It may be cool and cloudy Saturday, but the calendar says spring.

So it is time to bring the family to the Walker Nature Education Center from 1 to 5 p.m. for Reston Association’s annual spring festival.

The event is free. The nature center is located at 11450 Glade Dr.

Here is what’s planned:

• Live animals from the Raptor Conservancy
• Fishing at Lake Audubon
• Crafts for Kids
• Displays and information from environmental groups
• Canoe and kayak rentals on Lake Audubon ($3)
• Native plant sale with Nature by Design

Live Entertainment

• 1:00-1:45 p.m. – Blue Sky Puppets: The Three No So Little Pigs
• 2:30-3:15 p.m. – Enviro Drums: Interactive Music and Recycling Show
• 4:00-4:45 p.m. – Under the Sea: Live Animal Show with Creatures from the Chesapeake Bay

Accoustic Music

• 1:00-2:10 p.m. – The Stewart Sisters
• 2:25-3:35 p.m. – Song Garden
• 3:50-5:00 p.m. – Hickory Grove

Photo of Spring Festival 2015/Courtesy Reston Association

Reston Association is gearing up for its first programming at the Lake House, formerly known as the Tetra Building.

RA will open registration next week for “RA Fit Kids” after-school care for the 2016-17 school year. RA spokesman Mike Leone says there are spots for 50 elementary and middle school students.

The structure of the program will be “fit minds, fit bodies and building a fit community,” said Leone.

That means programming will include art, sports and fitness, homework club, nature and cooking, as well as service learning projects.

Here is what you need to know:

Programs for K-sixth graders will be held at the Lake House; middle schoolers will meet next door at Brown’s Chapel.

Hours are 2-6:30 p.m. on school days; 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on teacher workdays and other student holidays.

There will be bus transportation from these Reston schools: Buzz Aldrin, Forest Edge, Hunters Woods, Lake Anne, Terraset, Langston Hughes and Herndon Middle. Read More

Do you want to pay more taxes for transportation improvements? An informal Reston Association survey shows that most Restonians don’t.

Reston Association recently surveyed members (through a printed questionnaire at its annual meeting and a link sent electronically) asking how residents felt about Fairfax County’s proposal to create a service tax district to fund transportation improvements here.

The county says about $2.6 billion in improvements will be needed in Reston as it grows over the next several decades. Much of that will be paid for in developer proffers, but there still are hundreds of millions needed for roads, lights, ramps and bridges.

RA says nearly 700 individuals completed survey.

Residents were asked if they would be willing to pay an additional tax based on the value of their property that would only be used to fund transportation improvements in Reston. Eighty-six percent of respondents (597) answered “no.” Among the 94 (14 percent) that answered “yes,” most said they would be willing to pay extra taxes but only at the lowest rate (0.020 per $100 of value). Read More

Reston Association is seeking member opinion on the implementation of a special service tax district to help pay for transportation improvements.

Fairfax County is currently in the process of examining what the Reston area needs as it moves forward as a transit-oriented community. At a meeting in February, county officials said Reston is going to need more than $2.6 billion in transportation improvements to keep up with development and population growth in the next 40 years.

High on the priority list are an urban-style street grid around transit stations and additional spots to cross the Dulles Toll Road, according to the advisory group.

At that meeting, the possibility of a special tax district was first discussed. Tysons has a special tax district in place since 2013. Businesses and residents of Tysons are taxed in order to help raise about $810 million of the estimated $3.1 billion necessary for longterm changes.

The Tysons Special Tax  for FY2016 is $0.05 per $100 of assessed real estate value.

A special tax district can be put in place by the Board of Supervisors and does not require landowner approval. Reston Association is polling members purely for feedback; it does not have authority to institute a tax or special assessment for transportation.

In Reston, homeowners already are members of the county’s Small Tax District 5, which funds the Reston Community Center. That’s in addition to Reston Association assessments, Fairfax County and Virginia taxes for all RA members, as well as cluster dues or condo fees for many.

Fairfax County’s Reston Network Analysis & Funding Plan Advisory Group asked RA CEO Cate Fulkerson what she thought of a special tax district. She told RA members at Tuesday’s annual meeting she wanted to get community opinion before she answered the question.

RA is hoping to get member thoughts so Fulkerson can report back to the advisory group in late April.

“I would like to go back and give them a sense of reaction,” said Fulkerson.

At Tuesday’s RA annual meeting, informal paper queries were distributed asking these questions:

Would you be willing to pay an additional tax based on the value of your property that would only be used to fund transportation improvements in Reston? (Yes; No)

If yes, what rate would be acceptable to you? (Rates below are per $100 of appraised property value) ($0.020; 0.025; 0.030; 0.035)

As an example, an owner with a value of $600,000 paying $0.020 per $100 of the home value would pay $120 annually for transportation improvements.

Fulkerson said the question will also be sent electronically to RA members.

See the advisory group’s breakdown of what Reston needs in the December 2015 presentation attached to this previous Reston Now article.

Photo: Informal questionnaire at RA annual meeting. 

Newcomer Sherri Hebert will join experienced Reston Association Directors Eve Thompson and Dannielle LaRosa on the RA Board.

Results from the 2016 RA Board of Directors elections were released last night. Overall voter turnout was about 15 percent, which is typical for a board election.

Hebert, who has been active in Bentana Cluster and the citizen concern over the redevelopment of Tall Oaks Village Center, will represent Lake Anne Tall Oaks. She ran unopposed for the three-year seat previously held by Thompson.

Thompson, a Realtor, ran against two opponents for the At-Large seat, defeating John Bowman and April Tan.

LaRosa, a finance professional, has represented North Point on the board since 2014. She was first appointed to replace Tim Cohn, who resigned for personal reasons. She then ran and was elected last year to fill out the one year remaining on Cohn’s term. The 2016 vote fills a three-year term.

Here are the official voting stats:

At-Large 

• Eve Thompson – 2,659
• John Bowman – 2,218
• April Tan – 1,136

Lake Anne/Tall Oaks

Sherri Hebert – 1,395 votes

North Point 

Dannielle LaRosa – 1,427 votes

The new board, which also includes sitting directors Ray Waddell (At-Large), Ellen Graves (Apartment Owners), Julie Bitzer (South Lakes), Lucinda Shannon (Hunters Woods/Dogwood), Jeff Thomas (At-Large), Michael Sanio (At-Large), will meet Wednesday, where it will elect new officers.

Photos: Sherri Hebert (left), Eve Thompson, Danniella LaRosa/Credit: Reston Association

Reston Association will hold its annual Members Meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.

The annual meeting will feature remarks from Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins; Fairfax County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova; Del, Ken Plum (D-Reston); and State Den. Janet Howell (D-Reston).

RA CEO Cate Fulkerson and Board President Ellen Graves will give reports on the state of the association, and RA staffers and volunteers will be honored for their work.

Results of the 2016 RA Board election will also be announced.

 See the full meeting agenda on RA’s website.

Photo courtesy RA

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors said it will provide initial funding for restoration of the eroding hill — which has left eight sewage pipes exposed — behind Wakerobin and Cedar Cove clusters.

A broken sewer line in the eroding channel leaked into Lake Audubon last summer. Since then, RA directors and residents of those neighborhoods have been asking the supervisors for several months to find the money for the repairs, which have left sewer lines exposed.

On Thursday, RA CEO Cate Fulkerson testified at the county’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget hearings, asking the supervisors to please find the money to help solve the problem.

She recapped the erosion situation, adding that years of sediment in Lake Audubon is also adding to algae bloom and poor water quality.

The pipes are on RA land but are owned by the county. RA has said the county should also take some responsibility because much of the erosion has been caused by water running downhill from South Lakes High School and Langston Hughes Middle School.

Adding concern is a planned 40,000-square-foot addition for South Lakes High School. Fairfax County Public School officials have said the addition does not have to follow updated environmental rules and is grandfathered in under older ones.

Repairs to the outfall channel are estimated to total about $1 million, RA officials estimated at a January meeting.

Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova said at the hearing that design and permit dollars to restore the Wakerobin/Cedar Cove stream reach will remain in the proposed FY 2017 Budget. She did not elaborate on how much was available, but said it was part of the stormwater management allocation.

The Board of Supervisors will vote on its $3.99 billion budget on April 26.

“This is excellent news, and I thank all that took the opportunity to send letters of support for the budget matter and/or provided testimony,” Fulkerson wrote to residents. “In the next couple of months we will setup a meeting with County staff from the [Departments of Public Works and Environmental Services] to discuss design parameters for the restoration project.”

The RA board has also authorized allocating up to $20,000 from its operating reserves fund to conduct an independent audit of the waterflow and mitigation measures and to use the results to research the validity of FCPS’ waiver of stormwater management/ best management practices.

“I think it’s safe to say that all the residents of Wakerobin and Cedar Cove Court appreciate RA’s and Supervisor Hudgins’ initiative to put this unsightly environmental hazard on the track to remediation,” said Wakerobin resident Terry Maynard.

“As neighborhoods, we are committed to seeing the remediation project through to completion as quickly as possible even if its completion requires some neighborhood disruption for construction.”

Exposed sewer pipe near Cedar Cove/file photo

Reston Association Board members will revisit in May the idea of allocating $65,000 this year for public art.

At-Large Director Ken Knueven had made a motion to take the money from the operating cash reserves to support the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) as it plans its budget for 2017.

There are 18 development projects in the pipeline for Reston, and about half those projects are on land that falls under Reston Association covenants, said Knueven.

Public art also is one of the principles of Reston, and working with IPAR is in the proffers for most developers, he added.

RA will be working with IPAR before the end of 2016 to commission public art for the Pony Barn Recreation site and the new Lake House (formerly Tetra) property, according to Knueven’s motion. In 2017, RA will likely also be planning public art at other RA facilities such as the Central Services Facility, Hook Road Recreation Area, and the Autumnwood Recreation Area, among others.

Knueven said that increasing the donation from RA’s typical $10,000 to $65,000 will go beyond just art. Knueven hinted it could provide leeway for RA to have greater influence on development.

“It allows us to have a louder conversation and a much broader presence in those conversations” with developers, he said.

That did not sit well with several RA Board members, who asked why this could not have been brought up late last year when RA was formulating its 2016 budget.

“Where is the line on how we are going to spend our money?” said At-Large Director Ray Wedell. “We don’t have enough information, and we are trying to buy our way into influence. Reserves should be for emergency situations. You need to prove it to me that we need to spend the money.”

Hunters Woods/Dogwood Director Lucinda Shannon said the public art discussion should wait a year.

“I am against the whole idea,” she said. “It is irresponsible for us when we have the exposed sewer line, we have kids in school in trailers — and [RA] has $65,000 for public art?”

Added Wedell: “It is not our money. It is the people’s money. It’s not IPAR’s money. I don’t see how we can possibly justify this.”

Photo: Public art at RA’s Dogwood Pool 

Citizens on both sides of the Reston Dog Park issue spent about two hours speaking to the Reston Association Board of Directors on Thursday. In the end, the RA Board decided to speak some more, suggesting that they further discuss noise complaints and possible mitigation measures with the Fairfax County Park Authority.

That’s because that’s all RA can really do. The off-leash dog area, the only one in Reston, is located in Baron Cameron Park, which is Fairfax County Park Authority land. Reston Association has no authority over the park, RA Attorney Ken Chadwick confirmed at Thursday’s meeting.

Still, some of the residents of Longwood Grove, a development of single-family homes located across Wiehle Avenue from the dog park, said they were seeking RA’s help in their ongoing battle to get the dog park moved.

“We are asking [RA] to stand with us to ask the county to relocate the facility,” said Moira Callaghan, representing the Longwood Grove homeowners. She said RA’s mission is to “look out for [members] property values … and the interest of our homes and our health, safety and welfare.”

Callaghan was among seven individuals who sought legal action to have the park shut down in recent years. That case was dismissed in a Fairfax County court.

She maintained in a presentation to the board Thursday that the barking of dogs at the park “degrades the quality of life” for Longwood Grove residents.

Callaghan also gave a history of the dog park. She pointed out that it was never approved by the Fairfax County Planning Commission, was intended to be temporary, and that many Longwood Grove homeowners purchased their homes prior to the dog park’s opening in 2001. She also said county officials — including the park authority and Fairfax County Police have continually passed the buck in regards to evaluating noise levels and responding to complaints. Read More

Reston Association’s Board of Directors will discuss at its monthly meeting tonight a motion to donate $65,000 in 2016 to the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR).

The motion, presented by At-Large member Ken Knueven, seeks to allocate the $65,000 from the Operating Cash Reserves.

RA currently donates to IPAR, but a $65,000 donation is nearly six times the current amount of $10,000 in annual giving from RA.

The donation fulfills “the Association’s obligation to uphold its design and planning foundation principle, “Commitment to the Arts” as an Essential Element of Reston,” the motion said.

From RA documents:

Currently there are nine (9) residential and/or mixed use development projects that are being planned on Reston Association (RA) covenanted properties and at least nine (9) additional projects in the Corridor.

Each of these 18 development projects has a proffer obligation to work with the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) to install public art on the properties.

Since “Commitment to the Arts” is one of the Association’s Essential Element design and planning foundation principles, and as RA works to enhance its own amenities and consider the multitude of new development and/or redevelopment projects in the community, greater attention and resources must be allocated by the Association to Reston’s public art initiative.

Time is of the essence as IPAR will be setting its 2017 Budget in April 2016 and the Association’s current level of support ($10,000) in implementing the Reston Art Master Plan will not enable the Association to work with developers to select and commission artists to install public art on RA common areas and covenanted properties.

Additional annual funding is needed to provide the Association with adequate design management control and oversight of these public art projects.

The Association will be working with IPAR before the end of 2016 to commission public art for the Pony Barn Recreation site and the new Lake House property.

In 2017, it is anticipated that public art will also need to be planned for other RA facilities including but not limited to the Central Services Facility, Hook Road Recreation Area, and the Autumnwood Recreation Area.

As such, it has been recommended by IPAR’s President and Executive Director that the Association increase its support by $65,000 in 2016 and 2017 to assist with artist selection and commissioning.

BUDGET IMPACT It is recommended that that $65,000 be allocated from the Association’s Operating Reserve for this effort so as not to impact the Board-approved 2016 Operating Expense Budget.

Photo: IPAR statue at Reston Town Center/file photo

Reston Association wants to know how you feel about Reston’s Dog Park at Baron Cameron Park.

The RA Board of Directors will be discussing the dog park — as well as listening to comments from members during its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, March 24. The dog park discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. RA has no particular motion for action to be taken concerning the park.

At issue: the ongoing saga of nearby homeowners who say their quality of life is being interrupted by the constant barking and yapping from the off-leash area that borders Wiehle Avenue.

The RA board recently received a petition from residents of more than 40 homes in Longwood Grove, located across Wiehle from the park.

While RA can listen to members and discuss the matter with the Fairfax County Park Authority, it likely does not hold any authority as the off-leash dog area sits in Baron Cameron Park, which is owned by the park authority. Park Authority representatives have also been invited to speak at the meeting. Read More

This is an Op-Ed by Reston Association President Ellen Graves. It does not represent the opinion of Reston Now.

Reston Association offers an inspiring array of ways to get involved in the community. From volunteering to serve on a committee to helping beautify natural areas through working with Habitat Heroes, Reston residents have always answered the call to donate their time and efforts for good causes.

Sometimes, however, it’s the little things that count the most in the quest to make Reston the best it can be. Voting in the RA Board of Directors’ election is perhaps the single most significant way members can make a difference in the community without having to dedicate hours of their time.

The voting period for the board election opened March 7 and runs through April 4. Voters can vote online or through the mail. Two of this year’s three races are uncontested, but making your voice heard through voting is nonetheless important in the election process. Read More