Category Archives: HOA Board Meeting Minutes

Thank you for reviewing the minutes of the board meeting. Minutes will be posted after their approval at the following months board meeting, therefore there is an approximately one month delay between meetings and approved minutes being posted.

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting Minutes – May 2021

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Thursday, May 13th at 7:00 pm via Zoom

Board Attendees: Kristina, Sandy, Ruthie, Cindy, and Kelly

Residents: 2207

Community updates

House Siding colors – Sandy

Colors chosen and approved by the Board – Naval, Waterloo, Steely Gray, Gauntlet Gray, Curio Gray, Connected Gray, and March Wind (alternative for Cape Cod). RA clusters do get a discount at Sherwin Williams. Need code from Megan, not received yet.

Door styles/colors – Sandy

Guidance from Megan not specific (brand name only, nothing about style of door). Sandy will discuss with her in upcoming meeting. After style and brand of doors selected, we can consider prefinished colors as an option for our door color palette.

Waiting to talk to Megan before completing DRB application.

Concrete – The proposal is complete. Talked about which areas to pull the trigger on. Proposal includes three concrete areas and an option for a railing, but the total would exceed what we had allotted so we need to pull some money from elsewhere (like snow removal or landscape beautification projects).

Board approved to go over budget to allow for cost of three concrete areas and railing and find money elsewhere in the budget to keep net budget the same as approved at the annual meeting. Agreed to suggest that Juan place the railing on the left-hand side of the steps.

Cluster Clean up – Finished many of the projects, but some lingering projects need attention.

Trash can enclosure at tot lot. Need 1×6’s pressure treated wood for the trash enclosure. Benches need to be sealed because it was wet during the clean up and we were only able to sand them down.

There are some loose steps after fixing the missing step and another loose step. Ruth and Sandy will look at loose step because the stringers are rotting beneath it and see if anything more needs to be done.

Parking lot – Asphalt updates

Joe at Finley provided some quotes. One option would be to replace only top two layers because the bottom layers looked good to Joe. We decided to also ask for a quote that would include redoing the base layers (hard pack) just in case it turns out that is not as good as Joe thought.

Questions to ask Joe: How often does the hard pack need to be replaced? If we are doing the top layer but the base layer needs to be fixed how long would the top layer really last? Would it make more sense to get the hard pack fixed if it is also needing to be replaced soon?

Nathan at Dominion provided two quotes, but they were more expensive than Finley and they wanted to replace 4 inches rather than the top two layers.

Kristina will ask for more clarification and look for another quote since the two quotes are so different.

To consider: If we wait another year to do the asphalt, we should at least look at fixing the potholes that have developed?

Erosion

Areas under consideration: Cyndi’s hill, Karen Beasley’s backyard, swale landscaping

Waiting on proposal from Hemax. They have someone on staff who does the design and incorporates native plants, which would be useful for RA compliance.

Kristina has an appointment with Drainage and Erosion Solutions next week.

Kristina emailed Jose about planting non-invasive plant around the swale areas and rather than vinca, but she hasn’t heard back. Sandy can also call to follow up.

Re: RA non-compliance around rock swales- Kristina spoke at length with Cam at RA, who suggested sending an email to the non-compliance RA person to get feedback on what is required for the submitted design plan.

Landscaping

Chris said he could plant annual flowers at the front entrance for $110. He recommended perennial vinca as an option but not impatiens since deer like to eat them and require a lot of water. Begonias (white and red) and lantanas (pink, mauve, yellow) are also options because they are more heat tolerant.

Other issues/topics: 1) Weeding will occur this coming week; 2) Landscaping staff down 20% so Chris will try to keep it Tu/Wed/Th but can’t promise a specific day; 3) Concerns – Miscommunication with mowers for areas to be mowed or not mowed. Chris will talk to crew to find out better communication method; 4) Grass behind houses where there is balding could be considered for 2022; 5) $1,250 still remaining for tree budget – Sandy requested $100 to trim a tree that has overgrown along main drive path; 6) Mike and Kerry requested shade plants or flowers along the path leaving the tot lot to the lower cluster (Potentially include this as a fall cluster clean up activity)

Garbage/Recycling – Bates missing the upper loop on Wednesdays for yard waste. Kristina will contact them about it.

Other topics? Plastic bags still being thrown into the compost. Post picture of no plastic bags in addition to the written sign.

Financials were discussed.

Next Meeting
June 10th at 7pm via Zoom

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting -April 8

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Board Attendees: Kristina, Sandy, Cyndi, Kelly, Ruth

Members: 2207

Community Updates

Door and Siding Colors and Styles – Sandy

Allura prefinished product discontinued as of January 2021. Now the only manufacturer of vertical 8” cement siding strips is Hardie board (vertical Sierra 8). Hardie board does not come as a prefinished product so the siding will need to be painted. Allura also discontinued stucco boards.

RA working on discount at Sherwin Williams (SW). Sandy is finding colors at SW that are similar to what we had chosen in December from Allura. Paint samples ordered and will arrive later this month.

No word back from RA re: door styles with windows in them.

Cluster Clean up – April 24th

Projects:

  • Clean and sand benches by tot lot (Cyndi)
  • Bin for trash can at tot lot (Sandy)
  • Need 2 x 6 board for steps, cut to length (Ruth)
  • Trash collection (Lily)
  • Re-planting daylilies in upper cluster island where bed was damaged (Kristina/Mike)
  • Sign washing (Elli)

Parking Lot

Tri-technologies did not show up for the scheduled Zoom meeting regarding asphalt rejuvenation. Cluster does not intend to reschedule, as most advice has been that rejuvenation will not delay grind and mill.

Finley (Joe) provided estimates for grind and mill and suggested doing work before 2025. Quote for the entire parking lot was $76,000. Joe said patching would be okay if we want to hold off until 2025 but would cost between $10,000-15,000 each time we need to patch.

Dominion (Nathan) will provide quotes for the entire parking lot, just the areas that are driven on, and patching rough spots. They agreed with Finley that the top layer of asphalt is too thin to last until 2025 and suggested moving the grind and mill to an earlier date. 

Erosion

Need an estimate for erosion work on the hill by Cyndi’s house. No word back from Chris, yet. Kristina will look into it more, including a pathway for people to walk behind houses.

Jose De La Cruz spoke with Sandy about putting a 12 x 12 square drain behind Karen Beasley’s yard and running a French drain behind the adjacent houses for $2700

Cluster received a letter from RA about being out of compliance with the vegetation surrounding rock swales related to recent erosion work. Kristina will continue to investigate exactly where the non-compliance occurs and exactly what RA wants us to plant in those areas.

Landscaping

Cluster will offer to order bags of mulch to be delivered to the neighborhood. Residents need to order the number of bags they want and will be billed through the cluster. 

The turf was recently fertilized and overseeding will occur at some point in the future to the lawns that were seeded in the fall.

Concrete

Sandy and Kristina talked about the possibility of putting in a railing by the stairs in front of 2245 rather than having them redone. Cyndi reached out to Juan. 

Garbage and Recycling

Board decided to hold off on switching from Bates to another provider. Prices were competitive but did not include extra features like dumpsters and large item pickup.

Need the voucher for the dump fee for the roll-away dumpster that will be here during the cluster cleanup

Other topics? 

Chemical/hazardous waste pickup date? (Sandy – but Kelly will also try to reach out to Chris)

Financials

Financials were discussed. Cluster dues for the 2nd quarter were sent out in April.

Next meeting 

May 13th at 7 pm via Zoom

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting – March 11

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Board Attendees: Kristina, Sandy, Cyndi, Kelly, Ruth

Members: 2207, 2237

Community Updates

Door colors and styles: 

  • Sandy has not heard back from Megan about updating glass door styles. 
  • Goal is to narrow down color choices to 6-7 colors, with 1-2 alternates. 
  • Residents will be able to pick any of the colors, not based on siding color, so there will be some freedom of choice there.
  • Board and members in attendance viewed mock up versions of the house colors with the suggested door colors. Of those mock ups, there was consensus on the following colors:
    • Burgundy red,
    • Purple but not too grapey,
    • Black,
    • Creamy white (slightly darker than Amber White used on stucco), 
    • Mid-tone gray brown,
    • Deep green,
    • Navy or strong blue,
    • Aqua or slate blue, and/or
    • Possibly a mid-range blue
  • Sandy agreed to get larger paint samples for the navy and strong blue to help decide which one is preferred as well as larger paint samples for aqua or slate blue.
    • Consensus was that it would be better to stick to one shade in a particular color than have a variety of different shades in that color family.

Spring Cluster Cleanup:

  • Date set for April 24th 
  • Projects:
    • General trash pick up (need to purchase more trash bags)
    • Kristina will make a list of projects and necessary supplies so we can coordinate purchases.
    • Possibilities include:
      • Erosion control on Cyndi’s hill 
        • Potential path (i.e., wood chips) to guide people to walk at base of hill rather than on the hill
        • Might need to grade the path some and set up edging to keep the wood chips from washing away
      • Wash, sand, and repaint/reseal the benches at the playground/tot lot. 
      • Build trash can enclosure for the trash can by the tot lot (Sandy).
      • Plant bulbs around the cluster.
      • One of the steps on the hill by Duncan’s old house is missing and should be replaced.
  • Socialization – Decided to delay community BBQ until this summer based on current social gathering guidelines and to give more people a chance to get vaccinated. This will be mentioned in the next newsletter.
  • Cyndi will lead and direct residents to various projects since Kristina works on Saturdays.

Parking lot rejuvenation – Zoom meeting with Tri-technologies on Wednesday March 24th at 7pm

  • Kristina is also looking at resealing the parking lot with Finley Asphalt and Dominion Paving rather than going with rejuvenation 
  • Estimate will include evaluation to determine if we are still on track for grind and mill in 2025

Erosion – Some work can be done on Cyndi’s hill during Cluster Clean Up

Tree Work – Pausing tree work due to pending cicada swarm. Planting new trees will wait until fall or next spring.

Landscaping – Sandy will look at planting more bulbs and flowers around the cluster. 

Snow/Ice – No real updates.

Concrete – Cyndi will reach out to Juan about replacing steps in front of Nick’s house as well as sidewalk surrounding steps.

Garbage/Recycling –

  • Kristina got quotes from other companies
  • American Disposal Services quote was slightly under what we pay Bates 
    • Kristina will look into their capabilities to get more information
    • Do they already have customers that get pick up trash on Mondays and Thursdays? 
  • Waiting for estimates from Waste Management and Republic

Cluster Connect – RA’s newsletter to clusters in Reston

  • Wheelwright Board getting the RA’s newsletters and will forward to other board members 

Next meeting 

  • April 8th at 7 pm via Zoom

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting – February 11

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Board Attendees: Kristina, Sandy, Cyndi, Kelly, Ruthie

Members: 2207

Community Updates

Parking lot rejuvenation – Kristina talked to someone at Tri Technologies and she will send someone out to look at our parking lot to give us an estimate. Might be too late to try this option. Kristina spoke with someone else at an HOA that had the rejuvenation done by Tri Technologies. The work quality was great, but she seemed unsure that it was a better option than asphalt seal coating. Grind & mill schedule for 2025, but the parking lot seems like it needs work. Tri Technologies offered to give a 15-20 min presentation at the next meeting. Sandy suggested getting a prospectus for how long the rejuvenation would last. Effectiveness reported to be better when it’s put on early after the grind & mill (within 4 years and then subsequent 4 years to extend the need for another grind & mill). Kristina will do more research.

Erosion – Kristina spoke with Chris Hughes and looked at Cyndi’s hill. Discussed planting to help stabilize the hill and asked about putting in pavers so that people can get behind the houses along that row. He will give us an estimate for the work and we can look at what we might be able to do on our own.

Tree Work – Sandy said nothing is going on with tree work at the moment. There could be a tree credit for the over trimmed holly tree that could be used toward labor for planting a new cherry tree (which we would have to buy) or grinding of stumps (which would require us to pay for renting a grinder). Sandy agreed to get numbers on the cost of cherry tree and grinding equipment rental. Not sure what the tree credit is, so Sandy will ask Chris.

Landscaping – Sandy talked with homeowners with concerns about damage done (divots) to their yards when the crew last came through for mowing.  Chris Hughes said he would reseed this spring for those who had their yards seeded.

Snow/Ice – Peyton has come out to handle the snow and ice when needed. We could get a bucket of sand for the playground area or check with Peyton on how much it would cost to sand and/or salt common areas.

Concrete – Cyndi hasn’t contacted Juan yet because it’s too early in the season. Areas have been identified last year, but Juan needs to walk the neighborhood to assess if more areas have become problematic over the winter.

Siding color palette/door colors? – DRB application – Sandy still working on it. Cluster residents should meet in a special session (or roll it into a regular board meeting) to discuss door colors. We need approval from the Cluster before we can submit new door colors to DRB. Or, if our HOA guidelines don’t require a meeting, we can notify the cluster of the change using a flyer and that appears to be sufficient based on DRB guidelines. Kristina will look through the cluster guidelines to determine what is required. Sandy agreed to have a color palette for the doors by the next meeting so we can proceed one way or another.

Composting – A new compost bin has been installed by the playground. Sarah is the contact and agreed to maintain. Sandy is going to laminate the Do’s and Don’ts. Cyndi pointed out that there are discrepancies between the newsletter and the graphics provided by Sarah. Kristina will double check the different versions and send a copy to Sandy to laminate instead. 

Garbage/Recycling – Kristina talked to Teresa about the communication problem as to when garbage and recycling are supposed to come, particularly when it changes due to weather conditions. Kristina will reach out to Republic, American, and other waste management companies for updated quotes. Waste Management appears to accept new business, so we could try to contact them to see if they would serve our area again.

Parking registration – 42 homeowners have responded via online form or paper document! That leaves 20 homes not registered. It appears that many homes have more than two cars, which is against our guidelines. We will keep an eye on it to make sure that parking is still available. We can send out reminders as needed.

RA HOA cluster meet and greet – Sandy attended. Got a lot of good information on DRB application. 135 clusters in Reston. 

  • Meet & greet available to view online via YouTube. Survey sent to clusters to determine how cluster boards engage with their constituents. 
  • RA is trying to get a list of contractors and vendors and which clusters use those contractors and vendors so that we can determine which vendors are good to work with and not good to work with. 
  • RA is looking for ways for clusters to connect to each other and looking toward clusters to work with RA to facilitate those connections. Several new people joined the website after Sandy shared the information. 
  • RA has discount codes for Sherwin Williams 30-40% off so we can contact them to get that information. Sherwin Williams has a point of contact we can use and work with. 
  • RA is pushing clusters to go back and update guidelines and color palettes. RA will enforce whatever is in our guidelines, so if we don’t want those out-of-date products we need to submit new guidelines. 
  • Sandy discussed door colors and door styles with them. They shared new door styles that have been submitted and already been approved, which is a good sign that we can get the doors we want (especially if another cluster already has that door approved).
  • RA has revised DRB situations. There is now a 30-day turnaround. Previously the time was 5 months. RA is working on digitizing cluster standards so we will be able to go online to look at other clusters and see what they already have approved. Fences, decks, siding, and trim decisions now take place in the covenants committee to avoid going into additional committees.
  • When updating guidelines, we need to pay attention to wording so that older, original versions can be grandfathered in (except in cases like the color palette where we want only the new colors).
  • Sandy will look for a way to get us on future RA cluster DRB info meetings

Climate planning meeting in Fairfax County – Kristina attended. Action plan being put together to develop environmental standards and changes they want implemented in Fairfax County and they want to engage the community as much as possible. Group is looking for help from HOAs, churches, and other community groups to get their new standards and guidelines communicated to the public.

Financials

Treasurer went over monthly financials

  • P.O. Box fee went up. 
  • HOA fees will need to go up, probably up by $20 per quarter to increase operating budget. Previous increases in dues were put into capital costs rather than operating expenses, so we may have spent from capital costs to cover operating costs. Kelly will look into this in more detail.
  • Other clusters charge $270 to $350 per quarter, but some of these clusters have 100 or more homes so their budgets are much larger. Kelly will inquire what services these clusters provide to their residents. 

Next meeting 

  • March 11th at 7 pm via Zoom


Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting – January 14

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Board Attendees: Kristina, Sandy, Cyndi, Kelly, Ruth

Members: 2207

Financials – Treasurer went over monthly financials and projected costs.

2020 Budget Review

  • Final numbers show a profit of $18,161.75

2021 Budget Review

  • 1st quarter dues just went out
  • Not a lot of rainy day funds and costs increasing so dues may need to be adjusted or services eliminated

Annual Meeting Review

  • Parking lot rejuvenation interest
    • Kristina will look into this to get names of people from potential companies who have had this work done
    • Also look for feedback from other neighborhoods if they’ve done similar work in their community
  • Erosion 
    • Completed
    • Reston Association will inspect work the week of Jan 18-22
    • No one needs to be present for inspection 
    • Inspection good for two years
    • Additional erosion projects to be evaluated for 2021 (Ruth and Kristina)
      • Focus on the hill by the tot lot – low lying gourds or pumpkins? (Cyndi)
      • Other alternatives like native sedges? (Kristina) 
  • Tree Work
    • Stump grinding behind 2250 was successful
    • Company slated to come back to reseed grass where truck damaged ground
  • Concrete (Cyndi)
    • Lower cluster slated to be done in spring 2021
    • Need to evaluate new spots that may have arisen due to weathering during winter
    • Some damage done to resident property during concrete work in fall
      • Cyndi will look into compensation for those areas
    • Look for property boundaries to assess ownership of stairs in lower cluster 
  • Landscaping (Sandy)
    • Lower cluster peninsula areas need to be addressed using grounds maintenance funds 
  • Electric car charging stations – community not ready to install but may be interested in the future
  • Glass collection option was not approved by the community
  • Community thought we should give composting a try and Sarah Keally offered to maintain it
  • Design Review Board (DRB) Application (Sandy)
    • Shingle guidelines will need to be updated so they will be included with color palette application to RA Design Review Board 
    • Annual meeting came to consensus about color palette for house colors and will be included in DRB Application 
    • Door options and colors still need votes by community 
      • We can add new colors in future if resident really likes a different color within the Alura color palette
      • Community agreed to give residents 10 years to comply with new color palette if approved by DRB

Action/Discussion Items

  • Complaints about Garbage/Recycling pickup
    • Standalone trash bags being placed in recycling truck rather than trash truck
    • Bates suggested moving recycling pickup to Wednesdays but this could be an issue with residents having to put bins out three times a week and increases possibility of people leaving bins out all week
      • Decided to leave trash pickup schedule as it is
      • Communicate with community about new recycling guidelines to improve compliance
      • Look into hiring a second company to pick up recycling on Monday
        • Would this be more expensive than hiring a new company to handle all trash and recycling?
  • Purchasing a compost bin
    • Site selected adjacent to tot lot
  • Decided to purchase a bin ($279 at Home Depot) that is designed to have good airflow (which might be better in a shaded area like the tot lot) and is mid-range in terms of size (187 g)
  • Update parking list (Kristina, Cyndi, Ruth) to make sure all cars parked are owned by residents of the cluster
    • Send out reminders about motorcycle parking in reserved spots, not sidewalk
    • Keep an eye out for cars with expired registrations (provide some leeway due to current registration process with DMV because of covid) 
  • The Cluster wheelbarrow is fixed!!! Located behind Cyndi’s house right now.
  • Need to update Cluster guidelines (Kristina will talk to Jessica)
  • Dog waste stations not viable given our current budget
  • Suggestion to put exercise equipment in place of tot lot or next to it
    • Tot lot is used and is an attractive feature to prospective families
    • Possible increase in liability
    • Compost to be situated near tot lot so another location would need to be selected
    • If we have budget to redo tot lot at a future point, we could look for designs to incorporate activities for children and adults
    • If RA plans to install exercise circuit around Snakeden Branch loop behind the cluster, see if we can get a stop posted close to the rear of our community
    • Not enough money in budget to pursue now
  • Native seedling sale to take place in February 
    • https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/native-seedling-sale
    • Could be an opportunity to purchase native plants for erosion control
  • Landscape follow-up
    • Possible replacement for cherry tree behind 2250
    • Landscaping company agreed to reseed areas where grass did not grow because of late timing of grass seeding work in the fall and the amount of leaves that fell on lawns 

Board Members agreed to work with contractors or committees:

  • Snow Removal (Mike Peyton) – Kelly
  • Landscaping (Chris Hughes) – Sandy 
  • Garbage Pickup (Theresa Cunningham) – Kristina 
  • Concrete (Juan) – Cyndi 
  • Dominion (watchlights) – Cyndi 
  • Legal (Chesapeake) – Kristina 
  • Tree Committee Liaison – Sandy
  • Community outreach – Kristina 
    • E-news
    • Facebook updates
    • Sign

Next meeting 

  • February 11th
  • Upcoming meetings to be held on 2nd Thursday in the month
  • Virtual only

Annual Meeting Minutes

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Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting – December 7

Attendees: Kristina, Jessica, Sandy, Cyndi, Sarah, and Kelly

Residents from: 2246, 2235, 2224, 2256, 2242, 2244, 2228, 2205, 2230, 2254

Meeting was called to order at 7:06 PM by Kristina Myers, Interim President

2020 In Review:

  • Covid-19 disruptions to board meetings/contracted work – 
    • Board Meetings from March onward held on virtual platforms
    • DRB application delays 
    • Concrete companies did not respond to inquiries
    • Landscaper having trouble with sick crew members
  • Erosion – 
    • Work to the rear of houses 2251-53 delayed due to DRB delays
    • Drainage work including construction of artificial swale filled with wash gravel to route water to drainage stream and prevent further erosion
    • Will likely ensue week of December 21st
  • Concrete – Cyndi
    • Upper cluster – most work completed in this section to save money
    • Portions of sidewalk in front of 2201 around corner to 2223.
    • Lower cluster areas to be addressed in the Spring
  • Shingles – Jessica
    • Discussed the newly approved shingles by Reston DRB as well as older ones already approved by our cluster guidelines
    • Added a few architectural shingle styles – see slide
      • Newly approved shingles will be added to the cluster guidelines
  • Landscaping – Sandy
    • Grass rejuvenation project – added grass seed to several areas with the help of the landscaping contractor to help build up the grassy areas
    • Showed several before and after pictures of the work and results
    • Next year they want to address more areas in the peninsulas and lower cluster areas
  • Tree Update – Tree Committee
    • Steve gave a quick overview of the work completed in 2020 to a total estimated cost of $11,027.50 (including a 15% winter discount).

2020 Budget Review:

  • All of the expenditures were sent out via email ahead of the meeting
  • Saved money on meeting room
  • Little over budget on website maintenance fees (paid for two years instead of one)
  • Greatly under budget for snow removal
  • Concrete work – still awaiting final invoice for December for a total of ~$4,000
  • Tree removal – awaiting final invoice once work complete, should arrive this month
  • Erosion – awaiting final invoice – just under budget this year

2021 Budget Proposal:

  • General liability insurance – what we actually pay
  • Reduced office supplies
  • Copying – small amount but reduced from previous years
  • Wheelwrighter – reduced down to $0
  • Landscaping – just received quote for $21,080
  • Trash removal went up
  • Tree removal will go up slightly
  • Grounds maintenance – new category to capture things like grass rejuvenation and other similar projects – budgeted $1500
  • No questions or comments

Updating Wheelwright Cluster Guidelines – Sandy

  • Started with shingles and then added on more for a cohesive looking neighborhood
  • Learned that several currently approved siding materials are expensive (special orders), hard to source, or discontinued
  • Providing recommendations for updates and replacements that are easy and affordable options
    • Recommended to replace 12” RBB Cedar to 8” T1-11 plywood (which is currently in stock at Home Depot and Lowes)
    • Hardieboard already approved but must be painted, which doesn’t last as long
    • Recommendations on solid exterior latex paint colors over stain due to the materials and how they absorb the stain versus paint
      • There was some discussion about the pros and cons of stain versus paint
      • Residents are ok with having paint and stain options to help make the colors more uniform
    • Remove vinyl colors from guidelines since all colors have been discontinued and nothing matches to replace it
      • Will grandfather in those who already have vinyl siding
    • New Colors – update Wheelwright Cluster palette to modern colors to blend with existing vinyl siding
      • See slide for more information
      • There was discussion about the color options and some people might want to see more
  • Discussed poll for voting on recommendations provided by board
    • Siding size – 100% voted to move to newer size of siding – 8” 
    • Trim and siding materials – 100% approval for more cost effective options
    • Colors of siding – 81% for Pacific Blue, 75% for Calvary, and 63% each for Pewter and Cool Charcoal
      • Most people agreed that we could keep all seven colors
    • For phasing out the colors, residents agreed to a timeline of 10 years to come into compliance with the newer colors

New Topics:

  • Electric car charging stations – up to $3600 per charger, not including taxes and shipping
    • Also would need to hire contractors for electrical and installation on top of purchasing
    • Would be more for maintenance and not a profit maker
    • More of an investment and incentive for purchasing in the community 
    • Question: is this something we can put in ourselves as individual owners? Yes, you theoretically can if you wanted to do that.
    • Question: Is there data to show what the added value would be to condos and other HOAs? Not currently, but this is relatively new. RA might have more information.
    • Mary offered to write an article on electric car charging for the website in the future.
    • Many residents are willing to consider but don’t think we are ready for it yet.
  • Asphalt Rejuvenation
    • Two layer process
    • 4 year warranty on flaking, peeling, and chipping
    • 3 year fuse bond overlay warranty
    • Proposal received in July 2020 was $8,889.00; we just did a resealing in 2017 at a cost of $11,248
    • More research needs to be done, but residents are willing to consider it
  • Glass collection
    • Pay a company to come and collect the glass to be used as ground cover material
    • Most people feel it is not worth it 
  • Community Composting Proposal
    • Put on list of things to do in 2021 
    • Most people agree with it and would be willing to try it
      • See benefits and ideas of bins with the slides
    • Would need to find a more ideal location for the cluster but that can be overcome
    • Rules would need to be followed to make sure the piles are maintained

Voting for new board members:

  • Ruth Schulte was nominated and seconded as a new board member
  • Kelly Fairbank, current Treasurer, also is willing to be a board director
  • Poll – members voted by majority vote (100%) to elect both Kelly and Ruth in as new members

New positions will be determined by chat over the next few days.

Board Meeting Minutes – November 2020

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Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting – November 12

Attendees: Kristina, Jessica, Sandy, Cyndi, Sarah, and Kelly

Financials – Treasurer went over monthly financials and projected costs.

2020 Budget Review

  • Net income currently at $32,000 for the year
  • Kelly will do a multi-year review to see how much we’ll have coming in on an annual basis for the parking lot resurfacing

2021 Budget Review

  • Treasurer developed draft 2021 budget based on 2020 budget
  • $4000 for tree maintenance
  • $10000 for tree removal
  • $100 increase for general liability insurance
  • $200 for room rental
  • Landscaping at same amount
  • Separate line item for extra grass seeding? Yes, it will be under grounds maintenance in next budget
  • Snow removal budget remains the same
  • Trash increase of $200 for the year
  • $7000 for erosion control 

Annual Meeting 

  • Room reserved and layout confirmed – large central atrium area
    • Setup virtual way to attend – buy a decent speaker with cluster money? 
      • A couple examples were suggested in the chat
      • Many options suggested include: Skype, Zoom, Teams, etc.
    • We have already paid for the room, but might try to negotiate a refund due to COVID
    • Survey residents to see if they would prefer to attend or could attend virtually – Sandy will put together and send it out once the board reviews
  • Need to replace Sarah and Jessica
  • Use of Menti – Jessica
    • She gave a short demo of the software
    • Way to collect feedback from residents in real time via a word cloud or map
    • Good way to collect feedback anonymously
  • Looking for someone to own the following options to present
    • Asphalt rejuvenation – Jessica
    • glass pickup – Jessica
    • electric car charging – Cyndi
    • community compost option – Sarah
    • Cluster siding palette, Hardie board, and vinyl options – Sandy
    • Audubon at Home visit summary- Kristina
    • Erosion – Kristina
    • Online payments – Kelly will mention with annual budget review

Guidelines Changes and DRB Applications

  • Both shingle color updates and erosion/drainage plan approved by DRB
    • Shingle colors will need to be added to the cluster guidelines and updated on the website
  • Hardie board and house colors – RA approval – Sandy
    • Discussion about email
    • We are currently approved for the T111 (12” on center)- normal cluster siding – propose removing from current guidelines; current ones will be grandfathered in
      • Not available off the shelf at Home Depot or Lowes
    • Approved for Hardie Board – 8” on center – more widely available 
    • Vinyl comes in 5” on center currently – no longer available – will have to replace the colors – light grey
      • Propose to remove the vinyl siding option due to limited stock and colors
    • Alura (the company that offers pre-finished Hardie board) –  Cypress (green), Ashen or Nantucket Gray (tan), Coastal Blue or Pewter (blue), Flagstone, Sterling Grey, Granite gray, savannah wicker, calvary (dark blue) are some of the suggestions
      • Sandy to order swatches and we’ll compare in person

Concrete Contract – Cyndi

  • Date scheduled – Monday 11/16 – Cyndi will put a note on houses in the whole first row about the work
  • 2245 concrete work -is it a common area? – have not yet heard back from the county.  Will address in early 2021 

Transition of duties

  • Kristina – interim president
    • Seal and PO box key passed on
  • Cyndi – interim vice president

Dues Payment

  • dropbox of check that is independent of the house – next month and beyond
  • Kristina went ahead and ordered this:
  • Board voted to move the box and reimbursement for Kristina’s purchase – will put a note on the existing box about the move

Tree Work – Steve/Kristina

  • DRB application for 2250 tree submitted and approved
  • Scheduled for December 1st -3rd – will post an announcement on Facebook and Website 
  • Sign to be strategically placed at least 3-4 days prior to work

Landscaping – Sandy

  • Seeding and weeds cost and coordination – completed.  
  • Dennis at 2256 says the seeding did wonders for the area between the path to woods and his house.

Reston Association Covenants Administration

  • Next upcoming virtual meeting will be ‘Resources and Tools for Cluster Leadership’ and will include a robust discussion of who to contact for common issues and concerns
  • Monday, November 16th at 6:30pm – Kristina and Cyndi will try to attend

Community projects – for annual meeting discussion

  • Future
    • Ideas?
  • Past
    • Fall cluster cleanup
      • List of projects started/completed
        • Removal of invasive plants near the tot lot
        • Removal of invasive plants to left of little free library
        • Digging trench and repositioning and securing pavers by 2249
        • Spreading wood chips along bus path
        • Spreading wood chips behind 2219
      • Dumpster – send out notice exactly what can and cannot be disposed of for future cleanups.
    • Halloween – great feedback from the community.
    • Tot lot trash bin – Sandy – will work on in Spring 2021 cluster cleanup

Newsletter issued 11/11

  • Concrete dates
  • Erosion
  • Annual meeting
  • Maybe link to Hunter Mill District News
  • Tree work reminder
  • Board meeting positions

Next meeting 

  • Annual meeting Monday December 7th
  • Virtual/in-person

These considerations apply for annual meeting:

  • STAY HOME if you have COVID-19 symptoms, have tested positive for COVID-19, are waiting for test results, or have been in contact with someone with COVID in the past 14 days.

The December meeting is the Annual Meeting. Next meeting – December 7, 2020.

Board Meeting Minutes – October 2020

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Attendees: Kristina, Jessica, Sandy, Cyndi, Sarah, and Kelly

Financials – Treasurer went over monthly financials and projected costs.

  • Discussed missed dues payments – after 2nd quarter of missed payments, then the certified tow letter goes out to the owner in order to prevent longer times of unpaid dues

Transition of Duties

  • Kristina and Jessica met last week to discuss the transition of her duties – Jessica will stay on as a director but step down as president
  • Kristina will be the de-facto president and transition effective November 1 until the Annual Meeting when the next election is held
    • Kristina will run the next two meetings
    • Jessica will attend the next two meetings as a regular director board member
  • Sarah is planning to step down from the board in December
  • Cyndi is stepping up as Vice President after this meeting (temporarily)

Guidelines Changes and DRB Applications

  • Shingles guideline changes – Jessica

Scheduled for October DRB, details TBD

Jessica emailed the DRB representative to find out the scheduled date

  • Erosion Work – Kristina
    • Scheduled for October DRB, details TBD
    • Jessica also emailed about this, too, and is still waiting on a response
  • Hardie board and house colors – RA approval – Sandy
    • Pending color selection – no updates this month. Will reach out to vendors in the next week to get samples and have a discussion by the next meeting
    • Sherwin Williams partnership 

Tree Work – Steve/Kristina

  • Posted on FB page, will post on the website this week
  • DRB application for the tree – approved
  • DRB application for 2250 tree in progress

Landscaping – Sandy

  • Stump plans – no real movement and probably will postpone until the Spring of 2021
  • LFL bushes – recommended removal at cluster cleanup
  • Seeding and weeds cost and coordination – any takers? 
    • Not many – only 7 houses. The company will bill the cluster and then the cluster will bill the homeowners.
    • Kristina will give a deadline for requests by Monday, October 12 in the next newsletter
  • The landscaper will have a hazardous waste pick-up on October 17.
  • The landscaper will spray again soon; 
  • Sandy identified four different cluster spots (in front of the sign, to the left of 2233, right next to Karen Beasley’s house, and by the mailboxes)
  • A quote for a soil-enriching project to those areas is $425, plus $600 to add the topsoil by mailboxes and Karen Beasley’s house 
  • Would have to build this into the budget – $1000
    • There is currently room in the overall project to move funds over to pay for this additional project – we had four votes to proceed with this project
    • Sandy will schedule the work with the landscaper for this fall
  • Removing the poison ivy on cluster property?  Is a project that is part of the cluster clean-up

Audubon Walkthrough Update and review – Kristina

  • Discussed trees that would work better in the peninsulas and fit better in those areas – focusing on native trees and plants
  • Creating mulch donuts instead of much volcanoes to help with roots – easy project for the cluster cleanup
  • Discussed the vegetation at the entrance – she recommended that we start replacing the vegetation from scratch – none of the current vegetation is native to this area
    • Recommendation of native and resilient perennials that would look nicely groomed instead of annuals
    • An example of what it could look like can be found by the Walker Nature Center
    • Mentioned the invasive species near the little free library and putting in a hummingbird plant area
    • Discussed erosion control in some areas where there is severe sloping – erosion blankets
    • The rest is found in the report that Kristina shared with the board.

Street Lights – Cyndi

  • It doesn’t need glass, sent to RA for confirmation
  • Discussed whether or not to replace all other street lights with the same LED bulbs – decided to leave it as-is for now

Concrete Contract – Cyndi

  • Need to send the deposit to the scheduled date
  • 2245 concrete work -is it a common area? Not sure, but Kelly will ask her contacts to see if we can get documentation on what falls on cluster property

Snow contract owner

  • Cyndi will take over as contact for the snow removal coordination
  • Mike Peyton will remain our contractor this year with a $25 increase in prices – voted unanimously

Community projects

  • Future
    • Habitat for Humanity – not going to do this for the fall cleanup
    • Hazardous Waste Pickup – Sandy – scheduled for October 17
    • Fall cluster cleanup – Sarah will be the main coordinator that weekend (October 26-27)
      • Review sign up survey – any edits? None – good to send out
      • Dumpster – Sarah
      • Who can pick up materials? Sarah
      • Add project of fixing the steps near 2261 – Sandy will take lead on this project

Halloween project – Sandy and Kelly to lead

  • Will put in the next newsletter and add a note for where to donate candy
  • Will budget $100 for candy – voted and approved – to go towards Halloween

Annual Meeting – all set to go

  • Two board members up for election – Jessica and Sarah
  • Electric stations – Cyndi
  • Community Composting – Sarah
  • Electronic dues payments – Paypal/Square – Kelly – discuss at the annual meeting

The November meeting will still be virtual. Next meeting – November 12, 2020.

  • Review 2021 budget – Kelly to pull together documentation
  • Sandy will reach out to Landscaper to see if there will be an increase in prices
  • Jessica will write up a notification about the annual meeting – will send out via e-newsletter, post on the website, and maybe with a flyer

Board Meeting Minutes – September 2020

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Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting – September 10

Attendees: Kristina, Jessica, Sandy, Cyndi, Sarah, and Kelly

Financials – Treasurer went over monthly financials and projected costs.

Tree Committee

  • Tree work application signed and submitted to RA
    • Scheduled December 1, 2020
    • Will post an update on our Facebook page and send out via email updates now and closer to the date of work
    • Steve is handling the scheduling of the work with the contractor, JL Trees
  • Another tree inspection with an arborist is scheduled for this month and some residents are interested – Kristina to find out the date
  • Need to do the application for removal of the cherry tree behind 2250 – 2252; determine replacement tree (most likely another cherry tree)

Cluster Guidelines Changes

  • Meeting with RA on Monday, September 14, but no additional responses from RA to move forward with the applications
    • inaugural Cluster Association Board Member Zoom Call, a Meet and Greet Listening Session with Cam Adams, Director and Meagan Micozzi, Community Outreach Manager
  • No updates on house colors

Landscaping

  • Sandy is talking with the owner of the landscaping company to ensure certain work is getting done
    • Some things like weed spraying are not being completed and trimming bushes, even though they say that it will be taken care of soon
    • Might be an issue with the communication with the crews
  • Weeding and seeding – working to schedule this with the landscaper for individual homeowners to pay for the service
    • Create a survey in an e-newsletter to gather information and responses on who wants it done.
  • Discussion included adding mulching to areas that are not growing grass well at the moment or look at adding additional ground cover plantings to spruce up those areas along with mulch
    • The area near the Little Free Library is in need of some tending to along with a few others.
    • We’ll get some suggestions from the landscaper on costs and what is feasible and determine the next steps from there.
    • Start getting estimates for cluster cleanup projects to show residents how much we are saving (as a cluster) due to sweat equity from the cleanup projects
  • One more hazardous waste collection is coming up this year and would be scheduled about a week before the fall cluster cleanup
  • Audubon Walkthrough 
    • Scheduled for September 14 at 10 AM 

  • Street Lights – Cyndi
    • No progress from Dominion Energy, but has nagged them again and will continue to bug them until we get a resolution to put the panes back.
    • Jessica will email RA about our efforts to fix the light and no resolution yet to cover us.
  • Concrete Contract – Cyndi
    • Proposal Review – only real proposal from ML- contract is within the budget
    • Motion to approve – will move forward with signing the contract to get the work done
    • Will ask about additional personal work throughout the cluster

  • Trash schedule revised
    • Will bring up to residents to discuss at annual meeting
    • Sarah will contact Bates and get a proposal on what the costs would be for reduced trash service to one-day collection/week
    • Sarah proposed the idea of creating a community composting garden in the cluster to help with reducing trash collection needs plus with additional yard waste and leaves 
      • Other members are into the idea but more research is needed
      • Need to consider sunlight to the area, bins, and the number of different compounds to go into it – Sarah will conduct further research
      • Sarah, Kristina, and Sandy will review potential areas to put the composting piles

  • Nathan’s request on communicating shingles status
    • Leave it for now and make the announcement about it once the shingles DRB application is approved – in the notification to residents

  • HOA meeting
    • A few board members will attend the first  Reston Association HOA meeting, virtually, on September 14 (via Zoom).
  • Community projects
    • Past
    • Future
      • Habitat for Humanity
      • Fall cluster cleanup – October 24
        • River cleanup
      • Jessica will put together a list of projects/tasks to be completed and send out to the group – add a survey to have residents suggest projects to be done in the next e-newsletter – Kristina to add
      • Mulching by Little Free Library is a project that could be completed
      • Potential to address stones as well
    • Tot lot trash – Sandy will work on it one weekend soon
  • Annual Meeting room 
    • Application submitted, still a backlog
    • All agree on the format of the large room to allow for the social distancing of residents

Dues Payments

  • Confirmed that we can’t use Zelle for electronic payments due to having a business account
  • Send out a survey about online payments? Put out with next Wheelwrighter e-newsletter
  • Paypal could work but adds an extra $9 fee for each $300 transactions and could post a link on the website
    • Square is also an option to look into.
  • Board members will continue to explore options that have lower fees but higher costs for those who want to pay online pay the extra costs – Jessica, Kelly, and Sandy
  • Add as an item for the annual meeting to discuss with residents

The October meeting will still be virtual. Next meeting – October 8, 2020.

Board Meeting Minutes – August 2020

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Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting – August 13

Attendees: Kristina, Jessica, Sandy, Cyndi, Sarah, and Kelly

Tree Committee: Steve Weissman, Kerry Wingell, and Jeffrey Cai

Tree Committee

  • Two proposals, both from JL Trees; one includes just cluster trees and the other includes some private trees
    • First proposal has 18 items, including topping off tree by tot lot, as it’s been deemed a danger and removal of 2241 (needs RA approval)
      • Tree committee has started an RA application for the 2241 tree and will share it with the board once it’s ready
      • Second proposal included trees for two private trees – 2224 and 2265 house trees
      • The tot lot tree would cost $1750 to remove, plus ~$6800 for the remaining work on the proposal
      • There was no distinction as to which trees are the most emergency needs
      • Discussion on the tree proposals and timing occurred
        • Current budget can incorporate all the work, but the board would prefer to wait until the work falls within the timeframe of saving 15% off the work
        • Tree committee will ask the arborist to prioritize the work on the proposal and will get back to the board on that decision. Voted yes on this delay.
          • Only thing that will be scheduled early is the tot lot tree – Note: we later decided to include this tree with the rest of the work in December because it’s not as much of a risk as we thought it would be.
          • Kristina will reach out to the homeowners in the proposal to schedule the work on their own; Will ask for additional tree work needs from homeowners in the next Wheelwrighter.
            • Tree work proposal and other tree work will be published on the website once we decide on when the work will be done.
            • Tree committee will review the additional tree work proposed by homeowners 
  • A cherry tree behind one residents’ house (2250) is a cluster tree but is causing damage to their patio, which has been cited by Reston Association for action
  • Discussion on tree roots and how to deal with them when they start to damage homeowners

Cluster Guidelines Changes

  • Shingles
    • Jessica sent over application to Reston Association – update TBD
  • Erosion Work – Kristina

    • Grant Status? Still waiting for an update
    • DRB application status? Vern is reviewing the application

  • Hardie board and house colors – RA approval – Sandy

    • Pending color selection
    • Sherwin Williams partnership – once we decide on colors, Sherwin Williams will help with selecting the correct colors for Reston and keeping the formulas on file.

Landscaping

  • The lillies that were cut down are now coming back and doing well
    • Apply the replacement money for annuals can be applied for next year’s budget
    • Landscaper can review the small trees tomorrow with Sandy that want to be done by the landscaper company
    • There are still issues with bushes leaning over the sidewalks – Jessica will consult with the RA consultant to see if we can trim bushes that lean over cluster space
      • Pruning would be done, not chopping
      • Cyndi will review and offer to have the board do it next time she sees the owners
      • Trimming bushes next to the little free library – Sandy will review it with them so they can trim those bushes back.
      • Audubon Society – contact wants to come out to meet with us August 24-27
        • Kristina and Jessica will meet with the contact to review the suggestions on Tuesday, August 25.

Street Light

  • one with the panes still hasn’t been addressed with replacement panes – Cyndi will keep on the company about it.

Concrete work

  • Need a proposal from two companies we have heard back from
  • Send out message to community members to see what additional work is needed
  • Jessica will wait for the second proposal and if we don’t receive it in a reasonable time, we’ll move forward on the work.
  • Asphalt Rejuvenation – Jessica

    • Proposal received for ~8,000, which can’t be covered in the 2020 budget.  
    • Will be discussed at the annual meeting 

Annual meeting

  • No option to have one that houses 50, but there is the community floor that will house 75 people
    • We propose to get that room and do it socially distanced, plus have a virtual option at the same time
    • Board agreed to go ahead to reserve the room for social distancing purposes

Community projects

  • Past

    • Donations truck – very successful

    • Food truck – it was ok in terms of turnout

    • Trash pickup – a couple of people submitted photos for the prize and it was dropped off

  • Future

    • Yard Sale – October – we will cancel due to COVID. Set up a marketplace on the cluster Facebook page, just for cluster residents. Will be included in the next e-Newsletter.

    • Fall cluster cleanup? Likely will occur in October. Instead of a cleanup, arrange for donation date with Habitat for Humanity to come pick up.
      • Use sign-up genius to have open items done by community
      • Jessica will coordinate the donations truck
      • Cyndi and Jessica will work on a list and will discuss in the September meeting

    • Tot lot trash redo – Sandy to work on in the fall.  She would prefer for it to be socially distanced work
      • If any tasks can be separated out, Sandy will let us know to add for sign up by residents

Dues Payment Dropbox

  • All are in favor of putting it on the back of the Little Free Library, using the one we already have
    • Paint the one we have to help it, “hide in plain site”.
    • Have it be a kids project where they paint the current box
    • Think about it and talk about it at the September meeting.

The September meeting will still be virtual. Next meeting – September 10, 2020