Reston Association is working on how its board of directors can better work together and how the organization can implement a code of ethics.

The board will discuss the findings of an independent report from Quantum Governance at its regular meeting on June 23.

RA’s Code of Conduct Task Force is studying how to improve upon the association’s conduct policies for employees, board members and volunteers. RA says it has been moving toward improving its system of governance since May 2014.

RA recently hired Quantum to review RA. The Vienna-based firm interviewed 44 people, including RA staff, board members and committee members. Read the firm’s Ethics Assessment Summary Report. Read More

The overrun on Reston Association’s purchase of the Tetra building will have implications that will reach far into the future.

That’s the analysis of Reston 2020’s Terry Maynard, who crunched the numbers and found some of these key points:

Not counting the Tetra subsidy of $275,000 for external repairs, the Tetra budget will be $624,640 over budget by year-end. That’s $28-$30 per RA household; not an absence of impact on assessment fees as reported in RA’s Pro Forma Financial statement in RA’s referendum marketing “Property Purchase Fact Sheet” no matter how cleverly disguised by cuts elsewhere in RA spending.

As a result, the entire Tetra effort will be in the hole more than $400,000 by year-end versus the Pro Forma Financial statement’s prospective surplus of more than $200,000.

Still uncompleted repairs, particularly improvements to Tetra’s grounds, and the need for new furnishings will add to the growing cost next year and beyond.

By the end of 2020–the final date presented in RA’s Pro Forma Financial in the Voter’s Guide–RA will probably be more than one-million dollars in the hole, costing Restonians $40-$50 per household instead of the $10-$12 projected by RA.

Beyond that timeframe, a published pre-referendum analysis showed that RA will not operate Tetra in the black until 2048 using RA’s own assumptions and other conservative ones the beyond 2020 endpoint of RA’s Pro Forma Financial statement.

In 2015, Reston Association purchased the 33-year-old building — now called the Lake House — on the shores of Lake Newport for $2.6 million, which was nearly twice its assessed value.

RA plans to use the building for community and recreational space, and event rentals and afterschool care are expected to bring in about $100,000 annually.

But RA announced in recent weeks that the project, still under renovation, is experiencing large cost overruns. The RA Board voted last week to move $430,000 from its operating fund to cover the current deficit.

Maynard’s analysis say “it is unlikely Tetra will ever be profitable given RA’s track record of recovering less than 27 percent of the costs on all the other facilities it operates from swimming pools to the Nature House. Our assessment fees pay the other 73 percent of those costs.”

Read the rest of his study on Reston 2020’s blog.

This is a commentary by Reston resident Ed Abbott. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now. If something is on your mind, Reston Now will print well-organized letters to the editor. Send them to [email protected].

Many years ago, I served in Admiral Rickover’s nuclear navy. He drilled the idea of responsibility into the heads of all the sailors and officers in his program. He said, “Responsibility is a unique concept. … You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished.”

“You may delegate it, but it is still with you. … If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible.”

Let’s apply that same concept of responsibility for Reston Association’s Tetra project to statements made by several Board members during May 26, 2016 Board meeting.

As you may recall, that was the meeting where the Board approved an additional $430,000 for the renovations for the “Lake House” building (formerly the Tetra building).

The original estimate in the pro forma was $259,000. The total now for the renovation is almost triple the original estimate.

I will start with RA CEO Cate Fulkerson. In her presentation, she addressed the failure of the pro forma cost estimate to accurately predict the actual costs.

Ms. Fulkerson said, “I own that mistake with my staff.” (Emphasis added.) She admits that she was responsible for the estimate but goes on to implicate her staff. She is responsible for the work of her staff and therefore responsible for whatever mistakes they made. She cannot diminish her responsibility by blaming her staff. Read More

It’s been a week since the Reston Association Board voted to move $430,000 from its Operating Fund to use towards unexpectedly large expenses incurred by renovations at the Tetra/Lake House property.

RA purchased the building for $2.6 million in summer 2015 in order to fend off feared commercial development and add a community space.

A variety of things led to the overrun, including the previous tenant opting not to rent back for 2016 and rehab costs that came in much higher than expected, RA officials said.

But the reality is the cost gap is large and RA officials are not going to abandon the project. In fact, RA CEO Cate Fulkerson says the association needs to get Tetra/Lake House ready for business in order to start making money at the 3,000-square foot building on the shores of Lake Newport.

RA will begin after school care programs at Tetra/Lake House in the fall, and plans to rent it for events, meetings and parties. RA expects to eventually bring in more than $100,000 annually from those things.

But that does not mean the expenses will stop. The renovations, which have been somewhat scaled down as costs climbed, are not done. And at the May 26 RA Board meeting, representatives of the Lake House working group showed the board an elaborate landscaping and parking lot renovation idea that would cost a not-yet-identified amount should RA go forward with it in the future.

What should happen now? Should RA look for proffer and sponsor funding to pay for future costs? Should it cut their losses and sell the building? Should it charge non-RA members higher rates for rentals?

Do you think RA members will end up paying more than a few dollars in their annual assessments because of the deficit? Do you have any money-making or money-saving ideas?

Chat in the comments and have an nice weekend.

Editor’s note: An incorrect version of this story accidentally posted earlier today. This is the correct version.

Metal pellets from a BB gun were aimed at a Reston Association official’s Reston home on Sunday night, police confirmed.

Sometime late Sunday night, someone shot at the front and back deck of the home, according to a report filed with Fairfax County Police. The Reston Association official’s name and home location are not being used for privacy reasons.

The RA official was out of town at the time. No other houses in the area were believed to be damaged and there were no injuries, police said. Detectives took BBs from the scene and will further investigate the incident.

The RA official is concerned that the shooting was done by someone in the community “who has an issue” with Reston Association.

This is an op-ed by Reston resident Ed Abbott. It odes not represent the opinion of Reston Now. Something on your mind? Send us a letter at [email protected].

I attended last night’s meeting of the Board of Directors and witnessed the Board’s approval for funding the renovations of the Lake House.

Cate Fulkerson, the Association’s Chief Executive Officer, gave a Power Point presentation justifying the expenditure of $430,000 similar to the one that she presented to the Finance Committee on Monday.

Each Board member discussed their views after which the Board voted approval for the expenditure. As a result, both the Board and Ms. Fulkerson have failed their fiduciary responsibility in accordance with the Association’s governing documents.  Here’s why:

The Board of Directors of the Association has a “fiduciary responsibility” requiring them to act in the best interest of the corporation. This responsibility is written into the Virginia’s state corporation law. Reston Association is a non-profit corporation and has filed articles of incorporation with the state. Those articles of incorporation comply with Virginia law. Read More

Reston Association has created a dog park working group in an effort to bring compromise to the dog park issue that has been, well, dogging Baron Cameron-area residents and dog park users for several years.

The move comes after citizens on both sides of the issue spent about two hours speaking to the Reston Association Board of Directors at their March meeting.

The problem, say many residents of Longwood Grove, a subdivision located across Wiehle Avenue from the off-leash area at Baron Cameron Park, is noise. The Longwood Grove residents say they can hear dogs barking at the park day and night and it is affecting their quality of life.

Affected Longwood Grove residents have complained to the Fairfax County Park Authority, which runs the park, and filed a lawsuit against FCPA and the nonprofit that formerly administered the dog park.

This spring, the Longwood Grove homeowners asked RA for its help, even though RA does not have jurisdiction over the county park. Residents have told RA that they would like to see the dog park moved to Lake Fairfax Park, another Fairfax County Park Authority park that is farther away from homes; or any available and appropriate Reston Association land and participate in a land swap with the county.

Members of the working group include Longwood Grove residents Carrie Sawicki, Linda Levy and Moira Callaghan; dog park users Barbara & David Okerson, Lee Stokes, Natalie Shanks, Robert Barnett, Heather Lawson, and Gabriel Relva; and former Reston Dogs (the nonprofit that administed the park until last year) members Cary Coryell and Rachel Kranz.

The group will provide the RA Board of Directors by late July a set of community recommendations that the association can convey to the Fairfax County Park Authority on improving the operation of the park.

This is a commentary from Reston resident Terry Maynard. It does not represent the opinion of Reston Now.

As RestonNow readers know by now, RA has at least a $451,000 budget shortfall in its operating income and capital investment for renovations of the Tetra property to bring it up to County code and other standards that make it usable for its intended purposes.

If I am reading the Board of Directors and Fiscal Committee agenda packages for this week correctly, the so-called Lake House Working Group is asking for an additional $428,000 for renovation of the property in addition to the $259,000 —  increasing the projected renovation costs by 165 percent — apparently budgeted for Tetra property renovations this year although it is unclear that the previous sum was ever approved by the Board of Directors. (See the “Lake House” presentation to be given to the Board in the agenda packet, p. 11.)

That’s a total of $687,000 in renovations to be put into a building that, at a $2.65 million purchase price, was already a $1.5 million above fair market value. So if the supplementary capital budget is approved, through this year RA will have spent $3.35 million for a building worth about one-third of that. And that will probably not be the end of what of the investment needed to make the Tetra property usable. Read More

Reston Association says the Lake House property is facing a nearly $500,000 cost overrun and is seeking the Board of Directors’ approval to move $430,000 from the 2016 Operating Fund to cover some of the costs.

There are several reasons for the big gap. Among them: Former tenant Tetra commercial real estate was expected to rent back the property through 2016.

Instead, the company, which had its offices in the building since 2003, left at the end of 2015. That means RA did not receive about $107,000 in payments and was also responsible for paying $20,000 in property taxes. Tetra did not break a contract — the contract ended at the end of 2015. It did, however, unexpectedly opt not to sign two six-month renewals, said RA CEO Cate Fulkerson.

“When [Tetra president] Bill Lauer died [in 2015], it was his intention to rent back through 2016,” said Fulkerson. “His wife, Rosemary, said the company just could not stay — it held too many memories. So we said OK, but it accelerated our plan by a whole year.” Read More

When Reston Association Pools open for the season May 28, double check pool schedule before you grab your towel.

Seven of RA’s 15 pools are open weekends only from May 28 until Fairfax County Public Schools close in late June. That’s a departure from recent years, when most pools were open, even if just for a few hours in the afternoon, during the RA pools’ “Season 1” schedule.

It’s part of a money-saving measure the RA Board approved in a vote last September.

Reston Association’s outdoor pools cost about $1.6 million annually to administer and staff. They also take in upwards of $800,000 in revenue, according to RA documents.

Changing to the weekends-only schedule early in the season is going to save about $10,000 annually, RA estimated when examining making the change. There will also be a reduced number of pools open in late August. That will save the association another $14,000.

RA aquatics officials said that the pools are scarcely used during mid-day hours while children are still in school.

Here is what you need to know:

From May 28 to June 23 it is weekends (Friday evening-Sunday) only for Dogwood, Golf Course Island, Lake Audubon, Newbridge North Hills, Shadowood and Tall Oaks pools.

North Shore and Ridge Heights, RA’s two heated facilities, are open daily from 1 p.m. (11 a.m. on weekends). Also open daily, but with more limited hours, are Autumnwood, Glade, Hunters Woods, Lake Newport and Uplands. See the complete schedule on Reston Association’s website.

The “Season 3” summer schedule, with all pools open daily (minus one day a week for cleaning, training, special events and lifeguards’ day off), runs June 24 to Aug. 21.

Four pools — Ridge Heights, North Shore, Glade and Lake Newport — will be open Aug. 21 to Sept. 4. In previous years, eight pools had been open during that time. RA has said staffing problems are widespread in late August as aquatics staffers head back to college.

The RA Board had looked into permanently closing the least-used pool in each district: Shadowood in Hunters Woods/Dogwood; Tall Oaks in Lake Anne/Tall Oaks; Autumnwood in North Point; and Newbridge in South Lakes.

Autumnwood has had an average of 10,165 visitors per summer over the last five years; Shadowood, 3,542; Newbridge, 4,211; and Tall Oaks, 4,587, RA said. Read More

Reston Association’s Lake House Working Group is still wrapping up its work, but RA is already promoting the former Tetra property as a place for private rentals.

RA is marketing the rehabbed space as “coming soon” and as “an affordable and ideal location with its park-like grounds” as a place for:

• Small to mid-sized weddings and celebrations
• Corporate functions and retreats
• Workshops and conferences
• Private functions

After a contentious member referendum, RA purchased the property from Tetra commercial real estate in July 2015 for $2.6 million.

A working group has been meeting since October on uses for the property, which sits on a little over three acres on the shores of Lake Newport. The 15-member group is expected to make its final presentation to the RA Board at the board’s meeting on May 26, and the board is expected to vote on longterm usage.

But even without the big-picture plan in place, RA is already marketing its new after-school program, which will begin in Fall 2016. After care is expected to bring in more than $100,000 annually to the association, though operating expenses will offset about 40 percent of income.

A $650,000 contribution from developer Comstock has helped fund the exterior renovations that have been taking place the last several months. RA, which borrowed the entire $2.6 million, has said members will not see an impact due to the purchase to annual assessments until at least 2018.

At the renovated building, there are two rooms for public use. According to the marketing materials:

The Lakeside Room offers access to the deck overlooking Lake Newport and can accommodate 50 guests.

The Lake View Room can accommodate 100 guests in a natural light-filled setting with a fireplace.

The entire facility can also be rented for up to 150 guests.

Rates are $100-$275/hour, RA materials say. Reservations are available at [email protected] or by calling  703-435-6530.

It may be cold and gray, but according to the calendar it’s swim season.

Two of Reston Association’s pools — the heated ones, of course — open on Saturday, May 14:

Ridge Heights Heated Pool
Weekdays 1-7 p.m.
Weekends 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

North Shore Heated Pool & Spa
Weekdays 1-7 p.m.
Weekends 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

The remaining pools are scheduled to open Saturday, May 28. Visit RA’s website for a full pool schedule.

If you still need to purchase pool passes, go to the online RA Marketplace or visit RA Member Services at 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.

Reston Association Lake Anne/Tall Oaks Director Sherri Hebert says the community should move on from the idea that extensive retail will return to Tall Oaks Village Center.

Tall Oaks owners, Jefferson Apartment Group (JAG) showed the community a third version of its redevelopment plan this week. The plan calls for about 150 townhomes and condos, with a parklike entry, public art, a children’s play area and exercise stations.

JAG also plans about 8,500 square feet of retail and services, up from about 3,000 and 7,000 in previous versions. It does not include plans for an anchor grocery store, which a recent market analysis said would not thrive in that spot. The current grocery anchor space has been empty since 2011. Read More