October 23, 2024

Neighbors,

We’ve all know the adage about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes —and now we can “see through their eyes,” thanks to technology.

This can be especially helpful for family and professional caregivers for older adults. It may be difficult to understand what they’re experiencing both physically and mentally, especially if they’re dealing with conditions like Parkinson’s disease or dementia with Lewy bodies. Technology offers a way to develop greater understanding and empathy for the challenges that seniors with these diseases face. 

When I chaired the Older Adults Committee meeting last week, the Board of Supervisors took part in an immersive, online simulation to “see” what it’s like to have Lewy bodies dementia.

This simulation is just one in a series that’s open to anyone who’s interested, and these free, 75-minute facilitated sessions were developed as part of the county’s SHAPE the Future of Aging plan.

ElderLink — a partnership between the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging and Inova — offers and facilitates these online simulations that were created by Embodied Labs.

The sessions cover a variety of topics to highlight challenges commonly faced by older adults, and you can register for upcoming sessions:

• How social isolation impacts an older adult
• Learning about the early signs and progression of Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease
• How to navigate caregiver burnout, how to support someone with PTSD, de-escalation techniques and more

Once you’ve participated in one of these sessions, you’ll have access to even more on-demand sessions on other topics, including macular degeneration, high-frequency hearing loss and home health assessments.

Technology is often blamed for contributing to our social isolation, but it can also bring us together to foster greater understanding.

Regards,

Walter

I enjoyed the amazing chalk creations showcased at Chalkfest, as well as presenting the awards along with Reston Community Center (RCC) Executive Director Bebe Nguyen and ArtsFairfax President & CEO Stuart Holt.

Judges included South Lakes STEAM Team teacher Marc Rando, artist and RCC art instructor Tracie Griffith Tso and South Lakes High School seniors Izzie Brabant and Haley Caicedo.

Thanks to Public Art Reston for another great Chalkfest!

Photo below: Stuart Holt, Bebe Nguyen and Ricki Marion with Public Art Reston

Last Sunday, I spoke to the Fox Mill Chapter of the Young Men's Service League at their meeting in Fox Mill Elementary about civic responsibility. What an amazing group of young men! The chapter has high school freshman, sophomores, and juniors from South Lakes, James Madison, Chantilly, Langley, Herndon and several other area schools.

The YMSL is a nonprofit, and its members are moms and their teenage sons who volunteer together to serve their local communities during the four years of high school.

Thanks to chapter board member Trish Atkins for inviting me to speak.

The Board of Supervisors met yesterday, Oct. 22, You can watch the meeting and review the agenda and package.

Proclaiming Fairfax Recycles Day

Fairfax County’s annual recycling rate is nearly double the state’s mandate, and residents have recycled more than 23,500 tons of glass since the county rolled out the purple bins for glass recycling. Affectionately called the “Purple Can Club,” this year is the fifth anniversary for this glass recycling program, and we recognized this milestone with a proclamation for Fairfax Recycles Day.

There are purple bins across the county, and you can find four glass-recycling dumpsters in and near the Hunter Mill District:

• Reston South Park and Ride
• Baron Cameron Park
• Vienna (431 Mill Street, NE)
• Herndon Public Works Complex

Recycling glass is both environmentally and economically beneficial. Join the “Purple Can Club” today.

Preventing Predatory Towing

The Board of Supervisors approved a measure to prevent predatory towing, incorporating a recent state law into the county’s code. Now, apartment and condo building residents will get 48-hours notice before their cars are towed for an expired registration or vehicle inspection sticker. Towing companies will be required to:

• Post a written, dated notice on the vehicle that includes the date when the vehicle will be towed
• Give the landlord a copy of this notice
• Leave the vehicle in place until 48 hours after the notice has been posted

Tow operators that don’t follow these procedures will be required to reimburse a car owner for the fees they charge for towing, storing and safekeeping the vehicle, as well as pay a $100 civil penalty.

Attend the final community meeting for the Wiehle Avenue Study on Monday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. at Langston Hughes Middle School, 11401 Ridge Heights Road, Reston. The revised concept will be presented.

What You’ll Learn: Transportation planners will present a revised concept for making travel safer by foot, bike and car on Wiehle Avenue between Sunrise Valley Drive and the W&OD Trail.

This concept was explored based on feedback from a public survey that asked residents about the three alternatives for transforming Wiehle (see them below).

Why it Matters: Today, it’s hard to walk or bike on this stretch of Wiehle Avenue because:

• Sidewalk segments are missing.
• Narrow sidewalks make pedestrians uncomfortable walking alongside cars.
• No dedicated bike facilities exist.

What’s Next: Following this community meeting, county staff will develop a final proposal called a “preferred alternative” that will be delivered to the Board of Supervisors for their consideration.

The public survey from earlier this year (below) asked residents about these alternatives for Wiehle in the Metro transit station area.

Check the new respiratory illness dashboard to get real-time updates and data on respiratory illnesses in Fairfax County, including flu, COVID-19 and RSV.

Why it Matters: As respiratory illness season kicks off in the fall, use this dashboard to see if cases are increasing and where, so you can take extra precautions if desired.

• Outbreaks are reported by facility type, including childcare, schools, long-term care facilities and other settings.
• Emergency department and urgent care visits are broken down by age group.
• Compare data across multiple weeks so you can track trends

How to Protect Yourself: Follow basic prevention tips to avoid getting a respiratory illness, including:

• Get vaccinated
• Wash your hands — often
• Clean surfaces regularly and avoid touching your face

Respiratory Illness Forecast: The CDC forecasts that respiratory illnesses this fall and winter will result in a similar or lower number of hospitalizations compared to last year.

• This winter’s COVID-19 peak will be greater than this summer’s wave which ended in early August, following the same pattern for the last four years.
• While flu hospitalizations will be similar or lower than in 2023, the CDC says 380,000 to 900,000 people were hospitalized during the last flu season.
• People vaccinated for the flu were half as likely to be hospitalized, according to a study in five South American countries during this past flu season.

Affordable housing waitlist applications for adults and seniors at several properties will be open through Sunday, Oct. 27 until 11:59 p.m.

How to Apply: Use the online housing application portal called Rent Café.

• Rent Café Guide
• Rent Café Guide (Español)
• Rent Café Guide (Korean)

For help, call the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development at 703-246-5100.

Waitlist Properties: Get on the waitlist at the following rental properties, and when a unit becomes available, you will be contacted, screened, and determined eligible based on income level, household size and size of the rental unit.

For adults (18 years and above)

• Coralain Gardens: studio, one, and two-bedroom apartments

(7435 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church)

• The Residences at North Hill: one, two, and three-bedroom apartments

(7230, 7240, 7250, and 7255 Nightingale Lane, Alexandria)

For seniors (62 years and above)

• Little River Glen: one-bedroom apartments

(4001 Barker Court, Fairfax)

• The Senior Residence at North Hill: one and two-bedroom apartments

(7245 Nightingale Lane, Alexandria) 

Submit your comments by Nov. 15 on the proposed resident curatorship of the historic Ash Grove house in Vienna. And attend a public meeting at Patrick Henry Library on Oct. 28, 7 p.m. to learn more, ask questions and offer your input.

Why it Matters: The Fairfax County Park Authority is now evaluating an application to rehabilitate this historic property through the Resident Curator Program. This program offers long-term leases on select historic structures owned by FCPA like Ash Grove in exchange for preserving underused historic properties.

• Former Reston resident Sheila Consaul submitted an application, and she is an experienced preservationist who recently completed a 12-year restoration of the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse in Ohio.
• Her $300,000 preservation of this abandoned lighthouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was recognized with a merit award from the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office.
• While she owns the lighthouse, Northern Virginia has been her primary residence for the past 40 years and Ash Grove would become her home, according to her application. “Living at Ash Grove would also afford me the opportunity to become part of the local Tysons neighborhood as well as share the property, its history and the need to preserve it with guests and visitors,” she states.
• She would offer public access to Ash Grove through an annual open house, scheduled tours and create a social media presence for the property. 

What’s Ash Grove: The house is a 2.5 story Federal-style, center hall home with 4,200 square feet of finished space, including a brick kitchen and clapboard meat house.

It’s one of the few standing 18th-century Virginia houses, says the Fairfax County Park Authority.

• It’s located at 8881 Ashgrove House Lane approximately two thirds of a mile from the Spring Hill Metro Station. It sits on an acre of land between the Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley and the Westwood Village townhomes.
• Thomas Fairfax built the original portion of the house in 1790 and he inherited the property from his father Reverand Bryan Fairfax, 8th Lord Fairfax, who was appointed deputy clerk of Fairfax County and rector for Christ Church in Alexandria.
• Take a virtual tour of Ash Grove.

Join Me Tonight for the Halloween Parade

Are you planning to come to the Vienna Halloween Parade tonight? I’ll be there, ready to “Party Like it’s 1999!” Head to Maple Avenue at 7 p.m. Anyone who wishes to march in the parade should meet at 6 p.m. at United Bank, 374 Maple Avenue, East. Event details.

Odor Control System for Difficult Run Wastewater Pump Station

Improvements to the Difficult Run Wastewater Pump Station are almost complete, including an odor control system. It will help mitigate any odors reported near Glengyle Drive in Vienna. To complete the project, however, the county will run a 14-day functional test of the new equipment, including studying now to optimize the odor control system. Stay tuned for more information on when this test will be scheduled. 

Friday Night Haunted House Oct 25-26

Brace yourself for two nights of scary fun at the Cathy Hudgins Community Center on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. Children under 12 (with a parent or guardian) should attend from 4-5 p.m. on both days. The fear factor will ramp up from 6:30-9 p.m. for children age 12 and older. The entry fee is $3 or donate a non-perishable food item.

Fiddler on the Roof Oct. 25-27

Reston Community Players perform the timeless classic “Fiddler on the Roof” on Friday to Sunday, Oct. 25-27, at RCC’s the CenterStage. You don’t’ have to be a rich man to enjoy the hits from this Broadway classic. Buy tickets. 

Halloweekend at The Perch Oct. 26

Grab a costume and head to The Perch on Saturday, Oct. 26 from noon to 6 p.m. Enjoy spooky golf at Perch Putt, face painting, a pie-eating contest and seasonal concoctions. Win prizes in the costume contest. Details.

Halloween at The Boo-ro on Oct 26

The Boro in Tysons hosts a spook-tacular, pet-friendly Halloween party on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 1-4 p.m. It includes a Best in Show dog costume contest, dog grooming, family fun and crafts, an interactive magic show, adult cocktails and, of course, trick or treating. Details.

Drug Take Back Day Oct. 26

Dispose of your unused or expired prescriptions on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Reston Hospital,1850 Town Center Parkway (outside Pavilion 1, across from Parking Garage B) Help crush the opioid overdose crisis by disposing of your unused prescription painkillers. Details.

Pickles Pick Up the Park Oct. 27

Join Girl Scout Troop 50126 — known as the Pickles — to pick up litter along the W&OD Trail on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 2-4 p.m. Meet at the Clarks Crossing Parking Lot. This troop of 5th graders at Wolftrap Elementary is working on their Bronze Award, which is the highest award a Girl Scout Junior can earn. Help them earn this recognition by participating in their litter pick up. Register.

Delegate Karen Keys-Gamarra’s Office Hours Oct. 28

Virginia Delegate Karen Keys-Gamarra, who represents the 7th District, will hold office hours on Monday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to noon in my conference room at the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston. Drop by with your questions and concerns. For more information, email her office.

Food for Neighbors Red Bag Collection Nov. 9

Donate food or volunteer to help sort donations during Food For Neighbors’ Red Bag collection event on Saturday, Nov. 9. That morning, up to 900 community members will be collecting and sorting over 26,000 pounds of food and toiletries bound for 31 Fairfax County schools. It's not too late to donate food and register to volunteer.