Now that the season is nearing its end, those members and others will have the opportunity to share feedback from their summer experiences.
The Reston Association Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee will be made available on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon during an open house at The Lake House (11450 Baron Cameron Avenue). They will be collecting member input on the 2017 pool schedule, as well as thoughts and suggestions about what should be done in 2018.
Enjoy the Eclipse! — Remember to keep your eyes safe as you check out the celestial display this afternoon. If you take any photos during the event, share them with us at [email protected] and we will consider publishing them this afternoon. [Fairfax County/YouTube]
New Labor Day Pool Hours — Lake Audubon, Lake Newport, North Shore and Ridge Heights pools will be open Labor Day weekend, until 7 p.m. each day. [Reston Association]
Mike Leone, Reston Association communications director, says Dominion Energy has finished its work to repair damage to a drainage pipe caused by a subcontractor. The damage was caused when the worker was digging a trench between junction boxes, said Laura Kowalski, Reston Association’s deputy director for recreation.
“Lake Audubon Pool has been repaired and will open [Saturday] on its regular schedule,” Leone said Friday morning. “Dominion Energy and their contractors repaired the damage and the bathhouse will be cleaned and sanitized today so it’s ready for member use tomorrow.”
Lake Audubon Pool was closed last weekend, and it remains unknown when it will again be available for fun in the sun.
A broken drainage pipe discovered last week resulted in the facility being shut down until further notice. Laura Kowalski, Reston Association’s deputy director for recreation, says a subcontractor of Dominion Energy caused the damage while digging a trench between junction boxes.
The Lake Audubon Pool is closed indefinitely and needs “significant repairs” because of a broken drainage pipe, Reston Association has announced. According to RA:
The problem was first discovered when standing water was found in the bathhouse. A blockage in the drainage pipe was later cleared by Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Drain Service, but a crack in the pipe was found Thursday morning that will require significant repairs to the pipe and possibly the power line that runs near the drainage pipe.
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff of summer, and what better way to enjoy it than with a picnic?
The Lake Anne Plaza Memorial Day Picnic is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Bring your picnic blanket and patriot pride and enjoy live music on the plaza. There will be food available for purchase from local vendors and plaza restaurants, as well as boat rentals and family games.
Board President Addresses Pool Schedule — Sherri Hebert, president of the Reston Association Board of Directors, says RA’s pool schedule is broken into six sessions this year in the effort to maximize association resources. She says the board will be looking at each line item in the 2017-18 budget “to identify ways to shift funds to meet the community’s requests as they apply to pools and other matters.” [Reston Association]
Television Interview at RTC Cut Short — When a local television crew came to Reston Town Center to do a story on the effects of paid parking, they had to move across the street after security told them “photography is no longer allowed on the Town Center’s site.” [WHAG]
The weather hasn’t been pretty for several days now, though, and it looks like rain will be prevalent again Saturday. We recommend you check the status of any scheduled outdoor activity before heading out.
Here is just a sampling of things to do in the area this weekend:
In a letter to the editor submitted to Reston Now, Turecek says the changes — which include no weekday swimming prior to Memorial Day weekend and only two pools open the week before Labor Day — will result in frustration for Reston residents who just want to go swimming.
“This year fewer pools will be open, and those that are open will be open fewer hours. If you like swimming at the end of the season, have kids who like to swim on the weekdays, or are a lap swimmer, the pools are going to be much more crowded.”
As reported last week, residents who decline to submit photos with their pool pass applications will be allowed to show another form of photo ID to gain access to a facility. Further clarifying in a post to the Reston Association website this week, CEO Cate Fulkerson said children of those parents will not be required to show anything other than their pool pass, just as in previous seasons.
“Should you still wish to opt-out of providing photos for your passes, please contact our Member Services team at 703-435-6530 or by email [email protected] with your name and address, and we will update your account accordingly. Please note, when choosing this option, the adults in your household will be required to show a photo ID matching the name and address on the pass. Youth pass holders will not be required to show an ID.”
A number of RA members have spelled out their concerns about providing photos, particularly of children, that would be stored in an online database to verify membership when using a pool. In response, RA will make exceptions to the requirement.
In the email, Fulkerson said RA is “absolutely sensitive” to residents’ concerns:
As we do each year, my wife and I paid our Reston Association assessment this week.
Typically, after we’ve paid our dues, we reflexively take the opportunity to purchase our annual pool and tennis passes — our family’s favorite RA benefit. This year, however, we were taken aback by an unsettling new RA requirement that would-be pool-goers provide RA with digital photos of each family member, including children, to be stored in an RA database. The logic, as I learned after a call to RA, is that the database would allow RA employees to retrieve photos on demand to visually verify paid-up pool and tennis users.
Reston residents applying for pool and tennis passes for the coming season are being asked to include photographs — even for children as young as 1.
The new rule for 2017 is meant to increase security, but one resident who contacted Reston Now wonders if it might have the opposite effect.
Glade, North Shore, Ridge Heights and Lake Newport will be open though Monday evening (Labor Day).
RA moves on to “Season 5” on Tuesday. You can still get some swimming in between now and Sept. 25.
Turning to RA’s “Season 4” is an annual event as many of the staff members return to college in mid-to-late August.
All 15 RA outdoor pools will be open through Sunday night on their regular schedules.
