Great American Bake Sale!
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IRE UP THE OVENS!!! Once again, and for the fourth consecutive
year, the Commons is hosting “The Great American Bake Sale” in conjunction
with the All Fairlington Fourth of July Celebration and Parade. Over the past three years, our volunteer’s
efforts have raised over $1,500 for "Share Our Strength" a non-profit
organization dedicated toward ending childhood hunger in America.
Interested
Commons residents are encouraged to support this special event by preparing
home baked treats for sale. Cookies,
brownies, muffins, loaf cakes, pies, or other baked goods are needed – but
please, no frostings or fillings.
Volunteers are also needed to work the sales booth. The sale takes place in the North Fairlington
Community Center Parking Lot on Tuesday, July 4th beginning at 9:00
a.m. Baked Goods can be delivered
beginning at 8:30 a.m.
For more information on this year’s event, to volunteer to help sell, or if you just have a question, contact Cathy Malin at 703-931-9260.
Pool Hours 10:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Daily!
Pool Open!
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n
Saturday, May 27th, the Fairlington Commons Swimming Pool opened for
the 2006 Summer Swimming Season with Commons resident Katherine Shepard braving
the 72 degree water to retain the distinction of being the first person in the
pool for at least the fourth consecutive year.
Watching Katherine’s icy plunge was Lifeguard Ondrej Karol from the Czech Republic. Ondrey worked at our pool two summers ago and has returned as our principle lifeguard. Andrey Kostov and Elena Peicheva from Bulgaria have also returned. Both worked at our pool last summer, Andrey on weekends and Elena at season’s end. Sorely missed will be Marina Panayotova who is utilizing her newly earned Master’s Degree in Economics of Industry at the Greek Bank in Sofia, Bulgaria!
With
Bernie Weaver pulling double duty as Pool Manager and Commons Board Secretary,
the efforts of our pool volunteers are more important than ever. Many thanks to Debbie Griffin for planting
the flowers, to Bob Schuster for keeping them watered, and again to Bob for the
American flags. Thanks also to Kathy
Spitz and Anne Sullivan for their assistance with the pool passes - a big
job! And yes, we might be paying them,
but HUGE thanks to High Sierra Pools for continuing to provide great
lifeguards and support and for performing their contractual duties in a truly
exceptional and outstanding manner!
With Apologies to MasterCard…
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ost
of Czech and Bulgarian flags for pool flowerbed…less than $10. Tax and shipping…negligible. The look on the faces of our lifeguards when
they saw their country’s flags standing next to ours…ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS!!!
Recreation Passes
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s in past years, Recreation Passes are required to use the Commons Pool, and are highly encouraged as a positive form of identification when using the Tennis and Basketball Courts. Recreation Pass Application Forms have been distributed to each Commons residence and to non-resident Co-Owners who live in close proximity. If you recently moved to the Commons, or if your dog ate your recreation pass application, please see the lifeguard at the pool for a replacement. Residents who have submitted Recreation Pass Applications can now pick them up from the lifeguard at the pool. Residents are required to sign for passes on pick-up.
Recreation
Passes are required for each person using the pool, regardless of age. Passes should be presented to the lifeguard
upon entering the pool. A pass will be
provided for each person named on the Recreation Pass Application form. In addition, a guest pass will be provided to
each unit.
In accordance with Commons By-Laws, any person accompanying a resident to the pool who is not in possession of a recreation pass will be assessed a guest fee. Guest fees are $2 per Adult (16 and up) and $1 per child.
2006 Painting Schedule
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nce again this summer, Shamrock Painting (John Healy) will be at work in the Commons. Following our regular three-year schedule, 79 units will be painted. Painting has already begun - if your unit is not scheduled for painting, but has special painting needs (touch-up prior to sale, extreme deterioration, etc.) please contact the Commons Community Liaison with your request. The following units will be painted:
On
South 34th Street – 4415. 4417, 4419, 4421, 4423, 4425, 4437, 4439,
4441, 4443, 4445, 4447, 4501, 4503, 4505, 4507, 4509, 4511, 4513, 4515, 4517,
4519, 4521, 4523, 4525, 4527, 4689, 4693, and 4697.
On South Wakefield Street (includes A&B Units) – 3315, 3317, 3319, 3325, 3327, 3345, 3347, 3349, 3369, 3371, 3373, 3332, 3234, 3238, 3340, 3342, 3344, 3346, 3348, 3350, 3352, 3356, 3358.
Budget Meeting Action Item
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n response to an action item
from the Co-Owners who attended the last Annual Budget Meeting, an analysis of
Commons 2005 legal expenditures has been completed. The following key points and “lessons
learned” resulted from the analysis:
- Legal expenditures for 2005 were well
over budget and were by far the highest in Commons history.
- Roughly a quarter of funds expended went
to resolve a variety of relatively typical legal issues inherent in
condominium management, with that number of issues placing us over
budget. The majority of funds
expended, approximately three quarters of the total amount, resulted from
severe flooding of a unit and subsequent consequences to adjacent units.
Legal services were obtained
to address the role of the Council of Co-Owners in dealing with the
consequences of the flooding and subsequent mold mitigation, including:
- Determining what constitutes proper
mitigation in a situation where mold is involved.
- Ensuring that the Commons met its
obligation to verify that the responsible owner in fact mitigated the
damage.
- Ensuring that the mitigation would withstand
independent scrutiny, including that of a Court.
- Resolving disagreements between the
Commons and our Insurance Carrier regarding damage payments that the
Commons believed to be covered under our policy.
While the involvement of
counsel was costly, it ensured that:
- Mitigation was sufficient,
- Appropriate insurance reimbursement was
provided, and
- Even costlier litigation regarding
whether the Commons had fulfilled its obligations was avoided.
During
the Annual Budget Meeting, a motion was made and passed requiring the Board to
consider amending Commons By-Laws to preclude similar future expenses. An assessment was conducted, and revealed
that an amendment of Commons By-Laws would not have provided for recovery of
legal expenses. It is a principle of law
that each side pays its own legal fees unless there is explicit agreement to
the contrary. As a matter of practicality, an agreement must be fair and
clear. The following
By-Laws amendment was adopted over 15 years ago on advice of counsel: “In
the event that a conflict arises between a co-owner (or group of co-owners) and
the council of co-owners (or Board of Directors) and such conflict results in
legal action, seeking either injunctive or monetary relief, the prevailing
party in such action shall be entitled to recover his or her reasonable
attorneys’ fees and costs from the non-prevailing party.” Our current lawyers have reviewed this By-Law
and advised that the law has not changed and the wording remains fully
appropriate.
A By-Laws amendment would not preclude future expenses of this nature because those expenses were incurred in researching and implementing an appropriate course of action as opposed to contesting the matter in court. Had a solution not been reached and the matter referred to Court, then our By-Laws and Virginia Law would have applied, with the prevailing party entitled to recover reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs from the non-prevailing party.
As a result of the analysis
of 2005 legal expenses, two “lessons learned” have been noted for application
in future situations where the initial impulse may be to turn immediately to
paid professional services. Those
lessons are:
- Questions should be thought through prior to them being referred to paid professionals. Using a paid professional as a sounding board is expensive - the Board can brainstorm for free.
- The appropriate use of volunteer
services can significantly reduce expenses even when it is necessary to
turn to professionals for final resolution of a situation. For example, a knowledgeable Board
Member or Co-Owner can participate in routine meetings, observe mitigation
activities, and prepare a summary for counsel as opposed to requiring the
direct participation of a paid professional.
While in retrospect it may
have been possible to derive cost savings in resolving the incidents of 2005,
the complexity and severity of those incidents and the demand for a high level
of professional services in their resolution would still have made it
inevitable that our legal fees would be the highest in Commons history even
with the most effective cost control measures in place.
Grounds
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n our previous newsletter,
we discussed the steps that are being taken to address concerns raised
regarding grounds maintenance and the application of herbicides, pesticides,
and fertilizers. Following is the
applications schedule for 2006. Please
remember that future dates are tentative, and may need to be adjusted based on
weather or other factors. In keeping
with Virginia law, signs advising of applications will be posted in advance
advising of actual application dates.
We will be using four products:
· Dimension – Crabgrass Control Agent
- Strike III Herbicide for Broad Leaf Weed
Control – Spot Applications Only
- Corn Gluten for Natural Crabgrass
and Weed Control – S. Utah Street Test Area
- Organic Fertilizer to Promote Root
Development – Throughout the Commons
Application Dates
·
June 21 – Early Summer
Application
Organic Fertilizer, Corn Gluten, Strike III Spot Applications, and Dimension
·
August 9 – Summer
Application
Organic Fertilizer, Corn Gluten, and Strike III Spot Applications
·
September 20 – Early Fall
Application
Strike III Spot Applications and Organic Fertilizer
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November 8 – Late Fall
Application
Organic Fertilizer
Commons Contractors
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ollowing
is a list of
Commons-preferred contractors. Prior
Board approval is required for any
Commons paid work. Plumbing emergencies
should be immediately directed to Mr. Anderson for resolution and a
determination regarding payment responsibility.
Plumbing
William Anderson 703-836-4716
Lights
& Smoke Detectors
“Harry” Hue Tran 703-207-3446
Painting,
Brick Work, and Gutter Cleaning
John Healy 301-888-1041
Carpentry
and General Repair
Patrick McCloskey 410-798-6350
Patrick Healy 202-497-2997
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Fairlington
Commons Board of Directors |
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President |
John Sinks E-mail jsinks@comcast.net |
931-2660 |
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Vice President |
John Rigoli E-Mail jcrigoli@hotmail.com |
933-2757 |
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Treasurer |
Patti Burke E-mail pattisburke@msn.com |
931-2897 |
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Secretary |
Bernie Weaver E-mail WeaverBW@comcast.net |
671-7024 |
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At Large |
Dennis Maridueña E-mail dmariduena@gmail.com |
Unlisted |