Janet Valentine, Secretary
Glencourse Lane
JValentn@aol.com

Craig Kuhn
2119 Glencourse Lane
ckuhndog77@comcast.net.

Next Board Meeting, February 20, 2007

The next meeting of the Glencourse Association Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, January 9, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School, 11375 Center Harbor Road, in Reston. Our meeting room is in the Little Theatre, to your left as you come through the main entrance to the school. Look for signs.

We will start the meeting with the normal 30-minute homeowners’ forum before moving on to the old and new business before the Board. It will be a full agenda with several items of importance to all members!

Quarterly Assessments—The Board’s Decision

A draft administrative resolution regarding quarterly assessments was put before the Board of Directors at their January 9^th meeting. After some discussion regarding the period during which a $10 credit was to be available, the resolution was amended and adopted. The full text of the resolution is included in this newsletter (starting at page 3) and can also be viewed on the Cluster website at http://glencoursecluster.net The main points of the new resolution are:

• Assessments are due in full on the 1^st day of the quarter. [No change from before.]

• A $10 dollar credit will be applied if paid before the first day of the applicable quarter. [This is a change from the draft which allowed a credit if payment was made within the first 30 days of the quarter.]

• Assessments are considered delinquent and subject to a $25 late fee if not paid within 30 days of the due date. [No change from before.]

• No “late notice” will be sent. [No change from before.]

A Few Reminders

It’s that time, again it seems. Time for a few gentle reminders about the rules and regulations governing the cluster and for another appeal to neighborliness and consideration of others.

First: The speed limit in the cluster is 15 miles per hour. For everyone’s safety we ask that that be strictly observed. The Board has received several complaints recently about residents ( not visitors or guests) disregarding the speed limits. If necessary, the Board will take action to enforce the speed limits—and such enforcement can result in the forfeiture of parking privileges.

Second: Under no circumstances is trash to be put out for collection until the evening before trash collection days—Tuesdays and Fridays. Recyclables are collected on Fridays and must only be put at the curb Thursday evening. Neither trash nor recyclables are to be left at curbside at any other time. Once AAA has completed trash and/or recycling pick up, trash cans and recycling bins are to be retrieved from curbside on the same day—they are not to be left on the curb, sidewalks, or anywhere else on the common ground. If, for some reason, you can’t put your trash out for collection or retrieve your own trashcans and recycling bins as required, ask a neighbor if they can help.

Third: We all live in close proximity to each other—that’s just the nature of our homes and our neighborhood. Accordingly, a little extra consideration of your neighbors is not only greatly appreciated, it’s expected (and is captured in the covenants, bylaws, rules and regulations governing the cluster). Loud parties late at night are inconsiderate; leaving trash or cigarette butts in your neighbors’ yards—or allowing your guests to do

so—is unacceptable. And answering inconsiderate behavior with some other kind of inconsiderate behavior is also unacceptable. No expects everyone to be best friends with all, or even any, of their neighbors, but please treat your fellow Glencourse Cluster residents the way you would like to be treated. A little courteousness and respect for others goes a long way—and often gets repaid in kind!

Maintenance of Homes and Enforcement of “Covenants”—Part II

In the December issue of the newsletter, the maintenance of homes and enforcement of the covenants governing the cluster (and Reston) was discussed. This was also a subject raised at the last Board meeting.

Next week, on January 23^rd, the Board will present to the Reston Design Review Board (DRB) a request for “conceptual approval” of a proposal to make vinyl siding (that is all but indistinguishable from the plywood we now have) an option, and to simplify the color scheme throughout the cluster, and DRB approval of implementing such a plan, once accepted by the residents, over the next five to seven years.

As mentioned last month, if DRB rejects our request, we will at least have a good idea of what they expect—what we can do. If they accept it, the Board (and hopefully some volunteer homeowners) will then work to develop a formal plan to implement the concept. After that, the plan will be circulated throughout the community for comments and eventually a vote by the Board of Directors.

As noted in the July newsletter, if you have any questions about the standards and requirements for maintenance, repairs, and the external appearance of your home, please contact a Board member. You can also go the cluster website (www.glencoursecluster.net) and to the Reston Association website (www.reston.org).

Our Capital Reserve Fund

The Board has received the report from CAM Services, Inc., the company that did our capital reserve fund study. The good news is that as of now, our capital reserves are indeed fully funded. That said, the study also noted a number of areas where our capital assets—sidewalks, retaining walls, stairs—are in need of repair or maintenance sooner rather than later, and a few of those are likely to involve some significant expenditure of funds. For example, the repairs to the retaining wall mentioned last month will cost us about $18,000. Replacing the railing along the top of the wall will run about $10,000. To repair various concrete problems noted in the study will probably run about $8,000 to $12,000 per year for the next several years.

It’s also very important to note that our capital reserve fund does not include landscaping and tree care, arguably the largest expenses the cluster faces now and over the next few years to restore and preserve the common ground and (by extension) to keep or increase the value of every town home in the cluster.

Volunteers Needed!

Every so often you will see in the Glencourse News this plea for volunteers—and here it is again! Volunteers are essential to the well-being of our neighborhood and to the governance and management of the cluster association.

We desperately need individuals who are willing to devote even an hour or so of their time each month to serve on Board committees such as Landscaping, Architectural Review, and Communications.

Voluntary turn out for cluster work days in the fall and spring is gratifying good, but we can always use more help—and when more people show up, more gets done that we then don’t have to pay someone else to do.

We also have two positions on the Board of Directors that will be up for election at the Annual Meeting, now scheduled for March 20^th. Kim Lowther is completing a long and distinguished term as a Board member and Officer, and has

indicated that she will not run again. David Gray’s term also expires this year, although he has indicated a willingness to run for re-election.

Without volunteers, neither Glencourse Cluster nor any other homeowners’ association can effectively do what it is charged with doing through its Articles of Incorporation, Covenants, and Bylaws. And in one sense that basically comes down to protecting and preserving the value of every single homeowner’s property—the rather considerable investment you made when you purchased a town home in Glencourse Cluster.

Understandably, devoting time and effort to the cluster is difficult in a lot of cases, but not doing so can be as costly and frustrating as neglecting crucial repairs to your home.

So please come join those who have already volunteered. Together we can continue to enhance the well-being of the community, the responsive of the Board and the property management firm, and—in the process—the value of our own homes.

PS—It can actually be fun, too!!

First Friday in February!

Our next First Friday gathering is on February 2^nd. Keep an eye out for flyers on the mailboxes and for signs at the cluster entrances for details on where.
 

Contributions to The News

Contributions to the Glencourse News are more than welcome! All you have to do is contact Ken Stringer and we’ll arrange to get your article or letter in the next edition.

Your Board of Directors

Ken Stringer, President
2117 Glencourse Lane
703-476-2326/703-282-1368
Stringer_ken@hotmail.com

Carol Kersten, Vice President
2113 Glencourse Lane

Victor Perez, Treasurer
2140 Winged Foot Court

Kim Lowther, Secretary
2119 Glencourse Lane

David Gray, Member
2150 Glencourse Lane

GLENCOURSE CLUSTER ASSOCIATION

Administrative Resolution

Assessments: Procedures Relative to Collection of Routine and Delinquent Payments

Resolution #1-9-07-1

WHEREAS, Article VII.3 of the Deed of Dedication for Reston [amended] (hereinafter “Declaration”) creates an assessment obligation for owners; and

WHEREAS, Articles VII and VIII of the Declaration state certain procedures for the billing and collection of said assessments; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Directors of Glencourse Cluster Association has determined there is a need to redefine the established orderly procedures for the billing and collection of said assessments to bring them in line with the Association’s Bylaws and with commonly accepted billing and collection procedures;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the following assessment procedures be adopted and, upon adoption, supersede those set forward in Administrative Resolution #11-13-97-3, adopted on 12/11/97.

I. ROUTINE COLLECTIONS

A. Annual assessments shall be paid in four (4) equal installments to be due in January, April, July, and October.

B. All installments of the annual assessment shall be due and payable on the first day of the applicable quarter. Any assessment paid before the due date (the first day of the applicable quarter) shall receive a $10.00 administrative credit.

C. All documents, correspondence, and notices relating to the charges shall be mailed to the address which appears on the books of the Association or as modified in writing by the homeowner.

D. Non-receipt of an invoice shall in no way relieve a homeowner of the obligation to pay by the due date.

REMEDIES FOR NONPAYMENT OF ASSESSMENT

A. If payment is not received when due, the account shall be delinquent.

B. If payment is not received within thirty (30) days of the due date, a late charge of $25.00 will be assessed.

C. Late charges shall automatically be assessed to delinquent accounts and thereafter become part of the outstanding assessment; they will be a part of the continuing lien for assessment; and like other assessments, they shall incur interest charges of .66 % per month (8% per year) while unpaid.

D. Any delinquent assessments, including unpaid late charges, shall automatically bear interest from the date of delinquency (the due date) at the rate of .66% per month on the delinquent amount.

E. The Association, as determined by the Board, may accelerate the payment date for all remaining installments of an annual assessment for that year on a delinquent account.

F. Written notice shall be given by the Association, its agents or attorneys to delinquent owner(s) about delinquent accounts, acceleration, lien filing, suit filing, and other actions connected with delinquency as is appropriate and necessary.

G. In any Association civil suit on the personal obligation to pay assessments, and in any Association lien foreclosure suit, in addition to annual and special assessments, and without limitation, the cost of filing the lien, of filing the suit(s), late charges, interest, private sale expenses, costs of collection and attorney’s fees shall be added to the account. The Association shall be entitled to recover all of said amounts in any such litigation.

H. With regard to delinquent accounts the Association, as determined by the Board may exercise, without limitation, any or all of the following remedies personally or, as appropriate, by counsel:

i) File a memorandum of lien in the Clerk’s office of the Fairfax County Circuit Court against a lot for which delinquency exists for amounts due, including, without limitation, annual assessments, special assessments, late charges, interest, costs collection and attorney’s fees;

ii) File and litigate against the owner(s) or former owner(s) of a lot for which delinquency exists (or appropriate others) a civil lawsuit based upon an owner’s personal obligation to pay assessments and other charges, for amounts due including, without limitation, annual assessments, special assessments, late charges, interest, costs collection and attorney’s fees;

iii) File and litigate a lien foreclosure suit to enforce and foreclose a lien or liens on lot or lots at Glencourse Cluster for which delinquency exists, to include amounts for without limitation, annual assessments, special assessments, late charges, interest, costs collection and attorney’s fees;

iv) Undertake nonjudicial foreclosure proceedings pursuant to applicable law to enforce a lien or liens on a lot or lots at Glencourse Cluster;

v) Following sixty (60) days of delinquency, and pursuant to governing documents and applicable law, suspend for the duration of the delinquency the delinquent member(s)’ right to use common recreational facilities offered by the Association to the extent that access to the lot through the common areas is not precluded, and such suspension does not endanger health, safety, or property of any owner, tenant, or occupant.

vi) In accordance with governing documents, suspend for the duration of the delinquency a person’s membership in the Association with respect to his or her right to vote. Such membership suspension alone shall only affect voting rights.

J. If the Association receives from any owner, in any accounting year, two or more returned checks for payment of assessments, the Board may require all future payments for the remainder of the year to be made by certified or cashier’s check or money order. A $50 charge will be assessed against an owner’s account for each returned check.

K. Payments shall be credited to an account in the following order beginning with the first to be credited: 1) attorney’s fees; 2) costs of collection; 3) late charges; 4) interest; 5) general and special assessments.

L. The Board may grant a waiver of any provision herein upon petition in writing by an owner alleging a personal hardship. Such relief granted an owner shall be appropriately documented in the Association files. Such documentation shall include, without limitation, the basis for taking such action.

M. In the event that any provision of this Resolution shall be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall nonetheless survive and remain in full force and effect.

N. This Resolution supersedes and replaces all previous Association collection resolutions. Copies of this Resolution shall be delivered to all Association members. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption by the Association’s Board.

Next Board Meeting, January 9, 2007

The next meeting of the Glencourse Association Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, January 9, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School, 11375 Center Harbor Road, in Reston. Our meeting room is in the Little Theatre, to your left as you come through the main entrance to the school. Look for signs.

We will start the meeting with the normal 30-minute homeowners’ forum before moving on to the old and new business before the Board. It will be a full agenda with several items of importance to all members!

Quarterly Assessments—Further Clarification

Confusion persists about the process for paying quarterly assessments and when you are subject to a late fee, as a result of which the Board has taken two actions:

No late fees will be assessed for delinquent third quarter payments until the end of the quarter. As of January 1, 2007, however, a $25 penalty will be added to any assessment still in arrears.

We will formalize, via the passage of a new Administrative Resolution, the procedures governing the collection of routine and delinquent assessments. A copy of that draft resolution will be circulated to all members prior to the next Board Meeting on January 9th. Comments may be offered during the Homeowners’ forum that evening, and the Board will vote on the resolution during the business portion of the meeting.

As indicated previously, however, the purpose of the new resolution will be to ensure that our regulations and our procedures are consistent with the Association’s Bylaws and with applicable local, state, and federal law. The main features of the new procedure will be:

• Assessments are due in full on the 1st day of the quarter.
• A $10 dollar credit will be applied if paid within the first 30 days of the quarter.
• Assessments are considered delinquent and subject to a $25 late fee if not paid within 30 days of the due date.
• No “late notice” will be sent.

Maintenance of Homes and Enforcement of “Covenants”

In the July issue of the newsletter, one article provided a focus on the cluster Bylaws, Rules, and Regulations. These are intended to provide continuity, preserve the esthetics of our community, and protect the investment each of has made in our home. Under the Bylaws, Rules, and Regulations of both Reston Association and Glencourse Cluster Association, each and every homeowner is required to keep the exterior of their property in good repair and appearance consistent with the specifications of the Cluster and the Reston Association Design Review Board (DRB).

Walking through the cluster, and in discussion with RA staff, it is clear that much needs to be done to bring the cluster in general (and obviously that means individual properties as well) into compliance with DRB design guidelines. To that end, the Board has been exploring various options such as the ability to use alternative siding materials such as vinyl.

At the suggestion of DRB, we are making a request for “conceptual approval” of a proposal to make vinyl siding (that is all but indistinguishable from the plywood we now have) an option, and to simplify the color scheme throughout the cluster. We are also seeking approval to implement such a plan over the next five to seven years.

What’s driving this approach? The desire to have more than one option available for siding and the belief that most members would prefer to have a choice rather than be forced to continue repainting and repairing the standard T1-11 plywood we now have. The need and the opportunity (given DRB guidance so far) to update the cluster’s color scheme, and the recognition that many homes do not have siding or trim that is compliant with the existing palette anyway.

If DRB rejects our request for conceptual approval, we will at least have a good idea of what we can do. If they accept it, the Association Board will then need help from members in developing a plan to implement the concept. Once that is done, the plan will be circulated throughout the community for comments. Then and only then will a vote be taken on whether to implement it.

If the initial plan is rejected for whatever reason by the Association members, we will still be required to come up with something to improve the general appearance of the homes in the cluster and bring them into compliance with Glencourse and Reston Association bylaws, rules, and regulations—and make them consistent with DRB design guidelines.

In either case, the Association Board and Reston Association are required and empowered to enforce the covenants we all agreed to abide when we became homeowners here. And the simple fact is that if we don’t, Reston Association can and will, and the Cluster is already effectively on notice that we need to take steps to bring us back into compliance on various fronts regarding the exterior appearance of individual homes.

Maintenance of siding, exterior lights, doors, fences, etc., must meet the design standards prescribed by DRB. If they don’t, the property owner is subject to various penalties. Those penalties include fines, legal actions, and taking a lien on the property that effectively prevents an owner from selling until the property fully complies with design guidelines.

As noted in the July newsletter, if you have any questions about the standards and requirements for maintenance, repairs, and the external appearance of your home, please contact a Board member. You can also go the cluster website (www.glencoursecluster.net) and to the Reston Association website (www.reston.org).

Our Capital Reserve Fund

The Board has commissioned a study of our capital reserve fund to ensure that we have what we need to effect repairs of major common assets such as sidewalks, curbs,. Roads, and—as noted in last month’s newsletter—retaining walls. Virginia Law requires us to have such a study down once every five years and our last one was done six years ago. The results of that study will tell us what we need to do, if anything, in the way of increasing the capital reserve fund, and will help in our strategic financial planning, providing direction in terms of the amount of our assessment, and where we may need to focus our spending now and over the long term. The reserve fund study will be on the agenda for the next month’s Board meeting.

The New Cluster Website is “Live”

Glencourse Cluster has a new website. Please go to www.glencoursecluster.net and check it out. The website is also linked to the Reston Association. Feedback on the site, as well as volunteers to help care for and “feed” it are most welcome.

Next Steps in Landscaping

It’s just another chance to get together as neighbors and friends, relax, and get to know each other a little better.

So with that in mind, the first “First Friday” will be at 2117 Glencourse Lane on December 1st. We’ll start around 6:30 and end…well…whenever! No theme this time—just bring a dish (and/or a bottle) of some kind and we’ll party!

Quarterly Assessments—“Dues” and When They Are Due

Some questions have come up about the changes in the process governing payment of the quarterly assessment, clearly indicating a need for some clarification.

TWC sends out quarterly statements to each homeowner requesting payment of the assessment. Currently, the total amount due each quarter is $275—the sum of the regular assessment of $230 and a special assessment that was added three years ago to fund tree removal and landscape refurbishment. On your TWC statement—as on previous AMSi statements, however, the amount indicated as due and payable within 30 days is $265. That’s because everyone that pays within the first 30 days gets a $10 credit.

Under our previous property management firm, AMSi, the practice had been to assess a late charge of $25 if an assessment was not paid in full by the end of the applicable quarter. When we changed management firms, the President and the Treasurer directed TWC to change that practice so that collection of quarterly assessments would be fully consistent with the Association’s Bylaws and reflect standard, acceptable, accounting practices. Accordingly, a late charge of $25 is now added if the assessment is not paid within thirty (30) days. On the very first quarterly statement TWC mailed to each homeowner, the new timing of the late charge should have been indicated, and I believe it was and has been on each coupon since. We are working with TWC to insure that it is clearly indicated on subsequent statements.

Again, the reason for the change was to bring us back in line with our Bylaws and with standard accounting practices. So if you pay your quarterly assessment within the first 30 days, you get a $10 credit and only owe $265 (there is no change in this policy, which was adopted by an Administrative Resolution of the Association Board in 1997). If you go beyond the 30 day period, your assessment payment is considered past due, in which case no credit is applied, and the $25 late charge is added on. (Actually, this policy was also specified in that same 1997 Administrative Resolution.) In addition, the Association Bylaws specify that delinquent assessments shall bear interest to the extent allowed by Virginia law, so if the assessment remains delinquent, it will accrue additional charges in the form of interest on the outstanding balance.

The Board of Directors, under Article VII, Section 2 (d) of the Association’s Bylaws has the duty and authority to “Use any legal and/or equitable means to collect assessments due to the Association when an Owner fails to pay within 30 days of the due date of each assessment.” The due date of our quarterly assessments is the first day of the quarter. Article X of the Bylaws spells out in detail the terms and conditions of assessments and payment.

If you have any questions, please contact Ken Stringer (President), Victor Perez (Treasurer) or Courtney Kelly (TWC).

An Unexpected Expense

We recently learned of some significant structural problems associated with the retaining wall near 2136 and 2134 Glencourse. The problem is two-fold and to repair it will entail some considerable expense. First, the retaining wall itself must be repaired and the area behind it must be excavated and refilled with gravel to assist with proper drainage; without this, the wall will remain unsound and continue to deteriorate. Secondly, the wrought-iron railing extending along the entire top of the wall is rusted out in many places and must be replaced. As we undertake these repairs we hope also to be able to alleviate or fix completely the drainage problems at the base of the retaining wall. In any case, repairs to the retaining wall will probably run between $15,000 and $20,000, which will come out of our reserve funds that are set aside for just such occasions. Still, it is a major expense that we had hoped we would not incur for at least several more years.

Over the years, the question of lighting in the cluster has been discussed and debated extensively. Dominion Virginia Power is willing to work with the Association to address the problems we face and, to the extent possible, resolve them. The most immediate problems have to do with the condition of several of the light poles in the cluster and, in some cases, the lights themselves, which are either out or failing. Dominion Virginia Power will replace the failing lights and will do their best to repair the light poles. Installing additional light poles, however, is a major undertaking involving a significant expense. This is further complicated by the fact that the neither the light poles nor the lights we have are manufactured any more.

Lights that are either out or failing will be fixed within the next several weeks, but the matter of installing more lights through the cluster will require further study and investigation to determine both feasibility and cost.

Contributions to The News

Contributions to the Glencourse News are more than welcome! All you have to do is contact Ken Stringer and we’ll arrange to get your article or letter in the next edition.

Your Board of Directors

Ken Stringer, President
2117 Glencourse Lane
703-476-2326/703-282-1368 Stringer_ken@hotmail.com

Carol Kersten, Vice President
2113 Glencourse Lane

Victor Perez, Treasurer
2140 Winged Foot Court

Kim Lowther. Secretary
2119 Glencourse Lane

David Gray, Member
2150 Glencourse Lane

Cluster Care & Cleanup and the
First Annual Glencourse “Oktoberfest”

It may be hard to tell now with all the leaves that have fallen in the past month, but our Cluster Care and Cleanup Day was a great success and we made quite a dent in the various projects we wanted to tackle that day. We had great weather and a great turn out of friends and neighbors, without whom the work would just never have gotten done. Lots of debris and trash was collected from the wooded areas, including a virtually intact lawnmower! One of the huge piles of mulch along Winged Foot Drive was spread—and we’ll finish spreading the second one this weekend. We raked and bagged at least 30 bags of pine needles and cleaned up the tot lot and other common areas. By around noon, we finished up, saving some of the other large projects for next spring, when we hope we can twice as many folks out to lend a hand!

Later that afternoon, it was time to celebrate our hard work and the First Annual Glencourse “Oktoberfest” was another rousing success. It was a great opportunity to relax and socialize and get to know each other—and there was great food and drink as well! If you weren’t there, you missed a fun party (and it wasn’t restricted to those who had worked earlier in the day either) and we missed you—but there’ll be other opportunities, such as….First Friday! For more on that, read on!

“First Friday”—Starting a New Tradition in the Cluster

The idea of “First Friday” comes to us courtesy of Ken Stringer’s best friend Bob, a former president of his homeowners association in Elk Ridge, Maryland. “First Friday” celebrations there are held—of course—on the first Friday night of every month, and hosting rotates among the various houses of the cluster. Everyone who attends brings a dish of some sort and, occasionally, a host might announce a “theme” like “Winter Wonderland” or “Mardi Gras” or something even more creative, but the idea is to keep it simple and make it easy for folks to come and enjoy themselves.

It’s just another chance to get together as neighbors and friends, relax, and get to know each other a little better.

So with that in mind, the first “First Friday” will be at 2117 Glencourse Lane on December 1st. We’ll start around 6:30 and end…well…whenever! No theme this time—just bring a dish (and/or a bottle) of some kind and we’ll party!

An Unexpected Expense

We recently learned of some significant structural problems associated with the retaining wall near 2136 and 2134 Glencourse. The problem is two-fold and to repair it will entail some considerable expense. First, the retaining wall itself must be repaired and the area behind it must be excavated and refilled with gravel to assist with proper drainage; without this, the wall will remain unsound and continue to deteriorate. Secondly, the wrought-iron railing extending along the entire top of the wall is rusted out in many places and must be replaced. As we undertake these repairs we hope also to be able to alleviate or fix completely the drainage problems at the base of the retaining wall. In any case, repairs to the retaining wall will probably run between $15,000 and $20,000, which will come out of our reserve funds that are set aside for just such occasions. Still, it is a major expense that we had hoped we would not incur for at least several more years.

Lighting in the Cluster

Over the years, the question of lighting in the cluster has been discussed and debated extensively. Dominion Virginia Power is willing to work with the Association to address the problems we face and, to the extent possible, resolve them.
The most immediate problems have to do with the condition of several of the light poles in the cluster and, in some cases, the lights themselves, which are either out or failing. Dominion Virginia Power will replace the failing lights and will do their best to repair the light poles. Installing additional light poles, however, is a major undertaking involving a significant expense. This is further complicated by the fact that the neither the light poles nor the lights we have are manufactured any more.

Lights that are either out or failing will be fixed within the next several weeks, but the matter of installing more lights through the cluster will require further study and investigation to determine both feasibility and cost.

Quarterly Assessments—“Dues” and
When They Are Due

Some questions have come up about the changes in the process governing payment of the quarterly assessment, clearly indicating a need for some clarification.

TWC sends out quarterly statements to each homeowner requesting payment of the assessment. Currently, the total amount due each quarter is $275—the sum of the regular assessment of $230 and a special assessment that was added three years ago to fund tree removal and landscape refurbishment. On your TWC statement—as on previous AMSi statements, however, the amount indicated as due and payable within 30 days is $265. That’s because everyone that pays within the first 30 days gets a $10 credit.

Under our previous property management firm, AMSi, the practice had been to assess a late charge of $25 if an assessment was not paid in full by the end of the applicable quarter. When we changed management firms, the President and the Treasurer directed TWC to change that practice so that collection of quarterly assessments would be fully consistent with the Association’s Bylaws and reflect standard, acceptable, accounting practices. Accordingly, a late charge of $25 is now added if the assessment is not paid within thirty (30) days. On the very first quarterly statement TWC mailed to each homeowner, the new timing of the late charge should have been indicated, and I believe it was and has been on each coupon since. We are working with TWC to insure that it is clearly indicated on subsequent statements.

Again, the reason for the change was to bring us back in line with our Bylaws and with standard accounting practices.
So if you pay your quarterly assessment within the first 30 days, you get a $10 credit and only owe $265 (there is no change in this policy, which was adopted by an Administrative Resolution of the Association Board in 1997). If you go beyond the 30 day period, your assessment payment is considered past due, in which case no credit is applied, and the $25 late charge is added on. (Actually, this policy was also specified in that same 1997 Administrative Resolution.) In addition, the Association Bylaws specify that delinquent assessments shall bear interest to the extent allowed by Virginia law, so if the assessment remains delinquent, it will accrue additional charges in the form of interest on the outstanding balance.

The Board of Directors, under Article VII, Section 2 (d) of the Association’s Bylaws has the duty and authority to “Use any legal and/or equitable means to collect assessments due to the Association when an Owner fails to pay within 30 days of the due date of each assessment.” The due date of our quarterly assessments is the first day of the quarter. Article X of the Bylaws spells out in detail the terms and conditions of assessments and payment.

If you have any questions, please contact Ken Stringer (President), Victor Perez (Treasurer) or Courtney Kelly (TWC).

Contributions to The News

Contributions to the Glencourse News are more than welcome! All you have to do is contact Ken Stringer and we’ll arrange to get your article or letter in the next edition.

Your Board of Directors

Ken Stringer, President
2117 Glencourse Lane
703-476-2326
703-282-1368
contact@glencoursecluster.net

Carol Kersten, Vice President
2113 Glencourse Lane

Victor Perez, Treasurer
2140 Winged Foot Court

Kim Lowther. Secretary
2119 Glencourse Lane

David Gray, Member
2150 Glencourse Lane

Next Board Meeting, October 18th

The next meeting of the Glencourse Association Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, October 17th, at 7:30 p.m. most likely at Buzz Aldrin Elementary School, 11375 Center Harbor Road, in Reston. It is possible that the meeting will be held elsewhere, so please check the meeting notices posted on the mailboxes beforehand or call one of the Board members.

We will start the meeting with the normal 30-minute homeowners’ forum before moving on the old and new business before the Board. Part of the homeowners’ forum, however, will be devoted to a discussion of the parking situation for 2150-2164 Glencourse. We will also be discussing next steps in the refurbishment of the cluster landscaping.

Cluster Care & Cleanup and the
First Annual Glencourse “Octoberfest”

Mark your calendars! Saturday, October 21st, is the next Cluster Care and Cleanup Day and, once our work is done, we plan to relax and celebrate with the first annual Glencourse “Octoberfest.” We hope everyone can turn out for both and we need some volunteers to help organize the day’s activities.

Behind the Scenes Happenings

Over the summer it might seem as though little has been happening—and you might think your Board has taken a prolonged vacation. Not so!

Among other things:

• The Association has hired new counsel. The law firm that will now be representing the cluster’s interests is Odin, Feldman, and Pittleman, PC, and Harry Lowe, specifically, will be our attorney of record for various matters. The Board was very impressed with the firm and Mr. Lowe’s experience with, and approach to, representing homeowners’ associations, and in addition to good, effective legal counsel, the Board believes we will save considerably on legal expenses.
   

• Your Board contacted Fairfax County sewer and water inspectors and scheduled a special visit to survey the lines and runoff drains throughout the cluster. The county has a regular inspection and preventative maintenance program, but they agreed to come check the cluster anyway and they found no problems with clogged drains or tree roots cracking pipes.
   

• The Board has also contacted Fairfax County Police to reinvigorate our Neighborhood Watch program. We hope to have representatives of the Fairfax County Police Department in attendance at our planned “Octoberfest” and in the meantime, we’re expecting some additional information and materials to help up with reviving the program.
   

• Finally, the Board has solicited bids from firms that conduct reserve studies for homeowner associations and expect to retain one of them before the next Board meeting. Virginia law requires homeowner associations to have a reserve study done once every five years. The study will give us a much needed perspective on where we are and where we ought to be in terms of having the necessary reserves to fund major repairs or replacement of capital assets—streets and sidewalks, retaining walls, playground equipment.

Trash and Refuse—A Reminder

As a reminder, trash and refuse should not be placed at curbside until the evening before scheduled pick ups on Tuesday (trash) and Friday (trash and recycling). Putting things out a day or two (or more) prior to pick up is simply unacceptable. It creates an eyesore, is discourteous in that it shows complete disregard for your neighbors, and detracts from the overall appearance of the cluster. It is also against the cluster bylaws. Unfortunately, this and other clear provisions of the bylaws seem to be ignored or violated with increasing frequency. As a result, the Board is reviewing enforcement options that could include fines or other punitive measures; this is regrettable and could be easily avoided if we all just chose to abide by the rules we agreed to when we purchased property in Glencourse. As we’ve mentioned previously, renters are not exempt from these rules, but enforcement may be directed against the homeowner as well.

More on Cluster Care and Cleanup Day

We hope to complete a number of “projects” during our Fall Cluster Care and Cleanup on October 21st, so we’d love to see a really great turn out to help get these done. Among other things, we want to:

• Spread the wood chips that Growing Earth provided when they removed some trees back in June.
   

• Clean up and “re-naturalize” the wooded areas where trees were felled but not cut up.
   

• Remove all invasive plants—especially English Ivy from the wooded areas.
   

• Remove the boxwood hedges and arbor vitae in the vicinity of the main tot lot in preparation for re-furbishing the tot lot.
   

• Prune or trim back areas along Soapstone that are the cluster’s responsibility.
   

• Remove all trash and debris from the wooded areas.
   

• Clean up the cluster entrance landscaping at the Glencourse north entrance.

As you can see, there’s a lot to be done. If a lot of us show up and we organize ourselves, though, we can get a lot, if not all of it done by noon. Can we get any volunteers to help recruit and organize their neighbors for each section of the cluster—Winged Foot north, Winged Foot “middle,” Winged Foot south, Glencourse north, Glencourse “middle,” and Glencourse south—before the 21st? We’ll also need the loan of any wheel barrows or carts to haul and spread the wood chips. Please call Ken Stringer at 703-476-2326 or 703-282-1368.

Coming Soon—A New Cluster Website

The cluster website, which we all realize has had some problems, will soon be re-designed, updated, and a lot more useful. We will, of course, have to use the old-fashioned “print” form of communication—namely this newsletter—to let you know when it’s up and running, but hopefully by next month (even by the next Board meeting) we hope we can pass along the address of the new website, and have it linked to the Reston Association website.

A Word on Parking

It’s no surprise to anyone that parking can be a problem here in Glencourse Cluster. Unfortunately, we can’t just pave over additional common ground and create new parking spaces. Every household has two parking spaces reserved exclusively for the use of the owner/resident. All parallel parking spaces are “open”—as in not reserved—and available to visitors and guests, but as we all know, those are limited in number as well, and sometimes our guests have to park well down the street because all the spots close by are taken.

In some cases, visitor spaces are used by households with more than two cars. Given the limited number of spaces, that’s to be expected, and we don’t restrict visitor parking spaces to visitor or guest use. Nonetheless, as a courtesy to your neighbors: if you have more than one car, please don’t hog the visitor spots closest to your house. Please also do not assume that because you park your third (or fourth) car in a particular visitor space that that is somehow “yours.” It isn’t.

Everyone should also know that parking a non-working vehicle in a visitor space is against cluster by-laws and the Board of Directors has authority to tow such vehicles. A car without a valid registration or inspection certificate is also subject to towing. Just to clear, “non-working” also includes those vehicles that need to be jump started, and simply relocating such a vehicle to the next visitor space after a jump start or by pushing it does not constitute “movement.” Such vehicles will be towed. The Board’s standard practice is to provide one notice—a flyer affixed to the vehicle—and allow 24 hours, after which the vehicle is subject to towing. Any vehicle for which we cannot find a resident owner will also be subject to towing. Finally, any vehicle illegally parked in a fire lane—the yellow-painted curbs—is subject to immediate towing with little or no notice.

Tot Lot “Etiquette”

The tot lot is for all kids in the cluster and we’d ask that older children be mindful of the younger kids who also use the playground equipment. Please also ask your kids not to leave sticks, logs, and trash on or near the equipment—that’s a potential safety and hygiene issue for them as well as others.

The Official Publication of News About our Neighborhood
February 4, 2007

The next meeting of the Glencourse Association Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, February 20, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School, 11375 Center Harbor Road, in Reston. Our meeting room is in the Little Theatre, to your left as you come through the main entrance to the school. Look for signs.

We will start the meeting with the normal 30-minute homeowners’ forum before moving on to the old and new business before the Board. It will be a full agenda with several items of importance to all members.

Among other things on the Agenda, will be a Board discussion and vote on proposed amendments to the Association Bylaws intended to bring our bylaws up to date and into compliance with the new Reston Governing Documents. In addition, the Board will discuss and vote on a series of resolutions updating and replacing or adding to those that had been passed by previous Boards. Each member will be receiving a copy of those proposed amendments and the resolutions in the mail in the next few days.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

If anyone would like to volunteer to be on the Nominating Committee for the elections we’ll be holding at the Annual Meeting, please let one of your Bard members know. Between now and the first of March, the Board will select, as required in the Association Bylaws, the members of the Nominating Committee. The committee must have at least three members.

The purpose of the Nominating Committee is simply to advise and assist the Board in the conduct of elections. The Committee’s primary role is to ensure that the nominating schedule and procedures are fair, well-organized, and comply with the requirements outlined in the Cluster Documents. It is responsible for publicizing the voting eligibility requirements and procedures, preparing the ballots, and conducting the election (including collecting the proxy votes and counting the ballots).

The Glencourse News, February 2007

Tom’s recommendation is:
Charles Jenkins Tree Service
Clifton, VA  20124
703-830-2654

SPEEDING IN THE CLUSTER

Last month, we offered a gentle reminder about a couple of things, including the cluster speed limit, noting that the 15 mile per hour limit applied throughout the cluster and asking that it be strictly observed. This is a safety issue for everyone in the cluster, but we have lots of small children playing outside every day as well.

Apparently, the gentle reminder just doesn’t work for some. In the past few weeks a few residents—including those with children—have continued to barrel through the cluster in complete disregard of the posted speed limit. No, we haven’t “clocked” them with radar guns, but you don’t need calibrated eyeballs to tell the difference between a car going 15 miles per hour, and one doing 30!

PLEASE OBSERVE THE SPEED LIMIT!

TRASH CANS & RECYCLING BINS

We also mentioned that under no circumstances is trash or recycling to be put out for collection until the evening before collection days, and that trash and recycling bins are not to be left curbside after they have been emptied. The reason for this is simple: When they’re left out (full or empty) it creates the impression of a cluster where the residents just don’t care what their neighborhood looks like and that, in turn, has an impact on property values. Each of us has a vested interest in keeping the cluster (as well as our individual property) looking neat and well-cared for. Abiding by this aspect of the Cluster rules and regulations is one of the easier ways to do that, so please: don’t put your trash and recycling out until the evening before collection days and don’t leave empty bins out after collection days.

EXTERIOR SECURITY LIGHTING

The Reston Association Design Review Board (DRB) Guidelines regarding residential exterior security lighting are very explicit, and a number of Glencourse Cluster residents, unfortunately, appear to be in violation of those guidelines.

What are these violations?

If you have exterior security lighting that, when turned on, illuminates more than your property, you are not compliant with DRB guidelines. Those guidelines specifically say that:

“The DRB will give primary consideration to the impact of light on neighboring properties.”

Exterior security lighting “design, wattage, type of lamp, location, and direction, should minimize glare onto neighboring properties, streets, or pedestrian walkways.”

Walking through the cluster at night, it is quite clear where these guidelines are not being followed.

The Board will be notifying those homeowners who are not in compliance, but everyone ought to take a few moments some night and check their own exterior security lighting. If it doesn’t follow the guidelines above, please make the necessary changes—which could be as simple as adjusting the direction of the light. You should also go to www.reston.org and click on Design Review, then Design Review Board, then Design Guidelines, Cluster Housing for additional information.

You should also know that any alteration of your exterior lighting must have prior approval by the Cluster Board (through the Cluster Architectural Review Committee) and DRB.

ANNUAL MEETING

We will hold our Annual Members Meeting on Tuesday, March 20, 2007. As with the Board meetings, the Annual Meeting will be held at the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School, 11375 Center Harbor Road, in Reston, and will start promptly at 7:30 p.m. We have the Little Theatre reserved, but we have gotten “bumped” before and ended up meeting in the cafeteria, so look for signs (or your neighbors).

There will be a number of critical issues up for discussion and approval by the membership, so we urge everyone to make a special effort to attend the Annual Meeting. A quorum of the membership must be present (either in person or by proxy) for the elections and to transact other business, so please mark your calendars.

Among other things, we will be voting on:

• Amendments to the Bylaws
• The plan to simplify the Cluster’s color scheme—a single trim color and three siding colors—and include the option of installing vinyl siding.
• New Board members.

All residents are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting, but voting is, of course, open only to members of the Association, as defined in the Cluster Documents. Essentially this means only property owners—not renters—are entitled to vote.

If you cannot be there in person, you can give your proxy vote to another member. The Association Bylaws require that “all proxies shall be in writing and filed with the Association’s Secretary prior to the meetings.” Please file your proxy with Kim Lowther, 2119 Glencourse Lane, as soon as possible if you cannot attend the Annual Meeting.

FIREWOOD BUYERS BEWARE

Tom Barton, 2162 Glencourse, notified the Board recently that some unscrupulous firewood salesmen have been visiting the cluster, charging very high prices for substandard softwoods such as pine (claiming it was hardwood).  Worst of all they were not selling by the cord (which is the legal measurement—a woodpile 8 ft wide × 4 ft high of 4 ft-long logs).  As a general rule, people should never buy firewood if it is not sold by the cord.   More often around here, though, you’ll see wood sold by the "face cord", which is usually not legally defined, and varies from one area to another although it’s generally considered to be a pile of wood 8 feet wide × 4 feet high of 16"-long logs or one-third of a cord.

Regardless of the actual measure and the price being asked, you should try to deal with known, reputable firewood salesmen—and there are several who do visit the cluster, usually in the fall. Check with your neighbors to see who they’ve found honest and reliable.

PARKING IN FIRE LANES

Cluster rules and regulations (to say nothing of Fairfax County law) prohibit any vehicle from being parked in a fire lane. The Board of Directors has the authority to remove any such illegally parked vehicle immediately and without any notice or attempt to identify and locate the vehicle owner or operator.

Generally, the Board has tried to apply this rule judiciously---making an effort to determine who the vehicle belongs to so that it can be moved and even leaving notices on the vehicle warning that it is parked illegally and is subject to towing unless moved.

It is the responsibility of every resident (whether an owner or renter) to abide by the parking rules and regulations and to ensure that their guests and invitees are aware of those rules and regulations.

Recently, however, there have been several instances where, despite such warnings and notices, either residents or their guests have simply chosen to ignore the rules and park their vehicle in the fire lane or (in one case) directly in front of a fire hydrant. Given this blatant disregard for safety, the Board has no choice but to strictly enforce the parking regulations. Consequently, any vehicle parked in a fire lane (the yellow-painted curbs) will be towed immediately and without warning.

MAINTENANCE OF HOMES AND ENFORCEMENT OF CONVENANTS—PART III

On January 23rd, the Board presented to the Reston Design Review Board (DRB) a request for “conceptual approval” of a proposal to make vinyl siding (that is all but indistinguishable from the plywood we now have) an option, and to simplify the color scheme throughout the cluster.

DRB approved our request, and we will now begin developing a formal plan to implement the concept. We hope to have that plan ready for a vote by the members at the Annual Meeting on March 20th.

Contributions to The News

Contributions to the Glencourse News are more than welcome! All you have to do is contact Ken Stringer and we’ll arrange to get your article or letter in the next edition.

Your Board of Directors

Ken Stringer, President
2117 Glencourse Lane
703-476-2326/703-282-1368
Stringer_ken@hotmail.com

Carole Kersten
Vice-President
2113 Glencourse Lane

Victor Perez, Treasurer
2014 Winged Foot Court

Kim Lowther, Secretary
2119 Glencourse Lane

David Gray, Member
2150 Glencourse Lane

The Official Publication of News About our Neighborhood
March 4, 2007

ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual Meeting of the Glencourse Association members will be held on Tuesday, March 20, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School, 11375 Center Harbor Road, in Reston. We are scheduled to meet in the Little Theatre, to your left as you come through the main entrance to the school, but if we are bumped (as we have been before), we’ll most likely be moved to cafeteria—to your right as you enter the school. Look for signs.

TWC mailed official notice of the Annual Meeting to all members on February 23rd, advising that the main order of business was the election of two Board members to fill vacancies with the expiration of the terms of two incumbent Board members—Kim Lowther and David Gray. We also have other critical business that requires a quorum of all members which, according to the Cluster Bylaws, is 10 per cent of the membership.

Enclosed with the notice were two important forms. One is a nomination form. If you wish to run for one of the vacancies on the Board, you must complete and return the nomination form to TWC by March 16th. The second form is a proxy, authorizing the President of the Board or another member in good standing to represent you and to cast your vote for you in your absence. Proxies do count in terms of establishing that a quorum is present. As noted in the last newsletter, your proxy must be filed with the Board Secretary, Kim Lowther (2119 Glencourse) prior to the meeting. You can do that directly or by mailing it to TWC as they advised in the notification letter.

Please note, however, that while the TWC notification letter said that proxy votes will “only be used to establish a quorum and vote in the election for Board members,” they will also be used to ratify amendments to the Bylaws that were made and approved by the Board at its last meeting. A copy of the old and new versions of the Bylaws is attached.

We urge everyone to come to the Annual Meeting or, if that is not possible, to give another member in good standing your proxy. It’s your cluster and your association—and this is your opportunity to determine who will manage the affairs of the association, and how they will do it, over the next year.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Many thanks to the following members who volunteered to serve as the Nominating Committee for the elections we’ll be holding at the Annual Meeting:

Ellen Davidson (2121 Glencourse)
Margaret Grieshaber (2002 Winged Foot)
Sally Little (2220 Glencourse)
Carolyn Travers (2034 Winged Foot)
Tiffany Zattiero (2029 Winged Foot

The purpose of the Nominating Committee is simply to advise and assist the Board in the conduct of elections. The Committee’s primary role is to ensure that the nominating schedule and procedures are fair, well-organized, and comply with the requirements outlined in the Cluster Documents. It is responsible for publicizing the voting eligibility requirements and procedures, preparing the ballots, and conducting the election (including collecting the proxy votes and counting the ballots).

One of their responsibilities is addressed right here—eligibility: Only members in good standing—those whose assessments are paid in full—are eligible to stand for election to the Board of Directors.

LANDSCAPING AND TREES

Natural Resources, our landscape design company, is in the process of developing a series of options for us to consider and start implementing this spring. Look for more information on this in coming newsletters, as well as on the website.

Growing Earth will be back in the cluster in the next few weeks to take down some dead trees and perhaps do some minor pruning in select areas. This is not another phase of the tree removal plan—that will have to wait on the recommendations from Natural Resources, and a decision on replanting that we can than take with us to DRB as we seek authorization to remove any more living trees.

SNOW REMOVAL

The Board is well aware of the problems encountered with this year’s snow removal efforts by Genesis, and is taking steps to improve their performance. Long-time residents know, however, that this is a recurring issue and, unfortunately, finding another, better, snow removal service is not all that easy, though we are investigating that option as well.

Hopefully we’ve seen the last of the snow this year, but if we get hit again, we hope that Genesis will demonstrate that they’ve taken on board our complaints and will do a better job.

FIRST FRIDAY?

Well, snow and cold weather have dampened enthusiasm for First Friday celebrations last month and again last week (even though the end of the week turned out to be relatively nice).

Any volunteers for April First Friday, on the 6th? If you’re interested, contact one of your Board members and we can publicize it.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEWS

Contributions to the Glencourse News are more than welcome! All you have to do is contact Ken Stringer and we’ll arrange to get your article or letter in the next edition.

Your Board of Directors

Ken Stringer, President
2117 Glencourse Lane
703-476-2326/703-282-1368
Stringer_ken@hotmail.com

Carol Kersten, Vice President
2113 Glencourse Lane
carolkersten@yahoo.com

Victor Perez, Treasurer
2140 Winged Foot Court
vjperez@comcast.net

Kim Lowther, Secretary
2119 Glencourse Lane
klowther@discoverycreek.org

David Gray, Member
2150 Glencourse Lane
grayhuyn@erols.com

Actions Taken at the Last Board Meeting

At the Board of Directors meeting on February 20th, the Board voted to adopt proposed amendments to the Association Bylaws as a way of bringing them up to date and into compliance with the new Reston Governing Documents.

The Board also adopted a series of resolutions either updating or adding to those passed by previous Boards. These resolutions, along with our Association’s Articles of Incorporation and the Association Bylaws can be found on the cluster website, at www.glencoursecluster.net. Copies will also be available at the annual meeting.

DRB Approves Proposed Concept for Additional Siding Options and Simplified Color Scheme

Over the past several months in the newsletter and at Board Meetings, the Board went before the Reston Design Review Board (DRB) in January to seek conceptual approval of a proposal to allow vinyl siding as an option for Glencourse Cluster residents and to simplify and modernize the cluster’s color scheme.

DRB approved our proposal, effectively authorizing us to being developing a plan to implement the proposal. As noted before, however, that plan is subject to membership approval and nothing can or will be done without extensive input from, and a vote by, the membership. There have been many rumors, misconceptions, and misrepresentations regarding this effort, most of which revolve around the notion that somehow residents will be “forced” to replace their existing siding with vinyl siding, that they will be required to do so quickly and in the very near term, and that they have no say in the matter. Nothing could be further from the truth and a review of the past several newsletters should disabuse anyone of these notions.

To ensure that every member has ample opportunity to weigh in on the issue, the Board, aided by the Cluster’s Architectural Review Committee, will be explaining the proposed siding plans in more detail, conducting surveys, and soliciting homeowner feedback and assistance in developing a comprehensive implementation plan. That is going to take time, effort, and the willingness of every concerned resident to become involved. Most importantly, until this is done, the Board will not be able to return to the DRB, as required, with a fully documented, detailed approach approved by a majority of the residents.

Because of the considerable amount of work yet to be done, there will be no vote at the Annual Meeting on the siding proposal.

SPEEDING, DOG WASTE, AND TRASH CANS/RECYCLING BINS

Despite numerous admonitions regarding the cluster speed limit (which is 15 miles per hour), several residents seem determined to ignore the rules and show remarkable disdain for the safety of their neighbors and the children in the cluster.

There are now procedures for filing complaints against those who are in violation of the cluster’s Bylaws, rules, and regulations. If you observe someone speeding through the cluster, please take note of the time, date, and vehicle details, and notify the Board. We can then initiate a formal complaint process, the end result of which can be loss of parking privileges for the offending party as well as the imposition of whatever other penalties allowable under Virginia law.

It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured as a result of the reckless behavior of some residents who clearly believe they are above the law and who obviously could not care less about their fellow residents.

Once again, can everyone please obey the posted speed limits in the cluster and show consideration for others.

As with speeding, dog waste is again become a major problem throughout the cluster—and it is not solely or even largely the result of non-residents who pass through on the Reston pathway.

Enforcement of the Association Bylaws, rules and regulations, on this matter will also be pursued through the formal complaint procedures. Moreover, the Board will look to invoking whatever legal procedures and remedies it has in terms of Fairfax County law.

At this point, as anyone who has walked through the cluster recently can all too plainly see, this is no longer simply a matter of inconvenience and occasionally stepping in something you’d rather avoid. It is rapidly becoming a potentially serious health c concern as well.

If you are a resident who regularly neglects to clean up after your dog: please show some common courtesy and common sense—and start picking up after your dog.

Begins to sound like a broken record (or maybe a scratched CD), doesn’t it? We certainly wish this was not necessary, but even after last month’s reminder about trash cans and recycling bins, it was evident that some apparently just can’t be bothered to retrieve them quickly on pick up days.

In one sense, enforcement here may be fairly simple: empty trash and recycling bins left out for more than 48 hours and on common ground, will be collected and disposed of for what they appear to be: trash. So if you intend to continue using your trash and recycle bins and don’t want anyone to assume they have been left out to be disposed of themselves, then please retrieve them as quickly as possible after AAA has come through—and that means on the same day.

This is also a matter of sanitation and health—to say nothing of simply taking some basic pride in the appearance of our community.

Other Contact Points

TWC Property Management:
Courtney Kelly
703-437-5800

Cluster website:
www.glencoursecluster.net

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The Official Publication of News about our Neighborhood
April 8, 2007

CLUSTER "SPRING CLEANING" DAY

Mark your calendars: April 21st is Cluster "Spring Cleaning" Day.

We’ll be picking up trash and winter debris and various and sundry other small chores, so please come out and join us that Saturday morning. We generally go from about 8 am to noon, and how much we get done depends on how many people show up. Rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, and other lawn or gardening tools are very much needed as well, so bring them with you if you have them—but please make sure your name is on them.

Please note, too, that if you have any construction "leftovers" from re-siding or fencing projects, now is the time to haul that stuff out to the curb. We’re making special arrangements with our trash collector to haul cluster clean up stuff away the following week, so this is your chance.

Other items found in the common areas adjacent to houses will either be moved to the curb for AAA pick-up or relocated to the nearest homeowners’ yard. As we’ve mentioned before, stone "patios" in the wooded areas are not allowed and will be removed as well. If anyone has such items in the common areas near their residence, please relocate them now to your property.

GLENCOURSE CLUSTER ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual Meeting of the Glencourse Association members was held on Tuesday, March 20, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buzz Aldrin Elementary School, 11375 Center Harbor Road, in Reston.

Once a quorum was verified, the meeting was called to order and the minutes of the last annual meeting were read and approved, as was the proposed budget for the coming year (amended to correct a typo). The draft minutes of the Annual meeting will soon be posted on the cluster website at www.glencoursecluster.net. Please remember that the site is “.net” not “.com” which is the old web address.

During the homeowners’ forum there was considerable discussion about the siding proposal. The Board again noted that nothing was going to be implemented until a detailed implementation plan was developed and approved by a majority of the residents (as required by Reston DRB when they approved our conceptual proposal). Working out the details necessary to gain residents approval and then to move forward is a significant task and happily several several homeowners have stepped forward to be members of the Cluster Architectural Review Committee and take charge of this effort.
 

Elections were also held to replace Kim Lowther and David Gray whose terms expired this year. Neither Kim nor David chose to run again. Hal Bonnette and Craig Kuhn advised the election committee of their intent to run and Sally Little offered her candidacy from the floor at the meeting. After a brief presentation by each of the candidates about themselves, why they wanted to serve, and what they’d like to accomplish if elected, the election was held. The members of the Nominating Committee then gathered and counted he ballots and when all votes, including proxies, were counted, Craig and Sally were the ones chosen to fill the vacant Board seats. Hal graciously volunteered to serve on the Architectural Review Committee.

Subsequently, as required by the Cluster Bylaws, the members of the Board selected the officers for the coming year. Ken Stringer, Carol Kersten, and Victor Perez will continue in their respective offices of president, vice-president, and treasurer. Sally Little will be the new Secretary.

CONTRUBUTIONS TO THE NEWS

Contributions to the Glencourse News are more than welcome! All you have to do is contact Ken Stringer and we’ll arrange to get your article or letter in the next edition.

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ken Stringer, President
2117 Glencourse Lane
703-476-2326/703-282-1368
Stringer_ken@hotmail.com

Carol Kersten, Vice President
2113 Glencourse Lane
carolkersten@yahoo.com

Victor Perez, Treasurer
2140 Winged Foot Court
vjperez@comcast.net

Sally Little, Secretary
2220 Glencourse Lane
slittle2@newcorp.com

Craig Kuhn
2119 Glencourse Lane
ckuhndog77@comcast.net

Other Contact Points

TWC Property Management:
Courtney Kelly
703-437-5800

Cluster website:
w.glencoursecluster.net

Back to the top

The Official Publication of News About Our Neighborhood
SPECIAL EDITION
July 27, 2007

Car Thefts

In the past week, three cars have been stolen from Glencourse Cluster and at least twice as many have been entered and had things stolen from them. This, according to Fairfax County Police, is part of a much broader problem throughout Reston and the County, but it shows that we all need to be extra vigilant about removing valuables and locking our vehicles—especially at night. The three car thefts in our neighborhood all occurred between roughly 11 pm and 6 am.

The Board is working with TWC and Dominion Virginia Power to determine the financial and practical aspects off of adding new light poles or otherwise increasing the illumination of the parking areas. That, however, will take weeks at best, so in the meantime we’re asking all residents to please leave your front porch lights on all night in the hope that this will act as a deterrent to car thieves and others wandering the cluster and looking for a chance to steal or damage personal or cluster property.

If you see anything unusual going on late at night, please report it immediately Fairfax County Police; their non-emergency number is 703-691-2131.

Back to the top

The Official Publication of News about our Neighborhood
September 14, 2007

The Siding Issue

A majority of homeowners has approved the proposal to allow the use of vinyl siding as an option for those facing the prospect of replacing their old T-111 siding or repainting it. Homeowners will NOT be required to install vinyl siding—that has never been contemplated in this project.

Now the cluster has to decide what kind of color scheme to follow:

• Each homeowner choosing the color for their own house, although no two adjacent homes can have the same color.
• All houses within each section or unit of houses to be one color.
• There are five colors proposed, three of which were approved in the first cluster-wide poll on whether to have vinyl as a siding option.

For more information and to see the colors, check the board at the intersection of Glencourse and Winged Foot (directly in front of 2115). Questions? Call a Board member. Whatever you do, be sure to cast your vote. The majority will again determine which approach we adopt.

What’s Going On With the Trees and Landscaping?

The initial phase of a long-overdue landscape renewal and refurbishment effort is underway. With the July newsletter the Board distributed copies of the plans for this effort and over the next few weeks those plans will become reality.

A major effort is underway in collaboration with Reston Association (RA) near the intersection of Glencourse and Winged Foot. The area behind units 2101-2113 Glencourse is being re-graded and partially lined with river stone to correct water flow and erosion problems. At the same time, six badly diseased cherry trees and a white pine have been removed and RA has taken out the pathway and culvert. This enables us to re-grade there as well as well as further down below the path behind 2113-2119 Glencourse.

Once the re-grading is done, RA will come back in and replace the path, installing a larger culvert that will also correct water flow and erosion problems. After that, we will replant the area, putting in a number of serviceberry and redbud trees as well as a black gum and a yellowwood, some rhododendron or elderberry and other shrubs, and ground cover.

The path itself will be finished by Wednesday, according to RA, and by mid-October we expect the project to be done, weather permitting.

Meanwhile, another project is underway between 2164 and 2166 Glencourse, where several older white pines have been removed and existing stairs will be taken out as well. All this is to in preparation for new landscaping and a regraded path for access to the golf course. Out along the road in the area between the sidewalk and the curb, a group of six trees will be planted—a mix of redbud and serviceberry. that will over nice foliage, color, and screening.

The third project in this phase is in the area between 2040 and 2042 Winged Foot where two white pines have been removed and will be replaced with three sassafras, three witch hazel, three viburnum, three elderberry, and assorted ground covers. Next year, the remaining white pines in that area will also be removed and replaced with a similar mix of deciduous trees including blackgum and either chestnut or white oak.

As mentioned before, this is the start of what is very likely to be a ten-year effort. To sustain the momentum and ensure that the new trees, shrubs, and groundcover stay healthy, the Landscape Advisory committee will need a lot of committed volunteers to help out. Joyce Cavallini has graciously agreed to chair the Committee, so if you’re interested in being a part of this major effort at preserving and enhancing our property values, please let Joyce know. Joyce lives at 2111 Glencourse and you can also contact her at JCavallini@aol.com.

Next Cluster Board Meeting—September 22

The next Cluster Board meeting will be held starting at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, September 22^nd at the Reston Community Center. As usual, the first 30 minutes will be devoted to a homeowners’ forum at which residents’ questions, concerns, comments are heard.

October 13th is Cluster Clean-up Day

As we do twice each year—once in the spring and again in the fall, we’ll be picking up trash and debris and various and sundry other small chores, so please come out and join us that Saturday morning. We generally go from about 8 am to noon, and how much we get done depends on how many people show up. Rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, and other lawn or gardening

tools are very much needed as well, so bring them with you if you have them—but please make sure your name is on them.

Please note, too, that if you have any construction “leftovers” from re-siding or fencing projects, now is the time to haul that stuff out to the curb. We’re making special arrangements with our trash collector to haul cluster clean up stuff away the following week, so this is your chance.

Other items found in the common areas adjacent to houses will either be moved to the curb for AAA pick-up or relocated to the nearest homeowners’ yard. As we’ve mentioned before, stone “patios” in the wooded areas are not allowed and will be removed as well. If anyone has such items in the common areas near their residence, please relocate them now to your property.

Living in a Reston Townhouse Cluster

An important part of living in a planned community such as Reston understands the rules, regulations, and standards that govern the appearance and condition of our individual homes. For townhouse clusters like ours this is especially important because this is virtually the only way to sustain or enhance our individual property values—especially in the current housing market. The overall appearance and condition of the cluster, as well as that of adjacent houses are critically important factors, which is why we have rules and regulations that, at times, can seem overbearing, but ultimately are for the good of the cluster and each member of the cluster association. What does this mean in practice? Basically this:

• Any change to the exterior of your townhouse must be approved in advance by an officer of the Cluster Board and then by Reston Design Review Board (DRB). Without those documented approvals, the Board and DRB will find you in violation of the rules and require compliance.
• A townhouse exterior (including front and year yards) that is not properly maintained is a violation of the Cluster and RA regulations and compliance will be required.
• The Board will work with individual homeowners

to bring residences into compliance, but generally that means that the violation must be taken care of within 30 days.

RA and cluster rules and regulations are required “disclosure documents” that must be provided by the seller, so every homeowner should have them—and really should read and understand them. If, for some reason, you can’t find yours, RA rules and regulations are easily found on the Reston Association website (www.reston.org) and the cluster rules and regulations are at the Glencourse website (www.glencoursecluster.net) [NOTE: Be sure to go to www.glencoursecluster.net, NOT www.glencoursecluster.com.] If you have any questions, please contact one of the Board members.

Trash

Please make sure that all trash—especially garbage—is properly stored in a closed plastic trash container, not merely a garbage bag. Squirrels, birds, raccoons, and other critters can get into a garbage bag far too easily, scattering trash and garbage all around. Cluster regulations actually require trash to be placed in plastic bags in a closed container. Unfortunately, many seem to have gotten far too lax in adhering to this regulation, so the Board will begin enforcing it by notifying those who are in violation—and imposing appropriate penalties.

Contributions to the News

Contributions to the Glencourse News are more than welcome! All you have to do is contact Ken Stringer and we’ll arrange to get your article or letter in the next edition.

Your Board of Directors

Ken Stringer, President
2117 Glencourse Lane
703-476-2326/703-282-1368
Stringer_ken@hotmail.com

Carol Kersten, Vice President
2113 Glencourse Lane
carolkersten@yahoo.com

Victor Perez, Treasurer
2140 Winged Foot Court
vjperez@comcast.net

Sally Little, Secretary
2220 Glencourse Lane
slittle2@newcorp.com

Craig Kuhn
2119 Glencourse Lane
ckuhndog77@comcast.

Other Points of Contact

TWC Property Management
Sharon Gardner, Property Manager
703-437-5800

Cluster website:
www.glencoursecluster.net.

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