News Window

AAA Announces Website – Or, Trash and Snow
by Judy Currier

Our trash contractor, AAA, now has a website. The address is: www.aaatrash.com. We’ve listed it in the Leewood Links on our own website in case you lose the address, and it is also cited in the directory portion of our site (though you can’t link to it from there).

They claim that they will post changes in their scheduling due to inclement weather on the site. Of course, we will also post changes on our site if we know them. When we had the blizzard five (?) years ago we were able to convince AAA that Leewood was accessible enough that they should pick up our trash. They agreed at 4pm on the day before trash pickup. Last year they were more stubborn and cancelled our pickup (no trash trucks went out that day) with a mere dusting on the ground.

If we find out about trash schedule changes, or if the weather is iffy, but we will have trash collection this year we can email all members listed on our website. Hopefully that will help the information flow in Leewood. In other words – all of you with computers, do spread the word to your neighbors.

President's Notes
by Judy Currier

Things are perking along as usual in Leewood. At the last board meeting we passed our final budget which is displayed in all its glorious detail on our website, www.CommunityPath.com. Leona always breaks down the categories for us, so you can see how we come up with the projections. It is really a useful document for those interested in Leewood’s finances. You will see that the Board budgeted $1200 for the taking of the minutes for next year. Frankly, this is an expense I’d rather not see us have to make as I know almost any member of our community is perfectly capable of taking the minutes. If we have to start contracting out all of our volunteer duties, the assessments will go through the roof! However, this year the budget balanced with that charge in there and the board voted to keep the charged assessment the same, at $135/quarter, while raising the "paper" assessment. You will get a letter notifying you of this matter. The reason we raise the "paper" assessment is that the board is allowed only to raise the assessment by the Consumer Price Index each year without a vote by the members. Many associations just raise the assessment the maximum each year, in case something comes up. We would rather not charge our homeowners the maximum unless that money is actually needed. By raising the maximum each year, if we do need more money the next fiscal year, we can raise the assessment to a nice, reasonable, easy to remember, number (such as $135 instead of $134.70).

This month I started an index of our newsletters on the website. Larry has been putting in a table of contents for a number of years now. I am pulling out of the table of contents any articles that would be of continuing use and putting them in the index. As time goes on, this will be more and more useful I believe. At the present, I am leaving out very time specific articles, such as the announcement that Leestone Street was to be sealed in recent newsletters. I thought it would help to ease the use of the index if it did not include such articles.

At the November Board meeting we have scheduled the first of our hearings on ARC violations. The hearings start at 8:15p.m. As there are usually a number of "no-shows" everyone is scheduled at the same time, as they do in the court system in Fairfax. This allows us not to just sit around twiddling our toes while waiting for people to show up. Our attorney has advised us that these hearings must be in closed session. Those of you familiar with our workings know that we avoid closed sessions whenever possible – however, laws are laws. When we go into closed session, unfortunately any homeowners present must leave the room. The purpose of the closed session must be stated, and after the session, the results must be announced in open session. We are hoping, of course, that everyone will busily take care of the house problems and there won’t be any need for the hearings!

We just got notified by CommunityPath that we can now upload pictures for the news articles onto our web site. If anyone has pertinent pictures, I’d love to borrow them and scan them into my computer for the next time an article is written. Look through your old pictures! Did you take shots of trash being piled up, street work being performed, or other such common occurrences in Leewood? If so, could I borrow your snapshot for a bit?

Another item is that I was reading the Braddock District Council’s newsletter, and realized that there were many articles in there that should be of interest to our residents. For example, the last newsletter talked about the school budget, infill development, and expansion of route 236 (gaining so much fame now in Dr. Gridlock’s column). It turns out that the latest newsletter is posted on Sharon Bulova’s website under "District News". I will put a link to that location under Leewood Links on our site, plus probably in the publications index. As the Braddock site does not archive the newsletter, I am considering excerpting some of the articles and putting them on our site, probably in the publications category. I will write an article and post it on the site to tell you what I have done, and where to find these news items. For those of you who do not know what the Braddock District Council is, it is representatives from civic, condo, and HOA associations that are in the Braddock district. The meetings are informal and generally very interesting, covering items that concern both associations and Fairfax in general. Unfortunately, they meet on the night of our board meetings, so board members no longer can attend the meetings even if they have significant impact on our community.

For many years we have sent a representative to the council, Bob Meyer went for a number of years and then Al Sanford. If anyone would be interested in representing Leewood at the council, please give me a call. It would be wonderful if we could learn and contribute at the council again.

Leewood Board of Director’s Positions to Be Decided
by Judy Currier

This March, at our Annual Meeting, there will be an election for at least two members of the Board of Directors. The Board, plus the committees, run our community.

Why should you be interested in this, and consider running for the board or joining a committee? Your house is probably one of your largest investments – both emotionally and from the standpoint of equity. How the community looks, and is run, affects your quality of life AND your property values. Consumers are getting more savvy, and many look into the Association before buying a house nowadays. They know a weak Association may let the looks of the community deteriorate, and may cause the financial situation to decline so that special assessments are necessary. Leewood has always had a strong Association financially, and we have a good reputation amongst the realtors who advise people on home purchases. It is in your best interest to keep the association healthy.

In Leewood, the members elect their Board of Directors for a three year term, and the Directors elect their officers every year. Running for the Board is not running for a particular position. That is a common misunderstanding, but our documents spell the matter out quite clearly.

This meeting, as I said, at least two positions will be open. One is the board position filled by Julie King, who is currently serving as Secretary of the Association. Julie volunteered for this position when it became open between elections. Our documents require that any appointed seat be filled through an election the following year. As announced earlier in the newsletters, Julie would love for someone else to fill this position before the election as her health has not been good. That way, you could "try before you buy", and see whether you enjoy serving on the Board. It can be extremely rewarding both intellectually and personally.

The second seat open is the one occupied by me, the current President. I have now served on the board for over 6 years. I had also served before and took a short sabbatical before getting back on the board. Many people recommend a type of term limit for board members, whereby there would be a fixed maximum time they could serve before getting off the board, at least for a while. The term most often bandied about is 6 years. By long term members getting off the board, the flow of new ideas into the association improves and that increases the democratic nature of the association. Thus, I think it would be most advisable if I bowed out of Board involvement for now. I have told the Board members that I would not just be leaving them hanging – I could not stop my interest in the Association if I wanted to. So, I would continue to help out where I could – just not as a Board member.

As you can see the Association, and its direction, is up for grabs. Please think about joining the Board and its committees. I can personally vouch for the fact that the current board is composed of good people to work with. If you have questions about what serving entails, I, and any other board member will be glad to talk to you concerning this. Also, we have such people as Larry Westberg, who served on the board for several years, who I am sure would also be glad to share their thoughts. Would anyone be interested in a informal meeting where serving in a volunteer status would be discussed? If so, contact me. We could try to get a few people with experience together to talk about life on the board! As I say, it can be fun.

We have wonderful people in our community, and this certainly helps to make volunteering a rewarding experience with very little in the way of a downside.

Have the Last Laugh
by Tony McSorley

Want to control 22 acres of prime northern Virginia real estate or have access to a quarter of a million dollars? Allocate spending of $105,000 in yearly assessments. Spend the assessment your way; raise them, lower them, hell, eliminate them entirely and be loved and recognized as a true world class leader.

You can have it all. Get snow removed from your street and sidewalk first. Get your reserve parking spotlessly cleaned of snow without lifting a shovel. Have the greenest lawn in front of your house. Have your trash picked up "inside" your house. Never get an illegal parking notice from Leewood. Did you always have a secret desire to paint your house Barney purple or pink? Not to worry about a ARC violations ever again. You’ll be the ultimate decision maker on architectural control matters.

Tired of just going by Mr. or Ms in front of your name? Want a position with a grand title that can also add to your resume? Then you’re really a prime candidate for "director" to fill one of the three seats (maybe more) being vacated this year on the Leewood Homeowners Board. The President is retiring after a exhausting seven years. The expert realtor Champ Buck who was Vice President has sold his investment rental of eight years and the Secretary, Julie King who was filling in temporarily till the next election are the seats up for anyone; investor, renter, homeowner.

Don’t miss this prime opportunity to gain, conspire, and enjoy. Contact by email, phone, or personal visit (run don’t walk or you’ll miss this opportunity). Al Sanford who is searching for new fellow directors or Pam Stover of the nominating committee (see front of the newsletter for how to reach them).

Earn $1,000 While Being Entertained
by Tony McSorley

Tired of TV fare looking for the old excitement of JR Ewing in Dallas or just looking to get out anywhere. Look no further, you can now get paid while you play. That’s right get paid handsomely. Earn tax free $75 for being entertained monthly by the Leewood Board of Directors. See it all live and in living color right before your eyes.

They now are tape recording their meeting and then transcribe the meeting minutes to paper. The meetings are held once a month between 8 PM and 10 PM the second Tuesday of the month at the school across Braddock. Your job if you choose to take it will be at a minimum to transcribe the tape or you can take notes to write the minutes. Your choice paper or plastic tape.

If you see yourself or someone , teen-ager, college student, homemaker, or senior wanting this insightful position on the inner working of Leewood. Just step right up. The board is actually going outside Leewood to offer the position to any college or secretary school candidate. Why not one homegrown person first.

Run don’t walk to get this great deal. Contact any board member you can find, as soon as you can, to lock in your claim to this easy $1,000 a year.

Snow and Shoveling

Amazingly, the season is upon us where we will see some of the white stuff. Remember that we have no contractor who shovels the sidewalks. Each homeowner is responsible for the shoveling the sidewalk leading to their home, and for the common area sidewalk in front of their home. It is so much easier to shovel before people have walked on the snow and turned it into ice! Please shovel the sidewalk in front of your house (or the side of your house, as the case may be) so that kids can safely walk to the school bus stops, and the rest of us can walk around Leewood without breaking our neck. So often we see one whole street shoveled except for one house. That causes either the shoes to get wet as one negotiates the unshoveled area, or perhaps even a fall. Thanks for your cooperation!

Crows

We received a letter announcing a public meeting on November 29, 2000 at the Fairfax County Government Center from 7-10p.m. to discuss crow damage. As residents complain about the crows we are reprinting the letter for you. We have written away for the information booklet and will share any ideas with you in future newsletters.

Dear Stakeholder:

The Wildlife Services program of the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will be hosting a public meeting to discuss crow damage and possible solutions. Reports of crow damage in Virginia are increasing and a management plan has been developed to address this damage. We are seeking public input and comments as part of our community based decision making approach to reducing crow damage.

The Wildlife Services program is a federal wildlife management program that works cooperatively with other government agencies, organizations, businesses, and individuals to reduce wildlife damage. The Wildlife Services program provides technical assistance, teaches educational programs, and conducts operational programs, when requested. Wildlife are an important public resource valued by the American people, and as such, Wildlife Services tries to develop wildlife damage management programs that meet society's needs while recognizing not all people will approve of some programs.

Crow damage in Virginia that is most problematic to resolve are roosts of crows consisting of 450 to 6,000 birds that roost in a subdivision, office park, or business area. Resolution of damage associated with large crow roosts is most difficult in large metropolitan areas. The types of damage reported are threats to human health from accumulations of fecal droppings, property damage from accumulation of fecal droppings on cars, toys, and buildings, aesthetic loss to the property from accumulations of fecal droppings, and the noise and odor associated with crow roosts.

Crow damage in metropolitan areas can be alleviated by a variety of methods including putting trash in cans instead of bags, stop feeding wildlife, harassment with scare devices, altering roost habitat, and population reduction. These damage abatement techniques are further explained in an environmental assessment titled "Management of crow damage in the Commonwealth of Virginia" and can be requested from the above address. In the event Wildlife Services must reduce a local crow roost or take any other action to alleviate crow damage in northern Virginia, we want to involve local citizens in the community based decision making approach now.

We will be hosting a public meeting on November 29, 2000, in Conference Rooms 9 and 10 at the Fairfax County Government Center from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. We plan to give a short slide presentation, and discuss crow damage and methods for reducing crow damage. We will then accept verbal and written comments. We will use your input as part of the community based decision making approach for reducing crow damage. Thank you for your time.

(Signed Martin Lowney, State Director, Virginia)

Plants & Winter

After our soggy summer, we have had a dry fall. Experts recommend making sure your plants are well watered before the first hard freeze.

Treason of the Senate
by Tony McSorley

The title is really of a 1906 book telling the story one of the major flaws in the U.S. Constitution. Originally, Senators were chosen by the individual state legislatures not directly by the people. It wasn’t till the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1914 giving the people the right to directly vote for their choice for Senator correcting this state control.

Wow, 125 years for the politicians to give the people their due.

Today in Leewood indifference to serving on the board and from even volunteering for committees has declined so only a few homeowners are forced to handle Leewood’s concerns essentially three contracts some of which are for multiple years and are automatically renewed.

Part of this apathy could be the election of the board. The officers on the board, as the Senators before 1914, are not elected directly by the homeowners at the annual meeting. The directors are elected by the homeowners, then by secret ballot of the elected directors the various specific offices are filled. Maybe rather than using this indirect method, we should like the 17th Amendment, in the hope of gaining more interest in running Leewood. It could descend into just the signing of multi-year garbage, lawn and snow removal contracts and then just let them roll over year to year with automatic increases built in. I believe two contracts went this way recently - Koger ARC management and garbage.

Apathy or getting involved. As always your choice. Hope to see you at the next annual meeting.