Town Crier Articles

There are two Stormwater Management Best Management Practices (BMPs) (commonly referred to as retention ponds) - numbered BMP-04 and BMP-06 - east of Village Walk as shown in the aerial photograph below. They have never been given full approval by James City County (JCC). The BMPs are solely owned by Settlers Market LLC. JCC only gave interim approval for the use of the two BMPs after their construction years ago. However, numerous problems with these BMPs have been identified by JCC and are pending correction.

 

BMP-04 and BMP-06 were not constructed in accordance with the original developers proffers and County approved specifications. As a result, Settlers Market has been directed to repair, reconstruct and provide maintenance to both of these BMPs. This corrective action must take place before JCC provides formal approval and accepts both BMPs and releases any bond funding. The following deficiencies and needed modifications/repairs have been identified:

1. The current 4-foot-high fencing around the BMPs must be replaced by fencing 6 feet high as called for in the original BMP specifications.
2. Piping for water outflow in both BMPs was not built to the required specification and will have to be corrected.
3. BMP-04 must be modified by removing the existing wall and replacing it with a new retaining wall that will be offset 5 feet from the original wall.
4. Some of the BMP retaining walls appear to be moving which require survey stations to be installed on the brick wall to monitor any future movement.
5. Down drainpipes were not installed at the proper elevation and that has to be corrected.
6. There are areas of subsidence that will have to be repaired.
7. There are severe areas of erosion in the barrel pipe outflow areas that require attention.
8. A down pipe was not installed with a positive slope to the riser structure and this has to be corrected.
9. Proper riprap (layers of large stones that prevent erosion) was not placed properly in the pond areas and that will have to be addressed.
10. Volunteer vegetation has grown over the years and must now be removed.

Settlers Market LLC is solely responsible for all of the work that is required to bring both BMPs up to standards. They have contracted with AES Consulting Engineers to develop a plan to mitigate the problems identified by JCC. 

 

The new Settlers Market management company, located in Florida, wants to have all work on the BMPs completed by late December 2023. Considering the magnitude of the work needed, this date is very ambitious and the mitigation work may take longer to complete. Once JCC approval is received for the plan, bids for the project will go out potential contractors, probably sometime in June 2023. The anticipated time frame for completion of all work is between 180 and 220 days after the contract is awarded.

 

 

The first major activity will be the replacement of the existing 4-foot-high steel fence around both BMP-04 and BMP-06 with similar 6-foot-high steel fencing. The associated work has the potential of damaging some of the NTRA shrubbery that is located near the top of the walls on the west sides of both BMPs. If damaged, the shrubbery will have to be replaced by Settlers Market.

 

The second and much larger construction activity will be the removal of 580 feet of retaining wall along the north side of BMP-04. After this wall is removed a new retaining wall will be built, offset by 5 feet from the existing wall. This work will include the removal of the existing brick/concrete wall and a large amount of earth.  All of the brick, concrete, debris, and earth will have to be transported out of the area through the Village Walk neighborhood using a short section of Trailview at the edge of the Village Walk neighborhood closest to Shirley Park. The contractor’s vehicles will probably also be using part of Settlers Market Blvd for access to the construction site. We will encourage Settlers Market and the contractor to make good use of all the nearby, usually empty, shopping center parking lots for the staging of materials and parking of their construction equipment and vehicles.

 

Once the existing wall and earth have been removed a new retaining wall will be constructed. Building materials for this new wall will also have to be moved through the Village Walk neighborhood and be staged in the or near the construction area. Finally, fill dirt will have to be trucked in to backfill the area behind the new wall. This is a very big construction project.

 

Both BMP ponds will have to be drained and it is likely that significant amounts of sediment will have to be removed from both ponds so that the existing piping can be regraded and repaired. The sediment will also have to be moved through the Village Walk neighborhood. Additional maintenance work in and around the BMP ponds may also be required because both BMPs have not been adequately maintained by Settlers Market since their initial construction.

 

The costs for all of this repair and reconstruction will be borne by Settlers Market LLC. A site plan has been submitted and a construction plan will be presented to JCC in the very near future for approval. Once the construction plans are approved by JCC, bids from contractors will be requested and a contract will be awarded. The total cost for the project is not currently known but considering the magnitude of the repairs, maintenance, and the reconstruction of one retaining wall, it is likely to be a multimillion-dollar project.

 

Since the repair work for both BMPs will impact the NTRA, the NTRA will also be required by JCC to approve the construction plans. In order to protect everyone involved, performance bonds for the completion of all work on the BMPs will be required and each entity, including the NTRA, will be included in the contractor’s liability insurance policy.

 

When the work on the BMPs is completed, inspected, and approved by JCC, the maintenance responsibility for both BMPs will pass to the New Town Commercial Association (NTCA). At that point in time the users of the retention ponds will become responsible for all future maintenance. The cost for this periodic future maintenance will be shared, based upon the amount of stormwater flowing into the ponds from each area.

 

 

Foundation Square won a landscaping award from national Williamsburg Area Council of Garden Clubs for the gorgeous red coleuses along New Town Avenue and Foundation Street. The award also cited the loropetalums and impatiens at the rear entrance of Foundation Square. The award was presented at a standing room only ceremony on March 10, 2023, with a beautiful reception afterwards.

 

The award was made all the more special because the recommendation was made by a former retailer at Foundation Square who appreciated the beauty of the flowers!

 

Submitted by Janice Simmons and Sherrie Carroll
Foundation Square Landscaping Committee

 

Laughter rang out across Abbey Commons on several Sundays this April as neighbors from across New Town gathered to play cornhole in the late afternoon.  While a few of the players were experienced, the novice bean bag players, adults and children, found to their delight that if you can toss a light bean bag, anyone can play cornhole.   And you can score a point if your bag just lands on the board.  Residents enjoyed meeting new people and catching up with friends.   

 

We have more cornhole Sundays scheduled for May 7 and 21 at 3:30 at Lydias Park in Abbey Commons (corner of Town Creek and Lydias). Note: date change to 1st and 3rd Sundays of May.

 

Also check out volleyball and badminton on other Sundays in May to be announced at Chelsea Green (corner of Discovery Park Blvd. and Lydias.)

 

Everyone, New Towners and their friends and family are welcome.

 

     

By Pat Bright and Liz Fones-Wolf, Activities Committee

 

 

New Town residents broke the winter blues by cheering on the College of William and Mary’s women’s and men’s basketball teams at January and February games in Kaplan Arena. 

 

At the January 29th women’s game against the University of Delaware, New Towners were part of a lively crowd supporting William and Mary’s celebration of National Girl’s and Women’s Sports Day.  Residents saw an exciting game in which William and Mary Tribe lost a large lead and fought back with a buzzer beating win.   

 

The February 25th men’s game was on a particularly dreary day with steady cold rain, but nothing deterred us from attending. That Saturday, 33 residents of New Town enjoyed another great game that ended with a decisive win against the Monmouth Hawks. 

 

Before the game, we enjoyed a pizza party in the Wightman Cup Room. Four neighborhoods of New Town were represented at this event: Abbey Commons, Charlotte Park, Shirley Park, and Village Walk. It was a nice, relaxing time to sit and visit, enjoy pizza, veggies, and cookies, and experience the game together. The eight children who wanted to sit together after the game added energy, humor, and excitement to the experience!

 

We are looking forward to seeing you all at our next event. We are currently planning our annual calendar with input from several of our neighbors! Join in on the fun!

 

 

     

 

 

A CALL TO ARMS!    

 

If little things like knowing what your HOA is doing with your money, what developer projects are being launched, what new requests of you are being made by CBM or our landscape contractor, what homeowner challenges are being experienced by your neighbors, what fun activities are being planned for the community, what necessary restrictions—temporary or permanent—are being levied upon the residents of New Town, then perhaps you see the need for a healthy and active Communications Committee.  Knowledge is power.  Without a Communications Committee, we are all blinded to what is happening around us—and which we may, with any given topic, need to question or challenge.  It is very much like exercising your right to vote.  If you care about who is in authority and in what way your life is being managed, you get out and vote.  Same deal, here.  If you want to be informed and made knowledgeable about how your New Town residency is being managed, then you need to actively support an NTRA Communications Committee to be able to see what’s coming and what needs to be questioned or addressed.  

 

Yes. It will take a small sacrifice of your time.  But what is that compared to knowing and making known what is happening next with your money and neighborhood? Please consider joining us in making New Town a community of informed and happy residents who are knowledgeable about life in their neighborhood--and beyond--and who are empowered by that knowledge to question and even change things when necessary. Reach out today by clicking this link and joining New Town’s Communications Committee:  The Few, The Proud, The Necessary.

 

Valentine Riddle:   What did the pickle say to his Valentine?

 

Interesting Valentine Happening:  Alexander Graham Bell applied for a telephone patent on Valentine’s Day in 1876.  On that day, Bell, via his lawyer, filed his telephone patent application with the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C., just hours before the attorney for Elisha Gray filed his version of a telephone. Presented with both applications, the Patent Office ultimately decided to issue the first patent for a telephone, United States Patent No. 174,465, to Bell. The legal wrangling between Bell and Gray lasted for years.

 

Valentine Fun Facts:   

• The first Valentine's Day celebration occurred in Paris;

• 145 million greeting cards are exchanged every year for Valentine's Day;

• About 20 percent of pet owners give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets; and

• Candy hearts were originally medical lozenges.

 

POEM: "Today I Got a Valentine"  by Kenn Nesbitt

 

Today I got a Valentine from everyone but Kay. But that’s alright… I never liked her that much anyway.   She never trades her Oreos. She isn’t good at catch. She doesn’t like my favorite bands. Her socks don’t often match.   She doesn’t play computer games. She wears her hair in braids. She’s something of a teacher’s pet and always gets good grades

She dots her i’s with little hearts. She’s always reading books. Whenever I’m around, she gives me such confusing looks.   But, oh my goodness, here comes Kay, and what is this I see? It seems she has an extra special Valentine for me.   It’s big and red has the words “Will you be mine today?” I always said there’s no one else I like as much as Kay.

 

Valentine Fun:  Candy Heart Valentine Bouquet—Fill a clear glass vase to the brim with Valentine candy hearts, place cloth or real red roses into the hearts, and tie a pink ribbon around the vase.  TA DA!  A Valentine bouquet! 

 

Ladybug Cupcake Hack! Any iced store-bought cupcake will do! Simply half a fresh strawberry, place it on the cupcake, and with chocolate piping, create the illusion of wings and ladybug markings.  Add a Rolo or other fudge-like candy to create the ladybug’s head.

 

 

Pet Care:  Valentine conversation hearts can sometimes contain Xylitol (not that real sugar is better for your pet). Small amounts of Xylitol can be deadly for pets and lead to the over-release of insulin, kidney failure, or worse.

 

Riddle Answer:  You mean a great dill to me

 

 

On December 7, 2022 New Towners gathered in Legacy Hall to kick off the holiday season at our Holiday Bake-Off and Dessert Fest.  A brightly decorated Christmas tree and tables with holiday center pieces on red or white tablecloths helped create a festive atmosphere. The first part of the event was a juried baking contest with two categories: 1) cookies and bars; and 2) cakes and cupcakes. Sixteen New Town bakers participated, including two children.  Six New Town residents happily served as judges, three people for each category, including one delighted young teen. 

 

About 80 attendees of all ages cheered the judging and applauded the winners, Kathy and Brian Griffith for an impressive chocolate cake with port-soaked cherries and Jenny Bragdon for delicious smoky salted chocolate toffee.  The Griffiths and Jenny Bragdon were awarded with fifty-dollar gift certificates compliments of the New Town Commercial Association.  

 

The second part of the event was the Dessert Fest during which attendees filled their plates from two long tables covered with samples from the Bake-Off’s submissions, including  Sue Langston-Ames’s second place, Charlie Brown Christmas carrot cupcakes, and Lance Scifres’s third-place, lemon-blueberry layered pound cake, as well as Trace Waible’s second-place salted caramel bars, and Liam Licastro’s huge monster cookies.  Liam was one of the contest’s two young bakers. In addition to the delicious Bake-Off’s submissions, participants also enjoyed coffee and tea and an array of other desserts from local bakeries compliments of the New Town Residential Association.  

Residents commented about how pleased they were to return to Legacy Hall for a holiday event and to catch up with old friends. Lynn Dorsey observed that “It was lovely – nicely set up and a good chance to meet new people.” For Anne Mapp, it was a “great opportunity to meet my neighbors,” and twelve-year old judge, Chloe Mapp chimed in “Being a judge never tasted so good.”  Another couple with a baby, who recently moved to New Town, characterized the event as “very welcoming to new residents,” and with smiles on their faces observed that the food was “awesome!”