Aging courts in need of repairs, which have also been eyed for shared pickleball space and new lighting, will have to wait at Barton Hil Recreation Area.
The Reston Association Board of Directors voted 4-2 on Thursday (Oct. 28) to defer the matter to the 2023 budget. Directors Jennifer Jushchuk, John Mooney, Bob Petrine and Sarah Selvaraj voted in favor and directors Caren Anton and Tim Dowling were opposed.
“The response from the community is … overwhelmingly in favor of doing the … pickleball conversion and the lights,” Anton, the board’s chair, said before the vote. “It’s like 75 or 85% in favor.”
Jushchuk said she’s not getting that response from her members in the South Lakes District where the courts are. She said she tends to support more community outreach and wanted staff to have time in 2022 to have a plan to implement in 2023.
“I’m not saying that we should not do this,” Jushchuk said, adding, “We need some time to figure out” what RA is going to do, what it’s going to cost and looking at community buy-in.
Petrine said that there have been emails both for and against the project and he would want a more thorough review of the project before the association spends over $870,000 for the project.
The Barton Hill Recreation Area along Sunrise Valley Drive has no stoplight at an intersection with Barton Hill Road. At an Oct. 13 public hearing on the budget, one father noted safety concerns with a crosswalk and visibility for traffic there, recommending that issue be considered with upgrades.
The courts were built in 1985 and the association has discussed the possibility of adding roofing to the outdoor courts, but acting CEO Larry Butler said last month during a public hearing that’s no longer being considered.
When asked how quickly the courts would need to be replaced, Chris Schumaker, RA’s director of capital projects, said they wouldn’t necessarily need to shut the courts down, but he wondered how playable they would be given surface cracking that’s already there.
He said they’d likely have a lot more come spring given a freeze-thaw period.
The decision comes as the board is moving toward approving a 2022-2023 biennial budget. A second public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 10. A copy of the second draft of the budget is available online.
Mike Leone, a spokesperson for the association, said in an email that the fiscal committee will likely continue their budget discussions in November and the board will likely approve the final budget and the 2022 assessment rate at their Nov. 18 regular meeting.
A new assisted living development called “The Canopy” is coming to Reston by 2023.
Silverstone Senior Living, a Dallas-based company, plans to build a three-story assisted living development at 10819 Leesburg Pike. The project, which will include 135 apartments and four levels of care for seniors, is expected to break ground later this year.
A spokesperson for the company said Reston was chosen because of its “deep roots.”
“As Silverstone expands its portfolio in the D.C. region, we wanted to provide the next generation of assisted living and memory care in a community with deep roots such as Reston. Reston was ranked as the Best Place to Live in Virginia by Money magazine for its expanses of parks, lakes, golf courses, and bridle paths,” the company spokesperson said
The Canopy was chosen to reflect the area’s tree canopy and the parks and woodlands that the company says make Reston a “highly desirable place to live.” The design attempts to emphasize outdoor living and includes pickleball courts, an indoor and outdoor fitness facility, and access to 22 acres of walking paths and gardens.
Levels of care include active assisted living, traditional assisted living, living for people with mild cognitive impairment, and memory care.
Silverstone is working on a larger facility at The Boro in Tysons. That development includes a new 15-story building with 198 units. The company is also behind The Providence in Fairfax’s MetroWest neighborhood.
Construction would wrap up by the third quarter of 2023.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic did not change the construction timeline, the design of the new facility is intended to help limit the spread of the pandemic. Touchless door openers, bleach-cleanable fabrics in dining rooms, and special filtration systems will be installed to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The building includes six units that are considered affordable by standards set by the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services.
The company declined to release information about monthly rents, noting that the figure would be set based on market rates when the property opens.
Photo via Silverstone Living
Former Herndon HS Teacher Sentenced for Child Pornography — Former Herndon High School drama teacher Raphael Schklowsky was sentenced on Friday (Sept. 3) to four years and two months of jail time after pleading guilty to unlawful filming and possessing child pornography. Police said he had used dozens of hidden cameras to record at least 8,000 videos of students undressing, including one woman who testified in court. [NBC4]
Reston Man Faces Weapons and Marijuana Charges — A 30-year-old Reston man faces multiple charges, including carrying a concealed weapon and distribution of marijuana, after police found him trespassing a private property in the 2000 block of Sanibel Drive on Aug. 31. Officers reportedly found that he was unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon as well as multiple rounds of ammunition and “a large amount” of marijuana. [FCPD]
RA Seeks Volunteers for Pickleball Tournament — Reston Association is looking for volunteers who are 16 and older to serve as court monitors or runners for its inaugural Pickleball Paddle Battle Tournament, which will take place at Lake Newport and Autumnwood Tennis Courts on Sept. 18 and 19. Volunteer nurses or CPR-trained professionals are also needed to work the event’s first aid tent. Anyone who’s interested can contact Ha Brock, at [email protected] or 703-435-7986. [RA News]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Reston Woman Dies After Car Crash — Stephanie D. Garcia, 29, of Reston died at Fairfax Inova Hospital on Aug. 8 from injuries she sustained the previous day in a two-car crash on I-95 at the 169-mile marker in Springfield. Reportedly not wearing a seatbelt, Garcia was thrown from her car when another vehicle struck it head on while she was making a U-turn. The other driver was transported to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries. [Virginia State Police]
D.C. Restaurant Week Returns — The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s summer D.C. Restaurant Week kicked off yesterday (Monday) and will last through Sunday (Aug. 15), with many participants again offering to-go options. Reston-area venues include Founding Farmers, Makers Union, The Melting Pot, and more. [Viva Tysons]
Construction on Autumnwood Pickleball Courts Begins — “Construction has begun on the permanent pickleball courts at the Autumnwood Recreation facility. Pickleball players have been temporarily moved to courts 3 and 4. Tennis will no longer be played at Autumnwood until the new pickleball courts are finished in September. When construction has been completed, tennis will resume at Autumnwood.” [RA News]
General Assembly Approves COVID Relief Plan — “The General Assembly on Monday approved a spending plan for $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money, with lawmakers leaving about $1.1 billion unappropriated so it is available for future needs if the pandemic worsens…The plan calls for using $800 million of the American Rescue Plan money to replenish the state’s unemployment trust fund, $700 million for rural broadband, $411 million on clean-water projects, $353 million for small-business relief and $250 million for school ventilation systems.” [The Washington Post]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
The Autumnwood courts will soon have better lighting.
Reston Association has kicked off a lighting project that will bring upgraded LED lights and automated lighting controls to the tennis and pickleball courts.
The project will cost $80,000, according to Mike Leone, RA’s spokesman.
The project is expected to begin today, according to a statement by Reston Association. The tennis facility will be closed until Feb. 15. But pickleball activities can continue on Lake Newport during construction at Autumnwood.
Later this spring, two of the tennis courts will be converted into four pickleball courts.
Once construction is completed and the Autumnwood courts reopen, Lake Newport’s courts will return to tennis only.
Lighting upgrades are also planned at the Hook Road tennis facility. That work is expected to begin in March, depending on the weather, Leone said.
Photo via Reston Association
Pickleball Survey Open through Jan. 24 — The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking the public’s input on how to support the emerging support. An online survey is open through Jan. 24. [Fairfax County Government]
Local DNA Tech Company Cracks More Cold Cases — Parabon NanoLabs, a Reston-based company, generated a total of 50 leads nationwide last year. Two cases were from Montgomery County and Arlington. [Local DVM]
What to Know About the Inauguration Today — The county government and schools will be closed today. The county joins state officials and regional leaders in urging the public to observe safely at home and not visit DC over the course of the week. [Fairfax County Government]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
The county is seeking to gauge the public’s support for pickleball, a new and rapidly expanding paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis.
The Fairfax County Park Authority has launched an online survey to gauge support for new pickleball activities. The survey is open through Jan. 24. County officials say they’ve received multiple requests to expand the number of pickleball facilities in its parks, recreation centers, and community centers.
The game was invented in 1965 by two dads in Washington who wanted to entertain their kids and use an old badminton court.
A feasibility study is underway on how to address the desire for the sport, identify sites for possible improvements or new facilities, and develop criteria and design guidance used for selecting and constructing pickleball amenities.
The parks at Stratton Woods and Stuart Road (12001 Lake Newport Road) have pickleball facilities. A map of other options available in the county is linked here. Reston Association’s tennis courts also offer some options for pickleball enthusiasts, who appear to be growing in number.
The county’s feasibility study will be completed by the spring of 2021. Currently, the county has 15 parks with either a tennis or basketball court lined for pickleball. Within these parks, there are 28 courts available to play the game.
Photo via Joan Azeka/Unsplash
Are you a fan of pickleball? The Reston Association hopes you are, because they just approved the addition of new pickleball clinics to be added to local recreational offerings soon.
The new pickleball program, as well as a new gardening program, were approved at Thursday night’s RA board meeting.
Beginning and advance pickleball clinics will be offered in the near future alongside the usual tennis programs at the Colts Neck recreation area. Each clinic would be able to accommodate between 3 and 8 people, and would cost $36.50 for Reston residents and $38 for nonresidents.
The classes aim to “teach the fundamentals of pickleball, including game rules, scoring and basic strategies to give you all the tools you need to play,” according to the RA proposal documents.
A new gardening program was also approved, to feature classes taught by a Master Gardener. The classes will offer instruction and tips for gardening, utilizing Reston’s existing community garden plots.
Tips from the Master Gardener will also aim to help people interested in growing their own gardens. Students will learn how to determine what kind of garden their land is best suited to, the best placement for it, how to choose the best soil, and what to plant, as well as where to plant it. Help for everything from new plants to transplants will be given, in fruit, vegetables, herbs, flowers and more, including how to deal with pests.
Instruction in basic plant knowledge will be given, including the different parts of plants, how they bear fruit, and why “composting is a gardener’s best friend.”
According to the proposal, the classes will be able to accommodate between 5 and 12 people per class, and will cost $40 for Reston residents, or $45 for nonresidents.
File photo
