Today is the last day to file if you are interested in running for a seat on Reston Association’s Board of Directors in 2016.

Three seats are open:

• At-Large Director
• North Point District Director
• Lake Anne/Tall Oaks District Director

All positions are for three year terms. Qualifications include:

• Being a member of the Reston Association in good standing, either a renter or property owner (by Jan. 29, 2016)
• Completing a Statement of Candidacy and a Petition of Candidacy
• If running for a district seat, living in that same district

Candidates must fill out a Statement of Candidacy and a Petition of Candidacy with 25 household signatures.

Responsibilities of the board include:

• Determining the long-range mission and goals of the organization
• Establishing RA policies and procedures
• Approving association programs and services through the budget process
• Monitoring finances, approving budgets, and setting the annual assessment rate

Candidacy forms must be filed by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29. Elections will be held in March.

RA Board meeting/file photo

Erosion has contributed to the exposure of eight sewer lines in the hillside leading from South Lakes Drive to Lake Audubon. If significant action is not taken, Reston could face serious environmental and public health situation.

That was the takeaway from a long discussion at Reston Association’s Board of Directors meeting Thursday, where the board passed several motions to commit money to study the issue and continue pressing Fairfax County officials to act on the issue.

“This is a health hazard waiting to happen,” said RA land use attorney John McBride, who warned that recent events in Flint, Mich., where a money-saving effort to change the water supply resulted in dangerous lead contamination.

Granted, Reston does not get its drinking water from Lake Audubon, but it is a popular recreational spot, and boaters, swimmers and pets who enter the lake could be severely affected. Read More

With nearly three feet of snow on the ground in Reston, naturally it is time to think Summer.

Registration for Reston Association camps opens Monday, Jan. 25 for RA members.

RA has a wide variety of camps — from Nature Tots for preschoolers all the way to teen camp.

Some of the speciality offerings for summer 2016:

Bricks 4 Kidz With Legos — Campers use Legos to learn STEM basics

Camp on Wheels — Camp focused on skateboarding, biking and inline skating

Science Camp — Older campers (ages 8 to 12) are on site at the U.S. Geological Survey to learn from real scientists and test their skills

Triathlon Camp — Campers ages 6 to 17 learn new swimming, biking and running skills to put towards Reston’s youth triathlons

Can You Kick It Soccer Camp — Camp in partnership with Reston Soccer is for soccer players 8 to 14 to learn and improve soccer skills

Wilderness Camp — Campers ages 11 to 16 will learn valuable outdoors and camping skills.

To see more offerings, including traditional Day Camp and Junior Day Camp, view RA’s program guide online.

To register for camp, go to to the Marketplace section on the RA Website.

RA Camp on Wheels/File photo

Reston Association is seeking members to serve on the Design Review Board in three volunteer leadership positions. All terms are for three years.

The nine-member Design Review Board (DRB) interprets, administers and renders decisions involving the design covenants in accordance with the Design Guidelines of Reston Association.

Open positions include:

Design professional (2 seats): Architect, land planner, or landscape architect.

Lay Member (1 seat): Need not be a design professional.

If you are interested in applying to be a member of the DRB, please fill out the Committee Volunteer Application form and submit it via email to [email protected] by 5 p.m. March 4.

Responsibilities of the DRB include:

• Interpret, administer and render decisions involving the Design Covenants in the Reston Deed of Dedication
• Propose amendments to the Design Guidelines to the Board of Directors
• Developing administrative and application procedures
• Review and render decisions on applications for improvements and alterations to property
• Consider and decide appeals from applicants and affected parties
• Consider requests for temporary exception permits

The DRB meets on the first, second and fourth Tuesday evening of each month in groups of three (panels), and as the Full DRB once a month.

Home in Reston/file photo

Reston Association and residents who live in neighborhoods across from South Lakes High School are increasing their efforts to bring awareness — and hopefully, action — about stormwater runoff eroding the land nearby.

Water from the school area runs under South Lakes Drive to a steep, downhill drainage ditch that runs between Cedar Cover Cluster and Wakerobin Lane into Lake Audubon. Fairfax County Public Schools officials say a planned 40,000-square-foot addition, as well as more than 100 additional parking spaces, will not add to the stormwater runoff.

Residents say they have dealt with soggy ground for years, and they expect the planned addition for the high school will only make the problem worse. Meanwhile, the school system applied for and received a waiver to meet updated runoff regulations, rather than new ones that went into effect last summer.

“Residents of Wakerobin and Cedar Cover Cluster have been plagued for more than two decades with the ever-growing ditch between our two developments,” Terry Maynard, a Wakerobin resident, told the RA Board in December.

Read More

Nearly $200,000 in planned community improvements will be postponed by Reston Association to future years.

That is standard practice as RA does a year-end budget review to determine which capital repair and replacement projects are timely and which can wait. Some of the projects carrying forward into this year, in fact, were originally scheduled for previous years.

Deferred project money is held in the Repair, Replacement & Reserve Fund for use at a future date when these projects have been scoped and are ready for completion, says RA.

In any case, here’s what won’t happen until after 2016:

• Three baseball backstop replacements (at Wainwright, Bordeaux and Running Cedar fields) – $44,832
• Purchase of replacement Vermeer Chipper (machinery) – $40,000
• Pathway and sidewalk improvements at South Lakes/Lake Thoreau Dam and on Twin Branches Drive – $37,000
• New deck at Shadowood Pool – $75,000
• New tennis backboard at Lake Anne Park – $7,000

Meanwhile, a number of previously scheduled or already underway projects are slated to carry forward to 2016. Among them:

• Improvements to pathways and parking lots at Hunters Woods Park and North Hills Pool.
• Improvements to Lake Anne Park Fountain, Lake Thoreau Pool’s shower rooms, and North Hills Pool exterior lights.
• Funds for planning renovations at Pony Barn Pavilion ($9,420)
• New time clock for RA employees ($44,000) and new FIOS connectivity for Nature House ($20,000)
• Member experience tech upgrade ($201,000)
• Hunters Woods Pathway Lighting funds are being carried forward as RA is looking to community partners to bring more funds to the total project. ($124,916)

Some of the projects carried forward to 2016 may carry forward again into 2017, RA documents show. See a full breakdown beginning on page 43 of RA’s December meeting agenda.

Fairfax County may find an issue as it presses forward with the development of Reston Town Center North. Original county documents show that according to the Reston Deed, 10 acres of the 50-acre project must remain in its natural state.

The county approved a land swap with Inova last fall, clearing the way for future development of the area from Baron Cameron Avenue to New Dominion Drive.

County planners have held several community meetings to discuss future plans, which are likely to include a new Embry Rucker Community Shelter;  a new Reston Regional Library; a new building for community health, social and mental health services; a 90,000-square-foot indoor recreation center; and more housing and retail. A multi-acre park is planned for the center of the parcel.

While Reston Town Center North still has to go through a lengthy rezoning and approval process and is not expected to be completed for a decade, it may run into a problem soon.

The entire parcel is subject to the Reston Deed. In 1974, 50 acres of land were sold and conveyed to the Board of Supervisors by Gulf Reston, the developer of Reston at that time, county records show.

However, the 10 acres running along Baron Cameron Avenue and is subject to many restrictions, that say the space must remain in its natural state.

“No building, structures or improvement shall be built or placed on the property conveyed herein, except structures which may be required for storm drainage or sanitary sewage purposes, or  any building, structure or improvement which, in the aggregate, covers no more than 10 percent of the land area of this parcel and which is intended for recreational uses,” 1974 county documents state.

“The property shall otherwise be left in its natural state,” the document reads. “This covenant shall run with the land and be binding on the Grantee and its successors and assigns, for a period of ninety-nine (99) years from the date hereof.”

Read More

Reston Association’s Tetra Working Group has outlined to the RA Board some of the long- and short-term uses for the lakefront building the association purchased last summer.

First off, the 3,128-square-foot building will be called by a new name: The Lake House. Tetra Partners, the longtime owner of the space, changed its name to Lauer Commercial several months ago. With that name gone, the building, which served as Reston’s Visitor’s Center for 20 years, should also make a change, working group representatives told the RA Board at the Board’s regular monthly meeting on Thursday.

After a controversial discussion process leading to a member referendum in Spring 2015, RA closed on the $2.6 million purchase in July. Buying the building protects the property — which sits next to Brown’s Chapel Park on the banks of Lake Newport — from commercial development, as well as adds a recreational and community space, RA has said.

Exterior renovations ($275,000) are currently taking place at the building, working group member Laura Creilly, said. The $650,000 developer contribution from Comstock will help offset extensive interior renovations, she said.

Art Murphy, an architect who also is in the working group, said interior walls will be removed so the space has a much more open feel with views of the lake. There are plans for flexible partitions so that different groups can use the building at the same time.

There will also have to be expansions of the small bathrooms to accommodate a higher capacity of people, Murphy said.

So what will the people be doing at the building?

Short-term (in the next 12 to 36 months) uses will likely include camp and school aftercare, as well as corporate/nonprofit and homeowners’ association meetings, Creilly said.

The group also said general walk-in hours should be available. It will give residents a quiet place to sit and read indoors or on the deck  — as well as a good sales tool for future use. Open hours would be staffed by volunteer docents, she said.

“Anyone could come in and use the space,” she said “It is a good way to sell the space. Someone could come in and say “I can have a party here.’ “

Long-term plans (by 2020) could include adult classes such as wine tasting or fitness; celebrations such as parties, family reunions or small weddings; and nature programs.

Creilly said the group, which has held six meetings, has heard from neighbors concerned about noise, and the group is still discussing hours the space would be available for special events with that in mind.

Plans are still in the preliminary phase. The group will make another presentation to the RA Board on Feb. 25. The board will eventually get member comments and vote on usage plans.

At the February RA meeting, the 15-member group will propose concept plans for outdoor use, as well as preserving green space and the feasibility of reducing impervious surfaces (parking) that contribute storm-water runoff.

Photos: Top, interior plans for building/RA; bottom, exterior of building/file photo

With the developer backing out of the Lake Anne redevelopment deal, the one acre of Reston Association land that was swapped as part of the plan will return to RA’s possession, says an attorney representing the association.

Actually, it never officially left RA’s grasp, says RA land use attorney John McBride.

In 2014, RA and the county agreed to a land swap with Fairfax County in order for Lake Anne Development Partners to complete its large mixed-use plans.

RA gave the county one acre of land adjacent to Lake Anne Plaza on which the developers planned to build a 120-space parking garage. In return, RA would get 1.2 acres of land off of Baron Cameron Avenue. At the time, the swap was controversial because the Lake Anne land contained mature trees, among other reasons.

As part of the deal, RA would also get $100,000 for environmental improvements (tree care and stream restoration, for example). LADP also pledged to pay for 25 percent of the cost of dredging Lake Anne, a project that was recently completed.

RA Treasurer Dannielle LaRosa said on Thursday none of that pledged money was included in the association’s 2016 budget.

McBride said at RA’s regular monthly meeting on Thursday that the swap was “expressly contingent upon final agreement between LADP and the County being implemented and continuing through to performance.”

So, no deal means no land swap. When the LADP contract is officially terminated, which it should be soon, then the land swap issue is also terminated, said McBride. The RA  board does not have to take any action.

“RA owns the property and always has,” McBride said.

LADP’s plans would have brought 1,000 residences and over 100,000 square feet of office and retail space to the Lake Anne area. LADP reps said last Friday the  plan was not economically feasible and it was backing out of its contract.

Reston Association’s Board of Directors voted Thursday to pass a motion that will keep all voting records confidential.

The board says RA will continue to publish aggregated voter turnout reports, including turnout percentage by voting district and property type, however it said it was “in the best interest of members to not release information about who voted in any RA election or referendum.”

RA says “protecting the privacy of members and fortifying the integrity of the election process were the deciding factors in the board’s decision.”

The motion passed 6-2 with one abstention (South Lakes Director Julie Bitzer). At-Large Director Ray Wedell and Hunters Woods/Dogwood voted against the proposal and were quite vocal at the meeting.

“RA should pride itself on openness, honesty, and fairness,” said Wedell. “It has been anything but in this case.”

The rule is effective immediately. It is departure from the rules of national, state and county elections, where voter participation records are made available. Elections Committee Chair Ed Robichaud said those elections are different because votes are by registered voters. In RA elections, votes are by properties.

“Protecting the privacy of our members is a responsibility we take seriously,” said Ellen Graves, RA’s board president. “By ensuring residents that their voting records will remain confidential, we hope more members will participate in the election process, which is crucial to shaping Reston’s future.”

Fewer than 15 percent of households typically vote in the RA Board elections each spring, RA records show. There was about double that in last spring’s member referendum on whether to purchase the former Reston Visitor’s Center.

The motion came about after a Reston resident, Irwin Flashman, has spent more than a year asking RA for voting records concerning board elections and last spring’s member referendum on the Tetra building.

RA had given Flashman voting records, which included which households voted but not how they voted, in the past. RA said then it was obligated to release the information under its bylaws and Virginia law.

Flashman said at the time he wanted the records so he could analyze and try to boost the number of locals who cast their ballots.

“This is an overall part of the lack of transparency that seems to be a part of the RA board,” he told Reston Now last week. He also outlined his thoughts in a Reston Now op-ed and spoke at last night’s meeting.

“This is a poorly thought-out attempt to cloak something in secrecy that should be open to the membership,” he said.

Several Reston Association members addressed the board during the member comment section of Thursday’s board meeting.

“The resolution is a really, really bad idea,” said Lake Anne resident John Lovaas, who formerly served on the RA Board. “It’s an anti-democratic idea. It [access to voter records] has been the practice of the RA board forever, as far as I know. Members had access to records of residences that voted. It is disturbing. Your press release said that [releasing records] is threatening the confidentiality of ballot. That is just plain false.”

Meanwhile, Flashman said he has filed a complaint with the state ombudsman about RA’s actions.

Metro To Get $150 Million Restored — The $1.6 trillion year-end omnibus spending bill will restore $150 million in funding to Metro. Metro GM Paul Wiedefeld  said the money “provides the critical funding necessary to ensure our safety projects continue without interruption.” [Loudoun Times-Mirror]

Melinda Doolittle at CenterStage — Former American Idol (season six) contestant Melinda Doolittle will perform jazz, soul and Broadway standards at Reston Community Center Saturday. [Reston Connection]

Tour De Lights Saturday — Reston Association’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee will lead bikers on the fourth annual “Tour de Lights” ride past Christmas lights on Saturday evening. Free and all ages welcome on the 10-mile ride [Reston Association]

This is an op-ed by Reston resident Irwin Flashman. It does not represent the opinion of Reston Now.

The RA Board is set to vote in its Dec. 17 meeting on two amendments to Board Resolutions which would prohibit the release of the names of persons who vote in Board elections or referenda. The Board has characterized this effort as one to, “protect the confidentiality of members who vote in association elections.”  The Board’s press release on the matter really urges members to say, “Yes, protect my confidentiality!”

This so-called issue of “expectation of privacy” is a huge red herring. The existing Resolutions already prohibit the release of the content of the ballot, that is, how someone voted.

The real issue is one of access to the actual voting members of the RA. There are more than 21,000 member households in the RA. In the short campaign period for Board elections, it is impossible for a candidate to knock on the doors of the more than 5,000 households in a district, or even more for a candidate at-large.

Political parties do not attempt to reach all voters in their campaigns. They first go after assuring that their own members likely to vote will, in fact, go to the polls. Then, they urge their own occasional voters to vote. Afterwards, they target the undecideds and others whose vote may be swayed toward their candidates. Yes, there are methods for reaching the entire electorate, but they are not nearly as effective as pressing the flesh and talking with voters.

You can spend significant sums of money on robo calls, or have a mass mailing to 21,000 households at a cost of well over $10,000 per mailing, when you count the cost of stamps, paper, envelopes, design, printing and manpower to put it all together.

Read More

Reston Association representatives said they must meet with Fairfax County before it will know whether RA gets back its acre of land at Lake Anne Plaza.

As part of the deal to redevelop Crescent Apartments and the area surrounding Lake Anne Plaza, RA’s board approved a land swap in late 2013.

On Friday, Lake Anne Development Partners said it was withdrawing from the large-scale redevelopment plan that would have brought more than 1,000 residences; a high-rise tower to complement Heron House; and more than 100,000 square feet of office and retail space. LADP reps said the plan was not economically feasible.

Lake Anne Development Partners was picked by the county to redevelop Crescent’s 16 acres and the surrounding area in 2013. The developer said it needed the one-acre plot to build a 120-space parking garage. The land is located near the current parking lot and “The J” retail part of Lake Anne Plaza.

In return, RA would get a similar sized piece of land off of Baron Cameron Avenue.

At the time, the swap was controversial. Opponents were concerned about the loss of mature trees and that the Baron Cameron land was less valuable and full of litter.

Lake Anne Development Partners offered RA about $500,000 in general facility improvements as part of developer contributions. It also offered $100,000 in tree care as part of the land swap agreement, which RA passed 6-2 (with one director abstaining).

RA said in a statement Monday it must now pursue discussions with county representatives to determine the status of the Final Development and Disposition Agreement between the county and LADP and whether the county will soon seek a replacement redevelopment partner.

“The status of the Real Property Exchange Agreement between RA and LADP cannot be determined until these discussions are held with the county,” said RA.

In general, though, Ra supports Lake Anne redevelopment.

RA Board President Ellen Graves said in the statement the association is “both surprised and disappointed” about LADP working to withdraw from the contract.

“RA supports the revitalization of Lake Anne Village Center, as contemplated in the zoning and development entitlements, which were approved earlier this year by the county and the association’s Design Review Board,” said Graves.

In Nov. 2014, the board denied a request by Flashman for an electronic copy of those voting records.

This year, Flashman has repeatedly requested the records for results of the Tetra referendum and the 2015 board election. RA records show there was a 33 percent turnout — 5,676 ballots were returned out of a possible 17,511 — which narrowly passed the referendum to purchase the old Reston Visitors Center for $2.6 million. The purchase closed in July.

Flashman said knowing who votes saves future candidates time and effort, and that the voting records should be public because “this is not a private corporation; this is a membership corporation.” He later said he wanted to talk to the electorate.

“These documents reveal what households voted in the past election for the board and in the past election for the Tetra property purchase,” Flashman said at the Oct. 22 RA Board meeting.

“To anyone who wants to run for the board or in the holding of any referendum, this document is invaluable. Why? Because of all the 20,000+ households there are in Reston, it narrows it down to those who truly are interested in voting and who pay attention to the issues. It doesn’t make any difference what side they’re on, but they pay attention because they took the time to vote.”

The board, which sources say has spent thousands on legal fees for this matter, denied Flashman’s request at that meeting.

Flashman said Wednesday that RA’s proposal is “probably illegal.” He also said he has filed a complaint with the Commonwealth.

“This is an overall part of the lack of transparency that seems to be a part of the RA board,” he said.

The motion to be considered says that individual member voting records shall be kept secret and only aggregate voter turnout statistics shall be released for elections and referenda of the Reston Association.

Reston Association says the dredging project at Lake Anne is running ahead of schedule and should be completed in two or three weeks.

Work has been completed in the coves and plaza areas, RA says. Dredging contractor Lake Services said a large section near the fountain is all that remains to be dredged.

Reston Association received a state permit last month to dredge Lake Anne. Areas to be dredged include the plaza area, the canal area, and coves near Inlet Court, Waters Edge, Waterview Cluster, South Shore, and the south boat ramp. See a map on RA’s website.

RA says residents’ boats no longer have to be moved for the remaining work to be finished.

RA is dredging the coves to clear accumulated sediment and leaf debris to improve boat and shoreline access. The project will also provide additional water storage areas and deeper areas for fish. Removing sediment at the coves where the major drainage ways enter the lake helps to prevent the lake from filling in with accumulated sediments, RA says.

Photo: Recent dredging near Lake Anne Plaza/Credit: Chesapeake Chocolates