Reston Citizen

This 1767 painting by Joseph Wright of a mouse in an air pump provided inspiration for the play.
The Reston players open their second play of their acting season with comedy “Experiment with an Air Pump.”

“Experiment with an Air Pump” is a controversial comedy exploring issues such as medical ethics, passion versus love, and the evolving role of women.  The play is set in juxtaposed time periods of 1799 and 1999. Written in 1997 the play has won awards.

The play is directed by Adam Konowe and produced by Sue Pinkman and Laura Baughman.

“An Experiment with an Air Pump” runs on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm: January 18, 19, 25, 26, February 1, and 2. The opening night performance features a reception. Tickets can be purchased online.

Statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham Alabama.

The Reston Community Center invites everyone to come and honor the sacrifice of Dr Martin Luther King. Events start on Janurary 19th with a concert, and continue on the 20th with another free concert.

On January 21st a commemorative march is planned to start at the Southgate Center, and terminates at the Hunter Woods RCC location.

Schedule of Events:
Saturday, January 19, 6:00pm - 8:00pm: RCC Hunters Woods

Reston Community Orchestra, conducted byMaestro Dingwall Fleary. MetroSingers and encore performances by Reston’s own, Beverly Cosham, Song Stylist, and Ellyn Lomak Crawford, Soprano.

Sunday, January 20, 4:00pm: Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation

Community Concert sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, January 21, 7:30am: Southgate Community Center
Commemorative march, shuttles will be provided back to the Southgate location.
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Map provided by the Reston Citizens Association illustrating the wide support for the “Town of Reston,” by mapping the location of petition signers.

The Reston Citizens Association (who where behind the ResTown petition) is working to make sure legislation in the Virginia Assembly gets approved that grants permission for Reston to become a town. Currently a town can not incorporate if it lies within a county under the urban-executive form of government.

One of the important steps toward Reston becoming a town is having organizations like the Reston Community Center, Reston Association, and the Reston Town Center Association sign on. If any one of these organizations refused to join it would severely limit the “Town of Reston” from providing services. If they did provide the services they’d have to double charge constituents for services that were already offered, which would certainly be unpopular.

The association is asking people to send letters to local newspapers, state representatives, and people in various community organizations. On December 3rd RCC and RA will be meeting to determine if they would potentially dissolve themselves to become part of a future town.

If you’d like to publish an opinion on Reston as a town then contact us.

Bonnie Freeman, executive director for the Reston Community Center, has resigned. In Novemeber 2005 she joined the board and brought about many changes. Among her accomplishments, she worked with board and staff to create a ten year improvement plan, which lays a framework for the centers continued success. Also two of three of the HVAC repairs where conducted with no program disruptions.

“Bonnie brought a lot of passion to the job and her leadership has been extraordinary. We’ll miss her wit, grace, and dedication to the RCC. She will always be a part of the RCC legacy of leadership,” said Bill Bouie, the chairman for RCC.

The Reston Community Center has also improved their website as part of Bonnie Freeman’s latest efforts to improve communication. With streamlined access to forms, event information, and a design much more pleasing to look at, the website is certainly an improvement. The old website included cluttered information, and graphics that appeared to be taken from clip art.

The Reston Community Center will close temporarily in summer 2008 for HVAC renovations. Classes and other activities will be relocated to other facilities, including the Lake Anne center.

The HVAC system is over thirty years old, and RCC chariman Bill Bouie said, “we are replacing a 30-year old system, which was original to the Hunters Woods building. The system started to require more and more repair and without question
outlived its efficiency.” The board decided the timings to overlap with the annual closures of both the pool and community theater.

RCCs executive director, Bonnie Freeman has said the move will also see expansion in the Reston Town Center area, and North Reston. This has been an area the Center has wanted to expand in for a while, according to her. The center will close in June 2008, and reopen in October.