Reston board directs staff to price member budget suggestions after lively debate over pickleball

The Reston Association Board of Directors on June 11 directed staff to price a package of member-suggested items for inclusion in the 2027 budget process and to return cost estimates at a July meeting.

Staff member Ed Vroom told the board the association received 141 member suggestions and that the board’s role that night was to decide which items to move forward for a staff pricing exercise. "We collected member budget suggestions over the last couple months. We received 141 so far," Vroom said, asking the board which items staff should price and return with recommended approaches.

The decision followed extensive debate over recreation requests, most notably several proposals tied to pickleball. Directors considered an amendment to add a larger pickleball proposal to the pricing list; that amendment failed after a recorded vote. The board then approved the main motion to ask staff to price a specific set of items and return numbers at a July meeting. Directors also secured unanimous consent that staff should not price items located on property the association does not own.

Members who spoke during the public-comment period had urged more and more equitably distributed pickleball courts. "Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation…for all ages," said Cynthia Atwater, who urged the board to add south-side courts and to reconsider earlier siting decisions. Raquel Mullenex, another resident, told the board that pickleball "is essential to building strong, healthy communities" and urged action to expand access beyond the current high-demand sites. Daniel Brendis said expanding courts on the south side would reduce travel and parking impacts.

Staff cautioned that siting — not price — is the central issue for pickleball. Pete Lusk, speaking for staff, said the parks-and-recreation master plan includes siting criteria that the board previously directed staff to adopt, and recommended bringing seating and siting policy work forward through that master-plan process rather than as a standalone budget item. "From a staff perspective, I think it would be best for us to continue down that path to bring this back as part of the master plan," Lusk said, while also noting that simple conversions (striping tennis courts) can be costed immediately.

Other budget-scope items discussed included targeted tree-care programs, upgraded pool bathhouses, and a request that Friends of Reston consider specific facility projects. Directors clarified that, when asked to price items, staff would propose reasonable, scoped approaches rather than price every possible variant of a request.

Next steps: staff and the finance committee will prepare cost estimates and recommended approaches and return to the board with pricing and options for the items the board directed them to price. The board recorded a motion directing staff to return pricing at a July meeting with the caveat that staff should limit pricing work to RA-owned property.