Reston Soccer is hoping to organize dozens of young soccer players in uniform to attend Thursday’s Reston Association Board of Directors meeting to lobby for “a new home for Reston Soccer.”

Reston Soccer President Robert Anguizola told Reston Now last month that the organization, which serves more than 1,500 youth soccer players, wants to turn two fields, preferably at RA”s Lake Newport Soccer, into artificial turf fields.

“We are doing a lot of things to improve player development,” Anguizola said . “One thing that is a big part of that is field and facility quality.”

Anguilzola will present a plan to the RA Board Thursday that takes Reston Soccer’s plans way beyond field conversion.

Said Reston Soccer in an email to members:

Reston Soccer will present its proposal for building a new home for Reston Soccer at Lake Newport Soccer fields which would include: 2 full size synthetic turf fields with plant derived infill (not tire crumb!); low glare LED lights; bathrooms; and a clubhouse!”

[We are] looking to partner with Reston Association and raise the funds via grassroots fundraising by Reston Soccer, proffers, corporate sponsorships, phased building over number of years if necessary. Eager to work with the community in a collaborative manner to minimize the impact and support the needs of the surrounding community.

While supplies last, we will give anyone that comes to the meeting to support Reston Soccer a Reston Strong jersey! Need to fill the room to the gills. We need to show that people love soccer in Reston and care about better fields!

The RA Board will not vote on this proposal Thursday; the presentation is for discussion only.

In 2013, RA gave South Lakes High School $50,000 for a $2 million project to convert two grass fields to turf. In turn, RA got places on the turf usage schedule. RA originally had committed $100,000 to the project.

Reston Soccer donated $150,000 to the SLHS project.

Anguizola said in June Reston Soccer has benefitted from additional playing time on the SLHS fields, Reston still needs additional turf fields.

Reston Association and Fairfax County Police are investigating vandalism cases that occurred at two RA pools late Thursday or early Friday.

Vandals hit Glade and Hunters Woods Pools, where damage was found Friday morning, said RA spokesman Mike Leone.

At Glade, feces were found in the skimmer pots of the pool. Unfortunately, the mess was not discovered until after swim team practice, said Leone.

The pool was shut down for most of the day Friday as RA personnel cleaned the pool and followed sanitation procedures, he said.

At Hunters Woods, swim team coaches discovered cigarette butts, a torn hot tub cover, whole beer bottles in the hot tub, and broken bottles on the pool deck and in the pool.

The debris was cleaned up and the pool sanitized. No one was injured by the glass, said Leone.

Leone said all pools have six-foot high fences and locks. But there are cases every summer of people scaling the fences to get into the pool.

Despite the two events on Friday, vandalism case reports are down from last summer, said Leone.

As Reston Association gets ready to hire a firm to conduct an independent audit of how the Lake House project incurred a $430,000 cost overrun, advocacy group Reston 2020 has an eight-point plan it wants the RA Board of Directors to keep in mind.

The purchase of the former Reston Visitors Center and office space for Tetra Partners commercial real estate was approved by voter referendum in May of 2015. RA told members renovation costs for the 33-year-old building would be about $259,000. That number quickly grew to more than $600,000 as RA made improvements to turn the office space into flexible community space.

While RA’s Board of Directors has moved money from its operating fund to cover the deficit, it has also voted to discover exactly what went wrong — but that independent investigation may cost an additional six figures (depending on the length of the audit and the fees charged by a professional firm).

Meanwhile, the Lake House is now open for business. Renovations are complete and RA is charging rental fees for community events, as well as getting ready for an after-school care program this fall. All of those things will earn revenue for the project, RA projections show.

But Reston 2020 says that is too little too late.

“The issues begin with disclosing the details of discussions that led to the secret deal with Tetra Properties to the near tripling of the property’s renovation costs in 2016,” Reston 2020 officials said in a statement. Read More

Non-Reston Association member who want to swim and play tennis can get a great deal on RA memberships for the rest of the summer.

RA has extended its summer non-member pass sale through July 15. The deal saves a family up to $106.

Memberships give access to 15 pools and 52 tennis courts.

Here are the pass options:

Family Pass — Annual, non-transferable passes for two adults (18+) and up to four children (1-17).

• Pool & Tennis: $424 (you save $106)
• Tennis Only: $288 (you save $72) 

Individual Pass

• Pool & Tennis: $296 (you save $74)
• Tennis Only: $208 (you save $52)

Promo code (FB0629) prices valid only in person or by phone.
Call 703-435-6530 or visit 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191.

Reston Association will put on hold two pricey renovation projects until the independent review into the Lake House is complete, said RA CEO Cate Fulkerson.

RA is in the process of forming an independent review committee to determine how the Lake House/Tetra renovations incurred a $430,000 overrun in the last several months.

The association will soon put out the call for members to be on a committee. The committee will then choose auditing professionals to conduct the investigation. RA hopes the review will be complete by September.

In the meantime, work has been halted on renovations of the Central Services Facility and the Pony Barn, says Fulkerson. Both of those projects are still in the design and planning stages.

“I asked the Board Governance Committee [in June] ‘would it be helpful if we just paused until the review is done?’ ” said Fulkerson. “The RA directors on the committee said ‘good idea.’ So I talked to contractors and asked for pencils down by June 30.”

The renovation of the Central Services Facility is expected to cost a little over $1 million. The facility, which houses Reston’s vehicle fleet and is the headquarters for grounds and maintenance crews, is more than 30 years old. It needs bathrooms, phone/Internet and HVAC systems brought up to date, as well as a meeting space for the more than 80 employees who are based there, Fulkerson said.

So far, only $15,863 for design work has been spent on the project in 2016, RA records show. The renovation is not slated to begin until November, said Fulkerson. Read More

Reston Association is seeking RA member volunteers to assist the Board Governance Committee in selecting a consulting firm to review how the Lake House/Tetra project incurred a nearly $500,000 cost overrun this year.

The independent review will look at the budgetary, administrative and governance aspects of RA’s purchase, planned use, and renovation of the Lake House property (formerly known as Tetra), including the recent capital cost overruns associated with renovation of the facility, RA says.

After a member referendum in spring 2015 approved the purchase, RA closed on the 33-year-old building last July. RA said the purchase of the building, which cost $2.65 million, would fend off commercial development and add to RA’s open and community space.

RA intends to use the renovated building on the shores of Lake Newport for event rentals and afterschool care.

However, it was discovered last spring that the project was already $430,000 over budget. While RA has moved money from its operating fund to cover the deficit, it has promised to fully review how the deficit grew so large so fast.

The RA Board, after a long discussion, voted last week to organize a citizen committee to help choose paid professionals to conduct the review. RA hopes the review will be complete by September.

RA members with professional experience in accounting, auditing, law, construction project management, governance, and internal controls are encouraged to apply.

Applicants should submit a résumé and brief letter of interest to [email protected] no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, July 15. Candidates will be interviewed on Monday evening, July 18. For more information, call 703-435-6570.

If selected, volunteers will meet with the RA Board Governance Committee in July and August to review responses to RA’s request for proposals and provide recommendations to the Board of Directors on firms in August.

Reston Association’s Board of Directors is going to conduct an independent review of the Lake House budget development process.

But first it will call on people in the community to help review and hire an auditing firm.

The board voted on Thursday to establish a Tetra Review Request for Proposal (RFP) Selection Committee comprised of three RA members to work with RA’s Board Governance Committee to review RFPs and help hire a professional firm to do the review.

RA’s Board Governance Committee recommended last week that the independent review be done to determine exactly what caused RA’s 2016 budgeting for Tetra/Lake House to have a $430,000 cost overrun.

RA Attorney Ken Chadwick advised the board Thursday that for the review to be truly independent, it has to be done with committee members who are not on RA’s staff or board.

Several RA board members spoke in agreement.

“If you want something that can be trusted, it can’t be RA members,” said At-Large Director Ray Wedell.

Said At-Large Director Jeff Thomas: “I am not sure of the value of the review. I think we have a pretty good idea of what went wrong. But we should bring someone in who knows what they are doing and do it right.”

RA CEO Cate Fulkerson has said the former owner opting not to rent back ($100,000) and construction costs that came in much higher than estimated contributed to the deficit. RA paid $2.65 million for the 33-year-old building on the banks of Lake Newport last July.

The association will put out a call for candidates to serve on the Tetra Review RFP Selection Committee soon with an application deadline of July 15, 2016. Candidate interviews will be conducted by the Board Operations Committee at a July 18 meeting.

Meanwhile, what RA will asking potential professional firms includes:

1.  A breakdown of estimated charges and a total estimated cost of the contract.
2.  Resumes of those professionals to be involved, as well as the hourly rate to be charged for each one.
3.  Company or group experience in conducting similar reviews.
4.  An outline of how you would propose to carry out the review.
5.  An estimate of the amount of time required to produce a final report, with an expected end date.
6.  Any other information believed to be relevant to the proposal.

RA has a deadline for RFP responses of Aug. 1. The board will hold a special meeting in August to consider the recommendations of the selection committee.

The board also discussed what the independent task force will do. The final report will include: “a review of the processes and internal controls that were followed across the organization in decision making and handling all decision-making, governance, administrative and financial aspects of RA’s purchase, including the referendum, planned use and renovation of Tetra (now known as the Lake House property) that have led to cost overruns and revenue shortfalls,” RA said in a statement.

“The review will include all materials and documents deemed necessary by the consultant and/or were shared with the RA board and the public related to the Tetra/Lake House and may include interviews with RA staff, board members, committee members and others.”

In other Lake House news, the board also voted to approve Fulkerson’s plan to replace $400,650 of the $430,000 moved out of the operating fund. The cost savings will come mostly from not filling open staff positions. The board further directed Fulkerson to come back to its July 28 meeting with savings ideas for the remaining balance of $30,000.

The board voted to direct RA staff to provide documents by July 8 on the Lake House to three RA members who have requested materials.

When Reston Association’s Board of Directors holds its June meeting on Thursday, there will be several more areas of discussion related to the purchase and renovation of the Lake House/Tetra property.

The Lake House has been in the news recently since RA announced it needed to cover a $430,000 cost overrun incurred since the property was purchased for $2.6 million in July 2015.

RA plans to use the 3,100-square-foot building on the shores of Lake Newport for after-school care, camps and community event rentals.

The overrun occurred due to several factors, said RA CEO Cate Fulkerson. The previous tenant, Tetra Partners, opted not to sign two six-month rent backs, so RA did not get more than $100,000 in rental payments (and had to speed up renovations in order to start earning income from the property). Renovation costs also have come in much higher than expected. Read More

Even though it has been in operation for decades, Reston Association has not had a formal ethics policy.

That’s why it has been working for two years on implementing a formal code to outline ethics, behaviors and governing policies.

RA has been moving toward improving its system of governance since May 2014. The organization also formed a Code of Ethics Task Force and recently paid Vienna-based Quantum Governance $10,850 to help draft the code of ethics.

Says the intro to the code, from RA CEO Cate Fulkerson and RA Board President and Vice President Ellen Graves and Michael Sanio:

The Code was truly a collective effort and was drafted with substantial input from RA Board Members, Task Force Volunteers, Staff, Members and other key Reston Association stakeholders.

We trust that it will help clarify and reinforce the types of core values and ethical standards our community can be proud of as well as help them to be as effective as possible in carrying out their vital leadership responsibilities.

We also trust that, over time, this Code will continue to evolve and be improved.

The RA Board will further discuss the draft of the new code at its full board meeting on June 23.

The board may vote to finalize the code, or move to obtain member input on the draft through a focus group session facilitated by Quantum Governance (and spend up to $6,000) or move to obtain member input on the draft through an electronic poll and conduct a focus group session facilitated by Quantum Governance (for an additional expense not to exceed $14,000).

Meanwhile, check out the draft below.

DRAFT – RA Code of Ethics Version 1.0 for Public Circulation

Reston Soccer is exploring the idea of building its own artificial turf fields in Reston.

Reston Soccer President Robert Anguizola says the league is developing a new strategic plan in order to better serve Reston’s 1,500 youth soccer players. Part of that plan includes converting two grass fields into turf fields, but the idea is still in the very early exploratory stage, he said.

The league held a town hall at Walker Nature Center on Wednesday to gauge the community’s interest in the project.

“We are very excited about our strategic plan,” said Anguizola. “We are doing a lot of things to improve player development. One thing that is a big part of that is field and facility quality.”

Reston Soccer was one of several community groups that contributed to the $2 million project to build two turf fields at South Lakes High School several years ago. While that gave Reston Soccer, which donated $150,000, more playing time on the fields, the league still needs more turf fields, which are available to teams even during rain, said Anguizola.

Reston Soccer does not own its own fields, however. Teams play on fields owned by Reston Association and the Fairfax County Park Authority.

Ideally, the league would like to convert the two grass fields at RA’s Lake Newport Soccer on Reston Parkway, says Anguizola. Anguizola is asking to speak at the July RA Board meeting to see if RA would be interested in partnering in the effort.

Anguizola also said Reston Soccer is concerned about the potential health effects of crumb rubber, which was used in Fairfax County Public School turf fields. Some studies have shown the crushed-tire material is a carcinogen. The county says there are no health risks.

Anguizola says Reston Soccer is looking into newer types of organic infill made from cork and coconut husks.

Reston Socceer has hired an architect to envision what the fields could look like. It has not yet put a dollar amount on the potential project, said Anguizola.

The people who brought paddleboarding to Reston are hoping to bring a gondola pilot project here next month.

Steve Gurney, owner of Surf Reston Stand Up Paddleboarding, has asked Reston Association for permission to offer gondola rides on Lake Anne in late July.

Gurney plans to bring a gondola (and gondolier) to Reston to see if it would be a good longterm investment here.

“A gondola at Lake Anne has the potential to be a very unique regional attraction comparable to a Reston Town Center Carriage Ride,” Gurney said in his request to RA, which must approve the idea since Lake Anne is RA property.

“There are less than 25 other gondola operations in the nation, and many report that they are consistently voted the ‘most romantic evening’ and the ‘best place to propose’ in their regions.”

The cost of the Reston rides has not yet been determined, said Gurney. Most vendors around the country charge $100-$125 for an hour-long ride for four, he said.

Gurney said he sees collaboration with the restaurants at Lake Anne (and the immediate region) to create dinner/gondola packages will provide a unique offering to drive traffic and commerce to Lake Anne. Read More

Reston Association CEO Cate Fulkerson says she will forgo $15,000 of her own salary raise and potential bonus as part of cost-savings measures to help make up for the $430,000 deficit caused by the Lake House renovation project.

That move is part of more than $355,000 in money-saving moves Fulkerson presented to the RA Board at an operations and budget meeting Saturday. Fulkerson said Wednesday she expects to find an additional $75,000 or more in permanent variances by the end of the month.

RA purchased the Lake House, then known as the Tetra building, for $2.65 million in July 2015. But costs soon began mounting, and RA’s Board of Directors voted in late May to move $430,000 from its operating fund to cover the Lake House overrun.

The deficit was caused by several factors, including the previous tenant opting not to rent back through 2016 and renovation costs that were far more expensive than forecast. Read More

Nearly a dozen Reston Association members pleaded with RA’s Board Governance Committee on Tuesday to investigate how the Tetra/Lake House purchase got $430,00 in the hole so quickly.

The RA Board announced in late May that renovation costs at Tetra, now called the Lake House, have far exceeded forecasts. The association purchased the property for $2.65 million in July 2015. At the time of a member referendum in May 2015, RA estimated renovation costs at the 33-year-old building, which it plans to use for community and event space, would be $259,000.

Those renovation costs quickly grew exponentially.

The board voted last month to move $430,000 from its operating fund to cover the deficit — as well as organize a task force to investigate how the overrun occurred.

The speakers at last night’s meeting urged the committee to organize an independent task force. It had been suggested by RA Vice President Michael Sanio, head of the Board Governance Committee, that the task force should be comprised of board members, an RA Fiscal Committee member and a community member.

“It must be completely independent,” said RA member Eric Carr. “To staff it with yourself is a farce. “Whatever conclusion will be a sham and will not be accepted by community.” Read More

Reston Association is calling for a independent review of the Lake House deficit  — with a task force made up primarily of RA Board members.

The RA Board voted May 26 to move $430,000 from its operating fund to cover cost overruns on the project. RA bought the property, then known as the Tetra Building, for $2.6 million in July 2015. The purchase was approved by a member referendum.

Several factors, including previous tenant Tetra Partners opting not to rent back for 2016 and renovation costs that were much more than expected, led to the deficit, RA officials said last month.

RA hopes to finish renovations promptly and begin programming at the 3,000-square-foot building on the shores of Lake Newport. RA expects to bring in more than $100,000 annually from event rentals and after-school care.

In addition to voting in May to transfer the money, the board also voted to start a review of Lake House 2016 Budgeting.

According to a proposal by Michael Sanio, Board Governance Chair, the association will convene a Lake House Budget Task Force that will consist of several RA Board of Directors members; a rep from RA’s Fiscal Committee; and an external community member.

The Board Operations Committee meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr. There will be a public hearing portion, where members can offer their opinion on the Lake House budgeting review process.

The Lake House Task Force would be expected to provide its final report to the RA Board on Sept. 28. RA documents said the task force will:

• Review budgets and referendum information prepared and distributed by the RA, as well as the process utilized to prepare those documents.
• Review the steps taken for the acquisition and remodel of the Lake House to ensure that the correct financial, accounting and project management/controls were followed.
• Recommend revised RA processes to ensure future construction projects and operating budgets are accurate and conform to best practice industry standards.