Contracts awarded for repaving and curb and sidewalk repairs
Good news for Stratford Manor owners: After extensive studies and exploration, work will begin soon on repaving the community’s roads and parking lots, along with sidewalk and curb repairs.
The Infrastructure Maintenance Committee, headed by John (Bob) Lucas, has been working for months with TAM, the engineering company hired by the SMA Board to help with this major work. At its August 11 meeting the Board officially accepted the recommendations of both TAM and the Committee to award contracts to Basic Construction Co. for the repaving and curb repairs, and Concrete Jack for the sidewalk repairs. Both are Virginia companies.
There is no current timetable for doing the work. but Mr. Lucas said he is hopeful that the sidewalk repairs will be done by September. He said we are likely to see the repaving work start within the next several weeks.
The costs associated with this infrastructure work are high. The sidewalk repairs are expected to cost $32,000 or more. Repaving and curb repairs will cost roughly $261,000.
“This will be a major blow to our reserves,” said
President John Gullett. “Fortunately, we have enough to cover the costs as
currently estimated.” He said many Associations spending this amount would
impose special assessments on their members. “We do not see this happening
here.
“That’s because our Board and its predecessors set aside funds each year for this inevitable expense.” He added that the Committee recommended postponing any immediate replacement of the community’s perimeter fencing, in part due to the currently high price of lumber.
The Committee is now focusing on how to minimize the disruption to our community’s routine during construction. Mr. Lucas said the primary concern is how to handle the parking.
“We will be notifying owners as far in advance as the contractors let us,” he said, “through emails, flyers, and other means. This will be essential to keeping our costs down, because if there are any cars in the way when the work crews are ready to start, our Association will be hit with a severe fine.”
He added that if any owners leave their vehicles in the way after being alerted, the Association will have no choice but to have those vehicles towed.
Betty
Blackburn joins SMA Board, to help "keep the magic of Stratford Manor"
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Ms. Blackburn was appointed to fill the remaining term of Satori Gregorakis, who resigned in early August. “We are indebted to Mr. Gregorakis for his three-plus years of service on the Board,” said President John Gullett. “He was successful as chairman of the Architectural Control Committee and he recently created a handy, comprehensive Exterior Painting Guide, which owners can access on our website.”
Mr. Gullett added that the Board was extremely fortunate to have Ms. Blackburn come forward and become a Director. “Betty told us she loves the beauty of our community and wants to help us keep it that way.” Ms. Blackburn was a lab technician for Riverside Hospital for 34 years before retiring.
She moved into Stratford Manor after a friend urged her to check it out. “She told me that this was a quiet but conveniently located community that is well kept,” said Ms. Blackburn. “When I pulled in here for the first time, I knew she was right,” she added. “I am looking for forward to working with other members of the Board to help keep it that way.”
At that same Aug. 11 meeting, Mr. Gullett was appointed interim chairman of the Architectural Control Committee, and Secretary Fran Hodges was added to the Committee. “Fran will be our point person on issues in the Sloane neighborhood, giving us excellent coverage of the community,,” said Mr. Gullett.
More than 60 owners have approved SMA’s new Governing document; Campaign extended to reach goal
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The SMA Board heard some encouraging words at its Aug. 11 meeting about the campaign to achieve owner approval of a proposed new Amended and Restated Declaration. That updated core governing document, deemed necessary to allow the Board to utilize its traditional tools to manage the Stratford Manor community, had received more than 60 owner votes as of Aug. 11.
Donna Groller, Chairperson of the Governing Documents Committee, said most of the votes have come through the staging of three signing events over the past several weeks. “And we are going to keep the ball rolling until we reach our goal,” she added. A total of 101 votes is needed.
Ms. Groller stressed that the proposed new Declaration is intended solely to conform to Virginia law and court decisions that have made our current governing document obsolete. “Without the approval of our owners to change this Declaration, the Association will be unable to fulfill its fiduciary responsibility to protect the interests of our owners.”
“This is necessary if we want to keep our community beautiful and protect everyone’s investments,” she said. “Committee members have gone door to door to speak with homeowners, to answer any questions and tell them about the next signing opportunity. Once we explain why we need to update our core document, most owners are ready to approve it.
“It’s just a matter of getting the word out and assuring owners that we simply want to restore the ability to utilize our previous rules and regulations,” she added. “Contrary to allegations coming from those who oppose this resolution, we have no intention of creating new rules or raising assessment fees.”
Owners have been provided with copies of the proposed new document, as well as a printed form for voting. “The challenge is in getting those votes notarized,” said Ms. Groller. “For the convenience of owners, we have been providing a notary public at our signing events, but owners can opt to take the form to their bank or place of employment and get it notarized there instead.”
The Committee was expected to meet during the week of Aug. 16 to plan its next steps in the ongoing campaign.
President’s
Corner
With age comes maturity, but also wear and tear. That’s the only way I can explain why so many elements of our infrastructure are in dire need of repair. Based on our Replacement Reserves study, we knew that we needed to address this issue immediately. That’s why, early last year, we created the Infrastructure Replacement/Repair Committee.
That Committee, headed by Board member Bob Lucas, utilized the knowledge of an engineering firm to help them drill deep down into the details of a workable plan. We owe that Committee, which includes owner Richard Wahlert and Board member Nancy Allen, our gratitude for doing what was necessary to bring us to the point where we signed contracts for work that will begin soon. More importantly, we all can help by following advices on when to move our cars so the work can be done. (See story on Page 1).
A second group of Board members, comprising the Governing Documents Committee, has spent the last several months working on the development and passage of a proposed Amended and Restated Declaration. This committee, including Chairperson Donna Groller, Ms. Allen, Fran Hodges, and Linda White, has been conducting a campaign to get votes for the new Declaration in a tireless effort of signing events, mailings, and door-to-door talks with owners. (See story on Page 3).
A small group of owners seems determined to avoid allowing your HOA to restore the authority it needs to properly manage the community. When you speak with your neighbors, you can help by asking them if they have stepped forward to vote for this resolution.
The
bottom line is, we have no choice but to pass this resolution if we want to
preserve this jewel of a community. We are all in this together. Please help
when you can.<
--John Gullett, President
Stratford Manor Briefs
Landscaping Service goes to war against fungus, moles and voles—YRL, the SMA’s landscaping
service, has launched an attack on a fungus that it is endangering the
community’s Nandina shrubs and other plants. At the same time, YRL is
attempting to eliminate the problem of moles and voles attacking plantings in
the common areas. Landscaping Chair Nancy Allen said the one-time fungus
spraying will be done this month, while the mole/vole treatment, in granular
form, will be applied over a three-month period. Ms. Allen also reported that
the common areas will be aerated, fertilized and seeded at the end of
September, and that R & K Tree Service will make an inspection of the tree
population for its annual trimming when the leaves turn later in the fall.
Dog days of
summer (By Stratford Manor owner Frances
Hodges) --When walking your pets, they should be leashed and not allowed to
run loose on the property. Pets should
not be allowed to walk, urinate, or defecate on the shrubs in the common areas
nor on the private property of other homeowners. Pet owners should IMMEDIATELY clean up after
pets defecating in the common areas.
There are two “doggie” stations within SMA for your convenience. If you let your pet “potty” in your backyard,
be a kind neighbor and clean up after your pet.
Proper disposal of pet waste (in bags) will help eliminate the smell and
bugs. We all want to enjoy being out in
our backyards and no one wants to smell foul odors. Be courteous!
A reminder: You still need to get Association approval for new roof—Coincidentally, two separate homes in Stratford Manor were getting new roofs recently on the same day—and neither one had received Board approval. “Even if you are replacing your old roof with a new version of the same thing, you still need to get approval by submitting an Architectural Review Form (found on the SMA website),” said President John Gullett. “Some people make the mistake of assuming that as long as they plan to put on the same type and color of roof, they don’t need approval. But to protect the homeowner from making a costly mistake, we ask that they submit the application so the Board has the opportunity to intervene if the roofer has made an error.” Once approval is granted, the owner can have the new roof installed without any fear of a mistake.
Trash Pick Up Schedule
August 24—Trash only
August 31—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Sept. 8—Trash only (Wednesday pickup due to holiday).
Sept. 14—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Sept. 21—Trash only; Sept. 28—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash.
Oct. 5—Trash only
Oct. 12—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Oct. 19—Trash only
Oct. 26—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
*Trash and recycling receptacles should be curbside no earlier than 3 p.m. the day before the scheduled pickup. Bulk trash may be put out the weekend before scheduled collection.
