Fairfax County Fire and Rescue is launching an outreach program aimed at helping  seniors get the best care should they need help from paramedics.

Firefighters and paramedics will be visiting area senior centers and other groups to tell them about the FILE OF LIFE, part of a program that recently launched as part of the department’s Safety In Our Community (SIOC) initiative.

From fire rescue:

The program aims to save lives and improve the overall quality of life of all residents, but is intended to focus on taking care of seniors and older adults. The FILE OF LIFE, a mini-medical history that is posted on a refrigerator or in a nearby visible area, is designed to better assist first responders during a medical emergency. The form enables first responders to obtain a quick medical history when the patient is unable to offer one.

The form is kept in a red plastic pocket labeled FILE OF LIFE; lists the patient’s name, emergency medical contact, medical history, medications, allergies, and other vital information. Firefighters started to push out to the community the FILE OF LIFE program on March 1, 2014, in conjunction with the Safety In Our Community (SIOC) initiative that started in June of 2013.

To download FILE OF LIFE papers, visit the Fairfax County website.

Passengers and visitors to Dulles International Airport are getting a little taste of Reston in the baggage claim area.

That’s because Reston Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) has an exhibit between Carousels 9 and 10 that chronicles Reston’s rich public art history. The IPAR information will be in place until May 31.

Comprised of panels organized by geographic locations, the exhibit traces the internationally known planned community’s rich public art history and its continued dedication after 50 years to the arts. It also showcases Reston’s still-growing inventory of close to 50 existing and temporary public art works.

Airport spokeswoman Margaret Bishop says this is the first time Dulles has welcomed this type of freestanding exhibit. Anne Delaney, IPAR’s executive director, says a spot at the airport is a great chance to promote Reston.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce Reston’s public art and Reston as a cultural destination to visitors who may have heard of the community but have not yet had the chance to visit it,” she says.Award-winning exhibition designer Jeanne Krohn and urban planner and former National Building Museum curator Mary Konsoulis created the overall design and content of the IPAR exhibition. Sean Bahrami, media manager at Reston Association, took the photos used as the exhibit’s backdrop.

The idea to install “Reston: The Art of Community” temporarily at Dulles grew out of a conversation between Bishop and Delaney. Delaney drew her attention to the art of place making and how public art reflects a community, Bishop said, noting “we loved the name ‘The Art of Community’ and how it captured what Reston is about and what we’re about.”

The original exhibition was a collaboration between IPAR, whose mission “seeks to inspire an ongoing commitment to public art and [to] create a new generation of artworks in Reston,” and the Reston Historic Trust, which operates the Reston Museum.

In addition to the panels, the IPAR exhibition features a video shown on monitors above the baggage belts. The video is a three-minute clip of a longer documentary, “Fun, Beauty, Fantasy: Reston’s Public Art,” made by Peabody-Award winning filmmaker Rebekah Wingert-Jabi, a Reston resident. The video clip’s music, “The Reston Story,” was composed by Brian Scarbrough, also a Reston resident.

Reston Associations Board of Directors is slated to vote whether to allow stand-up paddleboard lessons paddleboard yoga on Reston’s lakes.

The plan for summer 2014 looks much different than it did in late summer of 2013, when the RA Board passed a a motion to allow to allow Surf Reston Standup Paddleboard Adventures to do business at Lake Audubon.

That plan was met with complaints from many Lake Audubon residents, who said offering a commercial enterprise at the all-residential lake would lead to an influx of noise, garbage and non-resident use of the lakes.

The board voted in favor of the plan anyway, but the lessons on Lake Audubon never materialized. Chris Higgins, owner of Surf Reston, was transferred out of town. The business, now called Surf Reston Stand Up Paddleboarding, will now be run by Steve Gurney, a certified paddleboard instructor who also heads Reston for a Lifetime.

The new plan takes most of the paddleboarding to Lake Anne, which already has boat rentals and is surrounded businesses at Lake Anne Plaza.

Gurney has met with the Lake Anne Merchants Association, which expressed great interest in having this type of recreational program centered at Lake Anne, he said.

The expected schedule will have two days/evenings of paddleboard instruction on Lake Anne per week, and no more than three intermediate level classes per month at Lake Audubon. There will be no “rental fleet” of paddleboards at any Reston lake, says Larry Butler, RA’s Director of Parks and Recreation.

RA says it notified the members living around both lakes of the proposed paddle board activities and to make them aware of Wednesday”s board vote.

As part of the agreement between RA and Surf Reston, the paddleboard company will pay to RA 10 percent of its gross revenues per class season. RA says that will be between $500 and $1,000.

 Meanwhile, a local yoga studio is working on purchasing space at Lake Anne Plaza. In addition to offering studio yoga, there would be about four classes per week of SUP-Asana — yoga on paddleboards — at Lake Anne. 

Have something to say about paddleboards on Reston lakes? Speak up at the RA Board meeting, Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Reston Association, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.

Do You Have a 5 Year Old? — Parents of rising kindergartners, take note. Registration and orientation for Fairfax County Public Schools’ kindergarten in 2014-15 begins now. Children may enter the class if they are 5 before Sept. 30. FCPS will tell you everything you need to know. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Where’s The Wealth? — One Reston neighborhood makes the grade as one of the nation’s wealthiest. Restonian takes a lighthearted look at the tiny pocket. [Restonian]

What Went Wrong With The Silver Line — How did such a large project as the $2.7 billion Metro extension to Reston miss the mark so badly on “substantial completion”? [WAMU]

Fashion Forward at Herndon High Thursday — Herndon High students will present their annual fashion show Thursday at 7 p.m. at the school. The show is dedicated to Julie Pickering, a long-time Herndon High Fashion Marketing teacher, who is fighting cancer. The show is directed by students in Advanced Marketing and Fashion Marketing, as well as members of DECA, and is presented with support from Men’s Warehouse. Admission is $6 in advance, $7 at the door.

Photo of Reston Little League’s Field Day by Melissa Gifford.

Reston founder Robert E. Simon was on Capitol Hill on Tuesday where the 99 year old — and the community — was honored with an America’s Best Intergenerational Communities Award.

The award was given by the MetLife Foundation and Generations United to four communities this year. The awards are designed to heighten awareness of the importance intergenerational solidarity plays in building strong, supportive communities.

“It takes a great deal of effort and forward thinking to create a community where members of every generation want to live,” says Donna Butts, executive director of the nonprofit Generations United. “Reston has worked to ensure its residents enjoy a vibrant, meaningful place to live, are treated with respect and care, and have ample opportunity to work together for the betterment of all.”

Reston’s application was jointly submitted by Reston Association, Reston Community Center and Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, among others.

“Todays’ ceremony is just another wonderful example of Reston continuing to live up to Bob’s founding principles,” said RA president Ken Knueven. “Seeing young children and the [nearly] 100-year-old Bob Simon standing together says it all.”

An “intergenerational community” consists of individuals of all ages who are an integral part of the community, as “reflected in the families, structures, facilities and services that children, youth and older adults encounter in the community as well as in day-to-day interactions and relationships,” says Generations United, a coalition of more than 100 groups focused on improving lives of citizens of all ages.

What makes a quality intergenerational community?

“Partnerships between local government, older adult-living facilities, schools, after-school programs, businesses, local cultural and community organizations and services, families, older adults, youth and children are essential to be considered intergenerational,” says Generations United.

In it’s application, Reston pointed out that it is “intent on being age-intentional.”

Says Reston For a Lifetime:

“That means there are no senior centers. Instead, older adult programming is blended with those of children and youth at the Reston Community Center. There’s also the Robert E. Simon Children’s Center inside the Cameron Glen Care Center nursing home, where children and older residents interact daily, making the Care Center an intergenerational shared site.

The outcomes spring from the community’s intergenerational programming roots that run nearly five decades deep, when The Reston Association (formerly the Reston Homeowner’s Association) started in 1965, a year after real estate entrepreneur Robert E. Simon founded Reston.

Today, the Reston Association continues to uphold Simon’s belief that open spaces and outdoor recreational amenities serve as meeting grounds for people of all ages.”

The other award recipients are the communities of Maricopa County, AZ; City of Parkland, FL and Village of Shorewood, WI. Two other communities were named National Finalists: Miami Gardens, FL and Rye, NY.

The Reston group also received a congratulatory letter from Virginia Sen. Mark Warner on Tuesday.

“This honor recognizes Reston as an intergenerational community in which individuals of all ages are an integral and valued part of the setting,” wrote Warner. “This perspective is reflected in the families, structures, facilities and services that children, youth and older adults encounter in the community. … I commend all those who continue to help strengthen the Reston community and improve the lives of others.”

Photo of Reston founder Robert Simon at Tuesday’s ceremony by Ken Knueven.

Reston remains under a winter weather advisory until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Snow began falling about 8 a.m. and has steadily continued throughout the day.

While the spring storm covered grassy areas, roads were generally clear.

About 1.4 inches had fallen at Dulles International Airport as of early afternoon. That gives Dulles 50.4″ of snow for the season.  That’s third most on record (since 1963), passing the snowy winter of 2002-’03 on the list, according to the Capital Weather Gang.

Fairfax County Public Schools plan regular dismissals Tuesday afternoon.

From the National Weather Service:

… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…

* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS… 2 TO 4 INCHES.

* TIMING… SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY EVENING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED LATE THIS MORNING INTO THE MID AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES… AROUND 30 THIS MORNING… RISING INTO THE LOWER TO MID 30S THIS AFTERNOON.

* WINDS… SOUTHEAST 5 TO 10 MPH… BECOMING NORTH 10 TO 15 MPH THIS EVENING.

* IMPACTS… ROADS WILL BE SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY IN SOME AREAS THIS MORNING. MOST SURFACES WILL BECOME WET AND SLUSHY THIS AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES RISING ABOVE FREEZING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Photo by Tina C. via Twitter.

Grant Hill, the former South Lakes High School star and three-time All-America at Duke University, has been selected as a 2014 inductee to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Hill will join Shaquille O’Neal, who played three seasons at Louisiana State University prior to becoming a NBA star, as well as former Maryland coach Gary Williams, in the 2014 group.

Also selected:  NAIA star Zelmo Beaty from Prairie View A&M; LSU coach Dale Brown; longtime coach and author Glenn Wilkes Sr.; and Howard Garfinkel, the founder of the Five-Star Basketball Camp.

Hill, whose father, Calvin, played for the Washington Redskins, grew up in Reston. He attended area public schools, graduating from from South Lakes High School in 1990. He is a member of the SLHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

He went on to win two NCAA championships at Duke.

Hill played at Duke from 1990-94. As a senior, he averaged 17.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game to earn consensus first team All-America and ACC Player of the Year honors. Hill was the first player in ACC history to accumulate more than 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks.

Hill played 18 season in the NBA. He was a NBA All Star seven times, but was plagued by injuries throughout his long career.

He retired from the NBA in June of 2013. At that time, there was much discussion about whether the former NBA Rookie of the Year was Naismith Memorial (Pro) Basketball Hall of Fame material.

Hill and the rest of the new college hall members will be inducted in Kansas City in November.

Hill is currently a basketball analyst for Turner Sports and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Governors.

In 2012, Hill was selected by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as a 2012 recipient of the Mannie Jackson Basketball Human Spirit Award.

Winners of that award, named for the founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, were selected for “embracing the core values of the game through hard work, dedication, and resilience; striving to continuously improve the community they serve; and making an ongoing commitment to others,” says the Hall of Fame website.

Photo courtesy of Duke University.

There is a new place in town for big thinkers, startups and other creative communities.

Refraction, a 12,000-square-foot co-working space at Reston Town Center hopes to attract new companies and inspire innovation.

Refraction was launched by James Quigley, CEO of  Reston-based mobile startup Canvas, and Rachael Stott, co-founder of The Dandelion Support Network and a former Canvas “Ante Up” award winner honoring nonprofits.

Canvas had been operating a co-working space in its previous Reston location across Reston Parkway. That location helped served as a launchpad for several successful area startups, many of whom have moved into the new space along with Canvas, says Quigley.

“The Greater Washington region already boasts sufficient co-working locations for early-stage tech startups and young entrepreneurs looking to hatch ideas and companies,” Quigley said in a press release. “As evidenced by our diverse group of initial tenants, Refraction is focused on startups and organizations from the vibrant tech, nonprofit and artist communities in Northern Virginia that are past the ideation stage and looking to scale.”

Refraction Reston, located at 11911 Freedom Dr., Suite 850, expects to eventually house 20-30 organizations. Some of the tenants already signed include Intellinote, the Washington West Film Festival, App Tapp, TidWiT; and Right Source Marketing.

Entrepreneurs and organizations interested in locating at Refraction can secure offices and desks on an ongoing, monthly or daily basis.  

The space will also have a launch party on Wednesday, April 30 from 5 to 9 p.m. To RSVP: https://nvite.com/refractionlaunch/party.

Silver Line ‘Slog’ — The Washington Post takes an editorial stance on the slow-moving Silver Line opening, but says “like all soap operas, this one will end — with passengers boarding no later than June, we hope.”[Washington Post]

Pink Lights at Washington Airports — Reagan National and Dulles International Airports are lighting things pink to get into the spirit of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Both will have pink lights, as well as pink-themed discounts and specials for the next few weeks. [Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]

FCPS Hires An Auditor — The Fairfax County School Board has hired a new audit manager tasked with helping the school system better manage its $2.5 billion budget. Chris Horton will serve as the audit manager within the office of internal audit. The position was created in response to a long-held request by Fairfax County supervisors, who approve the school system budget. [Washington Post]

Back At The Budget — Virginia lawmakers began a special session on Monday to try and hash out details of a the Commonwealth’s budget. One big stalling point: Expanding Medicaid. [Washington Post]

Big Winner — The co-owner of a Herndon deli was a big winner of the Mega Millions’ $3 million jackpot March 14.  She’s still at work at the Elden Street store. [NBCWashington]

The calendar says we are in spring. The forecast says it is really still winter.

Temperatures will remain more than 20 degrees below normal through Wednesday, forecasters say.

And we might get one more snow event on Tuesday.

Snow showers are expected to begin late Monday into early Tuesday. Reston could see a small accumulation of about 1 to 3 inches, says the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, Dulles International Airport set a new low for March 24 on Monday, when the temperature plunged to 19 degrees. The old record 21, set in 1984.  This is the second record low set at Dulles this month (other date March 4, when it was -1 ) and fourth record low this winter (other dates February 28 and January 7, when it was 14 and 6, respectively.), says the Capital Weather Gang.

Last year, Northern Virginia also received measurable snowfall on March 25. In 1990, four inches of snow was measured at Dulles in April.

Even if it snows on Tuesday, the snow won’t be around for long. Temperatures will be in the 50s by Wednesday and the 60s by the weekend.

There is a new vacancy among the many empty storefronts at Reston’s Tall Oaks Village Center.

Total Rehab Chiropractic office has moved to 1760 Reston Parkway.

The clinic’s departure leaves another empty space at Tall Oaks, which now has more vacancies than it does tenants.

Relatively recent departures include Curves gym and Dominos Pizza. The former Burger King and the 25,000-square-foot anchor spot that has housed three different grocery stores have been empty for years.

Some mainstays remain: Paradise Nails, El Manantial, Vocelli Pizza, Mama Wok and Pho 75, all of which have a loyal customer base.

Reston development-watchers have talked for years about how to revitalize Tall Oaks. The site owners recently told Reston Community Center, which inquired about investigating the space as a future site for an indoor pool and recreation center, that it is not interested in selling.

It has been many years since the village center has been a thriving spot. Competition from Reston Town Center and Plaza America, beginning in the 1990s, made it hard to keep tenants. It also is relatively hidden from traffic on Wiehle Avenue.

There are revitalization plans in the works for the area around nearby Lake Anne Plaza, but no such plans for Tall Oaks. Phase 2 of the Master Plan Special Study Task Force, which should begin later this year, will discuss what to do, if anything, with the areas around Reston’s village centers.

The shopping center owners could not be reached for comment.

What to do with Tall Oaks has been a lively local discussion recently. Visit our forum to add your opinion or offer it in the comments below this article.

Marvin Wooten, South Lakes High School football coach the last three seasons, has stepped down from the job.

Wooten, 29, had a 9-21 record in his first head coaching job.

“I helped grow the football program, but I felt I did everything I can do here,” said Wooten, who also teaches physical education at the school. “I need to pursue some other options.”

Wooten is finishing a Masters Degree in administration and also has a young child at home, both of which need his attention, he said.

The Seahawks have hired Trey Taylor, defensive coordinator at South County High School, as the new head coach.

Taylor has held several coaching jobs in the county.  He was the head coach at Robinson Secondary School for two seasons. Taylor was fired in 2012 with a 9-13 record.

Wooten, who played at South Lakes, took over after Andy Hill coached the team to a winning season in 2010. Hill surprisingly resigned in the spring of 2011 to return to his hometown in Minnesota. The job was given to Wooten, who made his coaching debut just days after his mother was killed in a car accident.

The team had an up-and-down performance (1-9 in 2011 and 3-7 in 2012) , but returned to the playoffs with a 5-5 record under Wooten last fall.

“I think we have a lot to be proud of,” said Wooten. “We were definitely happy to improve each year and make it to the playoffs. The team has good potential.”

Snow Days’ Longterm Impact — Fairfax County Public Schools students have had 11 snow days this winter. What are the effects of so much missed school in the long run? The missed class time could have an impact in Standards of Learning Tests, missed lessons and students already facing academic troubles. [Washington Post]

Another Storm On The Way? — In a seemingly endless winter, there may be one more blow from Mother Nature. Northern Virginia may get a dusting of snow on Tuesday. Capital Weather Gang swears it is a just a dusting though [Capital Weather Gang]

Reston Association Election Site Working Again — The RA online voting system was briefly offline over the weekend. If you tried to cast your vote and could not, try again. Voting goes through March 31. [Reston Association]