From the Editor/President

By Stephen Sapp

In the previous issue of Ripples, I pointed out that this past fall was a time of transition, in both the seasons of the year and the governance of Lakeport. I want to report here on a few other changes since then, starting with several in this Winter issue of Lakeport’s e-newsletter: First, I have decided to combine “From the Editor” and “President’s Message” because—well—the same person holds those two positions. The combination of the two articles will make the organization of Ripples less cumbersome and will at least slightly reduce the workload of our dedicated Webmaster Tom Barnett, who works quietly behind the scenes to post the quarterly newsletter and, not incidentally, also to keep our online directory up to date (if any of your information has changed or you are not yet in the directory, please email corrections to Tom at webmaster@lakeportcluster.org).

Second, we have also decided to change the timing of the Maintenance Checklist in each issue. Instead of placing, say, the spring checklist in the Spring issue (where at least some of the items may be too late to be of use), that checklist will now be in the Winter issue in anticipation of its use in time to prepare for the arrival of spring. We will continue this pattern throughout the year. We hope these two changes will improve the readability and value of Ripples for you.

A third change is inclusion of an article by a guest columnist, Henry Pan, son of James and Holly Pan. Henry has offered a useful tip on looking for and claiming abandoned property—check it out. I didn’t find anything, but it takes only a minute and, who knows, you may be luckier! 

If you have comments about this issue of Ripples and/or would like to submit an item for our Spring issue, please email me at ssapp@miami.edu.

I move now from my role as Editor of Ripples to put on my hat as President of Lakeport Homeowners Association, and I have two more changes to share.

The Board voted last fall to hire Complete Landscaping to provide our landscape maintenance and snow removal after six years with Blade Runners. Fortunately, Complete communicates clearly and often when snow threatens, though the final decision on what to do is up to us. They were able to keep our roads clear during the combined heavy snows in January and then reduced the amount of salt applied for the most recent event, which turned out to be light and did not need plowing. Although Northern Virginia sometimes has a surprise late-season snow, it is likely that we have seen the last meaningful accumulation, with the accompanying major hit on our budget!

Another recent change at Lakeport is that the chair of Lakeport’s Social Committee, Shelby Friedel, had to resign because of the travel obligations of her job (thanks, Shelby, for your service!). I am very happy to announce that two long-time residents of our community have stepped up to accept this important responsibility: Sandy Laeser (1977 Lakeport Way) and Diane Zoukis (1909 Lakeport Way). They have even promised to “shake things up,” which sounds like fun! Welcome, Sandy and Diane! If you have ideas for social events, please let one of them know.

Changes have also been occurring at South Lakes Village (SLV). As you are probably aware, Truist Bank has announced that the SLV branch will be closing soon, a loss for those of us who have enjoyed the convenience of having a neighborhood branch (and it wasn’t that long ago that we even had a choice between two different banks there!). I’m sure we all agree that having the wide variety of essential stores and services available within an easy walk is a tremendous asset to Lakeport residents, not only with regard to our immediate quality of life but also, looking ahead, to our property values. So I encourage you to patronize all the establishments at SLV as often as possible to ensure that they continue to serve our neighborhood. If the center closes, apart from losing the convenience of such nearby shopping, who knows what will happen to that space (high-density housing is a very likely possibility)?

Let me repeat once more what I wrote in the last issue about quarterly assessment payments: If you have not set up Direct Deposit, I urge you to do so before the next quarterly assessment is due on April 1 (see Reminders elsewhere in this issue for how to do this). The main advantage is that you never have to worry about being late and incurring extra fees, but you also save the hassle and expense of mailing a check (or being charged a fee for using a credit card online). Some people have told me that they don’t like to use automated payments because they want to know how much their bills are, but unlike electricity or water, for example, you already do know exactly how much your quarterly assessment will be and when it will be deducted from your account! So please consider this time- and cost-saving way to pay your assessments.

As we anticipate the arrival of spring soon and the improvement in weather it brings, let’s all plan to get outside and enjoy the natural beauty we are fortunate to have all around us. Too often we fail to appreciate what is available to us and take it for granted. As troubled and stressful as these times may be in many ways, we can always decompress and reduce our stress by enjoying nature!

Your Board is committed to maintaining what we all know to be true of Lakeport: Our cluster is the best place to live in Reston (actually, in Northern Virginia!). If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, we will be happy to hear from you at board@lakeportcluster.org.