JUNE - JULY 2023 EDITION
Board asks for plans to repaint parking spaces, fix sidewalk issues
The SMA’s Board of Directors at its June 14 board meeting asked the Infrastructure Committee to develop a plan to restripe and renumber parking spaces in Stratford Manor. At the same meeting, the committee also was asked to identify any new sidewalk trip hazards.
Bob Lucas, Chairman of the
committee, acknowledged that the difficulties in resolving issues with repaving
over the past several months forced delays in repainting the faded lines and
space numbers. “We were trying to avoid repainting everything twice,” he
explained. “But with the repaving work now on hold, we asked the board to let
us come up with cost estimates and a plan for getting the repainting done
quickly.”
“Other than the two lots that have already been repaved, the spaces and numbers throughout the community are so faded that they are no longer useful,” he noted. He thanked the many owners who brought this problem to the forefront by asking the Association to put a priority on getting the repainting done.
The committee is now in the process of getting input from contractors who do this type of work, and will present a proposal to the board as soon as possible.
The board’s decision to seek proposals from sidewalk contractors on repairing any sidewalk trip hazards was prompted by some homeowner complaints that more uneven sidewalks have surfaced since the October 2021 repair project. That work involved replacing some sidewalks and lifting or shaving several others.
Mr.
Lucas said the committee will be seeking estimates from sidewalk repair firms
over the coming weeks and hopes to make a recommendation to the board later
this summer.<
What’s the ‘411’ on Landscaping?
By Fran Hodges, Landscaping Committee Chairman
The Landscape Committee has been working hard to help improve Stratford Manor. Here is the 411 (information):
●Soil samples have been done on Sloane and were sent to
VA Tech for evaluation. Over the next
few months, soil samples will be gathered on Kenilworth and Wellesley. These samples will help our landscape company
to determine if there are any additional applications needed throughout the
community.
●Welcome signs --Based on the landscaping committee’s recommendations, 4 Hawthorne shrubs, 7 Encore azaleas, 3 limelight hydrangea and 1 variegated azalea have been planted. A special “thank you” goes to Lorraine Winall and Sarah Krause for helping the Landscape Committee with watering and maintaining our new shrubs. BTW, please don’t let your dogs urinate on our new shrubs!
●While this is not really under landscaping, a special
“thank you” goes to Linda Wahlert for suggesting that the board post a “child
playing” sign at the entrance of Sloane and Wellesley. The HOA loves input from our homeowners!
●What has been going on with Gum Grove? Our new landscaping company, Gum Grove, is in the 4th
month of their one-year contract. As
with most new jobs, there is still a learning period, and they are still
getting to know the “lay of the land”.
Monthly, they mow our lawns, edge, and blow off, spray pre-emergent and
fertilizer, pick up debris, and have recently trimmed the shrubs and pulled
weeds. Weeds in the curbs, street
cracks, and other areas are a long-standing problem at Stratford Manor. It is a hard problem to tackle, and Gum Grove
is actively pursuing this problem as they have applied numerous applications of
weed killer throughout the community.
This problem will not be totally resolved until the streets are repaved,
but due to the HOA’s financial budget that has been postponed.
●In case you are wondering why the crepe
myrtles did not get “cut back” this year. Based on the advice of SMA’s arborist, by not
cutting back the crepe myrtles the trees will be healthier, produce more
flowers, and less susceptible to tree rot.
●What can I
do to help with landscaping at SMA?
We can all do our part by picking up sticks and debris as we walk throughout
the property and dispose of them in garbage cans. Allow sufficient room between your car and
the curb when parking so that the landscapers can clean the areas.
Sweep off your porch and sidewalk frequently. Spray non-toxic weed killers in areas that
you feel need special attention.
Lastly, but
not least, the Landscape Committee is so thankful for those who are willing
(and those who have) monetarily donated funds for the beautification of SMA! If you wish to monetarily donate funds to
support the landscape committee’s “special projects”, a check may be mailed to
SMA (c/o Abbitt Management) and notate “landscape special projects”. One person cannot do it alone. It takes a village! <
Noises from your attic? It may be time for action!
Barbara Warrington, who lives at 121 Wellesley, has some advice for Stratford Manor residents who hear noises coming from their attic or see cute little mice running across their patio:
Take action early to rid your home of the invaders, because it only gets worse. Ms. Warrington hesitated to do much at first, other than putting out some traps and poison bait .
She was hoping the rodents would fall victim to those early measures. “But it got worse as time went by and I was tired of fighting them. So I called a wildlife removal company. “
When the experts went into her attic, they discovered that squirrels had found a home—even to the point of having babies there. There was also evidence of mice living in the attic.
“Because of the stench, I had to replace the insulation,” she said. “By then, it had become an expensive problem to fix.“
More recently, Phyllis Bunn, of 115 Wellesley, said she and
her neighbors had seen rats behind their units, and she called her exterminator.
Ms. Bunn said the wildlife turned out to be what the company called “roof rats.” They said the rats were coming through a small hole on my back wall, where the HVAC cables come through. It doesn’t take much of a hole for them to get in.”
She
said she recommends all owners take precautions to discourage any similar invasion,
adding that traps and bait boxes are safe steps to take as long as they aren’t
placed where children or pets could get to them.<
Stratford Manor News Briefs:
Spring inspections completed—The annual exterior inspections conducted in early May were completed without any problems, and homeowners’ feedback and activity suggest that the maintenance items brought out in the inspection reports are being addressed. “The Abbitt inspector cited well over 100 owners for one or more issues,” said John Gullett, SMA president, “which is more than the past two years. The good news is that the vast majority of these findings involved relatively minor issues such as dirty siding, garden weeds and dirty gutters.”
Only 14 owners were cited for the more-serious architectural violations, and he said that the Architectural Control Committee has been busy over the past few weeks evaluating and approving Architectural Review applications for exterior repair work. “Violations require compliance, but the vast majority of those this year involved fading shutters, broken trim boards, or sagging gutters. It appears that most owners view this as an opportunity to catch issues they either didn’t notice—like a bird nest over their drain spout--or had put off fixing.”
Dimly lit entrance sign is now a beacon for Sloane residents—A commercial-grade, solar-powered light is now operational at the Sloane Place entrance on Wellesley Drive, marking the completion of a lengthy effort to provide adequate lighting for all three Stratford Manor entrance signs (The signage light at the end of the public portion of Wellesley is hard-wired to a nearby street lamp, and the Kenilworth Drive sign got its first solar light this past spring.).
Residents of Sloane have been complaining to the SMA board for quite some time about the low-powered solar light at their entrance. “Some folks were having difficulty seeing the entrance when driving home at night,” said Mr. Gullett. “The low-powered solar light (125 lumens) that we originally installed wasn’t really adequate, so when Board Member Doug Marmon offered to replace it with a more-powerful solar light (675 lumens), we readily approved the expense.”
Mr. Gullett noted that Mr. Marmon earlier installed the same type of commercial-grade solar light at the Kenilworth entrance, volunteering his and his son’s time in getting the work done at no charge to the Association. “Sloane residents are very happy with the better lighting, and it was done at a cost of less than $280. We deeply appreciate what Mr. Marmon did for the community,” Mr. Gullett said.
SMA getting new collections attorney—Faced with the pending retirement of the Association’s
collections attorney, the SMA board at its June 14 meeting selected Thaddeus
Bechtle, a Virginia Beach lawyer, to serve in this highly specialized segment
of the SMA’s legal needs, effective immediately for new accounts. Vonda Dunn,
who has been serving as the SMA’s collections attorney, recommended Mr. Bechtle
and has worked with him over the past two years in preparing for the transition
of many of her clients to his firm. “We are going to miss working with Ms.
Dunn,” said Mr. Gullett. “She has always been helpful to the SMA Board, and her
work with Mr. Bechtle to ensure a smooth transition is greatly appreciated.”
Ms.
Dunn will continue working with the SMA’s old accounts until she fully retires later
this year. <
Trash pickup schedule:
June 27— Trash only; July 5-- Recycling, bulk
pickup & trash (Wednesday pickup due to holiday); July 11—Trash only; July
18, Recycling, bulk pickup & trash.
July
25—Trash only; August 1—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash; August 8--Trash
only.
August 15—recycling, bulk pickup & trash.
SMA Board:
John Gullett, President (2023)
Donna Groller, Vice President (2025)
Bob Lucas, Treasurer, (2024)
Frances Hodges, Secretary (2025)
Nancy Allen (2024)
Betty Blackburn (2023)
Lisa Hall (2023)
Doug Marmon (2025)
Madoline Wallace (2024)
Association Website: stratfordmanornn.blogspot.com or through Abbitt.
Property Management:
Abbitt Management; Ms. Tricia Wells, Masnager; Ms. Jennifer Norman, Assistant Manager
Email: associations@abbitt.com and telephone: 757-874-4900
Board Meeting Dates: August 9th; October 11th; and December 13th
Meetings are on Wednesdays and start at 5:30 p.m. Unless notified otherwise, each meeting will be held at Abbitt, Suite 205, 11835 Fishing Point Drive, Newport News, VA.
Annual Meeting Date: Wednesday, November 15th at 7:00 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church
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