This is an op-ed submitted by Mediaworld Ventures LLC. It does not reflect the opinions of Reston Now.

To our fellow Reston Association members,

We are the Reston residents who came together under Mediaworld Ventures LLC and were selected to conduct an independent review of Reston Association’s acquisition of the Lake House, and subsequent renovation budget overrun. We were selected over many applicants for our professional expertise, our commitment to service and our cost of $1. Our sole intent was to serve our membership and help Reston Association improve its processes.

From September until December, we were involved in detailed negotiations with Reston Association and its attorney over a consulting agreement that established the terms of the independent review. Our team worked countless hours reviewing and amending the 17-page agreement to ensure the review’s integrity and members’ interests were protected. The conditions presented to us were extremely restrictive and we felt they would hinder our ability to conduct a truly independent review. Further, the agreement did not guarantee a public release of the final report by the Reston Association, which our team felt was critical to “ensuring the concerns of the community were addressed” — a condition in the RFP, set by Reston Association, which we agreed to meet.

When we reached an impasse with the Reston Association attorney we requested a meeting with the Board. At a public meeting on Dec. 7, we highlighted four major issues that we felt would hinder our ability to fulfill our obligation. We believed the Board understood our concerns regarding the restrictive terms and tone of the agreement, and we hoped it would result in a more reasonable agreement, especially after we learned that the Board signed a simpler, four-page contract with another consulting firm. Although the revised agreement we received in return resolved some of our concerns, it contained additional terms and conditions leaving a number of issues unresolved. In spite of the Association’s offer to pay for liability insurance, we felt that there was still an unacceptable level of risk remaining in the last proposed revised draft. Given the almost three months of contending with some of the same issues we had raised earlier, we felt the likelihood that further negotiations would be productive were minimal and that it would be best to terminate the negotiations.

We are very disappointed that we could not come to terms with Reston Association on this work. A more detailed review of the contract negotiation can be found at http://reston2020.blogspot.com/2017/01/review-of-mediaworld-contract.html.

Dick Stillson

Jill Gallagher

Moira Callaghan

John Higgins

Sridhar Ganesan, President, Mediaworld Ventures LLC

This is an op-ed submitted by Terry Maynard, co-chair of the Reston 20/20 committee. It does not reflect the opinions of Reston Now.

Two years ago this month, under the leadership of former RA Board President Ken Kneuven, Reston’s homeowner association announced its deal with a local developer to purchase his property, the Tetra office building, for over twice its county-appraised value of $1.2 million. Thus began a long slide of Reston Association into bad governance and mismanagement.

How did this happen? We don’t know for sure, but we understand Kneuven and another former RA Board President, Rick Beyer, who lives on the shore of Lake Newport opposite the Tetra property, have been friends for some time. Beyer, who was active in supporting the RA Tetra purchase, and other Lake Newport homeowners were no doubt concerned that something untoward would happen to their view and, as a result, also their property values. It is not clear whether Beyer asked a favor from Kneuven in eliminating this risk by having RA pursue the purchase of the Tetra property, but what is clear is that after Kneuven left his RA post, he ended up working as a senior consultant in the company managed by Beyer.

As for the rest of us, RA and its Board justified paying $2.65 million in part by pointing out that a proposal had been drawn up to build a costly restaurant there twice the size of the Tetra building. RA didn’t bother to note, however, that the restaurant was never approved, nor would it have been given environmental restrictions and 14 easements on the property. Moreover, RA’s appraiser put the property’s “as is” value at just $1.1 million using the Income Approach, even lower than the county’s valuation. In fact, the Tetra property had been on and off the market with little interest for most of a decade.

Nonetheless, to sell the deal in a community referendum, RA “projected” that renovations, inside and out, would cost RA members just $259,000. To date, interior repairs alone have cost Restonians $692,000 — not counting $925,000 in seller contributions and a Comstock proffer to RA which could have been used for much better purposes — and an RA consultant projects proposed exterior improvements will cost $1.2 million.

On the other side of the ledger, RA projected rental income from a rent back agreement with the Tetra owners of more than $140,000 through 2016. Unfortunately, the sloppily written agreement allowed Tetra’s former owners to walk away at the end of 2015, resulting in an immediate $100,000 loss in RA revenues. RA scrambled to make up the shortfall, but — as of November — expected year-end cash flow losses reached $902,000, some $515,000 more than RA projected for 2016 during the Tetra referendum.

If publicly known at the time, these massive misstatements, mistakes, expenses and overruns would have doomed the purchase’s narrow community approval.

Indeed, the massive renovation cost overruns were not revealed until May 2016, although RA financial data indicated RA and presumably some Board members knew there would be huge overruns as early as February. Thus, RA members were denied that important information as they cast their ballots for RA Board members in February, including the re-election runs of two Board members who strongly supported the Tetra initiative, Eve Thompson and Danielle LaRosa. Of course, they won re-election in the absence of public knowledge of the huge cost overrun.

When the cost overruns were disclosed, even the complicit RA Board found this revealed reality a bit much. Under significant community pressure, it agreed last summer to contract for an independent review of the purchase and renovation.

After choosing to sign a pro bono $1 review contract with Mediaworld LLC, using a team of Reston volunteers expert in financial matters, a few members of the Board sabotaged its own by insisting on excessive RA control and contractor liability in multiple, lengthy contract drafts. A special Board meeting with the Mediaworld volunteers in December couldn’t salvage the negotiations — another obstructionist draft resulted — and the volunteers withdrew last week, explaining the multitude of reasons why.

The increasingly urgent question is: What are some members of RA’s Board and senior staff trying to conceal about the Tetra acquisition and renovation — and why? Did they engage in illegal, unethical or just plain stupid behavior? Unless there is a criminal investigation, the chances are dwindling Restonians will ever know who, how, why and when all this financial mischief occurred as the Board and staff continue to hide the truth any way they can. The future of honest, open, prudent governance in Reston has never looked more uncertain.

The RA Board 2017 election a month away is an opportunity to reverse the Board’s recent gross misbehavior. There are four openings and, if filled with candidates who seek to reform the RA Board and the way it does business, the Board could actually represent the interests of the community rather than the guilty. Pay attention to what candidates file and what they say about the handling of Tetra, including the need for an audit, the development of an RA ethics policy with teeth and openness in RA decision making. It could be your last chance in years for meaningful change in how our community is governed.

Terry Maynard, Co-Chair

Reston 20/20 Committee

The year that was 2016 is coming to a close, and you know what that means…

… no, celebrities will not suddenly become immortal in 2017, putting an end to the sense of shock that envelops social media whenever a famous person dies, though the loss of beloved entertainers like Prince, George Michael, Davie Bowie and Carrie Fisher did certainly sting this year.

Rather, it’s Dec. 30 and it’s time to discuss that persistent frenemy of holiday traditions: the New Year’s resolution.

A good resolution for our comments section might be a bit more civility in 2017. (Though this week the comment section seems to have taken a vacation — where did you all go?)

For us here at Reston Now, a good resolution would be to do an even better job uncovering interesting and important local stories that no one else is reporting.

The departure of our editor Karen Goff for the Washington Business Journal (where she’s killing it, as the kids would say) definitely represents a loss of institutional knowledge. But our incoming editor Dave Emke is a great journalist who will be dogged in his pursuit of local scoops. Reston Now is fortunate to have him at the helm.

Dave starts Jan. 2, but will be taking meetings all around Reston for a week before you begin to see his byline.

As for our readers, we asked on Twitter and Facebook what your New Year’s resolutions are. Here is a sampling:

• “None, because I don’t need to wait until the new year to be inspired to start a goal or change a behavior. Every day is a good day to start! Why wait until next week??”
• “Avoid RTC and frequent other non-pay-for-parking establishments”
• “To go out (happy hour, etc) once a month. I’ve definitely become a home body.”
• “Go to the gym that I pay for but don’t use.”
• “To take up Internet trolling as a hobby.”
• “The same as 2015,2014, and 2013.”

Didn’t get a chance to answer? Let us know what your goals for the new year are in the comments.

Happy new year, Reston! We’ll see you back here on Monday.

It was a quiet holiday weekend for crime in Reston.

The Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station reported only three items over the Christmas holiday.

Among them: an apparent Christmas Eve burglary at the Hidden Creek Country Club, a theft of silverware from a home on Manning Street and the theft of a licence plate from a vehicle on Oak Hampton Place.

From FCPD:

RESTON DISTRICT STATION

BURGLARY: 1700 block of Clubhouse Road (Hidden Creek Country Club), 12/24/16 around 2:45 a.m. The business was burglarized. It could not be determined at the time whether anything was missing. There were no signs of forced entry.

LARCENIES:

1000 block of Manning Street, silverware from residence

2500 block of Oak Hampton Place, license plate from vehicle

South Lakes in Basketball Tourneys — The South Lakes varsity basketball teams are playing in regional tournaments this week. The girls team defeated Annandale 67-36 in a tournament in Oakton yesterday, while the boys team fell to Trinity Episcopal 74-56 in a tournament in Henrico.

Reston’s Missed Connections — Craigslist’s Missed Connection section is an interesting (albeit sometimes creepy) study in human interactions. The past three Reston missed connections have all been in chain restaurants: Panera Bread, Five Guys and Boston Market.

Flickr pool photo by Vantagehill

It was a busy year of construction and development news, restaurant openings and closings, and police-related stories in Reston.

This week we’re counting down the 40 most-read articles of 2016 on Reston Now.

Today, we’re starting with #31-40.

40. Former Herndon Student Teacher Charged with Soliciting Teen (4,030 views)

39. Family Looking for Teen Last Seen on W&OD Trail in Reston (4,295 views)

38. Now Open: Laredo Taco Company in Reston (4,322 views)

37. Reston Town Center Store Owners, Employees Say Pay Parking Will Hurt Business (4,322 views)

36. Police Looking for Driver Who Killed Woman in North Shore Drive Hit-and-Run (4,372 views)

35. Man Howling in Woods Arrested for Indecent Exposure, Drunk in Public (4,424 views)

34. Sneak Peek: Reston Town Center Metro Station (4,511 views)

33. Police: Shooting Threats to FCPS ‘Not Credible’ (4,570 views)

32. Closed: Cosi at Reston Town Center (4,826 views)

31. Coming Soon: Escape Room Herndon (5,094 views)

Tomorrow we’ll continue the countdown with #21-30.

You’ll have to wait a few more days to get rid of your Christmas tree, assuming if you want it to be collected and recycled.

If you receive Fairfax County curbside pickup of trash and recycling, you can recycle your live Christmas tree on your normal collection date during the first two weeks of January.

The tree can be no more than eight feet tall and all tree stands, ornaments, tinsel, lights and tree toppers should be removed before recycling.

The cost of the collection is included as part of your regular, paid collection service. For larger trees, contact your collector for recycling instructions.

If you are in a private Reston cluster, check with your cluster board or trash service provider to find out specifics for your neighborhood.

Christmas trees may also be recycled at the I-66 Transfer Station. There is a small processing fee of $1 per tree.

Nearly 2.6 million people in the D.C. area were expected to travel during the Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s holiday period this year, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

That’s a Christmastime record to the region.

Were you among those holiday travelers? Or did you stay put?

Let’s try to see what percentage of Reston residents left town for the holidays.

Top 5 Restaurants, Per OpenTable — According to OpenTable customer reviews, the top 5 restaurants in Reston are PassionFish, Big Bowl, Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro, Il Fornaio and Neyla Mediterranean Bistro. [Patch]

Tetra Misses Revenue Forecast — Local advocacy group Reston 20/20 faults the Reston Association for “horrible” revenue forecasting for the RA’s Tetra/Lake House. Programming revenue for Tetra is expected to be $82,535 for 2016 compared to the $175,000 budgeted in May. Total costs, however, were below budget. [Reston 20/20]

Arlington to Reston Commute — Redditors are weighing in on the feasibility of an Arlington-to-Reston reverse commute. The emerging consensus: mornings aren’t too bad but evenings are rough. [Reddit]

Photo courtesy @MrErrett

Here are the crimes reported to the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station between Monday, Dec. 19, and Wednesday, Dec. 21:

LARCENIES:

• 1800 block of Cameron Glen Drive, property from residence.
• 12200 block of Turkey Wing Court, video game system from residence.
• 2200 block of Quartermaster Lane, property from vehicle.
• 12000 block of Sunset Hills Road, property from business.
• 12600 block of Winter Wren Court, golf clubs from garage.
• 12000 block of Taliesin Place, credit cards from business.
• 11900 block of Market Street, merchandise from business.

A man also was arrested in connection with a break-in at the Carlton House condos at Reston Town Center Monday.

Here are the crimes reported to the Fairfax County Police Department’s Reston District Station between Friday, Dec. 16, and Sunday, Dec. 18:

LARCENIES:

• 11900 block of Democracy Drive, jacket and passport from business.
• 1800 block of Fountain Drive, merchandise from business.
• 11900 block of Market Street, jeans from business.
• 2400 block of South Gate Square, bicycle from residence.

This is an occasional series from Fun in Fairfax VA, a blog written by Reston resident Julie McCool that spotlights places to go and things to do in Fairfax and slightly beyond.

Chilly temps have returned at last, which puts us in the mood for a wintery outing. Happily, Northern Virginia has several ice skating rinks that offer healthy fun for every age.

A very popular Northern Virginia rink is right in town at the Reston Town Center Pavilion. The covered rink is open daily until mid-March, including Christmas and New Years, so it’s ideal if you have family visiting for the holidays. There are special kid-targeted events on the weekend, and the ice is open to the public every day.

If you haven’t visited the Plaza at Tysons Corner, ice skating in the sunshine is a great reason to go. The Tysons rink is open every day, with extended hours on holidays. Tysons offers skating until 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, making it a fun date night destination.

You’ll find a large, covered, outdoor rink in Old Town Manassas, with free Wednesday night skating from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Two local indoor rinks offer public skating hours ideal for when the polar vortex, or a summer heatwave, move in to the area.

Whether you prefer to skate indoors or out, local ice skating rinks offers smooth ice, happy music, and family fun. Read more about area ice skating rinks on Fun in Fairfax VA.