Town Crier Articles

2024 is a Presidential election year and all citizens are encouraged to vote. 

 

New to James City County?  You can register to vote online, in person or by mail.  The last day to register is Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Here is the JCC website with all the details including links if you just need to update your name or local address: https://jamescitycountyva.gov/4015/Register-to-Vote-or-Update-Information

Early voting for the Presidential Election starts on Friday, September 20 and will end on Saturday, November 2. Early in-person voting will be held only at the Office of Elections/Vote Center: 4095 Ironbound Road located behind the JCC Courthouse.  

 

New Town’s precinct is Jamestown B and on November 5, Election Day from 6am to 7PM all New Town registered voters can vote at the JCC Recreation Center, 5301 Longhill Road.

 

All of James City County is located in US Congressional District 1.

 

For more voting information here is a link to Office of Elections.

 

Political Signs – As a reminder, the New Town Residential Association rules permit ONE sign per lot, “not more than 6 feet square expressing support or opposition to political candidates” or other ballot issues. Signs may be placed starting September 6th (60 days before the election) and “shall be removed within 2 days after such election”.  (NTRA Rules, Section II, 36c) 

For many of us in New Town, our porch may be a sunny place for potted plants, a dry place for Amazon deliveries, or a comfortable space to sit and relax.  Porches have been around for many years, but they started to really take off in the 19th century in America as a means of extending the inside of a house to the outside.  Porches contributed to the sense of community, as neighbors gathered together in the evenings, especially in the summer months to escape the indoor heat.

 

Not every residence in New Town is fortunate to have a porch large enough for socializing, but there is a role every resident can play in building a sense of community nevertheless.  On the second Saturday of each month, porches throughout New Town become the focal point for food donations.  Non-perishable food items are left on porches (by 9 AM) for volunteers to collect and deliver to local food pantries.  It’s a simple process that has a profound impact on addressing hunger in our greater Williamsburg community.

 

New Town is participating in these monthly food drives through PORCH Communities, a grass roots organization focusing on hunger relief.  The organization coordinates over 2,000 volunteers representing 550 communities, across 10 states.  In the two months since New Town joined PORCH, volunteers in green shirts have collected 1,243 pounds of food from New Town porches. This just proves that neighborhoods such as ours don’t need large, wrap-around covered porches to create a sense of community.

 

When you see the green PORCH signs go up each month, please remember the role porches have played in bringing people together in building community and help us put our porches to good use in bringing New Town together to fight hunger.

 

Mark your calendars, the next PORCH food drives will be September 14, October 12, November 9 and December 14.

Last month, 51 homes in New Town donated 550 pounds of non-perishable food. Donations were left on front porches and collected and delivered to Williamsburg House of Mercy for its food pantry. Contributions by neighborhood were as follows: Abbey Commons 40 pounds, Chelsea Green 35 pounds, Charlotte Park townhomes 40 pounds, Charlotte Park detached homes 231 pounds, Village Wall 111 pounds, and Shirley Park, 93 pounds.

 

New Town is participating in monthly food drives through PORCH, a grass-roots organization focused on addressing food insecurity in communities across the US.  Next month’s drive will take place on Saturday, August 10th with donations going to FISH.  Look for an e-blast that week indicating what food items FISH needs the most for its food pantry.  Place donations by your front door by 9 AM and PORCH volunteers (all residents of New Town) will pick up and deliver to FISH.

 

Thank you, New Town, for giving back to the greater Williamsburg community through your generous donations. Remember, we collect on the 2nd Saturday of the month, so consider getting in the habit of putting a bag on your porch for those in need. 

 

New Town residents have BIG hearts. Over the past year, we have donated school supplies, kids’ winter coats, and non-perishable food. Now, starting in July, New Town will be joining other Williamsburg neighborhoods such as Holly Hills and Rolling Woods, in a monthly neighborhood food drive through an organization called PORCH. The process is simple; you put non-perishable food items on your porch by 9AM the second Saturday of each month and volunteers will pick them up. Our donations will be delivered, along with those from other participating PORCH neighborhoods to the food pantries at Williamsburg House of Mercy and FISH.

 

That’s it! You may donate monthly or whenever you are able. More information can be found here.

 

If you would like to participate or have questions, please send an email to Gale Hyatt (ladyhappy73@gmail.com) or Eden Glenn (edenaglenn@gmail.com).  

 

DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen, opened at 5131Main St. several months ago and is locally owned by Mr. Yusuf Atay. Yusuf is a native of Turkey, and after studying engineering in Germany and London he won the DV Lottery program, which is a program that gives a chance for permanent residency in the USA. Yusuf came to the US and began to utilize his training and talents in engineering. But he strongly felt the desire to be part of helping homeowners improve their lives through remodeling their homes. 

 

He has achieved his Class A contractor license and has helped design and remodel homes for himself and clients. Through the process of helping others, Yusuf explored ways to bring his desire to see home improvements from the design stage through to finished stage while maintaining integrity and listening to his clients. He decided to become a franchise owner for Dream Maker in late 2023 and soon after started setting up a showroom in New Town. DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen is part of a national franchise that recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. There are 45 franchise locations throughout the USA. 

 

I met with Yusuf and his office manager, Karissa Bartee to hear more about what Dream Maker offers and how they manage the business. 

 

The design center at 5131 Main Street is open M-F 8:00am – 5:00pm/Saturday by appointment/Sunday – closed. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are strongly encouraged to ensure full attention. Karissa was quick to return my call when I left a message with her regarding a meeting. The design center is still a work in progress, but there are some beautiful tiles on display and several different cabinet models. Over the next few months, the center will be completed, and a grand opening is planned for later this summer. The design center will have room setups on display, as well as various lighting fixtures, cabinetry, sinks and faucets. One area that will certainly gather interest when completed is the walk-in tub arrangement. These have become more popular as society ages. 

 

Yusuf chose New Town as he is a Williamsburg resident and New Town and the surrounding area is a target demographic for remodels – especially in bath and kitchen. While the design center is taking shape, Yusuf and his crew are busy at work designing and remodeling kitchens and baths locally. There is a designer on staff and a handful of employees as well. Yusuf works with tradesmen in the area who are highly rated and skilled at installation.  

 

When I asked Yusuf his greatest desire as a business owner, he was very open. He said most people come to him already knowing what they want. They’ve obviously watched the home remodel shows, visited friends’ homes and want help finding the right suppliers and helpful suggestions. What Yusuf and his team want to offer is a local owned business focused on helping people realize their dream kitchen or bath – while ensuring functionality and integrity. He and Karissa were quick to point out the DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen “Code of Values” bookmark and their slogan “Enhancing Lives. Improving Homes”. I was very impressed with the code of values bookmark and the earnestness of Yusuf as we discussed life in Williamsburg and discovered we had a mutual friend. I’m looking forward to the grand opening of the design center and hearing some of the examples of Yusuf and his team improving homes in Williamsburg and New Town.     

 

Here's a link to their Facebook page and contact info. 

 

For probably seven or eight years the common area in Charlotte Park between Lucretia Way and Christine Court remained what our lawn crews often referred to as " the field." Well not anymore! Homeowner, Bob Dennis, approached the Board of Directors about the "field" in March and then in April, fellow neighbor David Carter joined Bob for the April Board Meeting where together they proposed a landscape plan for the common area.

 

Unlike other neighborhoods, this area was never landscaped, and so after receiving the green light the two neighbors approached Mike Turkovitch of Berkley Design Group in Williamsburg to execute the installation of trees and perennials. Two benches were sourced, refinished and stained by Bob, while David planned the area for the trees and flower bed. Jack Espinal then submitted the plans to James City County for approval.

 

The plan included Redbud Trees, a Virginia native species which are heat tolerant, and attract bees and butterflies with spring and fall color. The two men then purchased plant material and set them out for installation. Once the trees arrived after several weeks waiting for them, Mike and his excellent crew began the installation, and in about 5 hours or so, a field no more. Neighbors are very happy with the new trees and plantings, and look forward to enjoying another one of New Town's beautiful common areas.

 

 

 

Calling all parents of infants/toddlers!

The Activities Committee is considering facilitating a weekly Infant-Toddler Play Group (under 4 yrs old) to enable parents and other care-givers to socialize and share ideas while kids have a chance to play together. We will hold an initial meeting with kids and parents at the NTRA Meeting Room at a time that is convenient for the most people, if there is enough interest.

 

If you are interested in participating or wish more information, please email or text Liz Fones-Wolf of the Activities Committee at efwolf@wvu.edu with your contact info and the days and times of the week you are available for the first meeting, kids welcome, presumably not during early afternoon naptime.