Lane Closures Lifted Ahead of Labor Day — “To make the most of the Labor Day weekend and remaining summer travel days, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is suspending most highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon Friday, Sept. 1, until noon Tuesday, Sept. 5.” [VDOT]
Defendants Charged In Violent Crime Conspiracy — “A superseding indictment was unsealed today charging 16 alleged members of a violent crime ring that committed multiple armed carjackings, armed robberies, money laundering, and firearms offenses. Federal law enforcement arrested eight defendants this morning; the remaining defendants were previously arrested.” [FCPD]
County Rescue Team Ready for Hurricane Idalia —“Fairfax County’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, known as Virginia Task Force 1, is in Florida ready to help with recovery from Hurricane Idalia, if needed. Called out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Task Force 1 is closely monitoring the course of the storm and awaiting orders.” [WTOP]
Dave’s Hot Chicken Opens in Tysons — “The eagerly anticipated Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurant has officially opened its doors to rave reviews in the Tysons Corner area. It’s the first location in Virginia for the fast-growing chain.” [The Burn]
Urgent Care Veterinary Clinic Opens in Vienna — “The first PetMedic Urgent Care Vet Clinic opened its doors today, located at 1497 Cornerside Blvd. in the Dunkin’ plaza, just a short drive from the Tysons Corner shopping center. The practice will be open Wednesday-Saturday.” [Pet Medic]
Reston Tennis Team Wins Big — Reston’s tennis team emerged as the victors of the Northern Virginia Tennis League Championship over the weekend. [Reston Association]
It’s Thursday — The weather forecast predicts a cloudy day, gradually clearing to become mostly sunny with a high near 78 degrees. Along with a northeast wind blowing at 11 to 14 mph and gusts as high as 23 mph during the day, the night will be mostly clear with a low around 60 degrees and a gentle north wind at 7 to 9 mph. [Weather.gov]
A new American Disabilities Act (ADA)-friendly playground is in the works in Reston.
Reston Association is working with Friends of Reston to develop a playground that’s inclusive for kids with disabillities.
A location for the project has not yet been identified, according to Reston Association Chief Operating Officer Peter Lusk.
“RA has identified some funding for the project, and the two parties will continue to explore options as a joint venture,” Lusk said.
Lusk said that the project is still in the very early planning stages. A timeline was not available as a result.
At a meeting earlier this month, RA staff noted that there is significant staff and membership interest in adding more inclusive playgrounds to RA’s inventory.
The facility is described as a “destination level” playground and would cost between $250,000 and $500,000, depending on its size and features.
It’s likely the playground would be in south Reston since the Fairfax County Park Authority is planning to install a new park behind Home Depot at Reston North Park.
The project may be wrapped into RA’s next budget cycle, the early stages of which are currently underway.
Image via RA
The Reston Multicultural Festival will return to Reston Town Center on Sept. 23 with expanded entertainment options.
The festival — which is organized by Reston Community Center, the Reston Town Center Association and Boston Properties (BXP) — will have three stages instead of its usual one. It takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a lineup of entertainment and activities.
“Due to an expanded entertainment lineup and more participating artisans, our cohost, BXP generously extended us the opportunity to enlarge the Festival footprint up Market Street to the Pavilion providing for more performance space,” Lorna Clarke, RCC’s communications director, said.
Beverly Cosham, who chairs RCC’s Board of Governors, said that the festival has embodied the spirit of Reston for more than 20 years.
“Our diversity is our greatest strength,” Cosham said. “We present the Reston Multicultural Festival each year to share the incredible sights, sounds and joyful energy of people who come from all over the world to be here. Bob Simon established Reston as a place where everyone could feel a sense of belonging and discovery.
The festival is also made possible by a partnership with the National Council of Traditional Arts (NCTA). This year’s lineup will feature multiple National Endowment of Arts Heritage fellows. The program recognizes individuals in folk and traditional art.
A breakdown of the fellows is below.
Roen Hufford, Kapa Maker, 2023 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Waimea, Hawaii
Of Native Hawaiian descent, Roen Halley Kahalewai McDonald Hufford carries on the tradition of ka hana kapa (making bark-cloth) and is a leading figure in the reclamation of this nearly lost art.The Legendary Ingramettes, Gospel Artists, 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Richmond, Virginia
The Legendary Ingramettes are widely considered Richmond’s “First Family of Gospel,” uplifting audiences for over six decades while becoming beloved cultural icons in the community.Wayne Henderson, Luthier, 1995 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Mouth of Wilson, Virginia
Henderson was born, raised and still lives in Rugby, near the North Carolina border. He has taken first place 13 times at the Galax Fiddlers’ Convention guitar competition.Tsering Wangmo Satho, Tibetan Opera Singer and Dancer, 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Richmond, California
Tsering Wangmo Satho was born in a refugee settlement in southern India in 1967. Her elders served as living examples of their traditions and language. Satho trained at the Tibetan Institute of the Arts (TIPA), founded by the Dalai Lama. TIPA serves as a critical response to the threats to Tibetan culture.
More than 20 performances will light up the Park, Market Street and Pavilion stages. The festival will also feature more than 30 arts and crafts vendors with from around the world.
The complete schedule is available online.
TJ No Longer Ranked the Best U.S. High School — After three years in the top spot, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has dropped to fifth in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High School Rankings.” The data used for the 2023 list comes from 2018-2021, before the magnet school’s admissions policy changes took effect. [WTOP]
Potomac River Running Low on Water — “The Potomac River supplies drinking water to some 5 million people in the D.C. region, and right now, the river is running low. Water managers announced they may have to use water from backup reservoirs upstream — it would be the first time in more than a decade.” [DCist]
Special General Assembly Session Called on Budget — “Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has summoned the General Assembly to a special legislative session on Sept. 6 to take up long-delayed amendments to the state budget.” Democrats and Republicans had stalled on whether to devote $3.6 billion in unallocated revenue to tax cuts or priorities like teacher pay and mental health services. [Washington Post]
Reston Office Towers at Risk of Foreclosure — “A $83.5 million loan secured by Plaza America III and IV in Reston went into default last month, putting the property at risk of foreclosure, according to loan servicer notes sent to bondholders this month.” The buildings are “presently 76% leased, while all four towers together are about 80% leased, a person familiar with the matter said.” [Washington Business Journal]
More N. Va. Families Struggling to Afford Basic Needs — “A new report is underscoring the increase in Northern Virginia families struggling to afford basic needs. In 2021, 20% of families in the region did not earn enough money for shelter, food, medical care and other essentials. Another 9% could not afford childcare in addition to these needs.” [Inside NoVA]
Fire Department Hires New HR Director — “Fire Chief John Butler is pleased to announce Damitra Gardner has been named Director of Human Resources for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, effective September 9, 2023.” Gardner has been serving as HR manager for the county’s Department of Public Safety Communications. [FCFRD]
Vienna Little Leaguers Honored for Strong Seasons — “Two Vienna Little League teams were recognized by the Vienna Town Council tonight for their exceptional records this year.” The 10-year-old group went undefeated for “the perfect summer,” while 12-year-olds on “The Big Red Machine” were “just one win short of a trip to Williamsport, PA and the Little League World Series.” [Town of Vienna/Facebook]
It’s Wednesday — Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms before 11am today, followed by partly sunny skies and a high temperature near 85°F. There is a 30% chance of precipitation. Tonight, the sky will be partly cloudy in the early evening, becoming cloudier later on, with a low temperature around 62°F. [Weather.gov]
A new ice cream parlor that caters to niche clientele is opening soon in Herndon.
Crème de la Crop, a vegan ice cream parlor, is set to open officially on Saturday (Sept. 9). It’s part of a shared commercial kitchen alongside Chiboo Bakery and Wined and Dined Catering at 273 Sunset Park Drive.
Olivia Green, the chef and owner, says she looks forward to the grand opening, which will take place alongside Chiboo Bakery — another woman-owned business.
“As a lactose intolerant pastry chef with a litany of allergies, I wanted to create a product I could finally eat, that tastes just like the real thing,” Green said in a statement. “Too many times I’ve seen places check off a box on a menu to appease a demographic, with little thought behind the food. People with dietary restrictions are an often-neglected population — and deserve to have delicious, thoughtful food (including dessert). And even though our ice cream is crafted for vegans and people with allergies, it’s meant for everyone! Seriously, dairy lovers find it indistinguishable from the real thing.”
The ice cream shop will offer a rotating selection of seasonal flavors like coconut key lime, grasshopper, and tahini caramel. The company also offers pre-orders for pickup several times a month.
A former Michelin star pastry chef, Green launched the business after working in bakeries and fine dining restaurants in D.C.
After launching a pop-up in April 2022, she decided to open up a storefront within a shared kitchen.
All of the shop’s ingredients are plant based and ice creams are made with gluten-free oat milk. All ice cream contains small amount of coconut milk or oil.
Pre-orders for Crème de la Crop will officially launch on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Retail hours are planned on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The ducks, turkeys and peafowl at Frying Pan Farm Park now have a reason to celebrate.
A new bird enclosure was recently completed to house the park’s creatures, funded by contributions from the nonprofit Friends of Frying Pan Farm Park. Local officials gathered last Thursday (Aug. 24) to celebrate the grand opening of the project.
The $9,000 project included demolishing the old structure, regrading the site, and installing a new foundation, sheds, pond, drainage system, lighting and fencing.
Fairfax County Park Authority Executive Director Jai Cole said the project emphasizes the importance of partnerships.
It may not seem like much, but this enclosure not only allows our park guests to get up close and personal with the animals, it also improves the overall safety and living accommodations for the birds themselves – not to mention the improved drainage and restoration of the pasture in the process. We are grateful for the continued involvement and investment of our Friends of Frying Pan Farm Park that helps us continue to provide a fun and unique experience here on the farm.
The oldest working farm in the county, the park includes animals like pigs, horses, goats, and chickens. It’s located at 2739 West Ox Road.
Some broken lights have unexpected challenges for Fairfax County’s speed camera pilot program, which appears to be having an effect on drivers, based on early data.
For about a week in mid-July, the Winko-Matics — flashing lights that signal when a school zone is in effect — failed to turn on at three of the eight sites involved in the pilot, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
As a result, the cameras at Irving Middle School in West Springfield and London Towne Elementary School in Centreville stopped issuing citations, the police department announced on Aug. 16. The lights for both school zones ceased functioning correctly on July 17 to July 28.
In an Aug. 21 update, the department reported that the Winko-Matics on Franconia Road for Key Middle School in Springfield also encountered issues during that time frame.
“The cameras correctly issued citations during summer school operations, but the Winko-Matics did not function properly,” the FCPD said, stating that any citations issued while the lights were broken will be voided or reimbursed.
As of last Thursday (Aug. 24), the department’s vendor was still conducting a review to determine exactly when the lights weren’t working, so it’ll take some time to figure out how many citations were affected, FCPD public information officer Sgt. Jacob Pearce told FFXnow.
The westbound camera on Franconia Road remains offline after construction work on a private property accidentally severed an electrical connection, but the other cameras and Winko-Matics are now functioning properly, according to Pearce.
Despite those technical issues, speed surveys conducted before and during the pilot suggest the new cameras have been effective at slowing down drivers, according to FCPD Sgt. Ian Yost.
Average speeds decreased between last fall and this past May at all but one of the six evaluated sites — London Towne, Irving, Key, South County High School, and Chesterbrook Elementary School.
The only outlier was northbound Soapstone Drive near Terraset Elementary School in Reston, which saw a 3% uptick to 24.4 mph, but the average speed recorded before the pilot (23.8 mph) was already below Virginia’s 25-mph speed limit for school zones.
Prior to getting the photo speed cameras, the other schools were all seeing average speeds over 30 mph, led by nearly 37 mph on southbound Stone Road near London Towne. In May, speeds dropped to 24-28 mph, with South County seeing the biggest change at 37%.
“The speed cameras is just a piece of the puzzle, but it does help as our…data did show that it did have an effect in slowing down speeds of drivers in and around schools,” Yost said. “So, I do think it does fit with our overall idea and implementation of traffic safety here in Fairfax County.”
As of last Wednesday (Aug. 23), the speed camera program has produced 13,762 citations since it started issuing them on April 10, resulting in $343,641 collected from fines, according to the FCPD.
Key Middle School has seen the most citations, because it has cameras covering both eastbound and westbound lanes, whereas the other locations just have cameras facing one direction, police said.
Throughout the pilot, police have been conducting other traffic safety efforts, including a countywide “Road Shark” campaign aimed at cracking down on aggressive driving and targeted enforcement on Fairfax County Parkway and Burke Centre Parkway.
During the “Road Shark” campaign, which unfolded over four separate weeks starting in March, police issued nearly 25,000 citations and warnings — more than 1,300 of them for reckless driving, the FCPD reported on Aug. 9.
“We are taking seriously and focused on not only enforcing traffic [safety], but also the education portion of it too, to let our drivers know we just want them to drive safer,” Yost said.
Approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in December, the pilot is expected to expand to as many as 50 locations this fiscal year, which lasts until June 30, 2024, but an exact timeline for the rollout is still in flux.
According to Yost, the FCPD has been working with Fairfax County Public Schools to identify 40 more locations. The county has previously said that Oakton High School, which saw two students killed by an allegedly speeding driver on June 7, 2022, is a candidate.
Yost says the department collaborates with FCPS on appropriate camera locations, since school officials are more familiar with the traffic and pedestrian patterns in their areas.
“Ideally, we would like to spread them out throughout the county, make sure they’re not concentrated in one section, target busier roads with higher speed limits, so something on a busier road versus a school that’s tucked away into a neighborhood,” he said. “Those are really some of the factors that we look at, and also just taking to effect any known problems that we might need to address, we can adjust and put the cameras at those schools.”
Emergency Task Force Called for Florida Hurricane — “VA-TF1 has been activated by @fema
as an 80-person Type I urban search and rescue team in response to #Hurricane #Idalia. The team will leave to assist the affected region [Monday] evening.” [Virginia Task Force 1/Twitter]
Senior Housing Complex Opens in Kingstowne — Fairfax County and developer Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing recently celebrated the grand opening of Oakwood Meadow Senior Residences, a 150-unit apartment building for low-income adults aged 62 and older. Located at 5815 South Van Dorn Street, the development is aimed at seniors earning 60% of the area median income or less. [FCRHA]
Northern Virginia Gets Creative With Office Conversions — “There are no aromatherapy rooms or saunas at Bailey’s Upper Elementary School, which occupies a five-story brick complex near a busy highway next to Fairfax County’s Seven Corners area. But just like the spa down the road, this magnet school serving third- through fifth-graders was carved out of a former office building.” [Washington Post]
Fairfax Senator Has Unexpected Ties to Roanoke Star — “While [Scott] Surovell is very much a product of Fairfax County, he has long-standing family ties to Franklin County and the Roanoke Valley. He says those connections make him more sensitive to a part of the state where Democrats sometimes can’t even field candidates.” [Cardinal News]
County Board Candidates Weigh in on “Missing Middle” Policies — “Several candidates running for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in November favor taking steps to make housing more affordable in the county, but no candidate has expressed support for duplicating Arlington County’s Missing Middle Housing plan that went into effect July 1.” [Patch]
Car Wash Offers Free Services to Local Educators — “‘Mr Wash Car Wash is celebrating Back To School month with Free Express Signature+ Extra Shine Car Washes for all teachers, school staff, and administrators through Aug. 31,’ the company announced on Instagram. That includes the Mr Wash locations at 5901 Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads and 3031 Gallows Road in Merrifield.” [Annandale Today]
GMU Reports Record Numbers of Students — “George Mason University’s total student enrollment has surpassed 40,000 this year, a first for the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the largest freshman class in school history with 4,500 students.” The university says it has defied statewide trends, with enrollment numbers at other colleges “dropping across Virginia.” [GMU]
Providence Community Center Gets New Farmers Market — “Residents living near the Vienna-Fairfax-GMU Metro station will have a new place to buy fresh fruit and vegetables thanks to the weekly Providence Produce with Potomac Market. Every Wednesday, from 3-7 p.m., Potomac Farm Market will be setting up a stand and selling fresh local produce, agricultural and jarred goods, and local honey in the parking lot of the Providence Community Center.” [Patch]
It’s Tuesday — There is a 50% chance of showers with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 83°F. Tuesday night, showers and possible thunderstorms are likely, with a low of 69°F and a 70% chance of precipitation. [Weather.gov]
Reston was under the lens on Friday (Aug. 25), as FOX 5 featured the planned community in its series on notable neighborhoods in the D.C. region.
The series, called Zip Trip, broadcast from Reston Town Center’s pavilion in the morning. The show highlighted the top five attractions in Reston: Reston Community Center (#5), Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (#4), Lake Fairfax Park (#3), Lake Anne Village Center (#2), and the town center (#1).
Reporter Erin Como said that Reston Town Center “offers all forms of fun,” ranging from the iconic Mercury fountain to shopping and events under the recently renovated pavilion.
Featured businesses and other organizations included:
- Ted’s Bulletin
- Scrawl Books
- The St. James Performance Club
- Reston Museum
- Cornerstones
- NOVA Wild
- South Lakes High School
- Lake Anne Brew House
Bike Lane Brewing & Cafe and the Lake Anne Brew House put their drinks to the test in a battle of the brews, while NOVA Wild presented its animal friends — including recent additions to the rebranded zoo’s family.
The feature also included a roundup on the real estate market in Reston.
Rob Tucker, a local pickle ball and tennis instructor who works for Reston Association, was recognized at the a hometown hero during the trip.
“My work is to promote the live, work, play motto,” Tucker said.
The last Zip Trip for the year will take in National Harbor on Friday (Sept. 1). FOX 5 visited 15 cities in the summer tour.
Screenshot via FOX5
(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Open Road Distilling Co. is officially opening its doors in Reston Town Center today (Monday).
The distillery takes over space vacated in 2020 by Balducci’s grocery store (1871 Fountain Drive). The business — which will also serve up live music and tours of its tasting room — is set to open at 3 p.m., according to its website.
Heirloom — a speakeasy-style restaurant — is also housed under the same business, although it’s technically a separate establishment. Open for dinner and happy hour starting at 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, the menu features pasta, steak, seafood and salads.
Open Road Distilling Co. sells a variety of handcrafted cocktails and entrees like fajitas, sandwiches and greens.
The business has two grill restaurants in Merrifield and Rosslyn, but the Reston location is its first distillery.
Matthew Carlin, president of Metropolitan Hospitality Group, which owns the brand, says the company initially considered industrial or more rural sites for its planned distillery, but having a location in Reston Town Center “was a dream that we were not sure was ever going to be possible.”
“When we were made aware of the space at Reston Town Center, we could not pass up the opportunity to serve the extraordinary demographics of the community,” Carlin said in a statement. “We also pay homage to the history of Reston, which used to be home to Virginia’s oldest distillery, A. Smith Bowman. We are honored to usher in a new generation of Virginia native spirits, and there is no better place to do it than at Reston Town Center.”
Fire Burns Down Wolf Trap Area Home — “The Fairfax County Fire Department responded to a massive fire at a home in McLean Friday night. The home, located in the 1100 block of Windrock Drive caught fire shortly before 7 p.m. The dispatcher for the incident said the caller believed the house was struck by lightning. However, firefighters told 7News it’s too early to verify that.” [ABC7]
CIA Trainee Convicted of Assault at HQ — “[Ashkan] Bayatpour was convicted Wednesday of a state misdemeanor charge of assault and battery in a case that was remarkable for breaking through the CIA’s veil of ultra-secrecy and playing out in a public courtroom where it has emboldened a sexual misconduct reckoning.” [Associated Press]
Man Arrested for Arson in Woodlawn — “On August 25, at 7:57 a.m., Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded for reports of smoke and a sounding fire alarm in a garden-style apartment building in the 4200 block of Buckman Road…Fire investigators determined the fire was intentionally set. The suspect was quickly identified and taken into custody.” [FCFRD]
Herndon Road Closed for Pipe Replacement — “Bennett Road (Route 669) between Fox Mill Road (Route 665) and Leefield Drive (Route 5360) will be closed to through traffic, weather permitting, Monday, August 28 through Thursday, August 31 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day for stormwater pipe replacement.” [VDOT]
Ground Breaks on Lake Fairfax Skating Rink — “Groundbreaking on 8/22 for a new inline skate rink at Lake Fairfax. It’s a great partnership of @fairfaxparks and @Capitals next to existing skate park. The Capitals are donating the inline skating rink, which should be open next spring!” [Walter Alcorn/Twitter]
Virginia Lawmakers Reach Deal on Budget — “Top negotiators for Virginia’s House and Senate announced Friday that they had struck a long-delayed budget deal that dismisses Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s quest for $1 billion in recurring tax cuts and provides one-time tax rebates instead.” [Washington Post]
Cat With No Ears Adopted at County Shelter — “This is not a photoshop – Picassa doesn’t have ears. And she’s gorgeous and so friendly and really just wonderful! Picassa had to have a ‘bilateral pinnectomy due to squamous cell carcinoma,’ and since this sweet cat was formerly a stray, coming to us and getting this surgery probably saved her life!” [Fairfax County Animal Shelter/Facebook]
Artists Bring Work to Fort Hunt Gallery and Homes — “The Stone Bridge Artists Tour has expanded from nine artists displaying their work at three local homes back in 2021, to 18 artists showing their productions from Sept. 7-10 at four home venues and the Nepenthe Gallery — all located within two miles from each other in the vicinity of Fort Hunt Road.” [On the MoVe]
It’s Monday — There is a 40% chance of showers, mainly after 8 AM, with mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature near 78°F. The east wind will be between 6-8 mph. For Monday night, expect a 50% chance of showers, mostly cloudy skies, a low around 69°F, and an east wind of 5-7 mph. [Weather.gov]
This year’s annual dragonfly count by Reston Association yielded higher than average numbers of the tiny critters.
Volunteer counters spotted 573 individual dragonflies from 16 species, the organization recently shared.
This is the first time the count tallied up more than 14 species since 2013, according to RA. Most of the dragonflies were called blue dashers, eastern amberwings and slaty skimmers. Some, like the dragonhunter, were seen for the first time since 2011.
But RA Chief Operating Officer Peter Lusk says that while the count was high, there was not a significant increase overall. Over the last 15 counts, there have been around 400 individual counts and 14 species, he said. There are 41 species of dragonfly in Reston.
“The number of species in Reston depends on many factors, including weather,” Lusk said by email. “The species identified this year indicates that despite a cool summer, Dragonfly numbers were not impacted, and our natural areas continue to support wildlife populations.”
The effort is led by staff and volunteers from the Walker Nature Center. Prior to the count, the center hosts a class to teach members about dragonflies.
Photo via Utsav Srestha/Unsplash
Fairfax County is steadily making progress on efforts to cut its use of gas-powered leaf blowers.
By the end of June next year — the conclusion of the 2024 fiscal year — the county plans to ensure that the supply of electric blowers and string trimmers is nearly 50% electric, according to John Silcox, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination.
That means that 105 of the 217 leaf blowers owned and operated by the county will be powered by electric batteries.
“As funding allows, agencies will continue to replace aging gas models with new electric equipment,” Silcox said.
The effort is part of a countywide initiative to shift toward eco-friendly practices that reduce the county government’s carbon footprint overall.
In the fiscal year 2024 budget, for example, the county will replace 55 gas-powered leaf blowers with electric ones.
The county says transitioning to electric-powered lawn equipment will help reduce carbon emissions, noise and costs.
“Even as Fairfax County’s facilities are making the switch to battery-powered blowers and other electric equipment, we encourage residents and contractors to do the same,” Silcox said.
The effort has been underway since at least November 2021.
Photo via Cbaile19/Wikimedia Commons
A new pedestrian bridge at Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park has officially opened.
The steel bridge, located in a section of the park between Heather Down Drive and Eddyspark Drive, was added to connect the community to the Sugarland Run Stream Valley Trail on the opposite bank of the creek.
The 10-foot-wide structure now completes the connection, which was previously broken due to flood and storm damage for many years.
The project was funded by nearly $740,000 from a park bond in 2020, according to the Fairfax County Parks Authority.
“We celebrated National Park and Recreation Month in July, and the theme of this year’s observance was ‘Where Community Grows,’” FCPA Executive Director Jai Cole said during the ribbon cutting. “I can’t think of a more fitting example of how parks and recreation, particularly our trails and bridges, bring communities together and connect residents to a wide range of opportunities, amenities and to one another.”
Crews demolished and removed the remaining structure so the previous bridge, installed a prefabricated steel bridge and built 10-foot-wide, connecting approaches to the bridge.
Local officials and staff, including Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, celebrated the grand opening of the bridge earlier this month.
The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) is unveiling its first electric refuse trash truck today (Friday).
The truck will “pick up residential trash and yard waste on routes throughout the county,” DPWES announced. The county says the truck is “a move that will save money and protect the environment.”
The unveiling falls in line with the county’s strategy to make government operations carbon-neutral by 2040.
“Electric vehicles produce zero emissions, meaning cleaner air for Fairfax County. Electric vehicles are quieter, also reducing noise pollution. The electric truck saves residents money by requiring less overall maintenance and eliminating fuel costs,” the site reads.
The truck will join a fleet that already has 50 electric vehicles in operation, including four sedans used by DPWES. In addition, Fairfax County Public Schools has eight electric school buses.
Scott Peterson, vice chair of local environmental advocacy group Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, called the new trash truck a positive first step.
“We hope the trial is successful and that electric trash trucks in the county, both private and county-owned, will quickly become the new normal,” Peterson said. “Heavy trucks running through our neighborhoods won’t be polluting the air we all breathe, and they’ll be so much quieter, too.”
Charging stations have been installed at the DPWES Newington Collections facility at 6901 Allen Park Road, where the county is holding the unveiling.
“When the battery has less than 20 percent of power, it will take up to five hours to recharge. Once it’s on its route, this truck can hold up to seven tons of recycling and up to 12 tons of trash,” the county says.
The trucks cost the county roughly $350,000 and are paid for by the Department’s Solid Waste Management Program and a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality grant. The county expects to have a second electric truck in September.
The unveiling is open to the public, and several county lawmakers are scheduled to speak. The event starts at 11 am.
