Town Crier Articles

Each new Board member said a few words about his or her background and reasons for wanting to serve on the Board.

Several members of the developer-controlled BOD reflected on reaching this significant moment.

John Wright commented that working with so many talented people had been a great
experience and led to many wonderful friendships.

 

Robert Casey expects that few people realize how much work it has taken to get to this point
where the management of New Town is being put in the hands of residents. “It has been a
privilege to work with people that reside in New Town. I give thanks to all those who have been
involved in getting us to this moment.”

 

Larry Salzman shared, “When we started this venture, this property was the Casey family farm.
In 2002 we broke ground with the goal of building a great place to live, work and play. Now,
years later I feel we’ve not only created a wonderful place to live, work and play, but also, a
forward-thinking, progressive community. Many thanks to our lawyers, bankers, management
company, and all others who helped us along the way. To all I say, ‘Job well done!’”

 

Acting BOD secretary, Tim Grueter, stated that minutes of this meeting would reflect that at 11:59 p.m., on June 18, 2020, Robert Casey, Lawrence Salzman, John Marston, John Wright and Robert Allen resigned from their NTRA BOD positions; and, that the minutes would continue on Friday, June 19, at 10 am with an organizational, rather than a business session of the homeowner-controlled NTRA Board of Directors.

 

Bill Haas, Activities Committee

 

 

 

Tom Nichols, Chair, Preparedness

 

We are very fortunate to live in a community with such a low crime rate.  While we may not rival the fictional Mayberry, North Carolina, compared to the world-at-large, Williamsburg comes pretty near close, as Andy Taylor might have said.  This is due in no small part to an engaged and responsive police force of which James City County has been blessed.  This aside, strict vigilance on the part of county residents in combating crime is necessary and wise.

 

Last month, during Memorial Day Weekend, May 24th to the 25th, New Town was the site of five car break-ins, largely in the Charlotte Park division of our community.  Powhatan Crossing saw eight car break-ins, over the same holiday weekend.  Video footage was retrieved from Powhatan Crossing revealing two hooded and masked individuals believed to be the perpetrators of all 13 break-ins.  Unfortunately, no surveillance cameras were found in working order, here in New Town.

 

Investigator Josh Ernst, of the James City County Police Department, told The Crier that all thirteen break-ins yielded only $50 to $100 in stolen merchandise, with one pair of Apple Air Pods the only merchandise with a serial number for tracing.  All break-ins investigated were unforced, as all 13 vehicles had been left unlocked.  No additional break-ins have been reported since Memorial Day Weekend, save for several unrelated incidents on the other side of Williamsburg and by individuals not related to the New Town and Powhatan Crossing break-ins. The investigations are currently at a standstill as no other video footage or finger prints have been discovered, nor have the air pods surfaced at any of our local pawn shops.  

 

• Lock your car doors when the car is left unattended. If you leave the vehicle unlocked, even if there is nothing in plain view, thieves will take the opportunity to look in the vehicle, because it is unlocked and an easy target.
• Do not leave anything of value, to include large amounts of loose change, in plain view in the vehicle. If your vehicle is locked, but you have valuables in view, this is an incentive to break in. If your vehicle is locked and nothing is in plain view then it may not be worth the time and effort to break in because there is no assurance of a payoff.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended and running. If it is unlocked then it is an easy target. If it is locked and no one is around, then to someone looking to steal a car, it provides the easy opportunity.
• Make use of car alarms if your car has one.
• Report suspicious activity immediately. Criminals will do surveillance before committing these crimes. This is easily detectable if you are paying attention as it appears suspicious. Activity such as people you have never seen in the area looking in vehicles, trying door handles, wandering through parking lots, etc. . . . This type of activity should be reported to the police asap. Even if the person leaves the area without breaking in to a vehicle, contacting the police will increase patrols in the area and potentially prevent or deter the criminal activity as the area will become less appealing to the criminal.

Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic, an integrated rehabilitation facility, anticipated the impact of the pandemic early on and began preparing for necessary precautions and interventions.  Since Comber provides essential services, the facility expected to remain open during COVID-19 closures, but a review of its patient population had shown vulnerable groups that would need specific accommodations in order to receive uninterrupted treatment.

 

Three new options were developed for existing patients deemed in need of extreme protection from potential viral threats: 

Qualifying criteria are in place for all three options and therapists trained to implement these programs.

 

In addition, Comber adopted even more aggressive protocols for proper hand-washing as well as sanitizing and disinfecting equipment, treatment tables, waiting areas, bathrooms, doorknobs and made sure they were followed.

 

Knowing how important it is to continue physical therapy treatment from initial evaluation to discharge without interruption, therapists made sure that all patients had access to home exercise programs (HEP).

 

Some patients have other health issues that might affect their therapy routine.  Comber therapists know that interrupting therapy schedules or stopping therapy mid-way can result in slower recovery or possibly starting therapy over to achieve goals.  Virtual Visits would also be beneficial for these patients.

Existing patients experiencing difficulties can now request Telehealth Virtual Visits. Appointments are set up as a scheduled video call between the patient and physical therapist, using an encrypted, HIPAA-compliant platform that incorporates live streaming, exercise assignments, and compliance tracking. Patients must have either a smartphone/tablet or access to a computer with reliable internet at home to participate. 

“Although our physical location is closed, the Iron-Bound Gym (IBG) staff is working hard to stay connected with members,” says owner, Scott Grafton. “A significant aspect of joining a gym is becoming part of a community that not only works out together, but keeps in contact with one another. We’re engaging with members in as many ways as possible -- that’s part of what they miss.”

 

During the closure the staff has been producing virtual classes and workout videos for home use. “With the gym closed it’s harder than usual. We’re using unfamiliar settings. It’s awkward to teach a class in front of a camera and really difficult without participants. People generate the vibe that creates the energy needed for exercise videos. Using music would help, but add copyright fees, so usually we tape routines without it. Members can turn on their own sound tracks at home.”

 

IBG offers members more than 36 virtual classes. “I would say about 25-30% of our members are taking classes online --- or at least watching them,” Grafton quips. Some IBG trainers suggest appropriate workouts for members, then utilize Facebook or Zoom to go through the routine with them on screen, correcting moves and offering tips so it almost feel like a live experience. 

 

“If members want to share their own home exercises or comic video clips we can post those too. It shows that we’re in this together,” he said.

With warmer weather IBG began offering cycling classes outdoors (reservations needed - max 9 per session). There’s lots of chatter during workout sessions, even during virtual workouts, though social media has become the courier of jokes and smart retorts. “All of this helps us feel connected and focused on our goals, and that’s important,” says Grafton, who has been overwhelmed by the support from IBG members during the shutdown.