Reston Association is turning to the community for input on plans to update a couple of its recreational facilities.
The homeowners’ association will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) to gather feedback on the Lake Thoreau observation dock, which is being considered for possible renovations.
The meeting led by RA’s capital projects team will start in the Lake Thoreau Pool parking lot at 2040 Upper Lakes Drive. It was previously scheduled for July 9 but got postponed due to rain in the forecast that day.
Located beneath the pool, the dock has been slated for replacement for a few years as part of RA’s capital improvements plan (CIP), but the departure of some staff members delayed work on the project, according to RA Chief Operating Officer Peter Lusk.
“A lot of people like to use [the dock], so we felt like it was the right thing to do to go talk to the community about what they’d like to see,” Lusk said. “Some of those things could be better opportunities for fishing. Would they like to see the dock made bigger? Would they like an opportunity to put a kayak in the water, those kinds of things?”
Though any upgrades to the dock likely won’t be completed until 2026, RA hopes to at least begin design work this year.
Members have generally shown an interest in increased access to the four man-made lakes governed by RA, Lusk says.
A Lakes Equity Working Group has been studying the usage and accessibility of the lakes since spring 2023. Expected to complete a report this summer, the group’s preliminary recommendations included suggestions for an ADA-accessible boat launch, a more accessible viewing platform for fishing, and covered storage for rental boats at Lake Thoreau.
RA also installed rental kayak storage racks at Lake Audubon in May, a pilot program that could expand to the other lakes.
Funded with $10,000 from RA’s 2025 budget, the program is intended to provide more convenient access to the lake for members who don’t live on or next to the water by letting them reserve one of 16 available storage slots through a lottery. Slots cost $135 per season through November.
According to Lusk, all slots have been filled, and the feedback on the pilot program has been “great” so far. The capital projects team will report on the program’s effectiveness to the RA board of directors by the end of the year to confirm whether storage racks should be added at the other lakes.
“If we can duplicate that program at our other lakes, I think it will be beneficial to our members,” Lusk said.
Deadline approaching for playground surveys
RA has also been soliciting community feedback on scheduled renovation projects for the Bordeaux and Hunting Horn playgrounds.
Scheduled to close at the end of July, the online surveys ask respondents about the qualities they look for in a playground, what kinds of equipment they currently like and what they would want to see added, how they typically get to the site, and more.
Located near the Colts Neck Tennis Courts and east of Walker Nature Center, respectively, the Bordeaux and Hunting Horn tot lots are both scheduled for replacement in RA’s capital improvements plan.
Right now, they consist of basic playground equipment, including a slide, swings, monkey bars and a bench or two, but RA is considering enhancing the sites with new features. Suggestions in the surveys range from balance beams and climbing walls to areas for more active recreation and activities for older adults.
“In the past, we’ve just replaced sort of what was there [and] haven’t really put a ton of new equipment in over time,” Lusk said. “But we hear from our membership often that they’d like to see new playgrounds, perhaps for older ages, not just for tiny kids, but for ages 10 to 12 as well.”
Lusk says work on the renovations is expected to start in 2026, since RA staff will have to return to the board of directors to share the public feedback and discuss what to implement
Other capital projects currently in the works include a renovation of the Lake Newport tennis court, which closed a public engagement survey at the beginning of June and is funded in the CIP for 2026 and 2027.
RA is also working on a conditions assessment of all recreational facilities, including its swimming pools, footbridges and community buildings. Staff aims to have data on the state of all pools available for the board’s consideration as part of the 2026 budget, a first draft of which is scheduled to be released on Aug. 22.
