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Resident warns of daily hygiene and fire risks at Dogwood Pool Pavilion; board to follow up
Summary
A Reston resident told the board that daily gatherings at Dogwood Pool Pavilion leave cigarette butts, human waste and broken glass on the splash pad and raised fire-safety concerns. The association will add a Dogwood update to the CEO briefing and explore signage, patrols and other mitigations.
A Reston resident told the Reston Association board on May 28 that routine gatherings at Dogwood Pool Pavilion are creating ongoing safety and sanitation hazards and pressed the board for action.
"It's daily. It's not even weekly, it's not monthly, it's daily," said resident Hberto de Morice, who said cigarette butts, human waste and broken glass were consistently left on the splash pad area where children play. He said groups — typically men — arrive after work, play cards, drink and charge phones with lanterns, and that burning sticks and discarded charcoal had created a recurring fire risk near nearby dead trees.
The comment prompted board members to discuss a range of short-term and longer-term responses. Acting CEO Peter Lusk told the board staff have increased cleanup efforts and are pursuing both communication and enforcement options, including larger on-site signage and outreach. He also said staff will coordinate with county partners when appropriate.
Directors asked that the CEO include a regular update on Dogwood in future CEO briefings and that staff consider the member suggestions raised in public comment — posting rules in English and Spanish, adding iconography (no smoking/no food), and testing an evening patrol or outreach presence. Several members cautioned against physically blocking parking access; one director said restricting the lot could impede emergency access should an ambulance or fire crew need to enter.
The board did not adopt an immediate new restriction during the meeting; instead, members directed staff to report back with mitigation options — including outreach, potential trespass enforcement and operational changes ahead of high-use weekends — and to include Dogwood status in the next leadership update so members know the board is actively engaged.
The matter remains under operational review, and staff indicated they will try short-term measures while pursuing education and enforcement options before considering more intrusive changes.
