Reston Community Center pool project, board member receive awards

The nonprofit Virginia Recreation and Park Society recently recognized Reston’s multimillion-dollar pool renovation of the Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center along with community leader Bill Bouie.

The statewide group applauded the $5.5 million Reston pool project as the best new renovation of bricks and mortar projects in the state in 2020, and it presented Bouie with a Distinguished Volunteer Service award.

The organization handed out awards Tuesday in Harrisonburg during its annual conference.

Bouie, a telecommunications executive, coach, athlete and youth sports advocate, is the vice chair of the nine-member Reston Community Center board and has helped in key roles for the organization. He’s been with the RCC Board of Governors since 2003.

“No one has embodied Reston values more than Bill Bouie,” Leila Gordon, RCC executive director, said in a news release. “He gives and engenders respect; he believes in the power of each individual to contribute to the common good if they are given the tools to realize their potential. Bill makes us all better by showing us the example of someone who is a true servant leader and who loves building community.”

He was instrumental in advising RCC on a National Recreation and Park Association accreditation in 2020 and an enthusiastic participant in RCC’s “Equity Matters” film discussions created in response to the police murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 and renewed community focus on racial justice, the organization noted in a news release.

Bouie also serves as chair of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board, and he has served in leadership roles for the YMCA Fairfax County Reston, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Leadership Fairfax, Public Art Reston, and Reston Herndon Little League, among others.

Regarding the pool renovation, RCC board chair Beverly Cosham noted how patrons love the new pools, and she says the organization shares pride with its colleagues at Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services who oversaw the project.

The RCC noted the pool project “replaced a 40-year-old pool and its aging infrastructure with two new, state-of-the-art pools: a 25-yard lap pool and a warm water exercise pool.” It opened in January 2020 after a year of construction.

RCC also noted the project included improvements for water- and electricity-savings, updated locker rooms, a new roof, recycling of materials and custom mosaic public art. And it was completed under budget, allowing more than $800,000 in unused contingencies to be returned to RCC’s reserves.