The Fairfax County School Board has a new chair and vice chair.

The school board has elected Sandy Evans (Mason District) as chair and Jane Strauss (Dranesville District) as vice chair for a one-year term. The chair and vice chair assumed office at the July 14 School Board meeting; they are elected by School Board members during the Board’s annual organizational meeting.

This ends the one-year term of Hunter Mill rep Pat Hynes, who was elected as chair in July 2015. Read More

Fire at Tysons Corner Saturday — A fire that evacuated a wing of Tysons Corner on Saturday started in the hood system in a kitchen restaurant. There were no injuries. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]

Fox Mill Woods Swimmer Breaks Longstanding Records — Tommy Hallock broke two Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL) league records during a dual meet Saturday. Hallock swam the 15-18 Boys 50 Yards Freestyle event in 21.48 seconds beating a 17-year-old record of 22.10 set in 1998. He also broke the record in the 15-18 Boys 50 Yards Backstroke with a time of 24.67.  The prior record of 25.19 was set in 1999 by Greg Landrum.

Ice Cream Social Today – Cool off this afternoon at Shadowood Pool, where Reston Association will be offering free ice cream at an ice cream social at 2 p.m.

A little more than a week after the release of Pokemon Go — the smartphone app that has people chasing virtual cartoon animals all over the place — Fairfax County Police are warning how to stay out of trouble while playing.

Earlier this week, officers from the FCPD’s Franconia District arrested two men and three teens who entered Keene Mill Elementary School after hours while chasing Pokémon Go characters.

Said FCPD: “Police ask the public to please be mindful of your locations when playing the game. The game leads players to common meeting places like churches, memorials and parks.  However, not all locations and areas in the game are open to the public and not all property owners welcome Pokémon Go players on the property.  Remember, be respectful and adhere to all rules and regulations.”

There have been reports from other jurisdictions of people being lured by robbers while playing or falling into traffic while engrossed in the game.

That’s led Fairfax County to offer a list of safety tips for players:

1. Stay Alert

Be mindful of pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers who may be playing the game. If you are playing, you should not be on your phone while driving and use common sense when walking. Be aware of your surroundings; recently in the D.C. region, people playing the game have been robbed.

2. Supervise Kids

• You should become familiar with the game before allowing your children to download the app. Pokémon Go is a multiplayer game where users may run into other players in the real world as they search similar areas. Take steps to keep your kids safe:
• You and your kids should discuss who they can interact with when they go out into public to use the app.
• Kids should never play the game alone but in a supervised group.
• Know when and where your kids are playing.

3. Don’t Trespass

The game has a “lure module” that leads the players to various locations to win points and catch Pokémon characters. These locations are called Pokestops. Pokestops have been found at public places such as libraries and parks.

But stops are also on private property, empty lots or even cemeteries. Players may not realize they are trespassing in restricted areas and may draw attention of law enforcement and residents. Please, don’t trespass. You can catch Pokémon without going into or onto property.

4.  Do Not Enter Fire Stations

Please do not enter fire stations, including open apparatus bays. Our firefighters and medics respond to emergency calls 24 hours a day. At any given time, they may be called to an emergency and a distracted pedestrian causes a dangerous situation for responders and trucks leaving the station.

5. Play in Our Parks!

We are thrilled that so many folks are coming to county parks to play. During your visit, take time to learn a little about the natural and cultural resources surrounding you using our trails map.

• Playing the game requires you to frequently look at your phone, so we ask you to take these precautions:
• Be sure to keep looking around to see where you are. We don’t want you walking into a tree or a yellow jackets nest or bumping into other people.
• Pay attention to the time; our parks close at dusk. (Staff will chase out the Pokémon then, too.)
• Please stay on the park trails even if the Pokémon don’t.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Kathy Smith (Sully) is hosting an all-day (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) Pokequest at the Sully Government Center (4900 Stonecroft Blvd, Chantilly) on Wednesday, July 20. See below for details.

Reston Station has constructed an outdoor stage and is planning a full schedule of summer entertainment through the end of September.

There will be music (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) every Friday night and family friendly outdoor movies (8:30 p.m. or dusk) on Saturdays.

Admission is free. There is free parking in the Reston Station garages on weekends. Bring blankets or chairs.

Here’s the schedule:

• Friday, July 15 — Christian Perez Band Guitarist/Composer/Jazz
• Saturday, July 16 — ZOOTOPIA
• Friday, July 22 — Alfredo Mojica & Friends (Latin Rhythms)
• Saturday, July 23 ALADDIN
• Friday, July 29 Bad Influence (Blues)
• Saturday, July 30 — CINDERELLA
• Friday, August 5 — Hot Tub Hand Grenade (Rock Covers)
• Saturday, August 6 — FROZEN
• Friday, August 12 — Shane Gamble Band (Country and Rock)
• Saturday, August 13 — INSIDE OUT
• Friday, August 19 — Battery Lane (Covers and Originals)
• Saturday, August 20 — THE GOOD DINOSAUR
• Friday, August 26 — Pebble to Pearl (Funk/Rock/R&B)
• Saturday, August 27 — WRECK IT RALPH
• Friday, September 2 — Holly Montgomery Band (Rock)
• Saturday, September 3 — HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS
• Friday, September 9 — Chaise Lounge (Jazz, Lounge, Big Band, Swing)
• Saturday, September 10 — OPEN SEASON SCARED SILLY
• Friday, September 16  — Shag (British Rock)
• Saturday, September 17 — GOOSEBUMPS
• Friday, September 23 — Battery Lane (Covers)
• Saturday, September 24 — THE JUNGLE BOOK
• Friday, September 30 — Moonshine Society (Blues & Rock)

Photo: Reston Station at Night/Credit: David Madison Photography for Comstock

Residents of homes near South Lakes High School have been asking this week: what’s that noise?

It seems the loudspeakers at SLHS have been blaring in the middle of the night, causing some concern — and irritation — in the neighborhood.

“It sounded like a didgeridoo,” one neighbor wrote to Reston Now. Neighbors have said the PA system was blaring as late as 3 a.m. earlier this week.

A SLHS official says the school is looking into a possible break-in at the football stadium press box. The administrator said there were two incidents this week, the most recent one being Wednesday night. She did not provide more details.

Meanwhile, Fairfax County Police said they have not been notified of any potential crime at the school.

After a lengthy public hearing on Thursday, the Fairfax County Planning Commission voted to defer decision on Tall Oaks’ Village Center’s redevelopment until next week.

The main issues are development conditions that the county staff has recommended but to which developer Jefferson Apartment Group (JAG) has not agreed. Reston Association, meanwhile, wants JAG to pay for specific improvements to the nearby Tall Oaks Pool.

After more than a year and 42 meetings with the county, RA and the community, JAG plans to redevelop the mostly empty village center into 156 residences (44 townhomes; 42 two-over-two townhomes and 70 multi-family units in two buildings); 5,809 square feet of office; and 8,584 square feet of retail.

In the 15 months since first presenting its plan to residents — many of whom were upset that the village center would morph from retail to mostly residential — JAG has made changes. Among them: adding green space; more than doubling the amount of its retail proposal; adding a community gathering place,  and recreational amenities such as outdoor fitness stations for senior citizens and a children’s play area that incorporates natural elements.

RA CEO Cate Fulkerson called out those amenities in her testimony to to the planning commission on Thursday.

“This plan is not ready for your approval,” she told the board. “It does not address leisure and recreation facilities for 156 new families. … The applicant only provides recreation facilities for young children and older adults.”

Fulkerson said RA has asked JAG for contributions for improvements to the Tall Oaks Pool, which is located across North Shore Drive from the new development. Fulkerson said the pool needs ADA (Americans With Disability Act) accessibility upgrades, improvements to the parking lot, the addition of bike racks, and improvements to the underpass that connects Tall Oaks to the pool area.

“Thus far, the applicant has not agreed to assist with the improvements,” she said.

Mark Looney, the land use attorney representing JAG, said the purchase of an office building at Tall Oaks (where additional retail will be located) was a financial stretch for the developer. JAG cannot commit the money at this time, but is open to more conversation with RA about future improvements, he said.

The 156 households at the new Tall Oaks will be RA members and will eventually add more than $100,000 annually in RA assessments, he added. Read More

Pokemon Go, RTC Park Wait — Restonian explains the differences between Pokemon Go and Reston Town Center’s new parking app. [Restonian]

Lake House Review Request For Proposals — Reston Association is accepting request for proposals (RFP) from companies who want to conduct the independent review on the Lake House overrun. A firm will be chosen by a panel of RA Board members and citizens in mid-August. [Reston Association]

Reston Limo Offering Pokemon Go Rides — Reston Limousine is offering shuttle bus charters for groups who want to go Pokemon hunting. [Facebook]

Public art is returning to the spillway on Lake Thoreau.

For the third straight year, South Lakes High School art students have created a structure that will decorate the lake for several months. The project has become an annual one after a local resident thought the concrete platform would be an ideal place for artwork, he worked with — and helped fund — the South Lakes students.

The students have incorporated elements of physics and engineering in all three works, thereby taking on the name “the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math).

The SLHS STEAM Team’s 2016 sculpture is titled “Simon.” It pays tribute to Reston’s founder, Bob Simon, who died last year at age 101.

From the project’s mission statement:

Inspired by Robert E. Simon’s Seven Principles of Community, Simon shows that beauty, both structural and natural, is a necessity of a good life and should be fostered. The house structure represents how the hospitality of Reston draws people into the community, its warm colors creating an inviting atmosphere, and the curtain + window illustrating Reston’s welcoming nature.

Reston is our home, and the house serves as a representation of such. The pieces radiating out from the center express an organic shape that changes the way the structure is viewed to communicate something that is less industrial and more attune to nature and the form it takes, like roots of a tree.

The gradient emphasizes the diversity of the people within our community, who come from many different walks of life but still intend to be part of one single entity. The white accents draws the eye towards the structure and represents the bright impression of the inside view.

The project installation began Wednesday and will continue Thursday. The sculpture will have special evening lighting that will make it visible in the dark, said SLHS art teacher Marco Rando.

There will be an opening reception/dedication of the project on Monday, July 25.

Want to improve your running times?

The Reston Runners’ “10 Weeks to 10K Program” begins on Monday, July 18. The program culminates with the PRR Perfect 10K/10 Miler in Reston on Sunday, Sept. 25.

Says Reston Runners: “If you are looking for a fun, supportive, and informative program for men and women and you have the desire and experience to either move up from the 5K distance or improve your 10K time, this program can help you achieve your goals.”

The 10 Weeks to 10K program is designed and managed by certified coaches and is aimed at taking the runners already have and building on it to give them the endurance, speed, and confidence to complete a successful 10K or 10 miler, says Reston Runners.

Participants should have a minimum of 8-to-12 weeks of recent running or run/walk experience and the the capability of currently completing a 5K race. Training includes individual coaching support, as well as information on topics such as pacing, nutrition, cross training, and mental preparation.

Meetings are Monday evenings (6:30 p.m.) at Lake Fairfax Park. The Reston Runners also support a Tuesday and a Thursday evening run and walk/run from the Potomac River Running store in Reston starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday morning runs/walks at 8 AM are from various locations around Reston and feature marked courses so no one gets off track.

The cost for the 10 week Training Program is $45, which includes a program incentive, a training plan, and coaching assistance throughout the Program. In addition, we’ve negotiated a special Program Discount for the Perfect 10 race that we pass onto you when you register. Registration closes on Saturday.

For more information and online registration, visit Reston Runners’ website.

Fairfax County is under a heat advisory for Thursday, July 14, which is expected to be the hottest day of the summer so far.

The National Weather Service (NWS)’s heat advisory will be in effect from from noon to 8 p.m. A heat advisory means that a period of high temperatures is expected.

Temperatures in the middle 90s combined with high humidity values will produce heat index values between 100 and 105 degrees. This combination of high temperatures and high humidity will create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible, says the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Information.

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

You also may visit any of the county’s Cooling Centers, held at county facilities such as senior centers, RECenters, community centers and libraries, for temporary respite from the heat.

A Fairfax County School Board forum on transgender protections scheduled for Thursday, July 14 has been canceled. Instead, the school board will proceed directly to a work session on the issue next week.

FCPS School Board Chair Pat Hynes (Hunter Mill) said the forum had been scheduled to determine whether the school board wanted to review the regulation regarding gender non-conforming and transgender students at an upcoming work session.

Hynes said in a statement there is support to proceed to a work session and, as such, the forum is no longer required.

Discussion of the regulation regarding gender non-conforming and transgender students is now scheduled for the July 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. in room 1600 at the FCPS Gatehouse Administration Center, 8115 Gatehouse Rd., Falls Church.

The new regulation is slated to take effect at the start of the 2016-17 school year. Read More

Food Truck Fun — Nearly two dozen food trucks will be at the LOVE Herndon Food Truck Rally Saturday, July 23 at Open Door Presbyterian Church, 2999 Centreville Rd. The fun begins at 11 a.m. [Facebook]

Construction Coming to Lake Fairfax Park — Work will begin soon on stream restoration and bathroom improvements. [Fairfax County]

Stop Feeding The Geese — Reston has Canada Geese. You have food. The two do not go together. [Fairfax Times]

Hillary Clinton in Fairfax County Today — The Democractic Presidntial candidate will appear at a rally with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale Thursday afternoon. [Reston Now]

Paid parking at Reston Town Center will be pushed back to September, Boston Properties representatives have told store owners.

Reston Town Center was supposed to go to paid parking ($2 an hour) on weekdays beginning Aug. 1. Weekends and special events will remain free.

The app-based pay system is now available for download. Boston Properties, which owns the town center, says it is going from free parking at its seven garages to a paid system in order to cut down on parking misuse by commuters.

Town Center representatives say many people are leaving their cars at RTC all day and hopping shuttles to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro. Many RTC patrons say they will avoid the town center when paid parking goes into effect. Read More

Just a year after opening in Reston, School for Tomorrow, a small independent school for grades 4 through 12 is in danger of closing.

The school, which has had its main location in Maryland since 2009, will find out next week if it has the means to go forward for 2016-17.

School parents and teachers found out in May that the school’s founder, Alan Shusterman, had badly mismanaged the school’s finances, according to a Washington Post article this week. Shusterman has since left his post, but the issues remain.

The school community is trying to raise awareness — and money — in order to go forward, said Rich Forsen of Herndon, chairman of the school’s board of directors and parent of a 10th grader.

“We are disappointed the school could be in jeopardy,” he said. He said he was drawn to the school because of it’s individualization for the students.

“In general, students are encouraged to be themselves,” he said.

Forsen said the school community has raised about $70,000, but it may not be enough to pay teachers and operate School for Tomorrow. In Reston, where there were 18 students last school year, they need about five more students or $150,000 to go forward.

Tuition is $32,500 a year, but many students had been receiving financial aid, which is also in jeopardy. There is a Go Fund Me page to try and raise scholarship money.

Forsen said many families left the school after the financial issues were disclosed last spring. He says he has been too busy trying to save the school to look at other options for his son.

The school will hold an open house Wednesday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at the school, 11480 Sunset Hills Rd. in Reston.

Jessica Wallach of Reston teaches photography as part of an interdisciplinary approach at School for Tomorrow.

“It would be such a loss to our community,” if the school closes, she said.

She said the school does a great job of meeting students’ individual needs — some come to School for Tomorrow because they are “twice exceptional” (gifted but also with learning differences) or have been bullied to public school just was not a fit for them.

“It would be such a shame if the school has to close,” she said. “We are so close to where we want to be.”

Photo: Students at School forTomorrow/Credit: Jessica Wallach