Fairlington Glen

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE. The Board approved a bid from Living Colour for grounds maintenance for 2003 at a cost of $82,251.

We still need someone with an interest in serving the community to volunteer as the Chairperson of the Buildings & Grounds Committee. If you are interested, please contact Paul Greenfield at 703-820-9692.

We now have email capability in the Maintenance Office. Residents are requested to use email for routine maintenance requests to ensure the maintenance staff has a clear understanding of the problem and the address and phone number of the affected resident. The email address is ricksolfg@aol.com. The phone (703-820-9567) is still available for emergencies or those without an email capability.

Once again the Board would like to thank Ricky and the crew for their efforts during the past few months. The demands placed on them this winter were severe and they have not had a weekend off since early January due to the need to clear snow and deal with sewer backups. Their dedication in support of the Glen and all of the residents has been excellent and should be commended.

Residents should review their procedures for responding to emergencies including man-made threats and natural disasters. Emergency preparedness documentation provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can be found on the following web pages:

• Family Disaster Plan:

http://www.fema.gov/library/famplan.shtm

• Disaster Supplies Kit:

http://www.fema.gov/library/diskit.shtm

• Emergency Food and Water Supplies:

http://www.fema.gov/library/emfdwtr.shtm

Some general emergency preparedness considerations follow:

• Phone systems may be disrupted ... develop a plan for your family to gather or regain contact with you. Travel may not be possible so family members who work in or frequently travel to another city should make arrangements to stay at a place in that city until the "all clear" is given. Assume that you will not be able to communicate with them for 24 hours or more.
• Frequently refuel vehicles so you have sufficient gas to get home even if delayed in local traffic. Gas stations need electricity to run and may be ordered to shut down in an emergency even if electricity is available.
• Carry cash in small bills ... if communications fail stores can not process credit card/ATM transactions. If you don't usually carry cash, have $40 stored in the car that you use the most.
• Stock a week's supply of freshly bottled water and easily prepared food, and have a few days supply of packaged food that requires no cooking in case electric and gas utilities are disrupted.
• In case of evacuation, prepare a portable emergency kit containing medicine, toilet paper, toothbrushes and paste, hand sanitizer, water/food, flashlights, portable radios and extra batteries, pen and paper, whistle, rope, duct tape, blankets, general toiletries, and anything else you need to sustain you and your family for one week.
• Ensure appropriate carriers for your pets and store food, water, and leashes/collars with the portable emergency kit. Do not leave pets unattended in emergency situations since they will know something is wrong and be easily scared and/or try to run away.
• In extreme cases the Red Cross and local governments utilize Amateur Radio to pass welfare traffic. If you evacuate, go to the Red Cross and have HAM radio pass welfare traffic to your loved ones across the country.
• Do not leave home when an emergency occurs since subsequent events could prevent your return and create undue worry for your family. You may also hamper emergency response and life saving efforts.
• Stay off the phone to avoid tying up the system and obstructing emergency services. It is best to call one party out of state and have them contact everyone else to let them know you are okay.
• Immediately report suspicious circumstances to law enforcement.

The Fairlington Historical Society will kick off a year-long celebration marking the 60^th anniversary of Fairlington with a Home and Garden Tour on May 10^th from 11am to 3pm. Scheduled to coincide with Arlington County's Neighborhood Day, the tour showcases nineteen homes in North and South Fairlington. The featured units display qualities that include exceptional renovation, innovative use of space, artistic interior design, or special landscaping or gardening elements. The Tour will conclude with a reception for ticket-holders and tour volunteers at the North Fairlington Community Center from 3pm to 5pm

Tickets are $5.00 each and may be purchased the day of the tour at the main entrance of the South Fairlington Community Center. Advance Tickets may also be reserved online at http://www.fairlington.org/homegardentourtickets.htm and may be picked up May 10^th at the will call desk at the South Fairlington Community Center. Tickets may be limited, so reserve early to ensure your participation.

The Fairlington Historical Society hopes that this event will spotlight a cross-section of the many lively and comfortable residences and gardens that help make our community a pleasant place to live. If you are considering doing some remodeling on your unit and would like to pick up a few ideas and pointers, or if you simply want to know what other people are doing to make their homes reflect their lifestyles and personalities, this is your chance!

It seems that we have at least one opossum sharing the ambiance of the Glen with us. To date it has been seen in and around Court 8 though there may be others elsewhere. Arlington Animal Control was notified and visited the area; however, there is nothing that they can do since this is the domain of the opossums as well as our's. They stated that if we stop feeding other animals such as the squirrels and don't leave edible trash out, they may go elsewhere. Opossums are not generally a danger and shouldn't bother us or our pets unless we attempt to hit or otherwise bother them. In addition, we do not need to be concerned about rabies unless an opossum appears to be staying on the ground rather than climbing. The opossum has ambled from prehistoric times to the modern day virtually unchanged mainly because of its non-aggressive nature; ability to eat most anything, dead of alive; great acting ability; and high reproductive rate. Interesting facts about opossums found on the Internet that may ease your concerns about their presence among us are as follows:

• Exceptionally non-aggressive and non-destructive ... will not harm people or pets;
• Far less health risk than cats or dogs ... more immune to many diseases than other animals and far less likely to carry rabies;
• Quiet and reclusive ... solitary animals except for a mother with babies;
• Beneficial to the environment since they eat insect pests, snails and slugs;
• One of the few animals that regularly prey on shrews and moles;
• Clean and always grooming;
• Nocturnal;
• Do not turn over trash cans or dig holes and destroy gardens and shrubs ... if this is being done it may be a stray dog or a raccoon.

• The crew will be removing shutters in Courts 9-12 over the next few weeks in preparation for painting by our contractor which will start in late April or early May. New shutters will be installed once painting is completed. Notices will be sent to the affected courts prior to the start of painting.
• Many gutters were damaged as a result of the snow. Major repairs are in progress by our contractor and minor repairs are being done by the crew. This will take time, so please be patient.
• The Glen experienced additional sewer backups During March. Please do not put anything in the commodes other than human waste.

SEWER LINES. While sewer backups are very infrequent due to the efforts of Ricky and his crew plus our sewer replacement efforts, they still occur. There were a number of recent backups and items that should not be flushed into the sewer lines were discovered. We need to support ongoing efforts by keeping items that contribute to sewer blockages and backups out of the sewer system so that neither you nor your neighbors have to experience a backup. Please be considerate by not putting sanitary napkins, dental floss, baby wipes, paper towels, condoms, tampons, or diapers down the commode. In addition, please inform your guests, house sitters, babysitters, etc. that our sewer lines are fragile and must be treated accordingly.

SPRING SPRUCEUP. Spring has arrived and we really appreciate residents taking care of their patios. However, please remember that any debris and trash placed outside the patio gate, near the community trash barrels, and on the lawn will not be picked up. Please keep these items in your patio overnight and place them in front of your unit for the morning trash pickup. Residents may also consider replacing worn doormats and picking up hoses or other items strewn in plant beds. In addition, personal items (e.g., bicycles, scooters, baby carriages, toys) left in the common areas or on the front porches are unsightly and detract from the enjoyment of the community by your neighbors. Please make sure that these items are put away as soon as possible after use.

RED REFLECTORS. Now that spring is here, our landscape contractor will be a frequent and welcome presence. If you do not want the contractor to prune the shrubs around your unit, put a red reflector in the front bed. The contractor will continue to perform routine mulching and weeding, but shrub maintenance becomes a co-owner responsibility. If the shrubs are not properly maintained, the co-owner will be notified and will have 30 days to perform the necessary maintenance. If this is not done, the contractor will be directed to maintain the shrubs at the co-owner's expense.

PLANT BEDS. Pots, trellises, or other structures are not to be placed in any of the common plant beds including those in front of your unit. There is to be no edging around the plant beds other than that provided by the Glen's landscape contractor or, in a few cases (e.g., provide a retainer on a sloping area), through co-owner submission and Board approval of a landscape variance request. Additional information can be found in the Plant Bed Edging Policy (pages 4-7 and 4-8 of the Handbook).

NOISE CONSIDERATIONS. Please be considerate of your neighbors ... many noises created in your unit can be heard by, and irritate, your neighbors. One example is home theatre systems which are quite popular nowadays; however, your neighbors may not enjoy the noise generated by them. We have adjacent walls that conduct loud rumbling sounds all too well (even across floor levels). Common courtesy should be considered in the use of such items since their acoustics are designed more for large non-attached homes than for small town homes and apartments.

REPORTING PROBLEMS. You can contact Ricky at ricksolfg@aol.com for routine maintenance actions. You can also contact Ricky and the chairpersons of the Landscape Subcommittee and Pool Committee by calling 703-820-9567 and pressing "1" for the Landscape Subcommittee and "2" for the Pool Committee. To leave a message for Ricky, wait for the tone at the end of the recorded message or press "9" or "#" to end the recorded message and go to the tone. Please be courteous and don't call these people at home. If you have an after-hours emergency maintenance problem or can not reach Ricky after a reasonable time, please call the Legum & Norman 24-hour emergency repair number ... 703-600-6000

HANDBOOK. All residents and co-owners should have a copy of the Fairlington Glen Handbook dated November 1999. Please review it occasionally since it provides essential information to ensure that you and your neighbors enjoy the wonderful experience of living in the Glen.

All Glen meetings are held in the Fairlington Community Center at 3308 South Stafford Street. All residents are welcome.

• Board of Directors, 7:30pm, 1^st Tuesday of the month
• Building and Grounds Committee, 7:30pm, 3^rd Tuesday of the month (no meetings in August, November, and December)
• Landscape Subcommittee, 7:00pm, 2^nd Tuesday of the month

Visit "http://www.fairlington.org/glenindex.htm" for draft Board minutes, newsletters, and the Handbook. Please contact John Fuller if you have comments on Fairlington Glen information on this site.