Category Archives: Board Meeting

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Wheelwright Cluster HOA

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August Board Meeting

Tuesday, August 13th, 2024 at 7pm 

ATTENDEES – Kristinia Myers, Kelly Fairbank, Sandy Mohler, Cyndi Hartman, Aaron Rider

AGENDA

EROSION

  1. VCAP project updates
  2. Adele has been in talks with Judy from Soil and Water Conservation District to maximize our rebate – she is trying to break our project into 2 with final submission on September 1st. – She has been contacted and hope to hear back soon.

TREE WORK

  1. Tree behind 2276 slated for removal – morning of August 23rd
  2. The row of 5 cars at the bottom of the cluster will need to be moved.
  3. Tree inspection will take place the same day in the afternoon.
  4. Board agreed last meeting to replace the poplar that was removed on the upper cluster island with another tree and replace the hemlock in the lower cluster with a pollinator garden facilitated by Rose Robinson at 2272.
  5. Rose and Kristina met up to talk about her ideas in late July.  Rose has been in talks with:
  6. Earth Sanga, Monarch Teacher network and Virginia Plant Nations Society
  7. 12 ft diameter space; 2 types of milkweed; need to level with either a retaining wall or surrounding trench for drainage
  8. Earth Sanga for seedling donations
  9. Recommendations for tree replacement in upper cluster island
  10. First year tree credit through Chris
  11. Looking at placing the new tree on the west side of the island.  Sandy will work with Chris on a recommendation on type of tree and placement.

DESIGN UPDATES

  1. Front sheds – pro bono architect at RA – No updates
  2. Amber white –
  3. Distinguishing if there is a difference in shades from one manufacturer to another

REPAVING

  1. DRB decision about lower cluster island removal with conditions
  2. Fire marshall update – no need to obtain a permit since the length of the fire lane will not change significantly.  The Fire Marshall (Michael Paruti  ::  assistant fire marshal/Engineer III  ::  ENGINEERING PLANS REVIEW BRANCH) requested that we send over the landscaping plan prior to construction and pictures of the island after the construction is finished.
  3. Landscaping plan for lower cluster
  4. Jen Ren, neighbor at 2245, has been commissioned by the board to design a feature for this space
  5. First plan was submitted – replied back with a few suggested changes
  6. More variety & some non-natives in the mix to increase flexibility for changes and add some tidier, showier blooms
  7. Changes implemented – waiting for board to approve Wheelwright Plants_v2.pdf
  8. Board approves the design and Kristina will submit to Reston Association.
  9. Scheduling for repaving:
  10. Taken off schedule for beginning of September.  Will put us back on when we get final approval from RA

LANDSCAPING

  1. Concerns brought up with Chris
  2. Address how close mulch is to trees – still seeing mulch mountains burying the base of the trees – Chris said he would talk to his crews about this – they shouldn’t be making mulch mountains around our trees.
  3. Mowing – is it any better?  Still seem to be coming biweekly – Greenspace was supposed to be coming weekly and weren’t.  We need to figure out how we can get a credit for this.
  4. Herbicide treatment letter is still arriving AFTER treatment.  It says specifically in the letter to keep children and pets off the turf areas for 3 hours.   Chris said he would work on this.
  5. Soil testing updates?  Are other areas being tested?  Cost of treatment? – Christina will talk with Chris on these questions.
  6. Front entrance – Starting to look shabby, talked to Chris about having his crew clean this area.
  7. Will look at getting some bids on landscaping to see what is on offer and cost.

PET ISSUES

  1. Signs
  2. Signs have been placed.  Place a sign by Karen Bessle’s side yard.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

  1. Important Dates
  2. Newsletter before the end of August
  3. Repaving sometime in September
  4. Covenants Outreach Event on Association Finance – August 26th at 6 pm – Christina and Kelly will be attending
  5. Cluster clean up – Saturday, October 26
  6. Hazardous waste – Saturday, October 12
  7. Greendrop – Saturday, October 19
  8. Roll off dumpster – October 26 & 27
  9. 2025 budget proposal and review November
  10. Annual Review of reserve study – review November
  11. Intentions for 2025 – Aaron and Kelly are planning on another term.
  12. Online payments? – No updates

FINANCIALS

NEXT MEETING WEDNESDAY, September 11th, @ 7 PM

Wheelwright Cluster HOA

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July Board Meeting

Tuesday, July 9th, 2024 at 7pm

ATTENDEES: Kristina Myers, Kelly Fairbank, Cyndi Hartman, Aaron Rider, Karen Ren, Sandy Mohler

AGENDA

EROSION

1. VCAP project updates

1. Adele – delays due to health issues

2. Soil and Water Conservation District meeting to determine if project can be split into 2

3. Aiming for September 1st application submission

4. Can shoot for late fall, early winter planting or Spring 2025

DESIGN UPDATES

1. Amber white – No updates at this time.

TREE WORK

1. Tree behind 2276 slated for removal

1. DRB will be needed based on past tree removals

2. From Rose at 2272:

1. The stump grinding took place and the area looks great without the tree! Thank you soooo much! I was wondering what the plans were for the “new” space. Will a new tree be planted or just become a grassy area? I have a suggestion if there isn’t a plan already in place for it. I’m in favor of a new tree, something small like a flowering dogwood or cherry blossom or something like that. Or, I think the space would be really great for a monarch way station! I’ve been raising monarch butterflies for a few years now and the space could be a wonderful host for pollinator flowers and milkweed.

If the board decided to build a way station for monarch butterflies, I’d be more than happy to help.

REPAVING

1. Update after DRB meeting on 6/25

1. Speed bumps approved with no conditions

2. The panel approved our request for the partial removal of lower cluster island and additional parking spaces with the caveat that we submit a landscape design for the lower cluster island and ensure that there are no issues with the Fairfax County Fire marshall since there are fire lanes. Kristina will be looking into this.

3. Community vote:

4.

5. New schedule – september-ish 6. Landscape design – reached out to Jen Ren at 2245 – email

LANDSCAPING

1. Soil testing updates? Are other areas being tested? Cost of treatment? – No updates

2. Concerns to bring up with Chris

1. Address how close mulch is to trees – still seeing mulch mountains burying the base of the trees

2. Mowing – is it any better? Still seem to be coming biweekly

3. Herbicide treatment letter is still arriving AFTER treatment. It says specifically in the letter to keep children and pets off the turf areas for 3 hours.

3. Reached out to Chris – waiting to hear back

4. We have been contacted by Blade Runner. We will be looking at getting a quote to compare to our current contractor.

PET ISSUES

1. Signs

1. Where to put entrance sign?

1. We decided to just add the sign to the current pole. Another pole might make things look cluttered.

2. Aaron will order clamps for signs.

2. Where to put up grass rejuvenation signs

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

1. Important Dates

1. Tot Lot cleanup – Sunday, July 28th (power wash and new mulch)

2. Reached out to Kona Ice – waiting to hear back

FINANCIALS

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, August 13th, AT 7 PM

Wheelwright Cluster HOA 

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June Board Meeting 

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 7pm  

ATTENDEES: Kristina Myers, Kelly Fairbank, Sandy Mohler, Aaron Rider, Cyndi Hartman, Bryan Chou, Steve Weissman, Jeffrey Cai, Antonella Cordero, Karen Reecse, Roberto Zambrana 

AGENDA 

REPAVING INCLUDING ADDITION OF PARKING SPACES AND SPEED BUMPS 

  1. As discussed at the 2023 annual meeting in December, the current plan is to remove ~1/3 of the lower cluster island to insert 2 new parking spaces (or one more row of parking spaces).   
  1. For reference, here is a map of the proposed area of the island to be removed and replaced with parking spaces as well as the proposed location of the lower cluster speed bump: 
  1. Board’s interest in pursuing project 
  1. Parking 
  1. Plan for the future – i.e. ev charging stations 
  1. Wrap project into repaving project – cuts cost ~$4,000 
  1. Open discussion about parking spaces: 
  1. Steve Weissman: not in favor of losing green space.  Feels that we need to look at other options.  Additionally, he feels the the board should not act to tear down common green space to build two new parking spaces based upon an unspecified number of “complaints” of inadequate parking spaces over an unspecified period of time. It should instead undertake its own systematic survey of open and closed parking spaces in the cluster over longer range periods of time. It should not change the built environment that has existed for 50 years based upon unanalyzed resident “feedback”.  He mentioned that there are currently several empty parking spaces by the little free library and he doesn’t feel there is a risk of having a multi-tenant household cause a parking situation in the future.  He is also worried that the board would make plans to take out portions up of the upper cluster island if there were complaints. 
  1.  Aaron Rider: in favor. The new parking lot should last 20 to 25 years. How many homes have changed hands over the past 20 year. Just because we have open spaces currently, this can change quickly. At this time, the price difference between doing the additional spaces with the rest of the parking lot vs. doing them later is $3,900. This price will go up quickly. The re-pavement of the parking lots is already costing 20% more than planed after getting multiple quotes. This will also give us greater flexibility to add in electric car charges in the coming years without reducing the current number of parking spaces.
  1. Jeffrey Cai: not in favor. Does not see the need for additional spaces.
  1. Karen Reece: not in favor. Suggestion of parking passes. 
  1. Cyndi Hartman: in favor. There are 12 single vehicle homes in upper, 8 in mid – there are not at the end of the day any where close to that number in vacancy/available open spaces. That’s 42 homes with almost 1/2 of them with 1 vehicle. I would venture to say not a usual/normal ratio. A majority of those residences are older homeowners whose kids have grown and moved out. Of those 20 residences, 12 are 3 story. You can be guaranteed upon sale/turnover, will be occupied by families with at least 2 vehicles…chances are a good percentage will have teenagers….an additional vehicle is not an unlikely expectation.  
  1. Roberto Zambrano – in favor, thinks the plan looks good   
  1. Community voted heavily in favor of permanent speed bumps after annual meeting.  Proposed positioning: 

All comments were positive on the placement. 

  1. Reston Association DRB meeting for additional parking spaces project.  Tuesday, June 25th at 5:30 pm.  Email for more info 

EROSION 

  1. VCAP project updates 
  1. Waiting to hear from Adele – she said she may suggest some changes after the RA drainage meeting and talking with the Soil and Water Conservation District 
  1. Catch basin project 2229/31/33 – completed 
  1. Feedback: Cyndi says it seems to be working well, draining the sidewalk and keeping water out of the yard.  She is waiting to see how it will deal with possible ice buildup on the sidewalk.  

DESIGN UPDATES 

  1. DRB for doors, fence post caps and clear sealing - 
  1. Guidelines update, Sandy will get the PDF updated to load onto the website.  Aaron will get an announcement on the main page. 
  1. Amber white – No update. 
  1. New updates – No update. 

TREE WORK 

  1. Kevin with TreeSmith USA 
  1. Tree work updates.  Kevin will grind the hemlock stump on the lower cluster this next week. 

LANDSCAPING 

  1. Soil testing updates?  Are other areas being tested?  Cost of treatment? – No update. 
  1. Concerns to bring up with Chris 
  1. Address how close mulch is to trees – still seeing mulch mountains burying the base of the trees 
  1. Mowing – is it any better?  Still seem to be coming biweekly.  Will look into what our contract states.  Is it a certain # of mowing per season?  
  1. Herbicide treatment letter is still arriving AFTER treatment.  It says specifically in the letter to keep children and pets off the turf areas for 3 hours. 

   

PET ISSUES 

  1. Signs 
  1. Aaron will look into the cost of a post, concrete and a post hole digger – updates? Rental of post hole digger $38 for 4 hours, $15.42 for 60lb concrete mix, $13.77 4X4 – 8ft post.  Will look into purchasing one vs. renting one.  Liability? 

ADDITIONAL ITEMS 

  1. Important Dates 
  1. Tot Lot cleanup – Need to schedule new date. July 28th.  Combine with Kona ice truck. 

FINANCIALS  

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, July 9th AT 7 PM

Wheelwright Cluster HOA

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May Board Meeting

Tuesday, May 14th, 2024 at 7pm

ATTENDEES: Cyndi Hartman, Sandy Mohler, Kristina Myers, Aaron Rider

AGENDA

EROSION

1. VCAP project updates

1. Design proposal was presented Wednesday, April 24th with Cyndi, Aaron, Sandy and Kristina in attendance.

2. Board agreed on the following:

1. Organic design with curved coir logs

2. Keep Cherry tree, dogwood tree and holly tree. Remove both ailing hemlocks.

3. Path to go from 2242 to 2256.

4. The erosion work will be concentrated from 2248 to 2256.

3. Waiting to hear back from Dominion regarding the meters

4. Waiting to hear from Adele – she said she may suggest some changes after the RA drainage meeting and talking with the Soil and Water Conservation District

2. Catch basin project 2229/31/33

1. Deposit sent. Verified that it was received.

2. Work scheduled, still waiting to get scheduled.

DESIGN UPDATES

1. DRB for doors, fence post caps and clear sealing – approved as submitted on 5/7 after Sandy attended the RA DRB meeting – congrats Sandy!! 🎉🎉🎉

2. New guidelines will be updated on website shortly.

3. Amber white – Is this available in different manufacture’s paint? If so, what would be the equivalent to Amber white.

4. Outdoor lighting – looking at additional options.

TREE WORK

1. Tree DRB’s have been approved by RA

1. Scheduled for the last week of May.

2. Will look at putting up cones on Old Crafts by the creek a couple days prior to block of area.

REPAVING

1. Summary of board decisions

1. The board unanimously via email on 5/7/2024 and 5/8/2024 for the following:

1. Remove drive lanes to a depth of 4″ and base in with base asphalt to a depth of 2 1/2″

2. Profile Milling 1 1/2″ and Asphalt Resurfacing 1 1/2″

3. Restriping/yellow curb/stencils

4. 2 additional Parking Spaces with the removal of half lower cluster island

5. 2 new speed bumps

6. Total cost: $158,120

7. Total cost for Pavement, LLC: $2,500

8. Total $160,620

9. Budget reallocation:

1. From General Liability Insurance (over-budgeted) $26.00

2. From Fidelity Bond (over-budgeted) $23.00

3. From Zoom (over-budgeted) $2.10

4. From Concrete (pushed concrete work to next year) $9,000.00

5. From Snow Removal (currently have $4,195.00 remaining for the year) $2,000.00

6. Reducing our reserve allocation $14,524.00

2. Pre-Construction/walkthrough meeting with Dominion and Burt

1. Wednesday, 5/15 at 9 am

2. All board members welcome to join

3. DRB is required. Kristinia is working on paperwork for Reston for additional spaces. Next meeting 6/11.

LANDSCAPING

1. Soil testing updates will be done next meeting? Are other areas being tested? Cost of treatment?

2. Mulching – very late this year – may want to address with Chris about how close the mulch is to the trees.

3. Homeowner complaint about quality of mowing, length of grass. Christina will address with Chris.

PET ISSUES

1. Signs

1. Where to put entrance sign? Looking at possibly install additional post. Aaron will look into the cost of a post, concrete and a post hole digger.

2. Where to put up grass rejuvenation signs. Aaron will look at the post on the trail.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

1. Concrete – board voted to forego concrete repair this year but will budget more for next year

2. Important Dates

1. Tot Lot cleanup – Sunday June 2 (power wash and new mulch)

FINANCIALS

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, June 11th AT 7 PM

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting Minutes – April 2024

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Wheelwright Cluster HOA

April Board Meeting

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024 at 7pm 

ATTENDEES – Kristina Myers, Joy Charles, Kelly Fairbank, Cyndi Hartman, Sandy Mohler, Karen Reese

AGENDA

EROSION

  1. VCAP project updates
  2. Virtual meeting next Tuesday, April 16th at 7pm – Adele will have the design proposal ready for questions/discussion.
  3. Meeting info:

Join the meeting using one of these easy options:

1) Join online for Video and Screen Sharing: https://join.freeconferencecall.com/decofootprint

2) One Tap Mobile Dialing: +17124510430,,197571

3) Tap here to have us call you: https://www.freeconferencecall.com/backup?dial_number=7124510430&access_code=197571

Additional Options to connect:

Dial-in number (US): (712) 451-0430

Access code: 197571

Having trouble connecting?

Text ‘Call Me’ to (712) 451-0430 to receive a call back; then dial 197571 to join the meeting. Standard Messaging rates may apply.

Instructions:

At the scheduled date and time, to join the video and screen sharing session, click the online meeting link above, or dial in to the conference. When prompted, enter the access code followed by pound or hash (#).

If you hear audio echo or audio feedback during the meeting, there are three possible causes:

  1. A participant has both the computer and telephone audio active.
  2. Participants have computer or telephones speakers that are too close to each other.
  3. Multiple computers with active audio are in the same conference room.
  4. Catch basin project 2229/31/33
  5. Rollover from 2023 is $5000
  6. Cyndi talked to Juan – putting in 4” diameter pipe for catch basin.  Would remove one section of sidewalk.  Section needs to be replaced due to drainage issue at a cost of $2,920.  Board voted to move forward.

DESIGN UPDATES

  1. DRB for doors, fence post caps and clear sealing – waiting for DRB meeting on May 7th.
  2. Amber white – no update

TREE WORK

  1. Pruning work was completed on 3/26 & 3/27
  2. Poplar tree in upper cluster island – recommended for removal, it is dead.
  3. Other trees slated for removal include:
  4. Leaning oak – adjacent 2214 – DRB submitted
  5. Dead oak – rear 2223- DRB submitted
  6. Diseased hemlock – 2270/72 – Trying to contract homeowner.
  7. Date for removal – 4/18

REPAVING

  1. Bid package
  2. Dominion – total repaving – $144,920.00, additional 2 parking space -$12,640.00, 2 speed bumps – $550.00, grand total $158,110.00. Kristina will look into how long the quote is good for and what steps are needed to get the additional funds.

LANDSCAPING

  1. Mulch orders for cluster and community members
  2. 110 bags of mulch to be ordered and delivered this Saturday, April 13th
  3. Soil testing results:
  4. I have received and reviewed the soil analysis for the east side of the main drive near the small library box. The analysis shows that while there is an adequate mineral and nutrient supply in the soil, the organic matter of the soil is low at 3.4%. Optimally this number would be closer to 5-6%, up to 10%. The mineral exchange rate in the soil is also low, which is a side effect of low microbial activity that comes with low organic matter. Our recommendation would be a top dressing of compost to the area combined with a light application of a fertilizer with active microbial cultures to boost the population in the area, to be followed with seed. This can be done at any time, however the fall is the optimal season for this. 
  5. Joy will look into if there are additional areas that were tested and what the cost of treatment would be.

PET ISSUES

  1. Sign ordering in progress
  2. $364.55 – Kristina will place the order.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

  1. Concrete – concrete work to be done in spring, may push work back to 2025.
  2. Speed bump – Looks like the speed bump on the lower cluster is helping with the speed, but might be creating a drainage issue.
  3. Important Dates
  4. Green drop donation date – Saturday, April 13th
  5. Hazardous waste pickup date – Saturday, April 13th
  6. Cluster Clean up – Saturday, April 20th
  7. Roll off dumpster scheduled for Friday, 4/19-Monday, 4/22
  8. Projects:
  9. Invasive plant removal
  10. Spreading wood chips on bus path and path to compost bin
  11. Painting trash bin by tot lot
  12. Sealing benches
  13. Trash pick up
  14. Cookout
  15. Food/plasticware/plates
  16. Tot Lot cleanup – Sunday, May 5th (power wash and new mulch)
  17. Newsletter
  18. Important dates
  19. Using incentives from the Inflation reduction act for solar panels, ev’s, house weatherization, etc
  20. Canva draft

FINANCIALS

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, May 14th AT 7 PM

March Board Meeting

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Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 at 7pm

ATTENDEES – Aaron Rider, Kristina Myers, Cyndi Hartman, Joy Charles, Kelly Fairbanks, Sandy Mohler

AGENDA

EROSION

1. VCAP project updates

1. No update

2. Catch basin project 2229/31/33

1. Rollover from 2023 is $5000

2. Cyndi reached out to Juan but has not heard back yet.

DESIGN UPDATES

1. DRB for doors, fence post caps and clear sealing – waiting for DRB meeting. Sandy working with Erin on questions she had on design details.

2. Amber white – No update.

TREE WORK

1. Waiting for an update from the contractor.

REPAVING

1. Bid package

1. Package and bid letter have been put together by Burt at Pavement Design, LLC, who will be managing the project between the cluster and the contractor.

2. Ready to submit to contractors but need a new bid due date (listed as 3/15 in docs) will update it to the end of March.

LANDSCAPING

1. Mulch orders for cluster and community members

1. Due date for orders – Monday, March 25th. Email will be set to homeowners to place order. Charging $6 per bag.

2. Date for delivery – Saturday, April 13th.

2. Soil testing results – No updates.

PET ISSUES

1. Custom signs for entrance and rejuvenation areas

1. Corrugated plastic – 6 signs

2. ACM – aluminum composite material – 1 entrance sign 3. Total: $308.84

4. Will use funds from Ground Maintenance fund.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

1. Concrete – concrete work to be done in spring – no update, still trying to contract Juan.

2. Tree work – Sandy to send Kristina pictures of trees recommended for removal

3. Speed bump – move to lower cluster based on the feedback.

4. Cluster Cleanup – Saturday, April 20th – sealing benches, trash pickup, new woodchips on the bus path.

1. Green drop donation date – Saturday, April 13th

2. Hazardous waste pickup date – Saturday, April 6th

3. Tot Lot cleanup – Sunday, May 5th (power wash and new mulch)

5. Newsletter

1. Important dates – add to main page on website.

2. Using incentives from the Inflation reduction act for solar panels, ev’s, house weatherization, etc

FINANCIALS

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 9TH AT 7 PM

February Board Meeting

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Tuesday, February 13th, 2024 at 7pm  

ATTENDEES 

Kristinia Myers, Sandy Mohler, Cyndi Hartman, Aaron Rider, Kelly Fairbank, Karen Reese 

SPEED BUMPS 

  1. New speed bump arrived 
  1. Placement – one at entrance and one at free library.  Will move one down to in front of 2252-2254 due to complaints about the speed of cars. 

EROSION 

  1. VCAP project updates 
  1. Site analysis/inventory has been completed 
  1. Design plan phase 
  1. March meeting deadline/present plan  
  1. Catch basin project 2229/31/33 
  1. Riverbend proposal $7285 
  1. Rollover from 2023 is $5000 
  1. Cyndi will talk to Juan about his proposal to give us options. 

DESIGN UPDATES 

  1. DRB for doors, fence post caps and clear sealing - waiting for DRB meeting 
  1. Amber white – No update. 
  1. Ideas for community meeting for members to discuss updates? – Looking to put together a meeting this summer to show the different colors, door options (hoping to have approved by Reston), deck design and possible new entrance design (front shed areas).  Date to be determined. 
  1. Home guidelines – will work to make sure Wheelwright and Reston guidelines match, will put together something for the annual meeting.  Will discuss option with community of having board inspect houses for compliance and issue letters to let people know areas to bring up to date in the event RA comes through to inspect. 

PET ISSUES 

  1. Custom signs for entrance and rejuvenation areas – Update for next meeting. 
  1. Owner had a terrifying experience with another homeowner’s dogs. – Will send a letter from the board and encourage the first homeowner to contact Fairfax County about the experience. 

ADDITIONAL ITEMS 

  1. Concrete – concrete work to be done in spring 
  1. Tree work – Sandy to send Kristina pictures of trees recommended for removal – update pruning tree at 2252 and large willow by the little free library this Friday, 2/16.  Several parking spaces near the Little Free Library and near 2248-2258 will need to be cleared of vehicles for the duration of the work.  Will send out email to let the community know.  
  1. Repaving - Burt from Pavement design, LLC replied – looking at Dominion for a quote among other companies. 
  1. Landscaping - spring seeding – need results of soil testing, mulch order – plan on offering homeowners the option to order mulch and have delivered (deadline for orders is 3/9.  Will aim to get a load delivered April 13. 
  1. Cluster Cleanup – April 6, hazardous pickup, April 13, GreenDrop, April 20, Cluster Cleanup and dumpster. 
  1. Tot Lot Cleanup – May 5, power wash and new mulch.  Opportunity for community members to engage in another neighborhood project to rejuvenate the tot lot. 
  1. Inflation Reduction Act Meeting – Kristina attended at Patrick Henry Library in Vienna 
  1. Using tax credits and rebates for things like solar, weatherization of house, EV’s, appliances 
  1. Solar panels are allowed on townhomes in Reston, but many people assume they are not. 
  1. Would like to highlight the benefits of installing solar panels and how people can access tax credits and rebates – possible newsletter 

FINANCIALS –  

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, MARCH 12TH AT 7 PM 

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting Minutes – January 2024

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Wheelwright Cluster HOA

January Board Meeting

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 7pm 

ATTENDEES: Kelly Fairbank, Cyndi Hartman, Aaron Rider, Kristina Myers, Joy Charles, Sandy Mohler.

AGENDA

DIVISION OF LABOR 2024

  1. Garbage Pickup (Bates – Theresa Cunningham)

Kristina

  • Legal (Chesapeake – Ami Pape)

Kristina

  • Community outreach
  • Wheelwrighter – Kristina/Aaron
  • Facebook updates – Kristina
  • Sign – Joy
  • Erosion (DecoFootprint – Adele)

Kristina

  • Parking Lot Repair/repaving (Pavement design, LLC – Burt Hall)

Kristina

  • Trees (Treesmith USA – Kevin)

Sandy transitioning to Joy

  • Design updates

Sandy

  • Concrete (Bright Construction Group – Juan) –

Cyndi

  • Watchlights (Dominion)

Cyndi – backup, Kristina

  1. Landscaping (Elite Landscaping – Chris Hughes)

Joy

  1. Parking – keeping an eye on suspicious vehicles, trying to update cluster vehicle list

Easton Warner – Working with Cyndi

  1. Snow Removal (M&M Expert Services – Greg McGreevy)

Joy/ Kristina

SPEED BUMPS

  1. Update on purchasing new removable speed bumps
  2. Joy was looking into
  3. Cost for removable $1,165 with shipping ($100 less than the first one) payment approved by board.

TREES

  1. Tree work proposal
  2. Approvals from Sandy, Aaron, Kristina, and Cyndi
  3. 2254 tree – causing property damage via dead falling branches
  4. Sandy to send tree pictures to Kristina – some may need DRB’s
  5. Sandy will work with Kevin to get an opinion on keeping/removing tree.

CONCRETE

  1. Lower cluster parking pad
  2. Did we decide to forge ahead with this repair?  $4860 – the board did agree to go ahead with this project but will wait until Spring
  3. New ideas for concrete by 2254? Waiting to see outcome of the tree.

EROSION

  1. VCAP project updates
  2. Waiting to hear back from DecoFootprint regarding the site analysis/inventory analysis portion of the project
  3. Catch basin project 2229/31/33
  4. No updates – reached out to Riverbend landscaping and did not hear back.  Sent one more email 1/15.
  5. Will circle back with Juan to explore alternatives.  If a new plan to fix drainage cannot be found that saves the tree, we can fall back on original plan (digging under sidewalk to install drainage pipe to swale that may damage tree roots)

DESIGN UPDATES

  1. Doors/Deck stain/Fence Post Caps/Clear Sealing
  2. Submitted to RA early Dec
  3. Waiting to get on schedule with RA.
  4. Plans for 2024
  1. Garbage bin storage options?
  2. Mosquito netting?
  3. Paint color options for Amber White? Sandy to do some work to figure out how we can make sure our specified “amber white” stays consistent throughout community

REPAVING

  1. Start the process – building a parking lot bid design package with Burt
  2. Package to include:
  3. Full depth mill and pave (at least in the drive lanes)
  4. At least 2 speed bumps
  5. Proposal with and without removal of part of lower cluster island to add 2 additional parking spaces

NEWSLETTER

  1. Highlights of Annual meeting
  2. Quorum vote to increase dues to $400/quarter
  3. Survey summary
  4. Sidewalk shoving

LANDSCAPING (can bench until Feb)

  1. Plans for 2024
  2. Lower cluster island – No update.
  3. Soil testing
  4. Issues?

PET WASTE SIGNS (can bench until Feb)

  1. Custom signs?
  2. Sign for entrance? – Kristina will look at options.
  3. Sign for grass rejuvenation areas?

FINANCIALS – Kelly will email out the financials

  1. Board voted to increase the charge for bounced checks to $50, due to increase in charge from bank.

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH AT 7 PM

Wheelwright Cluster December 2023 Annual Meeting

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Wheelwright Cluster 

Annual December Board Meeting 2023

Virtual via Zoom

Google Slides Presented at December Annual Board Meeting

Attendees: 

Board: Kristina Myers, Cyndi Hartman, Kelly Fairbank, Joy Charles, Jade Perez and Sandy 

Cluster Residents in Attendance (Collected via Zoom Chat): 

  1. 2209 Mohler
  2. 2211 Rider-Huang 
  3. 2215 Chou
  4. 2231 Hartman-Newland
  5. 2226 Myers
  6. 2228 Perez-Lucas
  7. 2213 Fairbank
  8. 2220 Charles
  9. 2271 Moran
  10. 2221 Pendleton
  11. 2249 Colescott
  12. 2262 Conrad
  13. 2216 Soderberg
  14. 2224 Cook
  15. 2274 Zambrana
  16. 2248 Matheny
  17. 2205 Salva
  18. 2250 Mohler
  19. 2243 Beasley
  20. 2251 Meacham
  21. 2230 Wiley
  22. 2207 Reese
  23. 2256 Weber
  24. 2244 Cai
  25. 2219 Wingell
  26. 2261 Ortiz
  27. 2246 Redlin 
  28. 2242Weissman
  29. 2259 Bhide
  30. 2233 Keally

Agenda

  • 2023 in review
    • No questions
  • Goals for 2024
    • 2 additional parking spaces in the lower cluster
    • Charge Up Fairfax program for EV Charging installation
    • Dominion’s Level II Charging Program 
    • Greenspot
    • Greenspot and Charge Up Fairfax Downsides
    • Repaving of the parking Lot
    • Website Improvements
      • Functionality and Appearance
    • Lower Cluster Island added to the cluster maintenance
    • Clean up the tot lot equipment and add new mulch 

Questions on Tot Lot

  • Based on reserve study expenditures that are listed, do we know the current usage? Do we know the usage in the neighborhood? 
  • We are in a period of heavy usage. 
  • Could the board look at mosquito repellents nearby? 

Questions related to EV Charging: 

  • Have we considered guidelines for individual owners who want to put in their own charger?
    • The board and the individual homeowner would be required to work together on an agreement on the installation and maintenance, including what would happen if you moved. This may be feasible, but there may be restrictions on the ability of a homeowner to do so based on where their spot is located in conjunction with their home. This has not yet been done and therefore there are unknown variables here to predict. 
  • How is EV charging being considered in conjunction with the parking lot and parking lot maintenance?
    • The Board is trying to do this, but without finalized decisions on EV we need to ensure we’re focusing on the problems at hand rather than future problems. We’re also hearing from contractors etc. how difficult it would be to have this many decisions made at once that could all line up in terms of timing. 
  • In addition to EV charging stations how about covering the lower cluster parking lot with a simple shed  covered with solar panels?
    • The Board can look into this as an option. 
  • 2023 budget in review

Questions on 2023 budget 

  • Please explain the difference in reserves from this year versus last year’s reserves. 
  • What is the usefulness of the reserve study if we have money in a checking account that is not included in the overall expenditures schedules? 
  • Have we separated tree removal from the capital expenditures or the operating budget? 
  • Have we done a deeper dive into possible, cheaper options for our landscaping in terms of competitive bidding?
    • Not at this time, the work done by Chris and team has been both acceptable, but, additionally, our landscaping is at a competitive price for the neighborhood. 
    • Jon, our neighborhood resident who works in the industry, weighed in to say it seems that our company is offering us competitive prices and they seem to be, in his opinion, doing a fair job for a fair price.  
    • While the board can review for competitive pricing, we want to ensure we’re not just reviewing for the overall lowest price, but also for the quality of the work and flexibility to work with the cluster as needed. 

2023 Expenses Budget Line Items Pending

  • We’ve not yet been charged for the Fall dumpster for clean up.
  • We’re still pending on trash and streetlights for the year. 
  • We’re rolling over $4500 from the concrete budget and this has to count on our budget for this year so we know it’s a roll over. 
  • 2024 proposed budget options
  • We over budget on some areas, like trash and recycling, to account for regular increases in prices. 
  • Landscaping is currently scheduled to go up in price for 2024, per industry standards. 

Questions from members

  • Dan Moran- Out of curiosity, do we have a spreadsheet that breaks down what the dues have been in past years?
    •  Kelly will put together what she can and will send this to Dan.
  • Have we removed everything from the budget that we can? Can we reduce costs any further?
    •  It doesn’t seem we can to Kelly based on a the current budget and our current costs which are already as low as they can be. 
  • What is the justification for the increase? Is this to build up the capital expense reserves or to pad operating expenses?
    •  This is about building up the reserves for the cluster, according to Kelly we need to do this because we’ve not had this reserve contribution historically. 
  • Can we delay the vote? Do we have enough information? Are we sure we understand how the capital reserves are being applied against the 130K that we have in our checking account?
    • The vote is majority. We can take the vote today, as there is a no vote option for cluster members and we will review where we stand. 
  • Cory-Do we have a procedure or guidelines on what we should have in our checking account? 
  • Sandy-Clarification on the length of time the board has been working with the Reserve Study board and VA special assessment guidelines. 
  • Paul- Do we have a breakdown of all of the Cluster accounts that can be reviewed and visualized? Would this help us all to understand this better? 
  • Mark-It’s fair to take a few extra minutes to figure out the specifics on the checking account dollar amount in relation to our capital expenses and encourage cluster residents to read the reserve study. 
  • Mary Ellen- It might be worth looking at other investment options, like a money market account, to see where we could create additional cash flow for the cluster. 
  • Decision: 
    • With 9 No and 15 Yes the board will move forward to allow for voting on the overall budget increases; members will be emailed a link to vote post-meeting. 

Pet Waste updated guidelines

  • Would it be possible to reduce mulch on islands to help pets feel more comfortable using the bathroom there?
    •  That’s a possibility the board can review. 
  • Karen Beasley asked for a pet-waste sign to be put at the light pole near her house. 
  • Proposed purchase of new speed bump
  • 2nd speed bump is proposed for the entry so that we can keep the existing speed bump in one location instead of moving the existing speed bump. 
  • Should we consider putting one in the lower-cluster loop as well? Conversion was good and Kristina asked our lower cluster residents to help weigh in on the location if we decided to do this in the long-term 
  • Kerry recommended taking a look at GunSmith to see their permanent speed bump. 
  • Is snow the only reason for removable speed bumps?This was a limitation of our previous snow plowing company, but the temporary speed bumps were also a short-term proof of concept that a permanent speed bump would be a good measure of impact. 
  • Open positions on the board
    • Aaron Rider has nominated himself for a position on the board
    • Sandy, Kristinaristina and Kelly renewed. 
    • Aaron Rider voted in as Secretary to replace Jade Perez who is stepping down. 

Ad Hoc Requests from Cluster Residents

  • Can we remind people to put away their trash bins on time? 
  • Roberto-Can we ask Chris about the bushes near his house that are dying?

November 2023 Board Meeting Minutes

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November Board Meeting

Tuesday, November 13th, 2023

7 pm

Virtual via Zoom

Attendees: Karen Reese

Board:  Kristina Myers, Cyndi Hartman-Newland, Sandy Mohler and Kelly Fairbank and  Joy Charles

Agenda

Community updates

  1. Tree inspection
  • Questions:
    • How much do we have left in the 2023 tree budget?
      • Kelly believes we’ve paid everything out so far for 2023.
      • Looks like $8,850 rolling over from 2023
    • If we were to pursue everything on this list, would it get us through 2024?
      • Yes, aside from unexpected, significant costs these lists would cover our 2024 tree needs. 

Board Discussion on Tree Inspection: 

  • Some of the trees on the list may require DRB review as they are on communal cluster property. 
  • Should we prioritize only Priority 1 quote? This would leave a bit of money for any aesthetic changes and for any immediate disasters, should they occur. 
  • How can we make sure we’re only prioritizing the most important and urgent situations now and setting up priority 2 for future reviews and re-prioritization? (Ex. Poplars near 2246 for example) 
  • How much would it be pertinent to leave in the tree budget? 

Board Decisions: 

  • Keep a cushion in the budget, but be prepared to pull from reserves if we have to for unexpected, disastrous, emergencies. 
  • Sandy will ask Kevin if we can just leave a spar on 2214 (Kevin from TreeSmith USA)
  • Then, we’ll work with Kevin to focus on the Priority 1 list, with an emphasis and investment on preservation and tree management. 
  • Maximum investment of $15K will be the budget we ask Kevin to work within. 
  1. Update on concrete
    • Two areas mentioned in walkthrough
      • In front of 2254 by large oak $3410
        • Problematic area because of ongoing tree issues – the tree roots are very obviously lifting sidewalk, would like to consider other options besides replacing that area of sidewalk right now – Sandy exploring other ideas
      • Lower cluster pad – crumbling – needs repair $4860

Board Discussion: 

  • Should we prioritize this work before it gets too cold for the winter? 
  • Is the lower pad, which is crumbling, really the highest priority of these two? 
  • Do we try to shave or grind down the sidewalk by 2254? Juan’s recommendation was not to as the concrete is already too brittle with the tree roots pushing upwards. 

Board Decision: 

  • Work with Juan on the lower pad, but save it for 2024 to ensure we don’t go over budget for 2023. 
  • We’ll continue to explore ideas for resolution for areas in front of 2254. 
  1. Drainage project by 2231
    • Project proposed by Juan was approved by RA but…
      • Tree problem observed by Kevin during tree inspection
      • Can we fix the problem without damaging the tree?
      • Discuss alternatives with Riverbend Landscaping and Bright Construction group

Board Discussion

  • Concern over this having been a long-standing issue that has been delayed by new information from Kevin
  • How can we ensure we’re resolving this issue in a timely manner, that won’t potentially hurt a tree in the cluster unnecessarily? 

Board Decision

  • Plan to continue to review and treat it as an ongoing project as we research and gather information. 
  1. 2024 Proposed Budget
    • Proposed budget
    • Rolling over money unspent from lingering 2023 projects
    • Dues increase

Board Discussion: 

  • Should we propose $1600 vs. $1500 per household per year (up from $1300) in our dues to extend the time between when we’d need to do a next increase? (Looking at at least a 2 year hold if we went this avenue) 
  • Would this amount to $400 per quarter? 
  • Comparison of close clusters and their associated costs
  • Mailing total updated to reflect purchase of stamps, which usually last up to two years
  • Snow removal budget agreed to by all members
  • Dumpster budget for cluster clean up cost was very close to the total cost this year so Kelly will only slightly increase budget $100.
  • Kristina will check on the total amount of the erosion grant, she thought it might be a bit higher. 
  • Have we fully considered the full impact of dues increases in relation to new, incoming residents? 
  • Discussion on approach for incremental increases pros vs. cons for Cluster in comparison to Reston Home Owners Association (RHOA) process 
  • How do we set the cluster up for long-term success with our reserve funds in light of the large cost of the parking lot we know we need to spend? 
  • Is there value in a one-time assessment rather than relying on just a dues increase? 
  • Discussion on possible cluster impacts if we don’t get the planning for fiscal future right for the cluster 

Board Decision:

  • To allow the community to plan in advance, Kelly and Kristina will break down options for the community, post special flyers and emails and we will allow the community to review the two proposed dollar amounts in advance for voting. 
  1. Annual Meeting
    • Monday, December 4th at 7pm – zoom
      • Topics for meeting
        • Reserve study
  • Resident Karen Reese asked that the board send out the Reserve study information in advance for cluster residents to review and get questions prepared or if we should have a separate meeting just to discuss the reserve study. 
  • Together with the board and Karen, the decision was made to send out specific details via flyers and email related to the Reserve Study in advance by the community to prepare questions in advance of the December Annual HOA Meeting. 
  • Dues increase
  • Budget review/budget proposal
  • Ongoing projects
    • VCAP
    • Drainage
    • Trees
    • Design updates
    • EV charging
    • 2nd speed bump – make sure to get quote
      • Kelly will send the invoice from the last speed bump purchase.
      • Cyndi mentioned making sure we address why these speed bumps are not looking at being installed permanently for right now to address cluster resident questions. 
  • Pet waste guideline amendments
  • Letter or newsletter to go out to residents re: annual meeting highlighting the need for dues increase and quorum vote
  1. EV charging
    • Dominion’s Level II charging program for multi-family communities
    • Charge Up fairfax
    • Greenspot

Board Decision: 

  • Kristina will send a note to the board with more updates to review. No significant conversation now. 
  1. Additional items
    • VCAP project
    • Design updates
  • Sandy stressed if this takes up too much discussion time at Annual Meeting, she is willing to hold a special meeting just to go over these if we need to. 

Financials

Next meeting:  Monday, December 4th (Annual Meeting)