Earlier this year, the Virginia Assembly recognized the same legal prohibition and moved to change the law to allow alcohol consumption at private pools without additional permits.  The legislature passed and the governor signed H.R. 1520, which permits any private swim club operated by a nonprofit association to allow members to bring and consume their own alcoholic beverages on the premises starting July 1.

I am very excited to welcome you to the 63rd year of fun, sun, and relaxation at the Dominion Hills Area Recreation Association. Opening day for the pool is Saturday, May 12, at 10 am. Please bring your family and join your friends to welcome in another year at our association.

This summer’s calendar offers something for everyone, including early bird swim, the July 4 BBQ, family movie night, teen and kid nights, ice cream socials, overnight camp-outs, and many other family-oriented events.

The pool will be hosting its annual Memorial Day holiday cookout on May 28 from 12-2pm, so please join us then for hot dogs, hamburgers, and beverages with your fellow members.

Please also review the rules to ensure your family’s convenience and safety while at the pool.

Last but not least, the Goodlett Foundation awards a scholarship to a deserving young man and young woman each year. This scholarship is available to DHARA members only. If you or a family member will be attending college next fall, please consider applying for this award.

DHARA is an active member of the Northern Virginia Swimming League. The Board of Directors and I urge all members to support our swim and dive teams by attending the meets and encouraging your children to join either team. The competitive meet schedule is included on the calendar. Please be aware that during meets hosted at Dominion Hills, there will be parts of some days and evenings when the pool will be closed to general swimming.

If you have general questions about DHARA, our contact information is on our website, and you can contact me directly at s.christensen@me.com and our pool manager at manager@dominionhills.org. The manager, the Board of Directors and I want to make sure you have a great summer at our great pool!

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we look forward to seeing all of our 500+ member families this year at the pool. Jump in—the water feels great!

Check out the 2018 DHARA newsletter.

In 1985, DHARA members Brad Billings and Sam Gaines co-wrote a paper detailing the fascinating history of DHARA’s property with an emphasis on the significance of the spring located behind the pool. If you are a history buff or just want to know a bit more about the very special place DHARA members are so fortunate to enjoy, an updated copy of the paper may be obtained here.

A special membership meeting will be held on Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. at the DHARA Community House, 6000 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia.

More than 25 members of the Dominion Hills Area Recreation Association (“DHARA”) requested in writing a special membership meeting to vote on a proposed amendment to the Bylaws. Pursuant to the Bylaws, Article VII, Sections 2 and 3, the Secretary of the Board of Directors hereby provides notice of the special membership meeting and a ballot.

At the special membership meeting, the membership 
will vote on the following question:

Should the DHARA Bylaws be amended, effective January 1, 2018, to add a new Section 6 to Article V “Board of Directors” to read as follows:

“Sec. 6. No member of the Association shall be eligible for appointment or election to the Board of Directors if the member has already served four (4) or more full or partial terms on the Board of Directors. These terms may be consecutive or non-consecutive. Appointment or election to an unexpired term shall count as service of a full regular term for the purposes of calculating this term limit. This Section 6 may be repealed or amended only by a vote of the members held pursuant to Article VIII of these Bylaws”.

The Board takes no position for or against the proposed amendment.

If the proposal is adopted as written, over the next two years, the following Board members will be disallowed from serving on the Board: Rich Engel, Brice Henderson, Melissa Martin, Scott Tate and Wayne Vincent.

A special meeting packet containing voting information and a ballot has been sent first class mail to all DHARA members.

Members are welcomed to reach out to individual Board members with their questions and concerns about the immediate and long-term effects of the proposed amendment. Board members may be contacted by visiting here..

All DHARA members are urged to attend this important meeting and actively participate in the process of determining the future of DHARA’s leadership.