March 17
HVAC Referendum Results: A total of 343 members were eligible to vote. 165 members voted in favor of revoking the covenant provision to use the RELAC system, 89 voted against. The referendum required 229 YES votes to pass. The referendum has failed.
Details were discussed at this March 13 Reston Association Board of Directors Special Meeting Announcing HVAC Referendum Vote results:
February 21
The board would like to share this memo (click link) from the Hickory Cluster Board describing our concerns with RELAC and why we advocate for a “Yes” vote on the upcoming Reston Association referendum.
February 15
Reston Association Board of Directors recommends that members vote “Yes” in the upcoming referendum vote. Below is the text from the Reston Association Referendum FAQs
Based upon the uncertainties surrounding the provision of cooling services to the Reston Association members by RELAC, LLC. The Board of Directors of Reston Association recommends that members vote in favor of revoking Section VI.2 (b) (15) of the first amendment of the Deed of Amendment to the Deed of Dedication of Reston
January 23
Some HCA members posed several questions about the RELAC referendum and Reston Association’s authority and responsibility in the RELAC matter at the January 17 HCA monthly board meeting. They then posed some questions directly to Reston Association as a follow-up. Below are two responses to two different members’ question sets, as provided by members:
- Reston Association RELAC Questions Response #1
- Reston Association RELAC Questions Response #2 (edits are as sent from Reston Association)
Other HCA members are newer and weren’t familiar with past concerns about RELAC. Here are some past articles on RELAC:
From 2005: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2005/aug/02/sweating-with-relac/
From 2014: http://m.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2014/nov/25/column-relac-museum-and-environmental-problem/
From 2015:
January 15
The HCA board will host a monthly board meeting on January 17, 2024. Key topics (among many) will be:
- The Reston Association Board of Directors has voted to authorize a referendum for relevant members regarding whether to repeal Reston Deed Section VI.2(b)(15) “Air-Conditioning Units” thereby deleting that section from the Reston Deed. Reston Association has published an FAQ on this referendum here.
- Developing standards for Hickory Cluster regarding installation of standard A/C units
- HVAC Industry Day
- Discussion of draft resolution for Procedures Relating to Virtual Board, Committee and Membership Meetings and Electronic Voting
January 7
On January 3, the HCA board met with other Reston neighborhood associations affected by the RELAC announcement to discuss concerns, plans, actions, etc. The board found it helpful to “compare notes”.
On January 4, 2024, the HCA board sent a request for at least a temporary waiver from Covenant 15 to the Reston Association.
The HCA board plans to meet with the HCA RELAC working committee the week of January 8, 2024.
The HCA board is aware of the separate, independent committee to establish a possible co-op for RELAC. The board is not involved with this effort and cannot comment on specifics of it.
The HCA board has asked its legal counsel, Rees Broome, to attend the January 25, 2024 Reston Association Board of Directors meeting to express HCA concerns and represent HCA interests. The board has not received any additional information from the Reston Association on next steps or guidance.
The HCA Board is planning to host an Industry Day with various HVAC contractors, which will consist of HVAC contractors congregating in one location for members to ask questions or seek assistance. The tentative date is February 4, 1-4 pm, details are still being worked out. This event will be open to all clusters affected by the RELAC announcement. The board is coordinating information to announce for the other clusters.
December 29
The HCA board is aware of the recent concept of the establishment of a RELAC community-owned entity model. We are awaiting to see what transpires between the Reston Association and the Virginia State Corporation Commission legal teams for this option.
The board does understand that we are currently still under the RELAC covenant and cannot sign off on any air conditioning DRB applications until we have further Reston Association guidance and approval.
In the mean time, the board has established an HCA-specific committee to research options and design standards that are relevant to Hickory Cluster concerns in the event that RELAC must be replaced in some fashion with an alternative.
December 16
The board will host a special HCA board meeting solely devoted to RELAC discussion and to solicit participation in committees to research options for the HCA and members to consider.
December 14
The Hickory Cluster Association board has been very active in dealing with the announcement that RELAC services will be discontinued. This new posts will be updated regularly with information as it is gathered for our members.
Activities have included:
- Close communication with Reston Association to express need for urgent action, communicate concerns, present questions, and advocate for unique needs of HCA members
- Consult with a variety of HVAC system vendors to understand what would be involved to convert our existing cooling systems from RELAC, in order to understand solution options, possible costs, issues, etc.
- Working with our TWC property management partner to help with communications and seek information from their circles.