Fairlington Glen
NEWSLETTER September 2004
SEPTEMBER 7TH BOARD MEETING
INSURANCE. The Board approved a bid from USI Insurance Services for the renewal of our Master Insurance Policy (September 24, 2004 to September 24, 2005) at a cost of $62,645 plus Worker’s Compensation. The deductible, which is the responsibility of the individual co-owner, remains at last year’s level of $5,000.
ANNUAL MEETING
The Annual Meeting will be held on November 4th in the Fairlington Community Center. The schedule leading up to and including this meeting is as follows:
• September 23: Publication and mailing of budget to co-owners.
• October 7: Deadline for amendments to the budget. Send to Mike Hahn, 4270 S. 35th Street #A-2, Arlington, VA 22206.
• October 19: Published amendments (if any) mailed to co-owners.
• October 25: Proxies due to Legum & Norman. If you miss this date, deliver them to your Court Representative or a Board member before the meeting.
• November 4: Annual Meeting including presentation of the proposed 2005 budget for vote by the Council of Co-Owners. Registration starts at 7:00 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. The November Board Meeting will be conducted at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting.
LANDSCAPE SUBCOMMITTEE
Please be careful of our beautiful street trees. They are fragile and need our constant care and attention. Nailing items to the trees or leaning heavy trash or other items against them can be very destructive. Of particular concern are recent incidents where yard sale signs were nailed to some of our street trees. Puncture wounds to trees allow infections and infestations that could weaken the trees. If you see anything occurring that may damage these trees, please let the offenders know that such activities are prohibited.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
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
RECYCLING
There have been questions regarding our recycling program. Please note that we have a recycling plan that is in accordance with the requirements of Arlington County. Recently a county official reviewed our plan and related on-site activities and found no fault in what we are doing.
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
• There are two parking spaces in Court 11 that are designated for use by our maintenance staff. Please do not park in these spaces Monday through Friday, 7am - 4pm.
• Please do not place household trash in the street trash receptacles. We have trash pickup six days a week which should be more than sufficient.
• The replacement of the roofs in Courts 3 and 14 have been completed. Only cleanup of the debris resulting from these replacements remains to be done.
• The relining of the sewer laterals in Courts 10 and 13 have been completed. Associated landscaping and sidewalk repairs are in progress.
• If you have any maintenance needs, please give us a call.
REMINDERS
ILLEGAL PARKING. Towing is only allowed from your assigned parking space. You must have a towing code (call Barbara Walsh at 703-848-4332). Cars parked on the grass, double parked, parked in the entrances to the courts, or impeding the flow of traffic in the courts can only be towed by a Board member or an agent of Legum and Norman. Note that parking in front of the handicapped ramps to the sidewalks could result in a ticket from the Arlington Police, so play it safe and don’t park there.
LANDSCAPING IN COMMON AREAS. You can plant flowers and small shrubs in containers but there are some restrictions. These containers can not be placed in common plant beds including those in front of your units, they can not obstruct pedestrian traffic in or out of units, and they must be carefully maintained with regular attention to watering and ensuring they do not become unsightly. 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. The Glen’s policies regarding landscaping in common areas, found in the Fairlington Glen Handbook on pages 4-7 and 4-8, address plantings in front and side beds, containers/hanging plants, plant bed edging, use of red reflectors, and vines. Please note that vines such as ivy are not allowed on building facades and fences due to the damage they cause. Co-owners will be responsible for any damage and will be asked to remove them. If the co-owners do not remove them, the Glen will do so at the owners’ expense.
EXTERIOR RODENT AND PEST CONTROL. The Glen has a contract with Triple “S” for exterior rodent control problems only. If you see mouse or rat droppings or have actually seen the critters, call 703-352-7738 and ask to speak to P.J. Gilmer. Do not call Ricky. Please do not try to get rid of them yourself; you may end up destroying wildlife which is harmless to you and the community. If you have an exterior general pest control problem (ants, termites, bees, wasps, yellow jackets, etc.) please call the maintenance office and leave a message for Ricky.
VARIANCES. Changes to a unit, including both exterior appearance and interior structural modifications, require permission from the Board prior to the start of work. If you desire to make any changes to your unit, please refer to Chapter 5 of the Fairlington Glen Handbook. If there is any doubt regarding the need for a variance, please check with the applicable individuals listed in the Handbook before taking action.
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.