Reston Triathlon Raises Money for Nonprofit — The Reston Sprint Triathlon returned on Sunday (Aug. 15) after going entirely virtual last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Now in its 15th year, the race saw athletes compete across Reston pools, streets, and paths with the goal of raising $25,000 for the local nonprofit Cornerstones, which would bring its all-time fundraising total to $400,000. [Patch]
Childhood Reston Friends Reel in Big Fishing Goal — “In the summer of 2020 — antsy from pandemic lockdowns and in no hurry to start their upcoming freshman year of college staring at computer screens — Luke Konson and Daniel Balserak set themselves a goal: to travel the United States and catch the official state fish from all 50 states…The pair have known each other since they were second-graders at Dominion Christian School in Reston. Avid anglers, they first fished together a couple of years ago.” [The Washington Post]
Reston Library Book Sale Returns Today — In time for the new school year, the Friends of the Reston Regional Library is bringing back its Children and Educators’ Book Sale starting today through 2:30 p.m. on Sunday (Aug. 22). The group isn’t taking donations this time, and patrons must comply with masking and other COVID-19 requirements while perusing the stock of gently used or good books. [Reston Library Friends]
Water Mine Sends Out Summer With a Bark — “The Water Mine at Lake Fairfax Park is going to the dogs on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, when Dog Daze returns from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. As pool time comes to a close for humans, canines get their day to splash in the water. Dog Daze features dogs-only swimming, a Canine Resource Fair and fun for all members of the family. The cost is $10 per dog. All proceeds go to the Fairfax County Park Foundation to benefit parks.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
A majority of Reston residents would support having a larger performing arts venue in the area, a survey commissioned by Reston Community Center suggests.
RCC has been mulling the possibility of bringing a new performing arts venue to Reston since at least the summer of 2019, when it partnered with the Center for Survey Research at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service to conduct the community survey, which also measured public opinion of the organization’s facilities, programming, and priorities.
Center for Survey Research Director Dr. Kara Fitzgibbon presented the community survey results to the RCC Board of Governors on July 26. The board also reviewed the findings of a strategic plan survey that RCC sent out earlier this summer to see if people’s feelings had changed in the intervening two years.
According to the UVA presentation, 68% of the 1,906 people who responded to the 2019 survey are somewhat to very interested in Reston having a larger performing arts venue, with the largest percentage (29%) saying that they are very interested.
An additional 12% of respondents said they would be slightly interested, while 11% said they wouldn’t be at all interested, and 9% felt that RCC’s existing facilities, such as the CenterStage theater, are sufficient.
“The levels of general support indicate that the opportunity is one that RCC should explore and help the community realize in one way or another,” RCC Executive Director Leila Gordon said by email. “What happens next will be determined through study, engagement and development of a plan to realize what the community wants.”
Gordon says RCC’s interest in having a larger performing arts venue “is longstanding,” spurred in part by a proffer from Boston Properties for up to 65,000 square feet of development in its Reston Gateway neighborhood near the still-closed Reston Town Center Metro station.
Gordon told Reston Now in June 2019 that if a facility comes to fruition, RCC would advocate for it to have a stage spacious enough to accommodate dance, orchestral, and theatrical shows with large casts, and it would primarily serve community nonprofits and public school arts programs.
She clarified by email yesterday (Tuesday) that Boston Properties has offered to include that amount of space in “Block J” of its mixed-use development, but it hasn’t committed to making that an arts center.
A Fairfax County spokesperson confirmed that the proffer is still on the table and that the county has until July 2022 to decide whether to accept it.
RCC’s community survey indicates that the level of support for a new performing arts center would vary depending on whether it is built by a developer or by the community center, which would require voter approval for a bond referendum to fund the project.
The percentage of “very supportive” respondents goes from 37% if the facility is built by a developer to just 14% if RCC has to finance it. 32% of respondents said they wouldn’t be at all supportive of RCC issuing a bond to fund the project.
“The RCC board has long maintained that such a venue requires multiple funding partners to realize,” Gordon said. “We will continue to explore the opportunity with the community and see where it leads.”
The Center for Survey Research distributed the questionnaire to a sample of 5,500 Reston households. A version of the survey that anyone who lives or works in Reston could answer was also made available online and in paper form from Aug. 5 to Sept. 16, 2019, according to the presentation.
This year’s strategic plan survey obtained 267 responses. Respondents named facilities upkeep and modernization as their top priority, though some said RCC’s programs are “too niche” or duplicative of Reston Association offerings.
Gordon says she didn’t register any significant changes from 2019 to this year, but the number of people who cited time constraints — either from their own busy schedule or RCC’s schedule — as a barrier to participation in the 2019 survey stood out.
“To the extent we can, RCC works collaboratively with Reston’s nonprofit and civic infrastructure to get Restonians the most ‘bang for the buck’ from their community investments,” Gordon wrote. “Ultimately, the 2019 Community Survey helps all of us better understand what people are seeking in their spare time (what precious little of it they have!) and how we can fulfill their expectations.”
The Town of Herndon could soon get a couple more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Herndon’s Architectural Review Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. today (Wednesday) to discuss the potential installation of four EV charging stations at Herndon Marketplace on 413 Elden Street.
Identified as Stephan Osborne, the applicant has proposed putting the new charging stations in the parking lot of the Safeway that anchors the shopping center, according to a staff report.
The proposed installation includes two masonry enclosures to screen necessary equipment that support the stations. The site will be accessible from Elden Street, Post Drive, and Grove Street.
The proposed stations will include blue and white bollards as barriers from vehicles, and the enclosure will be a block and brick wall with an opaque metal gate.
The landscape perimeter around the parking lot of the shopping center would also serve as an additional visual buffer between the proposed installation and the street.
Town staff say their report that the installation “should not have a major visual impact on the site.” The materials and design of the stations would match the current design of the shopping center. No lighting has thus far been specified for the stations.
Town staff has deemed the proposal compatible with “the applicable standards and requirements” of the town, including design criteria, according to the staff report.
The Architectural Review Board will also hold public hearings tonight on a sign plan and renovations at the Spring Park Technology Center, newly named Marker 20.
Updated at 7:50 p.m. on 8/19/2021 — A second FCPS employees’ union, the Fairfax Education Association, released a statement today (Thursday) saying that it would also back a vaccine mandate for all workers and urged the school system to extend its paid sick leave policy for staff who have to quarantine through Dec. 31.
Earlier: The union that represents Fairfax County Public Schools teachers and staff says it would back a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for employees if the school system decides to institute one.
Fairfax County Federation of Teachers leaders released a statement expressing their support for requiring staff to provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing on Monday (Aug. 16) as FCPS staff returned to work in preparation for the start of the new school year on Aug. 23.
“Feedback from our members shows that there is strong support for a vaccine mandate among our membership,” the FCFT executive board said in its statement. “As we see the Delta variant spreading across the US and the growing case numbers among children, and knowing that our students under 12 are not eligible to be vaccinated until at least winter, we support all measures we can take to reduce the spread and protect these students.”
1. FCFT supports FCPS requiring all staff members to provide proof of vaccination and requiring all those who do not provide proof of vaccination to participate in weekly COVID testing.
— Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (@FCFTunion) August 16, 2021
FCPS has emphasized the importance of staff and eligible students getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, including in a virtual town hall that Superintendent Scott Brabrand hosted with county health officials on Monday, but the district has stopped short of requiring shots.
Arlington Public Schools became the first Northern Virginia system to implement a vaccine mandate for its employees, announcing last week that the requirement will take effect on Aug. 30.
With COVID-19 cases surging again due to the infectious Delta variant, vaccination requirements are becoming increasingly commonplace among both public and private employers. Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Aug. 5 that state government workers must show proof that they are fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing, encouraging localities and businesses to follow suit.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on July 27 to explore requiring vaccination or weekly testing when county government employees return to offices in September, though no official plan has been publicly announced yet.
While it doesn’t have specific data on which staff members are vaccinated, FCPS says 90% of its staff had registered to get vaccinated as of February, suggesting that the vaccination rate is higher now. School officials have not ruled out the possibility of making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory in the future.
“At this present time, we are not mandating vaccinations for staff but we continue to consider all options that keep our staff and students safe,” an FCPS spokesperson said.
In addition to endorsing the idea of a vaccine requirement, the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers says its members “strongly support” FCPS’ universal mask policy, which has been expanded since it was first announced on July 28 to include all individuals in all indoor settings regardless of their vaccination status.
The union also called on FCPS to work with the Fairfax County Health Department to provide more on-site vaccine clinics and rapid testing sites, let employees participate in required staff meetings virtually, provide administrative leave for any staff member who has to quarantine due to a work-related COVID-19 exposure, and give staff at least one day to transition to virtual instruction if a class, school, or the district has to close.
Clear, consistent, and timely communication will also be key to ensuring that the return to five days of in-person learning is successful, the union said.
“While ever-changing COVID conditions contributed to the upheaval of last year, there are many places where strong leadership and clear communication could have reduced staff workload and stress, rather than add to it,” FCFT said. “It is imperative that FCPS leadership seek out feedback from staff members who work directly with students to utilize the expertise of those with firsthand experience on how policies and procedures work in classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and buses.”
An FCPS spokesperson says the school system will finalize details on how staff leave will work for quarantine situations before the start of the school year, and it will offer staff a virtual option for meetings with parents.
“We continue to consider all requests from staff and families as we work together to ensure a smooth and safe school year,” FCPS said.
The Fairfax County Police Department has concluded for a second time that allegations of racial profiling by one of its officers during a 2019 incident in Herndon were unfounded.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed police to revisit the case in question in January after the county’s Police Civilian Review Panel recommended an additional review in its first-ever challenge of police findings.
According to a June 1 FCPD memo obtained by Reston Now, the second review — this time under a new police chief — found no evidence that a police officer who followed and questioned a Black driver was motivated by racial bias.
“I have reviewed the supplemental investigative findings and concur that no new evidence was revealed to support the allegation of bias-based policing,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said in the memo.
Davis took over as police chief on May 3 amid criticism of his past work in Baltimore and Prince George’s County. In the initial months of his tenure, he has emphasized his willingness to introduce reforms, including revisions to the department’s vehicle pursuit policy and the addition of a data director.
For its follow-up investigation of the Herndon incident, Fairfax County police asked eight employees in the Reston District Station’s Criminal Investigations Section the following question:
“Do you have any direct or indirect knowledge which would indicate [employee name] has engaged or is engaging in behavior that was or is motivated by bias toward a victim’s race, religious conviction, ethnic/national origin, disability, and/or sexual orientation?”
Police said no one indicated there was any evidence of bias exhibited by the detective.
Davis also suggested options for reviewing the case were limited, noting that FCPD started collecting data on officers’ interactions with civilians last October that it wasn’t measuring at the time of this particular incident.
The change aligns with new state requirements for police data collection that took effect on July 1.
“Due to recent updates in Virginia legislation, the Virginia Community Policing Act, the Department has updated our current record management system to capture additional details pertaining to the circumstances of community contacts,” the FCPD said in a statement. “The further details will allow our Department to better understand the contacts we have within our community.”
In his memo, Davis wrote that the department has “further enhanced our transparency by creating a Police Data Sharing Dashboard” that allows people to search information related to warnings, citations, and arrests.
The civilian review panel began reviewing the Herndon incident on May 23, 2019, when it got a citizen’s complaint about an officer who followed him into the parking lot of his apartment complex and repeatedly questioned whether he lived there. Read More
Flash Flood Watch in Effect — The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for Fairfax County and the rest of the D.C. area through 10 p.m. today (Wednesday). Multiple rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms could drop up to one to two inches of rain per hour, leading to rapid rises in streams, creeks, and poor drainage areas. [NWS]
Transportation Mask Mandate Extended to Next Year — “The Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday that it will extend a federal mask mandate for airline, bus and train passengers into next year, requiring the face coverings until Jan. 18, 2022…While a CDC order imposing the transportation requirement has no end date, TSA enforcement rules had been set to expire Sept. 13.” [The Washington Post]
Fairfax County Sends Out Jury Questionnaires — Approximately 60,000 Fairfax County or City of Fairfax residents might soon receive a jury duty questionnaire in the mail. The survey is the start of a screening process to determine an individual’s eligibility, which could lead to a summons and a call to report for service. The Fairfax County Courthouse has started hosting more in-person proceedings but renewed its mask requirement earlier this month. [Fairfax County Government]
NOVA Partners with AT&T on IT Training — “AT&T has created an IT apprenticeship program with Northern Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, the company announced Tuesday. The two-year program will offer students information technology training and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training in technical, soft skills, lab work and related skills…Those selected will work as part-time AT&T employees and train at NOVA’s Reston complex and AT&T’s Oakton facility.” [Virginia Business]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Fairfax County’s final Dog Park Park Study calls for the construction of one new dog park, a timeline to build six more, and a better maintenance plan for existing parks.
After a nearly two-year long process full of surveys, drafts, and feedback, the Fairfax County Park Authority Board of Directors endorsed the final report at a meeting late last month.
The park authority initiated the study in 2019 due to the “abundance” of questions about county dog park operations and expansion, including the “perceived demand” for more parks. Feedback was gathered by surveying more than 4,600 residents.
According to a county press release, the final report will act as a “guiding document” for the county as it plans, designs, maintains, and operates dog parks going forward.
Recommendations in the final report include building at least one new dog park by 2025, though an exact location isn’t specified.
Currently, the county has 13 public dog parks, 11 of which are owned and operated by FCPA. An additional one would meet the needs of the county’s projected population in 2025, according to the park authority’s data.
Although the report doesn’t say exactly where the new park should be built, it suggests that McLean or Lake Fairfax in Reston would be good options due to demand and a lack of existing dog parks.
Park bond funding should be used for the building of the park, the report proposes.
After that dog park is completed, the report says the county should establish a schedule for constructing six more dog parks, which should meet and, even, exceed demand over the next two decades.
It recommends Baileys, Jefferson, and Bull Run planning districts as options for locations.
In terms of what those new dog parks should include, survey respondents noted that room for dogs to run, adequate number of trash cans, shade, water spickets, and parking were features most requested by residents.
The report also recommends developing a more thorough plan for park upkeep, including additional and better placement of trash cans, more frequent refilling of waste bag dispensers, and better signage. It says FCPA should encourage volunteer dog park teams to help with this upkeep.
In addition to addressing the state of dog parks countywide, the report makes recommendations for improvements to each individual dog park in that the park authority operates.
Suggested alterations range from converting a hose bib at the Baron Cameron dog park in Reston into a drinking fountain and installing a structure or planting trees to provide shade at Blake Lane in Oakton to redesigning Grist Mill Park in Alexandria to have a separate section for smaller and older dogs.
FCPA estimates that it costs just under $10,000 a year to maintain each dog park.
A draft of the report was first released in early March, which was followed by another public comment period that led the park authority to refine some of its recommendations.
For instance, the initial report suggested replacing the natural grass and dirt surface at Chandon Park in Herndon with crusher fines/washed stone dust, which is easier to maintain. The recommendation in the final report is more measured, saying that a change could be “considered” if the existing surface “causes maintenance or usability issues.”
The final dog park study report will be posted on the county’s website in September.
A block of office buildings in Herndon previously known as the Spring Park Technology Center is getting rebranded as “Marker 20” as part of a revitalization that will emphasize the development’s proximity to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
Pedestrians already cut through bushes along the perimeter of the business complex at 450-485 Springpark Place to access the trail, so property owner Penzance is looking to formalize that connection with the new name.
During its public hearing at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday), the Town of Herndon’s Architectural Review Board will consider applications for building and site renovations as well as new signage to replace the Spring Park branding still posted at the front entrance of the complex.
“Penzance has been planning a rebranding to revitalize the park and enhance its connection to the W&OD Trail,” the developer says in a presentatation for the board. “The plan encompasses enhancement to four of the seven buildings, owned by Penzance, utilizing similar materials and levels of finish to create and maintain uniformity across the park.”
Penzance bought the Spring Park Technology Center for $71.5 million in September 2019 under the name Springpark Place LLC.
With the Herndon Planning Commission’s approval, the developer divided the property into eight separate parcels for potential sales last year. The parcel at 460 Springpark Place was sold to LDI Propco 2 LLC for $20.4 million in February, according to a Fairfax County property database.
According to the website and a video for the project, Penzance’s plans for Marker 20 include a 9,000 square-foot amenity center in 485 Springpark Place with a tenant lounge, conference facilities, a fitness center, bicycle lockers, and an outdoor patio.
To serve tenants and W&OD Trail users, the developer is seeking a brewery, distillery, or restaurant to occupy Suite 100 — a 18,688 square-foot space — in 450 Springpark Place, according to a site plan brochure.
Proposed outdoor amenities include a bicycle lane that connects to the W&OD Trail, a bicycle repair station, a hammock grove, a linear park with fitness stations, a bocce court, a golf putting green, and additional seating and landscaping.
With the applications submitted to the Town of Herndon, Penzance is seeking to add synthetic wood patios or decks and a garage door with a metal awning at Building 450 as well as a bi-folding door, a new floor-to-ceiling glass storefront, and a common area with a fire pit at Building 485, among other changes.
Town staff has recommended that the architectural review board approve the upgrades and new signage after previously raising concerns.
In an Aug. 4 staff report, town staff withheld its stance on the signage rebranding, citing a need for additional information.
Currently, signage at the business park is “indirectly lit” with ground-mounted spotlights, but proposed internal illumination of the new Marker 20 logo is something usually associated with shopping centers and other commercial uses along business corridors, according to the town.
Staff also recommended indirect illumination or a halo effect to reduce lighting impacts on the single-family townhouse development located on the other side of Spring Street.
Penzance’s revised application now calls for signage that satisfies town requirements, where the Marker 20 logo would be in metal letters highlighted by halo-lot light-emitting diodes, according to a memo that Herndon Deputy Director of Community Development Bryce Perry sent the board on Aug. 12.
“The applicant has submitted new information and revised drawings that address the issues raised by staff in the report,” Perry said in the memo. “A site plan was submitted that confirms all sign placement comply with the applicable zoning ordinance regulations.”
Signs for tenants currently at the business park include Windstream, Mark Construction Group, Acuity Brands Lighting, and Wärtsilä.
The architectural board is returning to in-person meetings after meeting online for the pandemic. It held an in-person work session on Aug. 4, but this will be the board’s first in-person public hearing since February 2020.
Photo via Google Maps
The Reston Association Design Review Board is set to vote on guidelines for electric vehicle charging stations today (Aug. 16).
Draft guidance setting parameters including about location, size, and appearance of the stations will be discussed and reviewed during the board’s meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. The board is also expected to decide whether to send the draft to the RA Board Operations Committee for feedback, RA spokesperson Mike Leone confirms.
Electric vehicle charging stations have been much discussed at cluster and RA meetings in recent months.
More and more electric vehicle charging stations have been installed throughout clusters and Reston over the last year, according to a January presentation.
Although they were all approved by the DRB, they have emerged without established guidance or standards and without consistent consultation with RA. As a result, the charging stations often vary in appearance and sometimes even pose safety risks due to their locations.
In all, six different types and designs of stations have been approved by the DRB.
Earlier in the year, RA contracted engineering consultant Kimley Horn to help establish guidelines. In May, staff admitted that, upon further research, providing adequate guidance was “more complex” than initially thought.
While a preliminary draft of guidelines has been out for several months, a working group has met twice to discuss amendments and changes.
The updated draft addresses concerns from RA members and staff. It limits charging stations to six-and-a-half feet in height, and they may not have any cords or cables that extend into foot traffic paths. They must appear “seamlessly” integrated into the surroundings, among other parameters.
Applications will also require photos or drawings of the proposed stations, proof of a maintenance agreement, and a “qualified, experienced” person to install the station.
It’s expected that a draft of the guidelines will be submitted to the BOC for feedback in time for their Sept. 7 meeting. Then, the design review board will hold a public hearing later that month.
It is estimated that the RA Board of Directors will approve the guidelines at their October 28 meeting and a set date for implementation.
RA has also been exploring the possibility of replacing its fleet of fossil-fuel vehicles with electric ones over the next decade. That initiative, though, has met some obstacles, as a staff report found that a full fleet replacement remains prohibitive due to the cost and availability of electric vehicles.
RA’s Chief Operation Officer Larry Butler said at a meeting in June that Kimley Horn, which is also assisting RA in this matter, recommended reevaluating electric vehicle options “every two to three, maybe four, years.”
Photo via Reston Association
(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) Two people have been displaced, and a cat was found dead after a fire ripped through a townhouse in Herndon early this morning (Tuesday).
Fairfax and Loudoun county firefighters responded at approximately 12:56 a.m. to a reported fire in the 100 block of Fortnightly Boulevard in the Town of Herndon, according to a report that the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department released in the afternoon.
Upon their arrival on the scene, the responders saw fire showing in the back of a three-story, middle-unit townhouse. Two residents were spotted at a second-floor window above the front door, prompting crews to deploy a ladder so they could reach the second-floor balcony and help the residents out.
The units also requested assistance from other agencies in the area, including the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire and Rescue Department.
“The fire was quickly brought under control and eventually extinguished,” FCFRD said. “One occupant was transported to a hospital for a check-up. Sadly, one cat was found deceased. There were no firefighter injuries reported.”
Investigators have determined that the fire was accidentally triggered by an issue in the electrical system of the townhouse’s garage, where a motorcycle was being charged by a trickle charger.
The residence’s two occupants were both at home and asleep when the fire started. The sound of a smoke alarm woke them up, but they were unable to get out of the house through the first floor due to smoke, moving instead to the second-floor balcony, according to the fire department.
The fire has displaced both residents and resulted in approximately $253,550 in damages, not including water damage to the adjacent townhomes. It also destroyed a car and two motorcycles that were in the garage.
Units on scene of a townhouse fire in 100 Block of Fortnightly Blvd., in Town of Herndon. Fire showing on arrival. 2nd alarm requested. Fire under control. Hitting hot spots. One person transported to hospital with minor injuries. Other townhouses with minor damage. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/ESrZjH70Mz
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) August 17, 2021
Metro Changes Coming Next Month — A host of service changes, including more rail and bus service, longer hours, free bus transfers, and a flat $2, one-way train fare on weekends, will take effect starting on Sept. 5. Approved by Metro’s board of governors in June, the alterations are intended to lure riders back as students return to school and more white-collar workers return to offices. [WTOP]
Virginia Prepares to Welcome Afghan Refugees — Gov. Ralph Northam said on Twitter yesterday that he is coordinating with the federal government to accept “thousands more” Afghan citizens and their families at Fort Lee. 8,650 refugees from Afghanistan have settled in Virginia over the past six years. [DCist]
NoVA Fine Arts Festival Roster Revealed — The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival has unveiled a lineup of more than 200 artists who will compete in 10 categories from Sept. 10-12 at Reston Town Center. After last year’s cancellation, this year’s festival will have several health precautions in place, including hand sanitation stations, vaccination requirements for volunteers, and encouragement of social distancing and face mask-wearing in artist booths. [Tephra ICA]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
This year’s contest to fill the Reston Community Center Board of Governors should be a straightforward affair.
RCC announced this morning (Monday) that just three people — all of them incumbents — filed for candidacy in its 2021 Preference Poll, which will help determine three seats on the nine-member board that develops policy, programming, and the budget for the community center.
William G. Bouie, Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt, and Richard Stillson are running for reelection with their three-year terms expiring this year.
According to RCC, its memorandum of understanding with Fairfax County requires that the agency conduct the preference poll annually regardless of the number of candidates. The poll is open to all Small District 5 residents.
Voting will begin on Sept. 10 after a candidate forum at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road) at 6:30 p.m. the previous day. Ballots can be returned by mail until 5 p.m. on Sept. 30, while online and in-person voting will be open until 5 p.m. on Oct. 1.
Board members will be officially appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors after the poll.
Brief profiles of the three candidates and excerpts from their submitted statements are below. The full candidate statements can be found on the RCC website.
William G. Bouie
An RCC board member since 2003, Bouie also serves as the current chairman of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board of Directors, where he represents Hunter Mill District. He is the vice chairman for Public Art Reston and has won two Best of Reston awards for his community service.
“I enjoy working with Restonians, to learn about their needs, and wants, and to strive to make RCC a place for all,” Bouie wrote. “I will continue to work with the residents and the County to ensure consistency of programming, and to engage the business community so that they receive the inherent value in working with the Community Center and its programs as Reston grows.”
Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt
Sechrest-Ehrhardt has lived in Reston for 46 years and worked for RCC before becoming a board member in 2012. As an RCC employee, she planned and implemented social, cultural, and educational programs, though she is also a professional social worker and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant.
“My professional and personal experience will contribute to the social, cultural, and educational environment provided by RCC,” she said. “The goal of my community involvement and my desire to serve on the RCC Board of Governors is to ensure that all Reston residents are included in and benefit from the great programs and events RCC offers.”
Richard Stillson
This is Stillson’s first reelection bid after he was first voted on the board in 2018. A 49-year Reston resident, he was the first chairman of Reston Association’s Lakes Committee and the first president of the local citizens’ advocacy group Reston 2020. He also teaches at the Reston campus of George Mason University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
“It is crucial that the Community Center use its current strength to continue to initiate new programs and events to help rebuild the community,” Stillson wrote. “This importantly includes the new residents in the growing transit corridor who do not have the history of building our town from scratch and may know little about RCC. We must expand our programs outside the RCC facilities and improve our communications about our offerings.”
Fairfax County is still seeing substantial levels of COVID-19 community transmission, necessitating the continued use of masks as the county hopes to get the coronavirus back under control with schools set to reopen next week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virginia Department of Health measure community transmission levels using the total number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and the percentage of positive tests in the past seven days.
Fairfax County’s testing positivity rate for the week of Aug. 8-14 was 4.5%, up from 3% at the end of June but still in the threshold for “low” transmission. However, the county has recorded 76.2 cases per 100,000 people in the past week, which is high enough to be considered substantial transmission.
With the addition of 103 cases today (Monday), the Fairfax Health District, including the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, has recorded a total of 81,427 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic. 4,213 people have been hospitalized, and 1,154 people have died, including one person within the past week.
The county is now averaging 136.4 new daily cases for the past seven days — the highest weekly average since April 23, which had a seven-day average of 141.6 cases, according to VDH.
The Fairfax County Health Department had not noticed a “discernable” increase in vaccination rates over the four weeks since the Delta variant-fueled rise in cases began, a department spokesperson told Reston Now last Monday (Aug. 9), but since then, an additional 9,697 Fairfax Health District residents have gotten their first vaccine dose.
In comparison, just 4,627 people obtained their first shot between Aug. 2 and 9.
Overall, 774,782 Fairfax Health District residents have received at least one vaccine dose. That is 65.5% of the total population and 77.6% of residents 18 and older, according to the county health department’s vaccine data dashboard.
699,412 residents — 70.6% of adults and 59.1% of the total population — are now fully vaccinated.
VDH announced on Friday (Aug. 13) that it will provide third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to people with moderate to severe compromised immune systems in accordance with a new recommendation by the CDC.
“Studies have shown that people with a compromised immune system can have a weak response to the standard vaccine regimen, and that a third dose is needed to strengthen immunity in these persons and protect them from serious COVID-19 complications,” VDH said in its news release.
According to CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, immunocompromised people have accounted for 40 to 44% of the hospitalized breakthrough cases reported in the U.S.
As of Friday, Virginia has recorded 4,056 breakthrough COVID-19 cases, including 233 hospitalizations and 52 deaths. However, 240,980 cases, 8,383 hospitalizations, and 2,786 deaths have involved a person who is only partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.
98.3% of all cases, 97.2% of hospitalizations, and 98.2% of deaths are people who are not fully vaccinated.
Photo via CDC on Unsplash
(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Monday, August 16
- Miniature Ceramics (7-8 p.m.) — Head to the Centreville Regional Library to design and create your own mini ceramic. This workshop is in-person and designed for teenagers.
Tuesday. August 17
- Kids on the Green (10 a.m.) — Get the morning started right by heading to Vienna’s Town Green for some music and fun with the kids. This week, Bill Wellington will bring his unique brand of kid-centric folk music and storytelling to the town green.
- Bollywood Fitness (6-7 p.m.) — Dance, dance at this virtual Bollywood dance fitness class through the Fairfax County Public Library. Taught by local instructor Aparna Rao, this class is guaranteed to be fun and to get you sweaty.
Wednesday, August 18
- Dairy Days (12 p.m.) — Churn butter, crank ice cream, and milk a (fake) cow at Sully Historic Site. This hour-long program will teach kids about what it’s like to work on a dairy farm, which were once common in this region.
Thursday, August 19
- Arlington County Fair (5-10 p.m.) — After a year off due to the pandemic, the Arlington County Fair is back with a full slate of events, activities, and fun. Throw an ax, compete in a pie-eating contest, and be thrilled on a ride. The fair starts Wednesday night and lasts through Sunday evening.
Friday. August 20
- Movies in the Park (7:30 p.m.) — Grab a blanket, chair, and head to the Hook Road Recreation Area for an evening under the stars to watch the Disney classic “Wreck it Ralph.” While the last “Movie in the Park” was cancelled due to rain, the weather for Friday night currently looks promising.
Saturday, August 21
- Making Opera Soup (11 a.m. & 3 p.m.) — Join award-winning opera singer Mirabal at Boro Park in Tysons for a one-woman opera. This performance is intended for both children and adults.
- Tinner Hill Music Festival (11 a.m.-9 p.m.) — The 27th annual version of this music festival in Falls Church City will feature some pretty big headliners this year, including B.B. King Blues Band featuring Michael Lee of “The Voice” and the Legendary Wailers. There will also be food trucks, a kids’ village, and art.
Sunday, August 22
- Alexandria Restaurant Week — Alexandria’s restaurant week starts this weekend, featuring more than 70 businesses offering both in-person and to-go deals.
Photo via Harry Dona/Pixabay
Crews appear to have aced the overhaul of Hook Road’s tennis courts, which are once again available for use.
Reston Association finished replacing the Hook Road courts with completely new asphalt court surfaces and coloring earlier this month.
The renovation also involved installing new fencing, drainage, access improvements, and energy-efficient LED lighting, which will be operational by this coming Friday (Aug. 20), according to RA’s capital projects webpage.
After closing for construction starting in March, the four courts opened back up Friday evening (Aug. 13). By Saturday morning, community members were already taking advantage of the refurbished facilities: a game unfolded on one court, while an instructor delivered a tennis lesson on another.
“They’re beautiful, they’re flat, and they play well,” one of the players, Reston resident George Jastrzebski, said of the new courts.
The overhaul of the tennis courts on Fairway Drive ends a years-long journey.
The project was part of a larger upgrade of the Hook Road Recreational Area that RA started working on in 2016. Other projects identified there in a conceptual master plan include improvements to the baseball fields and pathways.
Crews used heavy machinery to grind up the former courts, which were built in the mid-1970s. Crews mixed in cement then laid down the new courts.
Typically for tennis court renovations, Reston Association layers gravel and asphalt on top of the existing surface, but three layers had already accumulated on the Hook Road courts, so they decided to do more extensive renovations, RA Director of Capital Projects Chris Schumaker said in a Reston Today video in late March.
“It will be a much stronger base than prior ones,” Schumaker said in the video. “It should last significantly longer than prior court renovations. We’re usually expecting about 30 or 40 years out of this.”
He also said the project has the benefit of not sending the asphalt into a landfill.
RA has 52 tennis courts, half of which are lighted and eight of which are clay courts, according to its website. A pass is required to use the private courts.
Jastrzebski has played at the Hook Road courts “on and off” but said on Saturday that he might try to use the courts more now that they’re renovated.
