Reston Community Gardeners Must Assume Risk Following Thefts

RESTON, VA — Since last year, Reston gardeners working the community plots in Hunters Woods Park have seen thousands of dollars in plants and other materials stolen by thieves. Twenty-one separate thefts were reported last year from the gardens at 2501 Reston Parkway, according to a police spokesman.

Mike McNamara, Reston Association's director of maintenance and natural resources, sympathizes with the plight of the gardeners whose plots have been targeted. However, all of the gardeners signed a contract that exempts RA from any responsibility for any thefts in the gardens. Given the remote location of the unattended plots, the gardeners must assume some risk, he said.

"We're not responsible for any theft," McNamara said. "It's the same thing we have in our RV yard. If somebody does scale a fence, we have the cameras. But if they break a window, it's up to the insurance of the person who owns the RV. They're responsible. They call their insurance."

Reston Association responded on its website Monday to concerns about security at the two community garden plots in Hunters Woods Park.

“We know how much the Reston’s garden plots mean to our community members,” RA CEO Hank Lynch said, in the website post. “Gardeners give their time and energy to help us manage these facilities and they get immense personal satisfaction out of growing their own plants and vegetables. We want residents of all ages to feel they can pursue this wonderful hobby in a safe and secure manner.”

Starting last summer, thieves on numerous occasions have ransacked the community gardens, removing thousands of dollars worth of plants and other items, including tools. The most recent thefts occurred early in the morning of May 7.

Reston gardeners, who pay a fee to work the gardens, have reached out repeatedly to RA and police for help.

"I think the Reston Association owes us some responsibility and some action," said Lizbeth Opiola, whose garden was the target of thieves this year and last. "It's not in my home. It's in their garden plot area. We have asked them to put up floodlights. We've asked them to put up cameras. We've asked them to work with the police department."

RA acknowledged that the garden plots have been one of the most "sought-after amenities" and often operate at capacity. Fees are assessed annually based on plot size.

With regular visits to weed and water her plants, Opiola estimated that she has spent 70 to 80 hours maintaining her plot over the last two years."

"Last year, I had over $4,000 stolen out of my bed," she said. "This last hit last Friday, I actually have the receipts, because all of it was relatively new purchases from the past year, and it was $961.85."

Opiola feels angry and violated about the thefts and wonders if it's worth the time and expense to maintain the garden.

"I lost a $1,000 this year," she said. "How much do I want to put in to be stolen? With the RA, we have to maintain our garden plot. So someone comes in and steals something, I'm not obligated to come in and put everything back, but it still has to look like it's been worked on and it's being maintained."

Following complaints last year about the thefts, RA installed a 10-foot chain-link fence and motion detector lights, but these measures failed to stop the thieves on May 7.

McNamara confirmed that RA did not install the requested floodlights, opting instead for lights that would pass the Reston Design Review Board.

"Lighting is obviously a sensitive subject here in Reston," he said. "Where you put lights, how you put them, when they're going to come on, what time, how long they're going to stay on, because there is some residential housing around that area. We didn't want major, glaring lights to go on and stay on all night."

RA's Central Services Facility team will be meeting with gardeners to assure that the gates to the gardens are always locked and that the combination of the locks would not be shared, according to RA's release. Residents are encouraged report any suspicious activity to the Reston District Police Station at 703-478-0904

Beyond a general feeling of frustration, Opiola struggles to understand what's motivating the thieves to repeatedly target the plots in Hunters Woods Park.

"I understand I'm not getting back my money and I'm not getting back my plants," she said. "I can't see why you think it's OK, you can come and repeatedly steal from me. It's not one time. This is probably the 10th or 12th time my plot has been stolen, but I just need to know why."

Related:

Late-Night Thieves Ransack 2 Reston Community Gardens