Relac Water Cooling A/C Co-Op Certified As Non-Profit Corporation: SCC

RESTON, VA — Relac Water Cooling Cooperative is now a non-profit corporation. After submitting an application to the State Corporation Commission, the co-op was granted a certificate of incorporation on Monday.

"That's going to be the shell for the co-op, which is going to be where all the documents are filed and the rules and regulations once the members decide on what they might be or approve them," said Simon McKeown, who is identified on the certificate as a director of the co-op along with Kim D. Fortunato.

Operators of the Reston Lake Anne Air-Conditioning Corporation cooling system notified its customers in December that the 2023 cooling season would be the last year the company would be providing its services. RELAC is the company that provided chilled water for air conditioning to about 600 Reston households and 25 commercial properties.

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

Acting as the Steering Committee Chair representing RELAC customers in Reston, McKeown signed a memorandum of understanding on Dec. 28 with the directors RELAC LLC to establish a community-owned entity to manage the chilled-water service for the 2024 cooling season.

McKeown told Patch in a phone interview on Tuesday that the co-op would begin fundraising efforts and send out an informational document on Wednesday, which will include all the financial projections. This will include the buy-in cost for members and the monthly fee.

"All the details on structure, maintenance and replacement parts and a new chiller will be documented and shown to people," he said. "We're going to close a subscription, hopefully, at the end of February, if not certainly before the end of the first week in March."

Related: MOU Signed For Reston Water-Chilling Service

In January, the Reston Association Board of Directors approved a referendum to repeal Section VI.2(b)(15) of the Reston Deed. This section requires that “any residential cluster in which central air conditioning service is available to the Lot line, no individual air conditioning units of any type shall be permitted."

The section in question can only be amended or repealed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Class A Members who are in a cluster where the central water-cooling system is in place. If the referendum passes, members would then be allowed by RA to install individual HVAC units.

"The covenant is a mandate for certain property owners to use the facility if available," McKeown said. "That mandate will either continue or not continue after the referendum. We're going to be in business either way.

If the referendum gets passed, McKeown acknowledged that the co-op would probably lose customers. As long as the co-op retains a minimum number of users, then they'll remain in business.

"We could end up being totally defeated and have to pick up our bat and ball and go home," he said. "If that's what the users want, then so be it."

Referendum Dates

February 12, 2024

• During a Special Meeting meeting, the Board conducts the second hearing and, based on the comments received during the first and second hearings, vote to approve or modify the proposed referendum question.

February 16, 2024

• Ballots mailed to Category A Members subject to Reston Deed Section VI.2(b)(15).

March 8, 2024, 5 p.m.

• Deadline for Ballot Return.

March 13, 2024

• Special Meeting of the Board of Directors — Air-conditioning Unit Covenant Referendum Results Announced by Board President.