Dear West Springfield Neighbor / Friend,
Hoping all enjoy a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Thanks! - to those who volunteered during 2019 to help make our village a community instead of just another subdivision. We’re all busy, but volunteering to help our community won’t add much to your busy lifestyle. Give it some thought. The next volunteer opportunity will be to deliver the Community Directories mid to late January. Shouldn’t take more than one hour, maybe just a bit longer for the biggest routes.
Board of Directors: Thanks to Bernie Koehle (VP), Liz Greene (Treasurer), Kim Brown (Secretary) and Kirby Myers (Past President). Also thanks to Don Hale who had served as VP until October 2019 and also to Ed Wyse who similarly served as Secretary and liaison for us and the Springfield District Council to the Fairfax Federation of Citizens' Associations.
Executive Council: Thanks also to Bob Havey (Website), Julia Hale (Membership), Kirby Myers (Directory) and Jeff Carter (Neighborhood Watch).
Social Events Coordinators: Jenna Barron for representing our village for the Memorial Day Picnic and Pool Party, Jen Guernsey for the Ice Cream Social / National Night Out, Barbara Naylor for hosting the Halloween Party, Lydia Rigsby and Jenna Barron for Christmas Caroling, Don & Susan Cheney for again hosting the Christmas Party, Rudy Tarlosky for serving as Santa and Leanna Wilson for coordinating the Holiday Decorating Contest.
Thanks to Brandi Morris and Bernie Koehle for working the community yard sale.
We had a lot volunteer for the annual community cleanup, some also volunteered their pickup to help us gather junk to feed County’s “Jaws of Junk” - Avery Henry (Learner’s permit driver), Jason Henry, Bernie Koehle, Mark Gregris with his co-pilot Morgan Gregris, John Rader, Aaron & Graham Darius, Julia Hale, Liz Greene, Rob Muegge, Glenn DeMarr, Bob Havey and Andrea Rubio. Thanks also to John Hoffman who ran the Last Chance Corral to repurpose, reuse and recycle a lot of unwanted treasures.
If I miss anyone, please let me know. But we also thank those who shoveled their neighbors sidewalks, mowed their lawns, took care of their pets and who joined in on their projects in support of your neighbors.
We send weekly enews to those who provided their email address, mail infrequent newsletters when needed to those not on the email distribution list and conduct two, only two meetings each year. We also rely heavily on our FaceBook Group and our website (https://www.westspringfieldvillage.org/).
The West Springfield Village FaceBook Group allows each of us to post without waiting for the weekly enews. If you aren’t in that group, I highly encourage you to join it. Some say that they don’t do FaceBook and other social media, but when their family pet or child is missing - they have to track me down or another neighbor to help get the APB out. Thanks to Wendi Dorey for setting this group, it really does work! We also subscribe to NextDoor for those who want to reach many more subdivisions in the area. Our Facebook Group and NextDoor are both closed groups to protect us from unsolicited advertising.
Our website is light years ahead of when we first started it. Too many of us only get excited about the website about the time you want to sell or rent your home. I maintain that we all should help get potential buyers and renters even more excited about our community. Take a look and comment back to webmaster Bob Havey.
We are relatively insulated from crime, but not immune. Just recently we had a robbery at Ledo Pizza, CVS and Giant Pharmacy. Crime is out there, but if we continue to look out for each other, our properties and families – we’ll continue to avoid a lot of what surrounding communities have to endure.
And what other beneficial citizens’ group can you join for a mere $10.00 per year dues? Our only source of revenue is membership dues. We get a large bang for each dollar we spend to benefit our village; that is - when we get a good number of households on the membership rolls. We base our proposed budget/spend plan on 350 members. We were 34 members or $340.00 short of that objective for Spend Plan 2020, but we’ll be alright. Yes, you can join at any time during the year, but it really helps us forecast spending by having the yearly revenue in by 1 November. New neighbors who arrive the village after 1 November get full-voting-rights membership free for the rest of this membership year (10/1/2019 – 9/30/2020). Trouble we having is identifying new arrivals. We could use your help. Thanks to Membership Chair Julia Hale for her efforts with the membership drive.
Thanks also for the Village West Pool. They co-host most of our social events and open their doors to all of us for those events, regardless of membership in the pool. They even offer a discount for those who are also civic association members. The pool negotiated the cell phone tower that allows me use of my cell phone anywhere in my home. That wasn’t the case before the tower was placed. I think we have a good lash up with the pool, Certainly all of us are invested in their success as well.
More About Selecting a Contractor – after last week’s article about selecting a contractor, we received more input the Village West Pool President, Jen Guernsey. In her own words:
“The Virginia contractor lookup site is: http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/LicenseLookup/. You can determine whether a contractor has a current license and what type, and you can also learn whether there have been complaints filed against that contractor. Using a licensed contractor also protects you from fraud. We have seen this process in action. Our neighbor used a licensed contractor that came highly recommended and had been in business for decades. Turns out that the company had started experiencing cash flow problems and began defrauding customers. The company owner ended up in jail. But our neighbor was able to get most of his funds reimbursed through the Virginia Contractors Recovery Fund. http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/Contractors_Recovery_Fund/.”
My words - We homeowners also have an equal responsibility to the contract and the contractor. Items not included in the contract’s statement of work should be re-negotiated with the contractor instead of assuming his/her generosity. Business implies two parties, both benefiting from the contract and stipulated work. Hire only those who you are comfortable having in your home and then treat them as you would any guest. In Kurdistan there is a saying that the home is not valued by those who live in it, but instead by those who visit it and how they are treated.
Eminent Domain Representation - Esperanza Rey, President of Kenwood HOA (Board@kenwoodhoa.org) has been talking to Kevin DeTurris, one of the lawyers from Blankingship & Keith who specializes in eminent domain situations. This is the same lawyer and group that Bob Havey (Rolling Road) suggested a few weeks back. They offer their services for a fee based on any increase that they negotiate in the VDOT offer.
Kenwood HOA is part of Phase I of the project and they are now involved with VDOT for property acquisition. Mrs. Rey invites you 57 Rolling Road homeowners who will lose part of your yard for this project to join her HOA by using the same legal representative. I am only again passing on her invitation and again mentioning Kevin DeTurris. We, as a civic association do not have any role in the property acquisition phase other than to support, advise and represent those 57 homeowners who will have property forfeited for the project.
Happy Birlthday! US Space Force Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Cooley and his son, my Grandson Brendan.
If you are still reading this – please hit reply and then send. Just testing the system again to make sure I am not talking just to myself. Thanks!
John Cooley, CAWSV