Monday, July 26

• Pleibol & Food (6:45 p.m.) — Baseball and food go hand-in-hand. Join the National Museum of American History for an event centered around their new exhibit, highlighting how the Latin diaspora has shaped ballpark snacks.

Tuesday, July 27

• The Night Sky (8 p.m.) — Spend the night at Roll Top Observatory at Turner Farm Park in Great Falls taking a tour of the planets, constellations, stars, nebulas, and galaxies that make up our night sky.

Wednesday, July 28

• The Roadducks (7-8:30 p.m.) — A four-decade staple of the southern rock music scene, the Northern Virginia-based Roadducks are hitting the stage at Burke Lake Park to rock in the summer air.

Thursday, July 29

• Citizen Science (7-8:30 p.m.) — Help biologists count the local dragonfly population by taking this class that will help you identify and do a proper, scientific count. The class is virtual and sponsored by the Reston Association.

• Rosslyn Live (6:30 p.m.) — It’s the last performance of Rosslyn Live, so take a seat, grab a drink, and enjoy a fun-filled night of drag performances.

Friday, July 30

• Block Party Tysons (4-7 p.m.) — Mark the 40th anniversary of the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival with a block party on Leesburg Pike in Tysons. There’ll be food, games, and music from local musician Shane Gamble.

• Summer on the Green (6:30 p.m.) — Throughout the summer, the Town of Vienna is hosting summer concerts every Friday. Bring the family to the Town Green on Maple Avenue for a night of music, dancing, and good times. This week, local dance and rock band Fat Chance will be playing.

Saturday, July 31

• Around the World Cultural Food Festival (11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.) — After a year off, the global food festival is back and now at Oronoco Bay Park in Old Town Alexandria. Enjoy foods, music, and learning about cultures from across the world.

Sunday, August 1

• Natural Dye Workshop (12:30-2:30 p.m.) — Learn how to dye with natural products like a professional in this three-session class from Smithsonian Associates. This workshop is virtual and will take place over three weekends.

• Brick Fair (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) — This mega Lego fair comes to the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly. There will be building, exploring, and learning from the experts. Masks are required for those who are not vaccinated.

A venture capital fund that invested millions of dollars in a startup later hit with a federal fraud investigation and bankruptcy is suing the Herndon-based business accelerator Center for Innovative Technology.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed with the Fairfax County Circuit Court on May 10, Savano Capital Partners III — a fund tied to a Baltimore-based investment firm — paid CIT nearly $4.5 million in 2020 to invest in a fraud prevention technology company called NS8.

“On paper, it appeared to be earning millions in customer revenue and to have tens of millions of dollars of assets on hand,” the civil complaint said, adding that “the fraud described above occurred under Innovative’s ownership of NS8.”

Savano Capital entered into its financial agreement with CIT on March 20, 2020. At the same time, the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating NS8 for fraud, issuing subpoenas to the company and its CEO in November 2019 and March 2020.

The SEC charged former NS8 CEO Adam Rogas with defrauding investors on Sept. 17, 2020, alleging that he had raised approximately $123 million from investors — at least $17.5 million of which he pocketed himself — by falsely claiming millions in revenue in 2019 and 2020.

NS8 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October before being acquired by the software company Avolin this past February. Criminal and civil cases against Rogas are still going through federal court, with the civil case halted while the criminal case unfolds.

Prosecutors allege Rogas’ actions “led to the illusion that NS8 had over $62 million in [revenue] when, in fact, it had just over $28,000” by June 2020.

In its legal complaint, Savano says it made the deal with CIT without knowing NS8 “was virtually worthless and was in the midst of a massive accounting fraud and SEC investigation.”

According to the complaint, the investment fund valued its NS8 stake at over $4.4 million as part of a tech companies portfolio with CIT. The plaintiff is seeking to rescind the contract, arguing that the business accelerator benefited from the windfall of worthless stock, attorney Jason Ohana said at a hearing on Friday (July 23).

CIT, which facilitated funding for NS8 and previously cited it as a success story, called the lawsuit meritless and asked for a dismissal with prejudice to avoid a trial. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Mann denied the request.

During the hearing, Jack McCann, an attorney for CIT, argued that Savano’s investment purchase was a “unilateral mistake” by the plaintiff, because the nonprofit never detailed the underlying value of the companies.

He compared the situation to an “as is” used car sale in which a buyer could inspect the vehicle and review maintenance reports but would be responsible if they realized the next day that they had purchased a hunk of junk.

“I don’t mean this disrespectfully, but the used-car analogy was not well done,” Mann said during the virtual hearing. “It’s a completely different set of circumstances than an ‘as is’ sale.”

He also cited a 1993 Supreme Court of Virginia decision on the right to a jury trial.

Founded in 2016, NS8 was once located in Arlington, but its headquarters were moved to Las Vegas. Rogas resigned on Sept. 1, 2020, according to a legal filing.

In its lawsuit, the SEC said Rogas at one point provided false bank statements to an investors’ consultant who found line items that didn’t correctly add up. The executive allegedly re-doctored information after being questioned.

The SEC also alleged Rogas sent falsified monthly bank statements to NS8’s finance department. In January and February 2020, NS8 claimed $38 million and $42 million in revenue, respectively, on financial statements when in reality, it brought in around $39,000 and $45,000, according to the SEC complaint.

An attorney for Rogas declined to comment. Filings on his behalf refer to the charges as allegations.

Amid the SEC investigation, Virginia sold CIT’s Herndon office complex to a private real estate developer and capital investment firm. Gov. Ralph Northam said proceeds from the $47 million sale would go to the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority, which the General Assembly created last year.

Photo via Loudon County Department of Economic Development

Former Herndon Resident Charged in Old Sex Assaults — “A 48-year-old Winchester man has been charged with six felonies for sexual assaults that occurred between 1999 and 2001. Detectives began their investigation in May after a victim disclosed the unlawful sexual contact occurring in 2001. Detectives determined Rigoberto Garcia Nolasco resided in the 13300 block of Schwenger Place in Herndon where he provided piano lessons to the victim.” [FCPD]

Faulty Wiring Causes Reston Building Fire — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responded to a building fire in the 12000 block of Sunset Hills Road early Friday morning (July 23) that started “in the wiring of a small, under the cabinet style refrigeration unit” and caused an estimated $1,000 in damages. The fire was contained by two sprinklers inside the building and quickly extinguished upon firefighters’ arrival. [Patch]

Tenant of Missing Lorton Woman Charged — “Fairfax County police say they have found the body of 72-year-old Emily Lu, 50 days after she disappeared following a trip to a grocery store, and officers have arrested a man who lived with her…Brian George Sayrs, Jr., 25, of Woodbridge, was arrested and faces a charge of second-degree murder, News4’s Shomari Stone was first to report. Sayrs is also charged with felony concealment of a body.” [NBC4]

Learn the History of “Virginia Is for Lovers” — “Perhaps you’ve heard of ‘Virginia is for lovers.’ That is surely one of the most memorable tourism slogans in history, despite the fact that it’s hard to pin down exactly what it means. The slogan debuted in 1969 but our story actually begins a couple of years earlier, when Richmond ad agency Martin & Woltz was invited to pitch for the state’s travel promotion account.” [The Washington Post]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

The skeletal remains of Michael Delaney, the Reston man who went missing from Reston Hospital in May 2020, have been found in the Sugarland Run area, Fairfax County police confirmed.

On Friday afternoon (July 23), the Fairfax County Police Department published a message on Facebook saying the remains were found on Wednesday (July 21) by its Search and Rescue team after a community member reported it.

The FCPD says it does not suspect foul play in his death.

We’re saddened to announce Michael Delaney was found on July 21 by our Search and Rescue team. Our team returned to search the area of Sugarland Run after a community member reported finding what appeared to be skeletal remains. During the search, officers discovered clothing matching the description of what Mr. Delaney was last seen wearing as well as skeletal remains. Detectives from our Crime Scene Section collected the remains which were given to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Dental records confirmed the remains are Mr. Delaney’s. Detectives do not suspect foul play in his death.

“On behalf of the Major Crimes Bureau, my heartfelt condolences go out to the family and Friends of Mr. Delaney. We are incredibly sorry for your loss. There is so much that goes into these kind of cases and I want to thank the lead detective for his dedication to this case and to Mr. Delany’s family since he went missing over a year ago. Many people played an important and valuable role to include our Search and Rescue team, detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau as well as our local and state law enforcement partners. They tirelessly followed up on every lead we received, many of which led them outside not only Fairfax County but the state. A special thank you to the many volunteers and to the other public and private entities who assisted with searching over 5,000 acres since the time Mr. Delaney went missing. This is not the resolution our detectives and our agency hoped for and our hearts remain with the Delaney family,” Major Ed O’Carroll, Commander of the Major Crimes and Cyber and Forensics Bureaus

This information confirms what Courtney Park-Jamborsky, Delaney’s step-daughter, announced in a Facebook post early yesterday (Thursday).

In the message, Park-Jamborsky said that Delaney’s clothing, a gown, and wallet were found, along with his remains.

“Our family is heartbroken but feel relieved to know about Michael after 14 months of agony,” she wrote. “We are forever grateful for the outpouring of support since May 10, 2020.”

Reston Now has reached out to the family, but has yet to hear back as of publication.

According to surveillance video, Delaney walked out of Reston Hospital in the evening of May 10, 2020.

The previous day, Park-Jamborsky had taken him to the hospital because of a fall at his Reston home. While Delaney suffered from dementia, she was not allowed to accompany him inside due to COVID-19 protocols that were in place at the time.

“I stood at the sliding emergency room door at the hospital, and he stood there with me,” Park-Jamborsky told Reston Now in May 2021, a year after his disappearance. “I felt like I was letting a 5-year-old walk through that door without someone helping him. But I had confidence that [Reston Hospital] knew what they were doing. I never thought in a million years that he would disappear.”

He was admitted into the hospital and kept overnight. Around 9:30 p.m. the next day, Park-Jamborsky says she received a call from the hospital saying they couldn’t find her stepfather.

Surveillance video showed Delaney walking out of the hospital about 30 minutes earlier. FCPD put out a missing persons alert several hours later.

Delaney was never seen again, despite a search that lasted weeks. While Delaney’s location has been found, it still remains unclear as ever what led up to the tragedy.

One of the two residential towers planned for the Faraday Park development near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station is now open to residents.

Move-ins for 242-unit Faraday West tower officially began on April 17, a spokesperson for the property confirmed to Reston Now. Reston Skylines reported in June that the building had opened to its first residents.

Delivery of Faraday East, however, is taking a little longer than anticipated. Developer Rooney Properties previously projected that construction on both towers would finish in May, but two months later, work is still going on the eastern tower, which will consist of 166 apartments.

“No exact completion date to share at the moment beyond being in the next few months,” the Faraday Park spokesperson said by email.

When completed, the seven-story towers will have more than 400 residential units and a total of about 10,000 square feet of retail space. On-site amenities include a maker’s workshop, a rooftop pool and sundeck, a fitness center, coworking spaces, dining room, commercial and baking kitchens, and a bike repair space.

The towers are accompanied by 13 four-story townhomes, according to Rooney Properties.

“The Rooney team is proud that Reston residents are officially calling Faraday Park home!” Rooney Properties senior associate Jake Ballard said in a statement. “The development is one of the fastest-leasing properties in Reston, and was designed with community in mind and meant to be a hub for active and amenity-filled living.”

Redevelopment of the 3.85-acre site at 11201 Reston Station Boulevard has been in the works since 2017, when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved conceptual plans for mixed-use development to replace an existing office building.

Faraday Park is part of a larger boom in development along Sunset Hills Road spurred by the arrival of the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station, which opened in July 2014.

Next door to Faraday Park, the developer Knutson started selling the Union Towns townhomes that it built on Easterly Road in September.

That same month, EYA broke ground on its Townhomes at Reston Station, the first step forward in the Reston Midline development that the company is working on with JBG Smith and The Chevy Chase Land Company. That project will eventually bring 1.8 million square feet of new development south of Sunset Hills Road and east of Wiehle Avenue.

On the other side of Wiehle Avenue, Comstock Companies has been building out the first phase of its massive Reston Station development, which will eventually consist of four districts.

Retailers that have been confirmed for Faraday Park so far include the gym F45, the salon A+ Nails, and the Vietnamese restaurant Alo Vietnam.

Those prospective tenants were first announced in December 2019, but the Faraday Park spokesperson says it’s still too early to give a timeline for when they will move in.

F45, which added a site at Reston Town Center in February, told Reston Now then that they expect to open at Faraday Park this summer. Alo Vietnam opened a location near the future Innovation Center Metro station in January, though they’re still waiting to get the anticipated boost from the long-delayed Silver Line Phase 2 opening.

Reston Community Center has announced the lineup its 2021-22 Professional Touring Artist Series.

After a truncated season with limited audiences last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series will bring a variety of musicians, theatrical performances, and speakers to a full-capacity CenterStage starting in September.

“It is our great pleasure to welcome our audiences back to the CenterStage,” RCC Arts and Events Director Paul Douglas Michnewicz said in a press release. “Whether you are seeking an escape from your troubles with sublime dance or want to be inspired by thought leaders or you just need to laugh, the Professional Touring Artist Series has something for everyone to enjoy.”

With seating limited by Virginia’s restrictions on indoor entertainment venues, RCC Executive Director Leila Gordon says the community center was still able to host some artists and speakers last season, including the folk/rock band Trout Fishing in America, jazz violinist Regina Carter, and actor BD Wong, whose talk coincided with the 2021 Reston Pride Festival in June.

Many artists who were unable to come to Reston still sent video messages that RCC posted to its YouTube channel, and some were rescheduled for this upcoming season.

Gordon says RCC has seen attendance at its shows pick up since late spring, but even in June, a good day would be one with an audience of 100 people for a show that normally might’ve filled up the 260-seat CenterStage auditorium.

“We are keeping our hopes high that widespread vaccination will continue to offer protection that will help artists and audiences return safely to the CenterStage this season,” Gordon said.

Unless otherwise noted, all shows are held at CenterStage, which is located at RCC Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road). Tickets go on sale for Reston residents and employees on August 1 at 1 p.m. Sales open to the general public on August 8 at 1 p.m.

The full schedule for this season is below:

Mutts Gone Nuts, A Comedy Dog Act

• Sept. 19, 3-7 p.m.
• $10 Reston/$15 Non-Reston
• Expect the unexpected, as canines and comedy collide in a smash hit performance that’s leaving audiences everywhere howling for more.

National Heritage Award Fellows at the Reston Multicultural Festival

• Sept. 25, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Lake Anne Plaza; free, all ages
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. This year’s fellows, who will be recognized at the annual Reston Multicultural Festival, are Rev. Paschall & Company and The Chuck Brown Band.

The Seldom Scene

• Oct. 2, 8 p.m.
• $25 Reston/$35 Non-Reston
• What does it take for a bluegrass band to remain popular for more than four decades? For The Seldom Scene, it has taken talented musicians, a signature sound and a solid repertoire, as well as a delightful sense of fun.

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The Countywide Strategic Plan meant to establish a community-driven vision for Fairfax County for the next 10 to 20 years is edging closer to an expected adoption by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

The county hosted a community update and feedback session on Wednesday (July 21) to gather feedback about potential indicators for success among nine priority areas listed in the proposed 56-page strategic plan.

It was part of the fourth phase of engagement initiated by the county. Two rounds were held in 2019 before the process was paused in 2020 to evaluate COVID-19 impacts. Two additional phases were added for 2021, with the third survey phase wrapping up in April.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to take action in October, according to countywide strategic plan coordinator Aimee Brobst, who led the meeting.

While there are no outreach plans to solicit direct public comments on the final text before it is presented to the board, Brobst said community engagement will continue after the plan is adopted. At that point, the county’s approach will “likely shift” to a more targeted focus on each priority area in addition to seeking feedback on the plan as a whole.

“We definitely want to use the feedback that we’re collecting here for the purpose of informing the strategic plan,” Brobst said. “But as we look forward, beyond even when the plan is adopted by the Board of Supervisors, we want to make sure that this isn’t something that stops once the plan is adopted, and we are being very thoughtful and very intentional about hearing from as many people as possible as we move forward.”

The nine priority areas of the plan include:

• Cultural and recreational opportunities
• Economic opportunity
• Effective and efficient government
• Empowerment and support for residents facing vulnerability
• Health and environment
• Housing and neighborhood livability
• Lifelong education and learning
• Mobility and transportation
• Safety and security

A poll to gauge attendees’ preferred focus areas within those categories found particular interest in access to cultural and recreational opportunities; economic stability and mobility for all people; financial sustainability and trustworthiness; and access and utilization of services.

Other top indicators were air, water and land quality; housing affordability and quality; career-based training and early childhood education; accessibility, affordability and equity for mobility and transportation; and reliability and security of critical infrastructure.

County staff noted that the plan is meant to be flexible with the ability to adapt over time, serving as a template to help the board determine its priorities and understand what community members think is important.

Acknowledging the rather sparse attendance at the meeting, Brobst said that the shift to virtual meetings over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the county to rethink and expand the tools it uses to engage the public.

“In addition to everything we’re doing that we think makes sense — using every channel that we have available to us as the county — we are very open to adapting,” Brobst said. “…One of the things we definitely wanted to do as part of this process is not necessarily do things just the same way as they’ve always been done in terms of doing only in-person meetings or doing just surveys or long-form surveys.”

A form for general questions or feedback for the plan is available at the bottom of the strategic plan page on the county’s website.

Michael Delaney Found Dead in Sugarland Run — The remains of Reston resident Michael Delaney were found in the Sugarland Run area on Wednesday (July 21), 14 months after he went missing from Reston Hospital in May 2020. His step-daughter says the family is “heartbroken but feel relieved” to have closure on his disappearance. [Courtney Park-Jamborsky/Facebook]

Matchbox Pizza Opens at Reston Station Today — After a few delays, Matchbox will officially open its new restaurant at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive today (Friday), as promised last month. Some opening activities have been planned, and the venue will serve happy hour specials during the work week with bottomless brunch on the weekends. [Matchbox]

Pickleball Tournament Coming to Reston — “We are excited to announce that the first annual Reston Paddle Battle Pickleball Tournament, on September 18 & 19. See the attached flyer for more info. Register today at http://pickleballtournaments.com, space is limited!” [Reston Association/Twitter]

Thanks to federal relief funding, Fairfax County is getting an infusion of emergency housing voucher money to help people who are at risk of homelessness or fleeing from domestic violence and others in need.

The American Rescue Plan Act signed into law in March is providing $10 billion to address homelessness, including 70,000 vouchers to local housing authorities, including Fairfax County.

The county will partner with community groups to provide the housing assistance, which could last 10 years — the length of the program — for each recipient.

“We are very grateful to receive these Emergency Housing Vouchers to serve many of our most vulnerable residents and neighbors and help them achieve safe and stable housing,” Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority Chair C. Melissa McKenna, who serves as the Dranesville District commissioner, said in a statement.

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority approved a county framework last Thursday (July 15) to receive the money, which involves 169 vouchers that will be made available in coming weeks.

Recipients will need to be referred to the program by county case managers or other service points, such as homeless services, Coordinated Services Planning (703-222-0880), or the Domestic and Sexual Violence 24-Hour Hotline (703-360-7273).

Money will go to landlords, and recipients will be required to pay 30% of their income toward rent and utilities.

The emergency housing vouchers can cover a variety of costs, including security deposits, moving expenses, and essential household items such as bedding and tableware.

Even outside the vouchers, ARPA has dedicated billions of dollars to addressing housing issues, as people have struggled to pay rent amid statewide shutdowns last year and uncertain employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The need to provide housing assistance is expected to become especially urgent in the coming months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium expires on July 31.

“The [assistance is] designed to prevent and respond to [the] coronavirus by facilitation the leasing of the [emergency housing vouchers], which will provide vulnerable individuals and families a much safer housing environment to minimize the risk of coronavirus exposure or spread,” Dominique Blom, a general deputy assistant secretary with the Housing and Urban Development Department, said in a May memo describing the funding.

Vaccinations have helped bring the virus under control, but cases have been rising in Virginia and the U.S. amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, which is now the source of 83% of all new COVID-19 cases, according to CDC estimates.

“Individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness are often living in conditions that significantly increase the risk of exposure to coronavirus in addition to other health risks,” Blom said in the memo.

Eligibility for the vouchers is limited to individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, or were recently homeless and “for whom providing rental assistance will prevent the family’s homelessness or having high risk of housing instability.”

People fleeing — or attempting to flee — domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking are also eligible for the vouchers.

“These vouchers — in addition to the existing programs and services offered through a robust partnership — offer yet another valuable resource to help position individuals and families on a reliable foundation from which they can achieve their fullest potential,” McKenna said in her statement.

During the first year of the pandemic, homelessness decreased throughout the D.C. region except in Fairfax County, which saw a 17% increase from 1,041 people in 2020 to 1,222 in 2021, and Prince George’s County, which had a 19% increase, according to a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments report.

Fairfax County has attributed the increase to expanded services supported by COVID-19 relief funding.

Plans for Reston Town Center North continue to slowly develop.

The Reston Association Design Review Board approved an amendment to the previously accepted conceptual plan for Reston Town Center North during its virtual meeting on Tuesday (July 20).

Put forward by Fairfax County’s building design and construction division and Inova Health Care Services, the amendment pertains to the grid of streets, a central green space and tree preservation areas, and establishing future developable blocks in conformance with the comprehensive plan.

A conceptual plan for the 47-acre site was previously approved in 2019. It included 400,000 square feet of public space for office, residential and retail, nine-plus acres for open spaces and eight developable blocks, all of which remains the same after Tuesday’s amendment.

Among the changes in this amendment was an increase of the allotted central green space from 2.3 acres to 3.5 acres, while keeping the tree preservation area intact. It also maintains the curvilinear streets, public space, athletic field, and county rec center.

Additionally, Cameron Glen Drive will connect to a different new street in the conceptual plan to allow for the larger central green.

“I don’t see it as a huge deviation from what was previously proposed, I see it as an improvement,” Design Review Board member Michael Wood said. “I see that we still need a lot of detail, but I think they know that after all of us kind of basically said it in all different ways.”

Maintaining the other features falls in line with objections the design review board expressed to the initial plan in 2018.

“The DRB at that time expressed objections to the plan, and indicated that they’d like it to be more Reston-like in character with curvilinear streets and a greater emphasis on preservation,” Joan Beacham, a project coordinator for the building, design and construction branch of Fairfax County, told the board.

The design of the amended central green will be advanced as a portion of a zoning development plan that will be brought to the board in a future meeting.

The amendment was approved with some additional conditions requested by DRB member Bruce Ramo, including a retention of requests previously made in 2019 when the board approved the initial plan:

• Further define the buffers surrounding the developmental blocks with illustrative cross-sections and dimensions
• Confirm and provide approximate minimum percentages of additional open/green space per developmental blocks in addition to the total open space requirements in the Memorandum of Understanding
• Provide a more cohesive merge in design and active involvement with Edgewater Park

The final condition added that final approval should be in line with Fairfax County’s comprehensive plan for Reston, which is currently being revised.

The Reston Association Design Review Board gave its final approval to the $3.5 million renovation of Lake Thoreau pool, though with a request to see a color sample.

The approval at the design review board meeting on Tuesday (July 20) keeps the project on track for construction to begin in October or November, RA spokesperson Mike Leone confirms to Reston Now in an email.

This is the third time the RA Design Board has approved the much-discussed project, but final approvals meant reviewing the exact dimensions, materials, and colors that will be used.

While the motion to approve the application passed unanimously, it came with a request for a physical sample of the teal color that would be used for a railing.

Besides colors and railings, there was some discussion at the meeting about fencing as well as the cost of redesigning and maintaining the overlook deck.

However, none of that held up approval, allowing the multi-million dollar pool project to move forward.

Leone writes that RA is already going on to the next steps of the renovation process, including moving through the estimation and procurement phase.

“We have already released the RFP (request for proposal) to potential contractors and are awaiting their submissions due around this time next month,” writes Leone. “With that information, RA staff will be able to generate a final estimate for the project and seek Board of Director approval to move forward with construction.”

He anticipates the RA Board’s approval of the project to come in September with construction to begin shortly after, barring any more contractor or material availability-related delays.

Key design elements of the renovation include ADA access with a ramp into the pool, a redesign of the overlook deck, pool reconstruction, expansion of the parking lot, and repositioning of the spa away from the bathhouses as well as modifying and expansion of said bathhouses.

Lake Thoreau pool was closed last year for renovations that are expected to be completed in the fall of 2022. A grand opening is being planned for May or June 2023, the beginning of the pool season.

Fairfax County Gave Republican Governor Nominee Tax Break — “GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin and his wife last year successfully petitioned Fairfax County to designate their horse farm as an agricultural district, which led to a 95% reduction in the taxes they pay on the 31.5-acre property in Great Falls that surrounds their home.” [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

Material Costs Drive Up Silver Line Phase 2 Costs — “The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority is having to pay an extra $20 million to cover the higher cost of materials needed to build the extension of Metro’s Silver Line…So far, the construction’s progress has eaten up $2.464 billion, but the airports authority maintains the [$2.778 billion] budget won’t change, thanks to contingency funds.” [Washington Business Journal]

County Redistricting Committee to Meet Next Week — Fairfax County’s 20-person Redistricting Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting on Tuesday (July 27) at 6 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center. Open to the public, the meeting will focus on legal requirements, equity, and bylaws as the group prepares to recommend new electoral boundaries for the county’s supervisor and school board districts. [Fairfax County Government]

Reston Hospital Hires New Executive — Allyssa Tobitt will serve as Reston Hospital Center’s new chief operating officer starting Aug. 2. Replacing Ben Brown, who moved to Dominion Hospital in West Falls Church, she worked at the corporate office of Reston Hospital’s parent company HCA Healthcare in Nashville, Tennessee as well as at hospitals in its for-profit health system near Miami and Tampa, Florida. [HCA]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Virginia school districts will make their own rules regarding masking requirements for the upcoming school year, the state’s education and health departments announced today (Wednesday).

The Commonwealth will let a public health order that’s in effect until Sunday (July 25) expire, thereby ending a statewide mandate that kids over age 5 wear masks indoors at public and private schools and putting decisions in the hands of local officials.

“The science is clear that vaccinations and masks help keep our communities safe from COVID-19,” Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Daniel Carey said in a statement. “The Commonwealth’s children and the individuals that help them learn will be protected by proven strategies, without a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Fairfax County Public Schools currently requires masks to be worn indoors for students, staff, and visitors when school is in session “until more students aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated and until younger students become eligible for vaccination.”

“We are reviewing the guidance and reaching out to hear from our community, and will share a plan early next week with staff and families,” FCPS spokesperson Julie Moult said in a statement.

Virginia’s new guidance says elementary schools should require students, teachers, and staff to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, until vaccines are available for young children. For middle and high schools, it recommends that students, teachers, and staff who are not fully vaccinated be required to wear masks indoors.

State officials said the change will allow districts to make their own decisions and the switch reflects changes by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which  loosened its guidance earlier this month and advised that masks should be worn indoors by all individuals age 2 and older who are not fully vaccinated.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, by contrast, recommends that, unless they are unable to do so due to medical or developmental challenges, all school staff and students over the age of 2 should wear masks at school, even if they’re vaccinated.

The changes come as daily COVID-19 cases have increased in Virginia and the U.S., and the especially contagious delta variant now represents 83% of new coronavirus cases in the U.S., according to a CDC estimate.

Over 70% of students ages 12 to 17 in Fairfax County have been vaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines for those under the age of 12 are not yet authorized but currently undergoing trials.

The CDC has said that most students, including those with disabilities, can tolerate and safely wear a mask, but a “narrow subset of students with disabilities” may be unable to do so and should not be required to wear one.

Abandoned shopping carts can create problems and even be left in streams, but a new state law seems to provide little help, Fairfax County supervisors say.

During a land use policy committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday), the Board of Supervisors reexamined a Virginia law intended to discourage people from taking shopping carts away from businesses, worrying that introducing a local ordinance might just add an exhaustive and ineffective process.

“What we’re asking of our investigators is extraordinarily time-consuming and fruitless,” Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw said of the draft abandoned shopping cart ordinance.

A leading concern is that adding an ordinance may take up time and put an unnecessary administrative burden on county staff, who could, for example, document the same incident twice since the state law dictates that a cart’s owner get a 15-day notification period before it can be removed.

Currently, if a cart is blocking a road or a group is cleaning up a stream, there is no restriction on removing it.

The Virginia General Assembly passed a law in 2020 to allow counties to pass legislation to:

• Fine people with a civil penalty up to $500 for removing shopping carts from stores’ premises and parking lots
• Make stores liable for returning or disposing of abandoned carts, including paying up to $300 per cart that the county removes

The land use policy committee discussed the issue in December, though staff advised against adopting an ordinance and board members were skeptical. During the meeting, Chairman Jeff McKay voiced opposition to fining people trying to get groceries home.

The draft ordinance that the county presented on Tuesday only referenced fines for businesses — not individuals.

Even before the 2020 state law, the Commonwealth made removing shopping carts from store premises and parking lots a misdemeanor, with the potential for a fine up to $500.

“My problem with this is…it provides absolutely no incentive for people to stop stealing carts,” said Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, who also wondered if certain areas or customers might be disproportionately affected. “This is kind of outside the businesses’ control.”

Photo via David Clarke/Unsplash

Some Fairfax County student athletes won’t be headed to courts or fields this winter, but instead, to computer labs, as the 10th largest school district in the country prepares to launch an esports program.

The Fairfax County Public Schools athletic director detailed the new initiative to Tysons Reporter, saying the new program will connect students in high schools through a popular, soccer-like game — in which players drive futuristic cars — called Rocket League.

“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for our students,” said Bill Curran, director of the FCPS Office of Student Activities and Athletics, noting how students will have another way to fit in. “I think we’re going to have 25 highly competitive schools in the esports realm.”

While concerns about students’ screen time have persisted, even as the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to adopt virtual learning, competitive online gaming has become increasingly popular, with both high schools and colleges getting in on the esports action.

The market research firm Newzoo reported in March that esports viewership increased from nearly 398 million people globally in 2019 to nearly 436 million in 2020 and could potentially reach 474 million this year.

The NCAA governing board voted in April 2019 against bringing esports under its purview, even as the association noted the rapid growth of esports on NCAA campuses.

“You’re going to see this ball roll faster and faster,” Curran said.

ESPN launched a new initiative to cover esports in 2016, though it shut the division down last year. In 2018, it became the first TV network to air a professional gaming contest in prime time for the cartoon-style multiplayer online battle game League of Legends.

YouTube and Twitch have also streamed content that’s worth billions of dollars and expected to grow annually, though that’s just a small slice of the video game industry.

The Virginia High School League, which governs sports, activities, and competitions in public schools throughout the Commonwealth, introduced esports as a pilot program in 2019 before approving it as an “emerging activity” for the 2020-2021 school year that could become sanctioned as an official VHSL activity.

Fairfax County Public Schools is currently looking for coaches to participate in its esports program, which has been in the works for more than two years and will operate under its Activities and Athletics office. Some teachers have already shown interest in helping, according to Curran.

Students will have to pay a $64 fee each season through a startup company PlayVS, which provides computer games and requires students to maintain eligibility through grades and attendance. FCPS is looking at ways to prevent the fee from becoming a barrier to participation.

With schools expected to open for in-person learning five days a week this fall, FCPS plans to have students participate in existing computer labs, rather than remotely. Like a traditional sports team, Curran says Fairfax County’s esports teams will likely have jerseys.

“Our kids, you know, they’re already playing the games,” Curran said. “They’re ready to go, and they’re eager for us to start this.”

Photo via Alex Haney/Unsplash