3 minute read
Board of Directors
Nature Center
The Walker Nature Center remained a popular destination during the pandemic. Most programs, events, citizen science and environmental volunteer activities were brought back to in-person participation.
• There were 199 programs conducted with 3,848 participants in 2021 with 91% of people participating in-person compared to 45% virtually in 2020.
• In September, walk-in visitation resumed at
Nature House, welcoming 1,212 visitors, not including the thousands who enjoy the trails and natural amenities.
• Rentals returned with a 72% increase from 2020 with 105 private rental events. Outdoor rentals of the Fire Ring and Pavilion continued to out pace indoor rentals of the Multipurpose
Room.
• We look to 2022 for the return of our
Spring Festival. QUICK FACT 72%
Increase in nature center rental events
Tennis
Reston Tennis remained extremely popular with an increase in programming, rentals and open play, surpassing revenue goals. While statistics for open play are not collected, the RA staff saw an increase in the volume of play when visiting sites and in lesson sales.
• Lessons saw a 30% increase over 2020 with 931 junior participants, 491 adults participants and private instruction jumping to 469 participants March-November compared with 256 in 2020.
• The Simon Cup Tennis Tournament was brought back and will continue to 2022.
Volunteer Reston
More than 850 volunteers, with an eye on a safe return to in-person opportunities, participated in volunteer opportunities in 2021. Reston Association thanks our volunteers for all their help at more than 70 land management events, Gold Award Scout Project, International Coastal Cleanup and Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, tournaments, Shadowood Pool Community Outreach, Nature Center events, the Fall Friends of Reston 5k, Thanksgiving Food Drive, Holiday events, community events and more.
When valued at private sector wages, volunteers provided more than $64,557 in labor benefits to RA in 2021. There was an increase from 2,262 hours in 2021 to 990 hours in 2020. This does not include the many hours of volunteer time provided by RA advisory committee members, Design Review Board members and the RA Board of Directors throughout the year. QUICK FACT 2,262
Volunteer hours spent in Reston
QUICK FACT 113
Bridges maintained, inspected in 2021
Capital Projects
The Reston Association Capital Projects Department had another challenging year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Material costs skyrocketed, supply chains were disrupted and the construction labor market was stretched thin. However, the RA capital department was able to navigate these waters and successfully completed nearly 80% of all projects totaling approximately $2.7 million and ending the year under budget by approximately 10%.
Major projects completed in 2021 included the complete renovation of the Hook Road tennis facility, with new asphalt court surface and energy efficient LED lighting installed. The refurbishment of the main and wading pools at the Lake Audubon facility was also completed.
Projects we look forward to in 2022 include the complete renovation of Lake Thoreau pool, Shadowood pool and Barton Hill tennis courts, as well as the refurbishment of the Ridge Heights wading and main pools.
Covenants
The Reston Association Covenants Department was looking forward to an exciting, non-COVID-19 year, however, the reality of the pandemic continuing forced us to adjust expectations. Covenants staff remained in a hybrid work environment but continued to provide the necessary services to all RA members.
Here are some interesting statistics from 2021:
• 2,092 applications were processed. Of those, 95% were approved. • 323 post Design Review Board property inspections were completed to ensure projects approved at panel and full board adhered to approvals received. • 127 individual cluster or condominium standards were updated. • 1,241 of resale disclosure packages were processed, adding approximately $320,000 of non-assessment revenue to the annual budget.
Building from a successful year in 2020, Covenants staff continued outreach efforts, which supported members by:
• Establishing the Vote by Acclamation process in September 2021 for the Design Review Board, which allows the DRB to approve multiple applications with one motion, thus reducing meeting times and permitting more applications to be at each meeting. • Maintaining cluster outreach through multiple modes of communication: 19 in-person meetings with cluster boards (Show & Tells), five virtual Meet & Greets, two cluster collection data surveys, and six issues of the Cluster Connect newsletter.
• Creation of a new design guideline for electric vehicle charging stations.
Looking further into 2022, the Covenants team is committed to continuing to bring excellent service to RA members through continued effort in updating resolutions, working with the DRB to evaluate and revise design guidelines, and continue internal training modules for our staff.
QUICK FACT 127
