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April 2023 Wheelwright Cluster HOA Board Meeting Minutes

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Tuesday, April 11, 2023

7 pm

Virtual via Zoom

Attendees: 

HOA Board: Joy Charles, Sandy Mohler, Kristina Myers, Cyndi Hartman, Kelly Fairbank

Cluster Residents: Karen Reese (2207), Dan Moran (2271)

Agenda

Community updates

  1. Erosion/Drainage
  • Met with Dan Schwartz from Fairfax County Soil and Water Conservation District about the sloped area behind 2250-2254.
  • He gave us an official site assessment report with his recommendations.
  • Submitted this site report to two companies who had come by already to look at the area and who have experience with the VCAP program. It will be less of a headache to work with companies that already have experience with VCAP. 
  • Coordinate with Erin on DRB application. We can most likely submit to VCAP first and then submit the DRB application to RA. 
  • VCAP should cover 80% of cost up to $7,000. Dan said we have a good shot obtaining the funding for this project. 
  • Cluster Resident Kerry Wingell emailed about the wet flooded area by 2231/33. He’s worried about the water pipe line. Board Decision: We will reach out to Jose about this area to mitigate the drainage issue. 
  1. Design Updates

Doors/sidelight modifications

  • We are still working with RA to get updates approved as it requires submitting a proposal with RA. Sandy thinks it should go through this year.

Garbage bin enclosures 

  • Sandy will reach out to architects on RA to see what we can do to modify current designs. Based on Sandy’s experience, this process of getting modifications determined and approved will still take about 8 months. 
  • There is an issue with not attaching stucco to concrete blocks. 
  • We need to adjust HOA guidelines to include language regarding clear stain for decks. 
  1. EV/Charging Stations
  • First meeting with Jill and Kristina happened on Sun 4/2; Cory was unable to join. 
  • They are working on charter now and looking for feedback from HOA board members on language now. The next step is to submit this to legal review. 
  • Jill agreed to reach out to Dominion to get more information about grants for installing charging stations in our neighborhood and if the utilities in our neighborhood are capable of supporting community EV chargers. 
  • Kristina reached out to Erin, at RA, to get information on where they are with the pilot Charge Up Fairfax program in Reston and also to find out if there is anyone on staff who can give advice on the feasibility of charging stations in communities like ours. She heard back that the process is very slow going, they have not picked their clusters yet and the grants are very small, but we still need additional clarification on what that means. 
  1. Concrete and Neighborhood Lights 

Update

  • Waiting for Juan to respond and we are asking for suggestions from the community on which areas of sidewalk that need repair. 

              Are lights blinking by 2205 and 2219? 

  • Karen R reported this, but said it was a very windy night. Cyndi will keep an eye out to confirm.  Kelly has seen the light by 2219 blinking at times. 
  1. Parking/Towing

Update from Sandy on upper-cluster reshuffle

  • She  has talked with all neighbors involved and has gotten verbal agreements about the reshuffling. 

Parking Spaces to be modified: 

  • 2213, 2217, 2215, 2211, 2209, 2223

Board Vote Required and Results Were: Board voted to reassign spaces 2213,  2217, 2215, 2211, 2209 and 2203 

2272’s personal parking space #25

  • Requested that it be repainted due to the fading paint. People are parking in their parking spot claiming that they didn’t know it was reserved due to this faded paint. 

Cluster Resident Request Review: 

  • Karen R. asked for another speed bump closer to the entry of the cluster as residents and visitors are still speeding into the neighborhood. 

 Board Discussion:                         

 Joy is highly in favor of more speed bumps, while Sandy suggested that we need to get more community buy-in before we purchase another and we’d need to get that at the annual meeting. Until then, Kelly suggested moving the speed bump to the top of the cluster – that was one of the reasons we got the moveable bump.  

Board Decision: 

Board agreed to move the speed bump at the cluster clean up. We’ll assess its position at the new spot with community feedback and will reconsider purchasing another down the line.

  1. Landscaping
  • Wood chips for bus path will be delivered 2 or so days before cleanup. Chris will drop at the entrance to the bus path. Joy will put cones up so there is space to deliver the mulch. 

Mulch for homeowners

  • Home Depot has the highest delivery price but good flexibility on the minimum number of bags. We should also look at Lumber Jake and Virginia Groundcovers. The timing for delivery should be the  week after cluster cleanup around 5/6.   
  • Joy will send price to Kelly and she’ll weigh in on the recommended price/bag for homeowners.  
  • Hopefully we can get a mulch order form on the email so homeowners can have several days.  Deadline will be 4/23.
  • After Action: Email for Cluster Residents regarding hazardous waste pickup.

Stump Removal (Chris) 

  • No date yet as needs equipment, but should be during spring

Individual HomeOwner Yard landscaping through Chris

  • He’ll offer a 2 day window . We need to put out a notice about what services he’ll offer. We will put a note in the newsletter about this. 
  • After Action:  First week in May – Joy will confirm with Chris how this will work. 

Hazardous waste pickup will be on  4/15 between 9am and 10:30. 

7. Reserve Study

  • Kelly submitted an email giving them our final corrections and we’ll wait to hear back about their final study

Reminders:

  • Agreed that parking lot should be done in 2024 the latest due to its deteriorating condition; initial assessment seems to have been done based on standard usage versus our actual usage. 
  • Storm water drainage allowance should be kept in the study – allocating funds to this is more like an insurance policy; backup of storm water can create huge financial burdens such as damage to parking lots and erosion of homeowner land
  1. Trees
  • Homeowner at 2272 was concerned about Hemlock tree to the front of their house. Sandy met with Brian from Reston Trees and Kevin from TreeSmithUSA. Kevin looked at the tree and said it is actually in really good health and could use some nutrients and needs a bit of a topping. 
  • Brian wants to come back and do another walkthrough once the trees have gained full leaf cover in late-Spring/early-Summer. 
  • Kevin and Sandy walked around for a full hour and she had a really good meeting with him and liked his approach to the trees.  Sandy will submit the bids to the board once received.
  • There was concern regarding the elm tree on the peninsula in front of 2248. Both tree companies said it is way too big for the peninsula as it can get up to 100 feet tall. It will likely be more money for the cluster to maintain that tree than to take it down, but no decision has been finalized.

8. Cluster Clean Up Updates and Other Important Dates

  • Saturday, April 15th – hazardous waste pickup.
  • Saturday, April 22nd, Green Drop Donation Van – Cyndi – Cody/Peter to help?
  • Cluster Cleanup and cookout will be Saturday, April 29th
  • Rollaway dumpster – submitted request through Bates delivered Friday 4/28, picked up Monday 5/1, requested voucher through FC

Food for cookout – Kristina

  • Cyndi will update Kristina on what we still have

Materials for projects

  • Sandy will get couple extra bags of mulch for the slope by 2231

Projects for Cluster Clean Up: 

  • Wood chip the bus path and tot lot, as well as small path to compost bin
  • Wood borders around the Little Free Library will require one or two more lengths of boards. We need to get that area trenched. 
  • Kristina will go around the neighborhood with Joy and figure out which plants are aggressive and invasive.  Kristina will put together a pamphlet for cluster clean up. 
  • Spraying weeds island in lower cluster
  • Benches
  • Clear seal stairs
  • Painting trash bin enclosure – oxford brown 

8. Newsletter

  • Hard copy to go out next week but will send an email blast about the hazardous  waste pickup this weekend
  • Important dates

9. Garbage

  • Issues? No discussion and no updates

Ad Hoc Discussion Items: 

  • Joy had suggested sending out a follow-up email about the  recent break-in to reassure residents that those responsible were children, who are now being held accountable for their actions, in coordination with the impacted homeowner and the children’s families. 
  • Dan asked about individual lawn grass maintenance. Is seeding and aeration with weeding treatment a service that is offered in the fall? Yes.

Next meeting:  

Tuesday, May 9th

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting Minutes – November 2021

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Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 7 pm via Zoom

Attendees: Kelly, Kristina, Cyndi, Sandy, Kayleen

Community updates

Fall Cluster Clean up – how did it go?

Around 14 houses were represented during the cleanup. It was a great turn out and we were able to be successful with the projects we wanted to complete. Thank you to everyone who helped out. 

Erosion

French drain and access path – completed.  Checking with Eddie/Jose on whether grass seed was put down or if that still needs to be done – he is putting down straw instead

We may need to circle back in the Spring and see if anything else needs to be done with area and possibly plant grass or ivy. 

Watch light updates?  2265 replacement and 2215 blinding lamp

***New work orders submitted 10/4. Keeping an eye on 2265. Update:  resident at 2269 sent email about blinking watchlight on his corner – may be the same lamp?

There hasn’t been much success in getting Dominion to come out and look at the issues we are having. Or if they do the problem seems to come back shortly after. There is also still the issue of the lamp without panes. Kristina will reach out to Erin to see if the RA is able to assist.

Deck renovations – materials and colors; Door colors and styles; new approved siding colors/trim capping

Community outreach – sent out via hard copy Wheelwrighter, email, and updated tap on website

DRB -Deck guidelines will be mentioned during the annual meeting, but we are not expecting to have a full discussion. Information materials have been sent out but no one has addressed any concerns with the proposed changes. 

Tree work/Tree committee

Steve Weissman has resigned from the Tree Committee. Mike Pendleton is thinking about signing on and acting as chair of the committee. Jeffrey Cai and Kerry Wingell will continue on as members of the committee

Scheduled work with J&L on December 11th – will be coordinated and carried through by the tree committee members – Board will be available if needed

The tree committee will be responsible only for the trees in the neighborhood that pose potential hazards to life and property – this may include removal of trees, topping trees or pruning back trees that are intrusive and potentially destructive to property.

The board will be responsible for smaller trees in the neighborhood that require aesthetic pruning/trimming as these fall into the category of general landscaping.  If one of these smaller trees needs to be evaluated due to possible danger to life or property, it will then be referred to the tree committee.

Precarious tree behind 2224/2226 – Awaiting call from Peter at J&L trees to ask some questions and get an official quote for bringing down the tree.  Tree Committee to get a second (and maybe 3rd opinion) from another company.

One company quoted $2,700 and said they would be able to take down the tree immediately. 

Parking lot

Reached out to Jay from RA – have not yet heard back, probably a long shot

Also waiting to hear back from Pavement Designs, LLC

Landscaping 

Issues?  There have been some issues with work being done on houses that didn’t request work to be done. 

There have also been concerns about grass seed being laid and then the landscaping company coming and using the same space to stage materials, ruining the previous work that was done. 

Swale installation has been completed.

Garbage/Recycling

Issues? 

Annual Meeting – Monday, December 6th at 7 pm – via Zoom

Accomplishments – 2021

  • New siding specifications and color, trim capping  expansion to all houses and color adjustment
  • Concrete sidewalk repair and addition of railing railing
  • Drainage control behind houses 2245 to 2249
  • Access path added for row of houses 2217-2231
  • Updating design standards for 
  • Front doors
  • Decks
  • A/C units

Goals for 2022

  • Replacement of parking lot – speed bump? Speed bumps tend to get damaged during snow removal. Board will look into temporary options to see if there are any that can be removed when snow is expected. 
  • Erosion control perhaps behind houses 2256-2250
  • Reserve study
  • Front sheds
  • White trim options
  • Parking in the cluster – enforcement of:
  • Registered cars only in the parking lots
  • Up to date tags
  • Limit number of cars per household to 2 in parking lot – possibly have hanging parking permits
  • Parking on parking pads in lower cluster (remind those in lower cluster to report illegal parking)
  • Give people deadline (3-4 months)

Financials

  • P&L
  • Customer balance sheet
  • 2022 budget
  • Reserve study

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting Minutes – October 2021

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Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 7 pm via Zoom

Community updates

Cluster Clean up – Saturday, October 23rd

Projects

  1. Cold patch repair on parking lot

Jay from RA has a product he recommends that is superior to Coldpatch and much easier to use called Aquaphalt.

Kristina will order the Aquaphalt from Ace Hardware as it is the best price.  Will take measurements to determine how much is needed for the potholes

2. Pulling invasive weeds and cleaning up natural areas between rows 2241 and 2243 and the area to the right of 2249 as well as other unkempt areas around tot lot. 

Mulch to be added.  Need to order.

Talked about ordering mulch from the company that delivers in bags as opposed to our landscaper who will deliver in a large pile which makes it more difficult to haul.  (Update:  did not end up ordering mulch – decided to wait until Spring.

  1. Tot lot benches

Cyndi to lead this effort – benches need to be sanded and stained.

  1. Moving sod from 2248 to the surrounding path by 2249 and 2251

This may end up being a cluster clean up project

  1. Cookout

KM put it into the last Wheelwrighter.  Thinks we are probably ok to go ahead and has been watching county COVID transmission rate, down from high to substantial.  Numbers are lower with a 3.31% positive rate.  Proposes still having the cookout since it’s outside.  Board agreed to start planning for it and cancel if transmission rates worsen.

After everyone reviews the shopping list for cookout, Kristina will go to Costco to pick up items.

Roles

Kristina will man check-in table and have coffee available and go to work later in the morning.

Will also direct people where they can do to help during clean up.

Cyndi already has some of the items needed for coffee and a table.

Sandy – in charge of asphalt patching

Cyndi – in charge of benches

Kelly and Kayleen to be in charge of weeds/invasives in the area by tot lot and between rows of houses between upper and lower cluster.

Kyle and/or Tim to grill during cookout.

Sandy to put out samples of siding and door colors and some decking information for people to view during the cleanup.  Sandy has some paint sample chips that folks can take for our approved siding colors.  If we don’t have enough, people can get more at Sherwin Williams.Erosion – 

Erosion

French drain – 2243, 45, 47, 49 and access path to right of 2231 application – this has been approved by RA but waiting on clarification on a couple of things.

For the French drain Jose will be using 57 gravel and covering it with soil and grass seed making it invisible.  RA said to use river jack instead of 57 gravel for aesthetics but agreed if underground, 57 gravel should be ok.  They had also wanted a metal edging that will go along the access path to prevent wood chips from washing down the slope.  That metal edging is supposed to be 6 in. in height but RA said they don’t want it to be higher than 4 in.  (Part of this will be underground and not visible and in places where the grade of slope prevents the railing from “hiding” some of the railing, it is ok.  Sandy suggested that the stipulation likely is so that the railing does not exceed the height of the wood chips creating a tripping hazard.  We’ll try to ensure the chips are flush with the railing.

Jose said he could probably come out to start the work after the 25th After the lines are marked by “Miss Utility” to get the lines marked.

Kristina talked to Jose about him possibly using the wood chips from the stump of the tree in front of 2230’s house for the path.  (Update:  Jose will not use these chips – we will use for other projects – Sandy suggested using around the tot lot benches since it is muddy there)

Haven’t yet gotten a quote from Chris for price to move mulch once the tree stump has been grinded by J and L.

Concrete

Completed.  Railing installed.  Everything looks great!

Everything looks really good.  Railing is installed.  

Kerry had a couple of concerns about the concrete surface being too rough and clean up being less than adequate.  We may want to monitor this going forward if we continue to use the same company but no one else has complained.  Things seem to have been completed well and on time.

Watch light updates? 

2265 replacement and 2215 blinding lamp

***New work orders submitted 10/4. Keeping an eye on 2265. Appears to be working, let me know if anyone notices otherwise. No feedback about the “searchlight” as yet.


Cyndi submitted new work orders on 10/4.  They didn’t give feedback on turnaround time.  Iit seems they have come by and taken care of it.  No one has gotten back to her about the one in front of 2257.  She will follow up if she doesn’t hear back.

Sandy mentioned the light in front of Cyndi’s house which appears to go on and off periodically as well.  Cyndi has only noticed an occasional flicker but will keep an eye on.

Deck renovations -materials and colors, Door colors and styles

Sandy working on slide-show to share with the Cluster.  Meaghan hoping to have some updates regarding decks by the end of the week.  Once we get feedback Sandy will finish DRB and send it off.  2263 submitted their DRB for deck and railings.  Sandy recommended clarification/changes  – square rails instead of round and railing holders underneath instead of on top – to their DRB before the Board signs off on it – she will address with 2263.

Community outreach

Feedback

DRB

Tree work

The amount of tree work remaining will total $6247.50 as opposed to $8100 that would have included removal of shredded stump wood chips which we hope to use for our access path by Cyndi’s home.  However, we’ll need to factor in the cost of moving the chips from one location to another in the cluster – our landscaper, Chris has offered to do this for us but I don’t have an estimate yet.

Tree planting – Jeffrey has proposed 2 trees for planting behind his home to replace the felled trees from a couple of years ago.

Tulip Poplar (native)

black sourgum tree (native)

American sweetgum (native) (alternate)

Jeffrey got prices on the Tulip Poplar trees from a nursery in Ashburn for $169.99 for a sizable baby tree (can’t remember exact size).  The sourgumm and sweetgum can also be found at the same nursery.  No price available for those yet.  The price of the trees will come out of the tree budget.  They are not covered by our tree credit.  Is everyone ok with spending the roughly $325 for the two trees behind Jeffrey’s house.

Board agreed to the trees.  (Update:  Jeffrey went to the nursery and purchased 2 black gum trees – one of which was the price that was agreed upon, the other was significantly bigger and the price was significantly more.  Board will have to address.)

Sandy proposed waiting on the cherry tree behind 2250 as agreed upon by the homeowners because when the cherry tree left, other trees filled in and now there is not a lot of light back there.  A small sapling won’t do well.  Also, many of those trees need to be considerably pruned.  Some of the remaining roots are actually sprouting and we may be able to use these offshoots to replant this cherry tree either there or other places in the cluster.

Cyndi has talked with her neighbor about the very dead tree in her neighbor’s yard and has suggested that others help to cut down the tree.  Sandy offered to take her chain saw to it after we can confirm with the homeowner.

Scope of work that the tree committee is responsible for and what the board is responsible for.

The tree committee says that they only handle trees that potentially imperil life or property.  We didn’t realize that and assumed anything to do with trees fell under the purview of the tree committee.

Board will take on the task of figuring out how to go forward with smaller tree work and potentially explore other companies for this.

Parking lot

Email regarding visit with Jay from RA

Kristina met with Jay from RA about parking lots.  Biggest take away was that RA does not do any seal coating of their parking lots because it doesn’t add to the life of the parking lot.  Addressing cracks as soon as they appear is important.  He added we are potentially looking at a foundation problem with our parking lot and it might be wise to do the 4 inch mill & pave.  

Discussion about only doing 4 in. mill & pave in the middle of the parking lot and 1.5 inches in the parking space.  Jay from RA thinks that’s a good idea.

K will continue to gather information and will talk with the guy from Pavement Design LLC to answer her questions and determine cost.

Also, determine if Jay from RA is available for a paid consultancy/project management.

Email from Pavement design, LLC – consultants for repaving lots – proposal and sample report that was completed for Marriott recently. 

Email from Pavement & Design LLC, a consultant who basically holds your hand through the process….they go through bids and put together a 10 – 15 year budget and tell you how to elongate the life of your parking lot.  However, Kristina had questions about a recent Marriott proposal that they had worked on & contradictory message about seal coating.

Landscaping 

Issues? 

Aeration of Steve’s yard that was done even though he had not ordered it.  Sandy talking with Chris to address the problem.

Progress on seeking other bids?

Will likely need to continue using Chris for another year.  No one has time to look for new bids.  Might need to save money by only doing common areas.  This way there won’t be any more problems with individual lawns and will save money too.

Will ask Chris for two proposals, 1) Common areas only, 2) common areas plus individual yards.

Homeowner Fall lawn service update

Swale installation update

Maybe next week or the week after. (Update:  Chris says he will do week of October 25th.)

Garbage/Recycling

Rollaway dumpster has been ordered for Friday 10/22 to Monday 10/25. – Ordered

Voucher to exempt us from dumping fees was actually processed and received and submitted to Bates already.  (Miracles can happen) – Done

Issues? 

None reported.

Neighborhood donation pickup

Cyndi has been working with Green Drop to get us a date for a community pickup of donated items for multiple families.  Email went out and we will hopefully get multiple homeowners to sign up

****scheduled for Wednesday 10/20 7am – 7pm – Done.

Compost bin discussion. 

Texted Lynn to ask if she’d keep an eye on it.  

Cindy asked how to take care of it and offered to help maintain as well.

Update:  Lynn has offered to keep an eye on it and communicate any issues to the board.

Parking  

Sandy suggested to start enforcing guidelines more strictly since pandemic restrictions are easing a little….two cars, tags up to date, inspections current, etc.

Financials

Financial outlook 

2022 budget

Dues increase

Kelly & KM talked about dues increase and determined that $350 is where we want to be.  It is the average for other clusters in Reston are paying..  Talked about doing it incrementally, $25 this year, $25 next year.  Money in CDs will be needed for pavement mill & grind in 2022.

CD’s

Two CD’s listed in online banking totaling $95K.  Need to call the bank to talk about them and get details.

P&L, dues

Reserve study

We have a CPA for tax prep.  KM reached out to an attorney via email but hasn’t heard back yet. Kelly will reach out to CPA to ask about reserve study.

Next Meeting

  • Thursday, November 11th at 7pm
  • Annual Meeting Monday Dec. 6th, at 7pm
    • Still half virtual, half in person?

Consensus is to have it virtual. KM will ask RA for a refund for the room.

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting Minutes – July 2021

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Thursday July 8, 2021 at 7 pm via Zoom

Attendees:  Kelly, Cyndi, Sandy, Kristina, Kayleen (2224) 

Community updates

Erosion – There was a proposal for the swale from Chris. Details for proposal outlined in spreadsheet. Jose proposed a French drain behind 2243-2249

For the breakdown, look at the spreadsheet Erosion Projects 2021.

Kristina proposes completing the swale project as proposed, the French drain project and the path leading to the rear of houses by 2231.  Cost of all projects $6505, coming under budget by $495.  Board voted to pursue all erosion projects.

Concrete – We do not have a date of service, yet, but Bright Construction says it will be 6-8 weeks from June 30th, putting the concrete work probably at the end of August or beginning of September.  Kristina will reach out to folks who are redoing their house from car damage to make sure that concrete work won’t interfere with their reconstruction.

Will Juan be offering a discount for homeowners who want work done? Cyndi spoke to a rep at Bright Construction group and they said that they could probably offer the 10% discount but it would have to be confirmed by Juan who hasn’t yet gotten back to Cyndi.

DRB applications updates

Siding – We are bundling the changes for trim, siding style, and colors together . Sandy has completed the DRB application for the trim, siding materials and colors with the intent to submit by the end of this week.  She will also include an update for the poly-coated wrap trim (fascia board) that we already have approved.  The current approved color is Musket Brown, which does not match our trim color, Oxford Brown.  Going forward, we’d like to amend the color to Oxford Brown but grandfather those who have already put trim capping in the Musket Brown color.  The board voted and agreed.

Door art glass styles – Sandy presented a number of decorative glass options for door inserts from several different companies.  She would like to present the community with options from different companies.  Styles were presented from Therma Tru, Masonite, MMI, and Jeld Wen.  Generally, the board tended towards modern but simple styles with straight lines and geometric shapes.  From Therma Tru, Pembridge and Axis styles were the favorites.  From Masonite, the Crosslines and Brooklyn styles were favored.  From MMI, the Atherton style was favored; and from Jeld Wen, the Wendover style was selected.  Sandy will put together a list of our favorites and we will share with the community for input.  Also, we would like to consider whether the art glass options should be available for doors only or also for the sidelight.

Landscaping proposal – Noncompliance issues with rock swales that were installed as part of recent erosion control work. The surrounding swale installation application is almost complete now that Chris’ proposal came through.  Kristina should be able to complete it by early next week.

Parking lot and asphalt – On hold until maybe September? Board agreed to delve into this topic in September.  Since we’re consumed with concrete, erosion projects, DRB applications, we’ll hold off until we can have a more comprehensive discussion.  Kristina will put something together for the September meeting. We can then present the issue at the annual meeting. This will be at the top of the list for annual meeting topics, as the work may be scheduled in 2022.

General Landscaping – Nudge Chris to give a gentle reminder to his crews to be more mindful when using the large lawn equipment in the yards. There has been damage to residents garden gates and bushes.

Sandy will bring up with Chris again.  Cyndi mentioned that the equipment they are using is too large for our front yards.  Sandy said she has had discussions with Chris about this topic and the next step down is similar to push mowers, which Chris stated is not very cost effective or beneficial for a landscaping company.

Garbage/Recycling – There was another combined recycling/trash dump incident. Bates also missed the upper cluster during yard waste pickup. Kristina has been in touch with Theresa trying to get these issues fixed.

Tree inspection – We are waiting to hear when this will be scheduled from the tree committee

Summer community cookout? August 1st

Preparations -We will plan to host a cookout similar to that of cluster cleanups.  Kristina will do the shopping at Costco a few days before.  Cyndi has room in her fridge.  Ideally, we will set up in the lower cluster at 1pm.  Our goal is for Sandy to a bring charcoal grill from 2223, or Kayleen has offered to lend the cluster the use of their gas grill.

Neighborhood donation drive – We will hold a donation drive the weekend of October 16th for Cornerstones. Items that are needed include new and used blankets and towels, and new sweatpants and sweatshirts

The board decided to do the Cornerstones donation during the cookout.  That way we can also look for a charity that picks up a wide array of used items not needed by Cornerstones. Residents can donate used items to prevent our dumpster from overfilling with items in good condition during the Fall Cluster Clean Up.  Kristina will look into Lupus foundation or Amvets.

Board Member positions – We need a new board member and person to fill the officer position of secretary.  Ruth Schulte will be leaving her position as secretary, as she and her family are leaving the neighborhood at the end of August.  Kayleen from 2224 has graciously offered to step in as board member and secretary. 

Who else is planning on leaving after this term is up?  Terms are up for Cyndi, Sandy and Kristina.  All have expressed interest in continuing to serve on the board.

Annual meeting – The board feels that more people attend when the annual meeting has been in person.  Kristina will reach out to RCC to see what their availability is for rooms in December.  We will also try to have a Zoom option available.

Other topics? Renewal for website domain name needs to be renewed.  Kristina will check with Ruth to see if she can take care of the renewal.  If not, Kristina will do.

It was suggested that a hard copy of the Wheelwriter be distributed to the neighborhood especially around cluster clean ups. Members also agreed that now might be a good time for a hard copy to go out, including information about hazardous waste pickup, the cookout, the Cornerstones donation drive, the fall cluster clean up, and doors style options.

Financials

Reviewed the current status of the budget and the anticipated net income for the end of the year since we have had a few line items go over budget and/or have some unexpected expenses.

Discussed proper allocation of income based on current and future cluster needs, such as the grind and mill for the parking lot, and general increases to operating expenses.

Began discussions on how to ensure we are in a better financial position moving forward.

Next Meeting

Thursday, August 12 at 7 pm

Wheelwright Cluster Board Meeting Minutes – June 2021

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Thursday, June 10, 2021, at 7 pm via Zoom

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

Residents: Matt and Sarah K

Community updates

Door Styles – Sandy

RA wants residents to pick what they desire so Sandy drove by newer construction to get a sense of the current market; aim to keep it simple. We need guidelines because RA won’t let clusters eliminate them.

Question from residents: Why are we changing the guidelines now? Answer: We are updating the siding colors so the door colors need to coordinate with new siding colors. We are going for a more universal style and expanding brand choices so residents can take advantage of sales.

New door options will include different door material options (i.e., steel, wood, fiberglass, etc.). We plan to include glass panel options. New options will mimic what we currently have – flat panel – and add in divided two-panel option (¾ glass and ½ glass), all glass option, and a craftsman style door with one glass panel at top.

Do we want to include privacy glass options (i.e., frosted glass, simple privacy glass, satin etch) and art glass option as long as it is simple? Sandy will present glass styles at next meeting.

Colors – Sandy

How many colors? Goal is to make the colors subtle or pop if wanted, and allow for individuality. Ask Meghan if 18 door colors is too much before completing the DRB application. If RA thinks 18 is too many, the board will reduce color palette.

Do we want to include a wood grain option? Popular but limit to one manufacturer and one color.

DRB applications update – Sandy

No news from Meghan but application is available online to be downloaded. We can bundle the changes for trim, siding style, and colors together. After DRB application is sent to RA for changes to the siding, we can work on DRB application for doors.

Landscaping – Kristina

We can use proposal from Hemax as base to fix non-compliance problem. Otherwise Hemax proposal is over our budget.

Concrete – Cindy

Do we have a date scheduled for the work? Juan got back to Cindy and said we can get railing on the left side of the stairs by for same amount as proposed for the right side. Once we have decided, we can circle the options we want in the proposal, sign and then submit the contract. A 40% deposit is required if we want to proceed and the work will be scheduled 6-8 weeks after the deposit is received.

Parking lot & asphalt updates – Kristina

Kristina contacted Brothers Paving and Concrete Corporation for another 3rd opinion and they are coming out next week. No new updates otherwise. Kristina can update everyone at the next meeting.

Erosion – Kristina

For drainage and erosion solutions, Hemax quotes were complex engineering solutions and out of our price range. Suggest contracting with Jose’s company for the French drain.

To address RA non-compliance around the rock swales, we can use plants suggested by Hemax to submit to RA and strategize on what we can do as a cluster to save money. Kristina will ask Hemax to line item landscaping installations so we can pick which areas we really need to focus on.

Landscaping – no updates, begonias went in and look good

Garbage/Recycling – no updates

Trees – inspection aim for late July or early August, after cicadas are gone

Other topics?

Neighborhood donation drive – Kristina wrote to Cornerstones about working with them, aim to hold it weekend before the Fall Cluster Clean Up (October 16th).

Communicate events sooner rather than waiting until it gets closer so residents can plan ahead. October 23rd was proposed as the tentative date for Fall Cluster Clean Up.

Summer community cookout scheduled for Sunday, August 1st.

Financials

Treasurer expressed budgetary concerns as to how we will be able to afford the upkeep of the neighborhood. Board suggested communicating with the cluster about participating in cluster cleans ups to stave off costs. Other options include a special assessment or raising dues.

Other financials were discussed.

Next Meeting

July 8th at 7 pm via Zoom.

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