, rather than the night before.
• Consider installing electric fencing around gardens, dumpsters and other potential wildlife sources. Electric fencing is an inexpensive and efficient proven deterrent against bears.
Photo: Bear in Vienna April 26/Credit: Fairfax County Animal Control
Several Restonians were honored for their service to Fairfax County at the annual Volunteer Fairfax Awards on Friday.
Among the 2014 Service Award Winners:
Adult Over 250 Hours — Ashleigh Soloff
Reston Association Special Events Coordinator Ashleigh Soloff also serves as a volunteer Auxiliary Police Officer at the Fairfax County Police’s Sully District Station.
Volunteering since 2004, she has taken on a variety of administrative duties. Among them: streamlining the countywide auxiliary police records system and facilitating a monthly auxiliary police meeting, providing support to patrol officers on the street.
FCPD says Soloff’s dedication was tested when a drunk driver struck the cruiser she and another officer occupied while driving a patrol shift.
“APO Soloff remained calm and professional as she assisted the patrol officer in arresting the driver for hit and run drunk driving,” Lt, James Krause said in Soloff’s nomination. “This continuous level of commitment has provided leadership and positive examples many fellow APOs look up to and aspire toward.”
Rising Star — Nicholas Hartigan
Nicholas Hartigan started the Reston Young Professionals, an organization that provides opportunities for community service, networking, and leadership to young people living in and around Reston.
Through his role with the Reston Young Professionals, he has coordinated groups of volunteers looking for a opportunities to give back to the community. RYP has helped with a variety of events in the Reston community including cleanup days, backpack and coat drives.
Hartigan “is consistently encouraging members to suggest and lead volunteer events, instilling his passion for volunteerism in others,” Volunteer Fairfax said,
Reston’s Lynn Lilienthal, a board member of the Reston Historic Trust, calls Hartigan “one of the new pioneers and leaders of Reston.”
“I believe that Nicholas has all the right instincts for being a part of this community and assisting other to join in as well,” she said. “Accepting responsibility, becoming part of the fabric of the community through work in our social organizations is fabulous to see in others.”
Hunter Mill Community Champions — Amy’s Amigos
Amy’s Amigo is a nonprofit founded five years ago by now-South Lakes High School seniors Kacey Hirshfeld, Hannah Becker and Olivia Wolfe. The girls wanted to give back in memory of their friend Amy Boyle, a Hunters Wood Elementary classmate who died of brain cancer.
One of the group’s main fundraisers has been the Be Amyazing Youth Triathlon, which will hold its fourth annual race May 11.
Proceeds from the popular Reston event are donated to the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation.
Photo: Ashleigh Soloff/Credit: Volunteer Fairfax
Update, Monday, 2:00 p.m. — The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Fairfax County Tuesday evening through late Wednesday night.
A flood watch means there is potential for flooding.
The NWS also says 3 to 5 inches of rain may fall in that time period.
Original Story:
The storm system that caused 31 tornadoes in the South and Midwest over the weekend is heading here this week.
While conditions in Northern Virginia are not expected to be that severe, the system is expected to dump a three-day rain event on the area.
The National Weather Service says the rain will move in later today and continue overnight and into Tuesday.
Tuesday night is when the big storm starts to happen.
Wednesday’s thunderstorms could be strong, with damaging wind gusts and hail. There could be several inches of rain, but forecasters will update on expected totals as the storm gets closer.
In the meantime, keep your umbrella handy through Thursday. You will need it.
Photo: Rain/Credit: Bahman Farzad via Flickr
