By Mary M. Sapp
The highlight of the past few months for many of us was the dock party, which not only marked the completion of the dock and its related projects but equally important helped build a better sense of community for Lakeport. A special thanks to MaryAnn Hoadley for organizing such a wonderful event.
This celebration of the new dock marked the completion of efforts over a number of years to rebuild Lakeport’s largest investment in our common property. Everyone agrees the new dock looks great and will be enjoyed by Lakeport residents and others for decades to come! Board member Paul Renard deserves special recognition for the many, many hours (more accurately the many months) he spent coordinating the project: working with the dock contractor and engineer, scheduling other contractors and Reston Association, making trips to the County in relation to permits, monitoring progress and updating milestones, and even doing some of the work himself. Find out more about our journey to complete this project in the article on the dock in this edition of Ripples.
The dock party also allowed residents to see the outcome of several other projects undertaken in conjunction with the dock. First, changes were made to the area to the west of the dock where shoreline exposed as a result of a shorter (but wider) footprint for the new dock needed to be restored. Coir logs were installed by volunteers along the shoreline and will be planted with flowering water plants next spring. In addition, a new dry stream and decorative grasses were installed on the hill to deal with storm-water runoff, and the river rocks and natural rock “steppers” were continued between the RA path and dock. Landscaping on the other side of the dock was also spruced up. RA graciously scheduled their paving of the Red Loop Trail next to the dock in time for the dock party, further enhancing the appearance of this area for that event. Most recently new bollards have finally been installed.
A new Maintenance Committee has been created by the Board to oversee regular maintenance (think roads, railings, rock walls). In addition to ongoing efforts to maintain and improv the appearance of common areas, the Board arranged for architectural inspections of homes, with the dual goals of alerting owners to potential issues before they become major problems and improving the appearance of our neighborhood. Most owners have already completed their work, and others, delayed by weather and difficulty finding someone to do the work, are in the process of taking care of their issues. If you haven’t notified the Board that your work is complete, please send me an email at msapp@miami.edu.
By revising Lakeport standards, the Board is also trying to make it easier for owners to take advantage of new technology when maintaining their homes and to update the look of our community. In addition to the changes in the standards for roofs, front doors, and self-storing storm doors approved earlier this year, we are considering allowing more options for the installation of HardiePlank. Read the separate article on standards for more information. Finally, in recognition that Lakeport homes are aging, Board members Kay Quam and Kevin Burke hare working on some tips for maintaining your home.
Thank You’s
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much support we’ve received from Reston Association staff this past year. In addition to paving the path next to the dock, they donated the coir logs and waders used by Lakeport volunteers to help restore the shoreline in the area, provided a truck-load of dirt to fill in next to the dock, replaced sod in Triangle Park, paid for replacement liriope next to the RA path, and have been very helpful in ensuring DRB approval of new standards. RA has also said they will donate (and empty) trash cans in Triangle Park and next to the dock.
Lakeport volunteers have also been essential to the completion of various projects to improve our communities and to keep HOA fees down. See the article recognizing volunteers for the long list so you can personally thank those neighbors who have helped improve our neighborhood.
The Board had a very full plate of projects this past year and I feel fortunate to have been able to work with four collegial, committed, and constructive colleagues: Kay Quam and Paul Renard (who were both elected to a 2-year term at this fall’s Annual Meeting), and Kevin Burke and Alison Yeloushan (whose terms continue for the next year). We look forward to another busy year ahead (though thankfully with fewer major projects planned 😊).
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