Op-Ed: Reston Association’s Price is Wrong

This is an op-ed from Reston resident Flora Nicholas, who also created “The Price is Wrong” video in response to Reston Association’s Tetra referendum. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.

My husband and I, like a growing number of Restonians, are very concerned about how the Reston Association and the board have conducted themselves with regard to this Tetra purchase, and how they are running Reston Association generally.

We therefore marshaled our company, Brainwave Inc., resources to write and produce “The Price is Wrong” video because we wanted to highlight how ridiculous and eyebrow raising the RA’s contract to buy the Tetra property is.

Additionally, as the RA has spent close to $100,000 promoting its own one-sided information, this video gives all those who are vehemently opposed to the Tetra deal a way of promoting their concerns too. And it does so in a humorous way that will grab the attention of the media and those on social media too — and today’s article in the Washington Post and this article in Reston Now shows we’ve achieved that.

Whatever the outcome of the referendum, the RA and its board have a lot of explaining to do. Why did they enter into a contract to buy a building for $2.65 million when the County had valued it at $1.2 million? Why have they not disclosed to the community that its own appraisers valued the property “as is” at $1.3 million, as the Washington Post revealed today? Why, despite that $1.3 million appraisal, did the RA then proceed to enter into a contract to buy the Tetra property for $2.65 million? What else is really going on here?

All these questions need to be asked of the RA and answered. When all this is done, I think the RA’s going to need a watch dog. H’mm, may be we’ll start one.