Starting next week, residents of each of Reston’s districts will have the opportunity to meet with their Reston Association Board of Directors representatives to discuss issues.

RA’s district meetings are a chance for residents to “provide feedback and hear updates on a variety of district and community-related topics,” according to the Association’s website. Each meeting is facilitated by the Community Engagement Advisory Committee.

The meeting schedule is as follows:

• South Lakes District (Julie Bitzer): Wednesday, May 17 at Terraset Elementary School (11411 Ridge Heights Road)
• Hunters Woods/Dogwood District (Victoria White): Wednesday, May 24 at Southgate Community Center (12125 Pinecrest Road)
• North Point District (John Mooney): Tuesday, May 30 at Armstrong Elementary School (11900 Lake Newport Road)
• Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District (Sherri Hebert): Wednesday, June 7 at Reston Community Center’s Jo Ann Rose Gallery (1609A Washington Plaza)

Each meeting is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m.

(Updated at 12:10 p.m. after Reston Association’s annual Community Yard Sale was postponed.)

Another SafeTrack Surge Starts Next Week — Metro’s latest round of work will have five stations on the east end of the Orange Line closed, which will also affect Silver Line traffic. Tuesday through June 15, trains will operate between Wiehle-Reston East and Stadium-Armory only every 12 minutes. This means more than 50 percent fewer trains during morning peak hours. Fairfax County is suggesting alternatives for commuters, including car pooling and buses. [WMATA]

League of American Cyclists Honors County — Fairfax County has been recognized with Bronze-level status as a Bicycle Friendly Community. It is one of 416 communities nationwide that have been honored. [Fairfax County]

Community Yard Sale Postponed to Sunday — With rain in the forecast, Reston Association’s annual Community Yard Sale has been postponed from Saturday. It will now be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon Sunday at 1900 Campus Commons Drive, at the corner of Sunrise Valley Drive and Wiehle Avenue. Those planning to attend are still encouraged to call 703-435-6577 after 4:30 a.m. Sunday to check the event’s status. [Reston Association]

County Embracing Driverless Future — Fairfax County is the testing ground for self-driving cars and connected infrastructure in Virginia. Officials recently brought in autonomous-vehicle experts, policymakers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs to share their research. [Fairfax County]

Reston Couple Share Love Story — Roger and Anita Lowen are approaching 50 years of marriage. It all started, they remember, with a prank call. [Washington Post]

Event Canceled – Due to inclement weather, Saturday’s #RestonExpo has been canceled. #Reston pic.twitter.com/tfo5scNZGQ

— Reston Association (@RestonOnline) May 11, 2017

Citing a wet and dreary forecast for Saturday, Reston Association has canceled this year’s Reston Expo event.

“We want members and exhibitors to have a great experience at this annual outdoor event and rainy, cold conditions just don’t make it enjoyable,” said Mike Leone, RA’s communications director.

The event, which had been scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of Reston Association’s headquarters, was slated to be an opportunity for area businesses — in the fields of “home, garden and more” — to share their products and services with residents. Food trucks, music and a kids’ tent were also planned for the free event.

Leone said the event went on through light showers last year, but torrential rains are another story. He said exhibitors were “completely supportive” of the decision to call off this year’s event.

“Apparently, there was another similar event in a nearby community last Saturday and many of the exhibitors/vendors participating in our Expo participated in that event,” he said. “The feedback we received was that last Saturday’s event was a ‘bust’ — extremely low attendance due to the rain.”

The most recent weather forecast for Saturday from Capital Weather Gang calls for steady rain, perhaps up to an inch, with brisk wind as the storm passes through.

Leone said RA “hope[s] to find a date to reschedule later this year.”

As Reston Association board members prepare to draw up the budget for FY2018-19, they are seeking input from community members.

Budget has been a hot topic around Reston lately, particularly after last year’s controversial overrun of the budget for projects like the Lake House, and after pool schedules for this year came out and had cuts in them that upset many residents, considering that RA annual assessment dues went up $35 for 2017.

RA CEO Cate Fulkerson spoke last month at the association’s annual member meeting, expressing a commitment to more transparency and efficiency.

Fulkerson also announced a series of “listening meetings” in each of Reston’s districts to hear feedback on RA operations directly from residents, specifically timed to occur before FY2018’s and FY2019’s capital and operating budgets are finalized.

Those meetings are expected to take place over May and June. The budget is expected to be adopted in the fall.

In addition to the listening meetings, the RA has recently been distributing feedback forms that residents can print out and submit, or email to staff.

The forms ask for residents’ ideas and suggestions for new projects or services that would be beneficial to members, services or facilities that need improving upon, and the like.

“Perhaps you have a suggestion or an idea about improving association services or adding new services,” the request for feedback reads. “You are welcome to submit any and all ideas about Reston Association’s services, facilities, operations and programs.”

For those who have ideas on new projects or services, or existing ones that might need more funding, the RA asks them to describe their idea in as much detail as possible, including as many specifics like location, cost or potential savings as they can.

The RA promises to “prioritize” constructive suggestions during budget talks.

“The Board of Directors will carefully consider all suggestions received, in light of available financial resources, and will prioritize these suggestions for possible inclusion in the upcoming budget.”

Click here to download the feedback submission form from RA’s website.

It can then be mailed or dropped off at RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.), or can be sent by email to [email protected].

Submissions must be received no later than June 30.

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Appian Going Public — Reston-based software developer Appian Corp. has filed for an IPO, making it the first DC-area company to do so in 2017. They are looking to raise up to $86.25 million. [Washington Business Journal]

Reston Expo Event Coming Up — Reston Association’s Home and Garden Expo is slated for Saturday, May 13. It will feature a variety of interior and exterior home improvement vendors and retailers; music, workshops and kids’ activities; and food trucks on site. [Reston Association]

Herndon PD Plans Another Coffee Meetup — HPD officers will meet informally with community members Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Guapo’s (1042 Elden St.). [Herndon Police/Twitter]

County Park Authority Readying for Eclipse — A solar eclipse Aug. 21 is expected to cover 80 percent of the sun in Fairfax County. County parks are partnering with schools and libraries to provide eclipse learning opportunities. [Fairfax County Park Authority]

Nearly 1,400 volunteers contributed more than 24,000 hours of time to Reston Association’s volunteer program in 2016.

All that work was honored during a ceremony Thursday evening at The Lake House, and the most outstanding of those volunteers were specifically recognized as winners of the 2017 Volunteer Reston Service Awards.

Honorees were:

• Volunteer of the Year: Leanna Kirkland

Kirkland was honored for her work serving in a wide variety of volunteer roles, including at the Multicultural Festival, Spring Festival, Nature House 5K, the Martin Luther King Day of Service, Halloween House and Trick-or-Treat Trail, and Maker Faire NOVA.

• Youth Volunteer of the Year: Emily McGrath

A student at South Lakes High School, McGrath was honored for her contributions to the Multimodal Transportation Advisory Committee.

• Youth Group Volunteer of the Year: Chantilly High School Key Club

The club participated in nearly all Habitat Heroes events during 2016, and worked to clean up Snakeden Branch Upper. They also volunteered their efforts to the Martin Luther King Day of Service

• Adult Group Volunteer of the Year: RA volunteer photographers (William O’Brien, Kristina Alcorn, LeRoy Wallin, Colena Turner and Anna Kulyk)

The volunteer photographers were celebrated for their work to help document and provide exposure for numerous Reston Association programs and events.

• Family Volunteer of the Year: Charlie and Julie Bond

The Bonds help maintain the grounds and building at the Walker Nature Center, and they provide seasonal displays for the Nature House each year.

• Group Volunteer of the Year: Natural Areas Assessment Team (Mike Horton, Don Coram, Farideh Mirmirani and Doug Britt)

The team was honored for giving their time to inspect and assess the health of Reston’s open space.

• Community Partner of the Year: U.S. Geological Survey

USGS hosts Reston Association’s Science Summer Camp, which had 60 children in attendance in 2016.

• Community Volunteer of the Year: Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee (Tara Cranford Teague, Mary Shedlock, Tyrone Gillum, Michael Batt, Elaine Killoran, Aaron Diamond and David Nielsen)

The committee was recognized for its effort to collect feedback, identify and engage facility users, research best practices and present comprehensive findings to the Board of Directors.

In addition, Reston Association Board of Directors members whose time on the board recently ended — Dannielle LaRosa, Ellen Graves, Lucinda Shannon and Jeff Thomas — were also recognized for their service.

“Volunteering and community service are deeply rooted in our community’s core values thanks to our founder Robert E. Simon Jr.,” said Cate Fulkerson, Reston Association CEO. “Every year, hundreds of volunteers support RA’s mission by serving on the RA Board of Directors, one of our many advisory committees and work groups, helping with special events and programs or participating in cleanup projects at Reston lakes, in neighborhoods or along pathways. Volunteers are truly the backbone of Reston.”

Anyone interested in learning more about Volunteer Reston should contact Ha Brock at [email protected] or 703-435-7986.

Images in gallery at top courtesy Reston Association/Sean Bahrami

Diana Turecek of Windleaf Court calls changes in hours in the 2017 Reston Association swimming pool schedule a “slap in the face to Reston residents who continue to face substantial increases in annual Association dues.”

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.”

This year, no pools will be open on weekdays prior to Memorial Day; in 2016, both the North Shore and Ridge Heights pools were open from 1-7 p.m. each weekday beginning May 14. Through June 23, only four pools will be open on weekdays, with one (Glade) open only three hours a night.

Mike Leone, RA’s communications director, said the pool schedule is developed annually based on a number of factors including historical use, geographic distribution of facilities, current program and rental use, potential future program and rental use, staffing requirements and budget implications.

“During the 2017 budget development process, the Board directed staff to identify significant cost savings in the budget to accommodate other strategic goals. Based on facility usage data collected over the past three years that shows a decline in pool attendance as well as feedback from the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors approved pool schedule options by which the proposed aquatics budget could be reduced while still serving the interests of the membership as a whole.”

Another reader who contacted Reston Now about the changes says the new schedule fails “to take into consideration that most people want these pools open when the weather is warm enough to swim through Labor Day.”

North Shore and Ridge Heights will be the only two pools open the week preceding Labor Day, from 4-7 p.m. each evening. All other pools will see their seasons end by Aug. 27. In 2016, Glade and Lake Newport pools also remained open through the first weekend in September.

Leone said pool staff is made up mainly of high school and college students. Fairfax County Public Schools changed its school schedule for 2017-18, beginning classes the last week of August (Monday, Aug. 28) instead of after Labor Day as in the past. Leone said a school schedule that ends June 23 and begins again Aug. 28 results in only nine full weeks of summer for pool scheduling.

Leone said the pool “season” schedule was tweaked this year to allow two more pools to stay open prior to school returning to session. In addition, he said, RA “will reopen as many pools as possible for the three-day Labor Day weekend, prioritizing those facilities which have the most capacity for swimmers and recreational users of all types.”

Turecek also expressed concern about Lake Newport pool being closed until 1 p.m. most weekends in June and July for Reston Swim Team Association meets. Other pools will be affected three weekends during the summer for meets.

“I also suspect — as in past years — there will be other non-announced pool closures to accommodate local day cares, summer camps or the dreaded ‘hygiene incidents,'” Turecek wrote.

Leone said staff has looked strategically at pools that can “generate additional revenue from rentals and activities during ‘closed’ hours.”

North Shore and Ridge Heights pools will open for the season Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Volunteer Reston organized work at the Walker Nature Center earlier this week in celebration of Earth Day, and more events are planned for this weekend.

On Monday, volunteers teamed with the Nature Center to plant 100 native wildflowers, ferns and shrubs in the gardens. Volunteers also woodchipped sections of the Nature Center’s main teaching trail. Participating organizations included Starbucks and Sure Secure Solutions.

The Nature House is open Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

On Earth Day itself, Saturday, children ages 5-12 are invited to the Walker Nature Center to take part in an Earth Day Fun program from 11 a.m. to noon. Kids will participate in recycling games, eco-friendly crafts and more. Registration, which must be done by Friday at 5 p.m., can be done through WebTrac, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 703-476-9689.

Reston Association’s Habitat Heroes program will also participate in an Earth Day activity Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon. They will be removing invasive species and planting native species to help the long-term restoration project at the Wainwright Recreation Area.

Photo via Volunteer Reston/Sean Bahrami on Facebook

Kelsey Richard, a recreation specialist, was named Reston Association’s 2016 Employee of the Year during the annual Members’ Meeting on Tuesday.

“Kelsey was selected for her incredible service to RA,” said Ellen Graves, outgoing president of the Reston Association Board of Directors, in presenting the award. “She’s always friendly, she’s always upbeat and positive and consistently provides RA members and her RA partners with outstanding customer service, and [she] models teamwork and a can-do attitude every day.”

Graves said Richard went “above and beyond” in 2016 to help her department and others, including Member Services.

“[Kelsey] personifies the Reston Association model employee,” Graves said. “She regularly jumps in and helps wherever needed, regardless of whether it is her job or not.”

Graves said when help was needed on the aquatics team, Richard was quick to fill in, and she did the same when a bus driver was needed for RA’s camp program. Richard also helped train numerous co-workers to use RA’s new WebTrac system, Graves said.

“As humble as she is, she deserves significant recognition for all she has brought to the organization this year,” Graves said.

Richard first received recognition for the award in December, but Graves said the annual Members’ Meeting was an opportunity to once again thank her for her efforts.

RA’s top volunteers of the year, who had in the past also been recognized at the Members’ Meeting, will be honored this year with their own ceremony during National Volunteer Week. That event will take place Thursday, April 27, from 6:30-9 p.m. at The Lake House.

At Wednesday night’s initial meeting of the new Reston Association Board of Directors, Director Sherri Hebert (Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District) was elected the board’s new president.

“I think we’re in a place right now [where we need to] build trust and faith in the community,” Hebert said. “I think I have a lot of support with groups all over the community… [and] I just think that’s the biggest thing we need to really do as a board, is rebuild that trust.”

Hebert is in the second year of her first team as a director, after being voted onto the board in 2016. She said the board needs to work on its internal relationships to improve the discourse among directors.

“We need to be in a collaborative space, [but] that doesn’t mean we all agree with each other all the time,” she said. “We want to be respectful and timely, and do things maybe faster with not as much grandstanding.”

Hebert said she is a firm believer in transparency and fights executive sessions whenever possible. She also said her experience on the board’s fiscal committee provides “a good foundation” to move into the president’s seat.

Voting was done by secret ballot. Julie Bitzer (South Lakes District) was also nominated.

Board newcomer David Bobzien (Apartment Owners’ representative) was elected vice president, winning a vote over fellow newcomer Eric Carr (At-Large).

“I think that it’s incredibly important this year for the Reston Association to have a board that operates efficiently — one who actually has efficient board meetings,” Bobzien said. “I think that I bring a great deal of experience in leading that kind of effort.”

Michael Sanio (At-Large), the board’s previous vice president, was elected secretary. He was the only director nominated.

The board also voted at the meeting to have Dannielle LaRosa, who stepped down from her role as a director, continue as treasurer until a call for applicants for the position is completed. No one has yet applied for the position, board Assistant Secretary Sabrina Tadele said, but the deadline for applicants is not until May 19.

LaRosa expressed a desire to continue on as treasurer beyond May. There was discussion to withdraw the call for applicants and re-appoint LaRosa to the position indefinitely, but that met resistance from At-Large Director Ray Wedell.

“There is no harm in allowing Dannielle to continue for a month, and I’m sure she’ll do a great job, [but] we have an opportunity to get some applications and learn some things, that maybe there’s one or two other people out there we don’t know of,” he said. “Even if we do not choose them at the end of the day, it would be good to know who they are and what they can do.”

Full video of the meeting is available at Reston Association’s YouTube channel.

Speaking at Reston Association’s annual Members’ Meeting on Tuesday, CEO Cate Fulkerson said she is looking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by challenges RA has faced in the past year.

“For anyone who knows my leadership style, I’m not one who walks away from a challenge or ignores difficulties,” Fulkerson said as she addressed the audience. “I believe in taking responsibility for errors, correcting them so they do not happen again, and I believe in finding opportunity in difficulty.”

Specifically, the difficulties of which Fulkerson spoke included the controversy surrounding the Tetra/Lake House renovation, concerns about how RA handles conflicts of interest, and the public input process regarding the Lake Newport soccer field proposal. Moving forward, Fulkerson said she understands the importance of building community trust and continuing on the path of leading sustainable change.

Fulkerson said she and her staff have a number of important tasks to complete in order for that to happen. The first, she said, is to establish a solid foundation with the incoming board — based, she said, on mutual respect, reciprocal communications and shared purpose.

The CEO said the StoneTurn Group review of the Tetra/Lake House deal highlighted several ways Reston Association can work toward bettering internal control policies and procedures for project management. She said she is developing a proposal along with RA CFO Robert Wood that includes the conduct of an internal process control and a walk-through review of RA’s purchasing practices, contract processing and capital-project management.

“The goal will be to have a new system in place by August of this year, so we can take the opportunity to invite StoneTurn to audit the Association in 2018 and to make sure the new processes and policies are being followed,” Fulkerson said.

Continuing work to establish a Code of Ethics for Reston Association is also on Fulkerson’s list of tasks, as she said it is of utmost importance as they work to build community trust.

In regard to new development, Fulkerson said Reston National Golf Course, Tall Oaks Village Center and St. John’s Wood are just some examples of “how vitally important it is for Reston Association to keep on track with leading sustainable change by vigilantly monitoring land-use happenings and advocating for trees, trails and thoughtful design.”

Fulkerson said community input is important to all decisions made by Reston Association. She said listening meetings are being planned for May and June in each of Reston’s districts to gather feedback on what matters most to RA members.

“Our interest is to engage you in conversation,” she said. “The timing of these listening meetings goes hand-in-hand with the development of the 2018 and 2019 Capital and Operating budgets.”

In addition to inviting feedback at the upcoming meetings, the CEO encouraged members to fill out request/suggestion forms for the budget.

Full video of Fulkerson’s speech is available through the Reston Association YouTube channel.

Eric Carr, John Mooney and Victoria White were announced Tuesday at Reston Association’s annual Members’ Meeting as the winners of the three contested races in the 2017 Reston Association Board of Directors election.

Carr won a six-person race for an At-Large seat on the board, defeating runner-up Ven Iyer by 117 votes in a race that saw 8,534 votes counted. The full breakdown of votes in the race:

• Carr: 2,493 votes (29.2 percent)
• Iyer: 2,376 votes (27.8 percent)
• Mike Collins: 1,404 votes (16.5 percent)
• HeidiAnne Werner: 1,121 votes (13.1 percent)
• Roberto Anguizola: 647 votes (7.6 percent)
• Charles Dorfeuille: 296 votes (3.5 percent)
• Abstain: 197 (2.3 percent)

“I think it’s clear from the turnout, the number of candidates and the number of votes, that this is a very impassioned community that got involved because of the changes that are happening here,” said Carr, who won a three-year term. “It’s a community that really embraced that idea that we need to take a new interest in how the organization is run, and I think that as you look at the results across the board, you see that.”

Mooney and White each won head-to-head matchups with their challengers. Mooney earned a two-year term as the North Point District representative with 1,384 votes to opponent Arlene Krieger‘s 1,069. He will serve the remaining two years of the term won in the 2016 election by Dannielle LaRosa, who stepped down.

“I’m very grateful to the voters, the members, for putting their trust in me,” Mooney said. “I hope to serve the board as best I can, and the Association as best I can. [There are] a lot of challenges, but I’m looking forward to it.”

White, meanwhile, earned a three-year team as the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District representative with 1,026 votes to opponent Syazana Durrani‘s 456.

“I’m looking forward to reminding the RA that the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District exists and reminding them that there are a lot of great community members who have probably not been getting involved because they haven’t been happy,” she said. “I’m really excited to remind the RA of that.”

David Bobzien, who was unopposed in the race for Apartment Owners’ representative, will also join the board for a three-year term.

“I’m sort of coming full circle, since I’ve lived here since 1975 and have been active in the community and was on the Planning Commission during some of the early development,” he said. “Now we’re looking at all this re-development, so I’m just looking to do my part and help out wherever I can.”

The four new board members will sit in on their first meeting tonight, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at RA Headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive). The agenda includes the election of officers, and discussion of committees and upcoming training. CEO Cate Fulkerson will also present the board with its 2017 calendar and strategic issues for consideration in the next three months.

The new members join continuing members Julie Bitzer, Sherri Hebert, Michael Sanio, Eve Thompson and Ray Wedell on the board.

In total, 4,918 ballots were tallied for the election — a voter turnout of about 18.97 percent. The North Point District had the highest percentage (24.79) of ballots returned; Hunters Woods/Dogwood (13.74 percent) had the lowest.

Board of Directors Election Winners Announced — David Bobzien, Eric Carr, John Mooney and Victoria White were announced Tuesday night as the winners of the Reston Association Board of Directors election. A full story will be posted later today on Reston Now. [Reston Association]

Report: Man Charged With Sexual Abuse Was Deported Felon — Media in D.C. reports that Oscar Perez Rangel, charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Herndon, had previously been deported and was in the country illegally. [NBC Washington/WJLA]

Connolly: Hate Graffiti an Attack on Society — Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax) says of anti-Semitic vandalism at the Jewish Community Center and Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale that “an attack on one faith is an attack on all.” [Rep. Gerry Connelly/Facebook]

GMU Professor, Students to Perform in Reston — A free concert Thursday by Dr. Patricia Miller, director of vocal studies at George Mason University, and her advanced students will include performances from Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera “Iolanthe.” [Reston Community Center]