Winter Blues
t’s
been a winter - colder than those in the recent past, with more frozen
precipitation and related issues. While
hopefully the worst of the frigid weather is now behind us as the calendar
marches toward spring, it is only fitting that we look back for an assessment
of what went wrong, what went right, and how we can do it better next time.
“What Went Wrong”
In
the “what went wrong” category was the response, or lack thereof, by grounds
contractor Blade Runners to the Valentines Day sleet that covered every street,
parking lot, roof, patio, sidewalk, and step with two inches of frozen
muck. To say that the Co-Owners were
displeased with their performance would be an understatement, displeasure that
was expressed by the Board of Directors in a letter to Blade Runners corporate
president addressing their performance, specifically:
- Failure to Respond in a Timely Manner. The storm was no surprise and was
accurately forecast by area meteorologists, including time between the end
of precipitation and the solid freeze that could have been used to more
easily remove a majority of the sleet.
- Incomplete Clearing of Sidewalks and
Steps. The letter emphasized that; in future
occurrences, sidewalks and steps are to be given priority, particularly
those between parking lots and residences.
- Poor Plowing. Specifically cited was their failure to
adequate clear the parking lots, plowing snow directly behind parked cars,
obstructing spaces previously cleared by residents, and indiscriminately
piling snow in otherwise usable parking spaces.
- Shoveling. In at least one instance, shoveled snow
was piled in and on the window wells of a unit where it could have caused
water damage or flooding.
- Misuse of Ice Melt. Ice melt was not spread evenly or
properly. This is of special
concern because over-application in the early years of the Commons
resulted in extensive damage to sidewalks.
- Poor Communications. Contractor personnel were not available
to coordinate snow removal and ice mitigation or to provide information.
“What Went Right”
In
the “what went right” category, and to their credit, Blade Runners did take the
Board’s telephone, e-mail, and written displeasure with their performance to
heart, providing an excellent response to the surprise snow of Sunday, February
25th. Hopefully those lessons
will be remembered in future years, and the Board is taking additional steps to
ensure that those lessons are, in fact, remembered.
“How Can We Do It Better
Next Time?”
We’ve
already taken the first step – documenting our complaints and expectations in a
letter to Blade Runners that seems to have had its desired effect. The Board will also be meeting on-site with
Blade Runners to walk the property and review our expectations and priorities
for snow removal.
Communication
and oversight is key, both in planning snow removal and in ensuring that it is
properly accomplished. While it is
impractical for a Board member(s) to directly supervise every aspect of snow
removal operations, we will be closely monitoring to ensure that the critical
areas of our community, particularly the sidewalks and steps between parking
areas and residences, have been properly cleared and treated.
Plows
can only push snow, not pick it up and move it - a negligible limitation in
light snows but problematic with heavy snows.
While residents can assist by trying to leave open areas at the ends of
our parking lots into which plows can push snow, future heavy snows may see the
use of a front-end loader to pick up, move, and pile snow in out of the way
places.
On-Street Parking
e’ve
discussed this topic many times in the past, but for those of you who are new
to The Commons, and as a reminder for everyone else, there are some key points
that bear emphasis.
Streets
in Fairlington Commons belong to Arlington County, not to the Commons. Use of the street, and parking, are governed
by Arlington County. You do not need a
Fairlington Commons Parking Pass to park on the street. The parking pass is only required if you park
in our parking lots, which we do own and control. With the exception of designated handicapped
parking, there is no reserved on-street parking.
There
are some steps that residents can take to improve the on-street parking
situation, but they are voluntary. If
you own two cars, park one in front of your unit, the other elsewhere (across
the street or some distance away) to allow your neighbors the opportunity to
park at least one car close to home.
When parking, try to not leave excessive distance between cars, but
allow the car in front or behind some maneuvering room to get out. Ideally, nobody should park in front of the
stairs leading to the Wakefield Circle sidewalks, but if it’s the last
available space, so be it.
And
while we hope the snow is behind us, just because you shoveled a parking space
on the street doesn’t mean that you own it, regardless of how many hours you
worked or the number of lawn chairs with “reserved” signs you placed in
it. Yes, we hope that everyone will be
courteous and respect your efforts, but as was stated at the beginning of this
article, it is an Arlington County public street.
Commons Parking Lots
e’ve
covered Commons parking policy in past newsletters. It’s available, as are the past newsletters,
on the Internet at:
http://fairlington.org/commonsindex.htm.
Meanwhile, there are two things worth repeating in this
article – every car parked in our lots must display a parking pass and, with
the exception of a single marked handicap space in one parking lot, there are
no individually assigned or reserved parking spaces in our lots.
Parking Lot Volunteers
everal
Commons Co-Owners have expressed an interest in monitoring our parking lots for
parking policy compliance, and the Board is considering the establishment of a
set of parameters under which such monitoring would be accomplished. If you are a Co-Owner interested in serving
as a monitor in the parking lot adjacent your residence, please provide contact
information to Board President John Sinks.
Notes on Cars
argely
as a byproduct of frustrations resulting from the snow and crowded parking on
the Wakefield Circle and in some of our lots, residents have left notes on each
other’s cars. Unfortunately, and in a
majority of instances, the actions requested by these notes are non-compliant
with our parking policy or with Arlington County law. So, unless you’re leaving a note with your
contact information in reference to the dent that you just accidentally
inflicted on your neighbor’s car, the practice of leaving any note is probably
not a good idea - as illustrated by the following:
“After the Valentine’s Day
storm, a Board member received a call concerning an incident in one of our
apartment style buildings. As reported,
a building resident had shoveled a parking space, went to run an errand, and
returned to find a car belonging to another resident parked in the shoveled
space. The resident left a note on the
car. The car’s owner, who is not a
resident of the building, found the note, entered the building, and, standing
in front of the note-writer’s door, treated all of the building residents to a loud,
threatening tirade.”
Although
none of the involved parties referred the matter to the Arlington County
Police, the potential list of serious criminal charges (simple assault,
disturbing the peace, and potentially others) that could have resulted is
significant. Think twice before you write
that note – or act on one.
New Trashcan
hanks to the efforts of
Commons resident Jim Sharpe, a large trashcan has been installed by Arlington
County on the Wakefield Circle between the Tennis Court and Pool. It is for the convenience of residents using
the picnic table and tennis court and for litter. It is not for routine household trash.
Please do not deposit dog
waste in the new trashcan. Two doggie
depots (with sealed lids) are available on the Circle for that purpose, one
adjacent the pool building, the other adjacent the tot lot.
Jim Sharpe has volunteered
to manage the new trashcan; Judy Barr continues to manage our doggie
depots. Many thanks to these volunteers
for their service and for helping us maintain our community facilities.
Service Coordinator
s a reminder,
requests for maintenance or questions of a general nature should be referred to
Service Coordinator Eric Pamer for action.
Eric’s contact information is:
Commons
Service Coordinator
Eric
Pamer
703-379-0027
CommonsService@Hotmail.com
|
|
Residents may also submit
requests in writing by leaving a note at the pool mailbox to Eric’s attention.
Plumbing Emergencies
lumbing emergencies should be
immediately and directly addressed to Commons Plumber Billy Anderson. Billy has been our plumber forever, and is
more familiar with our water lines, sewers, and storm drains than anyone
else. Be prepared to leave a message
when you call – but count on a quick return call. Billy is also available to perform work for
Commons residents on an individual basis, with the cost of services negotiated
and paid by the individual resident.
William
“Billy” Anderson Plumbing
703-836-4716
|
|
Paint Cans
rom
time to time, as it has recently, the question of how to dispose of empty paint
cans comes up. So there is no
misunderstanding regarding the appropriate disposition of paint cans, here are
the pertinent facts:
AAA Rainbow does not accept paint cans for disposal!
Not
as recycling, and not as trash. It
doesn’t matter if the can is empty, the lid off, the paint dried, etc. They don’t take them. They won’t take them. Don’t put them out. If you’ve hired a contractor to paint your
unit, you are responsible for ensuring that your contractor doesn’t put them
out either. Task the contractor to
dispose of them properly.
Arlington County will
accept paint cans at the Household Hazardous Materials Facility.
The facility is located at
3155 South Fern Street, at the intersection of South Fern Street and South
Glebe Road. Arlington County also
provides for the appropriate disposition of other forms of hazardous or environmentally
damaging materials. Please visit the
Arlington County Web Site (http://www.co.arlington.va.us)
for more details. Again, you will have
to take the cans to the facility.
Arlington County
Website and AAA Rainbow Provide Conflicting Direction!
The Arlington County
Website talks about placing paint cans out for trash collection. DON’T
DO IT! Arlington County does
pick up the cans, but only where they pick up trash. Arlington County does not pick up our trash,
AAA Rainbow does, and they will not pick up paint cans!
Dispose of Hazmat
Properly!
Placing
empty paint cans in front of the pool, or throwing them in the woods is
unacceptable and illegal. Anyone
observed engaging in this behavior will be prosecuted. Anyone observing a resident engaging in this
behavior is asked by Arlington County to call the Arlington
County Police at the non-emergency number (703-558-2222) to file a report.
|
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
|