Labor Day is coming up on Monday (Sept. 2). For people staying in the Tysons area for the holiday weekend, some government facilities will be closed and public transit options will be operating on modified schedules.

Tysons Reporter has rounded up a list of public services that will be affected by the upcoming holiday.

County-wide

• All county offices, schools and libraries will be closed on Labor Day.
• The State Courts will be closed for the day.
• The Metrobus and Metrorail will adopt a Sunday schedule for Labor Day and resume typical service on Tuesday.
• The Fairfax Connector will operate on a Sunday schedule for Labor Day.
• Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services will be closed from Saturday (Aug. 31) until Monday (Sept. 2).
• United States Postal Service offices will be closed Labor Day.

Vienna

• The Vienna Community Center will have reduced hours on Labor Day from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
• The Town of Vienna’s government offices will be closed Labor Day.

McLean

• The McLean Community Center will be closed on Labor Day.

Falls Church

• The City of Falls Church’s government offices and buildings will be closed Labor Day.
• The City Council Work Session, originally scheduled for Monday, will be moved to Tuesday (Sept. 3) at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Center (223 Little Falls Street).
• The Mary Riley Styles Public Library will be closed on Sunday (Sept. 1) and Monday (Sept. 2).
• Falls Church Community Center will be closed for cleaning until Tuesday (Sept. 3).

Speaking of closed offices, Tysons Reporter will be on a break as well on Monday.

Plants have been reported stolen around the Tysons area three times this month, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The first report showed up in the Aug. 1 daily crime recap. Police said a cellphone and plant were stolen from a Falls Church home in the 2800 block of Bolling Road.

Several weeks passed and then the Tuesday (Aug. 27) recap said that plants were swiped from a Merrifield residence in the 8100 block of Lee Hwy.

The Wednesday (Aug. 28) recap said plants were taken from a McLean business in the 6800 block of Elm Street.

File photo

Police have identified the body found in Great Falls Park on Saturday as a 77-year-old retired pastor of a McLean church.

Around 9:45 a.m. on Saturday (Aug. 24), U.S. Park Police responded to a report from a kayaker about a dead body found at Great Falls Park (9200 Old Dominion Drive), police said.

U.S. Park Police said that the “investigation revealed that the man fell onto rocks.”

Police identified the man as Russell Larkin. He was pronounced dead on scene.

Pete Piringer, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, tweeted that a search and body recovery took place on the Potomac River between Sandy Landing and Rocky Island.

Fairfax County Police Department said that Larkin had been reported missing around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, The Washington Post reported.

“The current pastor of Chesterbrook United Methodist Church told FOX5 Larkin was the pastor of that church from 2011 to 2016 where he was loved, respected and was a big part of keeping that church open when it faced some hard times,” FOX5 reported.

Search & Recovery (body) – Potomac River between Sandy Landing & Rocky Island @mcfrs SW710, SW710B, SW730, SW730B, BC702 on call @ffxfirerescue assisting (call originated from Va) @COcanalNPS (note: @mcfrs file photos) pic.twitter.com/QNVs70MSZb

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) August 24, 2019

U.S. Park Police have now identified body pulled from the Potomac River in Great Falls Park Saturday as 77 yr old Russell Eugene Larkin – he was discovered by kayakers…friends tell @fox5dc he was a well-loved former pastor of Chesterbrook United Methodist Church in McLean pic.twitter.com/G6aIVmk1SM

— Anjali Hemphill (@AnjaliHemphill) August 27, 2019

A GoFundMe campaign is raising funds to help a family with funeral and hospital costs after a McLean man was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on I-66 that also seriously injured his wife.

On Saturday (Aug. 24) morning, 28-year-old Joseph Castellano was driving a Toyota Rav4 on westbound I-66 near Centreville when a tractor-trailer collided with him and several other vehicles.

“The Toyota Rav4 ran off the right side of I-66 and over the Jersey wall, at which point it caught fire,” Corinne Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, said.

His wife, Kate, was a passenger in the car. She was flown to a trauma center in D.C. and is still being treated for life-threatening injuries, Geller said.

A BMW sedan had struck the tractor-trailer, starting the series of chain-reaction crashes that involved eight cars, Geller said.

Police arrested and charged the driver of the BMW, 40-year-old Jonathyn Bland of Centerville, and the driver of the tractor-trailer, 34-year-old Shahbaz Singh of Fairfax, with reckless driving.

More from the GoFundMe page:

On Saturday August 24th we lost an amazing friend, brother, son, and husband to a terrible car accident. Joe Castellano died on impact.

Amazingly his wife Kate Castellano managed to escape the car and survive the crash. She was flown to a D.C. hospital with life threatening injuries.

I am setting up this Go Fund Me page to help the Family (families) with funeral, memorial, and hospital costs.

Joe and Kate touched the lives of many of us during our tenure at Mount Saint Mary’s University. They were kind to everyone, loved greatly, and did so much for everyone.

They were good Catholics and their faith and love for one another and to God could be felt by everyone around them.

If you could donate even a share to help, I would truly appreciate the kindness.

edit: I am a friend of both Joe and Kate. Joe was a classmate and friend and Kate became my friend and roommate during college.

The beneficiary of this fundraiser is Tony Castellano, Joe’s father.

Two days after the campaign started, more than 400 people have donated $26,728.

Megan Whelan, the GoFundMe page’s organizer, wrote on Monday (Aug. 26) that she raised the original goal of $10,000 to $30,000 after a flood of donations.

“I wanted to thank everyone for the overwhelming response,” Whelan wrote. “It is a true testament to Joe and Kate’s impact on our lives and of course their families impact as well. Your kindness and thoughtful words are deeply appreciated.”

Photo via GoFundMe

A 28-year-old McLean man was killed in a crash involving multiple vehicles along I-66 near Centreville.

A series of chain-reaction crashes involving five sedans, one SUV, one pick-up truck and a tractor-trailer happened shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday (Aug. 24) in the westbound lanes of I-66 east of exit 53 for Route 28, according to Virginia State Police.

More from Corinne Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police:

A 2007 BMW sedan was traveling west on I-66 when it struck the vehicle in front of it. The BMW then collided with a westbound tractor-trailer.

The tractor-trailer then collided with several vehicles, to include a Toyota Rav4, before overturning in the roadway. The Toyota Rav4 ran off the right side of I-66 and over the Jersey wall, at which point it caught fire.

McLean resident Joseph Castellano, who was the driver of the Toyota, died at the scene, Geller said.

His wife, who was a passenger in the car, was flown to a trauma center in D.C. and is still being treated for life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the BMW, 40-year-old Jonathyn Bland of Centerville, was transported to Reston Hospital for minor injuries, along with the driver of the tractor-trailer, 34-year-old Shahbaz Singh of Fairfax, for serious, but non-life threatening injuries, Geller said.

Police charged both Bland and Singh with reckless driving.

“The three other individuals transported to Reston Hospital — one had serious, but non-life threatening injuries and other two suffered minor injuries,” Geller said.

Fairfax County Fire and Fairfax County Police assisted state police at the scene, Geller said. The Virginia State Police is investigating the crash.

Photo via VDOT/Twitter

School Safety Matters — With school starting back up again, the Fairfax County Police Department has some safety tips regarding school buses, driving, pedestrians and bicycling. [Fairfax County Police]

Police Investigating McLean Crash — “Officers are investigating a crash at Old Dominion Drive and Valley Wood Road in McLean. Use caution and expect delays.” [Fairfax County Police/Twitter]

What’s It Like to Live in Tysons West? — “Tysons West is one of those small neighborhoods that is mainly made up of a few high-rise apartments, businesses and car dealerships… Today, [Westwood Village] is still a pocket of Tysons West that some residents call a hidden gem.” [The Washington Post]

Capital One Acquires Investment Bank — “Capital One Financial Corp. is officially getting into the mergers-and-acquisitions market, announcing Monday [Aug. 19] it will acquire Tysons-based investment bank KippsDeSanto & Co.” [Washington Business Journal]

Tysons: The Next Travel Destination — Forbes has an article explaining why Tysons is a “hidden travel gem.” [Forbes]

Park Authority Board Honors Falls Church High School — “Falls Church High School and Sully Historic Site volunteer Isabel Richardson have been named the Youth recipients of the Fairfax County Park Authority’s 2019 Elly Doyle Park Service Awards.” [Fairfax County]

There’s Something in the Water — “A Smithsonian researcher has just stumbled upon a major discovery in the swamps in and around D.C.: a new species of blood-sucking leeches with up to 59 teeth.” [Patch]

A long-awaited project to lessen congestion at an intersection near the American Legion Bridge in McLean is nearing completion.

The Virginia Department of Transportation expanded the intersection by 550 feet to include a left turn and right turn lane, as well as an option for traffic to go straight into the nearby neighborhood. The renovations also include an area where law enforcement can safely pull over traffic.

Crews worked on the three-month-long project at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Balls Hill Road over the summer. Politicians gathered Thursday morning (Aug. 22) to survey the scene and celebrate the project.

Allison Richter, a VDOT liaison for Fairfax County, attended the event and said that people in the nearby neighborhood struggled to get home when others were trying to turn onto American Legion Bridge or onto the freeway. The addition of turn lanes is expected to ease traffic around rush hour, she said.

Richter said that this was part of a $500,000 project to improve traffic flow in the area, which should be completed in the next couple days. She also said that roughly $250,000 of the funds came from Fairfax County while the remaining $250,000 came from an operations safety budget.

“This is one of the rare occasions we meet at this intersection on a happy note,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust told the gathering. “This has been a challenge to deal with the intersection and try to meditate the impact on the surrounding neighborhoods from the American Legion Bridge and back up on the ramp.”

Road crews had to redirect some attention from the work on Balls Hill Road to roads impacted by severe flooding in early July, Foust said.

Crews are still working to repair Kirby Road, which is still closed due to flooding damage, he said, adding that the floods completely rerouted the river, which now flows underneath the road.

The city needs to get permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to fix the damage.

“There is only so much we can expedite,” Foust said, adding that he believes that the residents have been patient with the process.

As for the road crews, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen VDOT so focused,” Foust said.

Just in time for #backtoschooll! VDOT crews completed improvements incl a dedicated left-turn lane to help ease congestion at Balls Hill Rd & Georgetown Pike in McLean. Take a look! Thanks to our partners @fairfaxcounty @FairfaxCountyPD @johnfoustva @kmurphyva @BarbaraFavola! pic.twitter.com/es74W6OVfJ

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) August 22, 2019

A controversial for-profit therapy program got a win in a Fairfax County zoning official’s letter.

Newport Academy, a therapy program for teens with mental health or addiction problems, wanted to open two treatment facilities — one along Davidson Road and another at 1318 Kurtz Road in the Salona Village neighborhood.

While the planned treatment facilities have received widespread community backlash, Newport Academy has hinged its claim on the two locations being by-right uses — a use that won’t require approval by the Board of Supervisors.

Fairfax County Zoning Administrator Leslie Johnson issued a letter yesterday (Wednesday), saying that the Kurtz Road facility is a group residential facility based on her review of Newport Academy’s revised license application.

Johnson’s letter notes that Newport Academy is no longer planning to open a facility at the Davidson Road properties.

“Newport Academy has instead filed a revised license application with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to operate a single Mental Health Children’s Residential Service for up to 8 female residents ages 12-17 to be located at 1318 Kurtz Road,” the letter said.

More from Johnson’s letter to the legal counsel for Newport Academy:

Your August 5 letter did not fully respond to my questions, but you did indicate that at the time of admission a resident is expected to stay between 45 and 90 days, with the average stay between 45 and 60 days. You note that Newport Academy is not a drug rehabilitation facility and does not provide detoxification services; no individual who enters treatment with Newport Academy is currently using illicit substances.

Further, you state that no staff will live at the Kurtz Property, but you did not indicate how many non-resident staff will be on site at any one time. You stated that my request for such information is solely within the purview of VDBHDS. (We have requested and received this type of information from other providers of residential mental health and disability services as part of similar use determination requests.) Based on a review of the license application for the Kurtz Road property, it appears that at least 8 staff members will be on site from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. You indicate that mornings will typically be set aside for academics and individual therapy, afternoons for group therapy (including music therapy, life skills counseling, yoga, meditation and other fitness activities) and evenings reserved for additional study and therapy as needed. Meals will be eaten in a family-style setting, and residents are engaged in programming and under staff supervision from the time they wake up until they go to sleep, with “awake” supervising staff on site 24 hours per day.

With regard to parking, you note that the Zoning Ordinance does not limit the amount of parking on a residential lot, but that the driveway can accommodate up to 8 vehicles, not including the 3-car garage… It appears that the property currently complies with these provisions. However, any future paving or expansion of the driveway within the front yard could conflict with this provision. Finally, you indicate that Newport Academy will take appropriate actions–through the use of a shuttle, off-site parking, and other means as necessary–to minimize the number of vehicles (whether staff or visitors) parked at the property at any given time.

The facility will need to be licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

Johnson noted that the determination is not a written order or notice of a zoning violation and that it can be appealed to the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

Image via Google Maps

New speed humps are coming to the windy Bellview Road in McLean next month.

Known for its cut-through traffic use, the two-lane road runs from just north of Wolf Trap to Georgetown Pike, bisecting Old Dominion Drive along the way.

The upcoming traffic calming measures will add seven speed humps along the road.

“The speed humps on Bellview will be installed in coordination with planned repaving, which is expected to take place the third or fourth week of September,” Jennifer McCord, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, told Tysons Reporter.

Another McLean road will also undergo traffic calming measures.

In July, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved two speed tables, longer, flat-topped version of speed humps, for Youngblood Street.

Youngblood Street connects a residential area in Chesterbrook Gardens to Westmoreland Street.

“[The Fairfax County Department of Transportation] is finalizing plans for installation, and will then send to the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services,” FCDOT spokesperson Robin Geiger told Tysons Reporter. “The timeline for completion could be fall 2019.”

Image 1 via Google Maps, image 2 via FCDOT, map via Google Maps

Vienna Man Arrested After Chase — “State police arrested a Vienna man early Wednesday following a high-speed chase and crash in Shenandoah County.” [Inside NoVa]

Billions for Booze — “The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority has reported annual revenue of more than $1 billion, up $71.8 million over the previous year.” [Inside NoVa]

Tysons Company Growing Quicky — “Inc. Magazine compiled the 2019 list of companies based on the percent of revenue growth from 2015 to 2018. Qualifying companies must be based in the U.S. and be privately held. The 12th spot belonged to Urgently, a global mobility and roadside assistance app.” [Tysons Patch]

Falls Church Candidate Drops Out — “Thomas Cash, a candidate for one of three contested Falls Church City Council seats up for bid this November, announced [Friday] that he is dropping out of the race.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Rep. Wexton Joins “Play Date” in McLean Park — Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) joined families “Aug. 9 at Clemyjontri Park in McLean as part of a ‘play date’ organized by Little Lobbyists, an advocacy group dedicated to supporting and sharing the stories of families with children who have complex medical needs.” [Fairfax County Times]

Grocery Store Scales Back Hours — “Touting its 24-hour service when it opened three years ago in the middle of downtown Falls Church, the Little City’s Harris Teeter will no longer be open for all-hour grocery shopping starting next week.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Little Leaguers Interrogate Nats Player — “The Washington Nationals’ Trea Turner met with Falls Church Kiwanis Little Leaguers Thursday and fielded some questions from the young players that were surprisingly hot to handle in an event aimed at boosting Fall Ball participation.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Falls Classes Available in McLean — “Registration is now open for McLean Community Center’s (MCC) fall session classes and activities.” [McLean Patch]