Lake Thoreau pool renovation slated for late summer completion

The massive renovation of Lake Thoreau’s pool is likely to be completed by late August or early September.

Reston Association spokesperson Mike Leone told FFXnow that the renovation is on track to finish later in the summer. If it’s completed by early September, RA’s Board of Directors will determine if the pool will reopen this year, since only a few weeks would remain in the pool season.

“It is a timing issue,” Leone wrote in a statement.

So far, the project is roughly 65% complete, according to a recent Reston Today video, which is produced by RA.

The new, roughly $3.5 million facility will include a pool with six lap lanes, a ramp to provide ADA access, a redesigned deck, a larger 25-space parking lot, an overlook with a pollinator garden, and expanded bathhouses, which have been moved away from the spa.

The pool has been closed since 2020 and was scheduled to break ground two falls ago. In the latest update to the RA board, staff reported that the pool was roughly one month behind schedule.

Chris Schumaker, RA’s capital projects director, said work on ADA-compliant areas is underway. An ADA ramp will lead to the main area, and the future elevated deck will extend from the edge of the pool and overlook the lake area.

Schumaker also said an issue with the retaining wall prompted a relocation of the new spa — a move that allowed the area to become ADA-accessible and cover a larger footprint.

“Due to retaining wall issues on the site, we had to relocate the spa,” Schumaker said.

The bathhouse has also been fully gutted, leading towards the 400-square-foot addition’s completion. It will also include a family bathroom.

In the fifth and last phase of RA’s pool season, only three pools are open from Sept. 5 through Sept. 24.