members of the Fairfax County Planning Commission paid tribute to their colleague John Ulfelder who is departing his post as the Dranesville representative Ulfelder “is very balanced in his view of all the cases,” Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina said at the Dec. 11 meeting “He looks out for the people in his community as well as the rest of Fairfax County.” Ulfelder was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 2013 to represent the Dranesville District Herndon and the West Falls Church Metro station area He has served as the commission’s parliamentarian dearly miss you,” said Sully District Commissioner Evelyn Spain who currently also serves as the group’s secretary A retired attorney and senior vice president for the real estate development company West*Group, Ulfelder chaired the Great Falls Citizens Association from 1997-2000 and then headed its land-use committee from 2001-2005 He also served on boards of the Inova Healthy System Foundation Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Foundation the Nature Conservancy’s Virginia chapter 11 meeting from his McLean home after having broken four ribs and damaged his lungs in a fall several weeks before “It hurts like heck,” he acknowledged Ulfelder told his fellow commissioners that while his term is expiring “I’m just going to show up and tell you what I think,” he said with a chuckle “You’re welcome any which way you want to give us your words of wisdom,” commission chair Phil Niedzielski-Eichner (At-Large) said Ulfelder is the second veteran member of the planning commission to retire in recent months. Peter Murphy, who had represented Springfield on the body since 1982, was honored in October for his lengthy service 2025 at 2:05 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The first town hall meeting in the Dranesville District is scheduled for Friday at the McLean Community Center - Community Hall VA — Dranesville Supervisor Jimmy Bierman and School Board Member Robin Lady will be hosting two hall meetings to answer questions and solicit input from their constituents about the Fairfax County Fiscal Year 2026 Budget proposal During the Feb. 18 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting, County Executive Bryan Hill presented his FY 2026 Advertised Budget Plan If the board of supervisors votes on May 18 to adopt the 1.5-cent increase per $100 of assessed value to the real estate tax rate the average household tax bill would increase by $638 next year Related: Real Estate Tax Hike, 208 Staffing Cuts In Proposed Fairfax Co. Budget To offset the real estate tax rate increase Hill suggested that the county adopt a prepared food and beverage tax similar to those adopted by Arlington County as well as the towns of Vienna and Herndon “The implementation of a 4 percent food and beverage tax would equate to 2 cents on the real estate tax in the first year and 4 cents on the real estate tax in subsequent years and staff projects that 34 percent of food and beverage taxes are paid by non-residents,” according to an email Bierman sent to Dranesville District residents There are several opportunities for residents to provide feedback on the budget proposal before the supervisors and school board members vote to adopt the final version in May each of the supervisors will host town hall meetings in their districts to answer constituent questions and gather feedback Dranesville District Budget Town Hall Meetings the Fairfax County School Board adopted the FY 2026 Advertised Budget and on Tuesday the budget committees for both boards will meet to hammer out the details of the plan Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Scattered thunderstorms are expected Monday afternoon and evening. Some may become severe with large hail and high winds. TRACK RADAR3 men taken to hospital following 2-vehicle crash in Reston: Policeby Ida Domingo (7News) — Three men were rushed to the hospital early Tuesday morning after a two-vehicle crash in Reston according to Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) FCPD officers responded to the crash at Leesburg Pike and Dranesville Road and found three victims SEE ALSO |Teen dead, 7 injured after Leesburg crash involving ambulance Police said all men were taken to the hospital Eastbound Leesburg Pike was shut down as officials investigated but reopened around 11 a.m The cause of the crash is under investigation When Mark deposited the number group into the file it went from 67% completed to 68% a matching file on a different computer showing Gemma’s photo increased the exact same amount her side of the document had far more information The statistics on her screen included her current body temperature and heart rate Macrodata refiners appear to be working on actual humans That would explain why those “random” numbers generate real feelings They’re the real feelings of real people But why are human emotions popping up in a digital document Considering whose file confirmed this possibility and the file’s name the possible answers are chilling Previously we’ve seen macrodata files with names like “Tumwater,” “Culpepper,” “Dranesville,” and “Cairns.” Without context they were essentially meaningless to us even though we know on Severance they all mean a great deal But “Cold Harbor” in relation to a presumed dead woman who reappeared as the weirdest severed human alive certainly says a lot last seen going to the mysterious Testing Floor Is that why her screen listed “PCKT” rate and time because she’s “in pocket?” If she’s not in some kind of stasis why monitor her vital signs If she’s just walking around living an Outie life why is anyone keeping track of her health And does this file prove Gemma really did die and is being kept alive via some unknown digital process If that’s true it means others might also be alive this way even if they don’t possess bodies the way Ms Casey was only alive for 107 hours and is so strange when other Innies are not.) What if Lumon is connecting not just human bodies but brains to computers and having macrodata refiners compartmentalize the emotions they experience Is that why we never see Lumon’s board Because they’re all “alive” without being alive There’s still so much we don’t know about the work of severed macrodata refiners we don’t know what those digital buckets represent We don’t know why most never get completed and disappear Neither do we know how any of this actually works And yet this single revelation about Mark’s work file makes the possibility that the Founder himself Kier Eagan is alive in some capacity and is still running Lumon That would explain why this one department’s work is “mysterious and important.” No one can know they’re doing but it’s the only thing Lumon cares about Why would he want to go work for a company that has his supposedly dead wife in its deepest basement Mark Scout might have begged to go back specifically because he wants to keep his wife alive Macrodata refinement might be the only way to do that Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who isn’t sure what his Outie does. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings. We’re delighted you're perusing our site for all your nerdy news We'd wholeheartedly appreciate you enabling ads to keep this content free Flagship Carwash is looking to open another location in the Herndon area this time right by the Fairfax and Loudoun county border Earlier this month, the company submitted a development plan to Fairfax County seeking to rezone a portion of land at 1013 Dranesville Road from commercial and residential uses to strictly commercial uses Plans indicate that a building with a nail spa and a dry cleaning center on the site will be demolished. The one-story, 4,500-square-foot building was constructed in 1977 and has been owned by an affiliate of Petroleum Marketing Group Flagship Carwash wants to consolidate that parcel with an adjacent one that’s currently vacant but zoned for residential uses The new car wash facility would be roughly 4,160 square feet Flagship Carwash did not return several requests for comment, and its applications for a rezoning and special exception don’t include explanatory statements The company does have two other full-service facilities in Herndon: one on 632 Grant Street and the other on 2501 Centreville Road The company has several locations throughout the D.C Image via Google Maps Editor’s Note — Tysons Reporter is running Q&As with the candidates running for the Dranesville and Providence District seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week The stories have been lightly condensed and edited for clarity who is running as a Republican against Democrat John Foust for the Dranesville District seat Herndon and portions of Vienna and Falls Church Ed Martin is a radio host, president of a conservative think tank and Great Falls resident. Now, he wants to become the Dranesville District Supervisor Martin has worked as a lawyer and headed up the Human Rights Office for the Archdiocese of St Fascinated by President Donald Trump’s tweets, Martin wanted to write a book about them and ended up teaming up with an artist to create three Trump coloring books featuring the president’s tweets He now runs Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, a conservative group named after the controversial social leader known for opposing the Equal Rights Amendment Martin moved to Great Falls shortly after the 2016 election Tysons Reporter met up with Martin to talk about how he would want to help seniors age in place and address capacity issues at public schools in the county if elected to the Board of Supervisors Tysons Reporter: What are your top three goals to help people age in place Ed Martin: My wife is a geriatrics physician so her specialty is seniors so for 15 years I’ve been hearing from her the details of what they call the “grey tsunami” — it’s the number of people who are in the Baby Boomer generation that will age out One observation, broadly, is there is a growing — especially in government — distrust in what’s happening. More transparency in what is going on is more important than ever. The second thing, the taxes have gone up, up, up I think we need to lower the cost of taxes The top one I would describe now is the cost of living here. It’s not just for seniors by the way. If you talk to the cops — and the cops endorsed me, one of the PBAs endorsed — those guys and gals are telling you they can’t live here They can’t afford to live in Fairfax County What’s the vision for development here How do you put together the pieces that let people move I think we have a wonderful community [in] Fairfax County has some incredible strengths and volunteers and pockets of communities churches and synagogues that want to do things — how do you build that together In Great Falls there’s a center that has come together to support seniors I think that’s going to include the possibility of ride-sharing so that more people can stay TR: How would you address affordable housing in the county Martin: The biggest thing I think helps with affordability is lowering taxes and the costs I would say the number one thing is to lower the cost of living here whether that’s for a cop and his family or an individual And that’s the best way I know how to do that is to cut taxes cut regulatory costs and the schools are what draw people here They are willing to tolerate some of the high real estate prices because the schools are so good in the Dranesville District so I think that’s the biggest concern people have now How can I trust to move there if we’re having something that looks like boundary changes — what does that mean Confidence in the school system is going to be really important TR: What do you think about developers setting aside units for workforce housing and contributing to the county’s housing fund Martin: I’m a little bit cynical of set-asides I don’t believe they work as well as we’re told They tend to be window dressing for everyone to feel good TR: More broadly — not just about McLean High School — how would you want to address capacity issues here in Fairfax County both before it’s an issue and once a school is over capacity Martin: The Board of Supervisors gives an extraordinary amount of money to the School Board Which means we should have — I know it’s possible to have [because] I’ve talked to Tom Davis the former congressman who was a Fairfax County Supervisors and I’ve talked to Pat Herrity about it — the Board of Supervisors can have a lot more influence than  currently is perceived on what the School Board does It’s how you spend money that makes a difference. So if you look at spending priorities and you say, “Why hasn’t McLean High School had whatever could be done to eliminate the many trailers?” — whether it means a building project whether it means expanding the existing school — we should have been doing that instead of spending money on everything else Would you want to try to look at renovations or additions to existing schools Martin: I think the preference should be on the students who are in a school being able to stay in their school but I think McLean [High School] could creatively expand their school TR: What do you think of the electric school bus idea Martin: I don’t know enough about the cost of it I’m not against electric cars or electric buses if they work I know sometimes the cost of something can be deceptively cheaper on the front end — it looks like it’s going to save you — I don’t think I know enough The good old fashioned buses work pretty well TR: Do you have any plans to encourage wind and solar power use among constituents and if so Martin: I think wind and solar [power are] fine I would not be in favor of incentivizing with either taxes or anything like that Dominion gets a bad rap for not succeeding in a variety of ways but they have to be a partner going forward Over time you need to find partnerships where things can be creatively done and I think Dominion could make some things more likely in terms of renewables I think it’s fine to encourage people TR: What are your top three transit infrastructure priorities Martin: The number one is to get a grasp on what’s happening in Tysons because it’s impacting Dranesville I think the Leesburg Pike has to be addressed more significantly you hear people complain about the Georgetown Pike and some of it’s a windy road and will be forever but some of it around the Great Falls Park is because in the summer the park is full up I think the third issue is what is the future going to be I mean we have a problem that’s a wonderful blessing with these businesses moving in and the people moving in but I don’t think we really understand the scope of the problem It might mean there’s more ride-sharing — I’m a sort of fan of watching the market disrupt through Uber and Lyft and all — but coming up with how to alleviate traffic congestion in the district Joon has expanded its offerings in Tysons with the addition of a bar and patio Named after a poetic Farsi term for “wine,” May Bar began serving customers inside the… Owners of six Woofie’s franchises in Northern Virginia are hosting a “Paws in the Park” pet adoption event tomorrow (Saturday) at Wolf Trap National Park Participating Woofie’s include Reston/Herndon A Fairfax Connector bus to Tysons (staff photo by James Jarvis) The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) has the green light to apply for a federal grant to replace… The country band Delta Spur performs on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center for the mall’s 2023 summer concert series (courtesy Tysons Corner Center) Fresh produce The renovation and expansion of Dranesville Elementary School is slated to begin next year — despite some lingering concerns The Fairfax County Planning Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday (Oct. 4) to approve a nearly 44,000-square-foot addition to the school at 1515 Powells Tavern Place in Herndon But the vote came as some commissioners questioned the need for the scope of the expansion Dranesville District Commissioner John Ulfelder said the school’s current enrollment of around 588 students may not justify the intensity of the expansion which would boost capacity to around 1,000 students “Is the school system aware of some big influx of students that will be coming to this elementary school?” Ulfelder asked adding he was unsure why Fairfax County Public Schools was pursuing the project now when other schools have more dire capacity needs The school currently has the capacity to accommodate 756 students according to the land use representative for FCPS He noted that the planned capacity boost would likely accommodate long-term enrollment Dranesville Elementary is about two miles north of the Town of Herndon, which anticipates significant population growth in the next 10 to 15 years “This is a full renovation, and the capacity enhancement, it is in the queue to be renovated,” said McGranahan, who is an attorney with Hunton Andrews Kurth The renovation will include modern amenities a security vestibule and a relocation of the main office The school first opened its doors to students in 1988 the school system gets criticized for buildng too little,” McGranahan added The renovations and additions were funded in a 2023 school board referendum and approved in the capital improvement program for 2023-2027 Construction is expected to begin next year and wrap up in 2026 Funds to plan and design the expanded school were provided by a 2021 school bond, but the 2023 school board referendum that would fund construction needs to be approved by voters on Nov Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina said Dranesville Elementary has long been slated for renovations based largely on decisions made by the Fairfax County School Board and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors “The school board and the Board of Supervisors have already acted,” Cortina said The project was identified in the school system’s renovation queue in 2009 It ranked 53 out of 63 projects in the queue 2022 at 5:23 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Police charged Michael Escalante-Torre with felony hit and run in connection with the death of Alexis Andy Quispe Arotinco​ of Herndon VA — Fairfax County Police charged a 33-year-old Herndon man in connection with a single-vehicle fatal crash that occurred Sunday night on Dranesville Road Michael Escalante-Torre turned himself in at the Herndon Police Station on Monday night Police say that Escalante-Torre was the driver of a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze that was involved in Sunday night's crash officers were called to Dranesville Road just north Powells Tavern Place in Herndon for the report of a crash They found 27-year-old Alexis Andy Quispe Arotinco of Herndon A witness saw a man running from the scene before police arrived including using the K9 unit and helicopter Herndon Police notified FCPD that Escalante-Torre had surrendered to them He was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with felony hit and run and held without bond police determined that Escalante-Torre was driving the Cruze north on Dranesville Road when it entered the median and struck a tree near the Powells Tavern Place intersection Although police believe that speed was a factor in the crash they continue to investigate whether alcohol was involved Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers." Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of up to $1,000 Arotinco's death is the ninth non-pedestrian related traffic fatality in Fairfax County in 2022 Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. A group of parents submitted over 5,000 signatures yesterday (Monday) to the Fairfax County Clerk of Court in a petition to recall Fairfax County School Board member Elaine Tholen over school closings during the COVID-19 pandemic The Open FCPS Coalition formed in the fall to protest Fairfax County Public Schools going virtual during the pandemic and has been campaigning to recall Tholen and two other school board members Member-at-Large Abrar Omeish and Springfield District Representative Laura Jane Cohen “I look forward to continuing to earn my constituents’ trust and support as we prepare to welcome all students in person five days per week,” Tholen said in a statement “As a former classroom educator and now a school board member I have always worked for my students’ well-being and to help them reach their utmost potential I will continue to put our students’ best interests first.” Recall supporters have a different perspective The petitions that citizens signed argue that, in supporting an all-virtual start to the most recent school year the school board was not acting in children’s best interests The petitions also allege the school board violated state and local laws and regulations guaranteeing students with disabilities a free “Just how far behind are our students How will these deficits be met?” Zia Tompkins a coalition board member and former school board candidate raising questions about staffing and other issues “Parents have been left in the dark about these issues and…as such have real doubts as to whether the Fairfax County school system is even serious about opening full-time in-person for the fall.” The group met outside the Fairfax County Courthouse before a dozen supporters and leaders went inside to deliver the signatures While the Open FCPS Coalition describes itself as a grassroots, bipartisan group concerned with keeping politics out of schools, its largest funding contributions have come from former Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Snyder and N2 America a nonprofit dedicated to advancing center-right policies in the suburbs The coalition’s largest expenditure has been for signature collection services from a center-right door-to-door voter contact firm, Blitz Canvassing LLC, according to the Virginia Public Access Project The group hopes a judge will review the signatures as part of a trial that could ultimately lead to Tholen being removed from her position Open FCPS Coalition says only one school board member advocated for reopening in a way it felt was consistent and a priority But only three school board members were chosen for recall efforts because of the group’s limited resources Coalition board member Nellie Rhodes said Monday that work to recall Cohen and Omeish continues The coalition’s website says it has over two-thirds of the 4,000 signatures needed to recall Cohen, which if obtained, would represent over 10% of the total number of people who voted in her election — the threshold required for a recall to be considered in Virginia After shifting entirely to virtual learning on March 13, 2020, FCPS began phasing in some in-person learning in October, but the process was put on hold when COVID-19 cases started to surge around Thanksgiving Open FCPS Coalition board member and Vienna resident Hemang Nagar says he ended up taking his daughter out of school in the fall because of the distress virtual classes caused her He said she used to love school but would cry whenever he opened the computer “Virtual learning was an utter disaster for her and so many like her,” he said returned to her elementary school when in-person classes restarted in February “They pretend to care but never put their words into action that does any good for any students,” Nagar said of the school board members that the coalition is targeting for recalls FCPS plans to resume a five-day in-person week for students this fall John Foust will step down from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors after 2023 concluding a 16-year run representing the Dranesville District Foust announced at the board’s meeting this morning (Tuesday) that he will not seek a fifth term in office next year when all 10 seats will be on the general election ballot that November “I will have much more to say about this as time goes by,” Foust said I just want to say it has been an absolute honor to serve on this board for the next 15 years I want to assure my constituents…that I and my staff will continue to work hard to represent you until my term ends on Dec First elected to the board in 2007, Foust has lived in McLean since 1987, according to his official bio and portions of the Vienna and Falls Church areas Foust’s tenure has also included the expansion of the Spring Hill Rec Center and the Lewinsville Senior Center’s renovation which added 82 independent living units at the facility the Dranesville District has gotten three new fire stations “What you have accomplished on economic initiatives and affordable housing particularly over the last two and a half years during some of the toughest times to govern that I think any of us have ever imagined have been remarkable,” Chairman Jeff McKay said Foust didn’t share why he has decided not to seek reelection and a request for comment from FFXnow was not immediately returned Most of the county’s supervisors have not indicated their intentions yet for the 2023 elections, which will also feature the full school board, the commonwealth’s attorney, and other local positions. Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk announced in June that he will run for a second term Dranesville District school board member Elaine Tholen will not run for reelection in 2023 while several of the other members haven’t yet declared their own intentions Tholen confirmed to FFXnow that she won’t seek another term on the Fairfax County School Board and instead plans to step down at the end of her term on Dec She initially shared her decision with supporters and colleagues in October but this is the first time Tholen has made it public: It has been my honor and pleasure to serve as the Dranesville District School Board member since January 2020 Serving on the School Board has allowed me to give back to my community and repay the school district that has given my family so much I have decided it is time for me to step away from the School Board and to return to a role closer to our classrooms and to our students I am officially announcing that I will not seek re-election to the Fairfax County School Board in November 2023 My life’s passion is working with young people to expand their horizons and engagement in learning and to introduce them to the magic of our natural world and the science behind it I love to work with those that build and promote this work; the teachers and the principals that change the lives of children for the better every day I am focused and excited as I finish my term to work with the board and Dr Reid as we move forward during this time of setting strategy for the future of our school district and as always will continue to do my best to support every one of our school communities through the end of my current term on December 31 We have accomplished much in the past few years as we navigated a global pandemic supported each and every student in academics and wellness We have started work on new ways to look at development in Fairfax County we have increased our sustainability efforts and more and I know that Dranesville families will work with a new School Board member to continue to better our school district I will be hard at work for and with all of you until the end of December 2023 when my current term is complete Thank you for trusting me with the responsibility of representing you on our School Board and please know that I will still be a part of our community Tholen was first elected to the school board in 2019 after serving as a director for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District She’s also a certified middle school science teacher Cohen is also not running for reelection, because she’s seeking to join the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the newly created 15th District she saw “first hand the barriers that our students and families face.” our Commonwealth has refused to adequately invest in our communities Whether it’s continuing to burden our students and staff with more and more standardized tests or refusing to address the much needed mental health and substance abuse crisis I look forward to continuing my service to our community and working together to tackle these and other problems that not only impact our families in Fairfax County No candidates have emerged yet to challenge for the Dranesville or Springfield school board seats One School Board Member Confirms Reelection Bid Hunter Mill District Representative Melanie Meren is running again in 2023 As one of two Jewish school board members, she criticized at-large school board member Abrar Omeish last year for comments the board’s only Muslim member made about Israel and Palestine “I believe that strong schools make a strong community,” Meren wrote in a statement and residents of Fairfax County deserve to be represented by an experienced public servant like myself who improves access to opportunities for all students in FCPS to fulfill their destinies for success in life; strengthens public policy that frames how FCPS uses public resources; and fosters trust and respect in public service during a turbulent time in American democracy — and engages the community.” Other school board members told FFXnow that they aren’t ready to announce their 2023 plans Providence District Representative Karl Frisch, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for 35th House District delegate earlier this year said he will announce his intentions “in the weeks ahead.” Mason District Representative Ricardy Anderson said she will announce in “the coming weeks,” while Sully District school board member ​​Stella Pekarsky said to expect an announcement in January Braddock District Representative Megan McLaughlin who’s served on the school board since 2012 said in an email that she has yet to make a decision on her fourth term as well The school board’s other five members have not responded to FFXnow’s repeated inquiries Three supervisors remain publicly undecided: Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik and Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity Bierman had 70 percent of the vote as of 10 p.m. compared to 30 percent of the vote for Fiske “We ran a people-powered campaign on a positive message and being there for our constituents," Bierman said in a statement Tuesday night "This victory is about continuing to live our values and making sure Fairfax County stays a welcoming place to live I look forward to uniting with our Democratic ticket to put forth a positive vision." Foust announced last August that he would not be seeking reelection for the supervisor's seat and the votes are being counted in the 2023 Democratic primary See live election results for local races at the bottom of this story Jimmy Bierman and David Fiske were on Tuesday's ballot, running to succeed outgoing Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, who announced last August he would not be seeking reelection https://patch.com/virginia/mcl... The Democrat who comes out on top once all the votes in the are counted on Tuesday will face Republican Puneet Ahluwalia in the Nov Voting on Tuesday was light at the Herndon Community Center polling place only 84 of the precinct's 4,629 registered voters had shown up to vote 33,235 ballots had already been cast countywide in the primary either through early voting or by absentee The winners of the chairman and sheriff's races will face Republican Arthur Purves and independent Jerry Lee McMillian No Republican candidate has filed to run in the commonwealth attorney's race on Tuesday if they intend to be on the ballot in the November Political parties have a June 26 filing deadline Here are the Democratic candidates Herndon voters got to choose from on Tuesday: View unofficial election results for Fairfax County below Be sure to refresh this page for the latest 2023 at 1:13 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}John Foust who has represented the Dranesville District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2007 endorsed fellow Democrat Jimmy Bierman who is running for the seat Foust has vacated on the board VA — Incumbent Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust endorsed fellow Democrat Jimmy Bierman who is running to be his successor on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors "I'm proud to endorse my friend Jimmy Bierman to serve on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors,” Foust said “Jimmy is a community leader and dedicated public servant who understands the vital role county government plays in delivering facilities and services for the residents of the Dranesville District or Great Falls — Jimmy is committed to serving you and your community Jimmy Bierman is the right person to serve us as we go forward I am certain he will be an effective champion for your family and all Dranesville residents." Related: Connolly Endorses Bierman For Open Dranesville Supervisor's Seat Bierman announced in December that he was running for the Dranesville District seat after Foust told his fellow supervisors last August that he would not be running in 2023 “Supervisor John Foust’s leadership has shaped our county for the better and I am deeply honored to have his endorsement," Bierman said "John is a pillar in our community who never stops working for us I am committed to fighting to protect our progress while expanding opportunities for all." Bierman has already received the endorsement of U.S. Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) and Don Beyer (D-8th) No other candidate from either party has come forward yet to challenge Bierman in either the May 20 Democratic Party Primary or the general election in November McLean's Jimmy Bierman Enters 2023 Race For Dranesville Supervisor Dranesville Supervisor John Foust Won't Seek Fifth Term In 2023 Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust plans to host a virtual town hall tomorrow (Tuesday) to discuss the revised budget proposal for Fairfax County Fairfax County staff revisited the proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 and made changes to address the economic uncertainty and upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic Foust is set to talk to Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Joe Mondoro about the budget according to his recent newsletter to constituents People can can submit questions by calling 703-324-1114, post them in a comment under the Facebook Live event or email them in advance to [email protected] and include “Dranesville District Budget Town Hall” in the subject line The town hall will also be shown on Channel 16 and be streamed online Historic Coomber Hall, a family home, and several other structures at McMillen Farm in Herndon are set to be “deconstructed” within 30 days after Fairfax County granted a demolition permit late last month The 171-year-old dairy-barn-turned-music-school at 1521 Dranesville Road will be disassembled this month along with several other structures, the developer that now owns the property confirmed Tradition Homes owner Steve DeFalco told Reston Now that a majority of materials from the barn are being relocated elsewhere in Fairfax County and will be used to construct a new barn by a private homeowner A new residential subdivision will be built on the site which is known as McMillan Farm, thanks to a rezoning request that was approved in 2018 The development is currently on track to be completed next summer A demolition permit was granted only after the developer fulfilled all obligations laid out in the rezoning proffer agreement a Fairfax County official confirmed to Reston Now one of the requirements was for the developer to market the sale for at least 180 days If the main farmhouse and barn were purchased they would have had to be deconstructed or safely moved in one piece to another property within county limits no one stepped up to purchase the structures within that time frame giving the developer the right to remove the structures “It is the County’s goal to save historic buildings if feasible,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust wrote in an email to Reston Now the county requested that the owner agree to market the barn and home for at least 180 days to find one or more purchasers who might save the buildings by buying and relocating them the owner’s efforts were unsuccessful and no purchasers were found.” McMillan Farm is on the county’s inventory of historic sites but not on the Virginia Landmarks Register or the National Register of Historic Places The barn was partially built in 1850, and the family home was completed about 50 years later in the early 1900s. Owned by John Richard McMillen, it was the center of a 550-acre dairy farm, one of a number of similar farms that dotted Herndon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries “Herndon was predominantly a dairy farming community,” Herndon Historical Society Director Barbara Glakas told Reston Now “The whole McMillan farm property — from the house to the outbuildings to the chicken coop to the barn — are…one of the last vestiges of the Herndon-area farming community.” In the 1960s, the barn was converted into a music and dance school and recital hall by George and Mary Coomber The school operated within the barn for a number of years the Fairfax County Office of Code Compliance inspected the site and found that many of the structures were in “various states of disrepair,” according to a county official The damage was potentially related to a lighting strike according to a permit obtained for repairs related to the incident in 2012 The county requested the buildings be further stabilized and secured the property owner had already made the decision to demolish buildings DeFalco bought the house and barn for $2.3 million in 2019, according to county records While the structures will no longer be standing on the site past the end of the month the developer is required to erect an accessible public memorial on the site telling the history of the farm an information panel or panels with appropriate references to the farm’s history and appropriate landscaping and/or hardscaping,” the proffer agreement says DeFalco confirmed that this is the developer’s intention The splash pad at the Mosaic District in Merrifield has been turned on (staff photo by Angela Woolsey) Congress Approves More National Airport Flights — “More long-haul flights are coming… Fairfax County’s annual Summer Entertainment Series will kick off on June 1 (via Fairfax County Park Authority/Twitter) The Fairfax County Park Authority has composed a slate of summer shows 2019 at 12:43 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Dranesville District is ranked 14th on Money's 2019 Best Places to Live list VA — The Dranesville District of Fairfax County has a high ranking in Money magazine's Best Places to Live in America list for 2019 The new rankings are based on more than 80 types of data tied to the economy The magazine only considered towns with populations of 50,000 or more Any place that had more than double the national crime risk less than 85 percent of its state's median household income or a lack of ethnic diversity was eliminated interviewed residents and checked out neighborhoods Places that made the list last year were not included in this year's ranking Among the 100 communities on the list, Dranesville is one of the most wealthy. Money magazine cites a $153,000 average income and 2018 average home sales price of $681,657 attractions like Great Falls Park and proximity to DC contribute to the ranking Other DC area communities making the list included Columbia See Money's Best Places to Live in 2019 list here. Includes reporting from Patch editor Kathleen Sturgeon This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Read our Privacy Notice This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again 2023 at 10:15 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Newcomers Andres Jimenez and Jimmy Bierman are elected to fill vacant Board of Supervisors' seats in Mason and Dranesville districts (Patch Media)FAIRFAX COUNTY — All of the incumbent candidates on the ballot in Tuesday's election to serve on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors were reelected according to unofficial results from the Virginia Board of Elections Incumbent Chairman Jeff McKay (D) was also reelected "Thank you Fairfax County for putting your trust in me for another four years," McKay said in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday night "When I was first elected as Chairman in 2019 I couldn’t imagine the challenges our county and country would face certifying Fairfax County as the safest jurisdiction of its size in the United States and fighting to become America’s first carbon neutral county We should all be proud that we’ve made the best county in America even better." McKay thanked his opponent and his campaign volunteers whom he credited with making the win possible Andres Jimenez (D-Mason) and Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville) were both elected to the board on Tuesday night as well A majority of voters chose them to fill the seats vacated by Penny Gross (D-Mason) and John Foust (Dranesville) “I care deeply for Mason district and Fairfax County and I am honored that my community has placed their trust in me to represent them,” Jimenez said “From my time as a citizen to my appointment to the Planning Commission I have come to love many things about Fairfax County but still see a few places where we can improve our community I look forward to getting to work on those issues.”(See real-time election results at the bottom of this story.) The board of supervisors sets county government policy the board approves an annual budget and sets the local tax rate The board of supervisors also has a limited authority in passing resolutions and ordinances. Since Virginia is a Dillon Rule state all authority rests in the Virginia General Assembly The lawmakers in Richmond can grant authority to a locality to manage certain aspects of governance passing a budget or approving a school bond Other Fairfax County races on Tuesday's ballot included candidates running for school board and Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District Residents of the towns of Vienna and Clifton voted in the mayoral and town council races Falls Church voters went to the polls to choose who will serve on the city council Visit the Virginia Department of Elections website to find the unofficial results from all of Tuesday's elections Can't see the widget below? Click here for all Virginia election results Editor’s Note — Tysons Reporter is running Q&As with the candidates running for the Dranesville and Providence District seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week who is running against Republican Ed Martin for the Dranesville District seat John Foust is hoping that the upcoming election will land him another term representing people in McLean on the Board of Supervisors Foust currently serves as the chairman of the county’s transportation and information technology committees along with chairing the Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission Originally from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Foust has been living in Northern Virginia since 1981 and in McLean since 1987, according to his county bio He’s worked in steel mills and practiced construction law in Northern Virginia Tysons Reporter met up with Foust in his office to ask about how he would tackle affordable housing and capacity issues at public schools and what his top infrastructure priorities are if he is re-elected for another four-year term Tysons Reporter: Do you any plans to encourage the use of wind and solar polar among constituents what do you say are your top priorities to stay and age in place Foust: At the county level, we have a 50+ Committee that has developed a lot of programs and services to address the senior population and to help them stay in their homes I have established three different groups — one in McLean one in Great Falls and one in Herndon — to help seniors and people with disabilities stay in their homes and stay in the community Each one has taken is set up to be run by volunteers and community leaders and each one has taken on a slightly different angle on how they are going to do that based on what they think the most immediate needs are in their particular community it’s almost exclusively designed around transportation and getting seniors rides to their doctors and to wherever they need to go It’s the most common complaint we hear from seniors is that they don’t have transportation which is a semi-rural community and people don’t see each other on a regular basis all of the time We’re focusing a lot on education and resources TR: Anything you haven’t done yet that you would want to do to help people age in place Foust: The most important thing we can do for some people is to get the economy going to the point where they have a strong economy that can provide tax relief That’s a very expensive proposition but it’s also something that is contributing to the difficulties seniors have staying in their homes We — Fairfax County and all counties in Virginia — our primary funding source is property taxes and so there are programs available to provide relief to seniors but they are not very generous and they can’t be until we have other revenue sources to subsidize that relief TR: What about home-sharing Foust: We’ve talked about it on numerous occasions There are obviously issues having strangers come into your home and being responsible for some of your care So there are issues but there are nonprofits that I think take the issues on and make that happen And it would be a very positive development if we had that TR: How do you want to approach affordable housing What do you think the county can do to make sure there are enough units for young professionals coming in Foust: The market pretty much delivers the housing we need for the people earning 120% or more of the AMI — the area median income We use inclusionary zoning to try to create a significant inventory of what we would call workforce housing which is in the 80-120% of AMI in and around the Metro stations it’s a huge challenge and that’s the affordable housing market that we as a government have to be more involved in whether it’s creating incentives or financial participation At the Board of Supervisors, we dedicate half of a penny a year — this is a new development — on the real estate tax to support nonprofits and others who are trying to preserve the affordable housing that we do have which is about $25 million a year — to support nonprofits and others who are trying to expand to the number of affordable housing units that we have in the county We, as a board, we have made a commitment to have delivered 5,000 units of affordable housing for people earning 60% or lower of the AMI over the next 15 years TR: Do you think the county needs to do more for affordable housing Or is the track you’re on right now — the track we’re on right now isn’t — it’s a much better track but it’s not going to lead to fully satisfying the demand So that’s why we have other tools that we use And we have Phase 1 of the Strategic Plan identified 25 different things that we could be doing big things like working with nonprofits [and] making government-owned land available Foust: Completing the Silver Line is absolutely critical Creating and expanding a bus rapid transit network between activity centers in the county And expanding the general bus service feeding the Metro stations on the Silver Line how do you think the county can better approach capacity issues at the public schools Foust: You have to look at adjacent school districts and see if there are dramatic capacity differences and if so whether there is are adjacents that can be made with community support to utilize the capacity at schools that are underutilized and relieve the pressure on schools that are over capacity You also have the Capital Improvement [Program] So we made significant increases in capital improvements for schools currently at $180 million a year under bonding authority that number should be higher and we need to continue to look at that and try to get more projects done other outside funding via bonding in other areas to deliver more annual funding streams to focus on capital improvements and renovating the schools and increasing capacity TR: I’m assuming it’s different trying to address it before it becomes an issue than have to go back and try to fix it We just have to bite some bullets and build some new schools we have built very few new schools in the county in the past decade and [the] population continues to grow My sense is that the School Board feels that buying the land is not the best bang for the buck because they already have schools with the land and it makes more sense to expand those schools And from an operating standpoint — budgetary —  it makes more sense to renovate and expand the schools you have rather than to build new schools But that gets you so far and at some point, you’re going to need to get some new schools. The one in Tysons is very high on my priority for the elementary school And it just needs to be incorporated into the school’s CIP and built 2023 at 11:47 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Dranesville Road today near the location of Dead Man’s Hollow VA — Frances Darlington Simpson Onacewicz (1914-1998) was the daughter of Joseph J a prominent Washington lawyer who once owned a summer home and estate in the town of Herndon from the 1890s up until the year he died in 1920 The grand house continued to be used by the Darlington family for several years after his death Frances spent many summers at her grandfather’s Herndon home in her youth In 1963 she wrote a cookbook which included not only recipes but also anecdotes from her time in Herndon The book is entitled “Virginia Country Life and Cooking.” One of the tales she told in her book was that of Dead Man’s Hollow Frances’s story was not the only one we have heard about legend of the ghost at Dead Man’s Hollow Another long-time Herndon resident who grew up in Herndon recalled hearing about Dead Man’s Hollow saying that it was located along Dranesville Road between Wiehle Avenue and Hiddenbrook Drive where the Folly Lick stream branch crosses Dranesville Road Folly Lick stream branch currently crosses underneath Dranesville Road and the word “bridge” may now be loosely used because — at this current time — this section of roadway that crosses over Folly Lick simply has guard rails on each side barely leaving the remnants of what may have once been an actual bridge Veach interviewed a life-long Herndon resident Greear was considered to be a walking encyclopedia of Herndon history When asked if she had ever heard about the ghost of Dead Man’s Hollow she did recall some grim events that occurred after the turn of the century that were supposedly associated with the bridge on Dranesville Road between the entrances to the Hiddenbrook and the Dranesville Estates of Weatherburn Farms developments Here is what Virginia Greear (1893-1991) recalled The story that Greear told was indeed true as the incident about the killing of William H was widely reported in the Washington Post in July and August of 1902 Could Frances Darlington’s story and Virginia Greear’s story be the same one Frances Darlington said the murder occurred “several years” after her grandfather purchased his Herndon estate; he purchased it in 1893 Virginia said that a man named Craven was the one who was accused of murdering a man named Wilson for his money Virginia seemed to allude that the story of the lynched robber and the story of the ghost of Dead Man’s Hollow may have been two stories that were conflated into one over time Given that the two stories about the murder share some similar details we believe that the conflation may likely be the explanation with a ghost later added into the story for good measure About this column: “Remembering Herndon’s History” is a regular Herndon Patch feature offering stories and anecdotes about Herndon’s past. The articles are written by members of the Herndon Historical Society. Barbara Glakas is a member. A complete list of “Remembering Herndon’s History” columns is available on the Historical Society website at www.herndonhistoricalsociety.org Note: The Historical Society is seeking volunteers to help keep the museum open each Sunday. If you have an interest in local history and would like to help, contact HerndonHistoricalSociety@gmail.com 2013 at 9:18 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Andrew Coleman’s second-grade class had a special guest reader on Dr Tom Rust joined the students at Dranesville Elementary School in Herndon to help them celebrate a not-for-profit systems engineering and information technology company helped Dranesville Elementary Students expand their critical thinking skills at Out of the Box Day on Thursday Giselle Morris said the event was organized to expose children to things they normally wouldn't get to do in the classroom such as solving problems that may not have concrete answers using their background knowledge in science and math MITRE proposed the morning of Out of the Box thinking to the school and provided more than 35 volunteers from the company to help assist teachers and parent volunteers for the event The company also donated supplies and funding Kindergarten and first-grade students worked to make cardboard cars that could be moved with magnets second grade students worked on making dog biscuit delivery systems third grade students created organizational containers to customize their desks and fourth grade students created light sources they could wear while sixth grade students made medical supply vehicles said the company tries to do a lot of outreach in the community with Science She said the company's goal is to foster growth of science and technology careers among girls and people of color Toohill said Dranesville was a good fit to bring the program because it has a supportive and enthusiastic faculty and parents At the end of the Out of the Box morning the school gathered on the baseball fields to test the sixth grade students' medical supply vehicles with help from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department A ladder truck from Station 36 brought the 24 projects up to a height of 50 feet for their first drop The ladder truck then brought the projects up to a full 100-foot drop said all their volunteers loved the event and being able to work with children on the projects He said it was also great to see the studetns work together to problem solve create teams and even think about marketing their designs 2011 at 12:19 am ETLong-time parent activist and McLean resident Louise Epstein announced her candidacy for the Dranesville District school board seat currently held by school board member Jane Strauss Sunday afternoon She is the mother of three daughters all of whom attended Fairfax County schools Her oldest daughter is a senior at Cal Tech where she majored in physics Her 17-year-old twin daughters graduate from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology She and her husband moved their family from Arlington to Fairfax County in 1992 because of the reputation of Fairfax County schools She is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School She worked for 15 years as a tax lawyer including five years at the U.S She was born in the Bronx in New York City  and grew up in public housing on Staten Island because her father was disabled She worked as a church organist at Catholic Methodist and Korean churches and played at weddings to pay her way through law school She wanted to major in music but feared she couldn't make a living from it Epstein announced her candidacy at the home of friends on MacArthur Drive in Franklin Park  before a crowd of more than 100  people now running for Virginia State Senate and Steve Greenburg president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers Louise would do an excellent job," Greenburg said Fairfax County Board of Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) "This school board is a rubber stamp for the administration We need school board members that are responsive to you." Epstein said,"We now spend too much on general administration I want to move that money into the schools If we have fewer of them (administrators) there would be fewer burdens on the teachers." Epstein said she is running with school board candidates Elizabeth Schultz At-Large candidates Sharee Brown-Kaplan and Lolita Mancheno-Smoak as a "reform slate." who writes the Red Apple Mom blog is Epstein's campaign manager Jane Strauss the incumbent Dranesville school board member announced her candidacy for reelection May 31 All 12 seats on the county school board are up for election this year This is a nonpartisan election although both the Democratic and Republican parties endorse candidates