News Window

Christmas Tree Collection by Judy Currier

Christmas trees will be removed on Wednesday, January 3 and 10 and will be recycled.  Place your tree crubside on one of those two days early, or the night before.  All tinsel and ornaments must be removed from the trees.  Any trees that are not collected on these dates may be placed on the curb on a regular collection day after January 10.

President's Notes  by Judy Currier

Dear Leewood Neighbors,

As many of you have heard by now, my father was killed in an automobile accident as he was leaving Leewood.  We had been to lunch together, he dropped me off at my house, and then as he was trying to turn left on Braddock Road from Bradwood Street he was hit on the driver's side by an oncoming car.  The police told me that his Cadillac had been pushed in three feet on the side where he had been sitting.  He died about five hours after the accident.

First, let me thank all of you who have been so wonderful with your support since the accident.  We read much nowadays about how there is no sense of community in our society.  I must tell you I am glad that I live in Leewood where that is not so.  I appreciate every note and expression of kindness that I have received - it certainly helped me over the rockiest part.  I was overwhelmed not just by losing my father, but by the irony that I had represented Leewood in complaining about our increasing traffic difficulties.  In my last testimony I had revealed that Dad and I had actually talked about him not visiting me here anymore.  Of course, I sure wish we had acted on that conversation now, but neither of us were very happy with the concept.  I try not to beat myself up with the fact that I knew it was getting more and more dangerous, but it is difficult at times.

Please, all of you as you go in and out of Leewood be very careful.  Those of us who have watched the growth of traffic in this area have been concerned for a long time.  We all know that many accidents can be avoided if both drivers are alert and calm.  The driver of the other car in Dad's accident was young and had little experience in avoiding collisions.  My father was healthy and vital, but at 88, no doubt his reactions were not as fast as they would have been if he were younger.  Unfortunately, as traffic gets more congested, neither the other drivers nor us are always at our ultimate best.

Less than a week after Dad had died, I had to go down to sign a release on his car.  Coming back I was turning into Leewood from Backlick Road at Leestone Street.  The traffic was comparatively light for us, but there was a van that was waiting to turn into Matthew Place.  The right hand lane was clear, and a car pulled up in back of the van and stopped.  I started my left hand turn;  at about the same time that the car in back of the van decided not to wait any longer and whipped out into the right hand lane.  He was aiming right at the passenger side door where my sister was sitting.  How frightening! I thought I was going to have a repeat of Dad's accident, but on the opposite side, killing my very own sister.  Instead, I gunned the motor and got into Leewood fast.  We were all very shaken, and I was quite thankful that the situation was such that I could get us out of harms way....

Again, thanks to all of you for your kindness, and do be extra cautious.   We had been concerned about the more minor accidents that were occurring as we tried to go to and from our homes.  Now the first fatality has happened.

Judy

PS.  Please note that it is now illegal to perform a U-turn at Backlick and Braddock in case you are trying to get where you want to go and can't turn left at Bradwood St. and Braddock.  Of course no signs prohibiting U-turns were put up at the Bradwood St./Braddock Rd.  intersection to help our safety.

Follow up to Judy's letter...   by Rose Westberg

Judy's letter poignantly expresses many of my concerns about the build up of traffic in this area.  The difficulty each of us experiences as we try to exit the Leewood community continues to increase daily.  Ironically, one week after Judy's father lost his life, my vehicle was struck at the same intersection.  The east bound cars were jamming up, the light at Backlick Road was red.  An approaching driver, meaning to be courteous, slowed his car and waived me out.  The other lane was momentarily clear, so I quickly crossed and paused at the median area..  The woman driving a large Chevy Suburban claimed that she saw my car dart out and she continued to roll forward, clipping my left rear bumper.  Interestingly, there was almost no room left in front of her when she hit me - the cars were solidly stacked up, waiting for the light to change.  Thankfully, no one was hurt.  The only damage was about $1,300 worth of crumpled Honda Civic metal and plastic.

Several lessons were learned - exiting left onto Braddock Road from Bradwood Street should be seriously reconsidered by all (especially during rush hours); crossing into someone's lane makes you legally liable (I received a citation for "failure to yield right of way" and will appear in court next week); the time and inconvenience involved (this is my first accident) created a lot of stress.  Despite all of that, I was very lucky and again so thankful that there was no one injured.

In lieu of exiting left onto Braddock Road, I now go right off Leebrad Street onto Backlick Road and take Leesville Boulevard through some quiet residential areas.  By making my way onto Ravensworth Road,  I can now safely turn left at a traffic light onto Braddock Road in the morning. This has added about 10 minutes extra to my commute but has given me peace of mind.

Electing Officers to the Board  by Judy Currier

Frankly, after dealing with the board for a number of years, I am not too sure this would be a wise decision on the part of the association.  The vote for the board is at the annual meeting, everyone can participate.  All members of the board are equal as far as authority - in other words the President does not have the power to do anything without the approval of the rest of the board, nor does the Treasurer, etc.

Given that there is no executive authority invested in any one member of the board (and it could be there should be), what is the real point in having the association at large vote for the officers of the board?
As it stands now, the board decides amongst themselves who the officers should be.  If anyone has ever sat in on one of these sessions, it is determined by the particular talents of the board members, and the time they are willing to spend on the job.  For example, Leona Taylor would make a fabulous board president.  Unfortunately, she is also a fantastic Treasurer, and has a CPA and legal background that makes that makes her uniquely qualified for that job.  So, if last year we had decided to make Leona President, we would have had to find another qualified Treasurer.   What does the association do if they have 4 people running for one position and none for the others?  Currently, the board twists arms and we fill the positions.  Some positions need to be filled by law, so  don't be a wag and say we just won't have them!

In a way it makes sense for the people to elect the board, and the board to select the officers. It is the board, ultimately, that has to decide how the board will best function.  That is their responsibility to the association.  A personal note - I don't think the term of any officer should be over one year.
All this having been said, if the members want us to put an amendment to the by-laws on the ballot, someone write one up.  It would be nice, but not necessary, to have a petition to do this so there is some concept of whether there is support for this idea or not.

Addendum:  Clearly there are no perks that go with the job of serving on the board, as Tony, tongue in cheek, said in another article.  I shouldn't say none, I do offer board members, and those active in the community, a second directory so they have one for their office and one at home.
 

Surveys

A number of owners have responded to the Leewood survey.  We thank you for your interest.  If you have not already done so, please complete the survey and mail it to the Post Office box or drop it by 5268 Leestone Court.  If you have misplaced your survey and want to respond, please call Leona Taylor at (703) 354-6932 for a copy.  Your opinions do matter to us!