Reston Water-Cooling Co-Op Committee Begins Public Engagement Process

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.

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.