Town Crier Articles

 

I hope you enjoyed the fabulous second annual lemonade stand on July 4th managed by Josh, assisted by his sister Annabelle. Proud grandparents are Marie and Dave Gaydos! There was a choice of pink or yellow lemonade and the cookies were delicious and enjoyed by all. Thank you Josh and we look forward to the third annual lemonade stand next summer!

 

 

Enjoy a walk around New Town and see if you can find these flowers/bushes. Some are hidden down alleyways and in backyards but are visible from the sidewalk. Leave a comment below when you find them! Thanks to our resident gardeners who provide such attractive arrangements. 

 

 

 

Welcome to our newest Board Member, John Ryan, a Chelsea Green owner. John was appointed at our July Board meeting for a position through December 2023. Mr. Ryan is a patent attorney and intellectual property counsel for a Virginia based corporation.  He has prior experience on HOA boards in New York City (where he served as condominium association President) and Vienna, Virginia.

 

The engineering contract for a Roper Park transition study was approved at the July Board meeting, along with the charter for a Roper Park Transition Working Group of residents. (See July Town Crier for more background).  At least one more volunteer for the working group is still needed.  Contact me at eplunsfo@gmail.com if you are interested in assisting the Association in identifying improvements needed to the common areas in Roper Park.

 

All exterior inspections of homes have been completed through the efforts of our Asset Maintenance Committee volunteers. Reinspections of homes with violations in Chelsea Green is complete and Charlotte Park’s reinspections will start soon. Be sure to respond to any violation notices that you receive.

 

Our last Lemonade and Listening session with individual neighborhoods will be Saturday, August 13th with Charlotte Park’s home owners (Roper Park was scheduled earlier). Thanks to all those who have joined us for a chat so far.

 

 

We appear to be slightly over budget at this point, but doing better than 2021. The biggest overage in our operating budget is late attorney fees for 2021 work (Town Management did not set aside funds for these monthly charges.) Similarly, pool skimmers and filter repairs approved in 2021 from replacement reserves and assumed to be completed, were only recently installed and billed. On the Village Walk operating side, the Board authorized hiring independent engineering and roofing contractors to conduct in-depth evaluations of the roof issues across Village Walk. This investment is already paying dividends in our discussions with Eagle Construction over how to correct this situation.

 

Some community members have asked about the lack of complete financial statements on the website; no balance sheets for 2022 have been posted, only income & expense statements for January-April.  There are 2 reasons for this:

 

 

Even without these full reports, we are continually able to monitor Association expenses. Chesapeake has a robust and transparent payables invoice processing system that remains operational, and NTRA has daily access to that system.  Spending data can be extracted from that system, but it does not contain internal charges like Chesapeake’s management expenses.  Chesapeake is also providing monthly bank statement copies, so checking and investment account balances and activity can be monitored. Bear with us and we will update the website when we are comfortable the data is solid.

 

 

The 2023 budget cycle started in July with the Finance Committee sending budget request forms to all NTRA committees. 

 

We are quite aware that the community does not like the assessment increases that were necessary for 2022.  Unfortunately, there is no way for NTRA to avoid noticeable increases again in 2023.  The major drivers are:

 

As a Board, we will work to control all discretionary expenses for 2023.  

 

Finally, editing the new Governing Documents is nearly complete and then we will move expeditiously to a Member vote.  Look for a Zoom community information meeting on August 17th to present the changes and answer any questions. (An in-person Q&A could be scheduled later in August as well.) Engage in the process and become advocates for us to move ahead.  

 

I know this is a somber ending to our monthly message.  If you don’t like what is happening, please consider the following:

 

 

National Night Out, Tuesday, August 2nd, will be a community-police awareness-raising event observed throughout the United States, and every New Town resident is encouraged to participate. Traditionally held the first Tuesday of August, the campaign began in 1984 with neighbors simply turning on their front porch lights and sitting in their front yards or on their front porches to enhance community relationships with each other and with their local law-enforcement agencies. The event is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and evolved from the participation of 2.5 million residents across 400 communities in 23 states that first year to 38 million residents in 16,000 communities across the United States by 2016. At its heart, National Night Out is meant to increase awareness about police programs in local communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch, and other anti-crime efforts.

 

As one would imagine, the event is meant to be festive and fun with relation-building games and activities on the agenda.  Some communities even plan block parties and cook-outs with live entertainment. But it needn’t be elaborate. Planned games and activities such corn hole, lawn darts, and ladder golf will fit the bill and make for a fun get-together with neighbors known and new. Please consider joining in!

 

Favorite Books and Recipes Round-up!  Front Porch Chat is looking to highlight your favorite book and/or recipe in the months ahead, so if you have a beloved book—old or new—or a rave recipe you’d like to share with your New Town neighbors, send them on in!

 

To brighten your day: 

 

Quotes: When Life shuts a door, open it. It’s a door.  That’s how they work.

 

Historical Fact: Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian.  She was actually Greek, a descendant of Alexander the Great's Macedonian general, Ptolemy.

 

Curious Happening: A woman named Violet Jessop survived not only the sinking of the Titanic, but also the destruction of both of the Titanic's sister ships, the Britannic and Olympic.

 

Household Hacks:   You can remove crayon marks from your walls with a hairdryer.  Just hold the hairdryer over that portion of the marked wall for a few seconds to soften the crayon's wax, then wipe away marks with a soft cloth.

 

PC Hacks:  Ctrl + Z is the ultimate hot key, however note that “undo” doesn't just apply to typing. If you accidentally delete or move a file, you can hit Ctrl + Z to bring it right back to where it was (Ctrl + Y will redo whatever you undid).

 

Pet Care:  Have a plan for your dog in place should anything happen to you. Make a list of important information about your dog’s lifestyle including how often they’re fed, how much they’re fed, medications, their vet’s phone number, etc. Give copies of this to someone in your life that could take care of your dog in the case of an emergency. 

 

Recipes:  

Shoe-peg Corn Salad 

Drain the following well:

16 oz of shoe peg corn

16 oz of Le Seur baby peas

16 oz of French-cut green beans

1 small jar of pimientos drained & diced

1 bunch of scallions trimmed & sliced thin (use green & white part of veggie)

1 quarter cup of green bell pepper, diced

1 half cup of celery thinly sliced

1 T of green parsley chopped

 

Vinaigrette Dressing:

1 third cup apple cider vinegar

1 half cup of salad oil

1 quarter cup of sugar

Half teaspoon of salt

Half teaspoon of black pepper

 

Step 1

In small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, & pepper. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves.

Cool completely. Combine all drained veggies when cooled.

 

Step 2

Pour cooled dressing over combined veggies. Mix well, cover, & marinate in fridge 1-2 hours.

Salad keeps for a week or more in fridge.

 

 

 

Do you yearn for the opportunity to have a conversation with someone – anyone – living in places from Austria to Zimbabwe? Are you dying for the chance to say hello to an astronaut orbiting the earth on the international space station?

 

It’s possible, you know, if you are an amateur radio operator, and advance to a certain level. Amateur radio operators are more universally known as “ham” radio operators. Catchy name, but that wasn’t always meant as a compliment.

 

In fact, starting in 1909 it was a pejorative term commercial and professional radio operators used for their amateur cohorts. But amateur operators turned the tables, embracing the word to the point where it became an accepted part of the lexicon.

 

Almost 800,000 Americans are licensed ham radio operators, a significant percentage of the estimated 3 million participants world-wide. While ham operating is in decline in other parts of the world, in the U.S. it continues to grow.

 

Williamsburg has a club – the aptly named Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club. It currently has about 150 members, most living locally, but also a few who moved away from the Colonial Capital but kept in touch.

 

About a half-dozen members reside in New Town, including club president Jack Espinal of Abbey Commons. A former teacher from California who spent eight years working in Washington, D.C., before coming to Williamsburg, Espinalsaid he grew up in the era of party (telephone) lines. If someone was talking on your shared line, you had to wait until they were done before making your call. Such circumstances helped his interest in ham radio grow.

 

“There are so many facets of ham radio that can take you in many different directions,” Espinal said. “One group even has the (special license) ability to talk to the astronauts on the international space station. We just have fun doing it.”

 

Like Espinal, Tom Nichols of Charlotte Park has long had an interest in electronics. He owned a Citizens Band (CB) radio in college. While anyone can be a CB operator today, ham radio operators need to pass certain tests to acquire their license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). 

 

Passing the first test gives one a “technicians” license, which comes with access to VHF/UHF and is a great starting point for hand-held radios. Passing the second provides one with a “general” license. The reward for advancing past the third level is “amateur extra” status. The higher up you go, the more frequencies and operating privileges you enjoy.

 

“With my general class license, I can transmit and talk around the world,” Nichols said. “If I want to call someone in Argentina, talk to someone in Japan, I can do that.”

 

In the Fall and Spring, the Williamsburg club offers training for anyone interested in taking up the hobby. Members also attend three special events a year, in which they demonstrate what ham radio is all about. One is in Jamestown in the spring, tied to the anniversary of the settlement there. The second is in Williamsburg on July 4, celebrating the obvious. The third one is at Yorktown, commemorating the surrender of Cornwallis to George Washington, effectively ending Great Britain’s chance at winning the Revolutionary War.

 

“We’ll even let visitors use our ham radio to give them a feel for what it’s like,” Espinal said.

 

There’s also a serious, important component to ham radio. In the event of storms or other natural disasters, cellphones are frequently useless. The towers are down or compromised. On 9-11, it was virtually impossible for anyone in D.C. to call family or friends on their cellphones. In such an event, ham operators work with police and first rescuers to assist those who may be stranded without communication.

 

Espinal cites another example. In February 2021, storms in Texas brought about a major power crisis that resulted in shortages of water, food, and heat. More than 4.5 million homes and businesses were left without power, and at least 246 people were killed, directly or indirectly. Ham radio operators provided vital communication to the outside world.

 

In Williamsburg, the Amateur Radio Relay League holds an emergency “field day” on the last weekend of June, making sure that operations are in place to combat any emergency, such as an event at Surry Power Station. Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) meets regularly to ensure that members’ equipment is working and to exchange information.

 

If you are interested in becoming a ham operator, or just want more information, Espinal says to phone him at (703) 946-5787, or email him at jespinal@jespinal.com. 

 

 

 

The green space behind Legacy Hall in New Town is named Sullivan Square. It is named for Tim Sullivan.

 

Tim Sullivan was the President of the College of William and Mary from 1992-2005. The late 1990’s was when New Town was conceived. The College of William and Mary was, and still is, a basic component of the fabric of the Williamsburg area. As such William and Mary was informed of the planning for New Town. After careful consideration, it was decided that William and Mary, through their real estate arm, would become an investor in New Town. 

 

At that time it was not common for colleges and universities to be directly involved in land use decisions for areas near their campus. Tim believed that New Town would have an impact on the future of William and Mary and that William and Mary should have a role in the development of New Town.

 

At the meeting when Tim signed the formal agreement between William and Mary and New Town, Tim spoke before he signed. He expressed the following - The College of William and Mary has excellence in faculty, staff, and students. If the College of William and Mary wants to have excellence in faculty, staff, and students in the future we must have excellence in lifestyle. He believed that New Town could help provide excellence in lifestyle.

 

Today faculty, staff, and students from William and Mary live, work, and play in New Town. After all, Life Happens Here. Sullivan Square was named after Tim to commemorate his impact on the long term success of the College of William and Mary as well as New Town.

 

 

Starting in mid-August, owners in the New Town Residential Association will be asked to vote on new governing documents – as a package. (We vote on them as a package because they all need overhaul and are interrelated. We need to keep them consistent with each other rather than have piecemeal governing documents from different decades or end up approving one document and not another possibly creating conflict among the different provisions.) 

 

These documents include: 

Why are these new documents needed? Our existing Governing Documents date to 2005, are antiquated, and do not reflect current statutory requirements. They also provide the Developer’s perspective and authoritative language, which no longer apply to our situation. Our new draft documents reflect the Association as it currently operates under Homeowner - not Developer - control, and as it should operate under Virginia law. They are streamlined and more user-friendly.  When an HOA turns over from the developer, experts unanimously recommend that governing documents be revised. Their purpose is two-fold: to live in the present and to prepare for the future. 

 

Several provisions of the 2021 draft documents caused concern within the community. The current Board of Directors has examined these concerns and is proposing revisions in several areas. Below is a summary of three key issues raised last year and how they were addressed. If one of these issues was your lightning rod/”cannot support”/hot button, please seriously consider the impact of rejecting any of these three revisions.

We recognize that not everyone will be happy with this outcome. As a whole, these texts are a big improvement, clearer and easier to administer than what is now in place. Compromise and recognizing the stake that each Member has in having a well-structured HOA will be key to the documents’ passage.  We need 2/3rds of all owners (close to 400 votes) to adopt these documents. For the greater good of the community and to help us move forward with a strong and current legal framework, we ask that you support the Board’s final proposal with your vote.  

 

ISSUE RESOLUTION

 

I.      Landscaping for fenced yards

 

2021 text (Supplemental Declarations 4.1 and 4.2):

 

“3.2 Landscape Services. The Association shall provide the following landscape services to be included in the Services Assessment component of the Annual Assessments as set forth in the Declaration:

(a) mowing, edging, and trimming of grass within portions of all Lots not located inside a fenced area (see Section 4.1 below).

(b) Trimming of shrubs, trees and bushes up to a height of fifteen feet (15’) within portions of all Lots not located inside a fenced area (see Section 4.1 below). 

(c) Other services as determined by the Board of Directors. 

(collectively, the “Landscape Services”).”

 

“4.1 Fenced Yards. The Association shall provide Landscape Services to any yard outside of a fenced yard, including, front yards that are not fenced. The Association may provide Landscaping Services as identified in Section 3.2 (a) (b) and (c) to fenced yards upon request, to be funded by Individual Assessments to the Owners of Lots that have fenced yards based on an annual average cost by home type as determined by the Board. “

 

2022 final draft:

 

“3.2 Landscape Services.  The Association shall provide annual landscape services to all Lots as determined by the Board and outlined in the Association landscape contract. The Board may determine that landscape costs to an individual Lot are a burden in relation to other yards due to fencing, large landscape beds or other conditions. In this case, the additional cost will be assessed as an Individual Assessment to the applicable Owners of Lots and announced as part of the annual budget process.”

 

Rationale: The new text simplifies and reduces the size of the landscaping portion of the document. It also gives the Board flexibility to address future landscaping issues when they arise based on contract costs and other changing factors. For example, we are awaiting bids for the 2023-2025 landscape seasons that will identify what requirements landscapers will impose to care for fenced yards This specific situation will be clearer in September. 

 

IMPACT OF YOUR VOTE: 

________________________________

 

II.     Village Walk Future Obligations 

 

2021 text: (Village Walk Supplemental Declaration 3.6)

 

“3.6 Future Obligations. Should the Association assume any of the obligations of the Supplemental Maintenance Agreement dated November 20, 2012 by and among FCP Settler’s Market, LLC, Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust, FCP Settler’s Market II LLC, previously applicable to the Parcel Developer, as set forth in the Acknowledgment and Assumption of Supplemental Maintenance Agreement dated March 14, 2014, the costs of these obligations shall be assessed equally against each Owner as part of the Services Assessment or as a Special Assessment as set forth in Article VI.” 

 

2022 final draft: Section deleted. 

 

Rationale:  This provision was carried over into the new documents because it represents a present “obligation” of Village Walk owners and the Association. Over the course of a year, the Association has been unable to obtain clarification of this commitment from James City County or the principals involved in the original “Supplemental Maintenance Agreement.”  To date, the Association has not received any communication regarding any obligation associated with the “Future Obligations” nor has it ever received any billing statement. We have decided to remove the language and if a future claim is made that the Association has some responsibility for any of the maintenance costs, the Board in place at that time will need to review and determine the obligation under these new documents (Common Areas funded under our General Assessment component).  

 

IMPACT OF YOUR VOTE: 

________________________________

 

III. Additional Area 

 

2021 text: (Second Amended Master Declaration 2.3)

 

“2.3 Member Approval to Subject Adjacent Real Property to Declaration. The Association may submit any real property which is contiguous or adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity of New Town (Adjacent Property”) to the provisions of this Declaration and the jurisdiction of the Association with the approval of the owner of the property to be added, and the affirmative vote of a majority of the Members at a meeting at which a quorum of thirty-three percent (33%) of the Members is present….”

 

 

“2.3 Member Approval to Subject Adjacent Real Property to Declaration. The Association may submit any real property which is contiguous or adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity of New Town (Adjacent Property”) to the provisions of this Declaration and the jurisdiction of the Association by approval of not less than two-thirds (2/3rds) of the Owners who are eligible to vote. The approval of the Owners shall be evidenced by written or electronic ballot at a duly called meeting of the Association.”

 

Rationale: Several commenters asked that this provision be deleted to limit any further expansion of the New Town Residential Association or that the approval threshold be raised. Although this section has largely been associated with the potential future development of Eastern State Hospital’s surplus property, it applies to any real estate within a 2-mile radius of current NTRA property, e.g. the empty lot in front of the Pointe Apartments. Therefore, rather than delete it, we raised the threshold to leave the possibility to accept additional development if the property owner can make a convincing case to the community for adding it. To permit this future flexibility, our final draft approval level would be the same as required to amend the Master Declaration itself-2/3 vote of all owners. To add property to the Association is a major change that should involve all Owners. 

 

IMPACT OF YOUR VOTE: 

 

 

The Board of Directors (BOD) has read and considered ALL comments submitted on the draft revisions to our NTRA governing documents. We thank those owners who took the time to read through the text and to point out areas for improvement. This week we will release the final drafts for your review, followed by a Member vote. There will be an informational Zoom meeting for all Owners on August 17, 2022 to help explain the changes.

 

Recapping the Comments

In September 2021, oral and written questions were received asking for explanations of the text. Many of these explanations were provided during the September 22, 2021 Town Hall video meeting (available on the NTRA website LINK) or afterwards in the Q&A response document (LINK).

 

During the formal comment period (September to November 1, 2021), 25 owners submitted written comments and/or suggestions for changes to the text. (After the comment period had closed, an additional 10 owners sent form letters in late March/April 2022 as part of a letter writing campaign to the Board. These messages all requested that the Board include landscape services for fenced yards in the new documents as part of regular dues.)

 

The table below summarizes the substantive (non-editorial) issues raised by more than one Owner during the comment period. Landscape services to fenced yards and the potential for assuming the Settlers Market LLC maintenance responsibilities in Village Walk received the most remarks. 

 

 

As you can imagine, comments were submitted in a variety of ways – in the body of an email directed to individual Board members or via the website email provided; by attaching pdfs (in one case an owner submitted 178 pages of comments with suggested rewrites) to emails, or by using the NTRA comment form in its Word format. It is not reasonable for the Board as volunteers to spend the hours needed to recompile all of these items into a single response document. (Owners who used the official email address provided for their comments will receive individual replies.)

 

Hopefully, you will see what we changed in the final text by looking for the same document section in the new searchable drafts. A general explanation of the top three issue resolutions is in a separate Town Crier article this month.   

 

 

 

With the recent launch of Chesapeake Bay’s new administrative portal, we have received some questions about which website application to use.

 

 

The Chesapeake Bay Management (CBM) Portal is for NTRA owners only. It is the source of information on your accounts as well as any violations or architectural requests you may have in process. In other words, if you have a money question or received a violation letter, you may personally communicate with Chesapeake through the owner portal.

 

The documents available on the portal are for ease of the user and largely relate to violations, e.g. governing documents, architectural forms, paint colors – as well as letters/eblasts sent from CBM. 

 

 

The NTRA website remains the official communications channel for our community. It is open to owners in both the NTRA and the New Town Commercial Association and provides certain access for New Town tenants. It is also the public face of the New Town Residential Association so some website features are public pages.

 

All official NTRA documents are on the NTRA website – Governing Documents, Committee agendas and minutes, policies, forms, calendar, etc.  While we had hoped that perhaps some of this material would transition to the portal, CBM’s system does not offer the robustness or capabilities that the NTRA website already has. Issue reports/tickets should continue to be submitted through the website “Report an Issue” feature. (Note – CBM’s May 2022 letter was a corporate letter sent to all HOAs and did not apply to our particular situation because Chesapeake had never managed our website.)

 

So how do we keep the website current and meaningful to users?  WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS. Our team of three website volunteers is down to one. This administrative workload is not a CBM responsibility. Luckily, the website software is intuitive and uploading documents/updating news is straightforward for anyone who works with Microsoft Office. You do not need to be a “techie” or have any programming experience to do this.  Best yet, you can volunteer from your own home/laptop. If you could help us to manage the website even if only for a few hours a month, please email: ntrawebsitecommittee@gmail.com.

 

Finally, to help minimize user confusion, CBM has updated its owner portal home page to clearly show these functional differences between the sites. As a general rule of thumb, start with the NTRA website unless you are paying a bill or trying to stay out of trouble by clarifying/responding to a violation notice! 

 

 

 

Named after his son, Christopher, owner Gary takes pride in being able to offer the very best produce at Christopher’s Produce Market right in the heart of New Town. Stocked full of seasonal goodies, you can be sure to get only quality produce when visiting Gary.

 

Gary knows the locals and they sure do love him. While visiting the stand, a New Town resident pulled right up, stayed in her car, and asked Gary for a “watermelon with a good thump.” Gary grabbed a big, beautiful watermelon, gave it a loud thump, and handed it off to the happy customer after ringing her up. THAT is the type of easy breezy quality customer service you can expect from the locals’ favorite produce guy.

 

You can catch Gary at the Christopher’s Produce Market set up Monday through Saturday from 9/10ish-4/5ish except for Wednesdays when he opens around 1:00pm. He’s “doing public service work” of visiting the folks over at Brookdale every Wednesday morning. What a guy!

 

And what great produce! Grab your favorite peaches, tomatoes, watermelon, and more right here in New Town between Iron Bound and Paul’s Deli. Hours may vary as the cooler weather sets in, but as long as quality produce is available, Christopher’s Produce Market will be set up through Halloween and hopefully even Thanksgiving!

 

 

We had a great turnout for the July Pizza Party at the pool with over seventy residents, including lots of kids. Guests enjoyed pizza and brownies along with sunning, swimming, splashing, and visiting with friends. The kids were super excited about the free treats, and adults enjoyed the music provided by volunteer Rick Byrnes. 

 

The Activities Committee’s next event is our second Poolside Social on Tuesday, August 16. Look for more details on the website and NTRA Facebook page. We look forward to seeing you there! 

 

 

·      August 6th – Be on the lookout for some members of the Fifes & Drums playing along Main Street 11am-1pm

·      New Town Tunes is RETURNING with a Fall Concert Series. Dates & details will be announced soon!

·      Run for the Hills & Walk to End Alzheimer’s are both returning to New Town this year. Registrations are now open! 

 

 

·      Keland’s Louisiana Seafood is NOW OPEN! Located between Pisco 51 and Axe Republic

·      Schwartzy’s Cat Cove (sister store to The Nautical Dog) is NOW OPEN on Main Street. 

·      Planet Fitness, Great Atlantic Hot Tubs, Swim Spas & Saunas, and Cox Communications are coming to New Town Shops on Main. 

 

Have you seen the New Town Promotional Video? You may see several of your fellow residents! Stay informed about upcoming events on the New Town Williamsburg webpage. https://newtownwilliamsburg.com/events-news/

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the fabulous second annual lemonade stand on July 4th managed by Josh, assisted by his sister Annabelle. Proud grandparents are Marie and Dave Gaydos! There was a choice of pink or yellow lemonade and the cookies were delicious and enjoyed by all. Thank you Josh and we look forward to the third annual lemonade stand next summer!

 

Enjoy a walk around New Town and see if you can find these flowers/bushes. Some are hidden down alleyways and in backyards but are visible from the sidewalk. Leave a comment below when you find them! Thanks to our resident gardeners who provide such attractive arrangements. 

 

From the NTRA Activities Committee:

 

New Town residents enjoyed the first social by the pool this year! On Tuesday June 14, the Activities Committee hosted its first New Town Social at the community pool to celebrate the new season. The evening weather cooperated over old friends meeting new friends, and a good time was had by all. 

 

Our next event at the community pool will take place on Saturday July 16 at noon, and we hope all will join us to enjoy a slice of pizza. 

 

 

From the New Town Commercial Association (NTCA):

 

 

It’s July in Williamsburg, the hottest month of the year with average daily temperatures of 90 plus degrees; August is only a few degrees cooler.  With this hot, humid, sub-tropical climate the beating rays of the summer sun can scorch, burn, and ravage spring plantings.

 

What can be done to beat the unrelenting heat and its toll on gardens?  One easy answer is container gardening.  Containers can be picked up and moved to a shady spot on your porch, patio, or balcony when the sun is baking them.  Fill the planters up with sun-loving annuals that are prolific bloomers and with a little TLC they’ll bloom until the first frost (around Oct. 25).  We live in zone 7b, a gardener’s dream, since it’s easy to grow all but the most tropical plants here.  The trick is to choose plants suitable for this southeastern region.

 

I’m not an expert – only an enthusiast who is sold on big, full, container gardens.  These gardens bring nature to your front door with colorful flowers that attract butterflies, bees (for pollination), and nectar loving hummingbirds.  What a show!

 

After constant experimentation, along with living in New Town for a decade, I’ve discovered tips and tricks to keep full sun annuals blooming in this summer southern oven we love to call home. 

 

~ 5 Tips to Get Started ~

 

1.  Don’t skimp on the container.  The more soil the better the results.  Go Big!

2.  Provide adequate drainage – try small rocks, gravel, or packing Styrofoam peanuts to help keep drainage holes open.

3.  Fill the planter with good soil for big blooms.  My favorite is “Miracle Gro Potting Mix”. 

4.  Choose the right plants for our zone and location.  Full sun (6 hours) or shade?  Heat tolerant?  

5.  Slow and steady fertilizing.  Water with weaker doses of a water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks.  I use “Miracle Gro Soluble Plant Food”.   

 

~ Tips and Tricks/ My Top Sun-Loving Container Annuals ~

 

1.  Petunias - look for the Wave variety. Showy blooms – trim back a little every week for continuous full blooms. 

2.  Verbena – pretty clusters of color, a trailer.  They are pollinator friendly plants.

3.  Geraniums – my favorites!  (Along with Thomas Jefferson who helped these beauties gain popularity with his love of their blooms).  Tip; when it gets really hot move them to afternoon shade and pinch back spent blooms daily. Remember, moderate watering-hydrated not saturated… geraniums do not like wet feet. 

4.  Dipladenia – plop it in a container and walk away.  It’s that easy.

5.  Zinnias – attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  Easy to grow in the sun.

6.  Calibrachoa – little trumpets, look like tiny petunias on steroids.  

7.  Dragon Wing Begonia - just one suggestion for a SHADE container, it’s that special.  One and done!

 

 

There you have it.  Growing a lush, beautiful, sun-drenched planter until fall heads our way is not difficult.  Annuals are on sale just waiting for your green thumb; be creative, experiment, nurture, and most of all delight in your addition to nature’s bounty. 

 

 

Last year Virginia Lawn and Landscape published a newsletter advising Owners that Rose Rosette disease was present in New Town and infecting numerous knockout rose bushes. Owners were asked to remove these plants as soon as possible, however, the Landscape Advisory Committee has found several infected bushes still within the community. This disease travels through the air by mites, so your disease is threatening your neighbors’ shrubbery. VLL’s explanation is provided below. 

 

 

Per Penn State Extension, here is how to remove your infected bushes safely:

 

Here are some photos of what the rosette disease looks like. If you are not sure whether your bushes are infected, submit a ticket through the NTRA website “Report an Issue” and ask one of our Committee members to drop by and advise you. Let us help you identify this problem. 

                     

     

 

You may receive a “friendly” notice from us if we see this condition on your property. So spread the word and not the disease, and help us to root out this situation in New Town!

 

Please welcome and introduce yourselves to our primary lifeguard at the pool. Tahje Tulloch is from Kingston Jamaica. He is our lifeguard every day except Friday, his day off.  

 

Tahje finds the community very friendly and nice. He enjoys listening to music and reading. His favorite dish from Jamaica is one his brother, who is a chef, created. It is a type of sweet and sour chicken and very delicious.

 

When the pool is closed on Tuesday for cleaning and on Friday, you may see Kristoff Virgo or Ricardo Mowatt keeping the pool safe and clean. 

 

Answers to most resident questions about the pool can be found on our website:

Other FAQs (Scroll down to "Pool FAQs")

In Celebration of 20 Years in James City County, we’re celebrating 20 Reasons Why We LOVE New Town! And don't miss the the New Town Promotional Video... you may see several of your neighbors!

 

1. Public Events (most of which are FREE!) - concerts, outdoor markets, family friendly pop-up events, community walks and runs, and lots more! 
2. A variety of walking and biking trails linking the entire community, inclusive of parks and inviting green space
3. The variety of restaurants and food types available 
4. Convenience to Busch Gardens, Water Country, Jamestown & Yorktown Parks and attractions 
5. Open-air Main Street Shopping Mall
6. The combination of residential options -  traditional homes, garden apartments, town & carriage homes, condominiums, live-work loft apartments all designed within a street grid pattern to foster community interaction
7. Lots of Entertainment - Axe throwing, a movie theater, billiards room, sports & live music at restaurants 
8. The ease of access to City & County Courthouse, US Post Office & other Government offices right across the street
9. A wide variety of salons, fitness centers, day spas and other personal services
10. The perfect setting for your private events - The ability to book a private event/wedding right at Legacy Hall & Sullivan Square for an indoor/outdoor celebration, or reserve a space at one of the many restaurants!
11. A nationally recognized pre-school in the community
12. Santa Claus comes to New Town for Free Visits & Pictures
13. The ease and access to so many medical and dental offices
14. 3 miles to Colonial Williamsburg 
15. Banks, Credit Unions and other financial institutions all within the community
16. FREE & Convenient Parking; Park in one place and do all of the above and more. If you live here you can do it all, and walk home on a well lit street with sidewalks.
17. Adjacent to the campus of The College of William & Mary
18. Electric Car Charging Station x2
19. The beauty and sound of the iconic fountain
20. Life Happens Here - A Welcoming Community for ALL TO GATHER!

 

From our files of useless information, Americans ate 1.3 billion – yes, billion – chicken wings during this past Super Bowl.

 

If you missed your chance to join the party, fear not. The original Wing a Ding Ding Festival is coming to our state capital on July 16 at Richmond Raceway on East Labernum Street. And you don’t have to sit through hours and hours of football and (mostly) lousy commercials to enjoy the goodies.

 

Event organizers promise they’ll provide more than 30 kinds if wings – Hot Nashville, Cajun Spicy, Crunchy, Southern Fried, Crispy Korean, Mild, Medium, Hot, XXXtra Hot, I-Been-To-Hell-and-Back Hot.

 

 

And that’s not all. There will be fried chicken aplenty, all of which can be washed down with your choice of craft beers, hard cider, wine or good ol’ fashioned soda pop. They might even have water. They say the food is prepared by top chefs and food vendors.

 

The festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. and run until 9 p.m. There are six different levels of tickets, ranging from $15 to $45.

 

Some finger-lickin’ history: Fried chicken wings have been a Southern staple for years and years. But the idea of smothering them in peppery hot sauce was born in Buffalo, N.Y., at the Anchor Bar, an establishment still going strong. In 1964, bar owner Teressa Bellisimo began cooking chicken wings as a late-night snack for her son and his friends.

 

How did she come by the wings? She ordered them by mistake, thinking she was getting chicken necks, which her husband used in making his spaghetti sauce. Trying to make the best of a bad situation, she began frying them after coating them in pepper sauce.

 

Hopefully, all of her mistakes turned out so well.

 

For more information on Wing a Ding Ding Festival, visit this website.

At its July meeting the Board of Directors will be chartering a working group to examine the condition of the Common Areas in Roper Park/Charlotte Park Phase 11. The developer, Atlantic Homes, expects to have James City County conduct its initial inspection of these areas in a month or two.

 

This Board action is consistent with Policy 5.1 Turnover or Acceptance of Assets. The group will be led by Roper Park resident and Landscape Advisory Committee Secretary Cathy Forestell, and we need 2 or 3 other owners to support her. The group’s role is to “compile and maintain a master record/list of all items and concerns to include such things as damaged concrete sidewalks, aprons and curbing, lamp posts, etc” as well as any items approved on site plans but not installed. Essentially these volunteers are the “eyes and ears” of the Association. 

 

The team's work would be intermittent – an initial inspection and effort to compile the inventory and then followup checks whenever Atlantic Homes completes some corrective action or conditions change in the neighborhood. (It can be several years from the start of the James City County acceptance process to the actual turnover of property to the Association.) As the focal point for the group, Cathy will work with Board liaison Everett Lunsford to communicate concerns to the County.  Any Roper Park owner who is interested in participating should contact Everett at eplunsfo@gmail.com

 

Similar working groups have been used for Charlotte Park Phase 10 and Village Walk to best represent those living and using these areas every day. Our independent engineering firm Giles & Flythe will also review the area especially its bioretention features. Hopefully, these viewpoints will better prepare us for the day when the Association must own and manage this acreage.

 

 

Hello, New Town Neighbors!  This is a brand-new Crier column for our readers that I hope will be a fun and entertaining collaborative effort between us.  Emphasis on collaboration, as most importantly, it is a column intended to bring us closer as neighbors of New Town and fellow-residents of James City County, the second oldest county in the country, by the way, trailing by only 2 years after Eastville, Virginia in 1634.  

 

Before I introduce you to the concept of this feature, I need to write that its launching is a harbinger, of sorts, for NNO—National Night Out— which will take place throughout the country on August 2nd.  On that date, our local Police Department has invited all neighborhoods to join them in an evening outdoors to encourage community relations between neighbors and neighborhoods. Their direction is to turn off your TVs and “turn on your porch light.” You can read more about it at https://jamescitycountyva.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=5257.

 

 

As you can see, the column’s title is, “Front Porch Chat,” and that is what it intends to be:  a chat between neighbors sitting on their front porches of a summer’s evening or on a crisp autumn day when skies are tri-colored and the trees the same. It's that perfect front-porch setting in your mind where one can share neighborhood news, curious facts (current and historical, like the county fact above), recipes, household, auto and PC hacks, poems, funny stories, even songs with others--all geared to generate laughter, good-natured fun, and a sense of well-being and peace with one’s neighbors. Think small town America—‘cause that is what New Town really is, all of us neighbors, all of us connected, all of us “in it,” together.

 

A little hokey, you’re thinking?  Perhaps.  But if hokey, according to its definition, means “sentimental,” “good-natured,” “old-fashioned,” and even “corny,” well, why not? Harmless silliness that makes people smile or chuckle, or makes them think fondly of someone or something, imparts to them new knowledge perhaps sorely needed—or simply makes them grateful for what they have.   I think we can all do with a little of that.  I’m hoping you do, too. 

 

So, what can you contribute to our “chats” for this feature?  For the most part, anything well-meaning and sent with the best of intentions to impart knowledge, to inform, to give curious pause to thought, or simply to delight or entertain will be most welcome. 

 

Each month, I’ll be rocking on the front porch waiting for you to begin our “chat.”  Please send your contributions, big or small, to ntratown.crier@gmail.com for inclusion in next month’s Front Porch Chat! Be well!

 

Your neighbor,

Patti Vaticano

 

Please enjoy this selection of "chats" to get us started! 

 

Jokes:  What is Forrest Gump’s email password?   1forrest1

 

Poems:                                                     

EARLY BIRD

by Shel Silverstein 

 Oh, if you're a bird, be an early bird

And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.

If you're a bird, be an early, early bird—

But if you're a worm, sleep late.

 

 

Historical Fact:   Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. Fifteen years later, it was sold as a cure for an upset stomach by an Ohio physician named John Cook. It wasn’t popularized as a condiment until late in the 19th century.

 

Curious Happening:  In 2014, Australian native Ben McMahon spent a week in a coma following a car accident. When he awoke, the English speaker instead spoke fluent Mandarin.  He had studied the language previous to his accident, but not with any serious intent.

 

Household Hacks:  Coffee grounds mixed with dish soap and boiling water will unclog drains. 

 

PC Hacks:  To fix a flashing battery light on your laptop, press Fn+H on your keyboard.  VIOLA!  No more flashing light!

 

Recipes:  Watermelon Ice Tea--Watermelon is a popular fruit of summer, and this tea recipe is a nice way to use up any extra melon you may have left over. It's very easy to make and requires that you blend the melon with a little mint and lemon to create a watermelon “aqua fresca (cooling waters)”.  From there, it's as simple as adding freshly brewed black tea.

 

Pet Care:  

To keep pets safe during firework demonstrations: