Brown's Chapel Rec Center: Motions and Commotions

Wacky communication mixups weren't the only "highlight" of last week's Reston Association Board meeting. As our astute commenters have already pointed out, a board member motioned that Brown's Chapel, the proposed home of the $65 million rec center/ juicery, be taken off the list of proposed sites. Here's how Save Brown's Chapel described the "action" on their Facebook group, presumably before taking the "What Kind of Juice Bar are You?" quiz and "poking" a dozen of their Facebook BFFs.

Last night, the RA Board of Director's meeting was well attended. Many citizens from all over Reston came to express their concern that the board is moving ahead with plans to pave over a park.

And one of the board members was listening. Late in the meeting, Director Joe Leighton put forth a motion to eliminate Brown's Chapel Park as a possible site for the proposed joint RA/RCC recreational center.

Joe Leighton asked for a second from Director Frank Lynch but he declined. The motion was seconded by Director Richard Chew. The motion was then tabled by Director Richard Chew until the next Board meeting July 23.

What does this mean for the supporters of Save Brown's Brown Chapel? It means that we need to ask the other board members to explain their actions.

Why is the Reston Association Board of Directors pursuing a plan that will enable the RCC to locate a county recreation center, of any size or shape, on Reston Association land?

The upcoming District Meetings will be our opportunity to ask the questions and get the answers. Please plan on attending while it is still your money and your park.

The next of those meetings is from 7-9 tomorrow at Armstrong Elementary school, followed by another next Thursday, July 9, at Lake Anne Elementary.

Meanwhile, RA President Robin Smyers has written yet another of her "web-log" posts, and the big news is that her "Administrator Account" byline has been changed to "RA President." They'll figure out this Internet thingy yet! Anyhoo, Smyers discusses the community input meetings and the long-term impact they could have:

At the first district meeting held for the Hunters Woods/Dogwood district, members had the opportunity to have a real conversation about the future of Reston. And it is really about the future. At the end of the day, that is what we are talking about – how our decisions today affect Reston in the next three to four decades from now. As members, we have never had to pay for the building of the facilities now owned by Reston Association. Our 15 pools, 48 tennis courts, 4 lakes, 55 miles of paved pathways, just to name some of the assets we benefit from, have all been given to us, with the sole responsibility of maintaining these invaluable gifts. Even the soon-to-be-built Nature House has only come to be thanks to the private donations of many of our friends and neighbors. It is time for us think about the next generations and how we can give back.

Smyers also pointed out that during the last election, there were no contested races for three board seats, and that before recent events, few spoke at public hearings.

So, please make time to attend at least one of the community meetings and take part in the process that affects our community. But please don’t just get involved because you are angry or feel you weren’t informed. Find a positive reason, a passion that is good, and strive to give something back. If there is something else we should be doing, let us know. But don’t just say “no”. That’s not a foundation on which we were built.

Smyers has an excellent point, but we have a feeling the next three open board seats won't be uncontested.