Home Care In Reston, VA

RESTON, VA — Directors of Reston RELAC LLC, the service entity RELAC, and Simon McKeown, acting as the Steering Committee Chair representing Reston homeowners, signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday afternoon to establish the foundation for a carefully structured community-owned entity to manage the chilled-water service for about 900 customers in Reston during the 2024 cooling season.

"RELAC provided chilled water service to our customers for 11 years after purchasing from Aqua Virginia," said RELAC President Waddell, in an exclusive statement to Patch. "Under the current operational model we were not able to get the capital needed for any major upgrade to the system. It was decided that the only option was to end the service. We were then approached by an individual who thought it possible to turn the service into a co-op company, which would have other options to raise capital."

Patch broke the news earlier this month that the company was canceling its service at the end of the 2023 season.

Related: RELAC Cancels Water Chilling For A/C Service To Reston Customers

The following letter, which provides details about the new community-owned entity that will assume responsibility for the management and operation of the RELAC service, was sent to the presidents of the Reston Homeowners Associations:

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Dear Board Presidents of Reston Homeowners Associations:We trust this message finds you well. As Board members of HOA’s under RELAC services, we are pleased to announce a significant development that holds great promise for our community. Yesterday, an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding between the Directors of Reston RELAC LLC, the service entity RELAC, and Simon McKeown as Steering Committee Chair was signed, marking a crucial step towards addressing the operational and managerial concerns related to the service currently known as RELAC. This follows the notification last week from Mark Waddell regarding RELAC’s intention to end its services.The MOU establishes the foundation for a carefully structured community-owned entity that will assume responsibility for the management and operation of the RELAC service. This cooperative model is designed to enhance efficiency, transparency, and community engagement, ensuring that the RELAC service will remain operational and provide a service designed in the best interests of all residents, as well as commercial clients.Key highlights of the MOU and the upcoming cooperative include:As we embark on this transformative journey, we are confident that the cooperative model will bring about positive changes and improvements to the services in Reston. We anticipate your support and collaboration throughout this process, and we look forward to working together to ensure the success of this initiative for the benefit of our entire community.We will be scheduling a series of town hall meetings, with remote and in-person access options in the coming weeks to the community to provide more details, answer questions, and gather valuable feedback. In the interim, we would like to meet in person with all or some of your committee/Board Members ASAP in-person or via Zoom call. Please call 202-807-7884 or schedule an appointment via Calendly [https://calendly.com/simon08880] with any immediate questions.Thank you for your individual and collective dedication to the well-being of our vibrant and special community.Warm regards,Simon McKeownSteering Committee ChairResident Hickory, [email protected]Mark WaddellPresident, Reston RELAC LLC

RESTON, VA — Customers who cool their homes in Reston with the RELAC water-cooling system will have an opportunity to learn more about the proposed co-operative that's being formed to manage the operation of the system.

Later this week, the co-op steering committee will announce a series of public meetings at which customers can ask questions and provide feedback.

"We've had an awful lot of community feedback, which is supportive of the process of forming a sustainable cooperative," committee chair Simon McKeown told Patch on Monday.

The first public meeting will take place later this week in the Jo Ann Rose Gallery at Lake Anne.

"The reason that's the first is because that contains the Heron House, which is a multi-story condo," McKeown said.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Heron House roof would not be able to support the weight of the air conditioning units necessary to serve its residents.

"They are in a particularly difficult set of circumstances in that the only option they have right now that's remotely viable is continuing with RELAC," said MCKeown.

The steering committee has also hired an independent engineer who is finalizing a report on the status of the existing system. That report will include recommendations for infrastructure upgrades and potential their costs.

On Sunday, the committee posted a survey on its website, where people can ask questions or share their concerns. If they'd rather speak one-on-one with McKeown, there is also a link to schedule a meeting.

Related: RELAC Cancels Water Chilling For A/C Service To Reston Customers

As of Monday morning, about 72 percent of the 100 customers who had completed the survey said they were supportive of the process so far, according to McKeown.

The effort to establish a co-op was started after the Reston Lake Anne Air-Conditioning Corporation cooling system notified its customers on Dec. 11 that the 2023 cooling season was the last year the company would be providing its services. The next cooling season begins in April.

In a letter sent to RELAC's 900 0r so residential and commercial customers, the company said that the decision to stop providing services was that electrical costs have increased 20 percent over the last 10 years. In addition, the company said it would be impossible to secure a loan to cover the more than $400,000 needed to install a new chiller without raising the tariff.

"A significant number of customers on the RELAC system have refused to pay their utility bills," the letter said. "This has caused a serious problem for RELAC’s bottom line. The amount of unpaid utilities has fluctuated between $80K to $120K."

Related: MOU Signed For Reston Water-Chilling Service

Acting as the steering committee's represenative, McKeown signed a memorandum of understanding on Dec. 28 with Reston RELAC LLC, and RELAC to establish the foundation for a carefully structured community-owned entity to manage the chilled-water service for the 2024 cooling season.

Once its established, the co-op will be governed by the rules and regulations set down in the adopted agreement. Shareholders will elect board members, who will oversee the management of the co-op.

"We're hopeful of getting this all out this week and then doing these town halls over the next two weeks, giving people about 14 days to make a decision and commit to the proposal," McKeown said, adding that the agreement could be finalized by mid-February or shortly after that.

More information about the co-op process and other issues regarding RELAC can be found in the FAQ on the RELAC LLC website.

Reston Association’s Board of Directors has formally come out in opposition to the possibility of a casino near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.

In a statement released yesterday (Monday), RA CEO Mac Cummins lamented what he said was lack of communication with RA’s leadership, board and members regarding potential state legislation that would add Fairfax County to the list of Virginia localities authorized to have a casino.

“We strongly believe that a casino in our community, surrounded by natural areas including lakes, tree canopy and natural trails valued by our residents, would be detrimental to the property values of our homes and inconsistent with our values as a community,” Cummins wrote in a statement.

Reston-based developer Comstock has shown interest in building a casino near the Metro Station, Reston Patch reported last week.

First, the General Assembly must approve state-enabling legislation. Then, county voters would participate in a referendum on whether a casino should be allowed.

The necessary bills were first introduced — and quickly withdrawn — by state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37) and Del. Wren Williams (R-9) this past January, as the Washington Business Journal reported. It specified that the casino should be located within one quarter-mile of a Silver Line Metro station, part of a mixed-used development, outside the Dulles airport flight path and outside the I-495 Beltway.

In a letter to Marsden, who plans to re-introduce the bill next year if he’s reelected, RA board president John Farrell expressed disappointment and shock.

“Reston has just finished a 4-year citizen-led effort to update our Master Plan. The Fairfax Board of Supervisors adopted that Comprehensive Plan Amendment on September 12, 2023,” he wrote. “Nowhere in that plan is a casino contemplated for Reston.”

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn has also publicly stated that he opposes the establishment of a casino in Reston.

Virginia currently only allows casino gambling in five cities. The proposed amendment from Marsden and Williams would’ve expanded that to any locality with over 1 million residents and a county executive form of government — criteria matched only by Fairfax County.

RESTON, VA — Peter McCandless, an 87-year-old resident of Reston, died after being struck by an SUV as he was crossing the southbound lanes of Reston Parkway on Dec. 27.

"He was on his daily walk of a mile," Kris McCandless told Patch on Tuesday. "We both share the 'Battle of the Bulge.' He wasn't thin, nor am I. He was just out for his walk and it was a bad, crummy day to do it."

When asked what his father would've liked his legacy to be, Kris McCandless struggled for an answer.

Karen Cleveland, the former chair of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, came to his rescue. She had worked worked with his father in the 1980s. She recalled Susan McCandless, Peter's wife, saying that he most wanted to be known for being "employee number 20" for Reston.

"He believed in the Reston dream and he never gave up on that, like a lot of us who've been around for a long time," Cleveland said. "It's so brilliant that Bob had the seven principles that have stood the test of time. Peter felt so blessed to be able to do this work. He would do just about anything to promote Reston."

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cleveland recalled when Peter McCandless wrote a speech for Jim Cleveland, the former president of the Reston Land Corporation whom she would later marry. The speech was for the dedication of the Mercury Fountain at Reston Town Center.

"You looked at the script and were like, 'Peter, this is the most beautiful script and these words would never come out of my mouth. We have to change them,'" she said, eliciting laughter from her husband.

"He was a great writer and everybody loved Peter," Jim Cleveland said. "He was the friendliest guy, always had a smile. He was a quick wit, not sarcasm or anything, just funny. Just a terrific guy to be around."

Peter McCandless' expertise was in public relations, basically putting promotional materials into newspapers and magazines. In late 1964, Reston founder Robert E. Simon hired him to promote his planned community in Northern Virginia.

"That was in his blood. He loved the concept of planned communities and not just urban sprawl," Kris McCandless said of his father. "He always loved art and architecture. He was an avid photographer and he got me into photography. Reston's plan was to 'live, work and play all in the same place, but do it so you maintain as many of the trees as you can. It isn't suburbia, with its little cookie-cutter houses on streets and cul de sacs."

Chuck Veatch, a long-time friend, worked with Peter McCandless promoting Reston during its formative years.

"It was kind of this camaraderie, I would say, with being in the forefront of something that's totally different, totally unique," he said. "Also, there was this dynamic going on in the background of, 'Are we going to be here next week?' It was kind of situation."

Veatch joked that when a prospective client got out of a Volvo and was wearing Birkenstocks, everyone on the sales team would fight to get to that prospect first.

"It was people that would think outside the box, that wanted to be part of something new and different, that they thought was world changing, if you will, and because if you look back at the publicity about Reston, I mean, it was everywhere," he said.

After the McCandless family moved to San Francisco in 1967, it returned to Northern Virginia two years later, with Peter working for a number of public relations firms that had Reston as its client.

"He was pretty much in charge of promoting Reston during that timeframe, from 1969 to 1986," Kris McCandless said.

In 1984, Peter McCandless teamed up with Tom Grubisich, the co-founder of The Connection newspapers, and photographer James Kirby to write the book "Reston: The First Twenty Years."

After living in Lovettsville for several years, Peter McCandless and his family moved back to Reston. That's when he started his own public relations firm, the McCandless Company.

After the death of his first wife in 2010, Peter McCandless met and later married Susan Ehart. In retirement, the couple traveled the world together. She helped him to get a condo in the Stratford House in 2014.

The couple shared a love for the Great Harvest Bread store and even discussed opening a franchise down in Florida. While that never materialized, Peter McCandless began working at the bakery's location in Herndon.

A Celebration of Life will be held in his honor Peter McCandless' honr on Saturday, Jan. 13, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Reston Community Center Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston, VA 20190.

DC Restaurant Week returns for one week this winter from January 15 – January 21, 2024. Support your local restaurants and savor specially priced three-course menus at the participating Tysons and Reston area restaurants listed below.

Treat yourself to 3 course meals of culinary delights from many restaurants in the Maryland, DC and Virginia area. The Winter Restaurant Week will is offering dinner options priced at $40.00, $55.00, and $65.00. Lunch and Brunch options are priced at $25.00 and $35.00. Special Restaurant Week wine and cocktail pairings are also available. Pricing and availability for wine and cocktails pairings vary by restaurant so check the restaurant’s menu or website for more details.

Metropolitan Washington Restaurant week is held twice a year and is presented by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.

For reservations and menus visit www.ramw.org/restaurantweek

2941

2941 Fairview Park Drive | Falls Church, VA 22042

$55.00 Dinner | $65.00 Dinner

Agora Tysons

7911 Westpark Drive | Tysons, VA 22102

$35.00 Brunch | $25.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

Alta Strada Mosaic

2911 District Avenue | Fairfax, VA 22031

$40.00 Dinner

Outdoor Dining available

American Prime

1420 Spring Hill Road | McLean, VA 22102

$25.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

B Side

8298 Glass Alley | Fairfax, VA 22031

$40.00 Dinner

Bellissimo Restaurant

10403 Main Street | Fairfax, VA 22030

$25.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner | $65.00

The Capital Grille – Fairfax

12169 Fair Lakes Promenade | Fairfax, VA 22033

$65.00 Dinner

The Capital Grille – Tysons

1861 International Drive | McLean, VA 22102

$65.00 Dinner

Celebration by Rupa Vira

44260 Ice Rink Plaza, Unit 120 | Ashburn, VA 20147

$35.00 Brunch | $35.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner | $55.00 Dinner

Circa at The Boro

1675 Silver Hill Drive | Tysons, VA 22102

$35.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner | $65.00 Dinner

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

1902 Reston Metro Plaza | Reston, VA 20190

$55.00 Dinner

Earls Kitchen + Bar

7902 Tysons One Place | McLean, VA 22102

$35.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

Ellie Bird

125 Founder’s Ave | Falls Church, VA 22046

$65.00 Dinner

Founding Farmers – Reston

1904 Reston Metro Plaza Drive | Reston, VA 20190

$25.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner

Founding Farmers – Tysons

1800 Tysons Blvd at Galleria Drive | McLean, VA 22102

$25.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner

Hammrock’s

3950 Chain Bridge Road | Fairfax, VA 22030

$35.00 Brunch | $35.00 Lunch | $55 Dinner

Ingle Korean Steakhouse

8369 Leesburg Pike, Suite 120 | Vienna, VA 22182

$65.00 Dinner

Joon

8045 Leesburg Pike, Suite A | Vienna, VA 22182

$35.00 Brunch | $25.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

Kirby Club

2911 District Ave | Fairfax, VA 22031

$35.00 Brunch | $25.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner

La Côte d’Or Café

6876 Lee Highway| Arlington, VA 22213

$25.00 Brunch | $35.00 Brunch$25.00 Lunch | $35.00 Lunch$40.00 Dinner | $55.00 Dinner | $65.00 Dinner

Maker’s Union – Reston

1811 Library St Reston, VA 20190

$25.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner

Matchbox – McLean

1340 Chain Bridge Rd | McLean, VA 22101

$40.00 Dinner

Matchbox – Merrifield

2911 District Ave, Ste 120 | Fairfax, VA 22031

$40.00 Dinner

Matchbox – One Loudoun

44720 Thorndike Street | Ashburn, VA 20147

$40.00 Dinner

Matchbox – Reston Station

1900 Reston Metro Plaza, Suite 100 | Reston, VA 20190

$40.00 Dinner

The Melting Pot Reston

11730 Plaza America Drive | Reston, VA 20190

$55.00 Dinner

Morton’s The Steakhouse – Reston

11956 Market Street | Reston, VA 20190

$55.00 Dinner

North Italia – Reston

11898 Market St | Reston, VA 20190

$25.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

North Italia – The Boro Tysons

1651 Boro Pl. | McLean, VA 22102

$25.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

PassionFish

11960 Democracy Drive | Reston, VA 20190

$35.00 Brunch | $35.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

Pisco Y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar – Reston

1871 Explorer Street | Reston, VA 20190

$25.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner

TRIO Grill

8100 Lee Hwy | Falls Church, VA 22042

$55.00 Dinner | $65.00 Dinner

Tysons Social Tavern

1960 Chain Bridge Rd | McLean, VA 22102

$40.00 Dinner

Wildfire – Tysons Galleria

2001 International Dr. | McLean, VA 22102

$35.00 Lunch | $55.00 Dinner

The Wine Kitchen Leesburg

7 S King St | Leesburg, VA 20175

$25.00 Lunch | $40.00 Dinner

Wren

1825 Capital One Drive South | Tysons, VA 22102

$40.00 Dinner | $55.00 Dinner