Someone call the 2024 Summer Games organizing committee: It turns out the Reston Association will have to have a fun referendum, after all, to transfer land in Brown's Chapel Park and allow the construction of the proposed $65 million rec center there.
In a statement to members of the Board of Directors of the Reston Association and the community, Reston Association President Robin Smyers said if the association conveyed any community common property to another entity, then members would have to approve the conveyance in a referendum.In her prepared remarks at Thursday's RA Board meeting, Smyers said the proposed rec center, which has already been the subject of nearly a year's worth of meetings between the RA and RCC and already has a name and some fancy architectural sketches, is just "an idea."
That determination came after Reston Association’s General Counsel Kenneth R. Chadwick was asked to review the association’s governing documents and other relevant materials to determine if RA leased or transferred land to another entity for a potential indoor recreational facility.
Welcome to the regular May 2009 meeting of the Board of Directors. We have a busy agenda tonight so I will keep my remarks focused on one topic—-the IDEA of an indoor recreational facility.Just an "idea." That's kind of like that time on Dallas when TV's delightful Patrick Duffy was told the entire previous season was just a dream.
Let me state very clearly that while there has been much talk about decisions already made and the location a foregone conclusion—that is NOT accurate. We have many ideas and you will hear and see the history of the concepts of additional indoor facilities, some stand-alone RA initiatives, and how we arrived to the point of working with RCC, when you attend one of the meetings in your district. The dates are posted on our Web site. They will be announced in the local papers and through our e notices system. You can sign up for that on our website as well. I encourage you to do so, not just for these updates for regular information from RA.
There have been many questions about the process should the community input determine that we would move forward with any plans for a year-round facility. One of the major questions is whether a referendum by Reston Association would be necessary should the plans involve the conveyance of RA common area property for use as a site for an indoor recreational facility.
Any time we consider any method of conveyance of RA common property the research would have to been done, whether it was leasing, selling, donating, etc. At last week’s RCC Finance Committee I was criticized by many in the audience for saying I was not at liberty at the time to comment on the referendum question. What many in our community do not understand is the process we must go through as a board and our fiduciary responsibilities representing the Association.
The Board requested our General Counsel, Ken Chadwick, to thoroughly review our governing documents, and any other applicable documents, as they relate to conveyance of Reston Association common area property, with no consideration on specific locations, but under the concept of moving forward working with RCC on a joint effort. Mr. Chadwick has completed his review. This is the first time we as a Board are meeting in public since we received counsel’s findings. At this time we are able to make this announcement to our community members. In summary, he found that a referendum would be required if RA sought to convey any common area property to any other entity, including RCC.
I say again that no decisions about a facility, location, or programs have been made. Neither of the individual boards has even voted on whether we will move forward on this joint concept. This process will take both organizations well in to this fall as to our joint partnership, then in to 2010 before we are able to make a decision to take any concept facility to referenda. Ultimately it is expected to be 2011 before we will be able to go to any vote, where everyone will have the opportunity to participate. We have heard from many in our community, but want to make sure there are many opportunities for as much participation and input as possible.
Thank you.
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