The Town of Herndon will get a financial lift from the federal government for its efforts to develop a roadway safety action plan.
A $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program will fund an analysis of local roads to identify priorities for future transportation safety projects, particularly ones that could reduce crashes or improve accessibility, the town announced yesterday (Tuesday).
Despite calls for targeted raises for teachers and support staff, the Fairfax County School Board has approved 4% pay raises for all school employees as part of its adopted fiscal year 2025 budget.
The decision, voted on last Thursday (May 23), came after the Virginia General Assembly allocated an additional $35.5 million to Fairfax County Public Schools, allowing Superintendent Michelle Reid to increase employee pay raises from 3% to 4%.
Alleged Harassment by Justice’s Wife Reported to FCPD — “The police in Fairfax County, Va., received an unusual phone call on Feb. 15, 2021. A young couple claimed they were being harassed by the wife of a Supreme Court justice…The clash between the wife of a conservative Supreme Court justice and the couple, who were in their 30s, liberal and proud of it, played out over months on a bucolic block” in Fort Hunt. [New York Times]
FCPS to Give Workers Parental Leave — “Fairfax County Public Schools teachers and staff will be eligible to get maternity or paternity leave starting July 1. School Board Member Melanie Meren said Virginia’s largest school district is expected to learn more details about the county’s program this summer.” [WTOP]
Fire Department Makes Notable Promotion — “Fire Chief Butler is pleased to announce the promotion of Captain Felicia Barnes to Battalion Chief with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Battalion Chief Barnes is the first African American female battalion chief” in the department’s history. [FCFRD]
ArtsFairfax Launches County’s First Artist Survey — “The Fairfax Regional Artist Survey is the first study of its kind and is designed to identify the needs and obstacles for artists across all art forms living and working in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church.” The online survey will remain open through Dec. 31, 2024. [ArtsFairfax]
Casino Supporters and Opponents Make Cases at Vienna Fest — “Fairfax County residents may have been surprised to see two booths at last weekend’s ViVa! Vienna Festival operated by groups opposing and supporting the casino that Reston developer Comstock Holding Companies wants to build in Tysons.” [Patch]
New Annandale Coffee Shop in the Works — “A coffee shop is in the works for the ground floor of an office building at 7601 Little River Turnpike in Annandale. The owner, Fady Jouda, hopes to open the café, called Petra, in two or three months. He plans to focus on coffee and pastries.” [Annandale Today]
Gum Springs Considers Historic District Designation — “In the past few years, the Mount Vernon District has had two sites designated by Fairfax County as historic overlay districts (HODs) — Wellington at River Farm and Hollin Hills. Soon, community members will find out whether an HOD designation could be in the cards for Gum Springs, the county’s oldest African American community, as well.” [On the MoVe]
Park Authority Awarded for Preservation — “We’re proud to announce that The Fairfax County Park Authority has been honored with the 2023 Michael Hoffman Award from the Council of Virginia Archaeologists! This prestigious award recognizes our Archaeology and Collections Branch’s (ACB) commitment to preserving and investigating archaeological sites throughout the county.” [FCPA]
It’s Wednesday — Expect showers and potential thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm, with increasing clouds and a high of 78°F. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation. For Wednesday night, skies will be partly cloudy with a low of 57°F. [NWS]
Work is underway to signalize the New Dominion Parkway and Explorer Street intersection on the north side of Reston Town Center.
Mast arms for the long-awaited traffic lights have been erected on all four sides of the intersection, and construction on the curbs, including improved accessibility aprons, are mostly complete, according to Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) Executive Director Robert Goudie.
Fairfax County staff are seeking additional funding to hire more personnel who could help expedite ongoing and future flood mitigation projects across the county.
However, with the county facing increasing financial challenges, worsened by inflation and reduced commercial tax revenue, some members of the Board of Supervisors said at a recent land use committee meeting that they are reluctant to commit to expanding the budget’s list of indefinite expenditures.
The Town of Herndon is poised to become the latest locality in the D.C. region to test the concept of a “streetery.”
The Herndon Town Council is scheduled to vote today (Tuesday) on a resolution to adopt a new pilot program that would allow businesses to create temporary outdoor dining areas in public spaces, such as sidewalks and on-street parking spots.
Voter Registration Deadline Is Today — “The deadline to register to vote, or update an existing registration for the Democratic & Republican primaries is Tuesday, May 28. Note: You may register after May 28, through Election Day, and vote using a provisional ballot.” [Fairfax County/Twitter]
Body Pulled From Potomac River Near Great Falls — “A body recovered from the Potomac River on Monday is believed to be a young man who went missing last Friday while attempting to swim from Virginia to Maryland. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer told WTOP two swimmers near Great Falls tried to cross from Virginia into Maryland on Friday evening.” [WTOP]
Hidden Cameras Found in Falls Church Cafe — “Falls Church police are investigating hidden cameras found in the bathrooms of Northside Social. Police say someone placed cameras in two first floor restrooms, facing the toilets, at the popular Clarendon cafe’s Falls Church outpost, which opened in 2018 at 205 Park Avenue.” [ARLnow]
Arrest Made in 2013 Sexual Assault — “After over a decade on the run, a 2013 sexual assault suspect was arrested in El Salvador and extradited back to Fairfax County to face justice. On October 21, 2013, officers responded to the 7200 block of Commerce Street in Springfield for a sexual assault report. The victim was sexually assaulted by an unknown male while inside a residence.” [FCPD]
Solar Projects Hampered by New Rules — “Fairfax had completed six projects before Dominion Energy changed the requirements for midsize solar in December 2022. Since then, the county has downsized two projects to fall below the requirements’ parameters, while five others — including a police station, stormwater complex and library — are on hold.” [Washington Post]
County Affected by Dental Hygienist Shortage — “Dentists across Virginia are scrambling to fill a statewide shortage of dental hygienists. The gap is most acute in Northern Virginia, according to the Virginia Dental Association. ‘There’s a huge imbalance in the number of hygienists to dentists right now and Fairfax County is feeling it the worst,’ Dr. Justin Norbo, the association’s president-elect” said. [WTOP]
Food Delivery Driver Assaulted in Springfield — “A man has been arrested and faces charges for allegedly assaulting a food delivery driver in a road rage incident in Fairfax County…[The driver] is still shaken up after the suspect strangled him near a Wendy’s in Springfield” on the night of Monday, May 20.” [FOX5]
New Tysons Firm Lands Big Investment — “Veteran Ventures Capital (VVC) secured a $10 million institutional investment from Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC). This investment fuels VVC’s Veterans Fund II,” which will support veteran-owned companies. The venture capital firm relocated from its original home in Tennessee to The Boro in Tysons in April. [FCEDA]
It’s Tuesday — There is a slight chance of showers from 2pm to 5pm, followed by possible storms after 5pm. With sunny skies, the high temperature will be near 83°F. Precipitation chances are 20%. For Tuesday night, expect mostly clear skies and a low of around 61°F. [NWS]
Retail giant Walmart is finally planning to move into Herndon, more than four years after it originally leased office space in the area.
According to Fairfax County records, the discount department and grocery store chain filed for permits last month to renovate the first four floors of the six-floor office building at 2245 Monroe Street, totaling approximately 83,300 square feet.
Live Fairfax is a bi-weekly column exploring Fairfax County. This recurring column is sponsored and written by Sharmane Medaris of McEnearney Associates. Questions? Reach Sharmane at 813-504-4479.
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The Fairfax County Park Authority will dive into Memorial Day weekend with the opening of three seasonal water amenities, including The Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole in Reston.
The popular water park inside Lake Fairfax Park (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive) will open for the summer at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday). Initially, the facility will only be open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, but operations will expand to include weekdays starting on June 18.
