The weekly planner is a roundup of interesting events over the next week in the Herndon and Reston area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note. Want to submit a listing? Submit your pitch here!

Tuesday, Jan. 18

• Herndon Teen Book Club — 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Herndon Fortnightly Library — Teens will talk about a book, “I’d Rather Be Reading,” by Anne Bogel.
• The Friends of the Reston Regional Library Book Club — 7:30-9 p.m. at the Reston Regional Library — Readers will discussing this month’s selection, “Thank You for Being Late” by Thomas Friedman. Registration required.

Wednesday, Jan. 19

• YMCA Open House — 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the YMCA Fairfax County Reston — From workouts to a family swim, check out what the Y’s facility has to offer. Free. Guests asked to RSVP and complete a guest waiver in advance.

Thursday, Jan. 20

• Polynesian Dance Fitness — 6-6:45 p.m. at Herndon Community Center — Get a total body workout with a modern fitness workout inspired by dances from the Pacific Islands and the sounds of Polynesian drums and funky Reggae music. Cost is $24 for Herndon residents and $32 for non-residents.

Friday, Jan. 21

• Moody Blooms — 7-9 p.m. at Pinot’s Palette — Get free wine, beer and cider tastings while you paint. Cost is $39.

Saturday, Jan. 22

• Board Games for Adults — 12-5:30 p.m. at Herndon Fortnightly Library — Enjoy modern board games with other adults.

Sunday, Jan. 23

• Coffee Tasting Basics — 11 a.m. to noon at Aslin Beer Co. — Learn something new about coffee and potentially get a prize. Free.

Photo via Kimberly Farmer/Unsplash

The Herndon Town Council will resume in-person meetings next month after 15 months of virtual meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first in-person meeting since last March will be held on July 6.

“The Herndon Town Council is resuming in-person meetings due to the greatly improved state of the pandemic in Fairfax County, as the decrease in infections and increase in vaccinations make it safer to gather in person,” said Anne Curtis, chief communications officer for the Town of Herndon.

Seats will be spaced six feet apart, and masks will be required for unvaccinated attendees to comply with CDC guidelines.

Public hearings and work sessions will still be available for viewing via live stream, but interactions via WebEx will be discontinued. Those who wish to address the council must do so in person.

“While I am so appreciative of my colleagues on council, town staff and town citizens for their forbearance during this extraordinary time, I don’t think any of us expected we’d be meeting online for more than a year,” Herndon Mayor Sheila Olem said. “I am excited to see faces and to recapture the energy that is only found in person. I hope citizens will come out and participate as we resume our in-person sessions.”

The first in-person meeting will be on July 6 at 7 p.m. at the Herndon Community Center (814 Ferndale Ave.). The first in-person public hearing will be on July 13 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers located at 765 Lynn Street.

More information on upcoming meetings can be found on the Town of Herndon website.

“The council is looking forward to greater citizen involvement in their meetings, as the opportunity for in-person testimony on issues that come before the council resumes,” Curtis said.

The Herndon Town Council is nearing approval of its fiscal years 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Program, which includes newly added projects like a traffic signal along Herndon Parkway at Sunset Park Drive and a possible expansion of the Herndon Police Department’s parking lot.

The updated CIP was reviewed and discussed during the town council’s work session on Tuesday (May 18) in anticipation of a public hearing and the document’s potential adoption on May 24.

Every year, the Town of Herndon updates its six-year schedule for public improvements known as the Capital Improvement Program. The projects scheduled for the upcoming fiscal year —  in this case, FY 2022 — are adopted along with the budget, while the rest of the program is adopted separately.

CIP projects have been limited the past two fiscal years due to budget constraints resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, going forward, the town hopes these new projects will proceed on the proposed timeline.

The CIP has 49 projects, six of which are added in this year’s version, including:

• New Herndon Parkway traffic signal at Sunset Park Drive. This project will also add new street lighting, signals for bikes and pedestrians, and crosswalks to improve safety and traffic circulation access to Sunset Business Park. It has an anticipated completion date of FY 2025 and an estimated cost of about $4.5 million.
• Herndon Police Department parking lot expansion. The first step is to initiate a study to determine how many more parking spots are needed and an estimated budget for construction. Both the study and construction are expected to happen in fiscal year 2023.
• HVAC and roof replacements at 1481 Sterling Road. First installed around 1986, the roof and four HVAC units at the town facility on Sterling Road have far exceeded their lifespans. These are “emergency” improvements, Herndon Deputy Director of Public Works John Irish noted Tuesday, and they’re estimated to be completed in fiscal year 2023.
• Energy conservation project. The town will utilize energy audits done in 2017 to inform decisions about replacing equipment, lighting, heating systems to make town buildings and infrastructure more energy efficient. While the project is expected to cost about $22,000 upfront in fiscal year 2023, it could reduce the town’s energy bills by over $380,000 annually. “[It] will essentially fund itself by the savings the program identifies,” Irish said.
• Fuel tank replacement at Town Shop facility. The two underground 10,000-gallon tanks used to fuel all town-owned vehicles are nearing the end of their lifespans. A study will be done in FY 2022 to identify any environmental concerns before the tanks are replaced in FY 2023.
• Herndon Community Center pool pak replacement. “This is a critical piece of equipment for the conditioning of the water and also the air that circulates in the natatorium,” Irish said. The units are reaching the end of their life cycles. Design work is set to be completed this year, and then, the roughly $500,000 replacement is expected to happen in FY 2023.

Overall, town staff is recommending just over $150 million in CIP projects over the next six years, with a large portion of the funding coming from the general government fund.

Irish noted that a number of transportation projects are expected to undergo construction and be completed soon, so they will likely not be in next year’s version of the CIP.

Photo via Bill Ashton/Facebook

Columbus Day, also known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, is this upcoming Monday, which means several facilities will be closed to the public to observe the holiday. Here is a look at what is available and what is not. 

Fairfax County government offices will be closed, as well as in-person early voting at the Fairfax County Government Center. Local libraries will be closed. All Fairfax County parks will be closed, with the exception of Frying Pan Farm Park’s farm and indoor areas. Additionally, all RECenters will be open. 

The Fairfax Connector will be running on its holiday service. Several routes, which are listed on the county’s website, will not operate at all. Metro, however, will be operating on normal hours. 

The Reston Community Center in Hunters Woods will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. The RCC in Lake Anne will be closed for the day. The Herndon Community Center will also be closed. 

Photo by Aaron Burden/Unsplash

Herndon Community Center plans to expand its operating hours beginning next week.

The center, which was closed for months due to COVID-19, opened on August 20 to the public. Starting Tuesday (Sept. 8), the center will be open on from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. The center will remain closed over the weekend.

Currently, the pool is opening for lap swimming and water walking, while the fitness area is limited to a maximum of 10 people for a one-hour timeslot. Reservations are required.

Locker rooms, the spa, the sauna, racquetball courts, and drop-in fitness classes are not available due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s more from the center on the limited number of fall classes being offered at the center:

A limited number of fall classes will be offered starting in mid-September. We are exercising precautions to ensure the health and safety of all students by following the CDC and industry guidelines related to preventing the spread of COVID-19. Outdoor Tennis Lessons and new Family Tennis lessons are being offered in Bready Park. Small Group Fitness classes will be held indoors and outdoors in Bready Park, new sessions start each month. Visit herndonwebtrac.com to learn more and to register. To learn more about the Town of Herndon Parks and Recreation Department, please visit us at herndon-va.gov/recreation, or call 703-787-7300.

Image via Google Maps

After a months-long closure, Herndon Community Center is opening its doors to the community once again.

The center will reopen on Thursday, August 20 at 7 a.m. Although the pool and fitness area will be open, locker rooms, spa, sauna and racquetball courts will remain closed. Family changing rooms and restrooms will be open.

One-on-one personal training sessions are also available, along with online personal training. Costs vary from $36 to $349 for Town of Herndon residents and $48 to $464 for all others. Costs vary based on the duration and number of sessions requested.

Reservations are required to use the fitness and pool areas. Outdoor sessions will take place at the turf field of Bready park.

The center will be open on weekdays only from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. HCC has no immediate plans to reopen the center on weekends.

The town will reassess its hours after a two-week period following reopening.

Facemasks must be worn in HCC, but can be removed when patrons are ready to exercise or swim.

HCC is instituting a number of safety measures in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. Patrons will be asked to complete a health screening when entering the facility. Hand sanitizer will be available at the center’s entrance and in the fitness room.

Image via Google Maps

The holiday season is here which means there are important closures around the area to keep in mind.

All Fairfax County government offices will be operating on a half-day schedule on Dec. 24 and be closed on Dec. 25.

For those who take public transit, the Fairfax Connector will operate on a normal schedule on both Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31), according to a Fairfax County Department of Transportation press release.

On Christmas Day (Dec.25) and New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) the buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. Times for specific busses can be found online.

Metro riders can also expect trains to run on a varied schedule during the holidays.

• Dec. 24: 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
• Dec. 25: 8 a.m. t0 11 p.m.
• Dec. 31: 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Jan. 1: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The United States Postal Service will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

All Reston Association offices, including the Central Services Facility and Nature House, will be closed Tuesday through Friday (Dec. 24-26). Offices will close at 1 p.m. on Dec. 31 and remain closed on Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day, according to the RA website.

Reston Community Center at Lake Anne will be closed on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) through New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) and will reopen on Jan. 2.

The Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods will be open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. It will be closed on Christmas. On New Year’s Day, the center will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

In Herndon, town offices will close at noon on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, according to a press release.

Trash will be collected on Tuesdays — Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 — instead of Christmas and New Year’s Day in Herndon.

The Herndon Community Center will have varied hours throughout the week:

• Tuesday (Dec. 24): 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday (Dec. 25): closed
• Thursday (Dec. 26): 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Tuesday (Dec. 31): 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday (Jan. 1): closed
• Thursday (Jan. 2): 6 a.m. 10 p.m.

For golfers, the Herndon Golf Course also has a limited schedule — and if the weather cooperates.

• Tuesday (Dec. 24): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday (Dec. 25): closed
• Tuesday (Dec 31): 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday (Jan. 1): 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Due to holiday festivities, Reston Now won’t be publishing on Dec. 25 or Jan. 1. We will be pushing on a shortened schedule today from tomorrow (Dec. 24) to next Tuesday (Dec. 31).

Photo courtesy Reston Town Center 

Monday is Veterans Day — a chance to celebrate the servicemen and women who currently or previously served in the United States Armed Forces.

Across Herndon and Reston, certain businesses or offices are altering hours in remembrance or even offering perks for veterans.

The Town of Herndon will host a remembrance ceremony on the Town Green at 11 a.m. in coordination with the American Legion Post 184.

Founding Farmers (1904 Reston Metro Plaza) is offering a 50% discount on brunch, lunch and dinner for those who bring along a military ID or wear their uniform. The Department of Veterans Affairs compiled a list of other chain locations offering discounts or free things for servicewomen and men.

The Herndon Community Center will operate from 6 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. and also offer free admission for retired veterans and active military personnel with military ID.  The Reston Community Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to its website.

The Fairfax County government offices and Fairfax County Public Libraries will be closed in remembrance, according to their website.

Fairfax County Public Schools will be open and teachers are encouraged to lead students in Veterans Day oriented activities.

Across the county, all neighborhood and community service centers will be closed.

Trash collection from the county will run on a normal schedule, although the offices will be closed, according to the website. Locals are advised to put their trash and recycling out by 6 a.m. for timely collection.

Fairfax County animal shelters are closed on Mondays, the website said.

Some Fairfax Connector routes will operate regular weekday service, while others won’t run at all.

The Town of Herndon is working with Cornerstones to provide a free workshop for owners.

The workshop, which is set for Sunday, Oct. 6, will guide attendees through the many issues of owning and maintaining a home.

The event is set to take place at Herndon Community Center from 1-3 p.m. Contractors, housing specialists, real estate brokerage and attorneys will present information about preventive maintenance, home repairs, foreclosure prevention, and legal documents.

Attendees can RSVP by emailing [email protected]. Space is limited.

Cornerstones is a local nonprofit organization that helps resident overcome economic challenges.

Image via Google Maps