Town Crier Articles

So let’s focus on COMMUNICATIONS to the NTRA – how, when, who and what. 

1) How? The primary vehicle for reporting a problem or concern to the Association is the NTRA website “Report an Issue” feature (See Residents page dropdown box) All NTRA Committees including the Board of Directors receive the comments submitted in their subject area.

2) When? If there is a true emergency situation requiring immediate attention, e.g. the recent overflow of the pool after hours, then a call to Town Management is best. 

3) Who? The Board of Directors are volunteers, as are all NTRA Committee members. Their time is their own, not ours. The new Board has been looking at a wide range of issues – in just the past 90 days, they have officially met 11 times, with individual Directors also meeting separately with their assigned Committees. Distractions from calls and emails only add to this workload. Remember that the Board acts collectively, not individually, so while it may feel good to vent on our favorite Director, there is not likely to be resolution within her/his power. Send your comments to the Board through the website, and let the system work. 

4) What? Finally, some things that may be annoying to us are not within the Association’s purview. Complaints about median strips, trails, construction crews, and US Post Office practices should be redirected. If you contact the appropriate source and learn something about New Town that you weren’t aware of, chances are your neighbor isn’t either. Share what you learned with the Communications Committee to add to the website’s Frequently Asked Questions. Contact ntrawebsitecommittee@gmail.com We all benefit when we communicate precisely.

So let me take a page from “Miss Manners” book, and encourage all of us to follow communication chains. Although your friend/neighbor may now be on the Board, there is a protocol to follow to ensure that concerns from the community are shared in a timely and respectful manner.  

Next month, I’ll focus on communications from the NTRA. What have we been doing to keep you informed of New Town matters?

This article will focus on the last factor, the one that generates the most questions: maintenance.  What’s involved and how can homeowners help keep the lights on?

Here are some enlightening facts about our streetlight assets.

There are approximately 225 residential streetlights in New Town.

The NTRA is responsible for maintaining and repairing the streetlights in New Town. In the main, this includes those on streets and alleys, in parks and within many, but not all, parking lots. Since some lines of responsibility are difficult to delineate (as in “many, but not all”), the most efficient way for oversight to function at present, is for all problem reports to be submitted through the STREETLIGHT PROBLEM reporting system on the website. (See below). Town Management will receive and review all reports, and redirect any that should be handled by the Commercial Association or another entity. 

Neither V-DOT nor Dominion Power is involved with maintaining or repairing streetlights in New Town. 

Around 2013 NTRA initiated a program to retrofit the existing decorative streetlamps for the use of energy-efficient LED bulbs. The intent was to lower costs associated with frequent bulb replacement and to conserve energy. The changeovers occurred gradually, usually when bulb replacement or other maintenance was needed. To date about 50% of the residential streetlamps have been retrofit for LED usage (lighting for the new construction in Shirley Park is LED.) The remainder continue to use older-style bulbs, such as Mercury-Halide or CFL. Other types of exterior street lighting can be found in the commercial areas and parking lots.  

There are regular inspections of assets requiring maintenance (dog waste bins, street lights, walking paths, etc. Town Management personnel, maintenance staff, and NTRA committees, such as the Asset Maintenance Committee, assist. Because lighting problems are more easily detected at night, residents can be extremely helpful by reporting any issues seen in a timely fashion. 

All homeowners should become familiar with the NTRA website which provides a simple means of reporting problems.  From the MENU, under the RESIDENTS tab, select “REPORT AN ISSUE.”  From 11 options (e.g., Pool & Playgrounds, Finance, etc.) choose the newest tab, “STREETLIGHT PROBLEM.” 

Fill in requested information to help speed the repair:

Note that this article concerns Streetlight Issues, not major power outages that might occur due to a storm or hurricane. In those circumstances, residents would report outages to Dominion Virginia Power. Report the outage using a cell phone: 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357).

We can all help keep the lights on. 

Tag at bottom of pole shows coded information needed when submitting a "STREETLIGHT PROBLEM" report

 

Streetlights were carefully selected to enhance the design elements of New Town residential neighborhoods. 

New Town’s benches were identified as an upcoming capital expense item on the Asset Maintenance Committee’s recent inspection of New Town common area property. Given an estimated replacement cost of between $24,000 to $30,000, President Chuck Stetler asked avid woodworkers Mike and Bob to look at what might be done to salvage the benches. After recruiting other neighbors with trucks to move the benches, Mike and Bob power washed, sanded and applied a special protective coating and shield which returned the bench to its natural teak color. They presented the refinished bench as a prototype for the Board’s consideration. (See photos) As an alternative to purchasing new benches, on September 14th the Board of Directors approved Mike and Bob’s proposal to refurbish all 24 of the NTRA’s wooden benches. A few benches have deteriorated to the point that they will require replacement of slats in the bench backs. Supplies for their entire project will run about $3,000.   

While this work has started, their efforts will largely be a winter garage project, explained Mike, since both the Reillys and the Dennises are brand new grandparents. Mike and Bob are donating their labor as a service to the New Town community. (If you’d like to be considered as backup or support for these grandpas, contact Mike at mjr1947@yahoo.com or 843 450-5665).

Kudos to Mike and Bob for stepping up and demonstrating that New Town residents are willing to be part of the solution! Their efforts are saving the Association about $25,000. 

By mid-October the long-awaited expansion of the pool playground will also be starting. The Board of Directors has approved the purchase and installation of a “Whistle Stop” play structure similar to the one pictured. This equipment addition is possible through a payment by the developer, New Town Associates, to the NTRA to satisfy James City County proffers.  Many thanks to Bill Voliva and all the members of the Playground Work Group who can finally see the fruition of their 2017 deliberations.  (See the March 2020 Town Crier for the full background on this playground project).

 

 

The Board has also approved the installation of a birdhouse on the greens of Magnolia Park. This architectural treat is currently under construction by another New Town resident. Stay tuned for the full story in our November Town Crier issue!

Did you know that you do not have to wait until Tuesday, November 3rd to vote in this year’s elections? And that there are several ways for you to cast your vote?  Early voting began on September 18th.  Any registered voter can request an Absentee Ballot or vote Early-In-Person at a designated polling place.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, James City County is encouraging all voters to vote from home or vote early to avoid the lines and crowding on Election Day. Here are the details:

                 

 

 

A new term has started and kids are back at school, but it looks very different to this time last year - classrooms are virtual; schools are online and Zoom is the way forward.  Technology is amazing, but with the quirks of zoom calls; printer fails; Canvass assignments failing to load; navigating the myriad of different systems; as well as children missing their friends and comfort of familiar school routine, teachers, students, parents and grandparents are navigating a complicated and sometimes frustrating new way of online learning.  

 

For those parents out there reaching for the ‘help’ button at the start of a new school week, here are some thoughts from other parents and a New Town teacher to help you navigate the new way of schooling!  

 

It may not seem like it sometimes, but we should remember to congratulate ourselves on how adaptable, resilient and patient we all are.  New Town resident, Susan Schlimme is an ex-educator with three girls going through education.  She says that when it’s frustrating, don’t forget to ‘take a breath’ and remember ‘these are different times with different expectations’.  We are all learning that our expectations can change – these are strange times.  She also says that there is no right or wrong way of learning and teaching – be good to yourself! We are all doing what we can!  Easy things that she says we can do to make a difference to the school day include having easy access to the supplies your children need; and read, read, read!

 

Another New Town resident and parent, Sarah Yeneza, says that as you help your children to support the online learning and support them to understand what they are being taught, it can be fun to trawl your memory and re-learn what you think you have forgotten.  

 

Although some children feel more comfortable in a remote world, some need the interactions to build confidence and independence.  It is not the same, but Susan and Sarah’s advice both say make sure you build in lots of ‘active’ breaks (such as being outside or playing a game) to a consistent schedule (consistency should stretch to a familiar and consistent place to learn).   

 

Don’t forget that our children are learning from us as well as the teacher and the biggest lesson they are learning is how to deal with challenging times.  

 

A final word from D.J. Montague Elementary teacher, Mrs Ford…

First of all, give yourself and your teacher some grace. Glitches happen and you are not going to mess up your child’s education or future just because you can’t get onto Zoom every so often!

 

Secondly, keep in touch.  If you are having any issues, let the teacher know – communication is key!

 

Thirdly, use the provided schedule as a guide so make the day work according to your schedule – it is not meant to mimic the hours your child would be in a classroom.  If your child works better in the morning, set aside time then to complete assignments.

 

Fourthly, read aloud with your child to help them enjoy reading.

 

Finally, although this is frustrating at times, please remember it will end.  Teachers want to be in the classroom – it’s what they do best and they’re giving it everything they have to make this work, while keeping everyone safe.  

Now that we homeowners control the Board of Directors, many residents have ideas (and complaints) to share, and share we have!  Perhaps we were just waiting for a changing of the guard to see if things could improve? Perhaps Covid-19 restrictions have given us more time to walk through neighborhoods and observe. Whatever the reason, Town Management and individual Directors on the Board have received a deluge of emails and calls about a variety of issues, some of which are outside the NTRA’s control. 

     

•   “I have not had timely or satisfactory responses from using this feature.” We feel your pain. Know that the delays are not due to any lack of responsiveness by the website team. Town Management controls this system.  Sometimes it takes time for a Committee or the Board to provide Town Management with a reply.

         

You can check the accuracy of your current voter registration or register to vote for the first time online at the Virginia Department of Elections website:  https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

The final day to register/update your information is Tuesday, October 13th.  Your registration must be received by the Registration/Elections Main Office at 5300 Palmer Lane (across from New Town off Ironbound Road) by that date.  

Virginia allows all registered voters to request online a vote-by-mail ballot with no excuse needed. Your request must be received by the Registrar by Friday, October 23rd and must be signed and dated.

Mail-In:  While your completed and signed Absentee Ballot must be postmarked to the Registrar by Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd, it must be received by the Registrar by Friday, November 6th.  Given that the USPS is currently seeing service curtailed in some places and is expected to experience heavy mail volumes in advance of the election, mailing your ballot two weeks in advance is recommended. 

Drop Off:  Completed ballots can also be dropped off in the Ballot Box at the James City County (JCC) Recreation Center at 5301 Longhill Road through Saturday, October 31st.

Early-In-Person:  JCC Supervisors have also designated the JCC Rec Center as an Early-In-Person Voting location, also through Saturday, October 31st.  Hours are: 

Monday-Friday 8am until 5pm and

Saturday 9am to 5pm (October 24th and 31st only)

Election Day:  Cast your In-Person Vote on Tuesday, November 3rd at the JCC Rec Center, which is the regular polling place for New Town voters. Polls will be open from 6am to 7pm that day with curbside voting available.

STEP 4:  Track your vote at the JCC website:  

https://www.jamescitycountyva.gov/1044/Voter-Registration-Elections 

More Virginia General Election information can be found at: