October 9, 2024

Neighbors,

About two million people a year walk, run, bike or roll on the W&OD Trail to exercise, relax or even commute.

Have you ever considered how the trail came into existence, however?

It got its start 50 years ago, thanks to Vienna resident Barbara Hildreth, other community activists and, of course, NOVA Parks which acquired the land and developed the trail.

It’s for good reason that Hildreth is known as the “Mother of the W&OD Trail.” When the W&OD Railroad went bankrupt in 1968, she advocated to transform this 45-mile abandoned rail line through the countryside into a public trail, lobbying both the Board of Supervisors and General Assembly.

On Monday, I celebrated the trail’s 50^th anniversary with Hildreth, NOVA Parks, my colleagues on the Board, Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert and Town Council members, our state legislators and the many people who love and use the trail.

To mark this historic anniversary, NOVA Parks has made a founding donation of W&OD Railroad artifacts to the Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room. This includes more than 2,000 photos and 2,000 original documents, such as railroad schedules, tickets and operational memos dating from 1864 to 1968.

The Virginia Room will preserve the collection for researchers and future generations, and this treasure will be publicly available for the first time for people to see in person and online. We will all have easy access to the trail’s history now.

I want to thank NOVA Parks and the Fairfax County Library for this gift that will benefit us for years to come.

Regards,

Walter

The Board of Supervisors met yesterday, Oct. 8. You can watch the meeting and review the agenda and package.

At the meeting, I presented three board matters:

• Hunter Mill District Winter Coat Closet Begins Oct. 15
• Reston Community Center Preference Poll
• Proclaiming Caregivers Awareness Month

Honoring Karla Bruce, Fairfax County’s First Chief Equity Officer

We honored Karla Bruce who is retiring after 25 years of service, along with her many other colleagues and friends who filled the board auditorium. She was the county’s first-ever chief equity officer, helping to spearhead the development of the county’s social and racial equity policy called One Fairfax.

Among her many accomplishments, she helped to develop the equity and community health policies in the Reston Comprehensive Plan, making us the first jurisdiction in the Commonwealth to include such policies in a land use plan.

Vienna Volunteer Fire Department’s Kayla Farrow Receives Volunteer Fire Commission Award

Kayla Farrow received an Auxiliary Member of the Year Award from the Volunteer Fire Commission. She serves as auxiliary treasurer for the department, as well as plays a crucial role in the battalion’s fundraising and public education efforts.

Congratulations Kayla and thanks to all our volunteer firefighters!

State Grant Funds Positions to Support Permanent Supportive Housing Program

We approved accepting $2.9 million in state grants to pay for three new behavioral health specialists and operating costs to expand the county’s permanent supportive housing program. These new staff will provide services to people with serious mental illness who will be housed through this program. Earlier this year, the state committed to fund 300 new rental assistance vouchers for this affordable, supportive housing. In answer to my question at yesterday’s meeting, county staff said they expect people to be housed starting this fall. It’s great to see the Commonwealth stepping up to pay for both the services and housing that’s critical to help prevent homelessness among people with mental illness.

As winter approaches, you can help children and adults who need warm winter coats, hats, gloves, mittens and scarves. Donate to the Hunter Mill Winter Coat Closet from Oct. 15 to Nov. 8.

Why it Matters: Last year, this coat drive distributed more than 1,000 coats, hats, gloves and scarves. So, the need is great.

What to Donate: Please give new or gently used coats — but only new hats, gloves, mittens and scarves.

• Adult coats and jackets with hoods in larger sizes (XL, XXL, XXXL) are especially needed
• All children’s coat sizes (newborn through teen)
• Plastic coat hangers (No wire hangers, please.)
• Please don’t donate other winter clothes, like sweaters or snow suits, or boots. They can’t be accepted due to space limitations.

Where to Donate: Take your donations to Cornerstones:

• 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210, Reston
• Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Coat Distribution Date: Coats will be given out to anyone who needs one on one day only: Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston.

More Information: Contact Jillian O’Shea-Smith in my office by email or call 703-478-0283, TTY 711.

A new combined futsal and basketball court opened at Stratton Woods Park, thanks to a partnership between the nonprofit The Great Outdoors Fund, Volkswagen Group of America, and the Fairfax County Park Authority.

Why it Matters: Reston is the location for the Park Authority’s second-ever futsal court, and this is one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for this wonderful new facility with Virginia Deputy Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Jennifer Walle, Park Board Member Bill Bouie, FCPA Executive Director Jai Cole, and the U.S. Men’s Futsal National Team which also hosted a futsal clinic for kids that day.

What’s Futsal? It’s often called “mini-soccer," and it’s played on a basketball-size court, requiring quick reflexes and thinking and precise passing. For those who don’t know, the sport originated in Uruguay, and its name comes from the Spanish “fútbol sala” and from the Portuguese “futebol de salão.”

Play this interactive game sponsored by the Tysons Community Alliance by walking, biking, or rolling to your routine destinations or somewhere new in Tysons for a chance to win $250 every week until Nov. 10.

How to Play: Play the Basic or Advance Challenge — or both. The more you trek, the more treats you can earn! Multiple entries are encouraged.

• All trips must start at the same location: your home, your work, or your hotel.
• For the Basic Challenge, visit a routine destination in Tysons — like a grocery store, park, restaurant, store, transit station, etc. — and submit a selfie online showing yourself there. You may submit the same destination once a week — or enter multiple different locations per week without limit.
• For the Advance Challenge, all destinations must be unique. You also must record your trip using your favorite fitness tracking app, and submit a screenshot of the map of your trip.

Prizes Every Week: By participating, you can earn weekly prizes:

• Everyone who plays is entered into a weekly drawing held on Monday for a $250 gift card to REI or Nordine Salon & Day Spa.
• For those who play the Advance Challenge, you’ll also trek your way to earning a $100 eGift card. The further you go the more you can earn!

While Lake Accotink is in Springfield and outside the Hunter Mill District, residents countywide are being asked to take a quick survey by Oct. 20 on plans to preserve a smaller sized lake.

Why it matters: It provides recreational opportunities, supports wildlife and helps protect water quality in Accotink Creek — but the lake requires dredging to maintain its current size which may be too costly or disruptive to the surrounding community.

Take the Survey: Take the quick 8- to 10-minute survey online by Oct. 20. By participating, you’ll be eligible to win one of ten $100 gift cards.

Why participate: Your feedback will help the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services in its feasibility study on how to preserve a smaller lake. Learn more about this project.

Hunter Mill Land Use Committee Oct. 15 Meeting Cancelled

Because there are no pending applications, the land use committee’s virtual meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15 is cancelled. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Reston Planning and Zoning Meeting Oct. 21

This virtual meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Use this link to attend and participate. To attend by phone, dial 571-429-5982 and enter conference ID 419 237 619#

For meeting agendas, visit the Land Use and Zoning webpage, and email Mark Goldberg-Foss or call 703-478-5123.

Mark your calendar for the Vienna Conservation and Sustainability Commission's Native Tree Giveaway. Head to the Vienna Community Center from 8 a.m. to noon (or until the last tree is given away) on Saturday, Oct. 19, to grab a tree (or a few) to plant at home. Stop by early for the best selection. Details.

Oct. 9 Book Talk: A Spy Leaves No Trace

Author Anne Tazewell will discuss her memoir, read excerpts and take questions afterwards at the Tysons-Pimmit Library on Oct, 9 at 6:30 p.m. Her father was a man cloaked in mystery, a writer, philosopher, CIA agent, and oil industry consultant, and Tazewell’s book is part ghost story, part secret political history, part call to action and part family memoir. Details.

Soapstone Connector Informational Meeting Oct. 10

The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold a community meeting about the Soapstone Connector on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at South Lakes High School. Learn about the project and provide feedback to VDOT. It will extend Soapstone Drive from Sunrise Valley Drive to Sunset Hills Road via a new bridge over the Dulles Toll Road. Meeting details.

Washington West Film Festival Oct. 10-13

LOOK Dine-In Cinemas at Reston Town Center and The Boro in Tysons is hosting the Washington West Film Festival, Oct. 10-13. This festival brings together storytelling and philanthropy with 100% of its annual box office proceeds going to help communities. Buy tickets.

Duckhorn Vineyards Dinner Oct. 17

Partake in a four-course meal featuring wine pairings from Duckhorn Vineyards in the Napa Valley. A winery representative will join as a guest speaker to discuss the evening’s pairings. This dinner at Wildfire in Tysons begins at 6:30 p.m. Reserve a seat.