The Gazette

The Great American Bake Sale

T

his will be the fifth consecutive year that The Commons has hosted “The Great American Bake Sale” in conjunction with the All Fairlington Fourth of July Celebration and Parade. Over the past four years, our volunteers’ efforts have raised more than $2,000 for "Share Our Strength," a non-profit organization dedicated toward ending childhood hunger in America.

Longtime Commons resident Cathy Malin is the contact point for the Great American Bake Sale, and can be reached at 703-931-9260. Cathy needs the assistance of your baking services. You do not need to be an expert to participate, and every cookie, muffin and brownie can make a difference. Please assist by preparing home baked treats including cookies, brownies, muffins, loaf cakes, pies, or other baked goods – but please, no frostings or fillings.

The sale takes place in the North Fairlington Community Center Parking Lot on Wednesday, July 4^th beginning at 9:00 a.m. Baked goods can be delivered beginning at 8:30 a.m. So, come on out, meet your neighbors, and support this very worthy cause. And, if you can, please volunteer to help with baking, set up, and selling by calling Cathy!

For More Information on Share our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale, see their Website at: (www.greatamericanbakesale.org)

t’s been awhile since we’ve published one of these newsletters. The last one was in March, and since then we’ve accumulated a considerable list of topics to cover. We’ve included most of them here; the rest will follow in future editions.

For those who have recently moved into our community, this newsletter is the official publication of the Fairlington Commons Council of Co-Owners, and is used to both convey policy as well as to provide information on a variety of topics that directly impact our community. We obviously can’t cover everything in this newsletter each month, but if you have a question and haven’t seen an answer here or on our page of the Fairlington website please don’t hesitate to ask. The address for the website is (http://fairlington.org/commonsindex.htm).

Eric Pamer is the Commons Service Coordinator and first responder for questions. Eric can be reached by e-mail, telephone, or by leaving a note to his attention in the mailbox in front of the pool.

Commons Service Coordinator

Eric Pamer

703-379-0027

CommonsService@Hotmail.com

Or drop a note in the mailbox in front of the Pool!

n Saturday, May 26^th, the Fairlington Commons Swimming Pool opened for the 2007 Summer Swimming Season with Katherine Davis and Maeve O’Reilly being the first two swimmers in the 72-degree water! Congratulations ladies – you’re braver than the pool manager, who isn’t going anywhere near that water until it’s at least 85 degrees!

While Commons Board Member Bernie Weaver does double duty as both Secretary and Pool Manager, a lot of the “heavy lifting” is provided by Arlington-based High Sierra Pools and a team of Commons volunteers including Kathy Spitz and Anne Sullivan (Recreation Passes), Debbie Griffin (flowers), and 10-year old Maeve O’Reilly, who proved nobody is too young to contribute by assisting with clean-up and pump room preparation!

As many of you are aware, we no sooner opened the pool then it was closed by the Arlington County Health Department because the required Arlington County Permits had not been obtained. Nobody was more embarrassed and saddened by this mistake then High Sierra Pools, who pride themselves on being the premier pool services provider in Arlington County.

“Please accept my deepest apology for the inconvenience caused to your community on the Memorial Day weekend. I take full responsibility for disappointing each family unable to enjoy the Swimming Pool. We know the entire community looks forward to the Holiday weekend for fun in the sun with family and friends; I will to make it up as best I can to the community.”

In consideration, High Sierra waived their fee for obtaining the permits and agreed to operate our pool at their expense (weather permitting) for the two additional weekends following Labor Day, with any weather cancellations credited to next year’s contract.

On Tuesday, June 5^th, our pool easily passed the first of three summer Arlington County Health Department inspections, with the Inspector remarking to the lifeguard “I love this pool!”

Potluck get-together? Taco night? These are just a few of the suggestions for community events at our pool over the summer, in addition to the traditional end-of-season barbeque. If you’ve got an idea for an event, and are willing to volunteer to make it happen, then read on!

Arnie and Cathy Malin, longtime Commons residents, are forming a small committee to brainstorm and explore new and exciting events for our pool. All ideas can be entertained – the potluck and taco night are just starters!

So, if you’ve got a knack for organizing, some great ideas for fun by the pool, or would just like to meet your neighbors and be active in your community, please call Arnie and Cathy at 703-931-9260, as they’d love to hear from you. Let’s see if we can come up with some fantastic ideas for summer fun at the pool!

You requested them. We produced them. They’re ready now!

Please pick up your Recreation Passes at the Pool!

casual conversation recently revealed that one or more residents of the Commons might actually be feeding the foxes living in our woods. If this is in fact true, it has to stop immediately! Foxes are wild animals that will generally keep their distance from humans. Feeding makes them dependant upon us, and removes any reservations that they may have about approaching our pets, children, or us, and that could lead to disaster.

Please, please, please, admire the foxes, but do not feed them. You might think that you are helping, but instead could well be setting the stage for their destruction should they attack a pet or individual in an attempt to obtain food.

ecently we received a note from a longtime Wakefield Circle resident stating that for the first time that she can remember, there were dog droppings in the lawn in front of her unit. Another resident on 34^th Street reported that someone left a bag of dog droppings in front of his unit. While we all know that none of our residents would ever litter or fail to clean up after their dogs, residents of neighboring associations also walk their dogs in the Commons.

Residents who observe someone failing to clean up after their dog are requested to remind that individual that bags are available at any of our three Doggie Depots for the proper disposal of dog waste and that Arlington County Law requires them to do so. Individuals who fail to clean up after their dog or who litter our community with their bagged dog droppings or anything else are committing a crime.

Residents who observe littering are requested to file a report directly with Arlington County Police as opposed to the Board.

ut volunteer Judy Barr, Commons resident, dog owner, and former ER Nurse, has been doing it. “It” is emptying our three Doggie Depots, which are heavily used, particularly now that the weather is warming and everyone is walking their dogs. Like the Marines, Judy is looking for a few good men and women to help. If you own a dog and use our Doggie Depots, please give serious consideration to assisting Judy in this most necessary of tasks. Judy may be reached at 703-998-0871, and looks forward to hearing from fellow dog owners who want to help keep our community clean and provide for the proper disposal of their pet’s waste.

ometimes these newsletters tend to be heavy on policy and light on the human things happening around us – so…

The American Flag flying from the front of the pool building on weekends and holidays was left by longtime Co-Owners Bob and Georgine Schuster when they moved to Georgia to be close to their children. Bob is a retired Marine who, over the years, took great pride in planting the flowers at our pool. It’s an honor to fly his flag now that he’s gone. Semper Fi, Marine!

We’ve lost three longtime members of our Community – Ann Richardson, Bernice Wertime, and Ann Reed. Bernice’s two sons have retained ownership/occupancy of her unit. We’ll miss seeing Bernice on her daily walks with her son Charles. Ann Reed leaves behind a young daughter who now lives with Ann’s sister elsewhere. They were often at our pool, and will be missed there.

On a lighter note – many of you will remember three-year lifeguard Jessica Evans from our pool. Jessica married Izac Ossiander on Saturday, June 2^nd. Jessica first met Izac in fifth grade in Japan! He’s now a 1^st Lieutenant in the Marines awaiting his first permanent assignment as a JAG. Best wishes to the Happy Couple!

Speaking of lifeguards, stop by the pool, pick up your passes, and while you’re there, check the inner pool gate for e-mails and photos from past lifeguards Ondrej, Andrey, and Marina. Ondrej finished his Masters in Security and Law. Andrey and Marina are planning an October Wedding! And yes, their romance started at our pool! Must be something in the water…

And last, but certainly not least, a big “Thank You!” to Andrew Brodhead for his generosity. Andrew hosted a fantastic barbeque at our pool for a group of friends, and shared with everyone else who was there! Andrew, that was some of the best BBQ chicken that I’ve ever eaten!

adon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. Radon can be found all over the U.S. It can get into any type of building - homes, offices, and schools - and result in a high indoor radon level. You and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure at home, where you spend most of your time.

Testing for radon is becoming a common real estate practice. Over the past ten years, three units in The Commons have tested above the EPA limit. Radon typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation, but can also move through construction joints, cracks in floors or walls, gaps in suspended floors and around service pipes, cavities inside walls, and even through the water supply. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.

Recently a unit in the Commons tested at over twice the recommended EPA limit. A unit in the adjacent building was then tested, with results below the national indoor average and only a quarter of the EPA limit. Radon testing can be done professionally for about $100 or using kits that are mailed away for about $15 per kit.

If necessary, radon remediation usually costs $1,000-$1,500 and is accomplished by venting air from under the foundation. Typically, a 3-inch pipe is used to vent the air above the roofline. When installed on the outside of a unit, it looks like a downspout. Some inside units may require interior installations, with the pipe penetrating the roof. Remediation must be done professionally to ensure compliance with EPA guidelines. The cost of remediation varies with the location of the problem and style of the unit.

The choice to test for radon and to accomplish remediation is the responsibility of individual Co-Owners, as it is in neighboring condominium associations. Because remediation requires external architectural changes and may require structural changes, remediation plans must be reviewed and approved by the Commons Board of Directors prior to the commencement of any such work. In general, the Board will seek to minimize the visual impact, particularly regarding pipes attached along the front of buildings or surfaces of roofs.

Editors Note - Much of the material contained in this article comes from the U.S. Government’s Environmental Protection Agency website. For more information about radon and associated issues, please see “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon” at: http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#overview

ith the support of your Board of Directors and thanks to the efforts of Commons volunteer Jim Sharpe, Arlington County recently planted several new trees on the Wakefield Circle. These trees are easily identifiable by the stake anchors attached to hold them in place.

Planting new trees is only the first step. The County’s arborist says that they will have little chance of survival if not watered regularly from April to October for the next two years. So, for those of you living near our newest leafy neighbors – please, please, please assist in their survival by occasionally providing them with much needed water.

After a week of little or no rain, each tree should be given 10 gallons of water, administered by bucket (the typical bucket holds four gallons) or hose, although the arborist recommends a bucket to ensure that the water gets where it needs to go.

ollowing is the agronomic application schedule for the remainder of 2007. 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 will be posted in advance advising of actual application dates.

· June 19 – Late Spring Application

· August 9 – Summer Application

· September 18 – Early Fall Application

· November 6 – Late Fall Application

hinking of selling your Fairlington home? Following are a few items that you will need to know or provide during the sale and settlement process:

Disclosure Papers: The Virginia Condominium Act requires sellers to present a package of information (disclosure papers) to a perspective buyer, usually after a purchase contract has been submitted. To obtain disclosure papers, please contact our accountant, Murphy and Associates, at (703) 370-9100. The cost is $100. Requests for disclosure papers are normally filled within a few days. Questionnaires from lenders, appraisers, and settlement attorneys regarding refinancing or status of payments should also be directed to Murphy and Associates.

Inspections: Prior to disclosure papers being issued, your unit and surrounding grounds will be inspected by the Fairlington Commons Board of Directors for conformance to our By-Laws, architectural standards, unauthorized modifications, accumulated trash, and installation of non-approved devices. This requirement is normally not a problem assuming that the Co-Owner has properly and appropriately coordinated and received prior Board approval of external modifications or installations such as replacement windows and doors, sheds, lights, satellite dish antennas and associated cables, and has made no modifications to the interior of the unit that compromise safety or structural integrity. Violations of Commons By-Laws, rules, regulations, and architectural guidelines will be noted in Element 9 of the disclosure papers.

Certificates of Insurance. Certificates of Insurance are normally required by the lender at settlement and should be requested by the lender (not the buyer, seller, or real estate agent) from our insurance agent, Jerry Wagner (703-631-2882).

Condominium Fee Coupon Books. Please turn your coupon book over to the new owner at settlement.

Parking Passes. Parking Passes are the property of the Council of Co-Owners and must be returned to the Board when a residence is sold or the resident moves.

Resources and Contacts. Following are some key resources and contacts that can assist you in buying or selling your Fairlington Commons Unit:

Murphy and Associates

lease don’t feed them. Yes, they’re cute, cuddly little creatures that are fun to watch, but they are also extremely destructive pests that can and will chew their way into our buildings for the purposes of shelter and nesting, particularly where there is a readily available source of food from humans who provide it. Don’t believe it? Here are a few examples of actual cases of squirrel damage in the Commons:

here is an old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, if it is broken, then please e-mail, call, or write to Commons Service Coordinator Eric Pamer so we can get your item on our repair list.

Now, just because you’ve e-mailed or called Eric doesn’t automatically mean that your concern will be addressed within the hour, but it will be entered into our database, prioritized, and tracked until it is resolved. Items related to safety or imminent major damage to our buildings are handled immediately and assigned top priority. Otherwise, we try to gather a collection of routine items prior to calling the appropriate contractor to minimize costs. Really expensive items, like roof and deck replacements, are budgeted a year or more in advance, although that doesn’t mean that we can’t make spot repairs as warranted to extend the life of a roof or deck until it can be replaced.

Oh…and please be nice to Eric. He’s a Co-Owner, lives here, and as an independent contractor only has limited authority to prioritize your request. If you’ve got an issue with prioritization, please take it up with the Board, whose members are listed in this newsletter.

Commons Service Coordinator

Eric Pamer

703-379-0027

CommonsService@Hotmail.com

Or drop a note in the mailbox in front of the Pool.

f you’re at the pool, and a thunderstorm is approaching, please listen to the lifeguard when you are asked to leave. Go home immediately. Electricity not only fries wire-chewing squirrels, it also fries humans who are unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a bolt when the storm gods become angry.

A number of years ago, lightning struck a tree not far from the pool. Before its energy dissipated, it had destroyed the tree, burned up three television sets, a computer modem, a cordless phone, welded the bulbs in our streetlights halfway around the Wakefield Circle, and sent a huge, rolling ball of red fire past the front windows of several units.

What was really scary was that the lifeguard, watching the approaching storm from just outside the pool office, suddenly found her waist-length hair standing straight up above her head immediately prior to the lightning strike. It easily could have been worse, but thankfully wasn’t, as the lightning chose the tree instead of the lifeguard as a path to ground. So, let’s all be safe this summer. If a thunderstorm is approaching, leave the pool, as well as the tennis and basketball courts, immediately!

t took time, a registered letter from the Commons Board of Directors, multiple letters from disgruntled Co-Owners, and several telephone conversations, but the daily littering of our community with “The Examiner,” paid advertising that masqueraded as a newspaper, has stopped.

nce again this summer, Shamrock Painting (John Healy) will be at work in the Commons. Following our regular three-year schedule, 74 units will be painted this year. 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 Commons Service Coordinator Eric Pamer with your request.

lways wanted to try yoga, but never have? Already a yogi and want a class right outside your front door? Join us on Saturday, September 9^th from 9 to 10 a.m. (rain date Saturday, September 15^th) at the Commons basketball court on the Wakefield Circle for a free outdoor yoga class taught by Kristi Daniels, Commons resident and Registered Yoga Teacher. This one-hour class will introduce you to the basics of yoga for relaxation, flexibility, and strength. Kristi can be reached at yogathyme@verizon.net to RSVP or for more information.

he discussion of lightning strikes earlier in this newsletter reminded us that we’ve often thought about publishing an article on insurance coverage, but haven’t. So, here goes, with the provision that the following is general in nature and that anyone with questions should carefully read their insurance policies or contact their agent for official information, and that the Commons assumes no liability or responsibility as a result of actions that you may or may not take as a result of reading this article.

For openers, we (the Fairlington Commons Council of Co-Owners) hold a “Master Policy” that essentially provides structural insurance that would assist in the repair or replacement of our buildings in the event of damage. It is this policy that repaired the roof of one of our buildings years ago after a lightning strike set it on fire. It is this policy that is referenced in the “Certificate of Insurance” required by lenders at the time of resale or refinancing and previously discussed in this newsletter. Nationwide has set the replacement cost for the Commons at $25,199,600.

Again in generalities, the Master Policy will restore the structure to its original 1973 condition in the event of a covered loss. In other words, if your unit is gutted by fire, our policy will replace the original hardwood floors, but not the carpets or Persian rugs that you have laid on top of them or the high-end countertops or kitchen cabinets that you have installed. It would cover the cost of the equivalent 1973 version. These other items you need to insure yourself as “improvements” under a condominium owner’s policy.

If you own your unit, a condominium owner’s policy is essential. It is this policy that you would turn to for replacement of your unit’s improvements and your furnishings in the event of a covered claim. Many of these policies may also provide coverage of items in your car, and may also protect you from liability. There is one catch, however, and that is the difference in levels of coverage between “actual cash value” and “replacement cost.”

With “actual cash value” coverage, that television set that you paid $2,000 for a couple years ago would only be covered at its present resale value – and we all know what used TVs sell for, and it’s certainly not what you paid for it or what it would really cost to replace.

“Replacement cost” coverage is different, in that it generally pays for the full cost of replacement. Again, talk with your insurance agent.

OK, so you rent your home here. Everything’s cool, right? If there’s a disaster, you just call the unit owner or management agent and everything is taken care of. Wrong! The unit owner’s policy does not cover your stuff, or your stay at a hotel! If you don’t already have it, see your Insurance Agent immediately about Renter’s Insurance, which is very reasonably priced and will cover your stuff in a variety of catastrophes.

You own your unit, or multiple units, which you rent to tenants and which you have insured. Only now there’s been an event that has caused the tenant to evacuate, and the unit has been condemned by Arlington County pending repairs or total replacement. Can you stand the loss of income? Or worse, can you still pay the mortgage, condominium fee, and other expenses by yourself without the rental income from your tenant? Again, insurance is available to protect you in this situation.

All of these types of insurance now bring us to another complex issue known as “coordination of coverage.” Essentially, this is the question of what policy pays for what. In many cases, the individual’s policy will pay for covered losses up to the $5,000 deductible of the master policy.

Some co-owners have purchased Condominium Owners Insurance from the same company that provides our Master Policy, so theoretically there should be no gaps in the coverage between the two policies, but that solution may not be the most desirable or best for everyone. Main point here is to recognize that there could be gaps in coverage provided by various policies from different Insurers, or even different agents of the same underwriter, so beware!

Another advantage of having a Nationwide policy is dealing with one set of adjustors. You should be aware that even if there are not gaps between your policy and the master policy, there are common exclusions from coverage. These typically include losses from surface water and normal wear and tear. Questions about our master policy coverage should be directed to our agent, Jerry Wagner.

If you walk or drive through the neighborhood, you can’t have missed the backhoes. Most likely, they are digging up sewer lines that have failed or otherwise collapsed as a result of age. And there are always the neighbor’s kids who flush their toys down the toilet, blocking the line and flooding your unit. There’s something called “Sewer Backup Coverage” which is available on most Condominium Owners policies and which is a really good deal for the money, especially when you suddenly find your basement filling with stuff you thought you’d seen the last of.

This concludes our “quick look” at insurance. This article was intended to convey some of the practical experience we have acquired over the years. If you have questions, please contact your insurance agent for more detailed, policy specific information. Questions about our Master Policy should be directed to Jerry Wagner, our Nationwide Representative, at 703-631-2882.

Notices of meetings and other correspondence governed by our By-Laws will continue to be mailed in accordance with the requirements established in the By-Laws. While economics dictate that we no longer routinely mail our Newsletter to non-resident Co-Owners, we will, if possible, continue to include them on a case-by-case basis as an enclosure with other official correspondence. Non-resident Co-Owners should check the website periodically for newsletters and other information of interest.

tip from a recent issue of the Washington Post - wash surfaces where the ants customarily crawl – like kitchen counters, with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. Residual vinegar will prevent the ants from establishing olfactory trails between any food and their nests.

airlington Commons is a roughly triangular area bounded by I-395, South 34^th Street, and South Utah Streets. The first Fairlington Village to be renovated in 1973, Fairlington Commons is the second smallest of the six South Fairlington Condominium Associations in numbers of homes (229 units contained in 54 buildings) but physically the largest with approximately 22 acres of land.

Fairlington Commons Board of Directors
President	John Sinks E-mail jsinks@comcast.net	931-2660
Vice President	Patti Burke E-mail pattisburke@msn.com	931-2897
Secretary	Bernie Weaver E-mail WeaverBW@comcast.net	671-7024
Treasurer	Christine Sivigny E-mail CSivigny@hotmail.com	778-6041
At Large	Dennis Maridueña E-mail dmariduena@gmail.com	Unlisted

3367 S. Wakefield Street, Arlington, VA 22206 June 2007

· June 19 – Late Spring Application

· August 9 – Summer Application

· September 18 – Early Fall Application

· November 6 – Late Fall Application

Murphy and Associates