3367 S. Wakefield Street, Arlington, VA 22206 June 2004
Summer Swimming Season is Here!
n Saturday, May 29th,
the Fairlington Commons Swimming Pool opened for the summer. Once again
this year, the award for the first official swimmer in the water goes to Jane
Shepard’s daughter Katharine, who took the plunge within minutes of the pool
opening even though it was a chilly opening day.
The primary lifeguard
this summer is Ondrej Karel. Ondrej is from Mesice U Prahy in the Czech Republic, a village
approximately two kilometers northeast of Prague. He is
participating in the summer work/travel program conducted by the U.S.
Information Agency, and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Justice. A
second lifeguard will join Ondrej with the beginning of full-time operation on
Saturday, June 19th. Both are employed by High Sierra Pools, an Arlington company hired by the
Commons to operate our pool this season.
Residents who completed
an application for a Recreation (Pool) Pass may pick up their passes at the
pool. Passes will be mailed to persons who applied after the initial
application period. If you have recently moved into the Commons – Recreation
Pass Applications are available at the pool.
Successful
opening and operation of our pool is a team effort, and the Board of Directors
would like to say “Thank You” to everyone who contributed, including Bob
Schuster for the flowers and flags, John Healy for painting and pressure
washing the pool house and deck, Billy Anderson for setting up the fresh water
system and bathrooms, Marsha Murphy Accounting for the recreation passes, Harry
Tran for maintaining the lights, High Sierra Pools supervisor Michal Kalousek
and crew for a great job of preparing our pool for operation, and Commons Pool
Manager Bernie Weaver for coordinating the efforts of all of our contractors
and for the myriad of repairs necessary to ensure a successful 2004 swimming
season.
Spring
Community Day A Success
airlington Commons Co-Owners and
Residents enjoyed the First Annual Community Day on Saturday, May 8. This event, timed to coincide with Arlington
County’s Annual Community Day, was an opportunity for more than thirty-five
neighbors to come together to get to know each other and to talk with Members
of the Board of Directors about maintenance issues and others items of concern
to the community. Board Member Wayne
Winterling noted that the “combination of good food cooked by Bob Schuster and
homemade egg rolls from Harry Tran’s wife as well as enjoyable conversation
provided an easy forum for residents to talk through their issues.” Those in attendance were shown the new doggie
depot and had an opportunity to also meet some of the contractors who serve the
Commons. These types of events will be
planned throughout the Summer to bring everyone together around the pool
area. The Board has acted on most
requests that arose during this event and looks forward to meeting new
neighbors in the future.
Spotlight on the Community
Mildred
Kroll
n Monday, May 17, 2004, Mildred Kroll passed away. Mildred and her husband Joseph were original
Co-Owners in the Commons dating back to the time before the 1970s conversion. Mildred and Joseph had children,
grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.
Mildred’s smile and her words of wisdom were shared with neighbors as
recently as the Community Day and everyone will certainly miss her. Please join in wishing her husband and family
all the best during this difficult time.
Playground Issues
s
was noted previously, the demographics in the Commons have started to
change. As a result, there are more
children in the Commons then recent times have seen. The Board has been listening to concerns
voiced by parents over the shape of the tot lot located in the Circle of
Excellence. Since the tot lot is a
required part of the community according to the Master Deed, efforts are being
undertaken to determine how to best serve the community with the tot lot.
The playground committee is slowly
forming and will have its first meeting later this Summer. The focus of the committee will be to come up
with budget recommendations for how to possibly renovate or best use this
facility. Updates will be published in
this newsletter in the future.
Doggie Depots In Use
The three doggie depots have been installed and are
definitely in use. The Board has
arranged to have the depots emptied on Tuesdays and Fridays and hopes that this
small step helps to alleviate a big sanitation problem throughout the Community. The depots are located by the pool,
catty-corner from the tennis court, and by the lower Utah parking lot.
Calling All Bakers
The GREAT AMERICAN BAKE SALEÔ needs
you!
ll proceeds raised will go to Share Our Strength to fight childhood
hunger in America. This event is sponsored nationally by Share Our Strength and Parade Magazine with the co-sponsorship
of ABC TV, Betty Crocker, Tyson, and Reynolds Inc.
Fairlington
Commons will host a local version of this event with the second annual Great
American Bake SaleÔ to take place in conjunction with
July 4th activities in Fairlington.
Please support this community event by preparing home baked treats
to be sold. Last year we raised almost $500.
This year with your help, the Commons can raise even more!
·
Where: The parking lot adjacent to the Fairlington
fire station on S. Abingdon St.
·
When: Sunday, July 4th
2004 8-9am.
delivery of goodies. Sale to begin at 9am.
·
What: Cookies, brownies, muffins, loaf cakes,
pies, (please no frosting or fillings).
Together the
whole community can help end childhood hunger in the neighborhood and across America. Each brownie will make a
difference!
Community
Watch Volunteers Needed
If you are
interested in being a part of the Community Watch program, please contact Board
Member Hugh Baumgardner as soon as possible.
Your Co-Owner Fees at Work
s
most people have noticed, there has been a lot of activity throughout the
Commons in the past couple of months.
The 2004 painting cycle began and will continue throughout the Summer
(see March 2004 newsletter) and three decks are in various stages of being
replaced because of safety considerations.
Sidewalks have been repaired and roofs have been patched. It has been a busy Spring and the pace will
continue. The Commons Board has been
working to address all the maintenance needs that arise while also working on
beautifying the common elements and working with Co-Owners and Residents to
achieve many of these goals.
The
Board has also been working to be more responsive to resident concerns. If requests are sent via e-mail, then that
request will be acted upon within a few days.
If requests are dropped in the mailbox at the pool, they will also be
addressed quickly. In order to be more
responsive, the Board has also engaged Patrick Healy to address more of the
small-medium maintenance concerns around the community in a more timely
fashion. His contact information is
listed at the end of this newsletter and you will know he has been to your home
as he will leave a business card for the “European Handyman.”
Since
the last newsletter, here is a list of repairs and maintenance either completed
or currently in progress:
|
Address
|
Problem
|
Action Taken
|
|
3232 S. Utah St.
|
Fence
Loose
|
Stabilize
Fence
|
|
3260 S. Utah St.
|
Gutters
Leaking
|
Gutter
Cleaned and Adjusted
|
|
3274 S. Utah St.
|
Gate Stuck
and Deck Boards Coming Up
|
Gate
Adjusted and Deck to be Secured
|
|
3304A and B S. Wakefield St.
|
Gates
Stuck and Loose Slate on Roof
|
Gates and Roof Slate Adjusted
|
|
3306B S. Wakefield St.
|
Front
Gutters Full of Leaves/Debris - Leaking into Window Well
|
Remove
Debris, Check Basement for Leaks
|
|
3320A and B S. Wakefield St.
|
Final
Repairs to Exterior from Underpinning
|
Perform
Major Punch List Items
|
|
3321B S. Wakefield St.
|
Fence
Loose and Gate Stuck
|
Adjust
Gate and Stabilize Fence
|
|
3326 S. Wakefield St.
|
Common
Sewer Stack Pipe Cracked
|
Pipe
Repaired/Claim with Insurance
|
|
3330B S. Wakefield St.
|
Fence
Loose
|
Fence
Stabilized
|
|
3337B S. 34th St.
|
Back Fence
Missing a Plank
|
Replace
Plank
|
|
3339 S. Wakefield St.
|
Loose
Slate on Roof and Wooden Back Step Rotting
|
Roof Slate
and Wooden Step Replaced
|
|
3346B1 S. Wakefield St.
|
Birds
Living in Dormer
|
Remove
Birds and Repair Hole
|
|
3349A and B S.
Wakefield St.
|
Loose
Slate on Roof
|
Roof Slate
Replaced
|
|
3349B S. Wakefield
|
Post on
Front Portico is Loose
|
Repair/Replace
Post
|
|
3355A and B S. Wakefield St.
|
Loose
Slate on Roofs and Fence Loose
|
Roof Slate
Replaced and Fence Stabilized
|
|
3356B S. Wakefield St.
|
Basement
is Leaking at the Base
|
Repair
Basement Leak
|
|
3361A2 S. Wakefield St.
|
Squirrels
in Broken Dryer Vent
|
Remove
Squirrel/Seal Vent
|
|
3364 S. Utah St.
|
Downspout
Disattached
|
Downspout
Repaired
|
|
3365 S. Wakefield St.
|
Gutters
Leaking
|
Gutters
Cleaned and Adjusted
|
|
4419 S. 34th St.
|
Gate Stuck
|
Gate
Adjusted
|
|
4429 S. 34th St.
|
Gutters
Leaking
|
Gutters
Cleaned and Adjusted
|
|
4527 S. 34th St.
|
Gate Stuck
|
Gate
Adjusted
|
|
4613 S. 34th St.
|
Basement
is Leaking when it Rains - Apart for One Year
|
Fix
Seepage and Repair Basement
|
|
4621 S. 34th St.
|
Downspout
Disattached
|
Downspout
Re-attached and Adjusted
|
|
4629 S. 34th St.
|
Common
Sewer Stack Pipe Cracked
|
Pipe
Repaired
|
|
4645 S. 34th St.
|
Basement
Leaking
|
Gutter
Cleaned and Adjusted
|
|
4655 S. 34th St.
|
Fence
Loose and Gate Stuck, Wood Trim Rotted
|
Adjust
Gate/Stabilize Fence/Replace Wood
|
|
4661 S. 34th St.
|
Interior Leaking
|
Add
Downspout and Clean Gutters
|
|
4665 S. 34th St.
|
Basement
is Leaking
|
Address
Leak and Clean Downspouts/Gutters
|
|
4667 S. 34th St.
|
Unnecessary
Handicap Railing
|
Removed
Railing
|
|
4669 S. 34th St.
|
Interior
Leaking
|
Seal
Window Wells
|
|
4675 S. 34th St.
|
Leak in
Master Bedroom and Gate Broken and Pulling Away
|
Address
Leak/Damage and Adjust Gate
|
|
4679 S. 34th St.
|
Loose
Slate on Roof
|
Roof Slate
Replaced
|
|
4681 S. 34th St.
|
Front
Drain Bent and Interior Leaking
|
Replace Downspouts
and Repair Leak
|
Watch
Items/Enforcement Issues
Do Not Touch The
Trees
here
are some residents in the community who have decided to cut down major branches
from trees because they are a nuisance or perhaps they obstruct a view. First and foremost, please do not do
this. BladeRunners, the Commons
landscaping company has trained professionals who do this with the least
possible harm to the tree. If you have a
grounds request, please let the Board know.
Although there may be reasons why the request cannot be honored, every
effort will be made to accommodate your request. If the professionals are left to take care of
the landscaping, the Commons will continue to be beautiful for many years to
come.
Selling
Your Condo
he Commons community is sorry to see you go, but all would
appreciate it if you would follow a few guidelines. Please note, first of all, that all realty signs must be the
double-stake small sign type. Large post
signs are prohibited due to the damage done to the grounds.
In addition, Virginia
law requires the seller of a condominium to provide documents disclosing the
state of the association to the seller. These documents, as well as loan
forms and appraiser's questions, are handled by our accountant, Marsha
Murphy. Real estate agents,
lenders, and appraisers should contact Marsha Murphy's office directly at
703-370-9100 (fax 703-370-9110). Calling the President or any other
member of the Board will just slow down the process.
Certificates of insurance are provided by Chantilly
Insurance. Lenders should call
703-631-2882 to request a certificate of insurance. Owners should not
call.
PARKING – PARKING
o
more than two cars per unit (regardless of number of occupants) may be parked
in Commons spaces. Violating this
contributes to an atmosphere of distrust no one wants to see in the Commons. In addition, cars have been parked in fire
lanes with no regard for safety and on the grass with no regard for
appearances. This is a true affront to
the community. Follow the rules.
Commons Contractors
he following contractors provide maintenance, repair, or
professional services to the Commons.
Advance written Board authorization must be obtained for work billed to
the Commons. Residents may individually utilize the services of our contractors
at their personal expense.
·
Refer
plumbing emergencies directly to William Anderson.
·
Contact Harry Tran directly when the
small black pole lamps around the walks are out or in need of repair/
·
Disclosure papers and refinancing
information should be requested directly from Marsha Murphy’s office.
|
Service
|
Provider
|
Contact #
|
|
Plumbing
|
William
Anderson
|
703-836-4716
|
|
Accounting/Disclosure
Papers
|
Marsha
Murphy
|
703-370-9100
|
|
Insurance
Certificates
|
Jerry
Wagner
|
703-631-2882
|
|
Lights
& Smoke Detectors
|
Harry
Hue
Tran
|
703-207-3446
|
|
Trash
and Recycling
|
Rainbow
Waste
|
703-818-8222
|
|
Grounds
Maintenance
|
BladeRunners
|
703-273-8873
|
|
Carpentry/Major
Projects
|
Patrick
McCloskey
|
301-633-5933
|
|
Painting/Brickwork
|
John
Healy
|
301-888-1041
|
|
General
Maintenance
|
Patrick
Healy
|
202-497-2997
|
|
Pest
Control
|
Ward’s
Pest Control
|
703-532-3506
|
E-Mail Address Requested
|
Fairlington
Commons Board of Directors
|
|
President
|
Michael Peter
|
703 998-1257
|
|
E-Mail:
Fairlington_Commons_Pres@hotmail.com
|
|
Vice President
|
John Sinks
|
703 931-2660
|
|
E-Mail:
jsinks@comcast.net
|
|
Secretary
|
Wayne Winterling
|
703 931-5781
|
|
E-Mail:
Wayne_Winterling@americanchemistry.com
|
|
Treasurer
|
Patti Burke
|
703 931-2897
|
|
E-Mail:
pattisburke@msn.com
|
|
At-Large
|
Hugh
Baumgardner
|
703 931-3973
|
|
E-Mail:
baumghu@aol.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
