Winter 2020 Newsletter › wp-content › uploads › 2020 › 02 › ... · 2020-02-18 ·...

Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor

Luther Jackson Middle School students volunteered at a

recent Food for Neighbors collection event.

LVCA Students Fighting Hunger with Local Organization

Winter 2020 Newsletter

by Christine Woodard

My son and I recently had the

opportunity to volunteer for the

Food for Neighbors food

collection event at Luther

Jackson Middle School

(LJMS). Food for Neighbors is

a non-profit organization that

strives to end child hunger here

in Northern Virginia. Many

children and teens in Fairfax

County are “food insecure”,

meaning these children usually

only eat while at school.

During the evenings, weekends

and school holidays, there is no

guarantee that these children

will have food to eat. Through

the Red Bag Program, food is

donated from generous

neighbors like you, and

distributed to the participating

local school to provide food to

students who would otherwise

struggle with hunger outside of

school.

Volunteer work is a part of a civics requirement for students at

LJMS. What made this work so meaningful to my son was

that he was helping his fellow students. Our neighbors who

struggle with hunger are not always obvious as we go through

our day to day lives. This program is such a great way to reach

those in our community who struggle with hunger. During this

recent food collection event, more than 1000 pounds of food

was collected to be given to LJMS

students. That is an amazing way

to support our neighbors!!

You can read more about Food for

Neighbors on their website:

https://www.foodforneighbors.org

The next pick-up date for LJMS is

Saturday, March 7th, 2020.

You can help the students in our

community by signing up to fill a

red bag:

https://www.foodforneighbors.org

/get-involved/request-a-bag/.

Once you register, you will be

given a red bag and a list of

grocery items. On March 7th, just

leave your filled bag on your

doorstep by 8:30am. Volunteers

such as LVCA’s Marcos and

Victor Simionato will pick up

your red bag and deliver to LJMS.

Sorters such as my son Aidan will

receive the food and sort the items

into the school “pantry”. LJMS

school administration will then

distribute the food to students on

Friday afternoons and the afternoons before school holidays to

make sure that all LJMS children have food outside of school

hours.

I hope you will join Food for Neighbors in ending child

hunger here at LJMS by filling a Red Bag for the Saturday,

March 7th pick-up date.


Our Community Information….

LVCA Board Members

Donna Jacobson – President

[email protected]

Amy Phipps – Vice President

[email protected]

John Alexander – Treasurer

[email protected]

Gina Keating – Secretary

[email protected]

Bob Rosenbaum – Member-at-Large

[email protected]

Committee Chairs

Architectural Control (Co-Chair) –

Peter Phipps

[email protected]

Architectural Control (Co-Chair) –

Rick Jacobson

[email protected]

Grounds – Mike Nutbrown

[email protected]

Finance – John Alexander

[email protected]

Pool – Lisa Conoly

[email protected]

Recreation – Alexa McKenrick

[email protected]

Communications – Donna Jacobson

[email protected]

Neighborhood Watch – Vacant

Website Manager

Brittany Dewberry

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor

Cheryl Ryefield

[email protected]

Sequoia Management Company

Dale Edwards

[email protected]

Phone: 703-803-9641

Fax: 703-968-0936

Patriot Disposal Services

www.patriotdisposalservices.com

Phone: 703-257-7100

LAFAYETTE VILLAGE COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR

Board Meetings – Meetings for January 2020 through September 2020 will be held

on the 4th Thursday of each month. Location to be announced.

ACC Meetings – Meeting location, date and time is to be determined. If interested in

attending contact Peter Phipps at. [email protected] or Rick Jacobson at

[email protected].

Grounds Committee – Meetings are held at on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:30

p.m. at 7920 Brunswick Forest Pass.

Finance Committee – Meetings are held at 7900 Peyton Forest Trail. Date and time

is to be determined. If interested in attending contact John Alexander at

[email protected].

Neighborhood Watch – TBD

Fairfax Federation – Meetings are held at on the 3rd Thursday of month at 7:30

p.m. at Providence Community Center, 3001 Vaden Dr., Fairfax.

All residents, including renters, are invited to attend scheduled meetings.

Thanks to our newsletter’s contributors:

Donna Jacobson, Lisa Conoly, Mike Nutbrown, John Alexander, Alexa McKenrick,

Anne Sansbury, Rick Jacobson, Christine Woodard, Carl Iddings, Brittany Dewberry,

and those who submitted ads.

Thanks as well to our awesome delivery crew –Greg Johnson, Tina Snapp, Kathie

French, Christie Woodard, Katherine Kraft, Adrian Sobie, Brezy Rivas and

Larry Dunham.

Consider Electronic Payment for HOA Fees

To avoid hassles with locating your coupon book, remembering to pay your

quarterly HOA fees, and dealing with pesky late fees and interest payments, sign up

for Automatic Direct Debit payments. The Authorization Agreement for Direct

Payments form is on the website at

https://lafayettevillage.org/wp-

content/uploads/2018/03/Docs/AutomaticDebitFormLVCA.pdf.

In this issue…

President’s Message

Holiday Decorations Contest Winners

Plan Your Kids' Summer Camps

Citizens Police Academy


Donna Jacobson, President

LVCA Board of Directors

Hi, Everyone,

Happy New Year! I would like to start the New Year by

asking for a volunteer to Chair the Neighborhood Watch

Committee. The committee already has a few members;

however, it definitely needs a Chair, or two Co-Chairs, to

help the committee become more active.

The Chair of the Neighborhood Watch Committee would be

responsible for holding meetings, writing articles in the

LVCA Newsletter and for being a liaison with the police.

You are not responsible for patrolling the community at all

hours of the day or night. It is a position which is designed

to keep the community informed, rather than one designed to

actually do police work. LVCA has a very good relationship

with the Fairfax County Police Department, which is

extremely responsive to our needs. So, if you would like to

Chair the Neighborhood Watch Committee, please contact

me at [email protected].

In the absence of a Neighborhood Watch Chair, I attended

Supervisor Gross’s Leadership Council on January 11th,

which provided information on the Fairfax County Police

Department. Captain Brooke Wright, of the Mason Police

Station and the second highest ranking woman in the Fairfax

County Police Department, was in attendance to answer

questions.

The website for the Fairfax County Police is

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/fairfax-county-police-

department. The Fairfax County Police Department Daily

News Blog can be found at https://fcpdnews.wordpress.com.

This is a daily recap of significant issues which the police

are dealing with throughout Fairfax County. You can sign up

on the blog page for this daily recap to be sent to you. If

residents have a need to determine the location of a sex

offender, you need to use the Virginia State Sex Offenders’

Registry, which can be found at https://sex-

offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor. However, extreme care must

be taken in the use of information from this Registry.

Mistaken identification may occur when relying solely upon

name, age and address to identify individuals.

A number of residents complained about the increase in

helicopter noise in the area. Captain Wright stated that the

police only have two helicopters and that they only go up

one at a time. However, she stated that there has been an

increase in military helicopters and in helicopters delivering

trauma patients to Inova. She said that if you are interested

in knowing what a helicopter is doing in your area, you can

call the police non-emergency number, 703-691-2131. If it is

a police helicopter, you will also be told if the situation is

dangerous and if you should warn your community to stay

indoors. It was mentioned that one good way to keep your

community informed in this type of situation is through the

Urgent Alert feature of Nextdoor

I encourage all residents, renters as well as owners, to join

the social network site, Nextdoor. You can read an article

concerning how to join Nexdoor in LVCA’s Summer 2019

Newsletter, at https://lafayettevillage.org/wp-

content/uploads/2019/07/LVCA_Summer_2019_Newsletter.

pdf. This article explains in detail the many uses of Nextdoor

and how to sign up for it. I am finding the site an excellent

way to get necessary information to residents quickly and

would like to see as many residents as possible sign up.

A Note from the President…


Architectural Control Committee (ACC) – Peter Phipps & Rick Jacobson, Co-Chairs

The biggest news from the ACC is the coming spring

inspections. The inspections are performed annually by

Sequoia Management, our property management company,

and include all townhouses and detached houses in Lafayette

Village.

Spring Inspections ~ The Spring Inspections will start in

March, weather permitting. The inspection schedule is:

First Inspection: March 2nd – March 6th. Violation

letters will be mailed by March 16th and have a 30 day

completion deadline of April 15th.

Second Inspection: April 17th, 20th & 21st. Violation

letters will be mailed by April 27th and have a 15 day

completion deadline of May 12th.

The swimming pool opens on Saturday, May 23th and

pool pass enforcement will begin on Saturday, May

30th. Remember, residents need to be in good standing to

use the pool.

Note that the spring inspection dates are dependent on

the weather and may require slight adjustments, since

the weather in March does not always cooperate. Keep

your eyes open for LVCA Announcements around the

end of February concerning any updates in the schedule.

ACC Approval ~ ACC Approval is required before any

Exterior Improvement is made to any townhouse or

detached house. This includes, but is not limited to, new

roofs, new siding, new windows, new shutters, new doors

(front or back), installing solar panels, changing paint colors,

replacing front yard trees, and so on. Many contractors know

that Lafayette Village is governed by ACC Guidelines and

will insist that you provide them written approval before

they will start work. Work performed without or before

approval is received, may have to be redone. Rework is well

worth avoiding.

Corrections to violations from the Spring Inspection do

not require ACC Approval unless you are changing the

appearance of your house. For example, replacing a rotten

board and repainting it the same color, is not considered an

appearance change. If you are not sure if your change

requires ACC Approval, feel free to contact the ACC. The

ACC is always willing to work with residents to resolve

questions or issues. The ACC’s goal is to make the Approval

process as painless and straight forward as possible.

For reference, full ACC Guidelines and ACC Request for

Exterior Improvement forms, are available on the LVCA

website at:

https://lafayettevillage.org/resources/architectural-control-

committee-documents

Finally, always remember to pick up after your dog. It’s a

Fairfax County law, a Lafayette Village regulation and it’s

only common courtesy. Plus, it embarrasses the dog to be

blamed for something that is not their fault (all of the other

dogs know exactly who left that mess!). There are six

community trash cans and two poop bag dispensers placed

throughout the neighborhood, to make picking up after your

dog as easy as possible. So please, if you have a dog, be a

responsible owner and pick up after your dog.

Also, I would like to thank the vast majority of owners who

are extremely conscientious about cleaning up after their

dogs and the amazing people who even clean up after other

people’s dogs. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. We

really do have some wonderful neighbors!

Grounds Committee – Mike Nutbrown, Chair

I would like to say winter is the quiet time for grounds, but

that’s when we have to be planning for all of the things to do

when the ground thaws. Before you know it, we’ll be doing

our neighborhood cleanup and planting our tree for

Earth/Arbor Day, but let’s not wish this time away. We need

time for planning first!

The new trees, shrubs, and grass were planted in the Fall

after a longer-than-expected wait for quotes. Tree pruning

and removal lists are expecting approval at the January

board meeting and will be completed when weather permits.

We’ve received some preliminary drawings and plans to

address the drainage and erosion projects we’ve been

tracking for some time now. We did not get around to

tackling any of those yet, but that will be a top priority in

2020.

Gardening season is just around the corner! We won’t know

if we have any plots available until sometime in February

after all the current gardeners weigh in, but if you’d like to

sign up for a plot or just get on the waiting list, please

contact Anne at [email protected] and let her know.

Committee Updates ….


Grounds Committee, continued ….

Another expected project on the list for this year is

replacement of the community trash cans which are showing

wear as they get beat up over time.

The street light project presses forward. We still plan to

convert to LED lights to save energy and reduce

maintenance costs going forward from our aging lights.

We're always on the lookout for new members in the

committee to give input and get these tasks done. Please

reach out if you'd like to join the grounds committee or

would like to attend a meeting. You can email me at

[email protected].

Pool Committee – Lisa Conoly, Chair

There may be snow on the ground but plans have begun for

the upcoming pool season. Look for the 2020 Pool Pass

Application in the Spring issue of the newsletter.

Email me at [email protected] with your comments

or suggestions.

Recreation Committee – Alexa McKenrick, Chair

The Recreation Committee Needs You!

The recreation committee is looking for members. We

have many tasks to attend to this year, including the

repaving of the multi-purpose courts and updating the tot

lot. The time commitment is minimal--meeting once per

month for about an hour (First Tuesday of each month at 7

pm at a home in LVCA) plus some additional work

between meetings. Please consider volunteering your time

and energy. Your contribution will help our community

for many years to come. Our next meeting will be

February 4th at 7 pm. Contact Alexa McKenrick at

[email protected] for more details!

Communications Committee – Donna Jacobson, Chair

Newsletter

Would you like to see our newsletter in full color? It’s easy

and you can access it from anywhere you can get online!

Just go to our webpage at:

https://lafayettevillage.org/resources/lvca-newsletters

Do you or does someone in your household have an

interesting or unusual hobby or accomplishment you’d be

willing to share with our community? We’d love to publish

your story in our feature, Meet Our Neighbors, and have the

opportunity to get to know more about our Lafayette Village

neighbors!

Do you have a special pet you’d like to introduce to the

community? Let us know and help us to get to know the pets

in our community as well by suggesting a pet to feature in

our LVCA Pet Corner in the next issue!

We always welcome the opportunity to include any of your

story ideas, photos, or ads in our upcoming newsletters!

Please feel free to contact me via email at

[email protected].

Committee Updates, continued …. Committee Updates, continued ….


Dear Lafayette Village Community,

Thank you for your support in another food drive over

Martin Luther King weekend. Despite the terrible weather

on Saturday, many of you were able to get out and/or raid

your pantry. We had about two dozen donations, totaling

over 250 items and weighing more than 230 pounds. For

the first time, donations were collected at a residence,

instead of the pool house. After suffering through many

years of below freezing weather in the unheated pool

house, John Alexander was very grateful for the change in

venue. He thinks that should be the new tradition.

Donations support the Annandale Christian Community

for Action, known by its acronym ACCA. This local non-

profit provides early childhood education, food, rental

assistance, furniture, and other services to needy families

in the Annandale/Bailey’s Crossroads area. The Food

Pantry provides emergency food for individuals and

families referred by social workers and ACCA member

churches. After a request is received, volunteer drivers

pick up the food from the ACCA and deliver it to clients’

homes. For more information, including how to help at

other times of the year, visit accacares.org.

Community News and Activities ….

This year’s generous donations totaled more than

230 pounds for over 250 items!

Lafayette Village is fortunate to have our own elves-in-

residence who sprinkled holiday cheer throughout our

neighborhood. Thank you to the LVCA Elves, Lisa

Conoly, Amanda Sansbury and Anne Sansbury, who are

part of what makes our community so wonderful!


LVCA’s Holiday Decorations Contest Winners are ….

1st Place

7838 and 7836 Ashley Glen Road

2nd Place

7850 Colonial Village Row

3rd Place

7908 Brunswick Forest Pass

Honorable Mention

7918 Peyton Forest Trail 7827 Byrds Nest Pass

7857 Hampton Village Pass 7820 Byrds Nest Pass

7831 Byrds Nest Pass 7816 Byrds Nest Pass


Lafayette Village Weekly Trash Collection Schedule

Day of the Week Collection

Monday Trash and Yard Waste

Wednesday Recycling

Thursday Trash and Yard Waste

Trash and Yard Waste will be picked up on Mondays and Thursdays. Please place

them out for pick up after 6:00pm on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Trash should be put out in closed containers, either trash cans or tightly closed trash

bags. Do not place trash in shopping bags, boxes or other types of open containers

which animals can get into. Trash cans should be retrieved by Monday and Thursday

nights.

Recyclables will be picked up on Wednesdays. Please place recycling out for pick up

after 6:00pm on Tuesday evenings. Recyclables should be put out in recycling bins and

recycling bins should be retrieved by Wednesday night.

* Fairfax County does not allow trash and recycling to be collected in the same truck,

which is the reason that they are collected on different days. Please do not put trash out

with the recycling or recycling out with the trash.*

Trash, yard waste & recycling should be kept in the backyard, garage or house until it is

put out for pickup. It should not be stored in front of the house.

Lafayette Village

Trash, Yard Waste & Recycling Policies


Fairfax County’s Citizens Police Academy …. Source: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/servicesah/citizenspoliceacademy

Interested in learning more about local law enforcement?

The Citizens Police Academy is designed to give

participants a glimpse behind the badge and to provide

information about training, policies, and the many units

and divisions within the Fairfax County Police

Department.

We are now accepting applications for the Spring 2020

session that will meet from March 5 to May 9, 2020 and

the Fall 2020 session that will meet from September 17 to

November 21, 2020.

Students will learn about

Police training (including weapons and driving)

Neighborhood Patrol

Crime Scene Investigation

Use of Force

Traffic Stops

Internal Affairs

Police helicopter and its capabilities

SWAT

Department of Public Safety Communications (911

call center)

And much more...

Classes

Classes are held on ten consecutive Thursday nights, from

6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Graduation is held on a Saturday

from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Classes rotate to various

police department facilities around Fairfax County. Due

to the popularity of the program, all participants are

required to attend at least eight out of ten classes in order

to successfully graduate.

Requirements

Must be at least 18 years of age

Live or work in Fairfax County

Must clear a review of your criminal record and police

contact history prior to acceptance

Provide your own transportation

The Fairfax County Police Department seeks people from

a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds when

selecting participants for its Citizen Police Academy.

Candidates from different ethnicities, professions, cultural

backgrounds, orientations, age groups, and communities

throughout Fairfax County are encouraged to apply in

order to enrich class discussions and strengthen

community relationships.

This program is not an accredited certification course to

become a sworn police officer. For information regarding

employment as a police officer or about the paid police

academy, please visit Join Our Team page.

For more information, please call (703) 246-4315 or e-

mail us at [email protected].

Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 8th

Don’t forget – when you turn your clocks forward one hour on March 8th, also change the batteries in your smoke alarms

throughout your home and check the expiration date on your carbon monoxide detector.

This simple act could save your family’s life! It’s easy to replace the hard-wired smoke detectors in our homes – step-by-

step instructions can be found at:

https://lafayettevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/How-to-Replace-Your-Lafayette-Village-Smoke-Alarm.pdf


Plan Your Kids' Park Authority Summer Camps Now - My Summer Camp Planner!

Registration for summer camps begins

Tuesday, February 4, 2020. The Fairfax

County Park Authority offers more than

2,000 summer day camp options for kids

ages 3 to 17 at over 100 locations

including RECenters, nature centers,

historic sites, lakefront parks, golf courses

and schools.

Want to make sure you get the popular

camp your child wants? Now is the time to

plan your children’s summer camp

schedules. The Park Authority has made

summer planning easy with My Summer

Camp Planner, developed by a request

from a mom who wanted a simple

spreadsheet to help plan summer camps for all her

children.

Here's how it works:

Download the Summer Camp Spreadsheet.

Quickly sort by location, age of children, type of camp

and the week of summer.

Once you pick the camp, write down the

Catalog ID on our My Summer Camp

Planner Sheet. Plan the entire summer

for each of your children.

Don't forget Extended Care - before and

after camp - for busy working parents.

The Planner has helpful information on

camp fees before they are available

online during registration.

On February 4 go to the Camps page or

Parktakes Online to register. Just type in

the Catalog IDs and register. Summer

planned!

With so many camps to choose from,

browse through the new 2020 Summer Camp Guide with

your child and get new ideas for camps. Share with your

friends and enroll together.

For more information, call the registration hotline at 703-

222-4664 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Source: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/park-

news/2020/z-ir006

Place your order for the annual Native Seedling Sale soon!

The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District holds a

Native Tree and Shrub Seedling Sale each spring. Typically there are

two packages, one with trees that will grow to be larger canopy trees

and the other with smaller trees and shrub species. The theme and exact

species vary from year to year. Orders open online in February, and are

picked up in late April. For this year's package and online ordering,

please go to: Native Seedling Sale

Ordering opens February 4th and closes April 10th.

This year’s seedling sale features small shrubs and trees which are

hardy in small spaces and bear gorgeous flowers and fruits, and display

beautiful colors. The fruits and flowers that these plants grow are

important food sources to birds and pollinators, and are delicious treats

for us! By planting these native species, you are directly contributing to

the betterment of our environment. The plants in each package clean

our water and air, prevent soil erosion, provide valuable habitat, and

add beauty to your property. Source: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-

water-conservation/native-seedling-sale/

Around Our Community ….


Community Ads ….

Interior Painting: Contact Mark Rhodes, Lafayette Village resident and a skilled interior painter, for free

estimates. Call or text Mark at 571-236-5634. Landline is 703-560-8329. Recommendations on the

Nextdoor app.

Interior Decorator and Home Organizer: I’m a professional

organizer and interior decorator living in Lafayette Village. A New

Year is here, let’s declutter and put some spark back in your home!

We can start as a small project or the entire house to achieve results

you will be proud of. If interested, please call me at 703-217-4707 or

email me at [email protected] for more information

and to receive an estimate.

Are you planning for Spring Break or Summer Vacations? Do you prefer All Inclusive Resorts, Cruises

or Tours anywhere around the World? You have a Travel Agent in your backyard in the Lafayette Village

Community. Please call Pascasi e Adedze at 703-5593626 (Home) or 217-7215152 (cell), email at

[email protected]. Explore and subscribe at her website at passycruisevacation.com.

Coming Soon: Merrimac Trail Single Family Home for Sale

Dear Lafayette Village neighbors - We have lived in our home on Merrimac Trail for over six years and

are sad to sell our home and leave this wonderful neighborhood, but we are moving out of state for work.

We have enjoyed being a part of the Lafayette Village community during that time, and know that there may

be some interest among those who live in the town homes in our single family home. We plan to put the

house on the market by the end of March. Before we formally list it, we thought we would pass along the

word to our LVCA neighbors in case there is interest in the house. We are still getting the house ready for

showing and pictures, and have not settled on a listing price yet, but we do have some details about the

house on this website: https://sites.google.com/view/3717merrimactrail/home

If you are interested in learning more about the house, please reach out to David and Melissa Schild at

[email protected].

Winter 2020 Newsletter › wp-content › uploads › 2020 › 02 › ... · 2020-02-18 ·...

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Transcript of Winter 2020 Newsletter › wp-content › uploads › 2020 › 02 › ... · 2020-02-18 ·...