President’s Corner
The year-end holidays
prompt many of us to pause and reflect on what we accomplished over the past
calendar year, and I am no exception. When I accepted the opportunity last
December to assume the presidency of the Stratford Manor Association, I had no
idea what I was taking on. On-the-job training best describes much of my
learning experiences, combined with a heavy dose of sympathetic assistance from
the more experienced members of the board and others.
I am still learning every
day, but now it feels more like an opportunity than an obligation—an
opportunity to make meaningful improvements in the operations of the Stratford Manor Association. Like the
medical profession and so many others, our board’s first obligation is to do no
harm. Regrettably, we ran into some difficulties earlier in the year that
allowed critics to challenge our performance in that area. But when the owners
filled all nine board seats at the Annual Meeting elections in October, we were
able to quickly right the ship, as old sailors might say.
We now have a full board
of nine directors, representing a broad range of experience and knowledge. In early November
the board elected officers for 2019, and appointed several committee chair
persons to help us better focus on key areas of operations. At our December 6 meeting, we tabled efforts
to gain owner approval of a bylaws amendment that would allow more flexibility
in the number of directors required to do SMA business. We still think there is
merit in such a proposal, but we don’t want it to distract us as we tackle the
challenges of 2019.
Identifying those
challenges was made easier by looking at the fall 2018 owners’ survey. As we
previously reported, we had excellent participation in that exercise, both in
terms of the number of respondents and in the quality of their responses. For
example, we now know that nearly everyone agrees with the need to enforce rules
and regulations. But we also know there
is little agreement on how that translates into actual provisions of those
documents.
One of our biggest
challenges in the coming months will be to develop a consensus on what changes,
if any, we should make to our current rules and regulations. We will keep you
informed.
More importantly, we know
from the survey results that we need to find ways to earn a greater degree of
owner trust in our property management firm and the board. We will be mindful of this as we develop and
execute our plans for 2019. With your
cooperation, patience and assistance, we are confident that we can have a very
productive and beneficial year.
On behalf of the entire
SMA board, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new
year.
- John Gullett, President
Mailing your assessment
payment? Send it to Arizona bank
Invoices for SMA homeowners’ first-half 2019 assessment were mailed in late November, as usual. However, there are new addresses for mailing and for making online assessment payments.
Checks should be mailed to the Phoenix, Ariz., bank address listed at the bottom of the invoice. That’s because AAMG is no longer able to accept payments at its Canon Boulevard address. Just make sure you make your check payable to Stratford Manor Association.
If you usually pay online, there is a new website for making those payments—www.mutualpaypropertypay.com. When making an online payment you will need the Association ID number and account number from your invoice, and the Management Company ID number, 4531.
Payment is due Jan. 1, 2019, but there is a 30-day grace period. If payment isn’t made by January 31, a late fee will be imposed.
Board Officers, Committee Chairs Selected
Invoices for SMA homeowners’ first-half 2019 assessment were mailed in late November, as usual. However, there are new addresses for mailing and for making online assessment payments.
Checks should be mailed to the Phoenix, Ariz., bank address listed at the bottom of the invoice. That’s because AAMG is no longer able to accept payments at its Canon Boulevard address. Just make sure you make your check payable to Stratford Manor Association.
If you usually pay online, there is a new website for making those payments—www.mutualpaypropertypay.com. When making an online payment you will need the Association ID number and account number from your invoice, and the Management Company ID number, 4531.
Payment is due Jan. 1, 2019, but there is a 30-day grace period. If payment isn’t made by January 31, a late fee will be imposed.
Board Officers, Committee Chairs Selected
The SMA board elected its
slate of officers for 2019 at a special organizational meeting in early
November, returning John Gullett and Linda Wahlert to their 2018 positions as
president and vice president, respectively. In addition, Ann Turner was elected
secretary and Tonita Hoe was named treasurer.
The board also appointed
the following board members to head up five committees: Ms. Wahlert, nominating
committee; Satori Gregorakis, architectural control committee; Nancy Allen,
landscaping committee; Ms. Hoe, rules and regulations committee; and Katie
Johnston, social & welcoming committee.
Also volunteering to serve
on various committees were: Ms. Allen, (nominating); Ms. Wahlert and Ms.
Johnston (architectural control); Caroline Langdon (landscaping); Kevin Leigh
and Ms. Johnston (rules & regulations); and non-board-member Barbara Lucas
(social & welcoming).
Mr. Gullett stressed that the board would welcome
additional volunteers to help the committees. “Volunteers are the lifeblood of
any nonprofit organization, he said, “and I am very excited to enter 2019 with
such a strong group of Stratford Manor residents on our board and committees.”
Ann Turner rejoins SMA
Board
Ann Turner, 168 Wellesley
Dr., was appointed to the SMA board at the Association’s special organizational
meeting on Nov. 7. Her election came after the board accepted the resignation
of board member Linda White. After her election at the SMA annual meeting in
October, Ms. White concluded that she could not serve.
Ms. Turner, who ended her
previous board term in October of last year, said she accepted the opportunity
to rejoin the board because “Stratford Manor is a wonderful community, and
keeping it that way requires homeowner participation on many levels. I realized
I still wanted to take an active role in keeping SMA a great place to live.”
Ms. Turner was also elected secretary of the board (See
separate story on board officers).
Drainage work winding up;
lights for remaining signs have to wait
Stratford Manor’s two remaining
artificial swales, or ditches, designed to improve water runoff were poured in
early December, leaving ground repairs as the final phase of this long-delayed
project.
The swales are shallow
concrete ditches with gently sloping sides, which divert rain water away from
homes and into storm drains. They are located behind 121 Sloane Place and
141-147 Wellesley Drive, and in the common area between Wellesley and
Kenilworth Drive.
E. M. Muller, the
contractor, said the final work was expected to be done soon. December marks
the one-year anniversary of the signing of the contract for this project. Bad
weather and other issues caused numerous delays over the course of 2018, and
only one of three swales had been created by October.
Meanwhile, a plan to light
up all three Stratford Manor signs hit a snag when Dominion Energy informed
AAMG that it would cost several thousand dollars to provide electrical
connections to two of the lights. The first light, which now illuminates the
sign at the end of the City’s portion of Wellesley Drive, gets its electricity
from a nearby Stratford Manor lamp post.
“We think it adds a great deal to that entrance,” said John
Gullett, president of the SMA, “and we haven’t given up on the other two. We
have asked our electrical contractor to explore other options, including solar
power. But we don’t have a solution yet.”
Landscaper stays busy as
holidays near
Year Round Landscaping
(YRL), SMA’s landscaping contractor, is a common sight these days, as it races
to finish up its Stratford Manor work before Santa arrives.
Falling leaves are still
being picked up; the large flower bed adjacent to 119 Wellesley was recently
cleaned out and trimmed up for security reasons; 100 new pansies have been
planted on Sloan Place and at the three Stratford Manor signs, many of them at
no charge; and the long-awaited Kenilworth islands beautification is on track
for completion by year-end, according to YRL.
The latter project, which
was delayed earlier because of bad weather, involves trimming trees, planting
new grass and plants, and spreading new mulch. What we wanted to do,” said
Nancy Allen, who leads up the landscaping committee, “was to give that stretch
of Kenilworth a major facelift-- to allow us to have an attractive gateway to
Stratford Manor from the Deep Creek Road side.”
“It’s going to be really
nice,” said Ms. Allen.
Final 2018 inspections
completed without a hitch
The second and final round
of architectural inspections for 2018 went well, according to Satori
Gregorakis, chairman of the architectural control committee, and Robbi Henry,
AAMG’s property manager.
A total of 55 violations
were written up in October, the most frequent type involving the need for power
washing sheds or homes, grass or tree trimming, and removing miscellaneous
trash or storage items in the rear of homes.
One of the more common
violations cited last spring involved damaged rake boards (the name given to
the board placed along the slope of your roof to give it a more finished look).
It can be expensive to fix. Following the mailing of notices to homeowners in
April, Ms. Henry said, the most frequent question homeowners had was, “What’s a
rake board?”
“This time around,” said
Mr. Gregorakis, “we were pleased to see
that there weren’t any rake board violations.” He said all of those spotted in
the spring had been fixed, and homeowners apparently were now more aware of the
need to keep them in good shape.
When a follow-up
inspection was done in late November, all but nine of the 55 violations had
been corrected. Some, especially those involving painting, will have to wait
until warmer weather next spring.
“It’s apparent that our residents understand that the
association’s governing rules and regulations do help protect and enhance
property values,” said Mr. Gregorakis,” which benefits all of us.”
Plan to prevent package
theft
This time of year, delivery trucks jam the streets,
packages litter doorsteps and sometimes porch pirates, as they have come to be
known, pay unwelcome visits. It’s peak season for package theft, a problem
that exists year-round.
In 2016 and 2017, Stratford Manor paid off-duty police
officers to patrol our community this time of year. While the presence of
police might have had a deterrent effect, the patrols were too intermittent to
count on to keep thieves at bay. And the expense of even those limited patrols
was quite high. As a result, the board decided not to hire officers this
year.
The SMA board has received few reports of package thefts
this year, but if you’re shopping online for the holidays, or any other time of
year, you need to plan to prevent package theft:
- Require a signature. If you’re not home, a note will be left letting you know when they will re-deliver (or where you can pick up the item instead).
- Get to know your neighbors and develop your own neighborhood watch. Help one another out by picking up packages you see outside and drop texts or emails to alert one another what you’ve done.
- If you know someone who is home during the day, you might ask to use their address for delivery. Or have packages delivered to your work, if allowed.
- Provide some porch coverage. Porch pirates are most likely to strike when they see a package sitting out in the open. If they can't see a package from the street, they're far less likely to walk up to see what they can grab. Decorative items or furnishings like planters can help reduce the visibility of a package.
- Get a camera. Many thieves will stay away from a porch that's filming them. In order for your video doorbell or camera to be a deterrent, make sure it’s very visible.
- Pick it up. Package Concierge, UPS Access Point and Amazon Locker Delivery all let packages be delivered to a secure location. Many large online retailers offer free shipping directly to a nearby store.
Trash Pickup Schedule
Dec. 18—Trash only
Dec. 26—Weds pick-up
due to Christmas Holiday. Trash, recycling & bulk
Jan. 2—Weds pick-up due
to New Year holiday. Trash only
Jan. 8—Trash, recycling
& bulk
Jan. 15—Trash only
Jan. 23—Weds pick-up
due to MLK holiday. Trash, recycling & bulk
Jan 29—Trash only
Feb 5—Trash, recycling
& bulk
Feb. 12—Trash only
Feb. 20—Weds pick-up
due to Presidents Day holiday. Trash, recycling & bulk
Feb. 26—Trash only
If your container was
missed during collection, call 757-933-2311.
Remember: Trash receptacles should be curbside for collection no
earlier than 3pm on Monday for collection on Tuesday and removed from the street
by 6pm on Wednesday.
