President’s Corner
Now that the
holidays are behind us, your board is focused on having a very productive year
for the Stratford Manor community in 2019. This was self-evident in early
February, when the board gathered for its first meeting of the new year and ran
out of time well before finishing its meeting agenda.
Obviously, that’s
a two-edged sword. On the one hand, we don’t want to delay action on pressing
issues. On the other, we’re not sitting around trying to think of things to
do. I’ll accept the painful notion that
some of you might sleep better when our board—and Congress—is not in session.
I can only say that we try to use common
sense when it comes to tackling issues. After all, we are also Stratford Manor
homeowners.
When we entered
2018, we promised that we would provide quality guidance and oversight of AAMG
(our property management firm), communicate regularly with all owners, and seek
your input on suggested improvements. I think our track record supports the
argument that we did what we said we would do.
I’m sure there are
still some doubters about the wisdom of hiring a property management firm in
mid-2017, but I am hopeful that the majority of our residents now see that it
was a necessary and prudent decision.
And it’s getting better. AAMG is currently upgrading to a new accounting
software that will allow owners to go online and check their personal accounts,
as well as give board members direct access to financial reports and other
information.
We have not
formally closed our financial books for 2018, but we can tell you that we
significantly increased our cash reserves from a year earlier, and entered 2019
with a very strong balance sheet.
Our rules and
regulations committee has been working tirelessly on proposed changes that will
reflect some of the preferences of our newer owners while respecting the
desires of our long-term residents. It
is a rapidly changing world we live in, and Stratford Manor is no
exception. In 2018, a dozen new families
moved into our community. This rate of change has an impact on our collective
attitudes about our rules, but I assure you that we are approaching this
important topic with a great deal of deliberation.
We also will be
debating the pros and cons of introducing restrictions on rentals. The survey made it clear that some of you are
concerned about the growing number of rental units in Stratford Manor. Should we introduce a cap, or ceiling on how
many we will allow? And a newer trend in some communities is the appearance of
short-term rentals through networks such as Airbnb, which allow tourists to
rent homes for short stays to save on hotel costs. Are we okay with that?
We will be addressing a number of
issues like this in the coming months, as we strive to preserve our community
and protect your home values. With your support, we will be successful.
-
John Gullett, President
New homeowners getting friendly SMA welcome
Katie Johnston,
chairperson of the SMA board’s social and welcome committee, has launched a new
program to officially welcome new homeowners to the Stratford Manor community.
Board members were
asked to sign and write greetings in several cards that will accompany gift
baskets filled with mostly Virginia-made items. Ms. Johnston will deliver the
card and basket to each new homeowner once the property management firm tells
her that a house sale has gone through.
“I understand that
previous boards had various ways of welcoming newcomers”, said Ms. Johnston.
“This will formalize the practice for the current board and ensure that we recognize
everyone soon after they come in. It also gives us a chance to answer any
questions about rules and other things we all take for granted.”
The new program got under way in
January.
Landscapers behind schedule picking up leaves
If you still have
leaves in the common area behind your home, take heart: Year-Round Landscaping
(YRL) will get to it. YRL is simply running behind schedule, and now plans to
complete the annual leaf pickup by mid-to-late February.
“The equipment
they use to pick up large piles of leaves broke down on them in January,” said
Nancy Allen, SMA Landscaping Committee Chairperson, “And rainy weather also
slowed them down. But they understand the need to pick up the remaining leaves
as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, YRL has
finished the beautification project for the islands on Kenilworth Dr. The
project, which involved trimming trees, planting new grass and plants and
spreading new mulch, has drawn praise from many of our residents.
And to help
preserve the health and beauty of the area, several signs have been
strategically placed to warn dog walkers to keep their pets off the landscaped
areas. “One resident on Kenilworth told me that she has seen a noticeable
decline in the number of dog walkers who allow their pets to go on the
islands,” said Ms. Allen. “It’s not perfect,” she added, “but it seems to
help—and I can see some grass coming up!”
Ms. Allen also
wants to remind all of us that SMA rules require residents to pick up after
their dogs, regardless of where they are in the community. Violators can be
fined. “We even maintain pet waste bag
stations in common areas, so there really is no excuse not to pick up after
their pets. Please: remember that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep
Stratford Manor clean, safe, and friendly.”
At its Feb. 7 meeting, the board
approved Ms. Allen’s request for a lump sum to cover the cost of fall and
spring annuals in strategic locations, as well as additional mulch to help
beautify some of the common areas on Sloan Place. In the past, each item not
covered in the basic contract had to be individually approved by the board.
Despite changes, assessment payments make it through
Even though our property management firm is no
longer accepting payments at its Canon Boulevard office, and online payments
now have to be sent to a new website, our first 2019 assessment process came
off without a hitch.
When the Jan. 1
deadline and the 30-day grace period had passed, all but a couple of dozen owners
had managed to get their payments to the right place—about the same as last
year under the old system.
“We were pleased
with how smooth the payment process was,” said SMA President John Gullett.
“Credit goes to AAMG for helping anyone who called with a question or concern.”
Those owners who did not pay on time
will receive letters advising them that a late fee will be imposed. They will
also be told how to avoid having their debt turned over to a collections
attorney.
Pipe breaks suspected at 2 storm drains
Ground erosion has
been spotted around two storm drain boxes near the end of Wellesley Drive,
indicating that one or more pipe connections has developed a leak in each
location.
AAMG has arranged
for inspections by two different contractors, both of whom explained that the
erosion is caused by a break in the pipe or pipe connections to each drain box.
Over time, these breaks create sinkholes, which eventually lead to the ground
around the drain box collapsing.
The current SMA
board has no knowledge of any other Stratford Manor drain boxes suffering
breaks, and one of the contractors said
he is impressed that most of ours appear to have held up since their
installation in the mid-1980s. He said some of the newer communities in the
area have had drain pipe breaks within ten years.
A contract will be awarded soon, with
work expected to start in a few weeks. Meanwhile, Robbi Henry, our property
manager, cautioned residents to stay clear of the affected drain boxes, which
have been marked with traffic cones.
State Farm audit shows HOA’s insurance coverage okay
A State Farm team
of insurance experts conducted an audit of the SMA’s residential community
association policy in early February, and concluded that our property and
liability coverage is appropriate for our needs.
The SMA’s coverage
does not protect individual townhomes. Rather, it covers property damage to the
common areas (fences, signage, lighting, etc.), as well as certain liability
issues.
Herb Garfinkel,
local State Farm agent, led the community wide inspection in response to a
request by the SMA board. SMA Vice
President Linda Wahlert said a board committee requested an explanation of the
coverage because no one on the current board was sure how long it had been
since the policy had been reviewed.
“Herb said State Farm began insuring SMA in
2006, and he didn’t recall any claims over the past 12 years or so,” said Ms.
Wahlert. He added that ours is not a
high-risk property to insure, since we don’t have playgrounds, swimming pools,
etc., where the risk of damage or injury can be high.
“Even so,” said
Ms. Wahlert, “we wanted them to take a fresh look at our situation and see if
the coverage was either inadequate or too much.” The timing is right, because the policy is
due to be renewed in March.
So Garfinkel and
his commercial field underwriter, Linda Price, toured the community, examined
our policy, and concluded that no updates are needed at this time.
“But Herb also wanted us to remind
homeowners that they should check their own homeowners’ insurance policy every
couple of years, “said Ms. Wahlert, “just to make sure there are no gaps in
their coverage. “
Trash Pickup Schedule
Feb. 20—Weds
pick-up due to Presidents Day holiday. Trash, recycling & bulk
Feb. 26—Trash only
March 5—Trash,
recycling & bulk
March 12—Trash
only
March 19—Trash,
recycling & bulk
March 26—Trash
only
April 2—Trash,
recycling & bulk
April 9—Trash only
April 16—Trash,
recycling & bulk
April 23—Trash
only
April 30—Trash,
recycling & bulk
May 7—Trash only
May 14—Trash,
recycling & bulk
May 21—Trash only
May 29—Weds
pick-up due to Memorial Day holiday. Trash, recycling & bulk
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.
Newport News bulk trash guidelines
Bulk trash is picked up every other
week, along with household trash. A schedule is included on page 2 of this
newsletter for your convenience.
Acceptable bulk waste items include
furniture, mattresses and debris from residential remodeling and repair
operations (if the work is performed by the resident and the proper building
permit is displayed).
Requests to pick up household
appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines or dryers must be called in
to schedule an appointment for collection. To schedule a collection, call
757-933-2311. A collection will typically occur every Wednesday, but this is
limited to the first 28 callers.
All yard waste, tree limbs and brush
must be placed in a separate pile from other bulk waste items. These are taken
to the city's compost facility to be composted or ground into mulch.
What CANNOT be
collected:
· Propane tanks, unless valve is removed
· Tree stumps or roots
· Limbs and other woody waste larger than 6 inches in
diameter and longer than 6 feet in length
· Non-transparent bagged waste
· Bags containing household trash
· Unbagged leaves, grass, etc.
· Debris from home improvement work performed by
anyone other than homeowner
· Tires, auto parts and similar materials
· Bricks, blocks, concrete, glass, drywall, sand or
dirt
· Paint or any liquid items
