2006 Yearly Archive
Contents (In order of removal from front page)
Articles
President Resigns
Julie King has submitted her resignation as President and member of the Board effective October 1, 2006. Her resignation was read into the record at the Board meeting on October 10, 2006. The Board on behalf of all the homeowners of Leewood would like to thank Julie for all of her service to the community as a Board member on this and past Boards. We wish Julie well in her future endeavors and look forward to working with her as a volunteer in Leewood.
Arts & Crafts Shows
With the holiday season approaching, the arts and crafts shows are springing up. They are a wonderful way of getting unique gifts, supporting our local artists, and often benefiting a charity also. What more could you ask for? Click here for more details, and if anyone knows of other shows that should be included contact the webmaster.
Fairfax Hosts Rabies Clinic
This Sunday, November 19, from 12-2pm, at the Ox Road Animal Shelter, Fairfax will have a low-cost rabies clinic. The cost of rabies shots will be $10 for both cats and dogs. Dog licenses will also be sold. All cats brought to the clinic should be in carriers and dogs on leashes. The Animal Shelter is at: 4500 West Ox Road. Call (703) 830-1000 for more information.
Milling and New Asphalt
Update: Quite likely the patch jobs will be done on the 26th and 27th of October -- Thursday and Friday. Watch here to confirm the date.
--------------------------------------It's almost done! Because of the expected rain on the 17th the contractor changed his schedule and did all of the work on lower Leestone on the 16th. That way there was not a swimming pool effect on Leestone.
The two patch jobs are still outstanding. If your car is parked near the orange markings on the street, you probably will want to move it for the patching. A lot of debris is flying when they break up pavement.
Block Party
Remember, there is a block party scheduled for this Saturday, October 21, between 3 and 5 p.m. at the common area next to 7026 Leebrad St.
Hot dogs and soft drinks will be served, leashed pets are welcome (that should be fun with the hot dogs!), and orders for the Leewood Pet Calendar will be taken. Pictures of your pet may be taken at the party if you have not entered one yet. Bring a canned good or other non-perishable food object for the Thanksgiving food drive. (This party was first announced in the newsletter, for those that missed it.)
Milling and New Asphalt
The dates are now set -- Monday, October 16 and Tuesday October 17 we will have our streets upgraded. Unfortunately, as always, that means no parking in certain areas for everyone in Leewood.
October 16 -- Patching of the intersections of Leestone St. and Leestone Ct. and Leestone Ct. and Leebrad St. Milling of the entire lower part of Leestone St. You will be able to park on Leestone St. after it is milled, but will have to remove your cars early on the 17th. Look at the marking on the street to see whether your parking place is affected.
October 17 -- Repaving of Leestone St. (the lower portion before the jog)
The times to clear the street ar between 7:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. For all the gory details read the post on the message board. This map shows the areas to be affected. Please, if you are going to be out of town in this general time frame be sure that your car is parked elsewhere or have a neighbor equipped with keys that can move it for you!
Milling and New Asphalt
Now that we have lovely new curbs, a street to match is planned! The tentative date is for October 16, 2006. The part of Lower Leestone affected before will again have no parking. In addition there will be two areas on Leestone Ct. that will be patched, and more no parking might be in effect.
Stay tuned for a new map and times. In the meantime, this map (the map has been updated) shows some of the area to be affected. Please, if you are going to be out of town in this general time frame be sure that your car is parked elsewhere or have a neighbor equipped with keys that can move it for you!
Directory Updates Due
Please remember to send us the updates to your directory information by the end of this week (October 6). If you don't have the form, just write down the information or email it to directory@leewood.us. If you don't quite make the deadline, try us anyway. There will be a little flexibility on accepting the information!
Community Events
There is going to be a course taught on "Building Community" plus how to work with your County Government. It is a series of classes on Friday morning and babysitting is provided! We produced a rough copy of the flier to better inform you.
Also, the Mason District Festival is held this weekend (9/30) at Mason District Park from 10am to 4pm. For those more involved with sampling ethnic foods next weekend there will be two fairs to try out, the St. Katherine's Greek Festival (Glen Carlyn Rd. / South Manchester St.) and the Washington Area Korean Festival (Annandale K-Mart parking lot).
No Parking -- Lower Leestone
Next Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday?
Next week, on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of September, cars must not be parked on Lower Leestone Street (7001 Leestone - 7045 Leestone) between the hours of 7am and 5pm. The Thursday date (9/21) is an "in case" date; if weather interferes with completing the work on the other two dates.
Curbs and Gutter pans will be replaced as part of a paving project for that area. The replacement is needed to facilitate drainage.
Cars interfering with the work will be towed at the owner's expense. For a copy of the flier, click here. To see the portion of the street that is a "no parking" zone, click here for to see a map with the zone marked in yellow.
Browers vs. Search Engines -- Not to mention Hosts and ISPs
Read the latest article in our help series, and hopefully understand the structure of the web better.
New Farmer's Market
Now we have two Farmer's Markets near us! The closest and newest is at Wakefield Park. It is open on Wednesdays, from 2:30 pm - 6 p.m., May 10 - Oct. 25. This is the park almost across from the Ravensworth Shopping Center at 8100 Braddock Road. On Thursdays, 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., May 4 - Nov.9, you can visit the market at Mason District Park, 6621 Columbia Pike in Annandale. Let's hope parking will be more plentiful at Wakefield.
Green Springs Plant Sales
Garden Gate Plant Shop is open until October 30, 2006, Monday through Saturday 9am to 4pm, Sunday 12 noon to 4pm, many of the plants for sale here are propagated from cuttings, divisions, or seeds of varieties growing in Green Spring demonstration gardens. Members of the Friends of Green Spring (FROGS) non-profit organization receive 10% off plants in the Garden Gate Plant Shop located behind the Glass House in the Green Spring Horticultural Center.
To get to Green Springs, go East on Braddock Rd., cross 236, and turn right on the next street, Green Springs Rd.
Preparing Pets for Disaster
The Red Cross has started a new initiative to encourage people to formulate a plan for disaster which includes their pets. They are conducting a series of seminars on this topic.
Twenty percent of evacuation failure in a disaster is due to people not willing to leave pets behind nor knowing who can take care of them. Some who leave without their companion animals return to try to rescue them, which risks their lives and those of the emergency responders working the area that then must deal with both them and the abandoned pets. Pets are a key aspect to address in disaster preparedness and community education that impacts everyone's welfare, not just pet owners and their pets. To find a convenient seminar for you click here.
Update: A member of our community attended a seminar and thought it very worthwhile. She contributed several brochures: Pets and Disasters (Red Cross Brochure) and a brochure put out by the Fire Department which also covers things to do with your pets in a fire, Preparing for Rapid Onset Emergencies .
Day in Court
The Association recently had to sue to recover penalty assessments incurred by a homeowner for not fixing up his house when requested to do so. The homeowner contested the case so we had to have a trial. The Association won.
Street Work
A hearty thanks to Ron Filadelfo for heading up the street painting project. He did a grand job of coordinating the effort, fixing glitches, etc. There were also helpers -- for sure Bonnie and Chris Taylor helped in the marking of the spaces, Al Sanford did that and more in the coordinating area, and the street clearers Janet Rourke, Judy Currier, Al Carchedi, John Atsatt, Dayna Roy, Betty Lillard. We also pulled others into our ringing of doorbells, namely Melinda Ford and Ellie O'Meara; not to mention people who helped us locate cars, putting them together with owners -- Bob Flynn and Margaret Pitotti. Anyone who poked their nose out their door got roped into the fun!
Another pothole was fixed by Al Sanford, and the moral support (and light work) of Janet Rourke, Judy Currier, and John Rice with Nancy Devera pitching in when she saw all the excitement (actually she supplied us with a steady stream of bags for the debris). Thanks to these volunteers Leebrad will hopefully make it through until professional patching can take place. Too bad that potholes don't act like reverse speed bumps but somehow it did not slow down traffic at all.
Spring has Sprung at Greensprings!
For those that have not discovered Greensprings park -- go and see one of Leewood's neighborhood treasures. You will probably meet some of your neighbors there, as many of us have grown to love this park. For all who yearn for acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, this is for you. Take a book, relax, and enjoy! Just be sure to stop and enjoy the flowers, they are wonderful and missed if you just march around the park exercising. Surely there is enough time to do both! They also sell plants. For more information see the Fairfax website on Greensprings: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/
Board Elects New Officers
At the May board meeting new officers were elected:
President: Julie King
Vice President: Bob Chilakamarri
Secretary: Rose Weber
Treasurer: Mohammed Umar
Read a short biography by our newest board member and secretary, and get to know her a little bit better!
2006 Annual Meeting 
Chris Taylor joins the world of the vertically challenged as he helps new board member Rose Weber in the drawing for door prizes at our annual meeting.
For a pictorial essay on the annual meeting, a new category in the Community tab has been created which has not only this year's meeting, but last year's and our community cleanup day.
Guide to Personal Safety
The Fairfax Police Department has a brochure that they have developed by this title. It is full of good tips for safety, some of which might very well be new to you or your family.
Within the document, they also explain a program called Sexual Assault Free & Empowered (S.A.F.E.). This is a free women's self defense program offered by the Fairfax County Police Department. Do read about it (and if you go to the classes, report back to us).
Click here to find out more about how to improve the safety for you and your family safe.
Emergency Alerts
Fairfax has a comprehensive new system to alert you via email, cell phone, etc. about emergencies in the area. You can pick and choose which emergencies you are interested in, although the assumption is that in dire emergencies such as 9/11 everyone registered would be informed. Click here to read about it, and join up today. It is simple to do and they don't ask any embarrassing questions.
Blowin' in the Wind
What's wrong with this scene? Find out, and read some handy tips for keeping your trash from "Blowin' in the Wind".
Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps Needs Volunteers
This sounds like a really interesting program to help out in times of medical emergency in Fairfax (bio terrorism, epidemics, etc.). Both medical and non-medical people are desired, and in fact most positions are for non-medical. If you want to know more, read the flier that they sent Leewood and visit their website. The good thing is that it won't interfere much with your Leewood volunteering!
New Standards are out!If you haven't received yours, you should very soon. As usual, we also have the complete Standards and Handbook manuals (plus change pages for our Handbook) on this website. Check our "Governing Documents" for these goodies. This is good to remember when you can't find your manual and have a question, or simply want to use the computer to help you find the information you want.
New Appliance Disposal Rules
If you must dispose of your appliance curbside, through our trash contractor, AAA -- you must call them first and arrange for pickup.
Refrigerators, heat pumps, and other objects with freon in them will have a $75 pickup fee imposed, payable by the homeowner ...... (more)
Archives
Many items were put into the archives recently, and more should go. What are the Archives? It is a list of articles that were featured in this section throughout the year. Some will get put other places on the site, but others are doomed to make it no further than the Archives. Check it out if you remember something and can't find it, or are simply curious as to what has been featured during the year on our front page. Look under "And More" to your right to see/use the links to the archives.
Lectures, Taxes, and More
Do you need to unwind and find balance in your daily life? Perhaps you would like to know more about networking. The County Commission on Women has several lectures that might be of help to you.
Or, just perhaps, the reason you need to unwind has to do with taxes. You may be eligible for assistance with your forms or actual $$ relief. Click here for news from our Supervisor's office about these issues.
Parking Lot Marking
As has been announced in our annual meeting packet and on all the mailboxes, our Association has contracted to get the parking lots painted. This means that we will do the great car shuffle for a few days. In the hopes that the paint will last, it was decided to water blast the parking areas before painting. Thus Leewood will be done in two sections over four days. Follow this link for more information on the days involved.
Annual Meeting
The annual meeting has been sneaking up on us -- well actually it sneaked right past us apparently. The board postponed it. It has now been rescheduled for April, 20, 2006.
Traditionally this is the time of year we ask people to consider volunteering to help out around Leewood. We need board members, newsletter editors, and volunteers for our committees. We have heard that some are tired of hearing us beg -- there is a good way to stop that. Volunteer and get all you friends to do so. Just a handful of people are now running the community -- we need an infusion of energy and ideas.
For more inspiration on volunteering, read CAI's "Pearls of Wisdom" and the newsletter article that we reprinted last year.
Volunteering
In case your copy got carried off in the wind or some other natural disaster, the article that was passed out on Saturday, March 11, 2006 is repeated here. Read it to refresh your memory on the need for volunteers and see the amusing graphic!
Annual Meeting will be held April 20, 2006
Unless something unforeseen happens, the annual meeting will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2006. Plan to come at 7:30 and enjoy renewing acquaintances over light refreshments. If you have lost your packet, get a copy here.
Snow!
Update: Remember to clear around your heat pump unit in back!
Leewood can be magical in the snow. However, before you build those snowmen, read about Leewood and snow. It is not as simple as one might think.
Virginia Emissions Inspections
Virginia has changed how they do emissions inspections. Many people may be surprised when it is time to register their car once again as there may be difficulties with their well running and maintained vehicles. Virginia implies that they "must" do this because of the Federal Clean Air Act. Northern Virginia bears the brunt of the new inspection procedures.
In addition to how your car was inspected before, they now tap into your on board diagnostic system. That is the system that gives you the "check engine light". Thus, they see what your car has to say about itself in past days, months, or whatever. If your car does not want to divulge its secrets, you are in trouble.
If you have had your battery disconnected recently you will probably not pass their tests as that clears the monitors. There also seems to be a problem with people who just don't drive enough. They may not go through the sequence of events to set their monitors in their normal driving routine. Pity you if you have both disconnected your battery and don't drive a lot!
A list of cars that have known problems, and what they are, is found in this file. For more information see the Virginia Air Quality website. Particularly, check out the areas on OBD II testing. It would be interesting to have people post on the message board about any difficulties they have with the procedure as at least other people with the same type of car can be forewarned.
Many dealerships report quite a crunch toward the end of the month as panicked individuals try to get their car to pass the inspections. Plan ahead!
Rabies Clinics and Pet News
Fairfax offers $10 rabies shots for cats and dogs on various Sundays throughout the year. Licenses can also be bought. For details click here to see their flier.
At the latest legislative committee meeting of CAI a proposal for a new dangerous dog law was discussed. CAI seemed concerned that it was to impose breed specific legislation and mandatory liability insurance. From what has been found on the web, there is no indication it will be breed specific. However at the first "bite" it appears that the owner could be criminally liable. (Bite is in quotes, as some courts have ruled that skin does not have to be broken in a bite). Research indicates some insurance companies are already being breed specific when insuring their clients. See a description of the proposed law here and discussion of current discrimination by breed by insurance company here. Perhaps there will be amendments that change the proposal considerably; it is probably worth watching.
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