Town Crier Articles

One of the great advantages of living in a managed community like New Town is that the homeowners association requires owners to keep their property in good condition and controls the community’s environment.  For townhomes and detached homes, this is accomplished through the provisions of the New Town Residential Association’s (NTRA) amended Master Declaration and Covenants which owners agree to abide by when they purchase a property in New Town.  This document allows the NTRA Board of Directors to establish association rules. The NTRA Board has passed only one set of rules, with two amendments.  The comprehensive rules passed in 2005 covers things that residents can and cannot do.  These were amended 1) in 2018 to clarify placement of outdoor grills, and 2) in 2019 to address trashcan storage problems experienced by certain NTRA cottages with limited storage. These documents are provided as part of the buyer disclosure packet to everyone who buys a home in New Town and are available on the NTRA website. 

 

I am going to review some of the rules that generate complaints to our association manager and our Board of Directors. A variety of FAQs are also available on the NTRA website Frequently Asked Questions page.

 

 

Parking in streets and properties within New Town is restricted to private automobiles, passenger vans and small, one town or less pickup trucks and SUVs.  Except for a commercial vehicle of 1 ton or less for personal use, no commercial vehicles and trailers of any type can be parked within New Town residential properties overnight. 

 

 

Pets must be kept under control and on leash while they are in New Town.  Owners must also pick up and properly dispose of animal droppings. Pets causing or creating a nuisance or unreasonable disturbance or noise may be permanently removed from New Town upon ten (10) days written notice from the Board of Directors.

 

3. What is the procedure for trash pickup and the storage of trash and recycle cans? (Section II, Rule 39)

 

Trash pickup is provided weekly, generally on Wednesdays (weather or equipment failures can impact this occasionally). Covered trash containers can be placed on the street for pickup on the day before the scheduled pickup and removed the evening after the pickup.  Trash containers should be kept in a concealed or screened area - they cannot be kept in driveways, on sidewalks, or in front yards.  The 2019 Rules amendment makes an exception for specific cottage homes with limited storage space.

 

4. Are there rules about nuisances and noise in New Town?  (Declaration Section 7.1(a) and (k), Rules Section II, Rule 26 and 27)

 

Yes, there are.  Residents may not use any New Town property including our common areas in a way that could reasonably cause “embarrassment, discomfort, or annoyance” of other owners.

 

5.  Can I use all or part of my home as an Air B&B? (Declaration Section 7.1(dd))

 

No.  Homes in New Town can only be leased for periods of 12 months or more.  Leasing owners must notify the Association of their new address and phone number along with information on their tenant (tenant name, work and home phone numbers and management company as applicable.)  Leases of less than 12 months are prohibited and properties cannot be used or occupied for transient or hotel purposes.  Owners are also responsible for ensuring that tenants abide by the Association’s governing documents and rules.

 

 

Generally, oral communications with the violator of NTRA rules resolves the problem.  If this is not successful, a formal violation process will be started with a letter sent to the homeowner.  If the violation continues, the offending homeowner will be invited to a hearing before the Board of Directors to explain the situation and offer any extenuating circumstances.  Charges may be assessed to mitigate any expense incurred by the NTRA and repair any damage resulting from the violation.  The Board of Directors may also fine a violator up to $50 dollars for a single violation or up to 10 dollars per day for continuing violations up to 30 days.

On Friday evening, December 6, New Towners continued their traditional holiday celebrations as they streamed into Legacy Hall for the first NTRA Holiday Party since Covid.  NTRA Activities Committee Members and their families decked the hall in green and red, and trimmed Christmas trees.  Wearing necklaces of small blinking red, blue, green and yellow lights, they warmly greeted over 100 residents.  The partygoers enjoyed the sounds of big band and seasonal music as they mingled with neighbors and connected with old friends.

 

Everyone enjoyed the bountiful tables of delicious including mounds of shrimp, Mediterranean chicken skewers, Asian pork dumpling, Mediterranean platters, with arrays of olives and cheeses and desserts.  For long-time resident Tom Nichols of Charlotte Park, the party was a chance to reconnect with many old friends.  Jen Morgan, a new Activities Committee member, who recently moved from Fairfax, Virginia, found “everyone very friendly and welcoming.”   Bob Byrne, another veteran of New Town holiday parties judged the food as “best in my memory,” and David Nelson of Village Walk had one word for the event: "Fantastic!"

 

All agreed the party was a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season.  

 

 

  

   

 

 

 

Currently, Cox Communications holds a Monopoly on wired Internet and cable TV services in our New Town neighborhoods. (Verizon Fios chose not to lay fiber for residential services in New Town during New Town’s development). While Verizon and T-Mobile do compete with Cox Communications with wireless Internet services through their cellular networks, those systems cannot provide the bandwidth and speeds available to Cox Communications customers. This means that cellular-based Internet will work well with tasks such as reading email and simple Internet searches, but they will have much more difficulty streaming high-resolution video, and serving multiple users in a household simultaneously.

 

Glo Fiber has started competing directly with Cox Communications in the Williamsburg area using fiber optics rather than copper-based coaxial cable. This newer technology has the advantage of providing faster service, higher bandwidths, symmetrical download and upload speeds, and more consistent/reliable performance than coaxial cable.  The maximum available bandwidth from Cox Communications is 2 gigabits per second download and 35 megabits per second which compares to Glo Fiber’s 5 gigabits per second symmetrical (both up and down) bandwidth.  Like Cox Communications Glo Fiber also provides up to 130 optional entertainment channels and landline telephone service. Glo Fiber has recently completed the installation of its fiber optics cable system in Ford’s Colony with satisfactory results.

 

Glo Fiber recently approached the NTRA Board about using the area’s communications easements to install underground fiber optics cables and provide their Internet, entertainment, and telephone services to our residents. This service would directly compete with Cox Communications but its use would be totally voluntary.  The NTRA Board of Directors will consider this issue early next year.

 

The NTRA Board of Directors conducted a landscaping services survey to assist in making decisions on the type and level of landscaping to be contracted for in 2025.  The large number of landscaping tickets received over the last year has overwhelmed the Association’s manager and it has become apparent that using one large landscaping company to provide commercial-level services for all six of our diverse neighborhoods is not meeting our Association’s needs.  The survey has shown us what our membership sees as important. The following is a summary of the roughly 100 written comments submitted.  There is also a tabulation of the survey question results in charts available at this link. 

 

 

198 owners or about 30 percent of the Association responded to the survey. The survey highlights both ratings of the importance of different types of services and owners' various opinions on these services' quality, management, and costs. 

 

 

• Many residents express satisfaction with the scope of current landscaping services, citing them as a reason for moving to New Town.
• Some residents prefer to maintain existing services without additional costs, emphasizing the importance of uniformity in landscaping and protecting the appearance of our community.

• Numerous complaints about the quality of services, including poor turf maintenance, inadequate pruning, and neglect of common areas.
• Residents report issues with large mowers damaging small yards and a lack of attention to detail in landscaping tasks.

• A significant number of respondents seek clarity on costs associated with landscaping services and how changes might affect HOA dues.
• Suggestions include allowing homeowners to opt-out of certain services to reduce fees, while others advocate for maintaining comprehensive services.

• Residents recommend hiring smaller, specialized landscaping companies to better cater to the diverse needs of different neighborhoods.
• There is a call for improved communication between homeowners and landscaping companies to ensure clarity on services provided.
• Suggestions for better management oversight of landscaping contractors to ensure accountability and quality of service.

NTRA Meeting Space  - 5118 Center Street or via Zoom link (see NTRA website calendar) 

• Dec. 1, 7-8, 14-15

• 12:00pm-3:30pm   

4915 Courthouse Street, located to the right of Regal New Town

The NTRA Board is considering significant changes to landscaping services provided to homeowners in our neighborhoods. These potential changes are due to our dissatisfaction with the performance of our current landscaping contractor and the services that are being provided. James River Grounds Management has done an excellent job in some neighborhoods and a poor job in others, given the diversity of our neighborhoods and using a one size fits all set of landscaping specifications.  The NTRA Board has concluded that continuing with one large contractor providing landscaping services to all of our neighborhoods will continue to fail to meet our needs.  A change is in order.  However, we are unsure about type and quality of service that owners desire.

 

The NTRA Board has spent a great deal of time soliciting suggestions and developing possible alternatives to improve the overall landscaping services in New Town.  In order to meet the individual needs of our neighborhoods, the Board is in the process of preparing individual landscaping specifications tailored for each of our neighborhoods with the goal of providing the specific services each neighborhood wants and needs.  In addition, we are considering using multiple smaller contractors to provide services by neighborhood.  Perhaps they might be more receptive to our needs and able to provide a higher quality of service. It is likely that using three or four smaller contractors will be more expensive because of the loss of economy of scale.  To address this possible increase in cost, we have developed several options for the 2025 landscaping season and would like owner input.  

 

Option Number One - Multiple Landscaping Companies.  Use of three or four landscaping companies to provide services based upon the predominate home type in a neighborhood.  For example, one contractor would provide services to neighborhoods with predominantly detached homes such as Charlotte Park and Shirley Park.  Another contractor would serve areas with townhouses that require minimal service such as Village Walk, Savannah Square, and Chelsea Green.  A third contractor would serve townhouses that require more services such as Abbey Commons.  The Board’s concern with this approach is that it would likely be more expensive, create coordination problems and be harder to manage.

 

Option Number Two - Reduction of Services.  The NTRA governing documents only mandate that the Association provide homeowners with mowing, edging, pruning trees, and pruning shrubs services for their homes.  The Board is considering providing only those services.  Spring cleanup and leaf removal throughout New Town would continue to be provided to everyone as part of the common area maintenance.  This would significantly reduce landscaping costs for every neighborhood and would more than likely make up for utilizing multiple landscaping service providers in option number one.  Under this option the Association continues to provide full landscaping services to the common areas.  If implemented, this option could degrade the look of our community.

 

Option Number Three - Provide a Package of Optional Services.  This option would provide the basic services provided in option number two above and be augmented with a set of services providing mulch, and turf fertilization, turf weed control, insect control, flowerbed weeding, fall aeration and over seeding.  This package of additional optional services would be selected by a homeowner during an open enrollment period at the beginning of the landscaping season and would remain in place until the next open enrollment period.  The combined basic and optional services are the same as what are currently provided in the Association’s contract with James River Grounds Management.

 

Option Number Four - Opting Out of All Services.  Homeowners would be given the opportunity during the open enrollment period at the beginning of each landscaping season to opt out of all NTRA-provided landscaping services.  This opt out selection would remain in place until the next landscaping open enrollment period.  Changes during the year would only be permitted with Board approval if a property is sold or a life changing event such as a death or medical issue occurred that would prevent the homeowner from providing his or her own landscaping services.

 

Option Number Five - Fenced Yards.  The NTRA Board is also not satisfied with the landscaping services that have been provided to homeowners with fenced yards that have been provided at an additional cost. It has been very difficult for both the NTRA and the landscaping service provider to manage.  If the Association continues to provide landscaping services for fenced areas, homeowners will be required to formally select this service during the landscaping open enrollment period at the beginning of the landscaping season and their selection would continue until the next open enrollment period.  Changes during the year would only be permitted with Board approval if the home were sold or a life changing event such as a death or medical issue occurred that would prohibit the homeowner from providing his or her own landscaping services.

 

I am interested in hearing your comments and learning your desires for landscaping services in 2025.  Please feel free to email me with your landscaping thoughts.  Jack.Espinal@cox.net

 

You may have noticed new fences at New Town’s New Town Ave entrance and around the Olive Drive stormwater retention pond (commonly called BMP). Another new fence is scheduled to be installed in the first half of November at the Rollison Drive pond. All three fences have a different appearance, and I will address the considerations and reasons for the choices made by the NTRA Board.

 

All the wooden fences along the BMPs in New Town had deteriorated to the point that a painting contractor said they were simply not worth repainting.  So what began as a maintenance activity turned into three capital replacement projects. Since the wooden fences required painting every two or three years, the Board begin looking for more durable fencing solutions.

 

We felt the existing fence style along New Town Avenue at the entrance to our community needed to be replicated, but with a material other than wood.  There are no plastic or metal fence sections commercially available that match the custom stick-built fence we decided to rebuild the fence with solid PVC planks. Although more expensive than wood this material does not require painting and reduces future maintenance to just pressure washing every few years. Also, the PVC planks will not develop the rot and deterioration that was prevalent in all of the wooden fences in our community. For those who are interested, the material used in the New Town Avenue fence is Kleer TrimBoards, (www.kleerlumber.com) The contractor was Finley Asphalt & Concrete.

 

 

For the BMP fences, the Board looking at metal fencing.  The New Town Design Standards allow the use of chain-link fences around BMPs.  This was the least expensive mental fence option. The Board liked the appearance of the aluminum fences recently installed around the Settlers Market BMPs.  This fencing was attractive and sturdy. The Board felt that this option was better than the cheaper chain-link fence. We also considered replacing the fences with white PVC boards matching what was done along New Town Avenue, but this option was simply too expensive.  Aluminum fence panels were significantly less expensive than rebuilding the existing fences with PVC boards.  In addition aluminum fences have proven durability with their factory applied coatings.  For example, the aluminum fence around the NTRA swimming pool was installed in 2012 and has been maintenance free.  This black aluminum fence was the guiding model for changing the Olive Drive BMP fence to black aluminum. The Board decided to encircle the Olive Drive BMP with fencing in light of the tragic drowning in the Olive Drive BMP about two years ago. This extension almost doubled the Olive Drive BMP fence's length.  

 

All of the current fences surrounding the Rollison Drive BMP and the Goddard School are white.  Rather than use black fencing, the Board decided that white aluminum fencing would provide a more compatible visual appearance to the Charlotte Park neighborhood and Goddard school.  This factor justified the additional cost for the white powder coated aluminum fence, Since the earth retaining wall on the east side of the BMP is lower and less steep than the Olive Drive BMP we decided to leave it unfenced.  Only the existing wooden fence will be replaced along Rollison Drive.  This work will take place in November 2024.

 

 

Several years have passed since any paving repairs or seal coating have been done to the NTRA’s alleys and parking areas and they were beginning to deteriorate.  When one neighborhood requested that their alleys be seal coated, the Board decided that it was time to evaluate at all of our asphalt surfaces.  The inspections revealed that ALL of the alleys and parking spaces needed some level of maintenance. This spring, inspections occurred and bids were received from three contractors.  The Board assisted by the NTRA manager negotiated additional repair work and lower prices from the bidding contractors.  In August the NTRA Board approved a contract with Finley Asphalt and Sealing that was executed in September.  All NTRA neighborhoods, except Shirley Park (still under developer control) have had the alleys and parking spaces repaired and maintained with a quality seal coating.

 

The current swimming pool cover is the original one from 2012 and it is beginning to show its age and is close to the end of its useful life.  The cover protects the pool during the winter and keeps the water clean.  It makes opening the pool in the spring easier and significantly reduces the yearly water costs. The NTRA Board is planning to replace the pool cover at the end of the 2025 swimming season.  

 

Remedial maintenance to the Olive Drive and Rollison Stormwater Retention Ponds (BMPs) is planned for 2025.  This work will include the removal of the small trees and brush that have the potential for weakening the earth filled dams on the sides of the BMPs.  The Board attempted to do this work in 2024, but James City County 2024 BMP support funding had already been allocated before our applications were approved.  The applications for 2025 funding have already been submitted. Assuming approval, James City County will pay for half of the tree and vegetation clearance from these BMPs thereby saving the Association significant financial expenditures.

ITS BACK!  Due to popular demand and with additional support from the New Town Residential Association Board, the Activities Committee is sponsoring a Holiday Party on Friday, December 6, between 6:30 and 9:00 at Legacy Hall, which will be decorated for the season.

 

The Holiday Party will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres from Williamsburg Catering, desserts and candies. It’s BYOB. So, feel free to bring your favorite adult beverages as well as your appetite. NTRA owners and tenants are invited to attend.

 

We look forward to kicking off the Holiday season with you and your neighbors. Be sure to RSVP by November 27th to Susan Schlimme:  skschlimme@hotmail.com. 

 

Extra help is always appreciated. To volunteer for the Holiday Party contact Susan Schlimme.