Reston Association is expanding its Volunteer Reston Service Awards in 2017 to include more recognition categories. Nominations opened Jan. 27 and can be made through March 17.

RA’s service awards recognize individuals, families, groups and businesses that make a significant contribution to the community through volunteer service.

The 2017 awards winners will be announced at a special ceremony during National Volunteer Week, Thursday, April 27, from 6:30-9 p.m. at The Lake House.

Every year, hundreds of Reston volunteers give their time to make a difference in the lives of those around them. RA volunteers participate in community cleanup and environmental events; take shifts at community events and festivals; serve on the RA Board of Directors, advisory committees and working groups; and others provide daily operational support to the association.

Completed nomination forms should be brought to the RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive) and left for Ha Brock, RA’s volunteer supervisor. They can also be mailed in or emailed to [email protected].

Photo via Reston Association

Editor’s note: Since the publication of this op-ed, Reston Now has instituted a policy of no longer publishing letters to the editor that are personal attacks against individuals. 

This is an op-ed submitted by Ed Abbott, co-coordinator of Reston Recall. It does not reflect the opinions of Reston Now.

Reston Association still lacks a Code of Ethics, but we know a conflict of interest when we see one.

Eve Thompson, Director At-Large, and her husband, Rick, own the Lake Anne Coffee House as well as their condo at Lake Anne. Her husband, Rick, heads the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association (LARCA), which represents the owners of commercial and private properties in Lake Anne.

One of many items on a very crowded agenda at the last board meeting was a discussion of improvements to the Lake Anne docks, above and beyond the necessary repairs that are already in the budget. Mr. Thompson explained the project to the board with a very nice slideshow. He showed the board the location of the new docks and what a nice improvement they would make to the ambience of Lake Anne.

Unfortunately, neither Mr. Thompson nor Ms. Thompson, nor anyone else for that matter, volunteered the information that the presenter was the spouse of Director Eve Thompson. Nor did the Board discuss the possible conflict of interest inherent in having the husband of a board member present before the board as president of a condominium association seeking to get the RA to spend RA members’ money on a new capital spending project that would primarily benefit the property owners and businesses of Lake Anne.

A motion was introduced to hold a public hearing related to the proposed capital improvements of the docks. When Eve Thompson started to speak in favor of the motion, Director Lucinda Shannon raised the issue of Ms. Thompson’s conflict of interest. Ms. Thompson retorted that her ownership of a condo and a coffee house at Lake Anne were not conflicts.

So what are the obligations of directors when it comes to conflicts of interest (COI)? First and foremost, the COI statement must be complete and accurate, signed under penalty of being removed from the board. What does Ms. Thompson disclose about her potential conflicts? Not a whole lot. Her ownership of the Lake Anne Coffee House isn’t included. Nor is her husband’s connection to the Lake Anne of Reston Condominium Association.

Just to be clear, the statement requires that “all assets… located in Reston or involved in Reston-based activities” be listed. Ms. Thompson’s statement was incomplete and inaccurate when she signed it in April 2015, and it is still incomplete and inaccurate.

Since most directors are property owners in Reston, potential conflicts of interest are inevitable when the board conducts business. The right way for the RA board to handle these issues would be for a director to disclose a potential conflict up front, before the discussion starts. The other members of the board and/or counsel can then decide if it is appropriate for the director to participate or if she should recuse herself.

The worst way for a board to conduct business is for the director to fail to disclose a potential conflict and then disagree about it when called on it by another director.

If the board is so lackadaisical in enforcing its own COI rules, what other conflicts and self-dealing has occurred or is occurring? The Tetra property purchase comes to mind. This may be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We may never know unless we change the membership of the board.

Wednesday, members of the spine team at Reston Hospital Center performed the first procedure using the Mazor X system. Dr. Christopher Good, Dr. Tom Schuler and Dr. Colin Haines of the Virginia Spine Institute completed the first successful case in the Mid‐Atlantic.

The Mazor X system combines unprecedented pre‐operative planning tools and analytics with intra‐operative guidance, giving Reston Hospital Center patients the most advanced spinal surgery options available.

Reston Hospital Center is the first in the region to add the Mazor X surgical assurance platform to its award‐winning regional spinal surgery program.

“We chose the Mazor X system to provide our surgeons with the highest level of pre‐operative assessment and intra‐ operative precision,” said Dr. Raymond Makhoul, Chief Medical Officer at Reston Hospital Center. “As spinal surgery has evolved, more focus has been placed on minimizing trauma to the body during surgery and expediting a return to function through the use of minimally invasive techniques, and this is where Mazor X can deliver its greatest value.”

Minimally invasive procedures can mean less pain, less blood loss, smaller incisions, shorter hospitalizations and shorter recovery time for patients. Smaller incisions usually pose a challenge to surgeons due to the limited view of the anatomy.

The Mazor X system helps to overcome this challenge with a 3D comprehensive surgical plan and analytics that gives the surgeon unprecedented information before the surgery even starts. This results in the surgeon being able to operate with greater precision, efficiency and confidence.

“Our research is showing that robotic surgery can decrease radiation to patients in the operating room as well as improve accuracy of surgery while decreasing patient complications,” Good said. “The new Mazor X system represents the future of robotic spine surgery. Inevitably, it will lead to many future breakthroughs — combining robotic surgery with intra‐operative spinal navigation and increasing the number and types of surgeries we can do robotically.”

Doctors Good, Haines and Schuler are joined by doctors Michael Hasz, Donald Hope, Sean Jebraili, Jae Lim, Thomas Mazahery, Ben Nguyen, Brian Subach, Druv Pateder and Joseph Watson on the spine team at Reston Hospital Center.

“As a leader in spine surgery, acquiring the Mazor X was a logical step for us to take,” said John Deardorff, CEO of Reston Hospital Center. “Our Institute for Robotic Surgery is the most comprehensive in the Mid‐Atlantic region. Remaining at the forefront of surgical advancements is key to consistently providing our patients with the highest quality care. Our analysis of surgical guidance systems showed that the Mazor X system would further enable our surgeons to achieve the best possible patient outcomes.”

The 34th annual Capitol Steps fundraiser performance Sunday raised nearly $300,000 for Cornerstones, to help families in the Embry Rucker Community Shelter.

Capitol Steps, a D.C.-based political satire troupe, puts on the benefit show each year. More than 600 people attended the event Sunday night at the Hyatt Regency Reston.

“We are thrilled to see a full house, especially after this year in politics,” said Sarah Leonard, chair of Cornerstones’ Board of Directors. “You help Cornerstones accomplish our mission to encourage stability, empowerment and hope. It takes thousands to help within our connected community and for each of you we are grateful.”

At the end of the night, a total of $294,697 had been raised for the cause. According to information provided by Cornerstones, that money will be used “to meet critical needs of those in the [Embry Rucker] shelter as they progress toward affordable housing.”

Since 1970, Cornerstones has reached out to 250,000 neighbors in need, helping them overcome tough economic times in an already high cost-of-living region. Through advocacy and support services, it connects its clients to the resources they need to help build more stable families and self-sufficient lives. It also strives to provide a comprehensive array of programs that solve urgent or on-going requirements for housing, childcare, food or financial assistance.

Photo courtesy Chip McCrea Photography

The South Lakes High School track teams are once again on the top of the heap in the Liberty Conference. The boys closed out their ninth consecutive title this weekend at the championships in Landover, Maryland, while the girls took their sixth straight.

Junior runner Olivia Beckner, who had already set multiple new records earlier this season, won both the 1,000 meters (2:55.67) and 1,600 meters (5:04.44) in meet-record times. She also won the 3,200 meters (10:47:17) in school and conference record time.

Senior Devyn Jones won the 300 meters in 42.72 and finished third in the 500 meters (1:20.52) and fifth in the triple jump (33-08.75). She won the 55-meters hurdles in conference record time on the first day of the championships, as well as finishing second in the long jump and sixth in the high jump that day.

Jones was part of a SLHS sweep of the 500 meters. The race was won by junior Aly Rayle (1:19.62), followed by freshman Mary Gregory’s second place finish of 1:19.69. Rayle and Gregory teamed with sophomores Sophie Halkett and Cara Hutson to win the 4-by-400 meter relay in 4:09.53.

The Seahawks also won the top three spots in the 1,000 meters with Beckner leading the way, followed by Halkett (3:05.81) and sophomore Jordan Anderson (3:07.76).

On the boys’ side, seniors Timiebi Ogobri and Don’ta Whitley had outstanding performances for the Seahawks.

Ogobri, who successfully defended his 55-meters title on Day 1, won the 300 meters in 36.54. Sophomore Stevie Jones was third (37.19) and Whitley finished fifth (37.43). Ogobri was also fifth in the triple jump (39-04.00) and teamed with Jones, sophomore Nicky Napolitano and junior Carson Frutchey for third in 4-by-200 meter relay (1:35.34). Whitley was second in the triple jump (42-01.75), second in the 500 meters (1:08.61), sixth in the high jump (5-08.00), and teamed with senior Dimarcus Vilcheck and juniors John Eggeman and Houston Nelson for third in the 4-by-400 meter relay (3:38.21).

Senior Peter Sepulveda was third in the 1,600 meters (4:36.57), followed by juniors Alex Loukili (4:37.35, 4th) and Sean Casey (4:38.76, 5th). Loukili ran a 2:40.55 for third in the 1,000 meters while Casey finished fifth with a 2:46.85.

South Lakes will next compete in the 6A North Region Indoor Championship on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.

The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will be displaying the Audubon’s top photos of 2016 beginning this weekend at the Walker Nature Center in Reston (1145o Glade Drive).

The top nine photos of the year were chosen from more than 7,000 submissions to the Audubon Photography Awards by about 1,700 photographers. The exhibit also includes three honorable-mention winners, for a total of 12 photos.

Criteria included technical quality, originality and artistic merit. The photos cover a range of bird species and geographic locations.

An open house for the exhibit is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. Sunday at the nature center, with the photos to be on display until Feb. 14.

Along with the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and Walker Nature Center, Friends of Reston is also co-sponsoring the show. Light refreshments, short bird walks and hands-on bird activities will also be part of the open house.

For more information, call 703-476-9689 or email [email protected].

This article was submitted to Reston Now by Dave Ryan of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

No matter how much some readers may yell at certain pesky geese to stop blocking Reston roadways and pooping on its sidewalks, some of these wildlife neighbors never seem to get the message that they should fly away or migrate to more natural areas.

Why is this? Katherine Edwards knows.

In a Jan. 18 presentation to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Reston Community Center Lake Anne, Fairfax County Wildlife Management Specialist Dr. Katherine Edwards explained that there are two distinct populations of Canada geese that inhabit Fairfax County — migratory and resident. Present-day resident geese originated from captured migratory ones that decades ago had their flight feathers clipped, and were then largely used as live hunting decoys.

Even when these captive birds were released or escaped and no longer had their flight inhibited, they did not resume their ancestral migratory patterns. The reason: For a goose to migrate, it must be taught the flight path by its parents or flock.

Successive generations of geese never learned to migrate. Over time, the birds and their descendants, while able to fly, lost the instinct and need to migrate — so they’re blissfully happy taking up permanent residence right here in Reston.

According to Edwards, communities like Reston provide an abundance of ideal nesting and foraging habitat for geese in the form of lawns, sports fields, golf courses, parks and ponds. With relatively few predators around, goose populations are safe to expand in suburban areas. However, this increase in goose numbers often leads to conflicts with humans in terms of overgrazed lawns, accumulated droppings, molted feathers and roadway hazards.

Edwards added that the county uses a variety of methods to manage resident geese, including habitat modification and egg oiling to reduce flock growth.

For more information about wildlife in Fairfax County, visit the Fairfax County website. For more information about how the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University provides educational, social and cultural opportunities to citizens of Northern Virginia, visit its website.

Photos courtesy David Ryan/OLLI

The National Weather Service has once again placed an area including Fairfax County under a wind advisory. It is scheduled to be in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday.

From the NWS statement:

* WINDS…WEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 50 MPH.

* IMPACTS…STRONG WINDS MAY BLOW DOWN LIMBS…TREES…AND POWER
LINES. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED.
WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR
HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES.

Winds quite gusty behind the front! Remain windy at times this afternoon… pic.twitter.com/nhW2ecush0

— Tucker Barnes (@TuckerFox5) January 26, 2017

The advisory was originally issued for areas west of the Metro area, but was later expanded.

Wind Advisory EXPANDED. Strongest winds through early evening. pic.twitter.com/Zgxt7zT9KX

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 26, 2017

Weather alert map via National Weather Service

This is an op-ed submitted by Terry Maynard, co-chair of the Reston 20/20 committee. It does not reflect the opinions of Reston Now.

By this time, most Restonians are aware of the County transportation department’s (FCDOT’s) efforts to add an additional property tax on Metro station area residents to pay an estimated $350 million for improvements in their streets to accommodate developer growth. The entire 16-month-long process to get Restonians, particularly the Restonians selected by Supervisor Cathy Hudgins to serve on the so-called Reston Network Analysis Group (RNAG), to nod “yes” to yet another Reston tax has been filled with lies and deception well worthy of our new President’s world of “alternative facts.”

We have already detailed a key Reston road tax assumption that is obviously false (p. 5): That the County cannot divert tax revenues from existing or future uses to improve Reston’s urban intersections. The County won’t even address the fact that the diversion of less than $9 million of the more than $4 billion in annual General Fund tax revenues will pay for all the roads it proposes to improve under its cost assumptions. That’s just two-tenths of one percent from current tax revenues, well less than its mid-year budget adjustment. Instead, FCDOT simply refuses to acknowledge this reality.

But there are so many other intentional, incessantly repeated mis-statements, failures to recognize certain obvious truths, and just plain poor County analysis that comprise the entire “big lie” of the need for a Reston road tax. An obvious place to start is the other side of the road improvement cost equation: The grotesquely huge profits of developers and massively increased property tax revenues of the County because of the major development that will occur in Reston’s station areas over the next four decades.   Not once has FCDOT acknowledged that reality, much less used it in any analysis of how street improvements could be paid for.

Based on Boston Properties per square foot 2015 profits from continuing operations nationwide, we estimate that filling out the Reston Master Plan over the next 40 years will generate more than $45 billion in profits in 2016 dollars for Reston’s station area developers. That’s more than one billion dollars per year on average — about double that with modest inflation — most of it from the operation of existing office and residential structures. Why can’t $9 million of that more than one billion per year — less than 1 percent — be devoted to improving Reston’s urban area streets?

At the same time, the value of property in the station areas will increase at least ten-fold from $6 billion to $60 billion, and possibly as much as $90 billion, with the growth in square footage and appreciation over the next four decades if the Reston Master Plan is fulfilled. That property value will generate over $11 billion in property taxes for the County without increasing the property tax rate or adding a new Reston road tax. Certainly the County can divert three percent of that massive Reston tax revenue flow to the improvement of Reston’s streets, but you haven’t heard a word about that possibility from the County. Not once.

The County clearly does not want to tie any of this huge increase in Reston tax revenues to expenditures in Reston. Reston is just a County tax “cash cow” — as it has been for decades — to be milked for County expenditures elsewhere.

In fact, FCDOT has gone so far as to create a roadway “funding gap” out of whole cloth that it values at $350 million. The gap is merely a foil based on faulty assumptions about the availability of road funds to generate a reason for an added Reston road tax. It has no basis in the reality of available of County, regional, state, or federal tax revenues for road improvement purposes. But if you don’t have a “gap,” no matter how phony, you can’t justify a new tax. So the County made one up.

Worse is the planned use of the Reston road tax funds. About 12 percent of it ($45 million) will be used to actually improve intersections on Reston’s through streets, the streets that are already clogged with rush hour traffic.

The other 87 percent ($305 million) or so will be used to flesh out the “grid of streets.” The purpose of the “grid of streets” is to create street fronts for commercial development.  They have no purpose in improving traffic flow; in fact, to the contrary, the development that will accompany them will actually add to the traffic flow burden on nearby through streets such as Reston Parkway and Wiehle Avenue, Sunrise Valley Drive and Sunset Hills Drive, used to access the rest of Reston, the Dulles Toll Road, and beyond.

Worse, almost all the streets that Reston’s road tax will be used to build are streets that would not be built in the absence of a Reston corporate welfare tax because of a lack of commercial demand. The streets financed by Restonians’ taxes will be at the extreme west and east ends of the station areas, near Centerville Road in Herndon and in the vicinity of the Reston Post office to the east. These locations are too far from any Metro station to be walkable and would not be developed at all unless paid for by the public, specifically Restonians’ tax dollars. In contrast, Tysons’ developers are paying for the entirety of the “grid of streets” there, even those well beyond walking distance to a Metro station. In short, developers will use Restonians’ corporate welfare to increase their profits with no traffic or other benefit to the community.

The entire County assertion of a need for a special Reston road tax, a so-called Tax Service District (TSD), on residents in Reston station areas is nothing more than a massive con built on fraudulent assumptions, half-baked analysis, ignored realities, and the gullibility of Restonians serving on RNAG (none of whom live in the areas to be taxed except an employee of Boston Properties), and even the Reston Association Board of Directors. In fact, the RA Board will be considering a resolution at its meeting this week to support the imposition of the Reston road tax on non-member areas of Reston so long as the rate remains constant at $.021/$100 valuation and the tax has a 40-year sundown provision. The Board of Supervisors will eliminate those proposed constraints with a dismissive wave of its hand if not at the outset, at the first sign that it might crimp its tax collection from Reston’s station areas.

It is time for Restonians, and the RA Board in particular, to quit being the sucker for County taxes imposed on Reston. We already pay an extra $.047/$100 valuation for the Reston Community Center (RCC) which is stealthily moving forward with a plan to build a large regional performing arts center in Town Center North, a mile from the nearest Metro station, and raising our RCC (STD#5) tax rate to pay for its construction and ensuing perpetual operating losses.

It is time for Reston to say not just “No,” but “Hell No” to more property taxes that go to subsidize commercial for profit ventures and county-wide spending initiatives. If a developer can’t pay a few extra dollars per year to cover the cost of the road in front of his property, they simply should not be in the development business in the highly lucrative Reston market. And if the County’s leaders can’t figure out how to do that, then they should be replaced by representatives who can. We, the people of Reston, should not be putting our money in developers’ pockets through added County taxes so they can make even more billions of dollars with no benefits for our community.

Terry Maynard, Co-Chair

Reston 20/20 Committee

YMCA Fairfax County Reston recently received an $1,850 donation from SpeedPro Imaging Northern Virginia to support its youth programming.

Roman Blazauskas, president of SpeedPro Imaging Northern Virginia, said in a press release that the funds will help support the Y’s efforts to help less fortunate youth attend preschool and day camp.

“There is only one YMCA in Fairfax County serving 10,000 individuals and throughout the year, many at-risk local youth and families apply for financial assistance to participate in the Y’s early learning programs, sports, STEM activities, child care, and summer camps at little or no cost.”

SpeedPro NOVA’s program serves as the cornerstone of its overall community relations efforts, which includes volunteerism and sponsorships. Recognizing this commitment, Blazauskas was honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce in 2016.

The company also recently announced it will make Loudoun Habitat for Humanity its 2017 Charitable Partner.

“Having a stable home and fixed address is life-changing for families, including their furry friends,” Blazauskas said. “Habitat makes that happen, and we look forward to supporting their work this year.”

For the second consecutive year, the South Lakes High School Robotics Team has advanced to the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge Virginia State Championship. The team, called the <C://>Hawks, participated in the North Central Virginia Qualifying Tournament that took place at Orange County High School on Jan. 14.

Months of preparation put the team on solid ground to contend for the top awards. Their robot, Duchess, performed well on the field, managing the challenges without breakdowns. In their engineering notebook, members of the team’s art department recorded all the activities, including not only software and robot construction progress, but all the outreach activities of which the team has been part.

The <C://>Hawks promoted and expanded their team within the SLHS community and brought their robots and expertise to various community activities such as local Lego League teams and the NOVA Maker Faire. For these efforts, the team was honored with the competition’s Connect Award.

The Inspire Award is given to the team that demonstrates respect and gracious professionalism, is an ambassador for FIRST programs, and demonstrates and documents their work in their community. The <C://>Hawks took second place for this award.

The team will next participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge Virginia State Championship, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25 in Lynchburg.

Bechtel and Orbital ATK are sponsors of the South Lakes High School Robotics Team.

Photo courtesy South Lakes High School Robotics Team

Update 3:30 p.m.: According to an alert from the National Weather Service, this wind advisory has been canceled.

It has been extremely windy all day in Reston and the surrounding area, and that isn’t expected to let up until later this evening.

From the National Weather Service:

…WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING…

* TIMING…THROUGH EARLY EVENING.

* WINDS…EAST WINDS 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

* IMPACTS…STRONG WINDS MAY BLOW DOWN LIMBS…TREES…AND POWER
LINES. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ARE EXPECTED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED.
WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR
HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue reports that units were deployed to 21 reports of downed power lines between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday.

Beware Downed Power Lines. Since 6 am today, & as of 1 pm, we have responded to 21 calls for reports of wires down. https://t.co/IzeqqGy8s5 pic.twitter.com/47KzYDpShO

— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 23, 2017