The Gazette

Community Disturbance

ver the past few years, there have been reports of people finding beer cans and garbage in the Upper Utah parking lot. These incidents have escalated in recent months with damage to cars being reported. At the request of residents on Utah Street, the Board is working on a plan to upgrade security and lighting in this parking lot:

1. The Board is posting new No Trespassing signs to discourage people from coming on to this lot.

2. The Board has drafted a letter to the 3rd District Police requesting additional patrols on the lot.

3. Through the Citizens Association, the Board is working on re-activating the neighborhood watch program.

4. The Board is currently taking bids to light the Utah lot more appropriately and will have a solution installed in the coming months.

If there are additional security issues to be addressed, please contact a Member of the Board.

Community Liaison Position Close to Reality

he Board of Directors has been working on the Community Liaison position actively since the Council voted on the 2005 Budget in December. At this time, the proposed duty and contract points are undergoing a thorough legal review. This legal review should be completed by the end of March and we hope to have a contractor filling this position by April of this year. The Board is being very careful in activating this position to ensure that the needs of Fairlington Commons are met in an efficient and effective manner.

In the meantime, the Board cannot expend money on this position until the legal review is complete. If there is anyone who would like to volunteer for this position on an interim basis to help the Board finalize the duties and to see what type of commitment is involved, please contact a Member of the Board.

Traffic Calming

n March 16, the Arlington County Traffic Division provided a Traffic Calming presentation for South 34^th and South Utah Streets. This was announced in recent notices delivered by the County to Commons residents. The purpose of this presentation was to make residents aware of funding that could be used for traffic calming measures in the Commons’ neighborhood.

The measures discussed were: etching a brick pattern on to the street at the crosswalks on South 34^th Street to provide a visual cue to stop; and constructing or painting a median on South Utah Street to channel traffic into one lane and to define better street parking areas. The painted median would be similar to bike lanes on South 34^th Street, which has had the effect of slowing traffic. Another measure discussed was the possibility of a raised 3 ½” crosswalk on South Utah Street at South 32^nd Road.

The next County Traffic Division meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30PM in the Fairlington Community Center. Residents interested in pursuing either of these projects should show up for the meeting. If the Commons shows no grass roots interest in this important safety issue, then the available funds will be diverted elsewhere. Further communication will be provided on this issue as the Commons will have to provide a show of support through a signed petition drive in April. If you have any questions about the project, please call Ron Hicks, Arlington County Division of Transportation, at 703-228-3691.

Arlington Trash Issues

t a recent County meeting, Erik Grabowsky, Arlington County Solid Waste Bureau Chief, announced that the County Manager decided to go forward with issuing a Request for Proposals to find a consultant who will gather information from multi-family and commercial properties in order to analyze the feasibility of the County taking over the management of trash collection for properties such as Fairlington Commons.

The study is expected to start during the summer and be completed by December. The issue of whether to publish a notice for the public hearing on the issuance of the 5 year notice may be considered at a later date. Further consideration of the 5-year notice may be influenced by the outcome of legislation passed by the Virginia Assembly which is awaiting action by Governor Warner.

(Arlington Trash, Continued. . .)

This issue will affect Fairlington Commons as the County is moving to take over all trash collection in Arlington.  This means that residents will pay for pickup and the Commons will have less control over collection points, scheduling, and what containers may be used.  The Commons Board is working with other Fairlington Boards and the Citizens Association to fight against this proposal.  If you have any questions, please contact a Member of the Board.

Community Watch Volunteers Needed

f you are interested in being a part of the Community Watch program, please contact Board Member Hugh Baumgardner as soon as possible. This will only work if neighbors get involved.

Condo Fee Payment

any Co-owners have asked about auto debit for their condo fees. At this point, the Board is looking into this service. In the meantime, many Co-owners use their bank’s on-line bill payment system. This works just fine as long as you note your unit number on the account line.

Change in Recycling/Trash Removal

AA Recycling & Trash Removal Services are making changes to our collection days. Effective the week of March 21, 2005, recycling will now be picked up on Thursday morning. Remember that you can place items our for pickup after dusk the night before and up to 6:00AM the day of pickup.

Here is what our schedule will look like:

Tuesday - Trash Pickup

Thursday - Recycling Pickup

Friday - Trash Pickup

Remember to police your own areas and pick up any trash that is put out late. Also, if you have large items that need to be removed or if you need a recycling container, call AAA at 703 818-8222.

Tot Lot Progress

oard Vice President Wayne Winterling is overseeing the efforts to renovate the tot lot. Anyone who would like to be a part of this project, please contact Wayne via e-mail as he is setting up a Saturday meeting to get this underway.

Major Concrete Renovation Project Underway

fter several years of trying to solve a variety of problems in different ways, the Board of Directors has engaged C.B. Turley Concrete Construction to install a new drainage system and to renovate the sidewalks and header curbs at 4609-4637 South 34^th Street. These two projects together will drastically reduce the amount of water pooling and drainage issues experienced in this court. As discussed at the December Budget meeting, this project was one of two that were being planned for by the Board of Directors. However, due to cost increases and to the fact that this project was ranked as a high priority by the concrete experts, the Board is postponing any other major concrete work at this time.

Handbook Update

he long-discussed handbook revision project is still underway. Thanks to the efforts of Commons Co-owners Jessica McGrory and Margaret Shannon, major initial revisions have been made. However, after surveying the handbooks for other communities, much more needs to be included. The Board is actively working on this and appreciates the community’s patience as work is being done to get it right so this handbook will answer all of your questions. In the meantime, general questions can be answered by a Member of the Board and updates as well as the By-Laws and parking regulations are posted on-line at www.fairlington.org/commonsindex.htm.

Spring Community

Day Planned

he Board of Directors soon will announce the date in early May for the Second Annual Fairlington Commons Community Day. All Co-Owners and residents will be invited to greet Spring, talk with the Board of Directors, and meet Commons contractors. Refreshments will be served. This will be an opportunity for the community come together to continue building the Circle of Excellence.

The Circle of Excellence will continue to be a focal point for the community throughout 2005. Watch for announcements concerning this special day in the near future.

Landscaping Issues

he renovation of holly bushes and azaleas was recently completed in the Commons. Hollies and azaleas were cut down to the stump in order to control the growth and to provide more security when growth reached above window height and other points of entry.

The long-discussed boxwood/center median renovation will also begin in earnest very soon. The first areas to be addressed will be along 34^th Street and South Utah Street, followed by Wakefield Circle. The beds that separate the walkway to units will have the boxwoods and any other plants removed and replaced with low-height lariope or a like ground-covering. All of these between-sidewalk beds will be addressed this year. This is being done to control the growth of these beds and to provide from some common themes in the landscaping throughout the Commons.

Below you will find the application schedule for fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Unless otherwise noted, these applications will be throughout the Commons. The Board is working with Commons contractors to use safe and organic materials when possible. If you would like to examine the types of sprays used, please contact a Member of the Board.

App	Service	Date	Rain Date
1	Dormant Oil Pest Application	March 22	March 24
2	Pre-Emergence Crab Grass Control	April 26	April 28
3	Weed Control	July 12	July 14
4	Weed/Pest Control	August 9	August 11
5	Fall Fertilizer/Aeration Grass Seed Spreading	September 13	September 15
6	Fall Fertilizer Application	November 8	November 10

In response to the numerous complaints about Comcast cable lines being cut by flower bed edging, the Board has elected to not have edging and re-definition performed this year. As always, if you have an issue that needs attention, please contact a Member of the Board of Directors. The workers on-site are performing duties outlined to them by Blade Runners, the Commons’ landscaping contractor. They cannot respond to individual requests, so please direct your concerns to the Board.

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

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). The Board will work with Marsha Murphy’s office to clear those documents when questions about any outstanding issues with compliance are raised.

Certificates of insurance are provided by Chantilly Insurance. Lenders should call 703-631-2882 to request a certificate of insurance. Owners should not call.

Coming Up In Fairlington Commons

n the April 2005 issue of the Commons newsletter, the Board will outline the units to be painted this year as well as the list if upcoming events.

In the meantime, please be aware that the parking lots will be cleaned of Winter sand and debris in the coming days and, now that the weather is breaking, regular maintenance on roofs and other areas can pick back up.

Do not be surprised if you see many contractors on-site fulfilling maintenance requests. If you have any maintenance concerns, please inform a Member of the Board in writing. Once the Liaison is on-board, the Board will detail new communication methods. Thank you for your patience.

The Board will resume publishing the list of maintenance items addressed in the community in the next issue of this newsletter.

If you have any questions about the budget or Board decisions concerning the community, please feel free to contact a Member of the Board. The Board acts on behalf of the Council of Co-owners and in the best interest of Fairlington Commons as a community.

Important Phone Numbers

he following is a list of Commons-preferred contractors and service providers for work you may have performed. Board approval must first be obtained for any work that you intend to have charged to the Commons. If you have a plumbing emergency, please contact Mr. Anderson directly to assess the situation and determine who is responsible for payment.

BUILDINGS

Water Cleanup

Sanitech                                          703-906-6450

Painting, Brick Work, and Gutter Cleaning

John Healy 301-888-1041

Carpentry and General Repair

Patrick Healy 202-497-2997

Patrick McCloskey 410-798-6350

Plumbing

William Anderson 703-836-4716

Fire Extinguishers

Ace Fire Extinguisher Service 301-927-7300

GROUNDS

Pest Control

Ward’s Pest Control                           703-248-3631

Common Lights & Smoke Detectors

“Harry” Hue Tran 703-207-3446

Grounds Issues

Blade Runners 703-273-8873

Trash

AAA/Rainbow Waste 703-818-8222

Fairlington Commons Board of Directors
President	Michael Peter			703 998-1257
E-Mail: Fairlington_Commons_Pres@hotmail.com
Vice President		Wayne Winterling			703 931-5781
E-Mail: Wayne_Winterling@americanchemistry.com
Secretary			John Sinks		703 931-2660
E-Mail: jsinks@comcast.net
Treasurer			Patti Burke		703 931-2897
E-Mail: pattisburke@msn.com
At-Large	Hugh Baumgardner			703 931-3973
E-Mail: baumghu@aol.com

Text Box: If you have any announcements or items to share with the rest of Fairlington Commons, please send your information to a Member of the Board. The Board is always looking for information of interest and will use this means to communicate your message to your neighbors.