The weekly planner is a roundup of interesting events over the next week in the Herndon and Reston area.
We’ve searched the web for events of note. Want to submit a listing? Submit your pitch here!
Monday, Dec. 20
- Winter Break Camp — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Brown’s Chapel Recreation Area — A day camp for kids ages 5 to 12 starts. Daily activities include outdoor nature activities, arts and crafts, sports, no bake cooking and science experiments. Cost begins at $60.
Tuesday, Dec 21
- Herndon Teen Book Club — 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Herndon Fortnightly Library and online — Talk about the book “Geekerella” with other teens.
Wednesday, Dec. 22
- Potions Class: From Alchemy to Chemistry — 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (virtual) — Create different colors, bubbling chemical reactions and more. This virtual camp for 2nd to 6th graders starts at $60.
Thursday, Dec. 23
- Aerial Cube and Corde Lisse — 6 p.m. at Shakti Rising — Learn aerialist techniques. Cost is $39.
Friday, Dec. 24
- Homeschoolers Meetup — 2-4 p.m. at Reston North Park — Join homeschool students at a playground during this weekly event.
Saturday, Dec. 25
- Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights — 5-10 p.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens — Enjoy lights and holiday scenes in this annual transformation, which goes through Jan. 2. The tickets for those ages 2 and over are $18 each.
Sunday, Dec. 26
Ringing in the new year, Herndon High and Herndon Middle will host a concert with a nationally recognized guest ensemble.
The Dallas Brass musical ensemble will visit with the bands from the two Herndon schools and hold workshops before joining the school bands for the last part of their Jan. 4 concert.
Since its founding in 1983 in Dallas, the ensemble has blended traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion. In addition to solo performances, the ensemble has performed with symphony orchestras nationwide, including the Cincinnati Pops conducted by Erich Kunzel, New York Pops conducted by Skitch Henderson and the Philly Pops conducted by Peter Nero.
The partnership blossomed partly because of familiarity between band director Kathleen Jacoby and the ensemble. Jacoby and the Herndon HS Band Parent Association also sought to provide this experience to the students after a virtual school year.
“I sought out a performance with Dallas Brass because one of my former students, Buddy Deshler, is a trumpet player in the group,” Jacoby wrote. “Buddy tours with the group when he is not teaching at the Crane School of Music as the trumpet professor. We have kept in close touch over the years and been fortunate to have him solo with Herndon on three separate occasions. Getting the full Dallas Brass experience will be like Buddy times six!”
Tickets are available for purchase online for $10 to the general public and are non-refundable. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.
Per Fairfax County Public Schools COVID-19 policy, masks will be required indoors.
The concert is a portion of Dallas Brass’ “American Musical Journey” program which incorporates a full complement of brass and percussion for a musical travelogue through American history.
Musical selections come from a variety of traditionally recognized composers: Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, John Williams, John Philip Sousa. Selections also include from bands such as Tijuana Brass and Chicago, as well as styles that include Dixieland, swing, Broadway, folk, patriotic, pop and hip-hop.
In addition to its work with school bands, Dallas Brass has also performed at Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center, and toured in Europe and parts of Asia. Past performances include playing for Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, appearing on the CBS “Early Show,” and their music has also been used numerous times on the television show, “The Young and the Restless.”
Image via Dulles Brass
Former Fairfax Officers Accused of Involvement in Sex Trafficking Ring — A woman has accused two former Fairfax County police officers of sexually assaulting her in order to protect the leader of a human trafficking ring. [Reuters]
Metro Trains Returns to Service — The first of Metro’s 7000-series trains will return to service after being halted due to security concerns. The Washington Metropolitan AreaTransit Authority will gradually return the trains to service after an order from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission to remove all of its 7000-series trains due to safety concerns in October. [Reston Patch]
Reston Recognized as Bike Friendly Community — Reston was recognized as a bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists. Reston was designated as a bronze winner. [Reston Association]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
Changes to Virginia’s gas tax and transit fees will eventually bring savings to Fairfax County bus riders facing financial hardships.
Customized Fairfax Connector bus passes will cut fares in half for low-income riders with a new program that might begin this coming summer, county staff told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a transportation committee meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 14).
The county plans to reduce fares for people with incomes up to 225% of the federal poverty level. That would put the eligibility cap around $29,000 for an individual or $59,625 for a family of four.
Residents of Fairfax County as well as the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church will be eligible.
The county’s transportation staff is working with the Department of Family Services and Housing and Community Development to get users of those services the discounted passes because they’ve already had their income screened. The county could later expand its outreach to others who qualify.
“I think this is going to be a great, great program once we get it piloted,” Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said.
The county will receive $5.49 million in state funds to pilot the effort for three years as part of Virginia’s new Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP), which supports projects that reduce barriers for low-income travelers or improve connectivity in urban areas, such as by creating dedicated bus lanes.
The grant program was created as part of a transit funding overhaul approved by Virginia General Assembly in 2020. The legislation also raised the gas tax by 5 cents per gallon on July 1, 2020 and again on July 1, 2021.
With about 30,000 daily riders, Fairfax Connector is the largest local bus system in Northern Virginia. It already offers free rides to middle and high school students, and the county temporarily suspended fares for all riders for part of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
County staff are slated to update the board on the reduced fare effort this spring.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay asked staff to return with more information about the cost of implementing and administering the program compared to “the cost of just waiving fares, period,” noting that some neighboring localities are looking at eliminating fares.
“I support this needs-based one, given the size and complexity of ours,” McKay said. “But I do think we need to know what the administrative cost of this is and weigh that against a larger, maybe more aggressive way to provide transit as something that our residents in need can utilize.”
Human remains found near Route 1 earlier this week could be the victim of a possible serial killer, the Fairfax County Police Department says.
Police say the remains were found Wednesday (Dec. 15) in a container near a shopping cart in the 2400 block of Fairhaven Avenue in the Alexandria area. The surrounding area is described as isolated and wooded.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis will share details this afternoon about evidence that police have gathered suggesting the dead individual is the victim of a serial killer, with four bodies discovered across the state since August, according to a media alert.
Kelley Warner, the chief of police for the City of Harrisonburg, will also be present at the news conference, which will be held at 1:15 p.m. today (Friday) in the Public Safety Headquarters (12099 Government Center Parkway).
The conference will be livestreamed on the FCPD’s Facebook page.
A new advocacy group in Reston has been formed in order to bridge what group members call the divide between “the Two Restons.”
Reston Forward announced its formation earlier this week. The 50-member group aims to ensure that Bob Simon’s founding principles are accessible to all Restonians.
Shane Ziegler, founder and CEO of the organization, said he and a group of friends were inspired to do more for Reston.
“Decisions are being made now in Reston by our leaders and stakeholders that will impact our community for generations to come,” Ziegler, who moved to Reston in 2020 said. “I am hopeful that Reston Forward will serve as a platform to make sure that all voices are heard.”
Here’s how the organization describes itself:
Reston Forward is a membership-driven advocacy organization that believes in a Reston that lives up to its founding principles and values for future generations by engaging residents of all ages and areas in decisions impacting the future of the community.
Zielger says that while he is new to Reston — he moved to Reston two years ago — many Restonians want to connect with other stakeholders in the community, but simply do not know how to do so.
“We want to provide a platform to encourage and guide these people to have a voice and serve Reston,” he said.
Reston Forward plans to host a podcast with community leaders in order to provide a hub of information on Reston.
So far, the organization has around 50 members. Organizers say that the membership represents a diverse mix of ages, regions of the community and lengths of residency in the community.
“We have members from the age of 22-60 representing mid-career professionals, entrepreneurs and retirees from all corners of Reston,” he said.
Image via Reston Forward/Facebook
Trains Run, But No Date for Silver Line Opening — Trains for the extension of the Silver Line into Loudoun County have begun running as part of testing. But the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority still does not have an opening date yet for the long-delayed project. [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Steps for Superintendent Search Outlined — A timeline for the search process for the school system’s next superintendent has been outlined. GR Recruiting has hosted stakeholder meetings with staff this week. Community meetings will be held Jan. 10 through 12. A survey is expected to be emailed to the FCPS community sometime this week. [Reston Patch]
Fairfax High School Students Stage Walkout — Hundreds of students from Fairfax High School staged a walkout to support a student believed to be the victim of an Islamophobic incident. [WTOP]
Photo by Marjorie Copson
As Fairfax County prepares for a “likely” wave of omicron infections, officials are cautiously optimistic that vaccination rates and the potentially less-severe illness caused by the variant may prevent a surge like what was seen last winter.
Fairfax County Health Department Director Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu and epidemiologist Dr. Ben Schwartz lauded the county’s vaccination rates in a status update for the Board of Supervisors’ health and human services committee on Tuesday (Dec. 14).
At the same time, the officials urged residents to get their booster shots in anticipation of already-rising case rates getting accelerated by the omnicron variant that’s quickly spreading around the globe.
While early research suggests the variant is more transmissible and has an increased ability to infect those who are already vaccinated, officials remain hopeful that Fairfax County can avoid a winter surge as drastic as the one seen a year ago.
“We are likely to have an omicron wave here,” said Schwartz. “[But] what we are hearing so far about omicron is that there are fewer hospitalizations.”
The COVID-19 vaccines, particularly booster shots, help prevent severe illness, the experts note. As of yesterday (Wednesday), nearly 69% of all Fairfax Health District residents were considered fully vaccinated, one of the highest rates in the D.C. area.
But that doesn’t mean residents no longer need to be cautious or careful during the holiday season.
“Even if most infections are mild, a highly transmissible variant could result in enough cases to overwhelm the health care systems,” Schwartz said.
Booster shots are being highly recommended as well as continuing to mask indoors, even if it’s technically no longer required.
“We’ve got to stay with the mitigation efforts,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said. “I know everyone is exhausted with them, but now is no time to let our guard down.”
Omicron aside, hospitalizations and deaths are currently down across the county, with officials crediting vaccinations.
In addition, while infections were once higher among communities of color compared to the county’s white population, those rates have since more or less evened out.
“This is…a consequence of vaccination, where Hispanics in Fairfax County have a higher vaccination coverage rate than other racial and ethnic groups,” Schwartz said.
Children between the ages of 5 and 9 currently have the highest rate of infection, likely due to that age group just being approved for vaccines a little over a month ago.
Cases within Fairfax County Public Schools, though, have remained very low, according to county health department statistics. Just 0.76% of all students have contracted COVID-19 since late September. The rate is highest among elementary school students, likely due to the delay in vaccination approval.
To this point, 40 school outbreaks have occurred, which are classified as three or more cases within a class or group, but no schools have had to close due to COVID-19.
“This should be proclaimed very widely to the community. These school numbers…are a massive success,” McKay said.
Town leaders agreed Tuesday to accept $5 million more from Fairfax County to finally begin the construction of a residential-retail-arts complex downtown.
The long-awaited development, which calls for 273 apartments, a parking garage, retail space and an arts center, will get $6.2 million from the county through the additional support.
“This is huge,” Councilmember Signe Friedrichs said. “This isn’t just a little bit of money; this is a lot of money,” she said of the county’s increased contribution. “We are so grateful.”
The new funding arrangement calls for releasing the $5 million in $1 million increments each year; payment would begin once the project gets an occupancy certificate for its first residential unit.
The support came after the town and developer agreed to equally split an estimated increase of $24.6 million of the project. Dennis Holste, economic development manager for the town, said that eight-figure increase was related to materials, labor and workforce restrictions “due to the pandemic.”
Town officials were unable to comment Wednesday what the breakdown of the additional costs involved. Comstock didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
In November 2020, the town and Comstock amended an earlier agreement with the company from 2017. The town then sold the nearly 4.7-acre parcel at 770 Elden St. to Comstock for over $10.06 million on Dec. 16, 2020, according to a county property database.
“I think this is a big win not just for the town but for the area,” said Vice Mayor Cesar del Aguila, following the council’s unanimous vote to accept the county contribution, coming from an Economic Opportunity Reserve Fund, designed for strategic investments to stimulate growth.
Comstock has to start the project by Dec. 31, 2021 but can extend that by up to two years depending on market conditions or other matters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the town.
A coalition that tried to recall school board member Elaine Tholen has filed another recall petition, this time for school board member Laura Jane Cohen.
Open FCPS Coalition says it’s seeking to remove the Springfield District representative over Fairfax County Public Schools’ pandemic response. Dee O’Neal Jackson, the group’s founder, said in a statement that the school board has failed students during the pandemic, especially those with learning disabilities.
“We hope the Court recognizes the concerns of these 8,000 residents and requires Ms. Cohen to explain why the concerns of these parents are invalid,” the group said in a statement, stating that it filed the 8,000-plus signatures collected for the petition on Friday (Dec. 10) at the Fairfax County Courthouse.
Open FCPS Coalition has gathered signatures against multiple school board members and previously noted concerns with school closings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Open FCPS Coalition formed in fall 2020 to protest Fairfax County Public Schools going virtual during the pandemic and campaigned to recall Tholen, who represents Dranesville District, and Member-at-Large Abrar Omeish.
Cohen noted Tholen’s case was summarily dismissed after a special prosecutor said he had investigated the allegations in the petition and found that none of them could be substantiated.
“Allowing public officials to be recalled over policy disagreements unnecessarily politicizes their work,” Cohen said in a statement. “Virginia law is clear: differences of opinion over matters of policy are simply not grounds for removal from office.”
While the Open FCPS Coalition describes itself as a grassroots, bipartisan group concerned with keeping politics out of schools, it’s received funding contributions from former Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Snyder and N2 America, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing center-right policies in the suburbs.
Open FCPS Coalition previously said only one school board member, Braddock District representative Megan McLaughlin, advocated for reopening in a way it felt was consistent and a priority.
“The Board has worked hard to ensure the safety and health of our 180,000 students and tens of thousands of teachers and staff during the pandemic,” Cohen said in a statement. “I’m proud that we’ve been able to successfully return and keep students in our buildings this year and provide a much more normal school experience in spite of the pandemic related challenges all systems are facing.”
Giant Employee Arrested in Connection with Embezzlement — A 54-year-old employee at Giant in North Point Village Center was arrested on Dec. 12 on embezzlement charges. Police said that an internal investigation found that the suspect was reportedly taking merchandise from the store without paying. [Fairfax County Police Department]
Trains Run on Silver Line Extension — Test trains have been running on the Silver Line extension in Fairfax and Loudoun County. Officials announced that the project has reached substantial completion last month. [Inside NOVA]
Plastic Bag Tax to Begin — Beginning Jan. 1, residents will have to pay a five-cent plastic bag tax for disposable plastic bags, including grocery stores, convenience stores, and drug stores in the county. [Fairfax County Government]
The Town of Herndon is considering a holistic plan to crack down on parking issues throughout the town — a move that some officials say is necessary and long overdue.
At a Herndon Town Council meeting earlier this month, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said that issues with parking have grown over the last two years, resulting in a mounting number of complaints regarding overcrowded neighborhoods, oversized commercial vehicles in residential areas, and other issues.
‘To be frank, Herndon has become the dumping ground for these [commercial] vehicles because there are no restrictions here,” DeBoard said, noting that some of these issues have been ongoing for 20 years.
Unlike Fairfax and Loudoun counties, the Town of Herndon has no specific parking restrictions for oversized commercial vehicles in residential areas, motor homes parking on public streets, and vehicles parking too close to driveways. The town’s code lacks specific language regarding the dimensions of restricted commercial vehicles and a highly nonspecific law simply states that parking is prohibited in “a manner that is blocking a public or private driveway.”
Increased density in the area and projected population increases have created what DeBoard called a “real compression issue.”
Council member Jasbinder Singh said that some parking restrictions might be too onerous for some neighborhoods where parking is already limited and there are no alternatives for parking.
“We have a very different character in Herndon,” Singh said, particularly in neighborhoods where residents rely on commercial vehicles for their livelihoods. “There are a lot of crowded neighborhoods.”
Calls to address parking issues in the town are not new.
In 2017, the town responded by hiring a parking enforcement officer and using a ticketing device to catch offenders. In August, the Herndon Town Council tabled a plan to limit parking near driveways, instead asking the police department and the town’s attorney to evaluate parking issues from a more holistic standpoint.
The council is expected to continue discussion on the issue following the Dec. 7 meeting.
Currently, DeBoard said that some people take advantage of the town’s lack of restrictions by simply leaving their vehicles in neighborhoods to avoid parking fees at Dulles International Airport.
Councilmember Sean Regan suggested considering residential zoned parking, which sets aside controlled parking zones by permits.
While police dogs are often seen in detecting drugs and explosives, one by the name of Bragg in Herndon is known for another area: comforting people.
Bragg assists officers, dispatchers and department staff following stressful situations and in counseling sessions, interviews and roll calls as a facility dog. He can sense increases in one’s heart rate and can get help when needed, part of a repertoire of 50-plus commands.
Recently, the town applauded two lieutenants and the canine, who were part of a group of town workers who received Outstanding Performance Awards. Town manager Bill Ashton presented the awards on Dec. 7 to thank them for going above and beyond in their service.
“In this challenging year, the creativity and innovation demonstrated by these employees made our workplace safer, our employees healthier and our team spirit stronger,” Ashton said in a statement. “Often, leaders emerge in times of trial. Each employee recognized by these awards exemplifies leadership in the truest, best sense of the word.”
Lts. Jay Carson and Mark Dale, who joined the department last year, developed a comprehensive wellness program for the police department to help officers cope with stressful incidents and contribute to positive mental health. The town noted that they created the program in eight months and it includes a contracted police psychologist, annual wellness checks, peer support teams, meditation training, a dedicated wellness/meditation room, the addition of Bragg and more.
The department announced the addition of Bragg in April after the Labrador Retriever spent two years receiving specialized training from the nonprofit Mutts With A Mission. Nowadays, he can be seen in areas of the Herndon Police Department and community events, where he serves as a four-legged ambassador.
“He is a big calming presence,” police spokesperson Lisa Herndon told Reston Now, noting the department also brings him out to farmers’ markets, community events involving kids and Target.
His first deployment was responding to the police station in June following a tragedy involving the murder of a mother and her two young children at their Herndon apartment at the hands of a romantic partner who committed suicide, according to police.
Bragg is now an additional element who can sit in on meetings to provide another layer of support.
In the community, he’s used to help put children at ease and show that police are there for them, the department said. The department’s spokesperson also noted that police in the town want to be seen as welcoming to immigrants and Herndon police don’t check immigration status.
Capt. Steven Pihonak, Bragg’s handler, brings him to work each day, and Bragg lives with the lieutenant and his family.
“Bragg really has the best of both worlds; he gets to help the men and women of the Herndon Police Department by day and go home with me and be a carefree dog at night,” Pihonak previously said in a statement.
Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said Bragg is an important part of the health and wellness program to help ensure officers and staff have the resources to remain emotionally well and focus on serving the community
My Dr.’s Pharmacy is looking to move next year to a bigger space to house its existing setup involving two separate locations in the same plaza.
The business (412 Elden St.) features pharmacists and nutritionists and added a COVID-19 clinic nearby during the pandemic in Herndon Centre (the temporary clinic is at 388 Elden St.).
But it’s hoping to consolidate those two footprints and feature a wellness center under the JunoWellness brand by June, president and pharmacist Omar Shoheiber of the company said in an email.
“The new location will become a retail based wellness hub where a team of pharmacists, nurses, clinical nutritionists, and physical therapist work together,” he wrote. “The focus will not only be on caring for the sick but also to help the healthy stay healthy.”
The business provides nutritional and herbal wellness consultation services, supplements and prescriptions. Its clinic has been delivering COVID-19 vaccines as well as testing, delivering results within two hours or the next day, depending on the type of test.
Shoheiber described the new location as a retail-based wellness hub where a team of pharmacists, nurses, clinical nutritionists and a physical therapist work together. He likened it to a Home Depot for health care services.
The business is currently looking to get signage for the new location approved through the town. The existing locations will be vacated.
Photo via Google Maps
The Reston Associations expects a multimillion-dollar project to renovate the Lake Thoreau pool, closed since last year, will be done by the 2023 swim season.
The organization’s Design Review Board approved the $3.5 million project in July, and RA finalized a contract with Maryland-based Hubert Construction.
RA suggested that it held a meeting on Monday (Dec. 13) about the logistics and scheduling, but a spokesperson for the organization declined to provide details, saying when information is available, it would be released to members through RA communication channels.
The association’s board of directors is slated to hear an update on the project at its regular meeting Thursday (Dec. 16).
According to the presentation, there are ongoing adjustments to 20% of the design, which includes expanding the footprint of a pool house. The project also calls for reconstructing the pool, expanding the bathhouses as well as a parking lot, and more.
The pool first opened in 1981 but has had structural problems, such as cracks in the pool shell and concrete deck.
RA had sought to begin construction in October or November. The association declined to comment on why the timeline was delayed.
