Synthetic Soccer Fields in Reston?

The head of the Reston Soccer Association will push for a year-round soccer facility and nighttime lighting at an upcoming Reston Association Board of Directors meeting.

Roberto Anguizola is scheduled to speak shortly after 7 p.m. during the meeting on July 28 -- the first presentation on the agenda. Anguizola told Patch.com that the plan is still in its preliminary stages and there is not yet a way forward on funding the initiative. However, he said it's high time the growing association takes a step toward improving available facilities.

"We're coming at it with an open mind," he said."It would definitely give us more playing time than we currently get on the grass."

The Reston Soccer Association currently relies on area grass fields to play, but they must be shut down after the fall season and don't reopen until April to let the grass rest. Synthetic turf would solve the issue of a lengthy period of inactivity.

The field would eschew tire crumbs for a plant-derived infill to address safety concerns about synthetic fields, said.

"There are a lot of concerns about tire crumb in the community, so we want to be mindful of that," Anguizola said. "The product we're proposing is a combination of cork and coconut husk."

In addition, the association is hoping to get field lights. That's a controversial subject because people don't want bright lights on in the neighborhood in late evening hours, but Anguizola thinks a solution can be found that would involve using LED lights with less glare and working with the community to determine what hours the lights can be on.

"A big part of the work is engaging with the community, including the surrounding community, and hearing what their thoughts are and concerns are," he said. "We love Reston and want to make it better and do it in a respectful way, and obviously we don't own that land -- it's the Reston Association's, so the first stop has to be the Board."

As far as funding goes, Anguizola said they aren't expecting the Reston Association to fund the project -- any funding provided is appreciated, but he recognizes that most of the support, if not all of it, will need to come from private donations.

"We're not going to the Reston Association hat in hand and asking them to pay for anything," he said "We're asking whether we can go through the process to see whether our proposal, after it gets sufficient input from the community, is something the community is willing to accept."

Anguizola said he plans to recommend a referendum in the spring 2017 time frame.

Image via Reston Soccer Association