Dear Village Neighbor / Friend,
Had issues last week with aol.com addresses. Please hit “reply” and then “send” to help identify those not receiving the news. No comments needed. Thank you!
Highlights:
- Calendar
- Covid-19
- Village Meeting, 7:30 PM, 13 May via Zoom
- BOS Approves Budget Increasing RE Taxes
- Village West Pool News
- Low Cost Rabies Vaccinations
- ECHO Needs Donations
- Featured Directory Advertiser – Mr. Gutter
- Community Yard Sale & Free for All
- Equity in Education
- Free Document Shredding
- For Sale - Scanner / Fax
1. Calendar (Refer to your community directory and / or our website www.westspringfieldvillage.org):
- 8 May (this Saturday) from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM, Document Shredding at the Rolling Valley Park & Ride, 9220 Old Keene Mill Road in Burke.
- 9 May – Mother’s Day
- 13 May – Village Virtual Meeting, Next Thursday, 7:30 PM
- 16 May – Food Delivery at the Pool (See Pool News Below)
- 22 May – Scheduled Day for Village-Wide Yard Sale (virus permitting)
- 29 May – Memorial Day Picnic and Pool Party is CANCELLED due to Covid-19 restrictions
- 12 June – Community Cleanup is CANCELLED due to Covid-19
2. Covid-19 – Giant at 8320 Old Keene Mill Rd and Walgreens at 8414 Old Keene Mill Rd Unit A now are providing Covid-19 vaccinations. You can also click here https://vaccinefinder.org to find who has which vaccine and to schedule an appointment.
3. Virtual Village Meeting – Thursday, 13 May starting at 7:30 PM – via zoom. Main agenda item is to set the annual dues for FY2022. Dues have been $10.00 per year for over 20+ years now and honestly $10.00 has been enough if we can obtain 80% membership in our civic association. We did not meet that membership revenue objective this FY21 nor the year before (FY20), but were saved by frugal spending, the Rolling Valley subdivision members, even some who moved from the village, but want to stay in our loop. And we have been limited on activities due to the virus.
Our annual expenses are at/about $3500.00, but that doesn’t include unexpected cost increases, unforeseen initiatives or opportunities to donate. In years past, we have donated to both local elementary schools and financed two Eagle Scout Projects.
So, do we raise the dues or knuckle down and get 350 dues-paying household memberships? If it is the latter, all of us need to spread the word. We have a lot of new neighbors, but have delivered only 3 directories with welcome letter. Please let me know if/when you have a new neighbor no matter if they are renting or buying. You or I can deliver a welcome letter with Village Directory, your call.
Please Join the Village Zoom Meeting and voice your opinion.
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Meeting ID: 859 9300 5376
Passcode: 373042
One tap mobile
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Dial by your location929 205 6099 US (New York)
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kepxZilkTR
4. Board Approves Increase in RE Taxes - At last week’s budget mark-up meeting, with a vote of 9-1, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved a budget with a reduction in RE tax levy that will still result in a 5.0 percent increase in taxes for the average village homeowner. Our Springfield District Representative, Pat Herrity was the lone nay vote, but he had offered an alternative budget that provided an almost flat tax bill including a review of efficiencies and spending going forward. That alternative was rejected by 9 of the 10 Board Supervisors.
In the year 2000 the tax levy was $1.23/$100 for $193,355 in RE assessed value for our home and we paid $2,378 in RE taxes. Now with the tax rate that will be $1.14 for our $575,350 assessed value, we will pay almost 3 times as much or $6,560. Just since 2010 when the tax levy was $1.09/$100, we paid $4,302. Since 2010 our RE taxes will have increased another $2,258 or 52%. I assume your bill will be similar since assessments are based on comparable sales in the area. I envy those selling now when the market is hot, but all that hot market means to me is more RE taxes whether that increase be based on tax levy or assessments or both.
Questions – Am I one of just a few concerned with the BOS unwillingness to listen to the public input? With just a couple exceptions, nothing was heard back from the village for the letter we submitted to the BOS. Should I have assumed that you then are ok with paying more RE taxes? And previously were you ok with the zMOD changes to code that will add density, parking issues and traffic in our village, not to mention adding to infrastructure woes? Why aren’t they, the BOS instead searching for efficient use of our tax money to reduce spending on all, but necessary budget lines? Why would they even consider increasing our tax burden when most of us are tightening our financial belts during this pandemic? And why are we so quiet as they reach deeper into our pockets?
Supervisor Herrity (springfieldbos@fairfaxcounty.gov) is asking for feedback on where you think the County should be investing or creating more efficiencies.
5. Village West Pool News – from Pool President, Jen Guernsey:
Back in action! It's nearly summer and we are so excited to be opening back up this year! For more information on pool membership, swim team, and COVID policies, please visit our website, www.villagewestpool.com. You are welcome to email the pool at villagewestpool@gmail.com and the swim team at villagewestvikings@gmail.com with any questions.
Food, glorious food! May 16, 4-6 PM Jeremy Barber, Village resident and owner of the Del Ray restaurants Live Oak and The Garden, will be bringing the food to us! We will have spaced picnic tables on the pool grounds if you'd like to stay and eat, or you can carry out. Stay tuned for menu details. To help Jeremy plan, we are looking for a rough head count by noon on Wednesday, May 12, so if you're interested, please drop us an email at villagewestpool@gmail.com with the number of adults and kids you expect to bring.
Service projects galore! We are delighted that not one but TWO aspiring Eagle Scouts have chosen Village West as the site for their Eagle projects. (Stay tuned for photos and details when they are completed!) Especially this time of year, when we are preparing for the swim season, there is plenty to be done around the pool. Anyone interested in doing a Scout project, racking up some service hours, or just helping maintain this asset of our neighborhood is welcome to lend a hand. We have scheduled work days on May 15 and 16 from 8 AM to 4 PM and May 19 from 10 AM to 6 PM, but you can also email villagewestpool@gmail.com and we will set you up for a time that works for you.
6. Low-Cost Rabies Clinic - 9 May at 4500 West Ox Road, Fairfax VA 22030 (Dogs from 9 to 10 AM, Cats & Ferrets from 1 – 2:00 PM) Cost is $20.00 each vaccination. Must be pre-registered and can do so here Animal Shelter’s website.
7. ECHO Needs Donations - of baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, specific kinds of baby formula, and new or gently used children's and teen clothing (especially pajamas, sneakers, shorts, and hoodies). ECHO maintains a wish list on the Amazon.com site. Donors who wish to contribute items that are most urgently needed may purchase from the site and have those donations shipped directly to ECHO. Locate wish list on Amazon by first starting at ECHO’s homepage at www.echo-inc.org and clicking on the link to Amazon.
This month, ECHO’s Food Pantry at 7205 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield needs canned meats, 2 lbs bags of sugar and also flour, cooking oil, jelly, canned tomatoes, shampoo, shaving cream, detergent and bath soap. They are open to accept donations Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Drive to the west side of the building and stop at the Donation Door where volunteers (who are masked) will assist with your donation and offer written receipts.
8. Featured Directory Advertiser - Mr. Gutter – Cleaning, Screening, Repairing and Roof Repair, licensed and insured, 703/323-4671. Owner Richard Sumner and his wife Denise operate this business with a sincere interest in customer satisfaction. We had a Vietnamese American lady who needed help with a skylight. I called in the request to Denise who then called to arrange another company to take care of the problem. She then called the lady to assure her that it would soon be repaired by one of Mr. Gutter’s competitors. That pretty much says it all. Thanks Richard & Denise for your ad in our Village directory.
And the competitor she called was Davis Roofing Company, 703/569-3388, www.davis-roofing.net. We featured them last week, but I forgot their ad.
9. Community Yard Sale & Free for All – 22 May from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM, rain date is 5 June. It will be up to each participant to determine how to conduct the sale safely for you and for your customers. Please let me know if you intend to participate. Would also like a general category listing of items you have to sell and / or if you will put out items clearly marked as free for anyone who stops by.
We’ll make a list of participants by address and that category listing and attach a copy of our village map so you can give to your customers (if they don’t already have one) to guide them to the next participant. This has worked very well in past years, but do recommend you spice up you listing. We’ll also include locations of lemonade/refreshment stands.
Will need a volunteer or two to put out signs, pick them up after the sale and to distribute the lists to participants.
10. Equity in Education – At first glimpse, I thought that we had jumped the track so I wrote our Springfield District School Board Representative, Laura Jane Cohen asking about the equity education initiatives. Her response is quite lengthy, but will forward it to you upon request. I’d love to hear comments from you educators.
11. Free Document Shredding - 8 May (this Saturday) from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Rolling Valley Park & Ride, 9220 Old Keene Mill Road in Burke. You can bring 4 medium-sized boxes with residential documents you want shredded. Stay in your car, your documents will be unloaded by staff working the event. There will be no certificate of shredding. If you are in the line by 11:00 AM, you will be served.
12. FRESHFARM Springfield Farmers Market, every Saturday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, located next to the Springfield Town Center. Market creates inclusive public spaces where people of diverse backgrounds can enjoy local food, interact with farmers and producers, improve their health, and build community relationships.
This market offers everything from locally roasted coffee, cooked breakfast sandwiches from our pasture/forest raised pork farmers, organic grass-fed pasture raised beef and dairy, organic and locally grown CBD products, a wide variety of fresh, seasonal and locally grown fruits and vegetables, pasture raised chicken and eggs, and fresh pasta, microgreens, vegan / gluten free options, delicious pastries, homemade jams/jellies/sauces, soaps, honey, artisan gelato, prepared breakfast and lunch options - ready to eat!
FRESHFARM believes that fresh, healthy, and local food should be accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic background. We broaden access to fresh fruits and vegetables through FRESH Match, our nutrition assistance program. The FRESH Match program provides a dollar-for-dollar match on all federal benefits spent at market, helping shoppers take home fresh and nutritious produce and local foods.
Visit our website for more information at https://www.freshfarm.org/ or visit the market and come to the bright orange Information Tent for any questions!
12. For Sale - Scanner/Fax $50.00. It works and I have the manual. Interested? Please call Louise at 703/913-7607.
