Due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, NextStop Theatre in Herndon has announced new guidelines in order to keep patrons and performers safe.
Fairfax County has been labeled a “substantial” transmission area for COVID-19 by the CDC since last week.
NextStop Theatre announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it will join other local theatre companies in requiring proof of vaccination from all patrons who attend any live performance at its theater (269 Sunset Park Drive) through at least December 2021.
The theater says it already had a vaccination mandate in place for all of its staff, contractors, and volunteers.
Other policy changes intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus include requiring that everyone wear masks inside at all times, except for on-stage performers. The theater’s capacity will be reduced by 50% to a maximum of 60 seats per performance.
NextStop will also postpone the opening of their upcoming production of “An Act of God” from Aug. 12 to Aug. 20 to give the company time to adjust to the new procedures and communicate the new policies to those who have already bought tickets. Those who purchased tickets for the first week of “An Act of God” will be contacted by NextStop to reschedule their tickets.
In addition, NextStop will push back its previously announced fall shows of “Sherwood: The Adventure of Robin Hood” and “Disaster (the Musical)” until 2022. Those productions are larger in scale, resulting in more challenging casting, technical, and financial requirements, according to the theater company.
A revised fall 2021 schedule will be announced in the next few weeks.
NextStop will issue refunds to those who purchased season ticket packages, as well as extending them special discounts for “An Act of God” and other shows in the 2021 season.
“We recognize and apologize for the significant disruption that these changes represent,” NextStop Producing Artistic Director Evan Hoffmann said. “We remain passionate about honoring both our mission of creating high-quality theatrical performances for the community and keeping an unwavering commitment to do everything in our power to protect the health and well-being of all those who honor us with the gift of their labor, their creativity, and their patronage.”
Emergency Alert Test Coming Today — Expect an alert message “accompanied by a unique tone and vibration” on your mobile phone around 2:20 p.m. today as part of a test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission regularly test the nationwide system to ensure the infrastructure works in case of an emergency. [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]
Herndon Reinstates Mask Requirement — “Effective Wednesday, August 11, all members of the public over age two are required to wear masks indoors in town facilities…Masks are required for all visitors to town facilities, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are also required for attendees at public meetings, including public hearings of the Herndon Town Council, boards and commissions.” [Town of Herndon]
COVID-19 Vaccines Could Be Fully Approved Soon — “The head of Virginia’s vaccination program said on Tuesday that next month, the Food and Drug Administration will likely fully approve the COVID-19 vaccines, and approve their use for children ages 5 to 11 as well…Currently, the COVID-19 vaccines distributed in the U.S. are authorized but not approved.” [WTOP]
New Traffic Signal Installed at Fox Mill Road — A temporary traffic signal is now active at the Fox Mill Road (Route 665) and Pinecrest Road intersection in Herndon to address safety concerns before construction begins on a long-term project in fall 2024. That project will include a permanent signal, new left-turn lanes on Fox Mill, crosswalks, sidewalks and curb ramp reconstructions, and an eight-foot-wide walkway and curb ramp at the southeast corner. [VDOT]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
While temperatures in Fairfax County haven’t exactly been comfortable over the past couple of days, the heat is about get worse before easing up at the end of this week.
The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for the D.C. area, including Fairfax County, that will take effect from noon through 8 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). An Excessive Heat Watch will follow on Thursday (Aug. 12) over roughly the same time frame.
Forecasts indicate high temperatures of 94 degrees tomorrow and 98 degrees on Thursday in Reston, but the addition of humidity could make it feel like more than 100 degrees.
Here is more from the alert:
* WHAT…For the Heat Advisory, heat index values will range from around 100 degrees west of Interstate 95 to around 105 degrees near and east of Interstate 95. For the Excessive Heat Watch, dangerously hot conditions are possible with heat indices possibly ranging from around 105 degrees west of Interstate 95 to around 110 degrees near and east of Interstate 95.
* WHERE…The Washington, Baltimore, and Fredericksburg areas, central and southern Maryland, northern Virginia, and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.
* WHEN…For the Heat Advisory, from noon to 8 PM EDT Wednesday. For the Excessive Heat Watch, from Thursday afternoon through early Thursday evening.
* IMPACTS…Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities.
The NWS advises preparing for the incoming heat by drinking plenty of fluids, staying out of the sun and in air-conditioned rooms when possible, and checking in on relatives and neighbors.
“Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances,” the NWS says in the alert. “This is especially true during warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”
A Heat Advisory has been issued for portions of our area Wednesday as increased heat and humidity will result in heat indices ranging between 100-105 degrees. Slightly hotter conditions expected Thursday, prompting an Excessive Heat Watch. https://t.co/JxQPRW87Gr pic.twitter.com/SbRldDZPPF
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) August 10, 2021
Heat Advisory issued for tomorrow (Wednesday 8/11/21) from 12 PM (noon) to 8 PM.
🏚️Stay indoors as much as possible.
💧Drink plenty of fluids.
😷If you feel woozy, overheated, or unwell, stop any strenuous activities.
Extreme Heat: https://t.co/r42F390hcE#ReadyFairfax#NWS pic.twitter.com/53PsIfeaLW— Ready Fairfax (@ReadyFairfax) August 10, 2021
Photo via Ritam Baishya/Unsplash
Renovations at Herndon High School that have been in the works for half a decade are nearing completion.
A project to update the 54-year-old building at 700 Bennett Street is in its final stages, Fairfax County Public Spokesperson Jennifer Sellers tells Reston Now.
Most recently, construction workers completed phase three renovations that began about seven months ago. That includes work on areas for gymnastics, wrestling, the auxiliary gym, auditorium, music wing, and an extended main corridor.
The project’s third phase was finished in time to welcome students when they return to school for the new academic year on Aug. 23.
“Overall, Herndon High School will be returning to a much different space than previous,” writes Sellers.
There’s still some work to be done, though, including finishing the concessions building, an additional parking lot, tennis courts, and several instructional rooms. That should all be finished this fall, leaving a few other small items to be completed by the end of the calendar year.
In the meantime, students and staff affected by the ongoing work will be temporarily relocated into interior spaces that have already been renovated until winter break. There will still be one temporary classroom in a trailer until then as well.
Most of the work is also happening towards the back of the building, further limiting the impact on in-person learning.
The last time Herndon High School underwent renovations was 1991.
With the school remaining mostly virtual all of last year, it has allowed construction to happen without interfering with day-to-day operations. The main gym closed for renovations right after a community goodbye and right before the COVID-19 pandemic mostly shut down Fairfax County Public School buildings for more than a year.
Construction on Herndon High School started in early 2018, adding more than 138,000 square feet to the building. In total, nearly 416,000 square feet is being renovated or added, and the school will now have a capacity for about 2,500 students.
Funding for the projects came from bonds approved by county voters.
Nearly three-quarters of county voters supported a $250 million bond referendum in 2013 that partially helped fund the planning of Herndon High School’s renovations. A significant portion of the 2015 $310 million school bond went towards the high school’s renovations and additions.
Courtesy FCPS
The online metrics firm Similarweb is expanding into Reston.
The company, which has its global headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, announced yesterday (Monday) that it is opening an office at the coworking site Spaces that launched in Reston Station (1900 Reston Metro Plaza) in December 2018.
Similarweb is adding around 10 employees and expects to keep hiring more here.
“Our office in Reston, VA is now open,” the company said on Twitter. “A big welcome to our amazing team members who will collaborate there.”
Despite the announcement, the office is scheduled to open Sept. 1, the company said in a statement to Reston Now.
Similarweb provides marketing and research data to businesses looking to measure the effectiveness of their websites and other digital platforms.
With economic development leaders seeking to make sure companies have the talent they need in the area, Similarweb’s hiring between local candidates and those outside the area will serve as yet another example for whether an employee pipeline is meeting needs.
The Reston office is the company’s fourth in the U.S. and its first opening since going public earlier this year. Donna Dror, Similarweb’s general manager for North America, says the technology industry’s growing presence in Reston made it an attractive location for expansion.
“We see the Dulles Tech Corridor as a great opportunity to bring in new talent, especially for our Marketing and Sales teams,” Dror said in the statement. “We’re excited to join the many great companies already based in Reston and surrounding areas.”
Dror told Technical.ly that the company has 200 open positions that are remote, and half of those will be based in the U.S. She said the company is still reviewing its return-to-work strategy and would like to see at least 25 roles filled locally, but the openings aren’t tied to the Reston area specifically.
“We are actively hiring and planning to add a number of new employees before the end of the year and beyond,” she told Reston Now. “In the U.S. alone, we have nearly 100 open roles today, and we hope that many of those can be based in Reston.”
The new office will be home for the company’s chief marketing officer, Kevin Spurway, along with other employees in the sales and marketing departments.
Similarweb launched its initial public offering in May and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Its clients have included DHL, Lego, and Lending Tree.
Photo via Web Summit/Flickr
Reston Woman Dies After Car Crash — Stephanie D. Garcia, 29, of Reston died at Fairfax Inova Hospital on Aug. 8 from injuries she sustained the previous day in a two-car crash on I-95 at the 169-mile marker in Springfield. Reportedly not wearing a seatbelt, Garcia was thrown from her car when another vehicle struck it head on while she was making a U-turn. The other driver was transported to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries. [Virginia State Police]
D.C. Restaurant Week Returns — The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s summer D.C. Restaurant Week kicked off yesterday (Monday) and will last through Sunday (Aug. 15), with many participants again offering to-go options. Reston-area venues include Founding Farmers, Makers Union, The Melting Pot, and more. [Viva Tysons]
Construction on Autumnwood Pickleball Courts Begins — “Construction has begun on the permanent pickleball courts at the Autumnwood Recreation facility. Pickleball players have been temporarily moved to courts 3 and 4. Tennis will no longer be played at Autumnwood until the new pickleball courts are finished in September. When construction has been completed, tennis will resume at Autumnwood.” [RA News]
General Assembly Approves COVID Relief Plan — “The General Assembly on Monday approved a spending plan for $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money, with lawmakers leaving about $1.1 billion unappropriated so it is available for future needs if the pandemic worsens…The plan calls for using $800 million of the American Rescue Plan money to replenish the state’s unemployment trust fund, $700 million for rural broadband, $411 million on clean-water projects, $353 million for small-business relief and $250 million for school ventilation systems.” [The Washington Post]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Monday, August 9
- Katherine Johnson StoryWalk — In honor of the newly-named middle school, students are invited to walk around the City of Fairfax reading pages from books displayed in business storefront windows. There are two walks: one in Old Town Fairfax for younger readers, and one in Fair City Mall for more advanced readers. There’s even a chance to win a gift card to a local business.
Tuesday, August 10
- Sunset Parade (6:30 p.m.) — Throughout the summer, the Silent Drill Platoon has performed a parade every Tuesday night at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington. This week’s parade is the final one for the summer, so get there while you can.
Wednesday, August 11
- Clem Snide (7:30 p.m.) — First coming together in the early 1990s and known as the band behind the theme song of the NBC show “Ed,” Clem Snide has become a critical and fan favorite. They’ll be performing new and old music at Vienna’s Jammin Java.
Thursday, August 12
- The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) — From the Virginia History & Culture Museum, this new traveling exhibit now on display at the Fairfax Museum highlights the four-century long struggle for equality for Black Americans.
Friday, August 13
- US Navy Band Commodores (6:30 p.m.) — The summer season is almost over, so check out the last “summer on the green” performance in the town of Vienna by the US Navy Band Commodores.
- Nora Palka & Nathan Ellman-Bell (7:30 p.m.) — Bring a picnic to Falls Church’s Cherry Hill Park for an evening with Helen Hayes award-winner Nora Palka as she sings with her partner Nathan Ellman-Bell.
Saturday, August 14
- Dog Paddle (9:00 a.m.) — Bring the pup out for a morning swim at Reston’s Autumnwood Recreation Area, which has closed to humans for the season. The wading area is reserved for small dogs under 20 pounds.
- Catastrophe (11:00 a.m.) — In honor of the new kid’s book “CATastrophe,” Dr. Elizabeth and a purrrfect guest from Just Cats Clinic at Lake Anne will be on hand for this in-person event at Scrawl Books in Reston.
- Floral Design Workshop (1:00 p.m.) — Design a summer flower arrangement with assistance from certified floral designer Betty Ann Galway. It will take place at Green Springs Garden and supplies will be provided at cost.
Sunday, August 15
- One Loudoun Carnival (3-10 p.m.) — The carnival is back at One Loudoun with food, rides, games, and performances. The carnival is taking place from Aug. 11 to 22.
Photo via Prachya Singhto/Wikimedia Commons
The Fairfax Health District has hit a key milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, even as concerns about the spreading Delta variant of the novel coronavirus keep the area on edge.
According to the Fairfax County Health Department’s vaccine data dashboard, 70% of district residents 18 and older are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, meaning they have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Overall, 692,049 Fairfax Health District residents — 58.5% of the total population — are fully vaccinated. The district includes the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church as well as Fairfax County.
765,085 residents — 64.6% of the populace — have gotten at least one vaccine dose, including 76.8% of all adults.
Fairfax continues to see a higher vaccination rate than the state as a whole, which has fully vaccinated 65.7% of adults and 54.6% of its total population.
The urgency of Fairfax County’s vaccination effort has intensified in recent weeks in response to increased community transmission of COVID-19 fueled by the Delta variant, the most contagious strain of the virus yet and one that preliminary evidence suggests can be spread even by vaccinated people.
In a press release issued on Friday (Aug. 6), the Virginia Department of Health confirmed that the Delta variant is now the most common form of the coronavirus in the state, causing 80% of all infections as of the week ending July 10 — a 45% increase from June 19 three weeks earlier.
Since June 19, Fairfax County has gone from averaging essentially zero new daily COVID-19 cases in a week to a seven-day average of 16 cases on July 10 and 116.4 cases today (Monday), the highest it has been since April 25, according to the VDH dashboard.
The county health department reported 93 new cases for the Fairfax Health District today, bringing the all-time total up to 80,460 cases.
The daily caseload differs from VDH, which reported 78 new cases for the district today, including two in Falls Church City, because the county switched on Aug. 1 to reporting the total number of new cases. The state is still reporting net new cases, taking into account cases that data clean-ups have revealed to be duplicates or assigned to the wrong health district.
“The health department is now reporting the number of new COVID-19 cases reported and does not subtract cases removed from data cleaning efforts,” said epidemiologist Ben Klekamp, who manages the county health department’s Chronic Communicable Disease Program. “Total Cases will continue to reflect the net number of total cases to account for the changes made from data cleaning.”
One Fairfax Health District resident has died from COVID-19 since last week, bringing the death toll up to 1,153 people. The virus has put 4,195 people in the hospital, including 10 people in the past week.
“The Delta variant is here in Virginia, and it is hitting our unvaccinated population especially hard,” State Health Commissioner Dr. M. Norman Oliver said in a statement. “We have a very effective tool to stop transmission of COVID-19: vaccination. There is no question that COVID-19 vaccination is saving lives and preventing and reducing illness.”
As of Friday, 98.5% of COVID-19 cases in Virginia, 97.3% of hospitalizations, and 98.2% of related deaths have been people who aren’t fully vaccinated. The VDH has recorded 218 hospitalizations of fully vaccinated individuals and 50 breakthrough deaths compared to 7,951 hospitalizations and 2,747 deaths of unvaccinated people.
In addition to urging people to get vaccinated if they aren’t already, state and local health officials advise wearing a mask when indoors regardless of your vaccination status, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, maintaining six feet of distance from people not in your household, regular hand-washing, and staying home when sick.
Fairfax County now requires face masks in county facilities, and they will be mandatory for students, staff, and visitors in school buildings when the new academic year begins later this month.
(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) The seafood and steak chain McCormick & Schmick’s in Reston Town Center has closed.
Notices are posted on locked doors, its logo on the front facade has been removed, and the first floor of the building at 11920 Democracy Drive has been approved for interior demolition, according to a permit issued July 29.
“We are grateful for the support of the community,” signs on the restaurant say.
The news was first reported Thursday (Aug. 5) by The Burn, which noted that the restaurant had occupied that space for over 20 years.
A company phone number on McCormick & Schmick’s Facebook page leads to the chain’s Indianapolis location, and an employee there said the Reston location closed about a week ago. The Reston phone number is no longer working.
A customer who noticed the signs when passing by on Friday (Aug. 6) fondly recalled the restaurant’s deals with happy hours and $1 oyster specials.
The chain has nearby locations in Arlington’s Crystal City neighborhood (2010 Crystal Drive), D.C. (1652 K Street NW), and National Harbor, Maryland (145 National Plaza).
A media line for the Houston-based hospitality and entertainment company Landry’s, which owns McCormick & Schmick’s, didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
Landry’s also owns another steakhouse chain — Morton’s — that’s still operating nearby at 11956 Market Street in Reston Town Center.
Media representatives for Reston Town Center did not return messages seeking comment by press time.
This is the latest Reston Town Center restaurant to shutter during the COVID-19 pandemic, following Famous Toastery, Le Pain Quotidien, and Big Bowl, which had been there for nearly two decades when it closed in April 2020.
Reston Association CEO Hank Lynch has resigned after roughly two-and-a-half years in the position, the organization announced in a news release on Friday (Aug. 6).
RA says Lynch told the board of directors last week that his last day will be Sept. 3 after he “accepted another opportunity.”
“We all wish Hank well in his new endeavors,” RA President Caren Anton said in a statement. “His leadership has been invaluable during his entire stay in Reston and especially during the trying times caused by the pandemic. Hank has provided a steady hand and brought new and innovative ideas to the table. He will be missed.”
Reston Now reached out to Lynch for further comment but did not hear back by press time.
Hired in December 2018, Lynch joined RA at a time of uncertainty for the association, which had been without a chief executive officer for nine months after his predecessor Cate Fulkerson abruptly stepped down on March 1 of that year and the acting CEO who filled in for her left a month later.
A former Norfolk resident with a background in horticulture, Lynch moved to Reston as an outsider in January 2019. His initial priorities included modernizing RA’s operations by using more data to make decisions and finding revenue sources outside of member assessments.
In its press release, RA points to IT security upgrades, fiscal stability, and improved customer service as highlights of Lynch’s tenure, along with efforts to improve lake management and covenants operations.
However, the association has hit its fair share of bumps in the road over the past couple of years, from a botched election rollout and other ongoing security concerns to algae blooms and a dispute with local boat owners.
Lynch drew some scrutiny last summer for pursuing a $1.3 million Paycheck Protection Program loan without consulting the Board of Directors in a formal meeting. The loan was later returned since RA didn’t actually qualify for it.
The RA Board of Directors will hold a special virtual meeting at noon on Wednesday (Aug. 11) to discuss the search process for a new CEO.
Tasks awaiting the new hire will include the 2022 budget — accompanied by debates over a possible assessment increase and the future of RA’s pools — as well as a laundry list of increasingly expensive capital projects.
Masks Now Required in County Facilities — “Beginning Monday, Aug. 9, all employees and visitors — regardless of vaccination status — will be required to wear a mask while inside all Fairfax County facilities to help stop the spread of COVID-19…The rise in COVID-19 cases has resulted in the Fairfax Health District moving from moderate to substantial community transmission. This is due to the on-going spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.” [Fairfax County Health Department]
Former FCPS Student Gets Olympic Gold — The U.S. finished first in the men’s 4×400 meter relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Saturday (Aug. 7), besting the Netherlands and Botswana. Former South County High School student Trevor Stewart helped Team USA reach the finals by leading the qualifying round on Friday (Aug. 6). He was not in the final heat but will still bring home a gold medal. [Olympics]
General Assembly Reaches Deal on COVID-19 Relief Spending — Virginia’s Senate and House will vote today (Monday) on a deal that negotiators reached late Friday for how to spend $4.3 billion in American Rescue Plan funds. Changes from Gov. Ralph Northam’s original plan include the addition of one-time bonuses to sheriff’s deputies, a boost to Medicaid rates for workers who serve individuals with disabilities, and a requirement that the Department of Motor Vehicles reopen for walk-in services that had been halted during the pandemic. [The Washington Post]
NoVA Science Center Eyes 2022 Groundbreaking — The Fairfax-based Children’s Science Center hopes to break ground next year on its long-planned Northern Virginia Science Center in Loudoun County. The project has expanded from its original design, necessitating a relocation to a site that will accommodate an “expansion wing with a dome theater for large-format films and potentially even a planetarium contemplated for a future phase.” [Washington Business Journal]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Before we head into another weekend of the (amended) federal eviction moratorium, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on the site in recent days.
- Virginia recommends but doesn’t require wearing masks indoors
- Developing: Shots fired near Elden Street, police say
- Herndon’s historic Coomber Hall to be “deconstructed” within 30 days, developer says
- MWAA and contractor disagree on Silver Line Phase 2 timeline, new report says
- Pet of the Week: Buddy, a social 4-year-old border collie mix whose owner passed away
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip. Photos from around the Reston and Herndon area are also welcome, with credit always given to the photographer.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your socially distanced weekend plans, or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Updated at 4:20 p.m. on 8/8/2021 — Trevor Stewart will bring home a gold medal after the U.S. won the final men’s 4×400-meter relay on Saturday (Aug. 7), beating the Netherlands, which won silver, and Botswana, which got the bronze medal in the event.
Earlier: Lead-off runner Trevor Stewart helped his team secure the top qualifying spot in the 4×400 meter relay today (Friday) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which could mean another medal for him in his first Games.
A former South County High School student, Stewart ran 44.79 seconds for Team USA’s combined time of 2:57.77, the fastest time posted for the Olympic Games in Tokyo not only for the Americans in their qualifying heat, but also against a second qualifying heat of eight other teams.
The event’s final race will take place at 8:50 a.m. EDT tomorrow (Saturday).
The Lorton native’s time was slightly faster than his other lead-off leg for the 4×400 meter mixed relay, where Team USA won a bronze medal last Saturday (July 31). This year marked the first time that the Olympics featured the event, where men and women compete together.
“When you believe in yourself, anything can be accomplished,” the 24-year-old said in an Instagram post published on Aug. 1 after the race.
In the mixed relay race, Stewart and teammates Kendall Ellis, Kaylin Whitney, and Vernon Norwood finished with a collective time of 3:10.22. They replaced another American team that was initially disqualified. The U.S. was allowed to continue after the decision was appealed and overturned.
During the men’s qualifying race, which aired live this morning due to Tokyo’s 13-hour time difference, Stewart handed off the baton to former college teammate Randolph Ross, but the two had a slight hiccup in which Ross reached for the baton twice.
Stewart, who has been asthmatic since childhood, helped his North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University team win NCAA championship titles earlier this year, running the 4×400 meter race in 44.67 seconds and 44.17 seconds indoors and outdoors, respectively. He finished his college career with the A&T Aggies anchoring those races.
That team also included Ross, who will be a sophomore at A&T when classes begin Aug. 18.
Ross was the only teammate continuing with Stewart on the U.S. men’s 4×400 Olympic team as their other teammates moved forward with their home countries: Akeem Sirleaf represented Liberia and Daniel Stokes represented Mexico.
Stewart isn’t the only former FCPS student competing in this year’s Olympics. Other local athletes include swimmer Andrew Seliskar, discus thrower Chioma “CiCi” Onyekwere, shooter Lucas Kozeniesky, and West Potomac High School graduate Keyshawn Davis, who will be in contention for the boxing gold medal on Sunday (Aug. 8).
Photo courtesy USATF
From drivers seeking to safely exit driveways to vehicles blocking garbage cans and mailboxes, parking is becoming a headache for Herndon residents, who raise complaints only to be told that police have no way to address those issues.
That could soon change.
The Herndon Town Council is now considering a newly proposed ordinance that would prohibit parking in front of or within 10 feet of a driveway, imposing a $50 fine for violations.
Several council members, however, raised concerns about moving forward without more information.
“It’s a safety issue,” Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said Wednesday (Aug. 4) at a town council work session. “So, when you have people that can park right next to the end of the driveway, it severely limits visibility when somebody’s pulling out or trying to get around, especially in some of the narrowed streets we have here in Herndon.”
The topic will be open for public comment when the town council meets this coming Tuesday (Aug. 10), allowing community members to share their concerns and needs, including how the change would affect their ability to get parking.
Town officials noted that addressing parking visibility and access issues could leave people without anywhere to park.
“To solve that issue, are we creating another problem?” Councilmember Pradip Dhakal said.
Town officials suggested that the reported problems stem in part from Herndon’s overall outdated parking ordinance, which even allows people to park in town streets and use a ride-hailing app like Uber to get to Dulles International Airport, for example.
The town began reviewing its ordinance two years ago after seeing neighboring governments update their parking policies, but the effort was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, DeBoard said.
According to a staff report, the review was put on hold when the town’s priorities shifted at the beginning of the pandemic, but it has been revived now that Herndon is starting to return to more normal town operations.
While an ordinance overhaul could be presented in September, town management raised the question of parked vehicles blocking driveways in residential neighborhoods as a piecemeal issue, describing it as a critical situation.
Councilmember Signe Friedrichs noted that emergency vehicles such as fire trucks can have trouble navigating streets because of parked automobiles.
“I can’t tell you how many times I have nearly gotten hit by someone coming out of one of their driveways or trying to get…onto Ferndale Avenue or onto Jorss Place,” she said. “And coming out of Burwick Drive, I’m always very close to getting hit. I have to pull all the way out.”
Mayor Sheila Olem suggested that spending too much time studying the issue could leave pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers in unnecessary danger.
“No one is being considerate of anyone’s need to be able to back out of their driveway,” Olem said.
Graphic via Town of Herndon
While the COVID-19 pandemic has made wedding planning an especially turbulent affair in recent months, couples in Herndon at least have a new option for getting outfitted for their walk down the aisle.
The bridal and event planning shop Lulu’s Bridal and Global Events is holding its grand opening today (Friday) with an official ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. The store is located in Suite 202 at 731 Elden Street, right across from Herndon’s Old Town Hall.
Founder and owner Luzette “Lulu” Njweipi has dreamed about dresses she’s wanted to design her whole life.
“Since about the age of 16 I have always wanted my outfits to be unique and standout,” Njweipi says on her website.
She started designing and making wedding dresses officially in 2019, but she was designing dresses before then.
“I have a love for love, and weddings and everything dresses,” Njeweipi. “So I’ve always wanted to have my own bridal shop.”
Lulu’s Bridal and Global Events doesn’t just make dresses, though. They also help plan events, put together accessories and decor, and do make-up.
While there are some dresses that can be bought off the rack, Njeweipi specializes in making unique gowns that fit the vision of each individual customer.
“If you have a unique style that you want, we are able to kind of work with you to bring it to life,” she said.
Information on booking consultations and images of some of the looks Lulu’s Bridal has can be found on their website. Custom pieces and designs need to be ordered with plenty of advanced notice so the designers have time to make the items.
Lulu’s will be doing a bridal show in September to showcase some of its designs. More information will posted to the store’s Instagram and Facebook pages when it becomes available.
“We’re excited about the grand opening and we hope we will be able to serve the community as a whole,” Njeweipi said.
