By Mary M. Sapp
I hope everyone is having a relaxing summer so far. Your Board has been and continues to be hard at work on your behalf. Here is our mid-year update on accomplishments so far this year.
Many of you are interested in the status of the dock, and I’m happy to say that work on this project continues to progress. Thanks to Erin Cloney’s efforts, the Reston Association Design Review Board (DRB) approved the plans for our new dock, and we are close to sending a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a contractor to build the dock. Once we have selected a contractor and know the projected cost, we’ll call a special meeting of homeowners to review the design and approve the funding for the project from our reserve funds (we do not anticipate needing a special assessment). The Board is also reviewing options for new lighting next to the dock, and we have received proposals for adjacent landscaping.
A second ongoing project that was resolved this spring was approval by the DRB for individual owners to replace their existing cedar siding with HardiePlank (thanks to Kelly Driscoll, chair of the Standards Committee, for shepherding this proposal). We are investigating the possibility of lower individual prices for re-siding with HardiePlank if multiple owners agree to use the same contractor.
Other committees have also been active. Pete Hatfield, the new chair of the Landscape Committee, is currently focusing on trimming/removing trees on Lakeport’s common property (with the option for owners to hire the same arborist to trim their own trees at a reduced price). Members of the Neighborhood Watch committee, under the leadership of Chuck Foster, have received formal training and are now regularly patrolling the neighborhood. Jerry Beiter agreed to chair a new Disaster Recovery Committee and is drafting documents to help residents prepare for large-scale emergencies. Our Social Committee organized one TGIF gathering and has another scheduled for August 25; our children enjoyed the annual Easter Egg Hunt. And speaking of opportunities to socialize, it was great to see so many neighbors turn out for the garage sale (both selling and buying or just visiting with each other). Please read articles elsewhere in Ripples for more details on these activities.
Although South Lakes Village is not directly part of Lakeport, you might be interested to know that we have been in communication with the center’s management company about their landscaping, trash cans that are sometimes too full, and vandalism that has occurred there and in Lakeport, and we’re pleased that things are better. It’s hard to miss the new flowers between Red’s Table and Cafesano, and the management company plans to plant a number of new trees following an RA-approved master plan. They also said they would work on emptying trash cans more often, but if you see problems with un-emptied trash cans, please take a photo and forward it to the Board so we can pass it on to them. Efforts to reduce vandalism (this spring it was bollards and shopping carts) will require ongoing cooperation. I also visited Red’s Table on behalf of some of our residents to discuss the noise level there and discussed with one of the owners ways to reduce the sound level from live bands.
Not surprisingly, the Board also has to deal with more mundane matters that are not so visible. We negotiated a new contract with American Disposal Services (for a lower price and with the option for new trash and recycle bins for residents), are working on the tree-trimming agreement, and recently issued an RFP for landscape maintenance and snow removal. We also considered a proposal for worker’s comp (and discovered we don’t need it), checked coverage from our current insurance policies, discussed our collection policy, reviewed invoices and monthly finance and late-payment reports, took care of minor repairs around the community (everything from re-anchoring vandalized bollards and retrieving shopping carts out of the lake to replacing light bulbs and removing wasp nests and dead branches), and responded to myriad questions and requests from residents.
We were sorry that David Fleming had to leave the Board but welcome Kay Quam as a new member. All of us on your Board, on Lakeport’s committees, and other volunteers will continue to work on your behalf to improve Lakeport. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
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