Fairlington Glen


NEWSLETTER                                                                                                              November 2004


 

 

NOVEMBER 4TH ANNUAL MEETING

 

The proposed budget for 2005 was approved at the annual meeting held on November 4th, 2004.

 

 

NOVEMBER 4TH BOARD MEETING

 

WASTE REMOVAL. The Board approved a bid from Capital Services for trash removal and recycling during 2005 at a cost of $53,159.

 

 

LANDSCAPE SUBCOMMITTEE

 

Attendees at the Annual Meeting moved and unanimously approved a motion thanking Dorothy Hutchinson and Mary Bley for their dedicated and highly successful support of the Glen while serving as Co-chairs of the Landscape Subcommittee. They are both retiring from this position so a new Chairperson(s) is needed. If you would like to volunteer for this position, please contact Mike Hahn at 703-578-3138.

 

 

CRIME

 

All Glen residents should be vigilant regarding suspicious activities in our community. The police need to be aware of such activities in order to help us maintain security throughout the Glen. If you notice any suspicious activities you should immediately call the police at 911 if it appears to be an emergency or at 703-558-2222 if its not an emergency. Both of these numbers are answered 24 hours a day. In addition, please inform the Security Subcommittee (Dean Montanye at 703-379-6801 or Hal Vorhies at 703-820-2505) and one of the Board members as soon as possible since these are community issues and both the Security Subcommittee and the Board need to ensure that all of our residents are kept informed.

 

If you have a general security concern that you feel should be brought to the attention of the police, please contact the Security Subcommittee. Do not contact the police directly since they desire a single point-of-contact on such concerns to ensure they don’t waste time addressing multiple requests associated with a single concern.

 

 

AUTO THIEVES CAUGHT STEALING BAIT VEHICLE

 

On October 11th at 1:47am, two would-be car thieves entered an Arlington Police bait vehicle parked near the intersection of South 31st and Abingdon Streets. At that moment, electronic transmissions from the bait car alerted police that the vehicle had been entered. In less than two minutes, the thieves were able to start the engine. As they crossed the 34th Street bridge by the fire station to enter South Fairlington, several Arlington cruisers were on their tail. The lead cruiser then ordered the Emergency Communications Center (Arlington’s 9-1-1 center) to remotely disable the bait car’s engine. The vehicle rolled to a stop in the 3500 block of South Wakefield St. Two suspects were taken into custody without incident. One of the arrestee’s was also charged with possessing a concealed machete.

 

The bait cars are a specialized weapon used by the Auto Crimes Unit. Bait cars, which are camouflaged to look like regular vehicles, send a signal to dispatchers when they are tampered with. If the car is moved, dispatchers can track the vehicle via Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology and remotely control several of the vehicles functions including the engine. Since the program began in February 2002, thirty persons have been arrested. So far, all defendants who have gone to court have pled guilty.

 

 

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

 

On Friday, 5 November, between 9:30pm and 9:45pm, a motorcycle was heard entering the alleyway between Courts 12 and 13, leading from S. Stafford Street to the basketball court/swimming pool area. A short time later it was observed at the entrance to the tennis courts by the swimming pool where one of the riders appeared to be trying to gain access to the tennis courts. The parties concerned left the area before the police could be summoned. No damage to the tennis courts has been detected. Residents are asked to be alert for any similar incidents in the future.

 

 

BEDROOM EXITS

 

Co-owners who convert attic and basement areas into bedrooms should be aware of the regulations related to exits that are used by Arlington Code Enforcement officials in approving, denying, or inspecting plans for these conversions. The applicable portions of the Council of American Building Code regulations (1995 Edition) pertaining to required windows and exits necessary for rooms used for sleeping purposes are as follows:

 

•        Every sleeping room shall have at least one openable window or exterior door approved for emergency egress or rescue. The units must be operable from the inside to a full clear opening without the use of a key or tool. Where windows are provided as a means of egress or rescue they shall have a sill height of not more than 44 inches (1118 mm) above the floor.

 

•        All egress or rescue windows from sleeping rooms must have a clear opening of 5.7 square feet (0.530 m2). The minimum net clear opening height shall be 22 inches (559 mm). The minimum net clear opening width shall be 20 inches (508 mm). Exception: Grade floor windows may have a minimum net clear opening of 5 square feet (0.465 m2).

 

•        Bars, grills, screens or other obstructions placed over emergency escape windows shall be releasable or removable from the inside without the use of a key or tool.

 

 

PREVENTING BURST WATER PIPES

 

Unless you live in a Braddock, please secure your outside faucets (front and back) in order to prevent burst water pipes when the temperature drops and the weather remains cold. In the Barcroft units there is one valve to control both faucets located above the hot water heater in the utility room. For other units there are two valves ... one behind the disposal under the sink for the patio faucet and one over the hot water heater in the utility room for the front faucet. To shut off the water, turn the valves off inside the unit and open the valves outside in order to drain the pipes and keep them from freezing. Leave the heat in your unit on to at least 55 degrees (even when you are away) to prevent broken pipes.

 

 

WETA PRESS RELEASE

 

Washington, D.C. - Escaped elephants, beaches, Little Saigon - think you know Arlington, Virginia? Once home to General Robert E. Lee, Arlington has also been home to a world-themed amusement park and Tops Drivette. It was where Orville Wright tested planes and where desegregation was first implemented in Virginia’s public schools. WETA TV 26 brings you these stories and more in its new production ARLINGTON: HEROES, HISTORY & HAMBURGERS. The documentary premieres December 2 at 8 p.m. and airs several times throughout December on TV 26.

 

WETA’s 80-minute tribute to Arlington County features archival footage, interviews with residents and insight from historians Kathryn Holt Springston, Sara Collins and Arlington County historic preservation coordinator Michael Levanthal. The program documents the history of Arlington starting with life on the land 10,000 years ago and concluding in recent times with a look at the county’s diversity.

 

 

FAIRLINGTON AT 50

 

Fairlington at 50 - 60th Anniversary Edition. A history of Fairlington, along with photographs (1943-2003), authored by resident Catherine Fellows, are available at $20. Order by calling 703-379-6860 (Sandy).

 

 

MAINTENANCE OFFICE EMAIL

 

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.

 

 

MAINTENANCE OFFICE PHONE CALLS

 

If you need to contact Ricky or the chairpersons of the Landscape Subcommittee and the Pool Committee by calling 703-820-9567, please remember that your phone number and address are essential and must be understood. Please speak slowly when providing this information and consider repeating it to ensure it will be understood by those accessing your messages.

 

 

PHONE LISTS

 

The two lists of Court Representatives and Important Phone Numbers are not current and will not be published in the Newsletter until they are updated. If you desire information regarding these lists, please contact Paul B. Greenfield at 703-820-9692 or at paul@paulgreenfield.com

 

 

RICKY’S CORNER

 

•        A temporary patch has been made to the basketball court. Efforts are underway to find a contractor for permanent repairs. In the meantime, be careful and let Ricky know if there are any problems.

 

•        All of the gutters have been cleaned. If it appears that your gutters need further cleaning, call or email Ricky and be sure to leave your address and the location of the gutters (front or back of your unit). If the gutters are in the back of your unit, be sure to leave your gate open to allow the crew to access them.

 

•        Preventive maintenance of all sewer laterals has been completed.

 

•        Please remember that porch lights and outside faucets for your unit are your responsibility should repairs be necessary.

 

 

REMINDERS

 

THANKSGIVING DAY. Thanksgiving Day is Thursday November 25th. Please do not put trash out since it will not be picked up. Regular trash pickup will continue on Friday, November 26th. Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

 

TRASH PICKUP FOR MAJOR ITEMS. Large items that you need to dispose of will be picked up on the first Saturday of every month. They must be placed on the curb at the street by 9 a.m. These pickups are free. Please do not put large items out at any other time ... THEY WILL NOT BE PICKED UP.

 

PARKING. Parking spaces in the courtyards are assigned to residents for their sole use. There have been instances where contractors and delivery personnel park in the courtyards while conducting their business. Please inform these personnel that the parking spaces are reserved and they need to park in the street. In addition, with the holiday season upon us, many residents will be inviting guests to participate in the festivities. Please make sure they are aware that the parking spaces are reserved. This small courtesy to your neighbors goes a long way.

 

RECYCLING. Materials that can be recycled are:

 

         •        Plastics with a 1 or 2 in the recycle symbol.

         •        Aluminum and tin cans with lids removed.

         •        Mixed glass including clear, brown, and green bottles and jars (not household items such as china, light bulbs, drinking glasses, etc.). Please remove plastic caps and rings.

         •        Newspapers in paper bags or tied with string (not in plastic bags since this adds to the recycling expense).

         •        Broken down corrugated boxes.

 

Please note the recycling of everything other than paper products does not need to be sorted prior to being placed in the containers. This is done after the recyclables are picked up so feel free to mix your glass, plastic, and aluminum. Please rinse all containers since containers with contaminants can not be recycled. Do not put recyclables in plastic bags.

 

DOGS. Dogs are to be kept on a leash at all times. No dog is to be tethered to any object in the common areas. Dogs are not permitted to run free except in designated “off-leash” exercise areas in Arlington County. The closest dog exercise area to the Glen is currently at Utah Field. Be sure to pick up the deposits left by your dogs. There are trash receptacles throughout the Glen where the bagged goodies can be deposited.

 

REPORTING PROBLEMS. You can contact Ricky and the chairpersons of the Landscape Subcommittee and Pool Committee by calling 703-820-9567. You can leave a message by 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.

 

 

MEETINGS

 

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

         •        Board of Directors, 7:30pm, 1st Tuesday of the month

         •        Building and Grounds Committee, 7:30pm, 3rd Tuesday of the month (no meetings in August, November, and December)

         •        Landscape Subcommittee, 7:00pm, 2nd Tuesday of the month (no meetings in July, November, and December)

 

 

ON THE INTERNET

 

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.

 

 

 

The Fairlington Glen Newsletter is a communication channel by which the Board of Directors disseminates information to Glen residents and co-owners. Please provide any comments or recommendations to the Board Secretary, John Fuller, at fairlingtonglen@aol.com, or to any other Board member, prior to the monthly Board of Directors meeting.