Reston Association Board of Directors elections begin March 7. Reston Now is running Q-and-As with candidates this week. Meet Dannielle LaRosa, who is seeking re-election to the North Point director’s seat. She is running unopposed.
Reston Now: What makes you want to serve — or continue to serve — on the RA Board?
Dannielle LaRosa: I love this job! I have enjoyed representing you, making sure that you are informed of changes in our community and making it my priority to protect your assessment dollars. During 2015, my efforts yielded savings of $50 to every member’s assessment; a proposed assessment increase of $65 was limited to $15.
I want to serve on the Board because I would like to continue to protect your assessment dollars, maximize the return you receive and ensure that funds are spent for the greatest good of the community. My extensive financial background brings a unique perspective to RA’s board. I will continue to focus on RA’s financial policies, systems and results. I’d also like to identify alternative payment options that will make it easier for our members to pay the annual assessment.
RN: What is the biggest issue facing RA right now and do you have an idea to improve it?
DL: The biggest issue is future development and how RA effectively manages that development while maintaining Reston’s unique character and community. RA’s land use attorneys will be critical in efforts to monitor and manage this development. It is also imperative that RA continues to foster effective relationships and provide numerous avenues for communication with our members, with developers and with the county. Members must know that their opinions are needed, are valued and will make a difference.
While Donald Trump won Virginia, Fairfax County and Reston voters chose Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as their top candidate in the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary on Tuesday. Rubio won in all 14 of Reston’s precincts.
On the Democrat side, local results were in line with state results, with frontrunner Hillary Clinton winning Virginia, as well as Fairfax County and all Reston precincts.
Turnout in Fairfax was 22 percent for the Democratic primary and 20 percent for the Republicans. In the Hunter Mill District, it was 25 percent and 21 percent, respectively.
That’s a robust turnout for a primary, county records show. In the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary, turnout was 6.4 percent. In the 2008 primaries, turnout was 9.8 percent for the Republicans and 26 percent for the Democrats.
Below are 2016 primary county and precinct-level stats from the Virginia Board of Elections. Ballots contained names of candidates who have dropped out of the race. Results shown are for candidates who are still running.
Fairfax County Results
Democrats
- Hillary Clinton – 86,898 votes/63 %
- Bernie Sanders – 50,217/36 %
Republicans
- Marco Rubio – 52,257/40 %
- Ben Carson – 4,095/3 %
- Donald Trump – 32,757/25 %
- Ted Cruz – 18,888/13 %
- John Kasich – 22, 862/17 %
See Reston precinct results after the jump.
Irish Music Tonight — Lunasa with Tim O’Brien returns to Reston Community Center’s CenterStage at 8 p.m. for a “transatlantic journey exploring the common roots, interplay and mutual influences at the heart of American and Irish music.” Tickets: $25 for Reston residents. [Reston Community Center]
Volunteers Needed — The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival returns to Reston May 20-22 and is looking for volunteers. [Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival]
Kudos, Herndon Sharpshooter — Allison Maxwell, a senior at Herndon High, made Herndon Navy JROTC history by finishing seventh among Navy competitors and 10th among all of the services (Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force) in the Navy JROTC Service Championship Feb. 18-20. Maxwell earned a personal best 554 points and is now ranked 22nd among all Navy JROTC marksmen in the nation.
Fairfax County Police said a man tried to enter a woman’s Reston hotel room as she slept Monday night.
A guest at the Extended Stay America hotel in the 12100 block of Sunset Hills Rd., told police she awakened by a noise by her room’s window Monday night. at about 11 p.m. She told police she saw a man’s arm attempting to reach the door handle.
The suspect was startled by the victim and fled the area, the guest told police.
In other crime news over the last few days from Reston District Station:
LARCENIES:
12000 block of Sunrise Valley Drive, door from vehicle
1800 block of Presidents Street, navigation device from vehicle
1700 block of Business Center, property from business
1400 block of Skyhaven Court, property from residence
STOLEN VEHICLES
12000 block of Town Square, Mercedes C250
1700 block of Ascot Way, 1998 Cadillac Deville
11800 block of Spectrum Center, 2007 Lexus RX350
This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.
Many Restonians value living green — they want to minimize their environmental impact as much as possible.
Heating a home with solar energy is one area where people can make an serious difference. That’s why the 35 patio homes that comprise Solaridge Cluster are so coveted. Every house has a solar attic with large, south-facing windows that collect heat on a winter’s day, and a blower and duct system that bring the warmth down to the living levels.
These gorgeous Contemporary homes have more to offer than energy efficiency.
Solaridge Cluster homes have natural cedar siding, feature open floorplans, and have expansive decks and patios. Of the 35 homes, 29 are two-story models and the six homes on the east side of the cluster have walk-out basements.
Despite the large windows, these single-family homes are very private. Your neighbors are close (and it is, in fact, a very tight knit neighborhood), but inside your home you feel like you’re miles away from everything.
The first house was built in 1983. Since the beginning, one of the things cluster residents most enjoy is a small neighborhood is one where everyone knows each other.
The springtime community clean-up and an annual block party foster a sense of community, and many residents have found “best friends” just down the street.
Solaridge Cluster is across the street from South Lakes Village Center and close beautiful trails, the Reston National Golf Course, the Dulles Toll Road, and the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
This is the last week the Metro system will accept paper farecards.
Starting Sunday at 7 a.m., Metro will stop accepting the paper cards at turnstiles and will only accept SmarTrip cards.
It’s one of the final steps in Metro’s phasing out of paper farecards, which the agency stopped selling Dec. 31, 2015. The very last step will happen this summer, when Metro stops accepting paper cards as trade-ins.
“If you still have a paper farecard or a Metrochek after June 30, 2016, congratulations, you have a Metro souvenir,” Metro said on its website.
In addition to online reminders, signs have been placed in local Metro stations informing riders of the changes.
Photo courtesy of ARLnow.com
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to advertise a tax rate of $1.13, an increase of 4 cents from the current rate of $1.09 per $100 of assessed value.
The board can adopt a tax rate that is lower, but not higher, than is advertised when it marks-up (makes amendments to) the Advertised Budget on April 19.
The additional tax, which is in keeping with the recommendation of County Executive Ed Long, will provide about $23 million more per one-cent rise for Fairfax County’s coffers for Fiscal Year 2017.
But with a 4-cent increase, the county is still likely to give Fairfax County Public Schools only 3 percent more than it did last year. The schools have been seeking a 6.7-percent raise in order to give employee raises and keep elementary class sizes small.
The schools annually receive about 52 percent of the county’s $3.99 billion budget. Read More
Super Tuesday in Reston started warm (for March 1) and sunny — and with voter traffic similar to a general election, said Fairfax County polling officials.
Fairfax County polls opened at 6 a.m. and will be open until 7 p.m. Eleven states, including Virginia, will cast ballots in 2016 Presidential primaries or caucuses today.
By 8:30 a.m., 312 voters (200 Democrat ballots; 114 Republican) had been through Reston’s largest precinct, at South Lakes High School. At the new North Point precinct at St. Thomas a Becket Church, 316 voters cast ballots (175 Republican; 141 Democrats) by 8:50 a.m.
A random survey of voters at both polling places, as well as the polling place at Langston Hughes Middle School, showed Restonians are supporting a variety of candidates.
“I voted for Hillary Clinton,” said Reston resident David Ackerman. “She’s about the only adult left in the race.”
Ned Dickert, casting his ballot at SLHS, showed off his blue tie and shirt.
“All blue today,” he said. “I voted for Hillary. I think she will make the best president.”
At North Point, lawyer Cathy Ruse said Ted Cruz has her vote.
“He is the most consistent conservative,” she said.
Joe Ingrisano said John Kasich has his vote.
“He seems to me the most adult,” he said. “He doesn’t ridicule anyone and doesn’t engage in the negativity. He is more of a moderate than a conservative. I am most interested in who can govern, We cannot afford eight more years with no government.”
Another voter who did not want to give her name, also said she was tired of the negative campaigning.
“I intended to vote for Marco Rubio,” she said. “But the nastiness turned me into a Ben Carson voter.”
Another voter shouted her support for her candidate: “Trump!” she said. “We’ve had enough of the global elite establishment. We’re tired of politics as usual.”
Fairfax County election officials have said they expect large crowds today. If you have not voted yet, here is what you need to know:
In Fairfax County, there will be two primaries held in each poll location. Registered voters can vote for either a Democratic candidate or a Republican candidate, but not both. You do not have to be registered by party ahead of time.
The Presidential Primary ballots were printed in advance of absentee voting, which started in January, so ballots will contain names of some candidates no longer in the race.
Here is a Democrat sample ballot.
Here is a Republican sample ballot.
Bring your ID
There are several forms of acceptable photo ID:
Where to vote
Not sure where your polling spot is? Visit this online tool on the Fairfax County Board of Elections website.
In Reston, there have been a couple of changes since the last election. The Terraset precinct polling place has been moved to Langston Hughes Middle School. There is also a new district in North Reston. A new precinct at Armstrong Elementary was created by dividing Aldrin and North Point precincts.
The northern portion of North Point precinct combined with the northern portion of Aldrin will retain the name “North Point,” with polling place at St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church, 1421 Wiehle Ave., Reston. The southern portion of Aldrin retains the name “Aldrin” and polling place at Aldrin Elementary School.
Reston Now will have local precinct results when they come in after 7 p.m.
Photo: Super Tuesday voters check in at South Lakes High School polling place.
Good Showing At States — South Lakes High School indoor track teams finished the season by breaking two school records at the 6A State Championship Feb. 27-28 in Norfolk. Golden Kumi-Darfour, Olivia Beckner, Sarah Wolfe and Sophie Halkett ran a 9:30.27 (fifth place) in the 4×800 meter relay. That broke the school record of 9:32.03 set by the foursome in January. Devyn Jones ran a 8.39 in the finals of the 55 meter hurdles, breaking her own school record of 8.40, also set in January.
Winter Is Not Over — It may snow Thursday night. [Capital Weather Gang]
Honor For Duck Donuts — Duck Donuts, which has an outlet on Elden Street in Herndon, made Thrillist’s list of the “Best Donut Shops in America.” [Thrillist]
No School Today — Just a reminder, it is a student holiday for Fairfax County Public Schools Tuesday for the 2016 Presidential Primary. [Reston Now]
County Executive Talks Budget — Fairfax County Executive Ed Long was online Thursday to answer questions from citizens about the FY 2017 budget. [Fairfax County]
A new restaurant has filed permits to open at 11692 Plaza America.
Brown Bag, a local fast-casual chainlet, has signed a lease for the space formerly occupied by Salaadworks, which closed last year.
Brown Bag started in Bethesda in 2002. It still has a location there, as well as franchises in Arlington and several stores in DC.
Brown Bag says on its website it takes pride in:
- Local artisan bakers producing multi-grain breads
- Produce from local farms, when in season
- All-natural dairy products
- Hormone-free, all-natural meats
- No trans-fats or processed ingredients
- Fresh squeezed juices
- Locally roasted coffee
- Homemade soups & dressings
On its website, Brown Bag founder Erich Fuldner calls Brown Bag “the anti-sub shop.”
The other area Brown Bag stores are open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and include breakfast and lunch items. Check out the whole menu on Brown Bag’s website.
As the battle for open space in Reston heads towards the Virginia Supreme Court, a group of homeowners whose properties overlook Reston National Golf Course may be preparing for a lawsuit of their own.
The attorneys for the owners of RN Golf, the owner of Reston National Golf Course, have filed a notice that they plan to appeal the Fairfax County Circuit Court decision from last year that granted the motion for summary judgment and vacated the Board of Zoning Appeals decision that said the golf course owners could redevelop without getting a comprehensive plan amendment, which could ease the path to redevelopment of the public course.
RN Golf, a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual Insurance, has until this week to to appeal the latest court order, says Rescue Reston, the citizens advocacy group that is fighting to maintain the golf course as permanent, open space in Reston.
Meanwhile, residents of Golf Course Square appeared at last week’s RA Board of Directors’ meeting to ask the board for its assistance in taking filmed depositions of some of the cluster’s original homeowners.
“Since 2012, our cluster has been discussing legal action we can take separate and apart from the zoning case [heading for] the Virginia Supreme Court,” said Golf Course Square resident Wilfred Hearn. “Our case is broader. The open space [is protected by] covenants and deeds. We have discussed our legal rights with an attorney.”
Hearn said the clusters has located four witnesses who either worked for Reston developer Gulf Reston (in the 1960s and 70s) or bought a house from Gulf Reston.
“The witnesses said the original developer intended the golf course would be permanent and sold houses around the golf course on that basis,” Hearn told the RA Board. “Prospective buyers were told the golf course would always be permanent and bought houses on basis that the golf course would be permanent. These witnesses have direct knowledge of the events between 1964 and ’68 in our cluster, including the building the buying and selling of our homes that surround the golf course.”
Hearn says the cluster leadership wants to petition the circuit court to for an order to take the depositions of the witnesses “to perpetuate their testimony for later use in court.” Read More
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza said the system is doing its part to cut costs, and she implored the county Board of Supervisors to do theirs to increase funding.
“We’re really at the crossroads,” she said at a joint school board/board of supervisors meeting on Friday. “You are going to determine which path we go. We can continue to cut, to the point of where we no longer recognize our system, or do we begin the slow process of continuing to sustain excellence in our schools? We recognize that these are very difficult decisions, but we ask for your support.”
Garza’s proposed Fiscal Year 2017 budget asks the county for an operating budget transfer of $1.9 billion (a 6.7 percent increase over 2016). County Executive Ed Long’s proposed budget includes a school operating transfer of $1.88 billion (a 3 percent, or $54.75 million, increase from 2016).
Long’s proposed $3.99 overall county budget comes with a suggested real estate tax increase of 4 cents per $100 of value, or about a $303 annual tax bill rise for the average Fairfax County homeowner.
The supervisors will advertise the county tax rate on Tuesday, which will be followed by public hearings on the matter in April. At last week’s meeting, Garza and several school board members urged the supervisors to consider an increase of more than 4 cents in order to adequately fund schools.
Garza pointed out that asking for just under $2 billion is frugal on the part of the schools. Were the schools system to get everything it needs — such as replacing aging textbooks and computers, as well as employee raises and reductions in classroom sizes — it would take an extra $305 million, Garza said.
“FCPS has a tradition of excellence that continues despite the daunting challenges we face,” Garza told the supervisors. “FCPS’ reputation for excellence is forged through genuine community investment and together, we leverage our strengths to make a difference for every student. Our success as a system attracts businesses and people to our county and it strengthens the quality of life in our community.”
Garza said the budget gap of nearly $68 million means “we cannot even fund the basic needs of our system.”
Garza presented her proposed budget in January. After several months of warning about potential cuts to sports, music, Advanced Academics and other programs, the superintendent said no cuts would be made for 2016-17.
But that depends on full funding from the county.
“Further cuts would be required,” Garza said. “The county stated that additional significant program reductions will change the fabric of the county irrevocably and this is also true for FCPS. For both county and schools, we must begin to look ahead and recognize that investments are necessary to keep Fairfax strong.”
Garza reiterated the point that FCPS has made about $500 million in cuts and eliminated more than 2,000 jobs in the last eight years.
That left some supervisors skeptical. Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity said the school system is participating in deceptive “political theater” since the school system’s budget has actually grown by $500 million since then.
“How do you cut every year for nine years and go from a $2.1 billion budget to a $2.6 billon budget?” Herrity said.
Today is Feb. 29 — “Leap Day.” Since the extra calendar day comes once every four years, several national businesses with outlets in the Reston area are offering some specials, whether you have a rare Feb. 29 birthday or not.
Morton’s Steakhouse (Reston Town Center)
Morton’s Steakhouse is offering a Make Your Leap Day Count” two-course meal (an appetizer and an entree) for $29. Among the choices: a six-ounce filet served with sour cream mashed potatoes and the honey-chili glazed salmon fillet with vegetable relish.
Noodles & Company (Plaza America)
Noodles & Co. is offering you a chance to “Leap the Line” when placing an online order on Monday. Guests who order online will save $4 off any $10 purchase by entering the code LEAPTHELINE at checkout.
Pizza Hut (1821 Wiehle Ave.)
Are you celebrating a Leap Day birthday? You can enjoy a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza for carryout today. Just show a government-issued ID.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe (Plaza America)
Loyalty club members can get a 24 ounce Classic Smoothie today for $2.29.
Houlihan’s (2200 Centreville Rd., Herndon)
All customers with Leap Day birthdays can have one free entree on Monday. Leap Day babies are also welcome to 28 additional free entrees — one per visit — over the next 30 days. Bring photo ID with proof of date of birth.
Silver Line Phase 2’s Costly Delay — The 13-month delay for Metro’s Silver Line Phase 2, has cost Metro $40 million so far — and may climb much higher. [Washington Post]
Books For Kids — HoneyBaked Ham at North Point is hosting a book drive for students at Aldrin Elementary. Drop of gently used children’s books at the store, 1480 North Point Village Center. [Facebook]
Drink With Your Dog — Aslin Beer Company in Herndon is hosting “Yappy Hour” on Wednesday, noon to 3 p.m. Bring your dog for a free meetup at the brewery at 257 Sunset Park Dr. [Facebook]
Photo: Ice Sculpture of Mercury Fountain/Courtesy Reston Town Center
Reston Association’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to at least listen to and discuss the plight of Longwood Grove homeowners, who say their peace and quiet at home in Reston is being disturbed 365 days a year from a noisy dog park nearby.
While RA can listen to members and discuss the matter with the Fairfax County Park Authority, it likely does not hold any authority as the off-leash dog area sits in Baron Cameron Park, which is owned by the park authority. Read More
