RestonWeb

[TheShadow]

From Patch:
Coming up with the right name for the future Metro station that will touch down on Herndon Parkway is important to the town’s officials.
Tuesday night the Town Council discussed recent communications with members of the Fairfax County board of supervisors on the issue.
Mayor Steve DeBenedittis said the name the town has suggested in the past is simply Herndon Metro Station, then CIT-Herndon West, for the station that will be located near the Center for Innovative Technology building.
DeBenedittis said in his communications with Hunter Mill district Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, she said the names should be Reston West-Herndon for the station that will land just south of Herndon Parkway, and Herndon-Dulles East for the CIT-area station. He said Hudgins, who is the new chair of the Metro board of directors, felt those names best fit the criteria for naming stations.
Councilmember Connie Hutchinson said, “It’s ridiculous that the Herndon station would be named Reston.” She said town officials should stand firm on their insistence that the station be named Herndon.
Vice Mayor Lisa Merkel said Sharon Bulova, chair of the Fairfax County board of supervisors, was in agreement that Herndon should at least get first billing on the name of the station. Merkel said Herndon-Monroe is still the top name on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s list.
Merkel said Reston will already have its name on two other sites at Wiehle Avenue and in Reston Town Center. She said Bulova and Dranesville district Supervisor John Foust stand behind Herndon in having top billing on the station name.
Councilman Bill Tirrell said He agrees with Hutchinson. He said even though the station is located in Fairfax County it will touch down inside the town, and is in a Herndon/Oak Hill zip code.
Tirrell said there are a lot of developers in Reston who have a lot of muscle and understand how to get their name and brand in front of people. “It’s not in Reston,” he said. He said they should advocate for Herndon, then Herndon-Monroe, then Herndon-Oak Hill.
DeBenedittis said he is not advocating for anything other than Herndon Metro Station, and the town should have sole billing. “This is the Herndon station,” he said. Tirrell said he thinks Oak Hill might be an appropriate name to share the station with but DeBenedittis said he doesn’t support Herndon-Oak Hill either.
Council members Grace Wolf, Sheila Olem and Jasbinder singh were in agreement that town officials should continue to lobby for the station to at least start with Herndon.
Wolf said she thinks no matter what the station is called people will identify it with Herndon because that’s where they’re getting off the train. She said WMATA should just go ahead and name it Herndon from the start.
“This is a huge deal in my opinion,” DeBenedittis said. He said the town needs to continue to advocate however it can, whether through letters, meetings or other means.
Tirrell said they should have Supervisor Foust point out to Supervisor Hudgins that Reston will have its name on two sites already and that a station located outside Reston shouldn’t have Reston’s name on it.

[stix]

[Vicky Dorman]

stix, are you implying that the address of the Herndon Monroe Station is within the limits of Reston? I do not believe it is. The County obtained the land for the park and ride from the Town of Herndon in a land swap for the Worldgate Properties. I don't recall Reston having anything to do with it. I vote for Herndon Station. BTW, there are plenty of Herndon addresses on that side of the toll road. Herndon is not just a Town identity. Lots of us live in Herndon, but don't live in the Town.

[Herndon Guy]

Sure sounds like the Reston based politician thinks the world revolves Reston - a tax district - not a TOWN - It is just a big subdivision.

The station should be HERNDON - the next station can be called CIT/Herndon or some other name depicting the area served.

The Vienna Station is not really in Vienna - The station is not named for the nearby subdivision - it named for the Town of Vienna - Herndon deserves at least that much respect

Dunn Loring ( not a town ) How was that name selected?

I hate to pit Herndon against Reston - but why not ? the Reston leaders seem to think Herndon is not worthy.

To Reston maybe one day you will grow up and be a TOWN -

[stix]

Vicky.. you must understand that all of Reston, being unincorporated is within the Fairfax County jurisdiction, as is the Herndon-Monroe garage. And if I am not mistaken, the garage is within Small Tax District #5 as is most of Reston, and has a Sunrise Valley Drive address with a Reston zip of 20291. That it may be served by a Federal Post Office in Herndon is irrelevant to choosing an appropriate name for the new Metro stop.

The most important facts are that neither the garage nor the new Metro stop are within Herndon's incorporated boundaries, and my guess is that it will serve as many or more people from outside Herndon than Town residents. This would include those living within Reston's Polo Fields right across the street from the garage.

btw.. someone should also tell Councilmen Tirrell and Merkel, that so far none of the stops are named for Reston itself, but only the north-south roads that are closest to the stops.. Wiehle and Reston Parkway. If one follows that logic, perhaps the new Metro stop we are talking about here should be called Fairfax County Parkway or simply Monroe Street.

Unfortunate, but so far I have not heard heard one factual argument for giving the new stop an exclusive Herndon name, but there surely is a lot of emotion being tossed about.. by a town leadership and it's businesses that so far have had a free ride...
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[Bob Bruhns]

What free ride? Certainly not on the Toll Road! Of course now Herndon also has to pay into a tax district for Dulles Rail Phase II - you know, the phase that actually gives us the rail and a station. Of course, some people in the Phase I area thought that they could force Herndon to pay for their stations too, and clearly they are still vindictive because they didn't get their way. Awwww. But what can be done?

Heck, through federal taxation, Herndon is even paying into Phase I, helping Reston and Tysons Corner, etc. But we don't get federal help on Phase II - meaning that in reality, it is Reston and Tysons Corner, etc, that are getting the free ride. No? And some have the gall to accuse Herndon of wrongdoing.

To imply that Herndon isn't paying for what it gets, is a gross misrepresentation of fact. But of course, facts are about the last thing that are ever found in this crooked Dulles Rail deal, so why should I be surprised.

But since some in the Phase I area are upset that they signed themselves into such an expensive boondoggle, perhaps when they are bankrupt, Herndon will annex them. Obviously they didn't have any money, or they wouldn't have leaned on Herndon in the first place. I guess they know where the real economic engine of the area is. Or they are just crooks. Which is it, I wonder.

Shame on you, Cathy Hudgins.
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[stix]

The Phase 2 funding plan has not yet been approved.. therefore, so far the "town leadership and it's businesses" have had a free ride.. there would not even be a stop near Herndon if it had not been for the enormous cost paid by others to bring the track and attendant infrastructure out to Wiehle.

And yet the town demands that they have exclusive right to the new station name. In fact I would guess that the tolls (and federal taxes) that town residents have paid are a pittance to those paid by others in the same vicinity and west of Herndon. Some b***s for the town leaders to claim the stop is theirs and theirs alone.. especially when it just ain't true...
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[Bob Bruhns]

I ask again, what free ride? Not on the Toll Road, that's for sure. Not in our federal taxes, that's for sure. Or are you saying that the 900 million federal dollars popped full-grown out of the head of Zeus?

On the contrary, it was Reston and Tysons Corner who were looking for a free ride from Herndon in 2002. And behold, they still hold a grudge for having been put in their places.

Just because you signed up to be ripped off doesn't mean that Herndon did anything wrong, stix. We signed up for our tax district later, because Phase II happened after Phase I. (What a surprise.) And Phase II is the one that includes the Herndon station. Not Phase I.

So let's review. Reston and Tysons Corner, etc, are paying for Phase I, which will include stations in... (surprise!!!) Reston and Tysons Corner! And Herndon and Dulles, etc, will be paying for Phase II, which will include stations in... (surprise!!!) Herndon and Dulles, etc! So what's your problem, stix?

You still want Herndon to pay for Phase I too, don't you. Not satisfied that we already have to pay the tolls on the toll road? And not satisfied that Herndon and the rest of the country are helping you pay for your Phase 1 through federal taxes? And STILL not satisfied, when Reston and Tysons Corner and the rest of the country will NOT be helping us pay for our Phase II? Maybe the real problem is that you signed onto a RIPOFF, stix, and you were hoping to pass it along. Eventually you might even admit it.

But to threaten to delete Herndon from the station's name now... goes over the top. Somebody at WMATA needs to be relieved of duty, and quickly. Maybe several people there. Maybe the whole top layer of management.

And the same goes for MWAA. I'm glad to see Congressman Wolf going after that crew.
_________________
Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[stix]

It is another typical fantasy to say that anyone has threatened to "delete Herndon from the station's name". The objection is that the town leaders are demanding that it only be Herndon or some exclusive derivative thereof, and the use of a number of false justifications such as a kiss/ride yet to be built is "inside Herndon", that Reston already has two stops in it's name (false), the land the existing parking garage is now on was once property of Herndon, the sign on the garage and commuter busses is Herndon-Monroe, and that the Herndon admin and businesses are now ponying up on a Phase 2 funding plan that doesn’t even exist.

The stop is outside of Herndon and will service (and is being paid for by) many besides Herndon residents.. get over it! The Hudgins suggestion that the station name be some combination of Herndon and Reston East is not unreasonable.. except to the emotional who can't seem to come up with a factual justification otherwise...
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[Bob Bruhns]

The 'stop' does not even exist yet, stix - so it is far from shocking that the north side area does not yet exist either. All that exists now is the Park and Ride, on the south side of what will be the Herndon station. And, it is called... (wait for it)... Herndon-Monroe. (fanfare)

So some group suddenly wants to rename it. Why? Their grudge at having been put in their places back in 2002, it seems. It's time to put them in their places again, I think.
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Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[TheShadow]

Seems to me that leaving well enough alone as "Herndon-Monroe" could avoid kicking the hornet's nest--possibly resulting in the station bearing a "Reston" name of some kind. Take the traditionalist high-ground and support keeping the original name instead of being greedy and wanting only "Herndon", which will result in a "Reston" name for sure.

[stix]

The "hornet's nest" has been kicked with the Patch report of your town council's random-walk on the subject, and the invitation in these forums for the public to get involved in choosing the new station's name. No doubt others outside of Herndon have already contacted decision makers at the FFC BOS and perhaps even MWAA.

fwiw.. I think it would be a mistake to name the new 21st century Metro station after the 20th century bus stop and parking garage. Using that as a strategy just to keep exclusive hold of the Herndon brand may not be the best way.

Also any argument suggesting an elitist hostility toward others, including Reston is probably not a good idea either. This whole Silver Line enterprise continues to be painful and costly to many close by, but outside of the incorporated boundaries of Herndon...
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[Bob Bruhns]

So if Dulles Rail is too expensive, then someone in Reston should rename the Herndon stop? Makes sense somewhere, I suppose, but not outside of the asylum.

And why should such a decision be made by people outside of Phase II? They aren't paying for this station. We are. Let them name their own.

Such cheap, vindictive, backstabbing politics. Shame on the people who dreamed this up. There was no call for it, and no need for it. This is the Herndon station.

Ms. Hudgins: at WMATA, you represent more than just your Reston and Hunters Mill constituency. If you can not deal with that, then I suggest that you step down from your position there immediately.
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Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[Bob Bruhns]

Since the rickety funding for Phase II was brought up elsewhere - it is not surprising that funding for Phase II will continue to be a difficult issue, until the confusing mish-mash of agencies charged with responsibility for Phase II stop bungling and get their cost projections right. I believe that the major bungler in this mess is the remarkably autocratic MWAA.

Using those bungled economic forecasts, and menaced by the threat of station deletion as well, a tax district was approved for Phase II (Herndon, Rt 28 and Dulles Airport stations, and associated track). A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of this tax district went all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court, where the tax district was upheld in late 2010. (Among other things, that decision means that the tax districts will not be expanded into residential properties.)

However, the last I heard was that there is already a billion dollar cost overrun in Phase II, the truth was finally coming out about the real purpose of the station at Dulles Airport (it is for airport employees, not air travelers), and the thought now is that, to save money, the Dulles Airport station should be some distance from the air terminal itself, since it was never intended to serve air travelers (now, they tell us that), and Congressman Wolf is pressing for oversight on MWAA. (Wolf supported the creation of MWAA many years ago, but evidently it is not performing according to his original intention now.)

My own opinion is that this rail line is obscenely, economy-crushingly overpriced, and for that reason I would prefer that it was not built at all. But since since it has been foisted upon us already, I hope that it can serve some function here, where it is an economically crippling burden. And I hope that those who foisted it upon us are thwarted from their goal of punishing Herndon for not having immediately capitulated to their crooked wishes in 2002.
_________________
Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[stix]