More than a year after Lake Anne Plaza lost its mini post office with the closure of Lakeside Pharmacy, it is getting a new one — this time inside a chocolate shop.

The Robert E. Simon Contract Postal Unit (CPU) will have its grand opening on Saturday at 11 a.m. The CPU — named for Reston’s founder, who died in September — will be located in Chesapeake Chocolates at 11426 Washington Plaza West.

A CPU is a merchant-owned site operated by the supplier under contract to the U.S. Postal Service, a USPS spokesman said.

A CPU offers mailing and shipping services, stamps, Priority Mail services and other postal basics.

“We are happy to provide the Lake Anne community with more convenience and access to postal services,” Phan Coty, USPS Northern Virginia Retail Manager, said in a statement.

The effort to bring the mini post office back to Lake Anne was spearheaded by Chesapeake Chocolates’ owner Doris Tyler, who also took over the Lake Anne Florist space next door when that store closed in early 2015.

The community helped out though, donating more than $4,000 on a Go Fund Me campaign to help pay for expenses for getting the CPU up and operating, including remodeling, additional employee salaries and furnishings.

Photo: Top, Robert E. Simon statue; Bottom; Chesapeake Chocolates at Lake Anne Plaza.

The plans for the future Reston Town Center Metro station will have a public hearing before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

The plans for the station, expected open as part of the Silver Line’s Phase 2 in early 2020, were recommended for approval by the county planning commission earlier this month.

The Reston Town Center stop will be more similar to the urban-style stations at Tysons than it will be to Wiehle-Reston East, the existing stop that is adjacent to a 3,000-space underground parking garage. The Reston Town Center stop, like the stations at Tysons, will have virtually no parking.

And it will still be about a half-mile walk to the Reston Town Center as it stands today. However, development is expected that will bring mixed-use amenities closer to where the station will be built in the middle of the Dulles Toll Road near Reston Parkway and Sunset Hills Road.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) said in the county staff report for the project that there are a number of challenges with the plans — and that some might change moving forward. Read More

Reston is becoming a transit-oriented community, so the streets surrounding transit centers should be laid out urban style.

Without connecting streets the provide better pedestrian, car and bike access, Reston traffic jams could be a much worse problem in the future.

That’s what will be discussed tonight at a meting of the Reston Network Analysis Group. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Lake Anne Elementary School, 11510 North Shore Dr.

The Reston Master Plan calls for an urban-style layout of streets near Silver Line stations at Wiehle-Reston East and Reston Town Center (which will open in 2020). County officials have organized the Reston Network Analysis Advisory Group to get feedback from citizens about about the plans for the street grid.

The new street layout is one of a number of transportation improvements planned for Reston. Among the others: a Soapstone extension to carry cars across the Dulles Toll Road and alleviate traffic on main roads such as Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive; and a Capital Bikeshare network slated to open in about a year.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins has appointed an advisory group made up of citizens and development reps to study the new street grid layout.

The group has been looking at existing conditions, and is especially concerned with mitigating congestions on Reston Parkway; Sunrise Valley at the Fairfax County Parkway; Spring Street at Fairfax County Parkway; and Rock Hill Bridge (Herndon).

The analysis group has been studying what traffic will be like in Reston in 2050 if congestion is unmitigated. The group is using a figure of 100,000,000 square feet of development, more than three times what it is today.

The group determined that 42 key intersections in Reston will be at an “F” grade for traffic movement.

Take a look at the existing conditions report here:

Pirates In The Park — Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 2 for Pirate Fest April 16 at Lake Fairfax Park, including separate tickets for the pirate boat ride and Pirate Feast (catered by O’Sullivan’s). If you have missed out on the pirate ship sailing before because it sells out fast, now is the time to mark your calendars and plan a ride. [Fairfax County Park Authority]

No Loyalty Pledge At Primary — The Virginia GOP has dropped its planned loyalty pledge for the March 1 Presidential Primary. [Washington Post]

New Reston Committee Will Look Toward Transportation Future — Reston Association has a new Multimodal Transportation Advisory Committee, which will look at ways to lead sustainable transportation change. [Reston Association]

Fairfax County Public Schools will finally open on Monday — but there will be a two-hour delay, the system announced Sunday afternoon.

From FCPS:

Following an assessment of roads and sidewalks throughout the county, despite rising temperatures today, a significant number of sidewalks and crosswalks remain impassable.

In order to provide additional daylight for morning travel, including more than 40,000 students that walk to school, all Fairfax County public schools will open two hours late Monday February 1, 2016. School offices and central offices will open on time. (Condition 3B)

• Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled.
• Afternoon preschool classes start on their regular schedule.
• Full-day preschool (special education) and Family and Early Childhood Education Program/Head Start classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
• Morning field trips are canceled.
• SACC centers will open at 7 a.m.
• Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Transportation for afternoon academy classes will be provided.
• Adult and community education classes will start on time.

We ask the community to please clear sidewalks and bus stops to the extent practicable. Drivers are asked to be extra vigilant as students make their way to and from schools and bus stops this week. Many residential streets have been narrowed by snow piles which may make it challenging for our buses to navigate.

The FCPS Transportation Office has been assessing bus routes throughout the weekend and will communicate via email alternative pick up and drop off location as necessary. For those utilizing kiss and ride, please exercise patience as traffic volumes may be higher than normal.

FCPS has not had school since Wednesday, Jan. 20 due to snow.

Photo: Snowed-in sidewalk in Reston, Sunday, Jan. 31

Fairfax County Public School students have not had class since Jan. 20. Will they return Monday? FCPS says school is definitely in session.

It’s been nearly a week since close to three feet of snow socked Reston. While warmer temperatures have contributed to significant melting, many streets are still down to one lane and lots of sidewalks remain unshoveled, so really, anything can happen.

What’s your prediction? Will the school district really be ready for kids to return to class on Monday? Or will FCPS be looking at its eighth snow day or more?

FYI, next week is already a shortened week for students. There is a two-hour early release Thursday and end-of-semester student holiday/teacher workday Friday.

Only one week left to decide if you are going to jump into a possibly very icy Lake Anne. The 9th Annual Freezin’ for a Reason Virginia Polar Dip takes place Saturday, Feb. 6 at Lake Anne Plaza.

The event raises money to send children to Camp Sunshine, an overnight camp in Maine for kids suffering from the effects of life-threatening illnesses.

Closer to home, the Virginia Polar Dip is a popular community event, drawing hundreds of spectators to Lake Anne Plaza to witness the “dippers” — some of them in whacky costumes — plunge into the lake in the middle of winter.

The event kicks off at 12:30 p.m. with music by Danny DJ, family friendly activities, and other warmup fun hosted by WASH-FM radio personality Chili Amar. The dip begins at 2 p.m.

Sign up to dip — or support a dipper — on the Virginia Polar Dip website.

Last year’s event raised more than $100,000. This year’s goal is to raise $125,000, which will enable about 50 Mid-Atlantic families to attend Camp Sunshine. Read More

Today is the last day to file if you are interested in running for a seat on Reston Association’s Board of Directors in 2016.

Three seats are open:

• At-Large Director
• North Point District Director
• Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District Director

All positions are for three year terms. Qualifications include:

• Being a member of the Reston Association in good standing, either a renter or property owner (by Jan. 29, 2016)
• Completing a Statement of Candidacy and a Petition of Candidacy
• If running for a district seat, living in that same district

Candidates must fill out a Statement of Candidacy and a Petition of Candidacy with 25 household signatures.

Responsibilities of the board include:

• Determining the long-range mission and goals of the organization
• Establishing RA policies and procedures
• Approving association programs and services through the budget process
• Monitoring finances, approving budgets, and setting the annual assessment rate

Candidacy forms must be filed by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29. Elections will be held in March.

RA Board meeting/file photo

Erosion has contributed to the exposure of eight sewer lines in the hillside leading from South Lakes Drive to Lake Audubon. If significant action is not taken, Reston could face serious environmental and public health situation.

That was the takeaway from a long discussion at Reston Association’s Board of Directors meeting Thursday, where the board passed several motions to commit money to study the issue and continue pressing Fairfax County officials to act on the issue.

“This is a health hazard waiting to happen,” said RA land use attorney John McBride, who warned that recent events in Flint, Mich., where a money-saving effort to change the water supply resulted in dangerous lead contamination.

Granted, Reston does not get its drinking water from Lake Audubon, but it is a popular recreational spot, and boaters, swimmers and pets who enter the lake could be severely affected. Read More

New Date For SLHS Broadway Night — Due to school closings this week, South Lakes High School Chorus’ Department’s Broadway Night has been moved to Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Advance tickets available online. [SLHS Chorus]

Turning Point For Reston Company — Reston software developer Appian may go public. [Washington Business Journal]

More Details on Akridge Tower — A few more details on Reston’s future tallest building, a 23-story tower on Reston Parkway. [Washington Business Journal]

Photo: Einstein in the Snow on Taffrail Court/Credit: James Polzin

On Fridays, we take a moment to thank our sponsors and advertisers:

Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, the business community for the vibrant region.

The Harrison, luxury apartments near Reston Town Center.

Berry & Berry, PLLC, Reston law firm specializing in federal employment, retirement, labor union, and security clearance matters.

Reston Real Estate, Eve Thompson of Long & Foster Real Estate specializes in Reston homes.

Becky’s Pet Care, offering friendly pet services in Northern Virginia.

Reston Community Center, Serving Reston’s recreational and cultural needs.

MakeOffices, shared work spaces with five area locations, including Reston.

Oatlands Historic House & Gardens.

Bento House, Japanese restaurant in Reston.

Lake Anne Nursery Kindergarten, educating Reston’s young minds for more than 50 years.

Boofie O’Gorman, Top Producer Realtor at Long & Foster Reston.

Goldfish Swim School, specializing in children’s swim lessons year-round.

Small Change Consignment, serving Reston’s kids for more than 30 years.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, full-service Realtors with a new office in Reston Town Center.

VITA, luxury apartments at Tysons Corner.

A Cleaning Service, professional residential and commercial cleaning.

BASIS Independent McLean, Independent school for K-12 located in McLean.

Warmer temperatures have contributed to significant melting of the record snow this week, but one problem still plaguing Reston-area roads is narrow access — two-lane roads are now one-lane roads in many spots.

Snowplow piles and lanes that haven’t been plowed are on many roads, making it slow-going or even dangerous on major streets.

Many Reston Now readers pointed out some of the worst trouble spots on Reston Now’s Facebook page this morning:

There are also some roads in which one side only has half a lane (Twin Branches is one of them, I’m sure there are a lot more), with the the right half of the lane completely blocked by snow mounds. Which means if you’re driving in a full lane, you may pass someone going the opposite way who is literally being forced to straddle the yellow lane. Please, people, show some courtesy and move over to the right as far as you can so everyone can move.

The other bad street for me is Soapstone north of Glade. The plowed part starts on the far left moves to the center then back over the left. This leaves you w/o proper lane markings.

Soapstone from Glade to Sunrise Valley. Downright scary yesterday.

It took me 45 minutes to drive 2 miles in Reston at rush hour last night.

The Virginia Department of Transportation says “crews have worked around-the-clock to make all roads in northern Virginia passable post-blizzard, but there is still some clean-up to do.”

By 3 p.m. Thursday, Sunrise Valley Drive, for instance, had been cleared edge-to-edge, but nearby Soapstone Drive still had people driving in the turn lane.

“Crews are working to widen and restore remaining snow-impacted lanes on primary and high-volume secondary roads,” said VDOT spokeswoman Jennifer McCord. “Clearing efforts will continue through the week, using equipment such as front loaders and motor graders to move snow where plows are unable to push.” Read More

It has been more than 24 hours since the parking lot at the Reston Post office was finally plowed.

The post office was socked in by snow from Friday to early Wednesday. Rep. Gerry Connolly’s office got involved with the issue late on Tuesday to speed up the process.

The clear parking lot meant mail trucks were finally freed, and many Reston residents (editor’s note: including me) got home delivery on Wednesday for the first time in four or five days.

Even though the federal government in Washington was closed for several days earlier this week, that should not have affected mail delivery. The USPS is considered a separate agency and mail delivery is only affected on pre-scheduled national holidays.

However some Reston residents still have empty mailboxes.

One resident sent an anonymous message to Reston Now:

“Someone told a fib, either the USPS or Representative Connolly’s office. Mail was not delivered to ‘every residence’ in Reston on Wednesday. I notified Connolly’s office, but this is getting ridiculous.”

“We didn’t expect mail on Saturday or Monday, but it’s Thursday and we aren’t getting anything. I live in a condo development in “less desirable South Reston”, but we have clear sidewalks, a clear parking lot, and the roads to get here are passable.”

The reader said he has notified TV stations and Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.

Have you gotten home delivery of mail this week? Let us know in the comments.

During the height of the blizzard last Saturday, Fairfax County Police were called to Reston’s Target store for a suspected burglary.

Officers responded to an alarm at the store at 12197 Sunset Hills Rd. at 6:49 p.m., after the snow had been falling for more than 24 hours and driving conditions were treacherous.

When they arrived, they found footprints in the snow. The footprints lead to an unsecured door into the building, police said.

Target security reported seeing security camera images of an unidentified person in the store. Police then called the K9 team. The team checked the interior of the business but found no one.

You’ve spent hours shoveling out a parking spot. You are not going to put in all that effort for nothing.

That was the message all along Glade Drive on Wednesday. As many people returned to work, they had to dig out their cars from snowdrifts and snowplow piles.

When they departed, they left behind all sorts of things to mark their sweat-equity territory — a pet carrier, brooms, concrete blocks and a whole variety of chairs, among other items.

Reston Now reader Joy Charles captured photos of some of the creativity along Glade between Reston Parkway and Fairfax Parkway.

Do you think residents should me able to mark parking spots on a public road/main thoroughfare like Glade?

Photos by Joy Charles