The Cops Have Spoken
As promised, I attended the RA meeting this evening. Okay — full disclosure — I attended and stayed until my question was answered and then left. I just couldn’t bear to go through another evening listening to people gripe when I could be home with my family.
But, just to make you laugh, RA President Robin Smyers was attending the meeting via audio link…only it wasn’t working. You know those really infuriating cell conversations that are breaking up all over? That’s what it was like, but with a room FULL of people listening. It was actually pretty funny but then got tedious. After advice from legal counsel (!), Cheryl Beamer was asked to be acting president or something and after motion and approval went on to read Robin’s remarks. I guess that was for the benefit of the record but we all had the remarks, in writing, so it was a bit…um….
Okay anyway, when they said they’d defer comments from public until after the first two guest speakers, I thought the red banners of revolution would start waving. But the first speaker was a cop, so no open dissent. Captain Burnett was actually an excellent speaker. She told us that our concern is also their concern, and what they’re doing to keep the community informed of crime. I didn’t realize that their area of coverage goes from the Potomac River in Great Falls all the way down to our humble south side. On the other hand, I don’t think Great Falls has a lot of subsidized housing and thus, less crime! Still, with the resources they have, they’re being very responsive to the community and she outlined those actions.
When she finished, Larry Butler (RA Parks & Rec) was my HERO! He mentioned that he’d gotten an e-mail from someone (ME!) earlier today asking about an issue and could he raise it or was she here. I ID’d myself and asked about the gang tagging. The Captain was very gracious, very informative and I was able to leave before I had to sit through the rest of the complaining.
I got home in time to have family time and watch a video. Yeah, VHS. No, really. We still do that on occasion and with two teens. REALLY! They like us and like to be with us sometimes!
So, our police are on the job, they are trying to be very responsive, they are very aware of the issues, and need us to tell them when we see gang graffiti or tagging. Or even suspicious people…I was impressed and relieved.
I appreciate that you are involved in your community and taking the time to post as a blogger. I was also at the meeting and thought the police officer was very informative and responsive. But I am not sure what you mean by “listening to people gripe” when you could be at home. As someone who has felt compelled to speak up about an issue that affects so many of us (hence the large crowds), the proposed county rec center on RA land, I do not consider it griping. If you had stayed to listen to the speakers I think you would have heard a broad base of Reston’s citizens speaking very positively about saving open space and preserving a way of life that is, for many of us, the reason we chose to live in Reston. Griping is complaining without taking action. Showing up at a meeting on a beautiful summer evening that could be better spent in any number if pursuits – that is being engaged and involved. What more could we ask of our neighbors?
I had been at the community meeting at HWES on Monday…I had heard more than enough about the proposed rec center. Many of the people that spoke that night just wanted to complain about the idea rather than offer solutions or alternatives. Many were so long-winded and repetitive that many others never got a chance to speak.
For the record, I’m against the Rec Center as proposed. I think market forces should locate such a center nearer to the toll road with the market paying for it, not the people of Reston. If it can’t be paid for with private investment, it probably shouldn’t be built.
Thanks for your comment.
South Lakes Mom please have the decency to listen to the comments before calling them “complaining”. I attended the meeting and stayed for all of the member comments. I was overwhelmed and at times almost moved to tears by the beautiful and thoughtful remarks made by a diverse group of residents from all over Reston. There was very little “complaining”. There were positive and constructive remarks from people who love Reston and want to preserve its parkland and open green spaces.
As co-chair of Save Browns Chapel I am heartened by how many people from all over the community have joined us in this effort to save the park. At the meeting last night I knew only a handful of people. Yet the room was filled with residents who felt strongly enough about this movement to spend their Thursday evening in a meeting. I feel privileged to live in a community where so many people care enough to participate.
South Lakes Mom you may not agree with us but don’t call us complainers because we are not, we are people who love this community, make our homes here, raise our families here and in many cases we are second generation Restonians. We are fighting to preserve a quality of life.
We are also not, as you alleged previously, a bunch of people over age 60 who have gotten theirs and now don’t care what happens to the youth of Reston. We have members representing every age group from over 80 to young children. Many of us, myself included, are parents with young children who use the park. We have kids who go to the park to play baseball , to have a picnic, to play on the playground, to skateboard, to bike along the trails, to attend camp among other things.
You can put blind trust in your elected representatives and government officials to make the right decisions for the community or you can participate in the decision making process and become as informed as you can about the issues. We choose to do the latter, but please don’t call us complainers.
Amy Justice
Co-chair Save Browns Chapel
Amy, my comments about the complaints were based on the community meeting Monday that I had attended. I anticipated more of the same at the Board Meeting Thursday evening, thus my comments. The over 60 crowd I referred to in the earlier posting referred to the Monday evening meeting at HWES…I was there and very few of the people called on were under 60, and very few had alternative solutions to propose.
I attended the Board Meeting solely to find out about the crime update. If you read my first posting about the HWES meeting closely, you’d see that I am still against building at Browns Chapel, but at least now I’m better informed. More community vitriol is not going to change that.
Hello South Lakes Mom,
I am sorry you missed an earlier RCC meeting at Lake Anne community center. It was full of children. Many spoke eloquently about the love they felt for their park. They begged for it not to be destroyed.
If you have attended one meeting, you have only seen a small part of the effort to save this open space for Reston’s future generations.
As for alternate solutions, I believe there are a number out there, including putting the indoor rec center on a currently under-utilized property (there are many) in the Dulles Corridor where it will be easily accessible to Metro and letting the county pay for it.