Old Town Village Crier - otvhomes.com July Crier.pdf · have regularly served the Old Town Village...
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Old Town Village, Alexandria, Virginia 2017 July Issue Village Crier Old Town 8 Activities 5 Book Club 3 Communications 9 Community Outreach 8 END NOTES 2 Finance 6 From the OTVCUOA Board of Directors 1 From the OTVOA Board of Directors 2 Grounds & Services: Townhomes 4 Long Range Vision for OTV To Be Developed 4 Management 3 Safety & Security 7 Welcome: Condominiums 9 Young Families Group In This Issue ... Over eighty residents gathered at a June 24 reception to honor & say good- bye and thank you to Bob and Priscilla Hardiman who are charter owners and have regularly served the Old Town Village community for eighteen years. Bob served several terms on the OTVOA Board of Directors, twice as president, and on numerous committees, and Pris- cilla served on the Management Com- mittee, and is the current chair, as well as on the Activities Committee and oth- ers. The community is grateful for their contributions. The Hardimans are moving to condomini- um life at Porto Vecchio with a view of the Potomac River. Still in Alexandria, they won’t be far away! It’s July, and all thoughts turn to our budget. Well…maybe not all thoughts, but this is the time of year when we look back at our fi- nancial performance the first half of the year and begin intensive work on the preparation of the FY 2018 budget. All our committees have provided their input for next year’s budget, and they will explain these numbers to the board, our community manager and you, our membership, at our July 20 meeting at 7 pm in the Roundhouse. Your presence is strongly encouraged. This is an excellent opportunity to hear how we are doing so far in 2017 and make your views known about next year before the first draft of the next budget is written. Following this board meeting, our community man- ager will prepare the first draft, as contractually ob- ligated. Our Treasurer, Dennis Dunleavy, will super- vise the process of review. The first review should take place at the August Finance Committee meet- ing, currently scheduled for Thursday, August 3. The final draft will be on the agenda at our October 19 board meeting and the FY 2018 budget will be approved, as required in our governing documents, at our Annual Meeting in November. The board has decided to recompete the position of legal counsel for OTVOA. Our current counsel be- gan his service to our association in 2011. The board considers all of our contractual relationships should periodically be recompeted. As with other competi- tions, we are seeking at least three proposals from local law firms that handle HOAs. NEXT MEETING: OTVOA Board of Directors Thursday, July 20, 2017 7 pm in the Roundhouse All townhome owners & residents are welcome! From the OTVOA Board of Directors Jim Larocco, OTVOA President fotosearch.com
Transcript of Old Town Village Crier - otvhomes.com July Crier.pdf · have regularly served the Old Town Village...
Old Town Village, Alexandria, Virginia 2017July Issue
Village CrierOld Town
8 Activities5 Book Club3 Communications9 Community Outreach8 END NOTES2 Finance6 From the OTVCUOA Board of Directors
1 From the OTVOA Board of Directors2 Grounds & Services: Townhomes4 Long Range Vision for OTV To Be Developed4 Management3 Safety & Security7 Welcome: Condominiums9 Young Families Group
In This Issue ...
Over eighty residents gathered at a June 24 reception to honor & say good-bye and thank you to Bob and Priscilla Hardiman who are charter owners and have regularly served the Old Town Village community for eighteen years. Bob served several terms on the OTVOA Board of Directors, twice as president, and on numerous committees, and Pris-cilla served on the Management Com-mittee, and is the current chair, as well as on the Activities Committee and oth-ers. The community is grateful for their contributions.
The Hardimans are moving to condomini-um life at Porto Vecchio with a view of the Potomac River. Still in Alexandria, they won’t be far away!
It’s July, and all thoughts turn to our budget. Well…maybe not all thoughts, but this is the time of year when we look back at our fi-nancial performance the first half of the year and begin intensive
work on the preparation of the FY 2018 budget. All our committees have provided their input for next year’s budget, and they will explain these numbers to the board, our community manager and you, our membership, at our July 20 meeting at 7 pm in the Roundhouse. Your presence is strongly encouraged. This is an excellent opportunity to hear how we are doing so far in 2017 and make your views known about next year before the first draft of the next budget is written.
Following this board meeting, our community man-ager will prepare the first draft, as contractually ob-ligated. Our Treasurer, Dennis Dunleavy, will super-
vise the process of review. The first review should take place at the August Finance Committee meet-ing, currently scheduled for Thursday, August 3.
The final draft will be on the agenda at our October 19 board meeting and the FY 2018 budget will be approved, as required in our governing documents, at our Annual Meeting in November.
The board has decided to recompete the position of legal counsel for OTVOA. Our current counsel be-gan his service to our association in 2011. The board considers all of our contractual relationships should periodically be recompeted. As with other competi-tions, we are seeking at least three proposals from local law firms that handle HOAs.
NEXT MEETING: OTVOA Board of DirectorsThursday, July 20, 20177 pm in the Roundhouse
All townhome owners & residents are welcome!
From the OTVOA Board of DirectorsJim Larocco, OTVOA President
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For more OTVOA Townhome news & information, visit the community web site:oldtownvillage.org
July 2017 The Village Crier 2
FinanceFrank Van Haste, Committee Chair
The OTVOA Finance Committee wishes to express appreciation for the contributions made by Bob Hardiman during his tenure as a member of the committee from 2015 until his recent resignation. The committee and the community as a whole benefited greatly from his vast experience and his willingness to take action on matters that came before us. We wish Bob and Priscilla the best of fortune as they move to their new location.
The 2017 Transportation Management Plan (TMP) survey will be coming out very soon by email. A link to the survey questionnaire will be provided; we ask that each adult member of the Townhome community click on the link and respond to the survey. It should take only about 5 to 7 minutes to complete. Under the terms of our governing Special Use Permit (SUP) we are required to execute this survey annually and to submit the results to the City of Alexandria office responsible for TMP management. It is very important that we achieve a high participation rate, so please complete the survey as soon as the link shows up in your email in-box.
NEXT MEETING: Finance Committee Thursday, July 13
7 pm at the home of Treasurer Dennis Dunleavy, 1222 Roundhouse LaneAs always, members of the community are welcome.
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Grounds & Services: TownhomesBarry Stauffer, Committee Chair
Irrigation System and Landscaping
This spring we had more rainfall than normal, but since then we have lagged well behind and are now 3” under the average rainfall for Alexandria. To avoid a negative impact on our landscaping we have adjusted the sprin-kler frequency.
Our community has a highly automated irrigation system divided into four different areas associated not by quadrant, but instead by similar water need categories defined by shade and sunny areas. Each area has from 20-40 zones that activate at different times so that there is sufficient water pressure for each zone.
Homeowners can assist the G&S Committee in main-taining this system in many ways. When the system was installed, homeowners could have sprinklers in-stalled in the landscaping in front of their homes. The homeowners are required to pay for the instal-lation but in turn, the association will connect the system to the OTV association water supply, e.g., the association water meter. If your home does not have irrigation on the landscape in front of your home, contact us and we can get a quote for the installation from our contractor.
Please do not have an outside contractor install a system as it will not be connect-ed to the OTV system and thus not main-tained by the association.
Some homeowners have also arranged for their own landscape contractors. In one case that con-
tractor did not know the location of the sprinkler pipes and then broke a pipe. After several months of water leak (and high-water bills) the homeown-er discovered the error and we were able to repair the damage. If you are having your landscaping changed, please contact Grounds & Services at least one week in advance so that we can have our irrigation contractor discuss the plans with your landscape contractor.
Irrigation heads may need to be moved, or heads may need to be added, or heads may need to be resized. All of this depends on what your landscape design will be. If your plantings have grown signifi-cantly, please contact the G&S Committee so that the irrigation system can be adjusted to the new needs. Remember, as your landscape matures throughout the year or years, irrigation heads may need to be extended to get full coverage
For more OTVOA Townhome news & information, visit the community web site:oldtownvillage.org
July 2017 The Village Crier 3
CommunicationsJanie Smith, Committee Chair
No Crier in AugustThe Crier will not be published in the month of August. The next edition will be September. Any notable Townhome community news will be posted on the web-site under the News heading on
the homepage menu. Please browse this feature occasionally to see what’s there between Crier publication times.
Communications Committee MeetingThe Communications Committee will begin work-ing on updating the OTV Residents Directory at its next meeting on August 9 at 7:30 pm at the home of Janie Smith, 403 S. Henry Street. Other agenda items will include a review of recent web-site changes and proposals for further changes to enhance clarity and organization, and recommen-dations for any Crier changes.
Handyman List on WebsiteA resident recently requested that a recom-mended vendor be removed from the handyman list under Resource Center on the website. This list has not been updated in some time. If you have someone you would like to recommend or some-one on the list has provided poor service, please let us know so we can add or de-lete as appropriate. Email Janie Smith and provide the contact information and address. Also, please note the work performed on your recommendation. New residents will find this in-formation particularly helpful.
Updating Directory InformationResidents are reminded to review and edit their directory listings by August on the website under the menu item, Staying Connected. Directory in-formation is protected by password access on the website and is only intended for residents use. The new directory will be distributed at the an-nual meeting in November.
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Safety & SecurityJoe Holthaus, Committee Chair Car SecurityRecently, a lo-cal TV station conducted an inves t iga t ion on thefts from u n a t t e n d e d , locked, parked cars on DC area neighborhood streets. The TV crew set up their concealed cam-eras, placed a laptop computer on the front pas-senger seat of a bait car they had strategically parked, mid-day, on a busy neighborhood street, then observed from a distance. Within a short time, thieves armed with a metal window-punch walked by looking in car windows and saw the computer and were able to shatter the window, snatch the computer, and walk away within an astounding four seconds.
The TV crew repeated this same experiment at a number of different locations with similar results. Often the car alarm did not sound. The TV report-er noted that window-punch devices are inexpen-sive and are easily available on the Internet, and that such thefts are on the rise.
The take-away here is:• Appreciate the capability, speed, and efficien-
cy thieves have in carrying out such car win-dow attacks.
• Obviously, do not leave valuables in your car that are easily visible from the outside.
• Remember, it’s the perception of the thief that counts. An empty box, bag, or piece of lug-gage may still be an attractive target if the in-side contents are not known to the observer.
• The number one target is still electronics. They’re relatively small, valuable, and easy to grab and fence.
Although rare, we in Old Town Village have had items stolen from cars parked on the streets, but never, reportedly, from a window shatter. Let’s try and keep that good record going and let’s be equally careful to protect our valuables wherever we park!
For more OTVOA Townhome news & information, visit the community web site:oldtownvillage.org
July 2017 The Village Crier 4
ManagementPriscilla Hardiman, Committee Chair
Pool & Spa -- It is great to see so many residents enjoying the pool and spa. Adrian, our lifeguard, reported that there are more people using the facili-ties this year than in the past. A small section of the white coating has come off in the deep end of the pool. CPS will be sending someone to patch that section. The good news is that should take care of the problem and we will not have to close the pool. However, at the end of the season the pool will be drained and the CPS staff will check for any other areas that might need to be fixed. Fitness Center -- The Heartline technician did the quarterly maintenance check several weeks ago, and for the first time in quite awhile, all of the equipment was in good working order and additional parts or maintenance were not required. Thanks to all who use the fitness center for taking care of the equip-ment. Decorating -- The meeting room tables were picked up several weeks ago to be refinished. It will take approximately four weeks to complete the work. The new carpeting was also installed and an order will soon be placed for eight chairs to replace the six chairs. Budget -- We finalized the budget for 2018 anticipat-ing increases in the contracts and services. Thanks to John Prevar for all of his work on the budget. He spent many hours comparing expenses for the past year to draft the 2018 budget.
Renting the Roundhouse -- If you are planning a special event and would like to rent the Roundhouse please email our community manag-er, Donna Newman, at dnew-man@cfmmanagement .com. She can let you know if the meeting room and patio are available and send you the re-
quired paperwork. You can also check the Old Town Village website calendar to see if the date and time is open. The cost and the form are also on the OTV website under Governance and PRG’s: Rules for Use of Association Facilities.
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Long Range Vision for OTV To Be Developed
The Management Committee has scheduled a discus-sion for Setember 20 on developing a long range vision for the Old Town Village community.
The OTV community, condominiums and town-homes, is maturing as we approach our 20th birthday. Planning for the future is a necessary task for our community to ensure our homes, common areas, infrastructure, and amenities are maintained and enhanced.
Through our very active and involved boards and committees, we deal with such day-to-day issues as trash collection, road repair, maintenance of common areas, landscaping, safety and securi-ty, financial management, social activities, com-munity architectural standards, management of shared areas, and communication with residents. We have Reserve Studies to keep us aware of pro-jected activities and expenditures to maintain our community infrastructure to current standards.
Outside of Reserve Study issues, there have been, and should be, both committee and resident rec-ommendations for projects to improve physical and social aspects of the community. These proj-ects are often considered on their own merits and, if approved, implemented with all good intent.
However, as a community, we have not developed a formal future Vision of what we want OTV to be. A Vision is essential so that we can evaluate all community efforts to ensure that they support the community’s Vision, are coordinated with other proposed projects, and are the most efficient and economical path to that Vision.
NEXT MEETING: Management CommitteeWednesday, July 12
7 pm in the Roundhouse
We invite you to attend and to address the commit-tee during the Open Forum at the beginning of the meeting.
Please check the calendar on the website for the August meeting.
Vision Continued on next page
For more OTVOA Townhome news & information, visit the community web site:oldtownvillage.org
July 2017 The Village Crier 5
OTVOA Townhome 2016 Board of DirectorsPresident Jim Larocco, 703-684-1984
[email protected] Tom Lane, 703-549-7676
[email protected]/Treasurer Dennis Dunleavy, 703-922-8212
Committee ChairpersonsActivities Dani Lane, Co-Chair
[email protected] Betsy Aitken, Co-Chair
Architectural Review Board
Paul Taylor703-888-0416
[email protected] Janie Smith
703-549-6776jsmith [email protected]
Heidi Plott (website)703-836-1736
[email protected] & Security Joe Holthaus
Finance Frank Van Haste703-881-6101
[email protected] & Services Barry Stauffer
Hardscape John [email protected]
Management Committee
Priscilla Hardiman703-535-1248
[email protected] Jerri Ginman
Book Club Phyllis Sciacca, Co-Chair703-519-6779
[email protected] Plott, Co-Chair
Young Families Group Lucy Daffey Carr202-372-6107
Community ManagerCFM Management Donna Newman, 703-941-0818
Book ClubHeidi Plott, Club Co-Chair
For June the group read Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations by Georgina Howell. She has been called the female Lawrence of Arabia. She was at one time the most powerful woman in the British Empire. She was a nation builder and was the driving force behind the creation of modern-day Iraq. Born
into a world of privilege, Bell turned her back on Victorian society, choosing to read history at Ox-ford and going on to become an archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, and legendary mountaineer (she took off her skirt and climbed the Alps in her underclothes).
The group marveled that she traveled the des-ert with only her guns and her servants. Her vast knowledge of the region made her indispensable to the Cairo Intelligence Office of the British govern-ment during World War I. She advised the Viceroy of India; then, as an army major, she traveled to the front lines in Mesopotamia. There, she sup-ported the creation of an autonomous Arab nation for Iraq, promoting and manipulating the election of King Faisal to the throne and helping to draw the borders of the fledgling state. Although the read-ing at times had a “textbook” quality, the group rated the book 3 out of 5 stars.
NEXT MEETING: Book Club Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America
by Jill LeovyThursday, July 13
7 pm in the Roundhouse
Establishment of a Vision leads to development of a Long Range Plan to support the Vision. A Long Range Plan, in turn, would be supported by commit-tee plans and coordinated project plans and budgets.
To initiate the process of creating a community Vi-sion, the Management Committee would like to invite all residents of OTV to a discussion and organiza-tional meeting on this topic. If you would like to ac-tively participate or just provide input on this effort, please plan to attend a meeting in the Roundhouse on Wednesday, September 20, at 7:30 pm. You can also provide advance input at anytime to our process facilitator, Skip Allison ([email protected]).
Vision Continued from previous page
July 2017 The Village Crier 6
For more OTVCUOA news & information, visit the condominium web site:oldtownvillagecondos.org
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June 28, 2017
RE: Restriping and Stenciling of Parking Spaces
Dear Old Town Village Condominium Residents,
Dominion Paving & Sealing Inc. will perform the striping and stenciling of all park-ing spaces at Old Town Village Condominium. This work is scheduled for Wednesday, July 19th and will be completed in 1 day. All vehicles must be removed from the parking lot from 10:00AM – 4:00PM. Vehicles will be able to drive back onto the parking lot by 4:00PM.
Things to Remember:
Parking: All vehicles must be out of the parking areas from 10:00AM – 4:00PM. If any vehicles have not been removed by 10:00AM, they will be subject to being towed at the owner’s expense.
Parking Lot Closure: Vehicles will not be allowed on the parking lot while the lot is closed.
Weather: The scheduled date, July 19th, is weather dependent. In the event of rain, we will be forced to cancel the project for the day. Dominion Paving will notify GHCM as to when the work will be rescheduled for.
Please contact the GH Community Management Office at 703-752-8300 x-735 ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns regarding this matter. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Best Regards.
Carolyn CornwellCarolyn Cornwell, CMCA®, AMS®Sr. Portfolio ManagerGates Hudson Community Management LLC
July 2017 The Village Crier 7
For more OTVCUOA news & information, visit the condominium web site:oldtownvillagecondos.org
There was no OTVC Board meeting in June, but it is time to enjoy the gardens!
From the OTVCUOA Board of Directors
July 2017 The Village Crier 8
For more OTVCUOA news & information, visit the condominium web site:oldtownvillagecondos.org
OTVCUOA Condominium 2016 Board of Directors
President Cheryl Van Coverden301-466-8881
[email protected] President Karl Kalbacher
Secretary Nancy Morgan(703) 362-8014
[email protected] Antonella DiLernia
Member-at-Large Dan Hawkins703-548-4346
Committee ChairpersonsManagement Committee
Priscilla Hardiman703-535-1248
[email protected] Pam Verick
Welcome Janet Donahue703-548-7991
[email protected] - GHCM Carolyn Cornwell
703-752-8300 [email protected]
Condominium Editor & Crier Layout
Janet Donahue703-548-7991
Portfolio ManagerGates Hudsongateshudson.com
Carolyn Cornwell703-752-8300
Next OTVCUOACondominium Board Meeting
Tuesday, July 187 pm, Roundhouse
Welcome: CondominiumsJanet Donahue, Committee Chair
Please give a warm OTVC welcome to Aubert and Meredith who have moved into 1405 Roundhouse Ln., #308. Aubert and Meredith are renting from Susan and Gerry Botha who are enjoying the cooler climes of Vermont for a few months.
Welcome Aubert and Meredith!
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** CORRECTION **RESERVING THE ROUNDHOUSE
OTVC residents: Want to hold a meeting or a social get together in the Roundhouse? Well, you can. You just need to determine if the date and time you want are available and sign up. It’s just that simple. To reserve the Round-house, contact:
Donna Newman703-941-0818
OTVC Board and committee chairs: Contact Carolyn Cornwell to reserve the Roundhouse.
WE’RE TAKING A SUMMER BREAK...The Crier will not be published in August.
You’ll just have to find something else to read. Look for us in September.
July 2017 The Village Crier 9
ActivitiesDani Lane & Betsy McCormack, Committee Co-Chairs
On Sunday, June 4, friends and neighbors from the Townhouses and Condominiums joined together to celebrate the start of the season at our annual OTV Summer Party.
We want to thank Debby Duffett, Joan Buckley and Stacy Jacobs for all of their hard work in co-chairing this wonderful event.
Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves with good food, great conversation and fun activities for the children. Lucy Daffey and her helpers from the Young Families Group did a wonderful job of keeping the children entertained!
We would like to offer a special thank you to our generous realtors for contributing to our event. It really helps our budget. So thank you, thank you Mary Farrell, Lisa Groover, Rich Ragan and Alan Wagman!
END NOTES
All events are held in the Roundhouse unless otherwise noted.
JULY & *SPECIAL EVENTS!*
Day Time Event
13 7 pm Finance CommitteeHome of Dennis Dunleavy 1222 Roundhouse Lane
13 7 pm Book Club Ghettoside: A True Story of Mur-der in America by Jill Leovy
14 7 pm Management Committee
18 7 pm Condominium Board Meeting
20 7 pm Townhome Board Meeting
WEEKLY EVENTS
Day Time Event
Tuesdays 1:30 pm Mah Jong
Fridays 7 pm TGIF!! Everyone is Invited!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Day Time Event
Aug 3 Finance Committee
Aug 9 7:30 pm Communications CommitteeHome of Janie Smith403 S. Henry Street
Sept 20 7:30 pm Management Committee: OTV Community VisionAll OTV residents are invited.
livethispic.com
Published for the benefit of owners & residents of
Old Town VillageTownhomes & Condominiums
Send photos & articles by the 23rd of the month prior to publication to:
Townhomes - Janie [email protected]
Condominiums - Janet [email protected]
Layout: Janet Donahue(703) 548-7991
July 2017 The Village Crier 10
Babysitter in OTV Available
As our younger community has grown and added many children, parents are seeking babysitters within the community. We are now accepting short notices for the Crier of anyone who lives in the community interested in babysitting. Lucy Daffey, Young Families coordina-tor, will also make the listing available to members of the group. Below is our first listing:
Libby Sterba, a 15-year-old CPR Red Cross certified and assistant counselor at Browne summer camp, is interested in jobs for babysitting and mother’s helper. She is a sophomore honor student at St. Stephens/St. Agnes and is experienced with toddlers and three- and four-year-olds and loves cooking. You may contact her on her cell at 703-732-1016.
Young Families GroupLucy Daffey Carr, Coordination
The annual OTV family picnic was a huge success. We had lots of families come along and enjoy the magician, bounce house, face painter and balloon twister. I think most kids went home exhausted and happy. Always a sign of a great day!
There has been some interest expressed by younger residents who are capable of providing baby sitting / mothers helpers to their neighbors. Should you wish for your details to be provided to the Young Family community, please send me your information so I can forward to the group. This would be a great benefit to all.
We hope to see you all at the pool soon. Stay tuned for more fun summer events over the com-ing months.
Should you wish to be included on emails regard-ing Young Family Catch ups, please email Lucy Carr.
Mah Jong Club at the Roundhouse!
Even if you’ve never played before, we’ll be happy to teach you the in’s and out’s. We’re very easy-going and enjoy chatting as we play, so don’t worry about a high-stress situ-ation.
We play Tuesdays at 1:30 pm in the Roundhouse. You can just show up or if you have questions, email Shan-non Collins. Hope to see you soon!
Every Friday is a Great Friday in OTV! Come join your neighbors every Friday
at the TGIF get-together.7 pm in the Roundhouse.
Bring your own beverage and a snack or sweet to share.
It’s great fun!ALL OTV RESIDENTS
ARE INVITED!
New neighbors, we would love to meet you. Please come!
You’re invit
ed!
Community OutreachKathy Cheney, Activities Committee Outreach
Carpenter’s Shelter
In June, July and August we will col-lect sundries from your travels for the Carpenter’s Shelter. Please leave your donations in the box in the Round-house. Many thanks.
Community Lodgings
Community Lodgings is accepting small household kitchen items (glasses, cookware, dishes and food storage containers) only. Please leave your items in the designated box in the Roundhouse. Thanks for helping!
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