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July 9, 2025

Neighbors,

Last week, the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and Google held a workshop for small businesses to learn how to leverage artificial intelligence.

This free training was hosted in the community room at my office, and it was insightful to hear how AI tools can boost productivity and efficiency. As I said in my opening remarks, artificial intelligence is at the heart of the county’s economic development strategy, and we’re also rolling out these tools to make county government services more efficient and effective.

Already, the D.C. region ranks as the second biggest hub for AI jobs in the country after California, according to research by the University of Maryland. Virginia is also one of five states that gained the biggest share of all AI job postings in the US during the five-year period studied. (See this first-ever interactive map that tracks the creation of AI jobs each month.)

To capitalize on this emerging technology, the Board of Supervisors Council of Economic Opportunity recently discussed a proposal to create an AI coalition. This coalition would lead the local charge to help employees and businesses in Fairfax County adopt practical and safe AI tools. Our overall economic development strategy also aims to position the county as an AI capital with a ready workforce and thriving business environment. 

While we’re an AI-job hub, most employees still aren’t using artificial intelligence in their work yet. The Pew Research Center found that 63% of workers say they aren’t using these tools. That will be changing soon.

This is an issue that council members discussed: the need to educate employees on how to use AI. And many council members agreed that AI education needs to begin in high school — if not even earlier.

Fairfax County Public Schools are piloting the use of AI for teachers and students. Its Lighthouse Schools program fosters innovative and emerging technology tools in the classroom. (Hunters Woods Elementary School and Cooper Middle School participated in this pilot.)

Our county government is increasingly using AI as well. For example, artificial intelligence powers data analytics for our PLUS system, which is the online application for zoning, building, land development and permitting. AI allows employees to easily tally the inspections conducted or revenue generated, for instance.

Artificial intelligence is also being deployed at the 9-1-1 call center. It’s assisting with the growing number of non-emergency calls the center receives. (The center gets more calls for non-emergency issues than emergencies, totaling 54% of calls last year.) For example, residents request the phone number for the DMV or make complaints about missed trash pickups or tall grass.

While you’ll always have the option to talk to a human call taker, AI now allows the center to automatically respond to non-emergency calls. It routes them to appropriate agencies and provides phone numbers or website addresses.

The technology is also helping in emergency response. When you text 9-1-1, AI now provides immediate translation into 170 languages. It’s helping to organize data that’s being sent to the 9-1-1 center, such as how many people are in a car when it crashes, whether they are wearing seatbelts and how fast the car was going.

These are just a few ways that the county is beginning to use AI, and we’ll continue to explore ways to safely and effectively use this technology to deliver county services and programs.

Regards,

Walter

• Capital Bikeshare: New Prices & Stations
• Transportation Priorities Plan Feedback
• Vote for Public Art Project "Ethos"
• What's News in Vienna
• Events and Activities

For the first time since 2021, Capital Bikeshare will raise its prices starting Aug. 1.

New prices: Annual memberships will increase from the current $95 to $120. For members, ebike rentals will increase from $0.10 to $0.15 per minute. However, classic bike rides are still free for up to 45 minutes with $0.05 per minute charged thereafter.

Prices will also go up for non-bikeshare members. Day passes will cost $10 instead of $8. For single rides, the rental rates for classic bikes will climb threefold from $0.05 to $0.15 per minute while the cost for ebikes will double from $0.15 to $0.35 per minute.

The membership fee for Capital Bikeshare for All will remain at $5 per year, although ebike rides will no longer be free. (This program offers bikeshare access to residents with lower incomes.)

Why now: Capital Bikeshare says it’s increasing its prices to keep up with the demands of unprecedented ridership. Month-over-month, ridership increased more than 34% this May compared to last year. Annual ridership jumped by 31% since 2022 for this regional bikeshare system that’s jointly owned by the local governments in the D.C. region, including Fairfax County.

We’ve seen increases in ridership in Hunter Mill District too. Following a dip in FY 22 after the pandemic, ridership has climbed from under 4,000 trips to over 12,000 trips per year.

While electric bikes only make up about 30% of the system’s fleet, they account for around 60% of rides. Because these bikes are more expensive to maintain, the price increases will help the system to maintain and grow its ebike fleet, as well as continue to electrify more docking stations.

Reston station relocations: In the Hunter Mill District, there have been recent changes to four station locations with new ones coming soon.

The county’s transportation staff monitors bikeshare usage, occasionally adjusting station locations to maximize ridership. For this reason, four existing stations were recently relocated to:

• Reston Community Center
• Herndon Metro South
• Monroe Street and East Park Drive.
• North Shore Drive and Charter Oak Square.

In the near future, these two stations are proposed to be relocated:

• The station at Vantage Hill Road and Wainwright Drive will be moved to North Shore Drive and Washington Plaza, allowing for trail access to the Lake Anne parking lot which is directly across from the proposed new docking location.
• The station at Beacontree Lane and Goldenrain Court will be moved to Westwood Center Drive and Sheraton Tysons Drive, repurposing two parking spaces.

New stations coming soon: New stations will be installed in Reston and Vienna.

An 11-dock station is planned to be installed in mid-August at McNair Farms Drive and Thomas Jefferson Drive (near what used to be called the Clocktower shopping center).

The Vienna Town Council just approved their first-ever Capital Bikeshare stations at five locations with construction expected to begin later this year:

• Navy Federal Credit Union
• Vienna Community Center
• Intersections of the W&OD trail at Ayr Hill Avenue, Maple Avenue and Nutley Street.

The county seeks your input on the proposed FY 2025 – 2030 Transportation Priorities Plan — or TPP for short. Public comments will be accepted until July 23.

Offer your feedback: Submit comments online or call 703-890-5898 (project code 1169).

The county’s Department of Transportation is also hosting a virtual public input session next Wednesday, July 16 at 6 p.m. Find the meeting details.

Why it matters: The plan is the main way the county organizes and prioritizes its capital improvements for transportation, including major road widening and interchange projects to pedestrian and bicycle improvements like sidewalks and bike lanes. The proposed TPP includes an estimated $3.9 billion in transportation projects — with many in the Hunter Mill District — that will be funded through a combination of federal, state and local dollars.

Hunter Mill District Projects: The plan includes road, transit, pedestrian and bicycle projects in the Hunter Mill District.

For example, this includes the Soapstone Connector (which is already fully funded) to extend this road from Sunrise Valley Drive to Sunset Hills Road. This also includes the long-range plan to extend Town Center Parkway from Sunset Hills Road to Sunrise Valley Drive beneath the Dulles Toll Road (which is not yet funded.)

There are also numerous ongoing and future pedestrian and bike projects like building a cycle track along Sunrise Valley Drive from Monroe Street to the Fairfax County Parkway.

Find the full list of TPP projects.

Cast your vote by July 11 at 11:59 p.m. for “Ethos,” the public artwork at the Reston Town Center Metro Station. It’s been nominated for a CODAaward which honor projects that successfully integrate commissioned art into interior, architectural or public spaces.

To vote, you must sign up or log in to a CODAworx account, and then cast your vote on this webpage. (Projects are listed alphabetically.)

Metro commissioned George Bates to create his artwork “Ethos” for the glazing along the escalators at the north and south entrance pavilions of the Reston Town Center Metro station. As part of the project, he collaborated with Nicole Tong, the Inaugural Fairfax Poet Laureate, to incorporate T/here fragments from "How to Prove a Theory" into his artwork.

What's News in Vienna

Summer on the Green Concert July 11

Fusion trio Crooked Sparrow will perform their blend of Texas, Latin American, folk and Americana music on the Vienna Town Green this Friday at 6:30 p.m. Arlington Magazine named them as a local band to check out now. The free concerts on the green are about 90-minutes long.

VA250 Mobile Museum July 10-12

Experience the hands-on, interactive and immersive “museum on wheels” on July 10-12 at the Vienna Elementary School. The VA250 Mobile Museum is housed in a quad-expandable tractor trailer that’s traveling throughout Virginia and beyond. It brings key stories of Virginia’s rich history to stops across the state.

👩‍🏫 Learn the Three Keys to Focus Your Time and Energy With Soulful Intention tonight at Reston Regional Library.

🩸 Give blood at Inova's blood drive on July 10 at the Reston District Police Station.

🎵 Listen to The Collective perform covers of top hits from the 90s and 2000s at Halley Rise on July 10.

🎨 Make colorful pressed flowers on a glass plate on July 10 at the Reston Regional Library.

🩸 Learn life-saving skills at the Stop the Bleed class on July 11 at Reston Hospital Center.

🎵 Friday night and the lights are low. Looking out for a place to go? Check out ABBA tribute band Mamma Mania! on July 11 at Capital One Hall.

📽️ Watch Disney’s “The Incredibles” at Reston Town Center on July 11.

🥞 Join the SPARC pancake breakfast fundraiser on July 12 at American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax.

🎵 Listen to Big Sam’s Funky Nation perform their blend of New Orleans-inspired funk, jazz, rock and hip-hop at Reston Town Center on July 12.

🎸 Shenandoah Conservatory plays guitar music from Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay and Cuba on July 13 at Reston Town Square Park.

🧘🏾 Practice Tai Chi on July 14 at Reston Regional Library.

🐶 Bring your furry friend to Pups in the Pavilion on July 16 at Reston Town Center.

🎵 Spend less than a million dollars to see Bare Naked Ladies perform on July 16 at Wolf Trap.

🍷 Free bottle tasting at The Wine Cabinet on July 17.

📽️ Experience the force as the National Symphony Orchestra accompanies a showing of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” on July 17 at Wolf Trap. A National Air and Space Museum curator will give a talk beforehand.

📃 Free paper shredding on July 19 at First Baptist Church in Fairfax.

🎵 Listen to Todd Rundgren perform his “Still Me (Still We)” show on July 20 at Capital One Hall.

📽️Watch spy-thriller “Black Bag” on Senior Movie Day July 23 at Reston Town Center.

🩸 Give blood at the Red Cross blood drive on July 24 at the Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna.

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.