Reminders

Snow Shoveling: Please be aware that residents are asked to remove snow from the sidewalks in front of their homes for safety reasons, and we encourage everyone to help their neighbors whenever possible, especially if they are unable to perform this task themselves. Also, remember to be cautious while walking (or driving) on snow/ice. 

Improve Lighting in Lakeport: In the winter when it is darker longer, it is important to turn on your outdoor lights at night to help ensure the safety of our residents and the security of our property. One way to further the goal of safe lighting is for residents to leave their exterior lights on at night, especially those in units with post lights, which according to long-time Lakeport residents used to be standard practice. This is of course voluntary but doing this one small thing would be a gracious contribution to the overall safety and attractiveness of our community. 

Report Suspicious Activity: If you see suspicious activity, don’t confront anybody but instead call the Fairfax County Police non-emergency number, 703-691-2131 (use this number also to report vandalism or any other crime that has already occurred). The police request that even if you just have a “gut feeling” something is wrong, you notify them with as many details as possible. It is helpful if you can also take photos unobtrusively. Police will be dispatched (or you may be able to provide a report over the phone). Also notify Lakeport’s Neighborhood Watch coordinator James Pan at jpamco@gmail.com. Please pay special attention to suspicious activity or sounds near the Lakeport dock, in the woods, or at night.

Drive Slowly: Neighborhood kids continue to play outside on sidewalks and in the streets, especially during snow. Please remember to drive slowly and keep your eyes out for children (and other pedestrians).

Help Keep Our Community Clean and Beautiful: Please contribute to the appearance of our community by picking up trash anywhere you see it while you’re out walking and enjoying nature in Lakeport (and elsewhere).

Never Again Be Late Paying Your Quarterly Assessment: If you’ve been contacted by the Board for not paying your assessment as the end of the month nears (or even if you haven’t), please consider paying your quarterly assessments by direct debit through your bank instead of mailing a check or paying on TownSq (which incurs an extra fee). Doing so means that you never have to worry about incurring late fees because you forgot to make the payment (currently $25 plus the charge from SCS for sending the letter). Alternatively, you can pay the entire assessment at the beginning of the year ($1400 for 2022). Either approach means the Board doesn’t have to spend time contacting you or pay SCS for mailing quarterly statements to owners who have not set up direct debit or prepaid (the cost to Lakeport last year was around $540). A third option for avoiding late fees (but you’ll still get a quarterly statement) is to use your bank’s electronic bill-pay option to set up recurring checks. For information about any of these three options and for mailing checks, go to https://www.lakeportcluster.org/p/hoa-fee-payments-lakeport-cluster-hoa.html. 

Update Your Contact Information: Please go to the Lakeport Directory https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k-zbZ7XKZUq6AEb1_xpUiDt79b74ndTr/view) and check the contact information listed there for you. If a correction is needed, either send an email to webmaster@lakeportcluster.org and copy along@scs-management.com or fill out the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFILfWGBoWIgWlBPSQmIKj4kIX0kPA7XsRjnsaOsNXuvVSkw/viewform. If your home has renters, please ask them to fill out the form to be listed in the directory. Remember also that if you need to contact a neighbor or just forget someone’s name, you can always check this directory. 

Maintenance of the Exterior of Your Home: If you make any changes to the exterior of your home, be sure to check Lakeport Standards, and if none exists, you should read the relevant RA Guideline. Links to Lakeport and RA architectural requirements, the DRB application, discussion of RA’s counter-intuitive party-wall rules, and resources for replacement trees (required by RA if you remove a tree) and landscaping are all available in Section A at https://www.lakeportcluster.org/p/documents.html.