View as Webpage

July 23, 2025

Neighbors,

Summer isn’t over yet — but it’s almost time for students to go back to school in mid-August. You can help children in need start off the school year with supplies and snacks they need to succeed.

My office is participating in the Cornerstones Back to School Drive, and we’re helping to collect donations of backpacks, school supplies and snacks.

Drop off your donations during my summer town hall meeting on July 30 (read more about this further down in this newsletter), or bring them to my offices at the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston, by Thursday, July 31.

There are several ways to support this drive:

• Shop the Cornerstones Amazon Wish List and have items delivered directly to them.
• Purchase or collect new backpacks, school supplies and healthy snacks and drop them off at my office by July 31 or at the Cornerstones FREE from Hunger Center in Sterling by Aug. 1.
• Make a donation

If you’re buying the supplies yourself, Cornerstones requests these items that include:

• Backpacks that are appropriate for elementary, middle school and high schoolers
• 1-subject spiral notebooks
• Heavy-duty plastic folders
• #2 pencils and ballpoint pens (blue and black)
• Tuna/chicken lunch kits
• Dried fruit or fruit snacks

With more than 35% of Fairfax County Public School students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, you can also help by donating to the South Lakes High School PTSA’s Food Pantry and Food for Neighbors which feeds food insecure middle and high school students.

Regards,

Walter

• Early Voting Begins Friday
• Attend my Summer Town Hall July 30
• Patrick Henry Temporary Library Open
• Floodproof Your Home
• Real Estate Taxes Due July 28
• Friends of Trees Nominations Due July 31
• What's News in Vienna
• Events and Activities

Early voting begins this Friday, July 25 for the special election to fill the vacant 11th Congressional District seat that was held by Rep. Gerry Connolly.

Cast your ballot early at two locations on weekdays:

• North County Governmental Center (across from the Reston Library): 1 to 7 p.m.
• Fairfax County Government Center: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Voting by mail is also an option for this election, see the Office of Elections web page for more details on that.

Additional voting locations: Starting on Aug. 29, an additional nine early voting sites will open, and you’ll be able to cast your ballot early at every voting site on two Saturdays: Aug.30 and Sept. 6. Note that all early voting locations will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1.

Only voters who live in the 11^th Congressional District may vote in this special election. (If you aren’t sure if you live in this congressional district, look up your voter registration information on the state’s online portal.)

Election Day is Tuesday, Sept. 9, as ordered by the Governor.

More Information: For more information or questions, contact the Fairfax County Office of Elections at 703-222-0776, TTY 711.

What's happening: Mark your calendars. I’m holding my summer town hall on Wednesday, July 30 at 7 p.m. at the Vienna Elementary School cafeteria. This is an open forum where you can share your questions and concerns with me.

If you wish, you’re welcome to submit your questions in advance; email them to Jillian Smith or call my office.

Learn more: For more information or reasonable ADA accommodations, please contact my office by email or call 703-478-0283, TTY 711.

What happened: We cut the ribbon for the Patrick Henry Library’s temporary branch at the Cedar Park Shopping Center in Vienna earlier today. This branch is open to serve you until the new Vienna-Carter Library is built. I celebrated with the Town of Vienna officials, residents, and county staff who attended this grand opening. (Watch my remarks in the video above.)

Library services offered: While this branch is smaller — at just 2,800 square feet — it will offer services and programs for quick visits that include:

• A small selection of books and materials to browse
• Ability to pick up holds or return books, including at an outdoor book drop
• Public wi-fi
• Chromebooks for onsite use

This branch will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Note that these hours are a little different from other libraries.)

What’s next: In partnership with the Town of Vienna, Fairfax County is building a new branch at the same site on Maple Avenue where the old Patrick Henry Library was located for the past 54 years. Construction is expected to begin this summer with the new library anticipated to open in summer 2027.

The new library will be called the Vienna-Carter Library in honor of William and Lillian Carter who led the effort to open the Patrick Henry Library as an integrated facility in the 1960s.

This state-of-the-art facility will be 19,000 square feet with a 209-space parking structure (including 84 public spaces for the Town of Vienna). It’s a green project that aims to achieve a 50% energy reduction over current standards. The building’s net-zero energy design will use all electrical systems and equipment, and the building includes geothermal heating and cooling.

What’s happening: Following the heavy rains we’ve had this spring and summer — including just this past Saturday — you may have noticed water drainage issues on your property. Get help from the county with grants for flood prevention projects at your home.

Grants up to $5,000: You may be eligible for up to $5,000 in financial assistance through the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program. It offers up to 50% reimbursement — or up to a total of $5,000 — for completed projects that protect residential properties from flood damage.

Residential property owners and renters; homeowners and condominium associations; and places of worship may apply for grants. However, commercial properties are not eligible nor are properties within the Town of Vienna or Town of Herndon. 

Fairfax County funds this program, and the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District administers it.

Eligible projects: Flood proofing projects eligible for reimbursement are found on this approved list, and they include:

• Floodproof windows
• Flood gates or panels
• Battery back-ups for sump pumps
• Portable pumps and hoses
• Utility covers and elevation
• Modifying topography or installing new drains
• Protecting external stairwells

Your home’s flood risk: You can check your home’s flood risk using Fairfax County’s Flood Risk Awareness Tool. It will tell you how close your property is to a floodplain, a sump (ie. a low-lying area where water ponds) or an inadequate path for overland relief (ie. lack of a path for water to drain).

There are also private tools like First Street’s online tool that allows you to check a property’s current and future flood risk. (Experts say it’s helpful to look at multiple flood maps/models, and as an example, First Street shows more buildings at risk at Camp Mystic in Kerr County than does FEMA’s flood maps.) 

What’s happening: Summer is the time for sun and fun — and also (less fun) taxes. Just a quick reminder that the first half of real estate taxes are due on Monday, July 28 — but at least you can pay them online from your beach chair.

(This reminder only applies to homeowners who pay their real estate taxes directly, not as part of their mortgage. The first payment is due next Monday with the second payment due on Dec. 5)

Payments made easy: Although no one enjoys paying taxes, the Department of Tax Administration has made it quicker and easier as part of their ongoing modernization project.

Join the more than 353,000 people who’ve signed up for a MyFairfax account. It’s the quick and secure way to view and pay your real estate, personal property (“car tax”) and business tangible property taxes. With an account, you can:

• See and download past and current real estate tax bills, a new feature introduced last fall.
• Track payments as they are processed
• Sign-in with Google Services or a passkey (instead of creating a user ID and password.)

Or pay online without signing up for MyFairfax. Note that e-check payments are free, and you may schedule when the payment is made. Learn about the other ways to pay your bill.

Questions? If you don’t have your bill or have other questions, contact the Department of Tax Administration by email or call 703-222-8234. 

What's happening: Nominate a person, organization or developer for the Fairfax County Tree Commission’s Friends of Trees Award by July 31. These annual awards recognize exceptional, outstanding and innovative conservation projects and programs to preserve, protect or plant trees. Nominees should meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Protect and preserve existing trees and associated habitats.
• Increase Fairfax County’s tree canopy and its related habitats.
• Educate and inspire people to plant more trees and properly maintain them, and convey an understanding of both the value and benefits of trees.
• Go “above and beyond” Fairfax County’s development requirements to preserve and protect trees and associated habitats

More information: For questions or more information about the nominations or awards, please email the Tree Commission.

What's News in Vienna

Summer on the Green Concert Friday

Listen to the U.S. Army Band Country Roads at the Summer on the Green Concert this Friday at 6:30 p.m. Country Roads is the band’s small ensemble of instrumentalists and vocalists who perform bluegrass, folk and Irish music. Bring a picnic blanket and chairs for these free concerts on the Vienna Town Green that last about 90 minutes.

MetroFest Returns on Saturday

Participate in the free, family friendly MetroFest which returns to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro Station on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Explore Metro vehicles, enjoy music, snacks and fun activities. Transit fans of all ages may climb aboard Metro vehicles and specialized equipment and get a behind-the-scenes look at the programs and services that power Metro. Metro staff will be on hand to share information, answer questions, and guide attendees through exciting exhibits and photo-worthy moments.

🎉 Join Celebrate Fairfax’s Summer Block Party on July 24 at The PARC in Tysons.

🎵 Rock out to Speakers of the House on July 24 at Halley Rise.

🎭 Watch the Vienna Youth Players perform Anastasia The Musical on July 19-27 at the Vienna Community Center.

🎵 Drive your little red Corvette to see the Prince Project tribute band on July 25 at Reston Station.

📖 Attend author Polly Stewart’s talk about “The Felons' Ball!” on July 25 at Bards Alley Bookshop.

🎾 Take this pickleball class to learn when and how to use the third shot drop on July 26 at The Pickleball Club of Tysons.

🤹🏽‍♀️ Laugh as the Unicycle Lady entertains with comedy and juggling on July 26 at Reston Town Square Park.

🎵 Listen to the National Symphony Orchestra perform songs to clips from iconic Disney and Pixar films on July 26 at Wolf Trap.

🎵 Shenandoah Conservatory performs classic and modern jazz on July 27 at Reston Town Square Park.

🐜 Hike with a naturalist to learn about different insects' behavior and habitats on July 27 at Lake Fairfax.

🚣‍♀️ Register your team by July 27 for the Cardboard Boat Regatta on Lake Anne in August.

🏳️‍🌈 Attend the Queer Lit Book Club on July 28 at Scrawl Books.

❓ Crafthouse Reston hosts Tuesday trivia night on July 29 at 7 p.m.

💃 Get in shape with Zumba Gold Training on July 29 at Reston Community Center Lake Anne.

🌻 Attend Nature and Nosh, an evening celebration of nature and food trucks, on July 29 at the Walker Nature Center.

😂 Try your hand at improv comedy on July 29 at Aslin Beer in Herndon.

🌸 🔨 Learn the Japanese art of Tatakizome (flower pounding) on July 30 at The Farm at Halley Rise.

🎼 Listen to Celtic group IONA perform songs and dance tunes on July 30 at Lake Anne Plaza.

🐕 Bring your canine companion for Pups in the Pavillion at Reston Town Center on July 30.

🎷 Join the Seth Kibel Band for jazz, swing and klezmer music on July 31 at Halley Rise.

🚛 Bring the kids to see Reston Association’s big trucks on Aug. 1 at RA’s Central Services Facility.

Find all events for these local organizations: Reston Community Center, Town of Vienna Parks and Recreation Programs, Tephra ICA and Arts Fairfax. Find other community events in the Reston Letter.