As restaurants look to serve diners indoors safely during the pandemic, Silver Diner has started using a new system to keep the interiors of its restaurants sanitized.
The regional chain says that it is the first U.S. restaurant to install an air purification system that uses three technologies — ultraviolet light, bipolar ionization technology and HEPA filtration, according to a press release.
The systems were installed at all of Silver Diner’s locations by last Wednesday (Aug. 12), according to co-founder and head chef Ype Von Hengst.
“I think that in this world you’ve got to adapt and change to fit what’s needed,” Hengst said. “It’s our responsibility as restaurateurs to create a new norm.”
Already, Hengst said that both the Reston and Tysons locations have seen a substantial jump in customers who feel safe about eating inside.
Silver Diner spent roughly $500,000 on the system for the restaurants, according to Hengst, who added that the cost was worth it to protect staff and customers. The air purification system was designed by Veteran LED, a veteran-owned lighting and energy management firm.
The technology has been used before in hospitals, schools and medical care facilities but never a restaurant, according to a press release.
Depending on size, each location has a large air purifier filer that covers roughly 1,000 cubic feet of air and then smaller purifiers that support roughly 250 feet of additional cubic footage, according to Hengst.
“Germicidal UV-C lights installed throughout the HVAC system work to disinfect air and surfaces inside the system. Heavy-duty handheld UV-C light sterilizers are being used on high touch areas as part of the closing duties of the staff,” the press release said. “At night, when the restaurant is closed, the interior is bathed in germicidal UV-C light to help kill pathogens in the air and sterilize surfaces.”
Hengst said that the UV-C ceiling fixture runs for one hour each night. The restaurant claims that the system gets rid of 99.9% of the encountered pathogens.
While UV-C lights have been used as a disinfectant for decades and researchers found it can deactivate coronaviruses, the dosage, time duration and distance from the source can all impact how effective the lights are, Discover Magazine reported.
It’s unclear how effective UV treatment is against COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency cannot confirm whether it may be effective.
Additionally, Silver Diner locations are going to continue using personal protective equipment, printing menus on anti-microbial paper, requiring temperature checks, social distancing and following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Hengst.
Before the pandemic hit the NoVA area, Hengst said that he was beginning to notice a roughly 10% profit increase at both the Reston and Tysons locations, which he attributed to population growth in the areas.
Since Silver Diner installed the new technology last week, Hengst said that more and more people are requesting to sit inside, though it is too early to see if sales are increasing again.
In the months to come, Hengst said he hopes more restaurants can use the technology to “help open up the world again.”
Photos courtesy Silver Diner
City National Bank opened its doors in The Boro last week.
The bank, which is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada, announced the opening of the 4,200-square-foot full-service regional banking center (8301 Greensboro Drive, Suite J), noting that it will help better serve clients in the D.C. and Northern Virginia areas.
“Greater Washington has responded well to City National’s deep expertise and customized solutions,” Juan Jara, who leads the bank’s personal and business banking team. “Opening our Tysons office will enable us to help individuals and local businesses navigate these uncertain times and reach their financial goals.”
The Tysons team of four commercial bankers will work closely with Royal Bank of Canada’s wealth management and capital markets businesses, the press release said.
For the last three years, City National Bank has expanded in the D.C., Boston, Long Island and Miami areas. In July, the bank opened two new branches in New York, the bank said in a press release.
The Tysons branch is following COVID-19 guidance in Fairfax County to keep clients and employees to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the press release said. The branch is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays, according to the bank’s website.
The bank is the latest of a string of newcomers to the Tysons development this summer, including Santouka Ramen, FRESHFARM Farmers Markets and Poki DC.
Photo courtesy City National Bank
(Updated 8/20/2020) A much-needed bridge replacement is on pause while the City of Falls Church waits to hear if the Virginia Department of Transportation will award the project funding.
Oak Street Bridge, which crosses Tripps Run, is in poor condition. Yearly inspections since 2012 have found several safety concerns and an urgent need to repair or replace the bridge.
While the bridge was repaired last year to fix damage from severe flooding, Falls Church officials want to replace it to make it safer and a better fit for the community.
A staff update to the Falls Church City Council last Monday (Aug. 10) on projects in the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) shared that the bridge replacement is the only CIP project that has stopped during the pandemic.
The CIP update noted that the city was expecting to hear back in May or June about its application to VDOT’s State of Good Repair (SGR) program for the remaining $928,000. As of last Monday, the city hasn’t heard anything.
“The SGR program is one of the very few funding sources available for paving and bridges that requires no match,” staff said in the update, noting that infrastructure funding was already competitive before the pandemic.
In November, city staff said that construction could begin in early 2021. The CIP update last week noted that the project design is 90% complete, but the funding shortfall is holding the project up.
Previously, the city announced that the $2.6 million replacement received partial funding through Regional Surface Transportation Program funds.
Aside from the bridge, the majority of the city’s CIP projects have progressed during the pandemic, with 18 on schedule and 11 facing delays. Since the last CIP update in January, the city finished two projects — sanitary sewer infrastructure in West Falls Church and primary extension paving along East Broad Street and Hillwood Avenue.
The city also added two new projects to the CIP list after the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) granted the total funding. One project received $6.9 million to address transit access and multimodal connectivity in West Falls Church. The other project, which received $8.3 million, will tackle multimodal improvements in the downtown area.
The CIP update last week noted that receiving the full funding for both projects was “unexpected, but much needed.”
Update corrects name of NVTA
Image via City of Falls Church
The Barns at Wolf Trap won’t have live performance this fall, including Chamber Music at The Barns, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wolf Trap said in the announcement on Monday that the Wolf Trap Foundation is “enormously thankful” for the support from the community, donors and patrons, and they look forward to gathering together in the future when it is safe to do so.
Ticket holders for events that were rescheduled for fall 2020 will be contacted directly via email with more information on individual shows, according to the press release.
Despite not holding live performances, Wolf Trap has presented a series of digital projects to continue their arts and education mission. People interested can visit Wolf Trap Sessions for their collection of online performances.
Their digital artistic content includes Park Pop-Up featuring performances by local artists, UNTRAPPED Online featuring newly recorded and re-released performances by the Wolf Trap Opera and Field Trip Fridays geared toward kids and their arts education.
They also recently launched the Music Moves Us fund to support the foundation’s projects to further community initiatives and promote next-generation artists.
Photo via Wolf Trap/Facebook
Electrify America plans to bring electric vehicle chargers to Tysons Corner Center as part of its plan to add hundreds of new stations by the end of next year.
The Reston-based company is working with the mall to bring an ultra-fast EV charging station to the mall in early 2021, Alyssa Schor, a spokesperson for Electrify America, told Tysons Reporter.
Electrify America, which Volkswagon launched in 2017, has more than 450 sites with about 2,000 direct-current fast chargers. The company has said it plans to invest $2 billion in Zero Emission Vehicle programs by 2027, with $800 million going toward programs in California and $1.2 billion around the rest of the U.S.
The company plans to install or have under development approximately 800 total charging stations with about 3,500 direct-current fast chargers by December 2021, Schor said.
“Electrify America conducts an extensive review and analysis to select locations for charging stations, working with a variety of site hosts,” according to a company statement Schor provided. “A large focus is on placing these locations where EV drivers can multitask while their vehicle charges — running errands, dining out, etc.”
Schor declined to share how many chargers the station will have or where they will be located at the mall.
A spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center said that the upcoming chargers will increase the property’s zero-emissions sustainability offerings.
“We look forward to welcoming locally based Electrify America to the center and working together in promoting customer-centric, energy management solutions for the community,” Todd Putt, the mall’s senior marketing manager, said in a statement.
Currently, EV drivers can find more than two dozen charging stations in Tysons from Tesla, Blink, SemaConnect, EVgo, Volta and ChargePoint. Electrify America has a charging station near the Walmart next to the Spring Hill Metro station.
Looking for a charging station? Here’s a map of current options in Tysons:
Photo via Electrify America
Town Hall Tonight — Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand has been hosting weekly town halls to talk about the back-to-school plans and answer questions from the community. The town hall tonight will be live-streamed from 6-7 p.m. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Silent Auction Ends Today — The Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce started its virtual silent auction last Wednesday. Now, the event ends today at 11 p.m. So far, the auction has raised a little over $1,800, with the goal of hitting $2,500. [32auctions]
Blood Drive on Thursday — Inova is holding a blood drive at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Hall (400 Center Street S.) on Thursday from 1-7 p.m. [Inova]
Protest in McLean — “Youth activists gathered outside the McLean home of U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday morning, protesting what they called corruption in his role as the federal government’s top law enforcement officer.” [Patch]
Local Student Plays Golf Championship — “As one of the youngest players in the talented and experienced field, Kelly Chinn maintained a steady calm to record a strong finish during the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the 2020 men’s U.S. Amateur Golf Championship.” [Inside NoVa]
After 28 years in the role, Falls Church Sheriff Stephen Bittle recently retired. Now, voters will choose his successor next year.
Bittle retired on Saturday (Aug. 15), the City of Falls Church announced today. Chief Deputy Sheriff Matt Cay will serve as the interim sheriff until the election in November 2021.
Bittle started working for the city’s police department in 1966 and then left to become the interim sheriff in 1992, according to the city. He was officially elected to the position in 1993. Bittle ran unopposed in the last five elections, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
The Virginia House of Delegates lauded Bittle for 50 years of service in 2017.
Falls Church voters elect the sheriff every four years. The sheriff’s office provides court security and prisoner transportation and also works with the city’s police department to help with things like traffic control, special events and training exercises.
Photo via City of Falls Church
Fairfax Connector will resume full service on all routes next Saturday (Aug. 29), bringing a return to a “new normal” after months-long disruptions in service.
The bus service — which is the largest local bus system in the state — will also feature new services, including a new commuter route from Stringfellow Road Park and Ride to Southwest DC.
Throughout the pandemic, the bus service maintained roughly 70 percent of its service in order to cater to customers who depend on it for essential jobs and vital services.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay thanked customers for being patient with past service reductions. “As we return to full service, the health and safety of Fairfax Connector passengers and personnel continue to be our top priority. Working together to diligently follow public health and safety guidelines will result in safer travel conditions for all,” McKay said in a statement.
A breakdown of new service being offered is below:
Route 699: Enhanced service on this route includes two additional morning and afternoon rush hour trips from the Fairfax County Government Center to Downtown Washington, D.C. (Foggy Bottom); adjustments to the departure times to better align with rider demand; and morning and afternoon rush hour reverse commute trips from Downtown, Washington, D.C., to the Fairfax County Government Center. This route is supported by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) Commuter Choice Program and I-66 toll revenues.
Route 334: Enhanced weekday service operating every 30 minutes during rush hour and every hour during non-rush hour to better serve the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) facility in Springfield by way of Springfield Center Drive and Metropolitan Center Drive, with access to the Franconia Springfield Metrorail Station, the Defense Logistics Agency, and the Army Museum.
Routes 340/341: Minor route adjustments to maintain efficiency and dependability.
Transdev, the bus system’s operations contractor, will implement improved cleaning protocols, especially on common touchpoints like door handles and handrails.
Customers must continue to enter and exit the bus through the rear doors and wear face coverings. Riders are encouraged to practice social distancing by keeping six fee
The number of new COVID-19 cases appears to be remaining steady in Fairfax County, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.
The Fairfax Health District’s percent positivity has hovered between 5-7% since mid-June. Currently, it is at 6.4%, while the percent positivity statewide is 7%.
The weekly average of new COVID-19 cases has remained between 16-200 since mid-June in Northern Virginia. Statewide, the average has been dropping since mid-July after a spike.
The epidemic curve for the Fairfax Health District, which shows the number of new cases in a week by the date symptoms started, has remained mostly the same since June and saw a decrease in early August, according to Fairfax County’s dashboard.
As of today, the Fairfax Health District has a total of at least 17,154 cases, 1,975 hospitalizations and 550 deaths. Statewide, there have been more than 103,000 confirmed cases, 4,400 probably ones and 2,396 deaths.
The Herndon area (zip code 20170) has the fifth-highest cases per 100,000 people in Fairfax County, according to the county. The Dunn Loring area (zip code 22027) is the sixth-highest.
While the age group for people ages 18-49 has seen the most number of cases, people ages 65 and older have died the most from the virus in the county.
State health officials have pointed to a lag in reporting cases for spikes in daily updates on the VDH website.
The Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will reopen to riders right after Labor Day, Metro announced yesterday (Monday).
The two stations are set to reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The stations temporarily closed a few months ago for platform reconstruction.
“Rail service has returned to near pre-pandemic levels, and Metrobus service will increase dramatically beginning Sunday, August 23,” Metro said in the announcement.
Meanwhile, the East Falls Church station, which was originally set to open around Labor Day, is now expected to reopen two weeks ahead of schedule on Sunday, Aug. 23. Metro said that riders will be able to use a new free Bike & Ride facility at the East Falls Church station.
On Sunday (Aug. 16), five Silver Line stations, which temporarily closed for Silver Line Phase 2 work, and the West Falls Church station returned to service.
