NEWBERRY  STATION  HOMEOWNERS  ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL MEETING

7 JUNE 2006

I.   Roll Call and Certification of Proxies

Board Members in Attendance:  Jane Brown, Brandon Farlander, Purvis Dawson, and Mark Sajbel.

Quorum and Call to Order:  Noting that all proxies had been certified and that a quorum was present (51 homeowners), Jane called the meeting to order at 7:36.

II.   Proof of Notice of Meeting

A mailing specifying time and place of the annual meeting was sent out to all Newberry Station Association members on 25 April 2006, with a reminder sent on 24 May 2006.

III.   Reading and Disposal of Minutes of Preceding Meeting

Copies of the minutes of the previous Annual Meeting of 8 June 2005 were made available to those in attendance.  Purvis moved that we dispense with the reading of the minutes and approve them as written, Tom Little seconded the motion, and the attendees approved the motion by unanimous consent.

IV.   Report of Officers

Treasurer:  Brandon corrected the budget that had been passed out by the Management Agent, noting that the Total Expenses for 2006 should read $149,833, not $287,476 as written.  He then gave a breakdown of the monthly homeowner’s fee ($94): 

$27 – Capital Reserve

  13 – Grounds Contract

  12 – Pool Contract

  12 – Management Fee

    9 – Trash Contract

    6 – Insurance and Electricity

    5 – Pool and Grounds Repair

  10 – All other expenses

The current Capital Reserve is $122,000, which is low for this size property.  Brandon noted that one major expense in the coming year is tree pruning.

Member-at-Large:  Purvis commended the job done by the AECC Committee, and noted that they had been doing the inspections and alterations approvals for many years.  He noted that there was excellent attendance at tonight’s meeting, but that the participation of Association members at monthly meetings is practically nil.  Newberry Station is one of the best communities in Fairfax, for its low crime rate and convenient location to major thoroughfares, but it takes the involvement of more members to keep the quality of life at a high level.

Secretary:  Mark complimented the members on a great turnout but invited them to attend monthly meetings, especially if they have issues they would like to raise.

V.   Open Forum

Lawn Edging:  The Board will look into modifying the grounds maintenance contract so that the contractor edges both sides of the sidewalk—it will probably cost more.  The current contract doesn’t have language for edging the homeowner’s side; the previous contractor performed this task without it being a requirement.

Asphalt Discussion:  In response to continued complaints about the quality of last year’s asphalt job, Jane said that several inspections and walk-thru’s were done and that the contractor corrected all the items the Board had identified:  (a) repair open areas by curbs (esp. by 6901 Trestle), (b) fill exposed areas, (c) smooth out portion by drain on Hamilton Ct., (d) paint curb yellow by 6920 Trestle, and (e) re-do painting of stop signs and other lines where paint wasn’t solid. The contractor explained the condition of the asphalt as follows:

-         In order to keep costs within budget, only the most damaged parts were milled and patched.  The Board was pleased with the parts that were patched.

-         In some parking spaces the surfacing didn’t adhere.  This was caused by the fact that surfacing was applied over old parking space lines (the lines were re-drawn on Hamilton to obtain an extra parking space some years ago).

 

-         Extra tar in cracks and exposed areas was applied with no patching.  Hot weather caused some of this tar to come up and get stuck on tires, bikes, shoes, etc. 
The only remedy for a long-term fix in exposed areas is millwork and patching, which the budget didn’t allow for at this time. 

Brothers Paving suggested the Board do an “overlay” in the future instead of patching and surfacing.  This consists of applying asphalt over existing road, eliminating the need for more expensive milling.  Up to four inches of asphalt is applied in the middle of the road and then the surface is beveled toward the gutter.  Paving fabric is put on this beveled portion for durability, and road drainage overall is enhanced.

Flyers in Neighborhood and Company Decals on Vehicles:  There is no prohibition against leaving flyers in the neighborhood, but the Association Covenants prohibit vehicles with company decals to be parked on site (except when performing work).  This is in response to a member who complained that businesses can leave flyers all over the neighborhood but he couldn’t display his company sign on his vehicle.

AECC Committee:  The Board is seeking new members to run the AECC Committee.  After many years of service the current committee is disbanding.

Home Inspections:  The inspections of home exteriors were done by Cardinal Management this year, paid for by the Association.  Inspection reports will be mailed out to homeowners within a week.

Parking Situation on Ona Drive:  The barricade at the dead end has long fallen down and cars are now pulling up onto community property.  Several junky vehicles, including a white truck filled with old tires and a Cadillac with flat tires, have been parked either on Ona or in the neighborhood.  Purvis said that these vehicles have been tagged by Fairfax Police and are on the verge of being towed—Newberry Station has no authority over Ona Drive, which is a public road.  One member reported that some vehicles have been vandalized or robbed.  The Board asked that the Management Agent contact the proper authorities to have the barricade restored.

Parking Space Hoarding:  Homeowners who detect that a vehicle has been parked for 10 days or more in the same visitor parking space should report the license plate to the Board or Management Company.  Likewise, families that rotate their cars for 10 days or more through the same space are guilty of “hoarding”.  The Management Company will post a warning the first time and have the vehicle towed upon further infractions.

Lighting on Ona:  The Board plans to survey homeowners adjacent to Ona on the desirability of street lights on Ona.  If the consensus is for more lighting, the Board will request same from the County Supervisor’s office.  In the mean time, the Board recommends that homeowners install motion-activated flood lights in the back.

Hill Erosion by Ona:  The Board asked that Cardinal Management see if the erosion is on community or state property; if community property, get bids for abatement of erosion.  One homeowner complained that he cannot open his gate due to the erosion, which he claims is caused by the cars pulling on to community property.

Curb between Stationhouse and Ona:  The replaced curb needs to be painted yellow.  The Management Agent said that she asked Dominion Towing if they would do so, since they painted the rest of the curbs free of charge.  If Dominion declines, the Board authorizes Cardinal to pay to get it done.

Carpenter Bees in Pool Shed:  The Board asked Cardinal to look into this and enlist an exterminator if appropriate.

Playground Equipment:  Tabled until future meeting.

New Community Sign:  Tabled until future meeting.

Steps in Pool:  The Board decided not to go ahead with this project because of prohibitive expense.

Deck Stains:  Homeowners must submit proposed deck stains to Cardinal for approval prior to staining.

Culvert Cleaning:  A homeowner claims that complete cleaning was never done because sediment was left in the bottom.  Jane said that four cleanings are called for in the contract and that the Board will insure that the next cleaning is thorough.

Community Bulletin Board:  Lock was removed, and members are welcome to post the minutes there.

Split Rail Fence between Raceway and Newberry:  The Board asked the Management Agent to inspect this for damage and repair it if warranted.

Trampoline on Trestle Ct:  The tenants are moving out in the near future so the Board saw no need to take further action (Cardinal had already sent a letter saying that the net must be removed daily).

Sidewalk Repair:  No more repairs or replacements are foreseen for this year.

“For Sale” and Directional Signs:  “For Sale” signs in front of homes are legal, but directional signs cannot remain up indefinitely.  Cardinal removed the directional signs recently.

Handicapped Access Ramp:  One homeowner requested that the Board install a handicap access ramp for a new resident.  The Board asked the Management Agent to look into this.

Parking by Clubhouse: Only the lifeguards are authorized to park by the clubhouse so that emergency vehicles have full access.  However, the Board said that one other vehicle could park there, since the couple are physically challenged and have difficulty walking up and down the access road.

Pool Party- 20 June 2006:  Purvis moved to spend up to $600 on the annual pool party, Brandon seconded, and the Board passed the motion by unanimous consent.  Cardinal should request an extra lifeguard for that afternoon.

VI.   Election of Three Directors

Brandon Farlander, Thomas Little, and Rachael Trudell submitted their names for nomination.  April Scherer nominated the three for election, Chris Liberty seconded the nomination, and the Association members elected them by unanimous consent.  Jane Brown and Mark Sajbel complete the five-member Board.  Purvis Dawson and Laura Newberry will step down from the Board of Directors after two years of distinguished service.

VII.   Door Prizes

$100 Gift Certificate (attendees drawing) – Nelly Solis and Jose Soon

$50 Gift Certificate (proxy drawing) – Riyas and Rizha Ahmed

VIII.  Adjournment

Tom Little moved to adjourn, Purvis seconded, and the motion passed by unanimous consent at 8:44.  The next Board Meeting will be on 5 July 2006 at 7:00, at which time the Slate of Officers will be decided. 

The next Annual Meeting will be on 6 June 2007 at 7:00.

Cardinal Management Action Items:

1.  Budget Correction:  Correct the three-year budget matrix.

2.  Tree Pruning:  Get bids for tree pruning.

3.  Lawn Edging:  Get a quote for adding lawn edging on homeowner’s side of sidewalk to the grounds maintenance contract.

4.  Restore Barricade:  Contact the County to restore the barricade that has fallen at the end of Ona.

5.  Erosion by Ona:  See if hill erosion is on Newberry’s property.  If it is, get a quote for tiering or a retaining wall to abate it.  If not, contact the County to handle it.

6.  Paint the Curb:  Pay a company to paint the new curb by Ona if Dominion won’t do it.

7.  Carpenter Bees:  Exterminate the bees in the pool shed.

8.  Split Rail Fence:  Inspect and, if needed, repair the split-rail fence on the Raceway Farms side.

9.  Handicapped Access:  Get a bid to install an access ramp at a new homeowner’s parking space.

10. Lifeguard:  Request an extra lifeguard for June 20.

Submitted by M. Sajbel, Secretary, on 9 June 2006