Dear Neighbor / Friend,
And just like that the geese are flying north, the birds are chirping, the crocus are sprouting, our Yemeni street dog is shedding and the weather is spring-like.
Back to School - Students now or will soon have the opportunity to return to school buildings two days a week:
- Grades 8, 9 & 12 started last Tuesday 2 March
- Grades 1 & 2 will start back 9 March
- Grades 7, 10 & 11 also will start back 9 March
- Grades 3 – 6 will start back on 16 March
Knowing that children will again walk to and from their school or their bus stop, please be extra vigilant as you back out of your driveways and do drive more slowly.
COVID-19 – The Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine will be out soon. That will give health professionals three vaccines and actually a fourth pharmaceutical company that will work to support J & J’s production. Since last Wednesday, we have 1.9% more positive tests (now at 56,321), 1.6% more hospitalized (now at 3,585), but now have 1006 deaths (13.0% more than last week) attributable to the virus or co-morbidity.
Rabid Raccoon Alert – Rudy Tarlosky reported that there have been multiple rabid raccoons destroyed in areas south of us recently. Most of the reports were south of us down in the vicinity of Saratoga.
Raccoons in the late stages of rabies will appear sick, may behave strangely, going in circles or trying to attack inanimate objects. They may be frothing at the mouth and can be very aggressive. Raccoons are not normally active during the day. If you see a raccoon during the day, do not approach. Instead, report it to Animal Control at 703/691-2131 even if it does not appear sick.
And, check to be sure your own pet's vaccinations are current.
Plastic Lawn & Leaf Bags – are banned. Commercial trash haulers are no longer obliged to pick up leaves in plastic bags. Please advise your neighbors. We are now expected to use paper bags or reusable containers. I ordered some 72 Gallon, heavy duty, reusable and collapsible leaf bags. Hope they work!
Northern Virginia Real Estate Market Report – from Village Resident and Featured Directory Advertiser Tim Royster. Tim is the Team Lead for The Royster Group; the following was taken from their Royster Hearth Group newsletter:
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose again this week, averaging 2.97% according to Freddie Mac’s weekly survey. That is the highest since August 2020. Though rates continue to rise, they remain near historic lows. For comparison, the average Freddie Mac 30-year fixed-rate mortgage over the last fifty years has been 7.76%. Freddie Mac is projecting low rates going forward with a modest rise through 2022.
The Northern Virginia real estate market during February 2021 has continued with the strong momentum. Total homes sold in January 2021 increased by 28.5% compared with 2020. The median sold price of homes in January rose by 6.44% to $553,500 compared to $520,000 during January 2020.
The shortage of inventory continues to push prices higher for detached homes (like ours).
Fairfax County Park Authority Jobs – click on this link to see parks and recreational jobs opportunities Non-Merit - Misc Parks and Rec | Human Resources (fairfaxcounty.gov).
Scam Alert - Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) has been notified of a Facebook page that uses the FCPA logo and a misspelled version of Fairfax County to friend request and message people that they have won a prize. The recipient is asked to click on the link to claim the prize. THIS IS A SCAM. For more information contact the Public Information Office at 703/324-8662 or email parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Joyous Family News: Andrew Bilski – Springfield Village Drive (SVD) – became a U.S. citizen on 17 February. Congratulations Andrew!
Haidar Sadiq – Handyman Extraordinaire – Many of you already know this man’s talent in home maintenance. He is HVAC certified and a wizard on all common household tasks (electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, etc). He is at 703/589-3474. By the way – he is the same gentleman who kept me alive in northern Iraq.
Teenager Actually Wanting to Work – High School Junior Abdullah Hagi is wanting work mostly in the landscaping, leaf raking, snow shoveling arena. You can reach him at 571/621-2996. His business is “Gus & Sons Landscaping services”. He will provide free estimates. Abdullah has worked for me and is certainly motivated to work.
House Cleaners – Lidia (Betty) Palacios has cleaned my home for a very long time now. She has other village references, but she is remarkably thorough and honest. She will clean your home before and / or after a family celebration, once each week, twice a month or monthly. Price varies with frequency, but her prices are very reasonable and competitive. She is at 571/241-7133 or by email at lidiapalacios1981@gmail.com.
Children Books Wanted - Brian Taugher and his wife are looking for more books to read to their 3 year old and 9 months old children. If necessary, Brian says he is willing to purchase your unwanted children’s books. Contact Brian at 703/994-5138
Calendar (Refer to the calendar in your community directory or see details in archived editions of the enews at our website www.westspringfieldvillage.org):
- 3 March (Yesterday) – 1st day of separate Wednesday collections of yard waste. Did Republic pick up anyone’s address yesterday?
- 13 March from 2 – 5:00 PM Virtual Teen Job Fair
- 14 March - Daylight Savings Time Begins
- 20 March from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM – Virtual Teen Job Fair
- 8 May from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM, Document Shredding at the Rolling Valley Park & Ride, 9220 Old Keene Mill Road in Burke.
- 13 May – Village meeting (Agenda – set dues for FY22 and more)
Enjoy the weather; stay healthy!
John Cooley, CAWSV