Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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RestonRestonSneak Peek:Best ofReston

Sneak Peek:Best ofRestonNews, Page 3

AreaBecomes a‘No DroneZone’News, Page 11

About Crossingthe Potomac,AgainNews, Page 12

Amy’s Amigos: Olivia Wolfe,Hannah Becker and

Kacey Hirshfeld will be honoredat the Best of Reston celebration

on April 7.

Page 8

2 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Ken Moore

The Connection

More than 750 people attended last year’s Best ofReston Awards for Commu-nity Service.

“The best night out in Reston,” said Cham-ber president Mark Ingrao, of the annualevent organized by Cornerstones and theGreater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

Ingrao, Kerrie Wilson, Mike Bradshawand numerous others called last Thursdaynight, Jan. 14, the “second best night inReston.”

Cornerstones and the Reston Chamber ofCommerce announced the honorees whowill be receiving awards at this year’s Bestof Reston event, scheduled for April 7 atthe Reston Hyatt.

The Greater Reston Chamber of Com-merce and Cornerstones will celebrate thesilver anniversary of the event, as theyshowcase community involvement and cor-porate philanthropy and engagement, whileraising funds to support Cornerstones’ mis-sion.

“Save the date,” said Reston Associationpresident Ellen Graves. “I expect to see allof you on April 7 and I expect you all tobring 500 of your best friends with you.”

Graves, Kevin Reynolds of Cardinal Bank,and Judy Redpath of VISTA Wealth Strate-gies LLC will serve as the 2016 Best ofReston Gala Chairs.

CORNERSTONES PARTNERED withThe Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce25 years ago to create the annual Best ofReston: Awards for Community Service.

The annual Reston event has raised morethan $2.24 million the previous three years.

Cornerstones promotes self-sufficiency byproviding support and advocacy for peoplein need of food, shelter, affordable hous-

ing, quality childcare, and other human ser-vices. The agency has reached out to morethan 250,000 neighbors in need. “Throughadvocacy and support services, we connectour clients to the vital resources they needto help build more stable families and self-sufficient lives and provide a comprehen-sive array of programs that solve urgent orongoing requirements for housing,childcare, food or financial assistance,” ac-cording to Cornerstones.

Last year, Kerrie Wilson accepted a checkfor $539,796 on behalf of Cornerstones.

“REVEALING THE BEST RECEPTION,”was the name of last Thursday night’s eventat the Silver Line Wiehle Metro Plaza.

“The support of the community as wehonor individuals, organizations and busi-nesses whose efforts shape our communityfor the better—every day,” said Jill Norcross,chair of Cornerstones Board of Directors.

“It is an honor to work with Cornerstonesthrough our shared mission of building acommunity that is not just a great place todo business—but one which offers hope andhelp to so many,” said Mark Ingrao, presi-

dent and CEO, Greater Reston Chamber ofCommerce. “Truly, the Greater RestonChamber of Commerce sees this work asboth a privilege and a responsibility.”

Cornerstones and the Chamber an-nounced the eight honorees who have beenselected for the 2016 Best of Reston Com-munity Service Awards last Thursday, Jan.14 at the Silver Line Wiehle Metro Plaza.

EIGHT HONOREES will receive recogni-tion on April 7, including:Individual Community LeadersJim Elder

“A Champion of Sportsmanship for AllSeasons: Teaching Reston youth that goodsportsmanship and fair play are as essentialto playing the games they love as skills, statsand strategy,” according to Cornerstones andthe Reston Chamber of Commerce.

Leila Gordon“Putting Community at the Center of the

Reston Experience: Inviting all who live,work and play in Reston to participate inthe Reston way of living with compassionand creativity.”

Small Business LeadersBeloved Yoga

“Inspiring Community Wellbeing: Provid-ing the tools for self-empowerment, self-healing and self-realization coupled withthe belief that giving back to community ispowerful when we thrive together.”

Wiygul Automotive Clinic“Jump-Starting Hope for Families and

Children: Making a profound difference inlives by quietly and humbly delivering de-pendable transportation to help people se-cure and maintain solid employment.”

Corporate Business LeadersBechtel

“Engineering the Future with Service toOthers: Giving employees opportunities tocreate positive impacts throughout Reston,the Dulles Corridor and the world by en-couraging them to follow through on theirown purpose-driven interests and passions.”

Google“Search for “Positive Impact”: Find Google

in our Community: Bringing its signatureculture of innovation to tackle local andworldwide challenges in education and pov-erty relief; and the support of returning ser-vice men and women and our K9 heroes.”

Civic Community OrganizationFriends of Reston for Community Project“The Nature of Reston Has Giving at Its

Heart: Harnessing the resources of volun-teers and friends to generate $2 million incommunity investment so all may enjoyReston’s numerous natural assets.”

Vade Bolton-Anne RodriguezLegacy Award

Amy’s Amigos“Friends Striving to Create a Healthy,

Caring Community: Channeling grief intoongoing action, modeling wellness foryouth and throughout the community, shar-ing the tools of action, and passing the torchto the next generation of Reston’s leaders.”

Honorees for silver anniversary event announced.

Sneak Peek: Best of RestonPhotos by Ken Moore/The Connection

Organizers call Best of Reston events the best two nights in Reston.Leila Gordon (second from right) received the individual communityleader award for “inviting all who live, work and play in Reston toparticipate in the Reston way of living with compassion and creativity.”

Supervisor CathyHudgins (center)with NannetteBowler (right),director of theDepartment ofFamily Services, andLeila Gordon in thebackground.

4 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

Reston resident Doris Tyler, ownerof Chesapeake Chocolates at theLake Anne Village Center, has setup a Go Fund Me account to

raise money to open a post office in the LakeAnne Village Center. The previous LakeAnne post office closed in 2014. ChesapeakeChocolates, Inc. expanded in 2015 and withadditional space, Tyler began the applica-tion process to open a Contract Postal Unit.The post office will be the Bob Simon LakeAnne Post Office, named after Restonfounder and visionary Robert E. Simon.

A Contract Postal Unit (CPU) is a retailpostal facility located inside a retail estab-lishment. CPUs are operated by the retailer’semployees and offer the same basic servicesavailable at a regular Post Office. Tyler wasawarded the contract in August. Remodel-ing will be necessary to meet the require-ments for the Post Office and additionalfurnishings and infrastructure are needed.Expenses including employee salaries,Chesapeake Chocolates will pay rent, and

utilities needed to operate the Post Of-fice.

The 9th Annual Freezin’ for a Rea-son Virginia Polar Dip is set for Sat-urday, Feb. 6. The mid-winter LakeAnne event begins at 12:30 p.m. withmusic by Danny DJ and familyfriendly activities. The Dip starts at 2p.m. Each year the event drawscrowds of spectators and jumpersraising over $100,000. This year’sevent is estimating approximately 350individuals to dive off Lake Anne’sdock. Participants will take a full diveor a “Chicken Dip” – to raise fundsfor Camp Sunshine, a national year-round retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their fami-lies. This year’s goal is to raise$125,000, which will allow 50 fami-lies from the Mid-Atlantic area tocome to Camp Sunshine.

Lake Anne residents Eve Thompsonand her husband Rick will soon opentheir business, Lake Anne CoffeeHouse. Lake Anne Coffee House hasbeen closed for redesign. Eve Thomp-

son is a real estate agent who has ownedproperty at Lake Anne since 2000. The Th-ompson couple has chosen Monument Cof-fee, local Manassas-based roasters as thesupplier of high-quality beans.

The public is invited to meeting to learnabout the proposed construction of a newReston headquarters for General DynamicsCorporation. Hosted by Supervisor CathyHudgins, the meeting is scheduled forWednesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m., at SouthLakes High School Lecture Hall, 11400

South Lakes Drive, Reston (entranceclosest to the stadium). General Dy-namics Corporation is an Americanaerospace and defense companyformed by mergers and divestitures.The company employs thousands ofpeople, with locations in 43 countries.

According to the Fairfax CountyEconomic Development Authority,Reston is the second largest officemarket in Fairfax County with almost19.7 million square feet of space. Of-fice buildings range from condomini-ums to the high-rise structures aroundthe Reston Town Center. Other se-lected business parks in Reston in-clude Campus Commons, CommerceExecutive Park, Isaac Newton Square,Lake Fairfax Business Center andParkridge. General Dynamics employs8,000 persons in Virginia and has cor-porate headquarters at 2941 FairviewPark Drive in Falls Church.

The proposed General Dynamicsheadquarters location is the southside of Sunset Hills Road, north of theDulles Airport Access Road and westof Hunter Mill Road, at 11011 Sun-set Hills Road and is currently ownedby Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP).“While this development will gothrough the standard Reston Planning

and Zoning Committee review process, Iwanted to also give the community an earlyopportunity to talk about the developmentand address any concerns. The owner anddeveloper involved will be present andavailable for questions. My hope is that byengaging the community at the onset ev-eryone can be fully informed as the reviewprocess proceeds,” Supervisor Hudgins said.The General Dynamics property will have asecurity fence and a small guard house nearthe entrance.

Post office and upcomingReston Polar Dip at Lake Anne.

General Dynamics to Move to Reston

Lake Anne residents Eve Thompson and her husband Rick will soonopen their business, Lake Anne Coffee House, which has been closedfor redesign.

Photos by Ryan Dunn/The Connection

Chesapeake Chocolates at the Lake AnneVillage Center, has set up a Go Fund Meaccount to raise money to open a post officein the Lake Anne Village Center.

Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

Reston Network AnalysisCommunity Meeting

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins andFairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) invite youto a community meeting of the Reston Network Analysis Group,on Monday, Febr. 1, 7-9 p.m. at Lake Anne Elementary SchoolCafeteria, 11510 North Shore Drive, Reston. Residents will beable to learn more about the study which seeks to evaluate theconceptual grids of streets and road elements in the areas sur-rounding the Reston Metrorail Stations, also known as the RestonTransit Station Areas (TSA). Staff will be on hand to answer yourquestions during the meeting.

In addition to the community meeting, a public website hasbeen established to gather comments from the community. If youare unable to attend, you can still submit your comments on theproject website at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/restonnetworkanalysis/.

For additional information contact Paul Davis at 703-478-0283,or via email at huntermill@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Coldwell Banker Moves toNew Reston Office Location

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage opened the doors to itsnew Reston office at Reston Town Center at 11911 Freedom Drive,Suite 520. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the incredible ac-complishments the Reston office has made over the years,” saidRick Hoffman, regional senior vice president, Mid-Atlantic,Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “With the new office lo-cation and ongoing dedication of affiliated agents to area homebuyers and sellers, we are in an even better position to deliverour world-class marketing and local real estate expertise to thecommunity. Reston Town Center is a thriving retail and commer-cial services center, and this move puts us right in the heart of it.”

The new location will serve as a base for more than 50 inde-pendent agents. The Reston office can be reached at 703-471-7220. For more information or to view local listings, visitColdwellBankerHomes.com. To learn more about a career in realestate or affiliating with Coldwell Banker, visit CareersCB.com.

Week in Reston

By John Lovaas

Reston Impact Producer/Host

My plan for todaywas to discuss thesilly season ofVirginia’s General

Assembly session which openedJan. 13. But, it is really hard totune out the noise of the 2016campaign for President which is inits second—or is it third—year? Tosum up, at this point it seems thevoices of hate, racism and greedwill coalesce around the Donald,while the more timid voices ofcommunity and caring may havefound the revolutionary spark theyneed for victory. Let’s see.

In our area, Reston’s delegationto the General Assembly — Del-egate Ken Plum and Senator JanetHowell — head to Richmond withtheir nearly sixty years of senior-ity to engage in a 60-day sessionof probable futility. They’ll bejoined by new Delegate JenniferBoysko of Herndon, a bright and

promising progressive whose civicexperience should serve her wellin the Richmond swamp.

Along with a couple thousandproposed laws addressing any pub-lic interest or special interest youcan imagine, there are major mat-ters of public policy in need of se-rious discussion and hopefully ac-tion by our legislators. Examples ofthe latter include proposals by Gov-ernor McAuliffe, who is seized withthe desire to accomplish things inhis constitutionally limited 4-yearterm, to reform public high schoolsto include professionalcredentialing and hands-on workexperience, and to expand Medic-aid coverage at federal expense forabout 400,000 uninsured low-in-come Virginians. Other matters ofpublic policy in dire need of actioninclude how to care for thousandsof Virginians with mental illnessnow untreated due to lack of ser-vices. A large proportion of thementally ill are warehoused injails—for lack of alternatives. And,

frankly, we desperately need a se-rious debate on ways to improvegun safety as Del. Plum proposedin his recent column in the Con-nection. However, the likelihoodof serious debate of McAuliffe’s pro-posals, mental health care or gunsafety is very slim to none.Instead, the General Assembly willspend the 60-day session on billsthat would, for example:

❖ allow faculty members of pub-lic higher education institutions tocarry concealed handguns on cam-pus;

❖ allow the use of turkey feath-ers and turkey toes in making toolsor utensils;

❖ allow school boards to putadvertising material on schoolbuses—you know like Drink CocaCola! or This Bud’s for You!

❖ bar persons on the FBI’s ter-rorist watch list from getting aconcealed handgun permit. Butnot bar them from acquiring AR-15s or AK-47s.

❖ designate the cuddly EasternGarter Snake as official Virginiaserpent; and,

❖ reduce the penalty for adul-tery from a misdemeanor to a civilpenalty-a change proposed no

doubt in response to popular de-mand among legislators?

Turning to the good news inReston: The 2016 Best of RestonAward winners were just an-

nounced. A tip of the Progressive’scap goes especially to those hon-ored for their volunteer service tothe community—Jim Elder, Amy’sAmigos, and the Friends of Reston.

To the Editor:I read with interest your ar-

ticle in the on the opening ofNot Your Average Joe’s atReston Spectrum (Reston Con-nection, Jan. 6-12, 2016). Myfamily of 7 (children ages 2-12)had an extremely positive ex-perience at their soft openingthis past weekend. In additionto the many positive attributesyou mentioned in your article,I would like to point out howextremely accommodating thestaff is to guests with food sen-sitivities and allergies.

This past fall my 11-year-oldwas diagnosed with Celiac, an au-toimmune disease that requiresher to be on a completely gluten-free diet. Despite having 5 chil-dren, we have never had to dealwith concerns related to food sen-sitivities or allergies before and weare navigating new territory.

The staff at Not Your AverageJoe’s went above and beyond tomake sure my daughter was well-cared-for while dining there. They

were well-trained in food sensi-tivities, had a gluten free menureadily available, and informed usthey had a “scratch kitchen” sowould do their best to accommo-date her if there was somethingon the menu they could make glu-ten-free. They even had gluten-free bread and brought out herown dipping sauce pre-meal. Themanager stopped by our table tomake sure her needs were beingmet and to deliver her food per-sonally.

We appreciate the entirestaff’s efforts to make this a nicefamily experience and their ef-forts to go above and beyondto make sure everyone wastreated exceptionally well. Ourwhole family had a great expe-rience there and plans to fre-quent this place.

It is refreshing to find a res-taurant so dedicated to the com-fort and happiness of each guest.

Tara XellerReston

A Great ExperienceLetters

2016 Politics and Better News

6 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

The Virginia General Assembly began its 60-day 2016 session onWednesday, Jan. 13. Here in North-ern Virginia, residents are often far

more cognizant of national politics and gov-ernment than state and local government. Butthere are several reasons why, especially inVirginia, especially if you live in North-ern Virginia, you should pay attention.

In Virginia, localities have only thepower expressly given by the GeneralAssembly. So living in Fairfax or Arlington orAlexandria, your local governments and regu-lations are often not able to reflect the valuesand preferences of residents.

For example, for Fairfax County to have anysay about whether a gun store can operateadjacent to a school, where students can seecustomers coming and going with weapons,the General Assembly would have to vote togive the county that authority. While this hasbeen a hot topic here, and several legislatorshave introduced “authorizing legislation,” itwould be remarkable if the currently consti-tuted assembly would allow this to go forward.

Living in the wealthiest areas of the Com-monwealth also raises concerns. Localities havevery limited options for raising revenue. Therevenue that is actually based on someone’sability to pay, income taxes, is only collectedby the state; localities cannot claim any por-tion of income tax. Of course Northern Virginiais the economic engine of the state, and so itmakes sense that a significant portion of the

state budget would be funded with NorthernVirginia dollars. But it is unfair that the Gen-eral Assembly limits localities ability to accessother revenue choices to fund local necessitieslike schools.

There are dozens of other examples, andmost are complicated. But local officials are

elected, and if local government takesaction not supported by local voters,they will be voted out.

Because of gerrymandering of dis-tricts in both the House of Delegates and theVirginia Senate, the makeup of the General As-sembly is far more conservative than the Com-monwealth overall, as evidenced by Democratselected to all statewide offices. This makes thecontrol from Richmond all the more egregious.

Every resident is represented by one delegateand one senator in the Virginia General As-sembly. You can visit the General Assemblywebsite to find out who represents you, forcontact information, for session livestreamingand more.

http://virginiageneralassembly.gov

Vote Now forPresidential Primary

Who will be the next President of the UnitedStates also matters.

In order to vote in either of Virginia’s presi-dential primaries on March 1, voters must beregistered by Feb. 8. Voting “absentee in per-

son” (early voting available for myriad reasons,including anyone who will commute to workon Election Day) is already underway.

In Virginia, voters do not register by party.In the primaries for President, you can voteeither the Democrat or Republican ballot, butnot both. If you choose to vote the Republicanballot, you will be required to sign the follow-ing statement first:

Section 24.2-545 of the Code of Virginia al-lows the political party holding a primary todetermine requirements for voting in the pri-mary. The Republican Party of Virginia hasdetermined that the following statement shallbe a requirement of your participation. STATE-MENT: My signature below indicates that I ama Republican.

For More ElectionInformation:STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS804-864-8901 Toll Free: 800-552-9745 FAX: 804-371-

0194email: info@sbe.virginia.govhttp://www.sbe.virginia.gov

FAIRFAX COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS703-222-0776, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/

elections/upcoming.htm12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Suite 232,

Fairfax, 22035; FAX 703-324-2205; emailvoting@fairfaxcounty.gov

For details on absentee voting in Fairfax County, seewww.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/absentee.htm.

Pay Attention General Assembly actionmatters more in Virginia.

Editorial

We, the undersignedNorthern Virginia or-ganizations repre-

senting the vast majority of busi-nesses and employees of NorthernVirginia’s private sector and non-profit workforce, believe that astrong, efficient regional transpor-tation network is essential to ourregion’s future economic competi-tiveness, security, and quality oflife. We believe that unlockingNorthern Virginia’s transportationgrid requires a strategic regionalapproach.

We believe that achieving thebest solutions to our transporta-tion challenges requires a big pic-ture perspective — regionally aswell as statewide. Efforts to con-strain, either by law or regulation,the Commonwealth Transporta-tion Board’s ability to determinethe best investments for the state,are counter to the goals set forthin House Bill 2, 2014 legislation

designed to address thecommonwealth’s congestion re-duction and economic develop-ment needs.

The focus of the CommonwealthTransportation Board and theNorthern Virginia TransportationAuthority, our region’s designatedtransportation planning body,should be on the investment ofregional, state, federal, and privatesector transportation dollars forhighway, transit improvements,and intelligent transportation sys-tems that will:

❖ Move the greatest number ofpeople throughout the region;

❖ Reduce congestion and traveltime between major regional em-ployment centers and communi-ties;

❖ Increase reliability of the net-work region-wide while producingthe best long-term return on in-vestment;

❖ Promote regional economic

and Route 50 in Loudoun County.❖ Route 28 — upgrade to eight

lanes.❖ Fairfax County Parkway —

convert to limited access facility.❖ I-395 — convert HOV lanes

to express/managed lanes be-tween the Capital Beltway and the14th Street Bridge.

❖ Regional Express Bus network— implement in the I-66, I-95, I-395, I-495, Dulles and other ma-jor regional corridors.

We support performance-basedstatewide and regional transpor-tation plans that focus on new andexisting corridors of regional andstatewide significance, the evalu-ation of highway and public tran-sit projects utilizing the same cri-teria, and the prioritization of in-vestments first and foremost onthe ability to reduce congestionand improve travel time.

Brian M. Gordon, MPA, Apart-ment and Office Building AssociationLeo J. Titus, Jr. PE, Committee for

DullesPatricia Nicoson, Dulles Corridor

Rail AssociationMark S. Ingrao, Greater Reston

Chamber of Commerce Greater

Northern Virginia BusinessTransportation Coalition2016 policy statement.

Transportation Improvements Will Bolster Economydevelopment and growth; and

❖ Enhance regional security.We are concerned that the law

requiring the long-term benefits ofNorthern Virginia’s regional fundsbe distributed proportionallyamong jurisdictions impedes theability of the regional body to ad-dress the region’s most criticaltransportation needs.

We believe that regional trans-portation funds should be prima-rily focused and leveraged, whereappropriate, with federal, state,and private funds on projects oflarge-scale regional significance.These include:

❖ I-66 — construct new lanesand enhance transit from USRoute 15/Haymarket to TheodoreRoosevelt Bridge.

❖ New Potomac River Crossing— constructed west of AmericanLegion Bridge.

❖ American Legion Bridge —add new express/managed lanesin each direction.

❖ Metro — improve mainte-nance, operations, safety and railfleet.

❖ Bi-County Parkway — con-struct between I-66/Route 234Bypass in Prince William County See Transportation, Page 15

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Commentary

By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

After the usual business of organizing for a new legislative session,the General Assembly got underway without major incident. The

House of Delegates has 11 new members withRepublicans clearly in power with 66 members andDemocrats 34. The House leadership remains thesame with Speaker William Howell in charge. TheSenate moved to Republican control 21-19. As is thecustom, the Governor spoke to a joint session of theHouse and Senate in the evening of the opening day.

Among the very likeable traits of Governor TerryMcAuliffe are his enthusiasm and positive outlook,and these were never more evident than in his speechto the General Assembly. A recovering economy thatis providing more money for programs and serviceshelps fuel the Governor’s optimism. But the mem-bers of the General Assembly can be a tough sell. Forsome, the Governor is just another politician withhis own agenda. While the members of the majorityparty were polite, their response to his speech wassubdued. Of course, some of his proposals are in di-rect contradiction to positions they have taken. Dis-appointingly, his factual, logical appeal to expandhealth insurance for the working poor seemed to fallon deaf ears. Hopefully some behind the scenes deal-ing can allow Virginians to access the billions of dol-lars in federal funds that are available to them.

The main thrust of the Governor’s address to leg-islators was that “we put partisan battles aside, andwe get the job done.” At the same time we have torun the government today, we must make wise deci-

sions for the future. “We must maintain thatbalanced budget while making strategic in-vestments.”

Education is among the Governor’s highestpriorities with more than a billion dollars rec-ommended in new funds across all levels ofeducation. He is proposing a fundamentalchange in Virginia’s approach to high school

education to place a greater emphasis on hands-onlearning, internships, early college courses, and in-dustry credentials, rather than classroom seat time.“I believe that education is a prime example of theopportunity that we have this session to work to-gether to strengthen our economy and make our statea better place to live. We all agree that is what Vir-ginians sent us here to do.”

With all the talk on cooperation and bipartisanship,the Governor also made his position clear on a num-ber of issues. “I am prepared,“ he said, “to veto billsthat roll back the progress that we have made onmarriage equality and women’s access to health care.”And he added, “I will also reject proposals that limitthis Commonwealth’s ability to keep Virginians safefrom gun violence or to react to the very clear andpresent danger of climate change and sea level rise.”

The speech reflects the Governor’s thoughts onwhere we are in Virginia and where we need to go.Over the next 60 days the 140 members of the Gen-eral Assembly will be making their decisions. For thefull text of the Governor’s speech, visit https://G o v e r n o r . v i r g i n i a . g o v / n e w s r o o m /newsarticle?articleId=13920. Video is available athttps://Governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/videos/Governor-mcauliffe-delivers-state-of-the-common-wealth-address/

General Assembly 2016Session Underway

Assault/Disorderly Conduct/Animal Cruelty - 10600 block ofRunaway Lane. Jan. 9, 8:19 a.m. Anadult male, believed to be experienc-ing emotional distress, approached acouple and their children as theywere attempting to get into their car.The suspect, while yelling obsceni-ties, allegedly assaulted the husbandand the family’s dog, and verballythreatened the wife. Responding of-ficers witnessed some of the erraticbehavior and took the suspect into

custody immediately. He was chargedwith assault and battery, disorderly con-duct, and animal cruelty. He willundergo a psychological evaluation onJan. 11. His identity is being withhelddue to the sensitive nature of this case.There were no injuries.

Unlawful Entry - 1100 block ofAmanda Drive. Jan. 8, 8:06 p.m. A resi-dent reported that an unidentifiedfemale entered the residence throughan unlocked door. She spoke briefly to

the resident and then left withouttaking anything. She was describedas white, about 30 years old, 5 feet5 inches tall and around 130pounds. She had short, straight, red-dish-blonde hair. She was wearinga black dress, a black coat and blackheels. She was carrying a blackpurse.

Larcenies12100 block of Sunset Hills Road,

merchandise from business11100 block of Glade Drive, bag

from vehicle

Notable Incidents from Jan. 6-15.Reston Crime Reports

Cats benefit from being in a foster home. We needlong- and short-term fosters for cats of all ages,mothers with litters and kittens on their own.

Adopt/Donate/Volunteer at www.lostdogrescue.org

Consider Fostering

You Can Make a Difference

visit our website, cl ick on Participate

8 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

When musicianJeanne Kelly wasasked to be a partof a study on cre-

ativity in the aging, she readily ac-cepted. She was a natural to betapped for the job, since she wasrunning a program for older adultsat the Levine School of Music’s Ar-lington campus. She was taskedwith helping to measure the impactof professionally conducted cul-tural programs on older adults.

“The study found that artisticexcellence has huge benefits,physically, mentally and socially.Out of that study, I decided to startEncore,” said Kelly, referring to agroup of singers, all seniors, whoare part of one of the 18 EncoreChorales that make up Encore Cre-ativity for Older Adults.

Encore is a nonprofit organiza-tion that offers arts education andperformance opportunities for se-niors. The chorales are currentlyaccepting new members throughthe end of January. There are noauditions and all levels of musicalexperience and ability are ac-cepted.

CHORALE MEMBERS pay a feewhich covers sheet music and thecost of the performances. In ex-change, members receive musiceducation and training from pro-fessional musicians, a chance tomake social connections and anopportunity to perform challeng-ing choral music. Participants learnproper breathing techniques andways in which they can improvetheir voice, all under the guidanceof a conductor.

“We don’t dumb things down forour older adults,” said Kelly. “Our

members really appreciate the re-spect they get.”

Adjustments are made, saysKelly, to accommodate the needsof some seniors. For example, re-hearsals are held during the dayout of consideration for those whodon’t drive at night, and memberswith mobility issues are not re-quired to stand during rehearsalsor performances. Encore focuseson offering a classical music rep-ertoire. Choral works such asGiuseppe Verdi’s “Messa da Re-quiem” are chosen to pair well withseniors’ voices.

“Our voices do change as weage,” said Kelly. “Soprano voicesaren’t as high as we age, for ex-ample, so we choose wonderfulmusic that really shows them offand will challenge them to themax.”

“What they’re doing is beautifulbecause they’re not only makinghealthy social connections, they’realso challenging their brains whichhelps maintain their cognitive flex-ibility,” said Carolyn Lorente, Ph.D,assistant professor of psychology atNorthern Virginia Community Col-lege in Alexandria. “To be able tomemorize a piece of music is im-pressive.”

Encore Chorales travel and per-form at venues around the globe.Janet Hansen, the chorale masterfor the Langston Brown EncoreChorale in Arlington, traveled toCuba last year. “It was a marvel-ous experience that I wouldn’t havehad if I hadn’t been in Encore,” saidHansen, who is a retired educationpolicy researcher. “I wanted to trynew things that were different thanI did when I was working. This onehas been very rewarding.” Choralemasters are singers who assist theconductor with administrative du-ties, serve as contact for singers

with questions, etc.The chorales are open to every-

one over the age of 55, regardlessof musical experience or ability.Members range from beginners toaccomplished musicians. Joan andTed Thayer are members of theGeorge Mason University PotomacArts Academy Encore Chorale inFairfax. Ted Thayer has been amusician for most of his adult life,majoring in music at the Univer-sity of Illinois and spending morethan 30 years in the National Sym-phony Orchestra. Joan Thayer,however, had no musical experi-ence. Both participate fully in theirchorale. Joan Thayer says she hasenjoyed learning and sharing oneof her husband’s passions. “Sing-ing is challenging for me, but I al-ways come away happy and re-laxed after an hour and a half re-hearsal,” she said. “It’s a greatgroup of people, and it’s nice to beable to talk with someone aboutsomething that happened in the1940s or about things that seniorsare going through now, and actu-ally be understood.”

Being challenged through musi-cal performance is one of the thingsthat Lee Lipsey, a member of andchorale master for the Encore Cho-rale of Reston, appreciates. “It’senergizing and stimulating on a lotof different levels,” she said. “Itrequires focus, hard work and prac-tice to do it well, but there is a sat-isfaction in doing it well. You’repart of a team, so your pursuit ofexcellence isn’t an individual effort,it’s for the team.”

ENCORE has more than 1,200members in 17 Chorale locationsin the Washington, D.C. area andsix Chorales in other cities. Oppor-tunities for performance and travelfor 2016 include a French Rivieracruise and intensive summer train-ing at college campuses around thecountry. The season concludes withcombined performances with otherChorales as well as local concertsat most Chorale locations.

For more information or to register foran Encore Chorale, visit http://encorecreativity.org, call 301-261-5747or email info@encorecreativity.org.

Ted Thayer is a member of the George Mason UniversityPotomac Arts Academy Encore Chorale in Fairfax.

Photos courtesy of Encore Creativity for Older Adults

Lee Lipsey is a member of and chorale master for theEncore Chorale of Reston.

Improving and preserving the qual-ity of life through music education.

Seniors Who SingEncore Chorales

Singers accepted through the end of January. For more information: http://encorecreativity.org, call 301-261-5747 or email info@encorecreativity.org.

Five weekly rehearsals are underway at the following locations:Alexandria Encore Chorale – Rehearsals on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. at Con-

vergence, located at 1801 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria. Fee is $150 for 15weekly rehearsals, sheet music and performances.

GMU Potomac Arts Academy Encore Chorale – Rehearsals on Tuesdays at11 a.m. at St. George UMC, 4910 Ox Road, Fairfax. Fee is $150 for 15 weeklyrehearsals, sheet music and performances.

Langston Brown Encore Chorale – Rehearsals on Tuesdays at 1:45 p.m. atLangston Brown Senior Center, 2121 Culpeper St., Arlington. Fee is $150 for15 weekly rehearsals, sheet music and performances.

Encore Chorale of Reston – Rehearsals on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at RCC Hunt-ers Woods in Reston. Fee is $160 for Reston residents/$320 for non-residentsfor 15 weekly rehearsals, sheet music and performances. Registration isthrough Fairfax County/Reston Community Center.

Lansdowne Woods Encore Chorale – Rehearsals on Wednesdays at 2 p.m.in the auditorium of Lansdowne Woods at 19375 Magnolia Grove Square,Lansdowne. Fee is $150 for 15 weekly rehearsals, sheet music and perfor-mances. Pre-registration is required for non-residents.

First-time campers hada fun experience at anovernight camp out at

Wolf Trap National Park forthe Performing Arts Fridayand Saturday on ColumbusDay weekend. In addition tosetting up tents, and cookingtheir own meals using Dutchovens and camp stoves, thecampers were taught ar-chery, fly fishing, gardening,yoga, and about insect polli-nators. Wolf Trap RangerWill Rifenbark took thecampers on a backstage tourof the Filene Center.

Campers hailed from localelementary schools includingBraddock, Bucknell, ColvinRun, Eagle View, ForestEdge, Harvester, Haycock,Lake Anne, Laurel LearningCenter, Louise Archer,Neabsco, Poe Middle School,Rolling Valley, Spring Hill,and Vienna.

The camp out was run byyouth leaders from BoyScout Troop 55 and GirlScout Troop 1146. Thescouts were supported byWolf Trap staff, adult lead-ers from the scout troops,Friends of Wolf Trap, and thePotomac Appalachian TrailClub (PATC).

They participated in hikeson the Wolf Trap trail builtand maintained by PATC.The hikes were led byRonalda Meson and AlanDay. Meson pointed outmany of the natural featuresat Wolf Trap such as the farmpond, a turkey vulture thatwas feeding in Wolf TrapCreek, and locations wherefawns hide during the daywhile the mother feeds.

PATC also provided plan-ning, logistical support, anddonated money and sleepingbags for needy campers.Nine campers were able toparticipate because of theavailability of thesecamperships.

Wolf Trap Gardener EdgarDeskins guided campers whowere planting in the ShadeGarden behind the FileneCenter. He also conducted atour of the Dimple Meadowin front of the Filene Center.

Citizen scientist Sheryl Pol-lock showed campers the lo-cal pollinators that are, es-

sential to healthy vegetationand conducted a tour of thevegetable garden behind theFilene Center.

Orvis Tysons Corner flyfishing instructor JasonIsaacs demonstrated the ba-sics of fly fishing to thecampers and helped themwith the fishing tackle.

Campers practiced the ba-

sics of archery taught byDonna Kissane and her sonon a range set up behind theFilene Center facing the hill.

Campers engaged in dif-ferent yoga exercises aftereach was demonstrated byEileen Kragie of yin andyang yoga.

This was the third WolfTrap camp out, previous

camp outs were in Septem-ber 2014, and last April. Aspart of its effort to connectwith underserved youth, WolfTrap plans to sponsor thesecamp outs in the spring andfall outside the performanceperiod. Registration for thespring campout April 22-23,2016 will start after the firstof the year.

Fifth, Sixth Graders ExperienceCamping at Wolf Trap

Digging fire pits for the Dutch ovens.

On the hike on Wolf Trap trail.

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10 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Sports

South Lakes FallsTo Stone Bridge

The South Lakes boys’ basketball teamlost a non-conference game against StoneBridge 56-48 on Saturday in Ashburn,dropping the Seahawks’ record to 6-8.

It was South Lakes’ third loss in its lastfour games.

Sophomore forward EmmanuelAghayere led the Seahawks with 17points. Sophomore guard DamonJohnson and sophomore forward An-drew Powers each scored 10 points andsenior guard Marty Gryski had six.

South Lakes closed the first half of itsConference 6 schedule against Hayfieldon Tuesday, after The Connection’s dead-line. The Seahawks entered the contest

with a 3-3 conference record.South Lakes is scheduled to face Langley,

which sits atop the Conference 6 standings,at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22 at LangleyHigh School.

Herndon Boys Start3-0 in Conference

The Herndon boys’ basketball team im-proved to 3-0 in the Conference 5 stand-ings with a 73-71 home win over Chantillyon Jan. 15. The Hornets’ overall recordimproved to 9-5.

Herndon faced defending state runner-up Westfield on Tuesday, after TheConnection’s deadline. The Hornets arescheduled to travel to Robinson at 7:15 p.m.on Friday, Jan. 22.

South Lakes sophomore Damon Johnson scored 10 points duringSaturday’s loss to Stone Bridge.

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Seniors Golden Kumi-Darfour, AnasFain and Skander Ballard closedout their regular season high schoolcareers with wins at the Liberty

Flames High School Invitational indoortrack and field meet Jan. 15-16 at LibertyUniversity in Lynchburg.

South Lakes finished second in the 53-team girls field and third among the 55 boysteams at the meet.

Kumi-Darfour won the 500 meters(1:17.50) and teamed with freshmanSophie Halkett, sophomore Olivia Becknerand junior Devyn Jones to win the 4x400meter relay in 4:00.94. Halkett finishedthird in the 500 with a region meet qualify-ing time of 1:19.42 while Beckner won the1000 meters in a state meet qualifying timeof 3:01.51.

Jones won her second consecutive 55hurdles race with a 8.60 in the preliminar-ies and a 8.51 in the finals, both of whichare state meet qualifying times. She alsofinished fifth in the long jump with a re-gion-meet qualifying jump of 16-04.75.Jones, Halkett, freshman Cara Hutson andjunior Nikayla Hoyte finished second in the4x200 meter relay with a region standardtime of 1:48.08.

On the boys’ side, Fain’s victory in the 55meter hurdles (7.71 prelims, 7.68 finals)has him undefeated in that event this sea-son. In each race, he has won with a statemeet qualifying time. Fain also finished 13thin the long jump (19-08.50, conference),10th in the triple jump (41-08.75) and 21stin the 55 meters (38.01, conference). Se-nior Eric Kirlew finished second in the triple

jump (45-05.50) and also has had a statequalifying jump in every meet this season.He also got conference meet standards inthe high jump (5-06.00, 12th), 55 meters(6.76, 10th) and 300 meters (37.77, 18th)at the Flames meet.

Ballard won the boys 500 meters with astate meet qualifying time of 1:06.50. Healso finished seventh in the triple jump (42-03.25, conference qualifier). Junior TimiebiOgobri’s 6.68 in the preliminaries of the 55meter dash qualified for the region meet.He was fourth in the final (6.70).

Fain, seniors Nikolai Waithe, John LeBerreand junior Ashton Reinhold’s time of3:32.97 in the 4x400 meter relay placedSLHS third. The team has already met thestate-meet standard. SLHS track team mem-ber who achieved conference qualifying

South Lakes 4x400 relay team of Golden Kumi-Darfour, Olivia Beckner,Sophie Halkett and Devyn Jones finished first at the Liberty Flames HighSchool Invitational Jan. 15-16.

South Lakes’ Anas Fain placed first in the 55-meter hurdles at theLiberty Flames High School Invitational Jan. 15-16.

South Lakes Produces MultipleWinners at Liberty Flames Invitational

standards at the Liberty Flames meet in-clude: senior Alex Rudison (triple jump, 38-03.50, 23rd; pole vault, 10-06.00, 8th); se-nior Connor Smith (500 meters, 1:11.96,24th); senior Christopher Byron (300meters, 1:11.72, 22nd); junior NikaylaHoyte (300 meters, 42.97, 6th); junior Pe-ter Sepulveda (1000 meters, 2:44.67, 6th);sophomore Alex Wallace (500 meters,1:11.66, 21st); sophomore Sarah Wolfe(500 meters, 1:25.42, 17th; 1600 meters,5:27.49, 14th);Waithe (300 meters, 37.36,11th; 500 meters, 1:09.21, 6th); andReinhold (500 meters, 1:10.95, 19th).

South Lakes begin defense of its Confer-ence 6 titles this Friday at the PrinceGeorge’s Sportsplex in Landover, Md. Thetwo-day meet is scheduled to concludeThursday, Jan. 28.

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Reston Connection Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-752-4013 or jroetmant@connectionnewspapers.com

Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

Over twenty drone hobbyistsmet at Reston Nova Labs todiscuss recent emails an-nouncing the extension of

FAA’s “no drone zone” deeper into Virginiaand Maryland in a 30-mile radius beyondRonald-Reagan Washington National Air-port in D.C. Drone violations and fines haveled to awareness of the ban in D.C., but thisban is the same as the no flying zone re-stricting heavy, commercial aircraft. Thesemeasures by the FAA essentially shut downdrone clubs within a 30-mile radius ofWashington, D.C. “This is perhaps the besttime and worst time to be involved indrones,” said Fairfax resident and dronehobbyist Shane Smith.

Nova Labs is located at 1916 Isaac New-ton Square, West in Reston. The nonprofitorganization was founded in 2011 and hasbeen active in supporting educational out-reach programs. This includes the annualNoVa Mini Maker Faire, which is indepen-dently organized by Nova Labs and is oper-ated under license from Maker Media, Inc.Nova Labs is affiliated with local makergroups, including the D.C. Area Drone UserGroup. The D.C. Area Drone User Group isa community of over 2,500 drone enthusi-asts dedicated to teaching people to buildand operate their own flying robots andpromoting positive social applications ofcivilian drone technology.

THE FAA’S RECENT REGULATIONS arecausing some drone debate amongst hob-byists and users. At the end of December,the FAA launched a drone registration withlive support on Dec. 25. When registering,users are asked to confirm they understandthe basic rules of consumer drone flight,such as the need to stay below 400 feet, flyduring daylight, keep the drone within vi-sual range and to not fly near airports. TheAcademy of Model Aeronautics, which hasits own registration system for model air-craft, asked members not to register theirmodel planes. The FAA is trying to balancethe needs of the American people, allow-ing the most freedom of airspace whilekeeping it regulated.

“Like the introduction of any new prod-uct or technology, we can take advantageof the benefits only if they do not exceedthe costs including liabilities and unin-tended consequences,” states Lance Sherry,director of the Center for Air Transporta-tion Systems Research and George MasonUniversity professor with the System Engi-neering and Operations Research Depart-ment. While technologies such as geo-fenc-

ing and vehicle-to-vehicle interrogation maybe able to monitor drones and UnmannedAircraft Systems (UASs), for now manualintervention in the form of regulations isbeing used to control drones. “I have faithwe will work together to build and operatethese system in safe and value-added man-ner,” said Sherry.

Due to GMU’s proximity to National andDulles airports, aerial vehicle flights havealways been prohibited on the campus. TheGMU stadium (Eagle Bank Center, formerlythe Patriot Center) is one landmark for theno-fly-zone boundary. “The 30 mile radiusfrom D.C. seems a bit excessive, however I

firmly believe that this was done with goodcause,” says Daniel M. Lofaro, assistant pro-fessor in the Electrical and Computer Engi-neering Department at GMU. Lofaro is di-rector of Lofaro Labs Robotics and theDrones and Autonomous Systems Lab. “TheFAA has gone to great lengths to allow thehome user to continue to fly their own aerialvehicles,” says Lofaro. “The point of the reg-istration process is to make sure the droneowners and flyers know the laws associatedwith flying an aircraft.”

While many attending the meeting inReston agree with the idea of registrationfor drone owners, some were critical of the

amount of information the FAA requires. “Idon’t mind registration if it was done prop-erly, I’m okay with that. But how far is thisgoing?” asks aerial photographer JackHardway. Since Christmas, drone vendorshave been putting up notices of the FAAsnew rulings, and many drone hobbyists arerealizing drones will now have increasedscrutiny.

The FAA estimates 1.6 million small, un-manned aircraft were sold in 2015, with halfduring the last three months of the year.The requirement covers aircraft weighingfrom more than half pound up to 55 pounds,including any payload such as a camera.Drone owners 13 and older will have toregister on an FAA website. The FAA expectsparents to register for younger children.Those who got drones before Dec. 21 mustregister by Feb. 19. People who buy themlater must register before their first outdoorflight.

OWNERS WILL HAVE TO provide theirname, home address and email, and theiridentity will be verified and payments madeby credit card.

“I agree with the registration, if dronescrash into someone or something, some-body should be held accountable. But thereare some flaws in this registration such asthe privacy,” said South Lakes High Schoolsenior Jacob Hutzler. Hutzler, who plans tostudy engineering, owns a drone he con-structed. With the 30-mile no fly zone,Hutzler must travel to fly or test his drone.“These rules are making it real hard for thishobby,” said Hutzler.

Burke resident and D.C. Drone User Clubpresident Christopher Vo has been con-cerned by the FAA’s decisions on drones. InSeptember of 2015 the no fly zone radiuswas extended from 15 miles to 30 miles,affecting as many as 36 drone clubs. “It isreally important to preserve the ability tomake things in a hobby like drones,” saidVo. Vo sees the 30-mile no fly zone as a re-striction and handicap. Instead of learningdrone technologies, Vo worries youths andstudents may see increased regulation astoo much of a challenge to study drones andtheir application. “It is frustrating that FAAis imposing these rules on law abiding ra-dio-controlled aircraft hobbyists that havebeen operating safely for decades,” said Vo.

The FAA announced drone owners mustregister their device with a name and homeaddress by February 19th, 2016 or face civilpenalties up to $27,500 and criminal pen-alties up to $250,000 and three years inprison. Virginia law allows police officersto use unmanned aircraft with video formajor disasters, Amber Alerts and search-and-rescue operations that are “necessaryto protect life, health or property.” The FAArequires government entities to apply tooperate drones. Cities with approval mustnotify the FAA before flying them to ensurethey do not interfere with aircraft. Readabout the FAA’s Know Before You Fly edu-cational campaign at http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

FAA shuts downdrone clubs within a30-mile radius ofWashington, D.C.

Area Becomes a ‘No Drone Zone’

A model drone owned by South Lakes HS senior Jacob Hutzler. Dronehobbyists have debated new regulations being set into action by the FAA.Drone owners 13 and older now have to register their drones on an FAAwebsite.

Burke resident andD.C. Drone UserClub presidentChristopher Vo hasbeen concerned bythe FAA’s decisionson drones. A 30-mile no-fly zonearound D.C. hasbeen established,covering FairfaxCounty. The FAA istrying to balancethe needs of theAmerican people,allowing the mostfreedom of airspacewhile keeping itregulated.

Photos by Ryan Dunn/The Connection

12 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Ken Moore

The Connection

Each weekday, nearly 300,000 ve-hicles cross the American LegionBridge, and each day traffic backsup into McLean, Great Falls and

beyond.Vehicle speeds during the afternoon com-

mute slow to an average of 34.9 going to-wards McLean and 22.5 from McLean to thebridge, according to McLean Citizens Asso-ciation. Traffic backs up for miles.

Glenn Harris, vice president of theMcLean Citizens Association said it wasimportant for MCA to get on the record. “Iwould like to see MCA come out in favor offixing this enormous problem,” he said.“This isn’t exactly rocket science.”

Sally Horn said it was time to do some-thing. “It’s time for us to act. If we’re goingto say something, we should change it atthis juncture,” said Horn, past president ofthe McLean Citizens Association.

“This is a huge issue and has enormousimplications,” said Jim Roberts, head ofMcLean Citizens Association’s transporta-tion committee.

The McLean Citizens Association passeda resolution at its last meeting urging theCommonwealth of Virginia, the State ofMaryland and the U.S. Department of Trans-portation to “expeditiously develop andimplement a joint plan for the expansion ofthe American Legion Bridge and its connect-ing roadways, and the eventual construc-tion of an additional parallel bridge on theeastern side next to the existing span overthe Potomac River.”

This week, business groups fromHerndon, Reston, Springfield, and aroundNorthern Virginia, 20 in all, also call for anew Potomac River crossing west of theAmerican Legion Bridge, plus new managedlanes in each direction over the AmericanLegion Bridge to 270. Signers include theGreater Reston Chamber of Commerce,Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce,Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce,Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce,Tysons Regional Chamber, and others.

The American Legion Bridge is entirelyin the State of Maryland.

MCA ACTED to encourage efforts betweenthe Montgomery County Council andFairfax County Board of Supervisors, whichwrote to the Governors and TransportationSecretaries of Maryland and Virginia on Oct.19, 2015, “asking the states to come to-gether and focus on making improvementsto address the severe congestion problemsat the American Legion Bridge.”

A Potomac River Crossing Conditionsstudy conducted by the Virginia Departmentof Transportation (VDOT) and presented tothe Virginia Commonwealth Transportation

Board (CTB) in July of 2015, found thatthe American Legion Bridge suffers from theworst congestion of all bridges crossing thePotomac River, and had the projected larg-est growth in traffic volume through 2040.

In 2009, The Maryland State HighwayAdministration and VDOT concluded TheWest Side Mobility Study in 2009. “VDOTstaff recommended in that study that the‘top priority’ for addressing Potomac Rivercrossings should be extending the ExpressLanes across the American Legion Bridgeto the I-270 interchange.”

“We want to put some pressure on thestate of Maryland,” said Rob Jackson at theJan. 6 MCA meeting.

“I don’t know why people are reluctant,”said Harris.

“It goes without saying,” said Mark Zetts,head of MCA’s planning and zoning com-mittee.

The advocacy group Northern VirginiaTransportation Alliance also recommendsupgrading the American Legion Bridge withfour conventional and two managed/HOTlanes in each direction, and extending theI-495 HOT lanes in Virginia to I-270 west-ern spur in Maryland.

BUT THE RIVER CROSSING has causedintense debate and controversy for the lasttwo decades, and had its critics at the Jan.6 MCA meeting, as well.

MCA member Katie Probst urged caution.She suggested that the association not dic-tate the definite solution, but advocate thatsomething needs to be done.

“I feel like this is a huge deal to support.

It seems like a rather big issue,” she said,stating that she believed she needed moreinformation and more time to understandall the implications.

“Do you realize you just voted for addingtwo lanes to the American Legion Bridgewithout any public input?” said AprilGeorgelas, who attended the meeting notas a member. “I’ve been here for 40 yearsand I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Georgelas said later that McLean has suf-fered from ongoing express lane construc-tion on the Beltway for years, and shedoesn’t welcome more.

Now, “the shoulder project added anotherlane of merging HOT lane traffic into analready overburdened and dangerous merg-ing area of the Beltway up to the AmericanLegion Bridge, all without public input,”Georgelas said.

RESIDENTS ON THE OTHER side of theriver in Potomac, Md. have advocatedagainst second river crossing in Montgom-ery County.

During a multi-year Master Plan process,ratified in 2004 by the Montgomery CountyCouncil, Potomac’s blueprint for landusesaid a second bridge crossing throughPotomac violates the responsibility ofPotomac as a buffer and protection to thePotomac River.

However, members of the MontgomeryCounty Council and the Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors jointly sent a letter toMaryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and VirginiaGov. Terry McAuliffe (D) on Oct. 19, askingthat the two states “come together and fo-cus on making improvements to address thesevere congestion problems at the Ameri-can Legion Bridge.”

Improving the American Legion Bridgeshould take priority over the possibility ofbuilding another crossing of the PotomacRiver, they said.

“Montgomery County believes stronglythat our limited resources are best spent fix-ing the American Legion Bridge, and weshould not be distracted by a divisive sec-ond crossing. That’s why we, as two bod-ies, are calling on our governors to moveforward with this vital transportation im-provement as quickly as possible.”

“The American Legion Bridge is the ma-jor chokepoint in our regional transpor-tation system and it must be fixed,” saidCouncilmember Roger Berliner, chair ofthe Montgomery Council’s Transporta-tion, Infrastructure, Energy and Environ-ment Committee. “Adding an additionalHOT lane in each direction will ease con-gestion and promote transit. Our twostates must work together to make thishappen.”

PROPOSALS for a possible newbridge west of the American LegionBridge are not new, and neither is oppo-sition to the concept.

In 2000, U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.),now retired, requested $2 million to con-duct a study on the feasibility of aTechway bridge over the Potomac River.

Public outcry and preliminary analysis ofthe disruptions the bridge would causeprompted him to cancel the study sevenmonths later.

In 2003, Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich(R) and Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) an-nounced their support for a new Techwaystudy because they believed the secondcrossing would benefit “U-shaped commut-ers” traveling from upper MontgomeryCounty to western Fairfax County (e.g.,from Gaithersburg to Reston). The VirginiaDepartment of Transportation conducted alicense plate study on the American LegionBridge and found that only about 8 percentof Virginia and Maryland commuters wouldbenefit from the Techway, because mostcommuters are traveling to destinations onor inside I-495 rather than to the suburbsoutside it.

McLean Citizens Association, many county business groups, call forwidening the American Legion Bridge, adding Express Lanes.

About Crossing the Potomac, Again

Accident Ahead: McLean Citizens Association and many county businessgroups call for improvements to the American Legion Bridge in partbecause commuters clog McLean and Great Falls roads to circumvent theBeltway backup toward the bridge.

McLean Citizens Association meetingearlier in January where the influen-tial association backed widening theAmerican Legion Bridge.

Photos by Ken Moore/The Connection

Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

bTo Highlightyour Faith

Community,Call Karen at703-917-6468

7:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday School: preschool - grade 2Music: grades 3 - 7

10:25 a.m. Sunday School Grades 3 to 6Music 4 years to 2nd grade

11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II5:00 p.m. Come Just as You Are Contemporary Service

Nursery care provided at 9:00 a.m. service

The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Laura Cochran

703-437-6530www.stannes-reston.org

1700 Wainwright Dr., Reston

ST. ANNE’SEPISCOPALCHURCH • Reston

Welcoming, Diverse, Progressive COMMUNITIES

OF WORSHIP

Calendar

Send announcements to reston@connectionnewspapers.com. The deadlineis the Friday prior to the following week’spaper. Photos/artwork encouraged.

THURSDAY/JAN. 21Local Business Happy Hour. 5:30-7

p.m. Reston Arts Center, 12000Market St. #103, Reston. Free happyhour for local professionals.restonarts.org. 703-471-9242.

Woman’s Club of Greater RestonMonthly Meeting. 10 a.m. RestonCommunity Center, 11426Washington Plaza W, Reston. Guestspeaker, president of the RestonAssociation, Ellen Graves will give usan update about what is happeningin and around the area. Guestswelcome. 703-909-9021.

Poetry Workshop. 7-8:30 p.m.Herndon Fortnightly Library, 768Center St., Herndon. Join a newmonthly workshop. Meets Thursdayevenings starting Jan. 21. Contactrullah@gmail.com for moreinformation.

SATURDAY/JAN. 23Reston Camp Expo. 9 a.m. Reston

Community Center, 2310 Colts NeckRoad, Reston. learn about providerswho serve Reston youth throughoutthe school year and summer. Alsofeatures employment information,demonstrations and crafts andactivities for children.www.restoncommunitycenter.com.703-390-6162.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 27Frosty and Friends-Snowonderful

News! 7 p.m. Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. Frosty the Snowmanreturns again this year, bringing ourwintry family story time a blizzard offun! Join us before he melts away. Allages. 703-689-2700.

Meet me at the Movies. 10 a.m. BowTie Cinemas, 11940 Market St.,Reston. Reston Association presents“Bridge of Spies.” Refreshments anddoor prizes provided prior to movie.Free to 55+. ashleigh@reston.org.reston.org. 703-435-6530.

SATURDAY/JAN. 30Saturday Kids Program. 10 a.m.

Reston Art Gallery, 11400Washington Plaza W, Reston. Forchildren 3-11. This week’s project:Make your own board games. Noreservation needed. 703-481-8156.www.restonartgallery.com.

WEDNESDAY/FEB. 10Sip and Paint. 6-10:45 p.m. Vapiano

Reston Town Center, 1875 ExplorerSt., Reston. Fundraiser will benefitthe Bite Me Cancer Foundation andtheir fight against Thyroid Cancer.$50. Artbytheglazz.com.

THURSDAY/FEB. 11Classic Cinema Series. 7 p.m. Reston

Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Our charmingromantic comedy is a Valentine’s Daytreat for Jane Austen fans. Call thelibrary for title. Adults, older teens.Register at 703-689-2700.

SUNDAY/FEB. 14Bluegrass-Danny Paisley. 7 p.m.

Frying Pan Park, 2709 West Ox Road,Herndon. Authentic traditionalbluegrass performance featuring hisunique vocal sound and top-notchinstrumental work from his talentedband. $18, $20. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark/.

Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides. 5:30-9:30 p.m. In front of Talbots, 11888

Market St. Reston.restontowncenter.com.

MONDAY/FEB. 15Jester’s Box Puppet Show. 11-11:45

a.m. Herndon Community Center,814 Ferndale Ave., Herndon. This 35-minute presentation is a Bunraku-style show on a custom-built tablewith the performer visible. $4/$5.

Free to children under one.www.herndon-va.gov.

SUNDAY/FEB. 21The Russian Revolution and the

Men Who Made. 2 p.m. RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Part one of afive part series given by Dr. HarryButowsky. Adults. 703-689-2700.

ONGOINGLittle Hands Preschool Art Class. 10-11 a.m. Tuesdays from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.

Greater Reston Arts Center, 12000 Market St. #103, Reston. Introducing youngchildren to art by having them explore new artwork, materials, and skills eachweek. Limited to 10 participants. Ages 3-5 years old. restonarts.org. 703-471-9242.

”Middletown” by Will Eno. Jan. 14-Feb. 7. NextStop Theatre Company, 269Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. In this quirky, modern companion to “Our Town,”residents of Middletown seek the meaning of suburban life. Encounter thought-provoking universal themes and a few personalities you may recognize from yourown neighbors and friends. www.NextStopTheatre.org. 703-481-5930.

Dress Drive for Prom. Jan. 2-March 26. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. RestonCommunity Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. RCC is collecting formaldresses, shoes, handbags, scarves and shawls, jewelry and accessories for DivaCentral. All donations are appreciated, however, we ask that donations are ingood condition, no older than 5 years old (circa 2011), and dry cleaned beforethey are donated. 703-390-6158.

Volunteers. The McLean Community Players seeks volunteers, preferably retireeswho can work during the day on weekdays as well as weekends, to build sceneryfor MCP productions. No experience is required. Training provided. Call the sceneshop manager at 703-304-3176 to schedule a visit and talk.www.McLeanPlayers.org.

Integral Tai Chi. 12:30-2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through March 30.Herndon Senior Center, 873 Grace St., Herndon. Integral Tai Chi is a combinationof traditional Chinese Tai Chi and Qi Kong. The movements come from bothforms of practice, in addition to yoga movements in the warm up section.Students need to bring their own yoga mat, a towel and water. Free-$5. 703-464-6200.

Feldenkrais Floor Class. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Jan. 12-Feb. 2. Herndon Senior Center,873 Grace St., Herndon. This gentle and precisely focused exercise method

can improve range of motion, flexibility, coordination and balance, and reduce bodypain. To participate, you must be able to get down to and back up from the flooreasily and by yourself. For your comfort, please bring a towel and warm clothesor layers. Free-$10. 703-464-6200.

Charlene Fuhrman-Schulz Exhibit. Through January 2016. Monday-Friday, 9a.m.-5 p.m. PenFed Realty, 1886 Metro Center Drive, Reston. Fuhrman-Schulzdisplays her passion for traditional Oriental watercolor and ink painting in thissolo show, arranged by the League of Reston Artists. Free.www.leagueofrestonartists.org.

Threaded with Green Quilt Show. Jan. 12-Feb. 14. ArtSpace Herndon, 750Center St., Herndon. Display of talent, dedication and attention to detail fromnineteen invited fiber artists. Every quilt in the show has an element of green.Theexhibit features the challenge “There is a Season” from 12 fiber artists creating aquilt for each season. www.artspaceherndon.com.

Regina Petrecca’s Paintings. February-March. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.PenFed Realty, 1886 Metro Center Drive, Reston. Energetic brushstrokes are thehallmark of Regina Petrecca’s paintings. Free. www.leagueofrestonartists.org.

All-comers’ Group Fun Run at Potomac River Running. Tuesdays andThursdays. Reston Town Center, 11900 Market Street, Reston. For beginners orcompetitive runners, come out for a fun, low-key run that is safe and social. Formore information, call 703-689-0999 or visit https://potomacriverrunning.com.

Rebecca Kamen: Continuum. Through Feb. 13. Greater Reston Arts Center,12001 Market St., Suite 103, Reston. Kamen. Informed by research intocosmology, neuroscience, history of science, and philosophy, Kamen’s abstractsculptures and paintings connect common threads across various scientific fieldsto capture and re-imagine what scientists see. restonarts.org. 703-471-9242.

Patrick Dougherty Public Art Installation. Through 2017. Reston TownSquare Park, 11900 Market Street, Reston. See and explore “A Bird in the Hand,”a monumental public art sculpture made from tree saplings. The event ispresented by GRACE in collaboration with IPAR. For more information, call 703-471-9242 or visit http://restontowncenter.com/index.php.

Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion – 2015-2016 Season. Novemberthrough March. Open daily. 11900 Market Street, Reston. For more informationon rates, rentals and schedules, call 703-709-6300 or visitskating@restontowncenter.com.

Photo by Gary Freeburg

Portal, 2014, Mylar, fossils, variable dimensions byRebecca Kamen is on display at the gallery at GreaterReston Arts Center from Dec. 1-Feb. 13.

Advertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

FEBRUARY2/3/2016..........................Valentine’s Dining & Gifts I2/3/2016...................Wellbeing – National Children’s Dental Health Month2/10/2016...............................................HomeLifeStyle2/10/2016........................Valentine’s Dining & Gifts II2/17/2016....................................A+ Camps & Schools2/24/2016 ..............................................Pet ConnectionMARCH3/2/2016..........................................................Wellbeing3/9/2016...............HomeLifeStyle Real Estate Pullout3/16/2016....................................A+ Camps & Schools3/23/2016....Spring Fun, Food, Arts & EntertainmentFCPS Spring Break 3/21-3/25APRIL4/6/2016..................Wellbeing – Senior Living PulloutEaster Sunday is March 274/13/2016................Real Estate Pullout – New HomesE-mail sales@connectionnewspapers.com for more information.

Reaching Suburban Washington’s Leading Households• Alexandria Gazette Packet• Arlington Connection• Burke Connection• Centre View• Chantilly Connection

• Fairfax Connection• Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection• Great Falls Connection• McLean Connection• Mount Vernon Gazette

• Oak Hill/Herndon Connection• Potomac Almanac• Reston Connection• Springfield Connection• Vienna/Oakton Connection

Newspapers & Online703-778-9431

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SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDAR

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14 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday 4 p.m.

703-778-9411

Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • LoudounEmploymentEmployment

Dell Software Inc. is seeking a

Software Development Sr. Engineer at our Reston, VA facility to

be responsible for the design and develop-ment activities associated with software using a range of applicable technologies for products used in local, networked or

Internet-related computer programs. Write clean, clear code and unit tests. Req. 004709. To be considered for the opening,

please send resume with requisition number to: jobs_dell@dell.com. No

phone calls please. Workforce diversity is an essential part of Dell’s commitment to quality and to the future. We encourage you to apply, whatever your race, gender,

color, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual

orientation or veteran status.

MANAGEMENT

Garden CenterManager Trainees

Assistant Managers

Meadows Farms Nurseries isnow hiring Manager Trainees

& Assistant Managers for Loudoun, Prince William, Fairfax & Montgomery

Counties. Outside work with someheavy lifting.

Manager Trainees-No experience needed.Starting at $12.50/hr.

Assistant Managers-Previous experience mandatory.

Starting at $12.50-$15/hr.plus bonuses.

Benefits after 90 days include medical, dental, 401K, paid leave & tuition

reimbursement.

Email resume to:pwandel@meadowsfarms.comor fax resume to:703-327-2641

attn: Phyllis

Preschool TeachersReston Children’s Center (NAEYC & NSACA accredited) is seeking to hire

talented and degreed (BA, AA, ECE, or a degree in a related field required)Preschool Teachers. Competitive

salaries and great benefits plus anopportunity to work with a professional

and dedicated organization.If interested, please call 703-476-8150

EOESr Prod Eng (Server/Data Center Administration)—

Comcast Cable Comm, LLC, Reston, VA. Prvde tech ldshp w/i teams resp for srvrs

& datacenters that op Xfinity Home Security svcs. Reqs: Bach in CS, Eng or

rltd & 5 yrs sys admin exp building physical and virtual environments using

Linux & Weblogic of whch 3 yrs incl Puppet config & Bash/Python scripting.

Apply to: anne_duong@cable.comcast.com.

Ref Job ID #7604.

VET ASSISTANTSmall animal hosp. Great Falls.

Will train. 703-757-7570 • www.ourvets.com

CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6 ....................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4 ....................Tues @ noon

E-mail ad with zone choices to: classified@connectionnewspapers.com or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

EMPLOYMENTDEADLINES

Zones 1, 5, 6 ....................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4 ....................Tues @ noon

E-mail ad with zone choices to: classified@connectionnewspapers.com or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

Newspapers & Online

HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO

ZONESZone 1: The Reston Connection The Oak Hill/Herndon ConnectionZone 2: The Springfield Connection The Burke Connection The Fairfax Connection The Fairfax Station/Clifton/ Lorton ConnectionZone 3: The Alexandria Gazette Packet

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Zone 4: Centre View North Centre View SouthZone 5: The Potomac AlmanacZone 6: The Arlington Connection

The Vienna/OaktonConnection

The McLean ConnectionThe Great Falls

Connection

Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

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Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • Loudoun

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

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Painting, Pressure Washing • Ceramic, Hardwood Flooring, Refinish Floors, Deck Reflooring• Build Deck, Fence, Patios, Retaining Walls • Concrete Driveway, Brick or Stone Sidewalk

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IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

J.E.S. ServicesYour neighborhood company since 1987

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Landscaping & Construction

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LAWN SERVICE LAWN SERVICE

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PAVING PAVING

Quality Tree Service& Landscaping

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24 Hour EmergencyTree Service

25 years of experience – Free estimates 703-868-5358

Summer Cleanup...Tree removal, topping & pruning,shrubbery trimming, mulching,leaf removal, planting, hauling,gutter cleaning, retaining walls,

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TREE SERVICE TREE SERVICE

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WINDOW CLEANINGResidential Specialist/Family owned/operated

Working Owners Assures QualityNo Hidden Fees/No Broken Window Springs

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WINDOWS & GLASS WINDOWS & GLASS

Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

Monday Noon

703-778-9411

Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • LoudounClassifiedClassified

LAWChugh LLP, has opening for an Attorney at Law in Reston (Fairfax County), VA. Resp incl: Representing clients on wide range of legal matters, which incl

bus. immigration, litigation, corporate law & intellectual property matters; Assist

client w/ DOL investigation compliance w/various state & federal regulation;

Conduct due diligence work in mergers &acquisitions both overseas & locally;

Review licensing agreements, stock option plans & conducting independent rsrch on laws, codes & regulations; Draft & review contracts for purchase & sale of goods &

services as well as various other purposes. Reqs JD w/ 1yr exp to incl Civil Litigation

& Immigration Law Virginia State Bar License. Mail resume to: Chugh, LLP,

Attn: A. Asencion, HR, 15925 Carmenita Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703. Must ref. job title.

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY, FURNITURE, PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.

Schefer Antiques703-241-0790

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26 Antiques 26 Antiques

For a free digital sub-scription to one or allof the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Complete digital rep-lica of the print edition,including photos andads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:goinggreen@connectionnewspapers.com

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Pills A-Poppin’

I ingest between 40 and 50 pills per day.It’s the first thing I do before breakfast, anoccasional thing I do before/during/afterlunch, and the last thing I do before dinnerand sometimes before bedtime as well. To sayI’m pill-centric would be an overstatement; Iwill admit to be pill-mindful though. EitherI’m arranging them, organizing them, count-ing them or ordering them. Whether it mat-ters or not to my health, I try never to be offmy schedule too much or be too many dayswithout my normal pill allotment/inventory. IfI leave the house at pill time, I will take pillswith me and swallow them accordingly. Ifpeople ask for any details, I offer as few aspossible and move on. Not that I’m uncom-fortable with any of the questions, it’s morethat there are infinitely more interesting top-ics of conversation.

Being away from home and routine doespresent some problems, however, especially ifthe trip involves planes. Trains and automo-biles are not the problem. Not having a dedi-cated travel case, like the “train” case mymother had for her cosmetics, I simply stuffmy 25-plus bottles into a plastic shopping bagand knot the handles at the top. No fuss, nomuss. Planes, or rather the carry-on rulesabout such things are another matter entirely.I have never inquired – or gone on the TSAWebsite, to determine pill procedures.Certainly I’m aware – post-9/11, of the limitsconcerning toiletries, etc., and the plasticbags into which it all must fit. Not wanting torisk having hundreds of dollars of expensivepills confiscated at the airport, I’ve alwayspreferred checking my bags (containing thepills) and avoided the potential nightmare. Asto the alternative solution of segregating 40-odd pills (into three-times-a-day packets)times however many days into some kind ofdaily packaging – and leaving the bottleshome instead – that has not been a solutionI’ve been able to conjure. Not that any of thisis an impediment, more like a challenge andinconvenience. And most definitely aconsideration.

Still, it’s a small price to pay – so to speak,to incorporate/assimilate a pill plan into myeveryday life. I mean, for all I know, and Iknow very little, these pills might actually beresponsible for my life-expectancy odds hav-ing been so badly beaten. Accordingly, I seeno reason to stop now, especially consideringthat the majority of the drugs I take aredesigned to build up my immune system.Which, when one understands that at itscore, cancer treatment weakens one’simmune system, enhancing its resilience iscrucial.

Recently, an entire new class of drugscalled Immunotherapy (“OPDIVO”) havebeen introduced. They have been designed –among other reasons, to stimulate the body’sown immune system to fight the cancer.Rather than the process occurring externallyand unnaturally as before, these new drugswill fight the cancer internally and naturally.It’s an extremely encouraging and excitingevolution in the cancer treatment world, andholds great promise for many of us cancerpatients burnt out (no pun intended) on thetoxic chemotherapy drugs of our past.

In the interim, since I am not now onImmunotherapy, as a prudent and logicaladjunct, I will continue to give myself and mybody every opportunity, dare I say advantage,in its efforts to keep the cancer at bay. Thepills are never really a problem, more so apiece of the puzzle. And the longer I live, themore convinced of it I become.

From Page 6

James C. Dinegar, Greater WashingtonBoard of Trade

Anthony Howard, Loudoun CountyChamber of Commerce

Virgil Frizzell, Northern Virginia Associationof Realtors

Jim Corcoran, Northern Virginia Chamberof Commerce

Mark Looney, Northern Virginia Transporta-tion Alliance

Lori Y. Lopez, Tysons Regional Chamber ofCommerce

Pat Dean, Associated Builders and Contrac-tors, VA

James N. Larsen, Dulles Area Transporta-tion Association

Eileen D. Curtis, Dulles Regional Chamberof Commerce

Nancy-jo Manney, Springfield Chamber ofCommerce,

Ken Garrison, Heavy Construction Contrac-tors Association

Martha D. Marks, NAIOP, Northern VirginiaCommercial Real Estate Development Associa-

tionJon Lindgren, Northern Virginia Building

Industry AssociationBobbie Kilberg, Northern Virginia Technol-

ogy CouncilDeborah Jones, Prince William Chamber of

CommerceKeith Merlin, Washington Airports Task

ForceThe Northern Virginia Transportation Coalition

is a group of chambers of commerce and industryorganizations throughout Northern Virginia thatshare a common belief that greater investment inregional transportation infrastructure is essentialto sustained regional prosperity.

Transportation

To have community events listed in theConnection, send tonorth@connectionnewspapers.com. The deadlinefor submissions is the Friday prior to publication.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 20Fairfax Commission on Aging. Noon. Oakton

Regional Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Place,Oakton. The public is welcome to attend andjoin in the comment period that begins eachsession. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/coa.htm. 703-324-5403,TTY 711 for meeting access needs.

McLean Newcomers and NeighborsMonthly Luncheon. 11:30 a.m. RistoranteBonaroti, 428 Maple Ave., East, Vienna. EileenO’Grady, a nurse practitioner and wellnesscoach, will speak about the Science ofFlourishing. $29. For further information onthe club, visit www.McleanNewcomers.org.RSVP Ann Skelly at mfskelly@verizon.net byJan. 13. Prospective members invited.

Dyslexia, An Overview for Parents. 7-8:30p.m. Dunn Loring Center for Parent Services,2334 Gallows Road, Entrance 1, Dunn Loring.Workshop presented by specialists from FCPSOffice of Special Education. Registerwww.fcps.edu/dss/osp/prc or 703-204-3941.

THURSDAY/JAN. 21Model Investment Club. 6-9 p.m. Meeting

Room, Dolley Madison Library, 1244 OakRidge Ave, McLean. Learn about investingfollowing an investment club model. Newvisitors welcome. Adults. 703-356-0770.

MONDAY/JAN. 25Fairfax County School Board Public

Hearing. 7 p.m. Luther Jackson MiddleSchool, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church. TheBoard will hold a public hearing on the FY2017 budget. To sign up to speak go to http://www.fcps.edu/schlbd/meetings/requestspeak-online-ph.shtml or call 571-423-1075.

TUESDAY/JAN. 26Coffee and Networking. 7:15 a.m. Tysons

Corner Market, 8028 Leesburg Pike, Vienna.Join the Northern Virginia Republican BusinessForum for a networking breakfast in TysonsCorner with Fred Barnes, executive editor ofThe Weekly Standard, a regular analyst on FoxNews Channel. $40-$100. 703-922-6768.nvrbf@att.net.

Bulletin Board

16 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ January 20-26, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

2016: Another year, anotherdemolition and another homebeing renovated to meet theneeds of five individuals with

disabilities. On an overcast Friday, Jan. 15,Knights of Columbus volunteers assistingthe Fairfax Station-based nonprofit organi-zation Marian Homes stripped carpet andhammered and knocked down walls in asingle-family home on Wilson Street inFairfax City.

Many of the volunteers were at anotherhouse in Springfield, less than a year agoin March 2015, gutting that one too. InJune, residents with intellectual or devel-opmental disabilities moved into the re-fin-ished house, christened “Queen of Peace”and modified with wider doorways, expan-sive bathrooms and a much more open floorplan to meet their housing needs.

As the Northern Virginia Training Center— a decades-old, state-run institutionalongside Braddock Road in Fairfax that hashoused and facilitated treatment for peoplewith disabilities — is scheduled to closeentirely in the next two months, there’s beena push for those residents to find compa-rable services elsewhere in the community.

With just around 70 small group facili-ties in Fairfax County, hundreds are wait-ing for space to open up.

RESIDENTS of Marian Homes housesdon’t pay rent. But they have waivers forservices from the Commonwealth of Vir-ginia that go to CHIMES, the internationalnonprofit that runs the day-to-day treat-ment for residents that in turn pays rent toMarian Homes.

The first Marian Homes residence“Marian House” was dedicated in 1998 andhouses five adult women. The second tookin all men, as did the third. “Mother ofMercy,” the name of this fourth home, willaccept five adult women again, four ofwhich are coming from the Northern Vir-ginia Training Center.

To acquire third house outright, MarianHomes received a grant from Fairfax County.The grant came from federal funding des-ignated for purchasing and rehabilitatingaffordable housing, so it was a good fit. InOctober 2015, Marian Homes applied in thelatest request for proposal from the Countyfor additional federal grant money. Again,they were awarded over $500,000 to ac-quire fourth house.

No sooner had residents moved into theSpringfield home, a team from MarianHomes began looking for the next projecthouse. Walter Purdy from the MarianHomes board said they looked at more than100, trying to find “the one that fits theneeds of those residents in the future, fitsthe open style we look for.”

Purdy said they liked the big bay windowand floor plan of this single-story, four-bed-room house on Wilson Street in Fairfax City.Like in their previous projects, doorwaysand halls will become wider, bathrooms

more robust for assisted bathing. Thedropped floor of the garage will be raisedto meet the rest of the house and the wholespace is planned to be converted into a util-ity closet, second full bathroom and fifthbedroom.

After a three-day demolition by volun-teers (three teams of 18 men), contractedconstruction is expected to take 75 days.

William Baker on the Marian HomesBoard of Directors said the goal is to openthe home to residents on May 1.

Total cost for the property, closing andrenovation is about $735,000, Baker said.Though by using volunteers for demolition,they saved around $20,000. That netamount will be covered by the federal grantmoney from Fairfax County, a loan from theVirginia Knights of Columbus charityKOVAR and additional fundraising.

“What’s really incredible is all the volun-teers,” Baker said. “The County still doesn’tknow how we operate.”

Marian Homes formed out of the Knights

of Columbus Council 8600 at St. Mary ofSorrows, who continue to supply volunteerlabor to these projects. “Our mission is pro-viding for those in need and Marian Homesis an instrument for Knights to do just that,”said Baker.

FOR THIS FOURTH HOUSE, they addedthe strength of a dozen Knights from Coun-cil 7566, St. John Neumann Parish inReston.

“They’re the dirtiest gang here,” said TomMcFarlane of Reston (and Marian Homespresident emeritus).

Tom Zorn of Herndon joined McFarlanein representing Council 7566. Swinging ahammer at a doorframe, Zorn commentedthat in addition to the various charitableacts his Council is part of, “I’m happy wecan do something a little different.”

Council 8600 Grand Knight Jim McHughand Marian Homes president WilliamCrowder stood in the middle of a dusty barefloor that will soon be the base of an open

galley kitchen with a five-foot pass-throughand roll-up countertop space. They agreedthat taking on not just one, but four of thesehome makeover projects is “daunting.”

“But we can’t be complacent, there’s agreat bunch of guys working this,” saidCrowder. “You empower people and letthem do what they can do.”

“It’s amazing to watch a group of mengather and put faith into action — as theBible tells us, we can do more,” McHughsaid. “We go out, take on something auda-cious and challenging, and worry about howto get it done later.”

Marian Homes and St. Mary of SorrowsKnights of Columbus Council 8600 will hosta “Casino Knight” fundraiser benefittingindividuals with disabilities on Jan. 30 from7-11 p.m. in the Farrell Hall of St. Mary ofSorrows, located at 5222 Sideburn Road inFairfax. The entry cost of $25 includes pokerchips, food, drinks and entertainment. Formore information, visitwww.marianhomes.org.

Marian Homes begins work on next grouphome for people with disabilities.Go Fourth and Prosper

Tom Zorn of Herndon (left) was one of a dozen volun-teers from Knights of Columbus Council 7566, St.John Neumann Parish in Reston, helping demo thefourth Marian Homes house.

Ed Grace of Reston (right) and Marian Homes Presi-dent Emeritus Tom McFarlane of Reston (left) removedemo materials from the interior of Marian Homes’fourth house for individuals with disabilities.

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