Category Archives: Activities

Board members present: Jessica Joyner, Mike Pendleton, Sarah Keally, Kristina Myers, and Jill Jenkins.

Residents present: Satish Bahide (2259), Dennis Schulte (2256)

General discussion:

• Little free library was approved – unpainted and weathered in – no need to waterproof the wood.
  • Sandy already has the materials. It will be built as a project for the Spring Cluster Cleanup
• We received a request to make the Facebook group for the cluster a private group.
  • We will make it a private group.
  • Question can be added to the request to verify.
  • Edit: I reviewed and because it is a business and not a group, cannot be made private.
• Website- ask Google how much it would be for a search enhancement for our website to be on top of search results. Sarah will inquire on this and inform the board of the cost.
• Wheelwrighter for cluster cleanup, recycling & trash guidelines, penalties for not paying dues, highlight a board member (Sarah will send bio to Kristina).
• Kristina was approached by a neighbor about spraying for mosquitoes and most residents are against it
  • Fairfax County sprays annually for mosquitoes – include in the Wheelwrighter
  • Sarah can get brochures for mosquito prevention and provide for Kristina to pass out with newsletter
• Proposal for yard sale this year – one suggestion is to combine with Reston Association’s large yard sale, which is the same day as our cluster cleanup this year
  • Kristina requested volunteers to help with organizing the yard sale in later May

Tree Work:

• Saddler Oaks
  • Felled a tree about 4-5 months ago and took it down, paid to remove it
  • They came over two weeks ago and cut up the tree near the bus path  
  • Reston Association is ok with the tree being taken down

Concrete Contract – assigned to Danny

• No update

Erosion work

• Erosion work has been approved, with some contingencies, by the Reston Design Review Board (DRB)
• Approved the bluestone under the river jack to help anchor the rock
• Thanks to Kristina for her hard work and submission to the DRB

Fairfax Water Update:

• Bond program through the County to help protect the Occoquan Rivershed, due May 15th, may be able to cover some of the erosion control work
• $5,000 up to $10,000 may be awarded; it was agreed that we should ask for $10,000, with some match. Edit: we are asking for $5000
• There was a couple people who suggested that we include the tree work as part of the erosion work as well; Jessica will reach out to the tree company to get an estimate for the application Edit: this was suggested $11K for all work, was not included in proposal
• Jessica suggested we include an education program for residents as well to help them understand what we are doing to help the erosion work
• Any board can submit multiple applications but can only win one per year
• Kristina had some questions about what to include in the grant application.  Jessica and Dennis offered to help with the application.

Trash services update

• Sarah to talk to Bates about not getting trash picked up two Thursdays in a row
• Recycling information and video posted on the Wheelwright website for residents
  • Include a blurb in the next Wheelwrighter

Tree Committee:

• First meeting happened, attended by Steve, Jeff, and Kerry in addition to Mike.
• Walked through the property and identified a few trees, the tree committee should consult with Chip and his company on tree priorities and work
• They reached out to the company who created the tree inventory
• Jill says there is a tree folder in the Treasurer files and will look through it to see if anything is useful for the committee
• They are ok with the Tree Charter from the board
• Prioritize tree cleanup behind Vicki’s house (house number 2204)
• Jessica will cc the whole committee when emails are related to the tree work. Edit: done.

Cluster Cleanup:

• Updated flower boxes on the side of 2217 edit: this was removed from the list.
• Request for 4-5 azalea plants to plant in the lower cluster for erosion control and Easton and his wife will help to take care of them; board approved spending up to $150 for the plants
• Seeding in some areas.  Kristina will check with the landscaper to see if it’s included in the contract work and if not, we’ll buy a bag to seed. Edit: removed as crab grass preventer will make this moot.
• Shade perennials planting which would be a good project for the kids.  Kristina will talk to a vendor, Chris, to get the plants and then we’ll mulch.
• Trash pickup
• Paint touchup on the curbs – Easton has extra paint and Jessica will check to see how much he has. Edit: no extra paint, was purchased.
• Ruth and Celia wants to lead a kids project and it was suggested maybe a butterfly and bee garden with a small fence around it. It was suggested to install down the path by Dennis’s house and line the path on both sides, or maybe next to the woods at the bottom of the path. Edit: this was reduced to painting rocks.
  • Dennis and Kristina would take charge of getting costs and purchasing seeds and other necessary items for the boundary – $150 was approved as the budget by the board.
• Also might be good to plant some phlox  next to the path
• Little Free Library installation, materials provided by Sandy and wood by the board.
• Shopping – Kristina volunteered to do the shopping and she has the list from last time
  • Mike Peyton is donating chicken wings, spices, charcoal and coffee supplies in the morning
  • Add an additional package of veggie burgers
• Party down in lower cluster or upper cluster?  Lower cluster usually has the biggest turnout, so we will do the lower cluster.
  • Add games like bocce ball, corn hole, and others like badminton

Treasurer Duties:

• Jill has sent out billing for the first quarter of 2019.  She intends to send out a reminder mid-month and any house that does not pay the first month gets a reminder, second month gets parking privileges revoked and their car can be towed, after three months, the board can put a lien on the house.  After 5 quarters late, the board can charge the dues a year at a time.
• Jessica reached out the lawyer about paying a treasurer.  We have a strict amount that we can charge for the cluster documents package for the HOA disclosure at $100 max.
  • Option B is to reduce or eliminate the treasurer’s assessment fees
  • Option C we can approve out of our operation budget a salary for the Treasurer position in the next budget for 2020 fiscal year

Financials

• For Jill to gain access to banking, she needs a letter from the President, a copy of the minutes where she was elected as the treasurer
  • Can include other members as well as we are updating the permissions
  • Kristina volunteered to be one person
• Jill has information to engage the tax accountants for another year and the board approved her to do so.

Next Meeting: May 23  @ 7 PM, 2254