Community Raises Money for Family of Hit-and-Run Victim — A GoFundMe started on Friday (Sept. 3) by the sister of Reston resident Andrew Willingham, who was killed in a hit-and-run incident on Fairfax County Parkway last week, has received more than $257,000 as of 7:30 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday). The money will go toward helping Willingham’s wife and two sons with expenses, including a future college fund. [Patch]
County Launches Data Hub for Reston Parks — “You can now access the latest information on urban parks and athletic fields associated with redevelopment in the Reston Transit Station Areas through the new Urban Parks Activity Hub. The new online hub is one of three components of the Reston Data Visualization project created by the Department of Planning and Development in coordination with the Park Authority.” [Fairfax County Government]
Herndon Police Chief With Rare State Award — “Chief [Maggie] DeBoard and Executive Director Dana Schrad were recognized by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation with the 2021 Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement Award…This award recognizes an individual’s conspicuous act or achievement in the performance of their duty that results in an exceptional and responsible contribution to the law enforcement profession here in VA.” [Herndon Police/Twitter]
Reston Contractor CEO Recalls Company’s 9/11 Origins — Reston-based defense technology contractor EverWatch Corp. CEO John Hillen says his life “is very oddly wrapped up with 9/11.” His experience in downtown New York City on Sept. 11, 2001 propelled him from Wall Street to the State Department under the George W. Bush administration, and his company now provides tools for defense missions that directly stem from the attacks. [Washington Business Journal]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
While the federal eviction moratorium is no more, local experts say a Virginia law that took effect on Aug. 10 still provides notable protections for both renters and landlords in Fairfax County.
The Supreme Court ruled on Aug. 26 that the hold on evictions imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was unconstitutional, eliminating a nationwide policy intended to keep people housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“[The eviction moratorium] certainly is one protection that’s removed for the tenant,” said Dipti Pidikiti-Smith of Legal Services of Northern Virginia, a local nonprofit that works with Fairfax County to provide pro-bono legal assistance. “But it wasn’t the main protection. There’s a really good state protection in place.”
In place through June 30, 2022, H.B. 7001 prohibits landlords from evicting tenants who have experienced financial challenges due to the pandemic unless they notify renters about the Virginia Rent Relief Program and apply for assistance on their behalf if the tenant doesn’t apply themselves within 14 days.
Pidikiti-Smith says the bill is a very strong protection that helps both tenants and landlords.
“The state provides more protection initially in preventing filing of these evictions because landlords have to apply for rent assistance,” Pidikiti-Smith said. “Once that’s done, the money is there. The landlords get their payment and tenants have relief… and there’s no need to file a case.”
Tenants can apply for up to 15 months of assistance, which could mean anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on their need and eligibility.
Pidikiti-Smith says she knows one tenant who received $35,000 in relief, though the average is about $5,000 to $6,000. Most tenants who apply do qualify for at least partial assistance.
While the moratorium’s end affected cases already in court, it has had less of an impact statewide on potential evictions.
“We’ve been telling tenants it’s okay that the [eviction moratorium] isn’t in place right now,” Pidikiti-Smith said.
County officials expressed relief last month when the CDC extended its eviction moratorium into October, but they also said the county had ample funds to support those in need.
Earlier this summer, the county set up a new emergency rental assistance program using federal relief funds that has provided more than $12 million in both housing and utilities assistance to about 1,550 households so far, according to data provided to FFXnow.
Before the program was implemented, the county provided more than $28 million in housing, food, and utility assistance from other sources.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said by email that the Supreme Court’s ruling on the federal eviction moratorium was “not ideal.”
“However Fairfax County staff has been incredibly proactive in distributing rent relief, collecting data on those who are at-risk of eviction, and opportunities for both renters and landlords to have access to funds,” McKay said. “We know how important it is for people to be in their homes and we are doing all in our power to make our rent relief efforts expansive and data-driven.”
The availability of financial assistance hasn’t completely stopped evictions, though.
August saw 68 writs of evictions, a court-ordered notice allowing the sheriff’s office to evict a tenant, according to county data. The writs often stem from a tenant failing to submit an Eviction Protection Declaration, not qualifying for assistance, or being evicted for a reason other than their ability to pay rent.
“Even with the CDC order, we never stopped receiving notices from landlords and Writs of Eviction from the court,” the Fairfax County’s Sheriff Office wrote in a statement. “If a tenant did not submit the declaration or was being evicted for a lease violation not related to rent payment, the CDC moratorium did not apply.”
Pidikiti-Smith says there are two types of evictions — formal ones that go through the courts and informal ones where tenants leave before the court process plays out.
She says informal evictions can happen when tenants don’t know their rights or where to go for help, leaving them feeling intimidated when their landlord tells them to leave. Those types of evictions are impossible to track.
The emergency rental assistance program has proven beneficial to landlords as well as tenants.
According to Northern Virginia Apartment Association Executive Director Patrick Algyer, tenants owe about $2,000 on average — far less than they did at the beginning of 2021, thanks largely to Virginia’s rent relief programs.
Vacancy rates have also significantly decreased across Northern Virginia, dropping from the 15-25% range earlier this year to 4-6%, Algyer says. Prior to the pandemic, 2-3% was considered typical.
While Algyer supports the rental assistance program, he says it’s difficult when the responsibility to apply falls on landlords.
“The program has been essential in helping tenants cover back rent owed,” he wrote in an email. “However, landlords are legally responsible for applying on behalf of their tenant and it is a cumbersome and protracted process that could be easier to navigate.”
He also disputed the perception of landlords as “large corporations.” Individual landlords own about 40% of rental properties regionally, and about a third of all properties serve low or moderate-income tenants, according to NVAA.
“Many of these smaller landlords have been forced between a rock and a hard place, with little recourse when a tenant doesn’t pay rent — and in some cases have run into issues where tenants don’t comply with the landlord’s mandatory application for rental assistance, further complicating the process,” Algyer wrote. “Meanwhile, landlords’ expenses such as mortgages, taxes, utilities and repair bills have not abated.”
Although the landlord-tenant relationship is often seen as adversarial, cooperation and communication can ensure everyone gets what they want, Pidikiti-Smith says: landlords get owed back rent and tenants can stay in their homes.
“It’s fundamental to every human relationship, communication,” Pidikiti-Smith said. “There’s a pandemic and everybody has stressors that they’re trying to navigate. I think that escalates some situations. But once that application is submitted [for rent relief], it always has great results.”
Photo via Ser Amantio di Nicolao/Wikimedia Commons
Two weeks into a new school year that was supposed to herald the full return of in-person learning, Fairfax County Public Schools is considering adding a new, limited option for virtual instruction in an effort to minimize disruptions related to COVID-19.
Under the proposal, which will be shared in more detail during the Fairfax County School Board’s meeting tomorrow (Thursday), students who are directed to isolate, quarantine, or pause in-person learning due a COVID-19 case would be allowed to attend their classes via live video streaming, FCPS spokesperson Julie Moult confirmed to FFXnow.
“We understand that students learn best in person and that being required to quarantine is not an ideal situation,” Moult said in a statement. “We are doing our best to find solutions for those who need to be out of the classroom.”
FCPS has not reported any outbreaks to the Virginia Department of Health since the beginning of August, but it has recorded 510 COVID-19 cases, including 397 cases among students, over the past six weeks, according to the district’s dashboard for the 2021-2022 academic year.
411 of those cases have come in since classes began on Aug. 23, and there were 160 cases in the first seven days of September, even with students getting both Friday (Sept. 3) and Monday (Sept. 6) off for Labor Day weekend.
According to FCPS, a student, staff member, or visitor testing positive for COVID-19 may prompt a pause to in-person instruction, sports, and other activities for individuals identified as potential close contacts so the Fairfax County Health Department can conduct an investigation, including contact tracing.
While the department has a team specifically dedicated to school-related cases, the start of school has brought an influx of COVID-19 infections, including ones acquired outside of school. That has stressed the system and led to investigations that sometimes take several days, the FCHD said in a blog post last Thursday (Sept. 2).
The length of the investigations is part of a growing list of frustrations with this school year, from bus delays and crowded cafeterias to communication issues that have resulted in students showing up for class when they’re supposed to stay at home.
FCPS announced last week that it worked with the county health department to implement a new system where parents can electronically confirm their children’s vaccination status to speed up the contact-tracing process and enable them to return to in-person classes more quickly.
The school system also said that student athletes will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination to participate in winter and spring sports in part because the majority of pauses to in-person instruction for high school students have been triggered by exposure during athletic activities.
Just this week, Herndon High School postponed its football games against South Lakes High School that were scheduled for tomorrow and Friday (Sept. 10). Moult confirmed that the Herndon football team has been paused, necessitating the postponement.
WUSA9 reported last night that parents were notified on Aug. 30 that the entire Herndon football team had to stay home last week after a varsity player tested positive for COVID-19.
FCPS is offering some virtual instruction this year, but enrollment was strictly limited to students with a documented medical need to learn remotely. Officials told the school board on Aug. 24 that approximately 400 students were enrolled in the program, 42% of them students with disabilities.
While some families have advocated for FCPS to offer virtual learning more widely, the live classroom streaming option will only be available to students who are paused, isolating, or quarantined due to COVID-19 if it’s approved, Moult says.
“We are working with principals, teachers and teacher associations to finalize the details and should have this ready to share with families shortly,” Moult said. “We hope this will alleviate some of the concerns about potentially missing out on in-person instruction.”
To the world, Mykle Lyons was an accomplished jazz musician, a student of the late Ellis Marsalis who played in venues like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and counted former Vice President Al Gore among his fans.
To residents of Reston, his long-time home, Lyons was also a neighbor, a regular sight at the now-closed Market Street Bar and Grill in Reston Town Center and at local schools where he sometimes volunteered to perform.
Now, in the wake of Lyons’s death in May, Lake Anne Plaza hopes to keep alive his legacy as a musician and valued community member by launching the first annual Mykle Lyons Food and Music Festival on Sept. 18.
“The cultural impact of Reston ripples far beyond its boundaries, and nowhere is this better exemplified than by the contributions of our own Mykle Lyons, an accomplished musician, an educator, a philosopher, and a generous and compassionate soul,” the Lake Anne & Washington Plaza Merchant Association said yesterday (Tuesday) in a news release announcing the festival’s musical lineup.
Organized by the association in conjunction with Roxplosion and Kalypso’s Sports Tavern, the free festival will take place at the plaza waterfront (1609 Washington Plaza) from 5 to 8 p.m. The Chris Timbers Band and Sam Gunderson & The Cactus Groove will perform.
Born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Lyons became immersed in jazz through trips with his father to nearby New Orleans. He and his family moved to Reston when he entered middle school, where he joined his first band, Amethyst, according to Kalypso’s owner Vicky Hadjikyriakou.
He later studied with Marsalis while attending Virginia Commonwealth University and formed the Mykle Lyons Quartet, which appeared as the featured act at the 1992 and 1996 Presidential Inaugural Galas at the National Gallery of Art.
Lyons released four professional recordings, including an album called “Heritage” that featured all original music and arrangements, but his primary passion was for live music.
An archived Washington Post feature on pianist Loston Harris II describes Lyons’s bass solo during a sold-out concert that they played at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria in the late 1990s, saying that “the instrument seems to be alive, bucking and rolling.”
Other collaborators included the Marsalis family, Don Braden, Lew Tabacken, Ralph Bowen, Vincent Herring, Wes Anderson, Eric Alexander, and Victor Goines.
“Through his travels and gigs, Lake Anne remained his home and the Plaza his neighborhood,” Hadjikyriakou said by email.
In addition to putting on weekly shows at the Market Street Bar and Grill until it closed, Lyons performed at a range of venues throughout Reston, from weddings to the United Christian Parish preschool. He even once coordinated a volunteer performance by Lady Gaga’s cellist at Buzz Aldrin Elementary School.
Lyons also left his mark in Reston by creating the Lake Anne Jazz and Blues Festival, which celebrated its 14th year of existence on Saturday (Sept. 4). His band, which expanded into a sextet, had performed at the annual festival in the past.
“Kalypso’s, Roxplosion, and Lake Anne & Washington Plaza Merchant Association all look forward to honoring Mykle’s contributions by providing an event to celebrate and share the gift of music with our community, just as he would have wanted- in his neighborhood,” Hadjikyriakou said.
Pickleball continues to grow in popularity, and Fairfax County is looking for ways to accommodate a rising demand for local, dedicated facilities.
A draft report that the county released last week highlights the conflict that pickleball has experienced with other recreational activities. It also provides strategies for how to minimize or eliminate problems when adding pickleball courts, especially in spaces shared with other sports like tennis and basketball.
“A key finding of the study was that the potential for conflict between sport courts exists when providing shared-use courts or repurposing courts to sports for which they were not initially constructed, such as tennis or basketball,” the report said.
People can comment on the draft report through Oct. 1 by email and phone and at a virtual meeting scheduled for next Tuesday (Sept. 14).
Based an online survey that Fairfax County Park Authority carried out from December 2020 to January 2021, the report says respondents have experienced conflicts with tennis players using available courts, thereby limiting their use for pickleball.
One person said conflict “is too strong a word, but [we] occasionally have to change plans when courts are already taken by tennis players.” Another person reported a tennis player saying the courts were for tennis only.
The county’s report says both tennis and pickleball got a boost across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as people sought activities that can be played while maintaining advised social distancing.
The number of tennis players increased 22% to 21.64 million in the U.S. from 2019 to 2020, according to the U.S. Tennis Association. Meanwhile, pickleball grew 21.3% to 4.2 million players during that same time frame, according to the USA Pickleball Association.
In the Fairfax County Park Authority’s survey, which generated over 1,800 responses, approximately 78% of people said they played pickleball in the last year, and most played a few times a week or month.
The county’s report said local participation in pickleball mirrors regional and national trends, and more publicly maintained courts have already started to emerge during the pandemic.
“In the 18 months prior to this report, 19 pickleball courts were added to existing tennis courts and the two pickleball-only courts were constructed, representing a 68 percent net increase in the number of pickleball courts,” the report noted.
In the report, county staff shared strategies for identifying where pickleball spaces could be added, either by constructing new courts dedicated solely for pickleball or by repurposing or sharing existing courts.
Park authority officials say that a 2024 park bond or other funding sources could assist with designing and constructing a pickleball-only facility that has at least six courts.
For transforming existing spaces into shared or dedicated courts for pickleball, the county points to a phased approach adopted by Montgomery County as a best practice “that has demonstrated success in the Washington, D.C. metro region.”
The process involves placing pickleball court lines on a court temporarily, observing the space for two to four weeks, and noting any conflicts or reported issues as well as player usage trends before either removing the temporarily lines or making them permanent for shared use with continued monitoring.
“Prior to the introduction of pickleball at a court, or prior to the removal of nonpickleball play at a court, decision makers should evaluate a facility’s current utilization, area service levels, and potential reasons for under-utilization such as demand, location, access, or maintenance,” the report said. “It is inappropriate to change the use of a court if such a change would result in a significant reduction of adopted service levels or conflicts between sports that cannot be minimized or mitigated.”
The report also found that Fairfax County is comparable to other areas in terms of the overall number of pickleball courts it provides per capita, but only two facilities are dedicated to pickleball, while 48 outdoor courts are shared with tennis players.
However, pickleball players here said the county didn’t offer enough opportunities to play the sport, such as courts dedicated solely to pickleball or groupings of pickleball courts to support many concurrent games, so county staff determined that one solution is to strategically locate pickleball courts together to better facilitate group and tournament play, Park Authority long range planning chief Ryan Stewart said in a statement.
As part of those concerns, many people still expressed dissatisfaction with how Fairfax County’s development of facilities compared to other jurisdictions.
“Of area jurisdictions, only Prince William County has, to date, provided purpose-built, dedicated pickleball courts. This eight-court facility was often cited in the public survey as players’ preferred venue,” the report said. “Montgomery Parks is currently converting its tennis courts at Bauer Lane Local Park to six pickleball-only courts with lighting.”
County staff said the report’s recommendations should be considered in conjunction with ongoing community engagement from participants, neighbors, and other stakeholders.
“The Park Authority has valued the contributions of the community of players and remains committed to ongoing dialog as these recommendations are implemented and as new opportunities emerge to address growing demand,” the report said.
The draft report stems from a formal review of pickleball players’ needs that the county launched in the summer of 2019. The county expects to finalize the report next month after the latest round of public comments, and the park authority board could approve it in November.
Photo via Lauren Bryan/Flickr
Afghan Evacuees Tax Northern Virginia Hospitals — The recent influx of Afghanistan evacuees through Dulles International Airport has taken a toll on the region’s hospitals, leading to issues with keeping track of patients and rising costs. As of yesterday (Tuesday), Fairfax County has taken 219 Afghan patients to local hospitals and will ask the federal government to pay the estimated $300,000 in personnel and transportation costs that it has accrued so far. [The Washington Post]
Food Starts Reston Apartment Fire — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to the 1800 block of St. Francis Street in Reston Town Center around 1 p.m. yesterday after getting reports of smoke issuing from the 16th floor of an apartment building. One person was checked for injuries from the fire, which appeared to have been started by food cooking on a stove. [Patch]
Deer Archery Program Returns This Weekend — “The Fairfax County Deer Management Archery Program begins Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 and runs through Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022…The archery program began in FY 2010…to reduce and stabilize the white-tailed deer population in Fairfax County in efforts to minimize safety and health hazards and other impacts related to an overabundance of deer.” [Fairfax County Police Department]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Safety, access, and equity are among the top priorities for Fairfax County residents when it comes to envisioning the future of transportation in the area.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation released a draft report on Aug. 31 for its ActiveFairfax Transportation Plan, which will combine and update the county’s Bicycle Master Plan and Countywide Trails Map into an overarching plan for amenities to support walking, cycling, and other self-propelled modes of travel.
The draft comes after the county conducted a dozen virtual community conversations with residents this past spring to learn more about their concerns and desires.
The county also received public input from 1,474 virtual community survey responses, 1,217 comments on a virtual barrier and destination feedback map, and 537 comments on virtual planned trail, bikeway network, and complete streets map.
The feedback informed the draft report, which proposes a general framework for the ActiveFairfax plan with four goals:
- Access and connectivity
- Safety and comfort
- Livability and health
- Equity and social justice.
Access and connectivity refers to the goal of providing “a well-connected, multimodal transportation network that offers safe, convenient, healthy, sustainable and affordable mobility options for Fairfax County,” according to the draft.
Objectives under that goal include a focus on planning, implementing, and maintaining a network of safe and comfortable sidewalks, bikeway, trails, and streets that link residential and commercial areas.
The “safety and comfort” goal encompasses efforts to minimize traffic injuries and fatalities with an emphasis on active transportation users, including by pursuing policies and incentives that reduce vehicle trips and travel speeds.
Addressing livability and health will “advance public health, sustainability and the quality of life by providing inviting sidewalks, bikeways and trails that encourage frequent usage,” the draft says.
In order to achieve this goal, the draft proposes providing a variety of educational and promotional programs and events to promote active transportation modes, as well as applying best practices to street designs, including adding wider sidewalks and ensuring bicycle facilities are available for a variety of ages and abilities.
Finally, the goal of addressing equity and social justice aims to “provide a multi-modal transportation system that prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable road users including communities of color, low-income communities, small children and their caregivers, youth, people with disabilities, and older adults.”
This fourth goal’s objectives include adhering to the county’s One Fairfax policy when developing or evaluating active transportation policies, programs, facilities, and practices. It also means making sure the public engagement process for transportation policies and projects is inclusive so that everyone’s needs are adequately addressed.
The county’s transportation department will host two virtual community meetings to further discuss the draft’s vision, goals, and objectives. The meetings will be held Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m., and links to sign up for each are available on the county’s site.
Scott Fields contributed to this report.
The Delta variant-fueled rise in coronavirus cases that roiled Fairfax County during the latter half of the summer appears to have eased a little over the first week of September.
With 135 new cases reported today (Tuesday), the Fairfax Health District, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church has recorded a total of 85,151 COVID-19 cases, 4,262 hospitalizations, and 1,167 deaths.
The county is now averaging 158.4 new cases per day over the past week, down from the weekly average of 183.9 cases on Aug. 30 that has so far represented the summer’s peak. That is shy of the high mark for the spring, when the county averaged 195.1 cases on April 13.
That slight decline in cases has been enough to bring Fairfax County back down to a substantial level of community spread after entering the “high” category at the end of August.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Virginia Department of Health determine the level of COVID-19 community transmission within a locality based on the number of new cases per 100,000 people and the percentage of positive tests over the past week.
Fairfax County recorded 98.4 new cases per 100,000 people for the week of Aug. 29 to Sept. 4, dropping below the 100-case threshold for “high” transmission. 4.3% of administered tests came back positive for COVID-19 in that time frame.
However, Fairfax County also saw fewer people seek out a COVID-19 vaccination in the past week — perhaps a product of residents leaving town for Labor Day weekend.
According to the Fairfax County Health Department’s dashboard, 791,935 Fairfax Health District residents have received at least one vaccine dose. That constitutes 79.1% of residents 18 and older and 66.9% of the total population.
However, it’s just 4,527 more people than Aug. 30, when more than 6,000 additional people had gotten their first shot in the preceding week.
717,743 residents — 60.6% of the district’s population — are now fully vaccinated, including 72.1% of all adults.
The need to get the remaining 30% of adults vaccinated will become increasingly urgent as the weather starts to cool, pushing activities like dining and exercise back indoors.
The CDC is currently projecting Virginia to surpass 25,000 COVID-19 cases per week by the end of the month. The Commonwealth totaled 21,693 cases over the week of Sept. 1.
The Fairfax County Health Department says community members should remain vigilant in following not only COVID protocols, such as wearing a mask indoors and getting vaccinated for those who haven’t done so already, but also more general health guidelines.
“As the weather cools, and people are typically inside more often, it is even more important to adhere to commonsense health and wellness strategies such as getting enough rest, a balanced diet, and regular exercise,” the department said in a statement. “This is also the time of year when everyone should investigate getting their flu shots — either from their medical provider, pharmacy or community clinics.”
Photo via CDC/Unsplash
Tuesday, Sept. 7
- An Evening with Martin Taylor (7:30 p.m.) — Vienna’s Jammin’ Java will open its doors at 6 p.m. for a concert featuring British jazz guitarist Martin Taylor, who has been recognized globally for his unique “fingerstyle” way of playing. General admission tickets cost $25, and seating is first come, first served.
Thursday, Sept. 9
- The Future of Workspace (4-6 p.m.) — Learn about what work will look like once the pandemic is behind us at the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce’s first hybrid networking event. In-person spots at Office Evolution (205 Van Buren Street, Suite 120) in Herndon are limited, so advance registration is encouraged.
- Fair Oaks Mall Carnival (5-10 p.m.) — Dreamland Amusements will roll into town with its traveling carnival of rides, games, and food for a 10-day stay at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax. Admission and parking are free, but ride tickets range from $1.50 for a single ticket to a $99 pre-sale for four unlimited-ride wristbands.
Friday, Sept. 10
- Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) — The Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art’s (Tephra ICA) 30th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is back at Reston Town Center for a weekend of art sales, hands-on crafts, and live dance performances.
- Stuffed Animal Sleepover (5 p.m.) — For $20, get your kid’s favorite stuffie into a night of games, books, and dancing at Scrawl Books. Local author Debra Kempf Shumaker will read her book “Freaky Funky Fish” as the animals get tucked in for the night, and they’ll be ready for pick-up with some goodies at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
- Movie in the Park (7:45 p.m.) — Doors open at 7 p.m. for “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the latest film to screen at the Hunters Woods pavilion (2501 Reston Parkway) as part of Reston Association’s summer movie series. Bring chairs or blankets and a picnic dinner to enjoy while taking in Steven Spielberg’s adventure classic.
Saturday, Sept. 11
- 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony (2 p.m.) — Fairfax County will commemorate 20 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at the Bailey’s Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department (3601 Firehouse Lane) in Falls Church, which deployed many first responders to help at the Pentagon. The county will also support community service efforts with the 25th annual VolunteerFest.
- Candlelight Remembrance Vigil (8:30 p.m.) — St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church (432 Van Buren Street) in Herndon will hold an outdoor vigil in its parking lot to honor 9/11 victims and their loved ones.
Sunday, Sept. 12
- Dog Daze 2021 (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) — The Water Mine finishes the season by opening the water park up to all pups for swimming and a canine resource fair. Proceeds from the $10 tickets go to the Fairfax County Park Foundation.
- Twilight Yoga on the Dock (7:30 p.m.) — New Trail Cycling & Strength Coach Kimberly will lead patrons in a sunset flow on the dock along Lake Anne. To book your spot and get a class credit, go to the New Trail website.
Photo via Fairfax County Park Authority/Facebook
Yard waste is piling up in Fairfax County, as a nationwide labor shortage in the hauling services industry has triggered collection delays that could potentially last weeks.
The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services has made some temporary changes to its practices after recently warning customers, who make up about 10% of residents and businesses, to expect delays for the next several weeks.
“There is a tremendous amount of competition for drivers, which has an impact on our ability to recruit and retain,” DPWES spokesperson Sharon North said in an email. “Since COVID-19, the home delivery business has skyrocketed, often providing more attractive and lucrative trucking jobs in the private sector.”
Now, the county says it will allow solid waste service providers — both public and private — to collect trash and yard waste together if they are experiencing labor shortages that prevent them from completing routes in a timely manner.
“This temporary allowance can be used by both private haulers and county collective service providers if they choose based on their staff resources,” the county said in an announcement on Wednesday (Sept. 1).
The changes took effect last Tuesday (Aug. 31). The county also said it will review a requirement in mid-October that prevents combining recycling and yard waste hauling.
“[The] staffing shortages in the Solid Waste industry are happening in many municipalities across the country, not just in Fairfax County,” North wrote. “Even private solid waste/recycling haulers are struggling during these times.”
As of Friday (Sept. 3), the county had 13 vacancies for maintenance workers, heavy and motor equipment operators, and lead refuse operators. Hourly pay for positions with regular benefits ranges from $18.10 on average for regular maintenance workers to $29.95 on average for lead refuse operators.
North said in an Aug. 30 email that the county’s trash and recycling services have not been affected by the delays.
County collection customers are primarily located along the eastern border of Fairfax County. Most other residents and businesses receive hauling services from private companies.
Yard waste and trash will still end up in their same, separate downstream destinations.
Former Herndon HS Teacher Sentenced for Child Pornography — Former Herndon High School drama teacher Raphael Schklowsky was sentenced on Friday (Sept. 3) to four years and two months of jail time after pleading guilty to unlawful filming and possessing child pornography. Police said he had used dozens of hidden cameras to record at least 8,000 videos of students undressing, including one woman who testified in court. [NBC4]
Reston Man Faces Weapons and Marijuana Charges — A 30-year-old Reston man faces multiple charges, including carrying a concealed weapon and distribution of marijuana, after police found him trespassing a private property in the 2000 block of Sanibel Drive on Aug. 31. Officers reportedly found that he was unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon as well as multiple rounds of ammunition and “a large amount” of marijuana. [FCPD]
RA Seeks Volunteers for Pickleball Tournament — Reston Association is looking for volunteers who are 16 and older to serve as court monitors or runners for its inaugural Pickleball Paddle Battle Tournament, which will take place at Lake Newport and Autumnwood Tennis Courts on Sept. 18 and 19. Volunteer nurses or CPR-trained professionals are also needed to work the event’s first aid tent. Anyone who’s interested can contact Ha Brock, at [email protected] or 703-435-7986. [RA News]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Labor Day weekend has almost arrived, unofficially bringing summer to an end with an occasion to recognize the achievement of workers and the labor movement.
For students, the weekend has already begun, since Fairfax County Public Schools has designated both today (Friday) and Monday (Sept. 6) as holidays.
While Reston Association’s summer pool season has mostly come to a close, a handful of pools will be open over Labor Day weekend, with the North Shore and Ridge Heights heated pools remaining open through Sept. 19.
RA announced on Tuesday (Aug. 31) that the North Shore, Ridge Heights, Lake Newport, and Glade pools will all open from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 4-5) as well as from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday.
“We are happy that we were able to open and operate the majority of RA pools safely this summer for our members enjoyment,” RA Director of Recreation and Environmental Education Laura Kowalski said in an email. “In addition, RA swim lessons, water exercise and pool events were well attended. And of course, our annual end of season Dog Paddles for our furry friends was a big hit.”
Elsewhere in Fairfax County, many public facilities and services will be closed or have altered schedules for Labor Day. Here are some of the changes that Reston and Herndon residents should be aware of for the federal holiday:
Fairfax County Government
- County government offices will be closed on Sept. 6.
Fairfax County Courts
- The Fairfax Circuit, General District, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District courts will all be closed on Labor Day.
Town of Herndon
- Town offices and the Herndon Community Center will be closed for Labor Day.
- There will be no recycling collection that day. Residents whose recycling is typically collected on Mondays will instead have pick-ups on Tuesday (Sept. 7).
- The Herndon Centennial Golf Course will be open on Monday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
County Libraries and Recreational Facilities
- Fairfax County Public Library follows the same operating status as the general county government, so all branches will be closed on Labor Day.
- Nearly all Fairfax County RECenters will be open on Monday and follow their standard operating hours, which conclude at 6 p.m. The exception is the George Washington RECenter in Alexandria, which will be closed.
- The Colvin Run Mill and Sully historic sites, Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, and all nature centers will be closed.
- The visitor center at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon will be closed, but the farm itself will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The indoor arena will also be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- All Neighborhood and Community Services facilities, including community, teen, and senior centers, will be closed from Sept. 4-6.
- The Reston Community Center Hunters Woods and Lake Anne facilities will both be closed on Monday.
Public Transit
- Fairfax Connector buses will operate on a Sunday schedule for Labor Day. Check the transit system’s website for the specific routes that will be in service.
- Metro will operate from 7 a.m. to midnight throughout Labor Day weekend, with trains serving 87 of 91 stations normally on the Red, Blue, and Silver lines and scheduled maintenance on the Orange, Yellow, and Green lines.
- On Labor Day, Metrorail, buses, and MetroAccess will follow a Sunday service schedule with off-peak fares and free parking in effect all day.
County Trash and Recycling
- Labor Day will not affect trash and recycling collections for county customers. However, the customer service center will be closed in observance of the holiday.
- The I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex will both be open.
Photo via Reston Association/YouTube
Regional transportation officials are considering more ways to improve transit along the I-66 corridor, led by a multi-million-dollar proposal to create a new express bus route from Reston to key Arlington County work sites.
The express bus is one of four projects now up for public comment as the Northern Virginia Transit Commission decides what to fund for the latest round of the agency’s I-66 Commuter Choice program, which has $7 million in available funds, according to NVTC senior manager Ben Owen.
These four projects are part of a supplemental fourth round for fiscal year 2022 after the NVTC approved an initial batch of projects last year that was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on I-66 toll revenue, which funds the Commuter Choice program.
The available money includes prior-year carryover that hasn’t been allocated, interest from the funds, and money released back to the commission from past projects that finished, NVTC communications and public affairs manager Matt Friedman said in a statement.
One of two projects proposed by Fairfax County, the new express bus service would connect Fairfax Connector’s Reston South Park and Ride lot with key employment destinations in Arlington County, including the Pentagon and Pentagon City and ending in Crystal City.
The county is seeking $5.1 million to cover two years of operating costs for the service as well as the purchase of six buses.
For its other project, the county has requested $154,000 to reduce Connector fares from $7.50 to $4.25 on the 599 express route from the Reston North Park and Ride to the Pentagon, Pentagon City, and Crystal City Metro stations in Arlington.
The other projects up for public comment come from OmniRide, which is seeking $85,000 to provide $200 per month incentives for new vanpools along I-66, and the Town of Vienna, which has applied for $5 million to design and construct a new Park and Ride lot at the soon-to-be-renovated Patrick Henry Library.
Staff presented a report on the proposed projects to the commission yesterday (Thursday). They recommended funding all of the projects except for the Patrick Henry Park and Ride.
For each round of Commuter Choice funding, NVTC staff give each of the submitted projects a technical score out of 100 that’s based primarily on their potential for reducing congestion, but also takes other factors into account.
The Town of Vienna’s proposal actually received a higher technical score of 56 than Fairfax County’s Reston North fare subsidy idea, which got a score of 44. However, staff said that the Patrick Henry Park and Ride would “exceed the available funding,” pushing the total cost of the projects to $10 million.
“The staff recommendation to fund Fairfax County’s fare buy-down proposal reflects the strong regional interest in fare reduction and equity initiatives,” NVTC staff wrote in their report. “It would also be a low-cost/costeffective means to help rebuild transit ridership in the I-66 Corridor.”
The OmniRide project received the highest score (62), followed by the Reston South express bus service (59).
Excluding the Vienna Park and Ride, the projects would move an additional 250 transit users through the I-66 corridor inside the Capital Beltway each morning when fully implemented, according to NVTC estimates.
The Commuter Choice program allows proposals to be resubmitted for future funding cycles if they’re not approved.
The public comment period runs through Sept. 17. People can participate by filling out a 12-step online form, providing feedback by email and phone, and joining in a virtual town hall this coming Wednesday (Sept. 8).
After the public comment period, NVTC will determine what it wants to fund, but the 17-member Commonwealth Transportation Board will have final approval over which projects are selected.
The commission is scheduled to approve its program on Oct. 7, followed by the CTB vote on Oct. 20.
The Fairfax County Police Department is still investigating the fatal hit-and-run crash that took place on Fairfax County Parkway in Reston earlier this week.
According to an update published by the department this morning (Friday), officers responded to the intersection at Walnut Branch Road just after 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 1) after receiving a report that an SUV had run a red light and hit a car.
The SUV driver fled the scene after the crash and has still not been located, despite an extensive search that included the FCPD’s K9 unit and a helicopter.
The driver of the car — a 2013 Volkswagen Passat — has been identified as Andrew Willingham, 37, of Reston. He died Wednesday in the hospital where he was transported after the crash by responders from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.
According to the FCPD, its Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives have determined that Willingham was trying to make a left turn from northbound Fairfax County Parkway onto Walnut Branch when the crash occurred.
Though Willingham had a green arrow, the driver of a 2006 Chevrolet SUV “disregarded the red signal” when he arrived at the intersection while traveling south on Fairfax County Parkway. The SUV drove through the intersection and hit the car.
“Detectives believe speed may have been a factor in the crash and continue to investigate to determine if alcohol was also a factor for the driver of the SUV,” Fairfax County police said. “Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors for the driver of the car.”
As reported on Wednesday, police say the SUV driver was described as a heavy-set Hispanic man who was between 5 foot, 6 inches and 6 feet tall. He reportedly wore a black, short-sleeved shirt over a white undershirt.
“He was also described as having a beard and shaggy hair,” the FCPD added in its update today.
The FCPD advises anyone who witnessed the crash or might have information about it to contact its detectives at 703-280-0543. Information can also be submitted anonymously through the department’s Crime Solvers tip line online or by phone (1-866-411-TIPS).
A newly proposed timeline for Silver Line Phase 2 pushes the date for substantial completion of the project to May 19, 2022, nearly one month later than previously suggested.
The date comes from contractor Capital Rail Constructors and was included in the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s July monthly report, which was finished on Aug. 26 and released on Wednesday (Sept. 1).
Like before, MWAA says in its report that it disagrees with the contractor’s projected “longest path” timeline.
“Based on the remainder of work to be accomplished, the Airports Authority believes that the Substantial Completion date can be accomplished within Q4 2021,” the report says.
The business was contractually obligated to complete the project in August 2019, MWAA spokesperson Marcia McAllister said.
A phase known as Level F testing began this week and could last several weeks, she said. While components work on their own, this process helps ensure that the entire system works together.
“We are in the testing phase of the project, which is very dependent on coordinating and finalizing testing with MWAA and WMATA, including scheduling of the next outage at Wiehle Avenue and the review of test reports,” Keith Couch, project executive for Capital Rail Constructors, said in a statement.
The Wiehle-Reston East Metro station was shut down for a weekend in late June so workers could tie together the Silver Line’s first and second phases, but some tests were not completed over those two days, so another outage is needed.
WMATA says it typically provides information about planned track work about eight weeks in advance. As of today (Friday), no notice about a Wiehle station shutdown has been posted.
While the new timeline extends the substantial completion date from April 21 to May 19, Capital Rail Constructors suggested that the completion could shift to this year.
“While based on the information available at this time our schedule shows a May 2022 substantial completion date, there are opportunities through collaboration with MWAA and WMATA to improve on that date and complete the project by October of this year,” Couch said in the statement.
Matt Letourneau, a Loudoun County supervisor on the WMATA board of directors, said yesterday (Thursday) at a Northern Virginia Transportation Commission meeting that despite the contractor placing the substantial completion date into 2022, the Airports Authority has not changed its fall 2021 timeline.
The $2.8 billion project will extend Metro’s Silver Line from the Wiehle station westward to Ashburn in Loudoun County, adding six new stations along the Dulles Toll Road.
Substantial completion represents the moment when MWAA will be ready to hand the 23-mile extension over to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Officials previously expected Metro to take control of the project by Labor Day, but MWAA admitted in early July that it won’t make that deadline.
After the substantial completion, it will still take at least half a year before the line can begin operating publicly, since Metro needs to conduct its own testing, training, and other activities, a WMATA presentation in July noted.
Preliminary construction for Phase 2 began in 2014. It was originally supposed to open in 2018.
