Board to meet June 6

The SMA board of directors will meet on Thursday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m. Please note that the location of this meeting will be at the home of Nancy Allen, 172 Wellesley. Our property manager Robbi Henry will be away and unable to attend this meeting, so the board will not be meeting at the AAMG office.

Block Party on Saturday, May 18!

Saturday, May 18 from 3 to 6 p.m. in the common area between 118 and 120 Wellesley Drive.

Don’t miss this fun, FREE event for ALL residents of Stratford Manor! 

We’ll have hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. All you need to bring is a beverage, a lawn chair, and your favorite lawn games.

RSVP the number in your party to Katie Johnston, kjohnston813@gmail.com or 703-477-2243, no later than May 13. 

In case of bad weather, party will be re-scheduled.

April - May News

President’s Corner

Yogi Berra, who was as famous for his zany quotes as he was for his baseball skills, was speeding down a highway when his pal said, “Yogi, I think we’re lost.”  Yogi responded, “Yeah, I know. But we’re making great time!”

Sometimes board meetings feel like that—until someone asks, “Does this support our plan?” That brings us back to earth and steers us in the right direction: focusing on activities that will help us achieve our 2019 goals.

Yes, you cynics, we have a plan!

The board began working on its new goals early on, starting with input from last fall’s opinion survey about Stratford Manor.   Several owners said we need to do a better job of enforcing our rules and regulations consistently; we need to work toward a sense of community among residents; and we need to build greater trust among owners/residents, the board, and AAMG.

These became part of SMA’s 2019 goals, as adopted by the board on April 4. We discussed and analyzed numerous other suggestions, and rejected many that were either too expensive or impractical.

When the dust settled we had 13 goals for the year, many of which reflect work we are already doing.  For instance, we created a new report that gives all board members frequent updates on violations cases, which allows us to make sure that each violation is being handled in a consistent and fair way.

We have been brutally honest in our reporting in this newsletter and other communications for quite some time, which we feel is essential to achieving greater trust among all parties. But we recognize it will take time.

The goal of building a sense of community is a long-term, multi-faceted goal that each one of us has a responsibility to work toward. The newly announced block party on May 18 (see separate article) is our first SMA-sponsored social event in quite some time, and we hope everyone makes it a point to come out and mingle with their neighbors.

Social and welcome committee chairperson Katie Johnston is spearheading that project, as well as managing another important goal for 2019: to provide a better welcome for new residents.  She calls on new owners soon after they move in, bringing official greetings from board members as well as a nice gift basket of Virginia-made products.

Another one of our 2019 goals reaffirms our commitment to continue beautifying the common areas in our community. Last year’s beautification of the islands on Kenilworth was a big step toward that goal, and we will be on the lookout for affordable projects in 2019.

Specific projects round out the list of 2019 goals, including: updating our rules and regulations to present a broader spectrum of residents; getting the re-paving project under way; lighting the two remaining unlit Stratford Manor signs; and developing a comprehensive policy for rental activities.

Underpinning all of the objectives is the first item on our goals list: Avoid the need to raise assessments by staying within our annual budget.  That is our hope.

And with your support, we think we can avoid getting lost.

- John Gullett, President

Block part planned – save the date!

The Stratford Manor Association is throwing a neighborhood block party, and all Stratford Manor owners and residents are invited!

The outdoor event will take place on Saturday afternoon, May 18, at the back section of Wellesley Drive. Social and welcome committee chair Katie Johnston said the SMA will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, and some light snacks.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own beverages, lawn chairs and lawn games.

Ms. Johnston said the hours of the outing will be 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. If the party is called because of bad weather, a new date will be set.

“It’s been awhile since the association has sponsored a block party,” said Ms. Johnston, “and we hope all of our residents take advantage of this low-key opportunity to meet some of their new neighbors.”

The best part? It’s free to the families living in Stratford Manor!

There is one requirement, however.  To help plan for the proper amount of food, Ms. Johnston asks that you RSVP your attendance and the number in your party to her at kjohnston813@gmail.com, or by phone at 703-477-2243, no later than May 13.

A cautionary tale? 

Why Exterior Work Needs Approval—A play in Five Acts

Act I: A Stratford Manor owner decides to launch a major project to repair or replace a part of their townhouse exterior.  But this owner is in a hurry and doesn’t stop to think about our community’s rules and regulations requiring pre-approval before doing any such work.

Act II: The work is done.  It was expensive, and the owner is proud.

Act III:  A board member spots the work but doesn’t remember hearing about it from the Architectural Committee.  The Committee chair has no record of it; the property management firm knows nothing. The owner is contacted and swears that not getting approval was an innocent oversight. She now faces the possibility of having to remove the unauthorized work and start all over.

Act IV: An investigation ensues, and the Architectural Committee concludes that the work, while not authorized, does comply with SMA standards.

Act V: Homeowner is contacted and told that no action will be taken, but is asked to complete an architectural review form (available on the SMA blog site) for the record. She is relieved.

( End of play)

So it’s not a cautionary tale after all — the violator did not come to an unpleasant fate—but it is a cautionary reminder to us all.  You may be confident that you know what you are doing, but why risk having to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to correct the one big mistake you ever made!

Get pre-approved, and you are likely to be protected from any cost, criticism or complaints. That includes exterior painting (information about our approved paint colors is available at Sherwin-Williams  at Oyster Point Road and Warwick Blvd.).

And that makes for a happy ending!

Get ready! Spring inspections set for May 1

In case you need an added incentive to get out and repair your gutter or paint your shutters this spring, take note of Stratford Manor’s first 2019 architectural inspection date:  May 1.

Robbi Henry, AAMG’s association manager for Stratford Manor, and Satori Gregorakis, our architectural compliance officer, will be conducting their spring inspections on that day. They will be looking for missing mullions in your windows, loose shingles on your roof, peeling paint on your shutters, a dirty shed, and a wide range of other possible problems.

“Some residents don’t like to see us coming,” said Gregorakis, “but they all know that keeping our townhomes looking sharp and clean benefits all of us. And sometimes we point out something they hadn’t even noticed, like rotting wood on a window.”

Homeowners who are written up for one or more violations will be sent a letter asking them to correct the problems within 30 days. Then another inspection is done 30 days later to verify that all the repairs, etc. have been done.

A detailed list of items subject to inspection can be found under “Architectural Compliance” here on our website. 

Spring is here! Landscapers busy

The neighborhood is looking really good right now, thanks to Mother Nature and Year Round Landscaping (YRL), Stratford Manor’s landscaping firm.

Landscaping committee chair Nancy Allen said the weeds have been sprayed, the crape myrtles trimmed, and fertilizer and weed control applied to the grass. “You can see the crew out on the property, cutting grass and mulching the flower beds,” said Ms. Allen, “and summer flowers are about to be planted in key areas. Isn’t Stratford Manor beautiful in the spring!”

The landscaping committee also received the board’s approval to bring in a tree service to remove a large branch hanging high in a tree behind Sloan Place. While they are here, the workers will also take down a dead tree and clear a fallen tree. “Until we can get that hanging branch removed, people need to be careful walking along the common area behind Sloane,” said Ms. Allen.

Land survey prompts questions

A recent land survey along Stratford Manor’s property line shared with Pinecroft Apartments caused at least one homeowner to be concerned about what might be planned for the area—a reminder of the importance of keeping residents well informed.

“We ordered the survey because the current board could not find a record of the property line behind the units on that part of Sloan Place,” said John Gullett, SMA’s president. “But we haven’t had an opportunity to review the results yet.“

“Unfortunately, the sight of the surveyor’s wooden stakes with flags on them to mark the property line didn’t go unnoticed by residents,” he said. “We had a homeowner come to our last board meeting to express concern about our plans to build a fence behind her property. When we told her we have no plans to build a fence, she seemed relieved.”

Gullett said the board should have alerted homeowners earlier about the survey’s purpose, and he apologized for any confusion about it. “We want to be as transparent as possible,” he said, “and this just illustrates that we need to try harder.”

Gullett also urged residents who have questions about Stratford Manor’s operations to ask a member of the board or Robbi Henry, our association manager.

2 leaky storm drains repaired; more possible

Sinkholes around the edges of a storm drain collection box are the first visible sign that there are leaks in the drainage system. That’s bad news, because repairing them can be costly.

Stratford Manor suffered this problem at two different storm drain boxes recently, both located in the rear section of Wellesley Drive. According to Excel Paving, which repaired the breaks recently, the sinkholes develop when dirt is sucked into the underground piping system over a long period of time due to a break in the piping or its connection to the box.

It could take years before enough dirt has been washed away by a small leak to cause a sinkhole.

One contractor who bid on the project said the storm drains, which were installed in the 1980s, lasted longer than they typically last today. He also suggested that we may experience more failures in the future, but that there is no way to predict which ones or when.

Together, the two repairs cost several thousand dollars. As a result, the board wants to include the storm drainage system in the next reserves study. In the meantime, we will be monitoring the other storm drain boxes for possible sinkholes. Our experience with this over the next couple of years will help determine if the SMA needs to set aside reserves to handle the cost in the future.

Trash Pickup Schedule

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

June 4—Trash only

June 11—Trash, recycling & bulk

June 18—Trash only

June 25—Trash, recycling & bulk

July 2—Trash only

July 9—Trash, recycling & bulk

July 16—Trash only

July 23—Trash, recycling & bulk

July 30—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. 

Paint sale at Sherwin Williams - the place to find SMA-approved paints

April 12-15, Sherwin Williams is offering 40% off paints and stains. If you're planning to do some painting as part of your spring spruce-up, then you might want to take advantage of these savings.

Click here for more information. 

The Sherwin Williams store at Oyster Point has the list approved colors for Stratford Manor.

February - March News

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