Town Crier Articles

October 2022 Town Crier Articles - TEXT ONLY

Posted on October 1, 2022 5:30 AM by Town Crier Staff

Categories: General, Life in New Town, NTRA Business

BOARD BUZZ - October 2022

By Jack L Espinal

Thoughts of a “New” Board Member

I have two objectives for this month’s Board Buzz. First, to let you know what it’s like becoming a NTRA Board member and second, to update you on four critical issues facing our community that will have a significant impact on our future.

Becoming a Board Member. On a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon last December I decided to relax and read through the NTRA documents to prepare for my new volunteer job as a NTRA board member. I don’t like reading from a computer screen so I printed the documents to have them available for future reference. After using over a ream of paper and part of new toner cartridge I begin wondering what I had gotten myself into. Why were these documents so voluminous? But I began my reading anyway. I was familiar with many of the concepts from my previous experience on HOA boards. It was not long before I started noticing apparent contradictions about requirements that I had already read. I kept having to go back and reread items to understand what was really correct. I tried to do electronic searches to find the contradictions, but that wouldn’t work. The developer governing documents are just not searchable electronically. The only solution was to manually scan and then reread. Now I understood why there had been such a push to revise these obsolete developer documents over the previous year. I continued to read late into the night.

I concluded that I was going to have to juggle my time between dealing with normal day-to-day Association management issues, the ongoing task of working the homeowner suggested changes and additions into the new documents, and answering homeowner questions about the existing documents. I figured that when the revised documents were approved by the community things would get much easier. That day is not here yet, but I hope that it’s coming soon with the passing of the revised NTRA documents. It is also my hope that no other Board member will have to endure reading and researching the current developer-oriented documents. They are a real mess.

That said, I promised to address four of the recent day-to-day issues that your Board of Directors has been working on.

Landscaping. We are currently in the process of selecting a contractor to provide landscaping services to the Association for the next three years. Your Landscape Advisory Committee (LAC) took the first step by developing a Request for Proposal (RFP) based upon the Association’s needs and sample RFPs from other communities in the area. The LAC produced an excellent, well written document. The Board reviewed and edited it and then it was circulated to five landscape contractors in the Williamsburg area.

We gave interested contractor representatives a half-day tour through our New Town community pointing out the work that would be performed under both service scenarios. We visited each neighborhood and discussed their own unique requirements.

Four of the five contractors elected to provide proposals. The written responses to the RFP and cost data were then used to rank each of their proposals. Next, representatives from the top two contractors were interviewed separately. These companies will return their best and final offer to the Board soon based on our questions and expectations. The next step in this process will be the selection of a new three-year landscaping contractor. The Board will invite our new contractor to an information meeting with owners to share their company’s landscaping practices and expectations.

Common Area Acceptance. For developer-owned property to be accepted by the Association, that Common Area property and all its improvements must be in an acceptable condition as judged by the Association. The three neighborhoods that are candidates for future turnover have not progressed to the acceptance stage yet. Let me explain.

Charlotte Park Phase 11 has just begun the process of County acceptance that precedes any possible turnover. In September James City County conducted its initial inspection of the Roper Park limited to streets, curbs and gutters and drop inlets. Our Giles and Flythe engineer accompanied the inspectors and will be submitting a report on all items in these areas. This report will baseline the condition of the neighborhood for us. The Roper Park Working Group of residents will also walk the area in October to inventory and document their concerns. ABVA will be working on the items identified by the County, including curbs and patching. Given past timelines, it will likely be 2023 before the problems are corrected, reinspected, etc.

For Charlotte Park Phase 10, James City County is still working with ABVA on the drainage situation in Ercil Way, so that issue has not been resolved since our community meeting in May. No formal request has yet been made for turnover of this area.

Village Walk: Members of the Board have met with James City County executives to discuss the developer turnover status in Village Walk. We learned that although the County no longer holds the construction bonds for the Village Walk common areas, more work is needed to the streets for their VDOT acceptance. James City County must now absorb the cost of those road repairs.

While Settlers Market/Eagle has formally asked for the Association to accept the common areas (green space, walkways, etc.) within the residential area, the Board has not agreed to accept them. We provided a detailed list of issues to Eagle and based on lack of progress to date, anticipate it will be a drawn-out process. Regardless of the status of the James City County’s acceptance or the bond release, the NTRA still has the right and responsibility to ensure that the property is in an acceptable condition to the Association before it is accepted. The Board is looking after all owners’ interests in this process.

Construction Defects in Village Walk. The Board Is also dealing with roofing and siding installation deficiencies in Village Walk. Roofs are leaking and, in several cases, have had to be replaced after only four or five years of service. Fiber cement siding is cracking and coming off numerous Village Walk buildings. NTRA hired engineers to determine the cause of the failures and they determined that the issues are caused by improper installation and do not result from design features. Board members, representatives of Eagle Construction VA, and lawyers from both sides have met to work on an acceptable solution for these problems. Again, the Board is looking out for your interests in this area.

New Development. The Manor on the Green development is undergoing James City County site plan review. In anticipation that this apartment complex will move forward, the Board plans to develop a resident parking only system for our private roadways to help alleviate parking issues. Unfortunately, the Board does not have the same authority on the VDOT owned streets in New Town. James City County experts have asked the Manor on the Green developers to address a number of items including parking issues and stormwater retention concerns.

Final Thoughts. It is my hope that the New Town owners will vote “for” the revised NTRA documents so that the Board can direct its full efforts towards resolving the above problems and others like them for the benefit of our Association and its members. I have read both sets of HOA documents and have concluded that everyone, including a few current vocal detractors, will be far, far better off under the revised NTRA documents once they are approved. If the necessary two thirds vote of our membership is not received, the only winners will be the developers and the litigation lawyers. The losers will continue to be the property owners and residents of New Town.

This is a critical time for New Town and we really have only two choices to make: we can continue to operate under obsolete, convoluted, and developer-oriented documents with missing sections or we can move forward with simpler, shorter, and easier to read and understand revised documents. Our Association will be governed by this decision for a long time into the future. The passage of these revised documents is critical and will allow all future Boards to operate more efficiently and effectively dealing with the multitude of problems facing the New Town community.

Please vote in favor of approving the revised documents.

Amended NTRA Documents – Why Vote “FOR"

By Everett Lunsford, Treasurer

The basic reasons for updating our governing documents are:

Virginia law has changed since 2005 when the development of New Town began. The developer’s governing documents no longer comply with current law.
The current documents are very hard to follow and understand. Depending on your neighborhood, you have to read several supplemental declarations and determine which pieces of the declarations apply to you. The revised documents give you one shorter and simpler supplemental declaration that applies to your neighborhood.
There are errors in the current documents – various houses, services and streets were left out of the documents. The amended documents include all of the New Town Residential Association.
Items 1-3 have wasted much time and have caused significant legal expense in researching and responding to questions about the existing documents. The amended documents will reduce this expense and administrative workload for our community manager. We have important operational priorities to focus on instead.

A NO vote, or not voting (which is the same as voting NO), means the problems caused by the current documents continue.

One of the most emotional issues has been landscaping fenced yards. The current Supplemental Declarations clearly state that certain landscaping services will not be provided to fenced yards. A NO vote means that policy continues.

Although the Developer Board and Town Management provided landscape services to fenced yards, it was done in violation of New Town’s governing documents. When searching for a new management company, all the candidates expected New Town Residential to be following its documents. A quality professional managing agent is going to “follow the documents” and advise the Board accordingly.

Papers and emails are being circulated throughout the community claiming the revised documents do not guarantee landscaping. The revised HOA documents DO provide for landscaping services; but they do not spell out the specific details of those services. Each year’s services will be identified as part of the budget process. You will know what to expect. (Please recall that our existing documents only speak to mowing/edging of grass and pruning of shrubs and bushes, so no additional landscape services are guaranteed today either.)

The term “landscape services” was used to provide flexibility for adjusting the services based on needs, cost and contractor availability. A detailed list in the governing documents becomes a “must provide” requirement regardless of cost. We need to think about the future – what if we install more warm weather grasses or change the configuration of our Common Area green spaces? Lessons from the current landscape negotiations are that available services vary between contractors, and options like servicing fenced yards usually come with conditions. The Board has to balance what some residents want against whether the preferred contractors will do the services, whether any conditions are acceptable, and the costs are affordable for our membership. This revision gives any future Board the flexibility to control costs and HOA assessments. Our proposal is not a power grab or something nefarious. We are protecting homeowner interests and your pocketbooks.

Another claim recently circulated in an anonymous letter alleges the NTRA Board removed the BMP (retention ponds) reference from the amended Village Walk Supplemental Declaration in order to make all of NTRA responsible for the BMPs. This is simply not true! The reference was removed from the new documents because no one has found or provided documentation of NTRA/Village Walk’s legal responsibility for those BMPs.

The Board has recently sent a letter to all NTRA owners about this situation. To summarize, there are no documents recorded with James City County that require the Association to pay future maintenance costs for the stormwater retention ponds near Village Walk. These maintenance costs have not been shown to be a New Town Residential responsibility but are the responsibility of the developers/owners of this land. Scary cost figures for repairs to the walls of these ponds have been floated anonymously as well. Again, repairs are fully the responsibility of the owners and their James City County bonds will not be released until this work is done satisfactorily.

This is another example of how the errors and confusing language in our existing developer-created governing documents could serve the developer’s interests and have increased the Association’s legal costs. As the Association’s Treasurer I can advise you that the barrage of unsolicited emails and letters to owners affect your homeowner dues because of the unanticipated legal costs to review and reply to these owners.

Please – let’s stop the confusion and unnecessary expense – VOTE FOR the amended documents.

It's Volunteer Recruitment Season For 2023!

By Mary Cheston

This month, in addition to the announcement for Board election applications, it’s time to highlight the growing need for VOLUNTEERS to support our various committees. Committee members rotate off in December of the second year of their appointment. That means that several Committees are facing rebuilding efforts to maintain their operations in January 2023.

Here’s a snapshot of where your talents and time are most needed!

FINANCE COMMITTEE – There are 4 members rotating off at the end of this year. The work of the Finance Committee is critical to the NTRA budget and annual assessment process. Do you like working with figures? Here’s an overview of their work from November 2019 Crier.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE – HELP!!! Our website and newsletter are dependent on volunteers. In January, there will be at least 4 openings on this Committee. Here’s info on the work of the Communications Committee. Without a volunteer website administrator, the Association will be forced to hire someone – more $$ for your dues.

LANDSCAPE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LAC) – This Committee oversees the condition of our property and makes recommendations for improving our Common Areas. In 2022 the LAC branched out with some gateway gardening projects. Compiling a five-year plan outlining the Association’s needs is one of their major projects.

POOL COMMITTEE – Like Communications, the Pool Committee has operated with multiple vacancies all year. Still, they accomplished great things like the launch of our new entry system. This is largely a seasonal commitment.

Here’s a past story on why other owners were motivated to step up and volunteer. Does that sound like it could be you?

There are eight NTRA Committees – (the others are Activities, Architectural Review, Asset Maintenance, and Emergency Preparedness - see related article in this Crier issue). Surely one of these teams would appreciate your involvement, even on an intermittent basis.

If you are curious but not sure, now is the time to visit a committee meeting and see whether you are a good fit for their work. All Committee meetings are published on the NTRA website calendar.

Interested or want more information? Send a quick email to ntrawebsitecommittee@gmail.com to be put in touch with the Committee chair.

In Case of Emergency...

By Kate Licastro

"It is the last thing on peoples' minds… until something happens," commented Tricia Byrne, the New Town Residential Association (NTRA) Emergency Preparedness Committee Chair, referring to an emergency or disaster. Byrne has always been interested in safety, leadership, and the welfare of those in her community. After retiring as an officer in the Marine Corps, she led and coordinated over 600 volunteers that staffed all the Smithsonian information desks in Washington D.C. Requiring strategic and careful communication and collaboration, her past experiences prepared her well for her current role in our residential association.

Byrne volunteered to helm the committee after the prior Chair, and also her husband, Jack Espinal, was elected to serve as the NTRA Vice President. She became interested in emergency response and preparedness after noticing an advertisement for the James City County (JCC) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) She participated in the six-class training program and immediately felt more confident in her ability to respond to an emergency-- how to turn off the gas, effectively apply a tourniquet, and activate a fire extinguisher, among other skills. Perhaps most importantly, CERT training meets you where you are at. There is no commitment to serve as a community responder, and Byrne described several participants that didn't have the physical ability to practice every skill, but gained knowledge through observation. All are welcome.

The NTRA Emergency Preparedness Committee does not replicate CERT functions, but instead is designed to facilitate preparedness and spread information throughout New Town. The committee develops and maintains the New Town disaster preparedness plan and is activated to provide communication during an emergency or disaster. For example, the committee may post notices virtually or physically to help residents know where to find assistance, shelter, water, or first aid care. The primary goal of the committee is to ensure our community is prepared for a significant event, including how to find help in case of emergency. Committee members are not first responders; they help facilitate connections between their neighbors and those who can assist.

We need you! If you want to contribute to the continued safety of your community and neighbors, the Emergency Preparedness Committee is for you. There is room for at least three new members, with a relatively small time commitment. The committee meets just three times per year and members may be called upon to distribute information in case of emergency. If you want to get involved, but don't have a lot of hours to dedicate, this opportunity might be a perfect fit!

Speaking of emergency preparedness, follow these tips to keep yourself and your household safe in an emergency:

Read the Emails from the New Town Residential Association! These emails will be one of the first ways the committee sends emergency information.

Have three days of supplies on hand: recommended supplies include a gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable food or canned goods, manual can opener, required medications, battery operated radio, flashlights, extra batteries, a first aid kit, pet foods/medicines, and copies of important papers in a Ziploc bag.

If you know a storm is coming…ensure your automobiles are full of gas to be prepared in the event of an evacuation.

Quick Getaways - Fall Festivals

By, Jim Ducibella

It’s Fall in Virginia, time for an amazing array of festivals. Crab, apple, and pumpkin are the biggies, of course. But here are some others likely not as well-known but are within easy driving distance.

Suffolk Peanut Fest: It’s the 44th annual event, a four-day affair that features a parade, amusement rides and concerts. Here’s something you don’t see every day: A peanut butter sculpting contest. Times are 4-10 p.m. on October 6, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 8, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 9. Festival grounds are at the Suffolk Executive Airport, 1410 Airport Road, Suffolk. Tickets start at $5. For more information, visit this website: suffolkpeanutfest.com or phone 757-539-6751.

Mac and Cheese Festival: No, seriously, there is such a thing. This version features more than 15 vendors serving more than 40 styles of every kid’s favorite meal (kids at heart, too). There’s a cheese fry bar, a giant beer garden, and an actual contest to see who does it better than the rest. Tickets start at $14.99. The event takes place from 2 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 8, on Norfolk’s Waterside Drive, 333 Waterside Drive in downtown. For more information, visit this website: tinyurl.com/macandcheesefest or phone 757-426-7433.

Oyster Fest: I’m not an oyster-eating guy, but I’m smart enough to realize I’m in the distinct minority. That makes the upcoming Oyster Crush Charity Fundraiser hosted by the Cape Henry Rotary Foundation a big deal. The menu includes oysters and barbecue, Orange Crush and beer. Dance the afternoon away to get rid of the extra calories. Tickets are $75; for people 21 and older. The event takes place Oct. 9 from 1 to 6 p.m. at Ballyhoos, 2865 Lynnhaven Drive, Virginia Beach. For more information, visit this website: oystercrush.com, or phone 757-412-4441.

Norfolk Fall Beer Fest: Noon to 5 p.m. on Oct. 8. at Cogans Pizza North, 4311 Colley Avenue. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit this website: cogansbeerfest.com or phone 757-627-6428.

Yorktown Market Days’ Fall Festival: The event takes place on Oct. 8, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Riverwalk Landing, 331 Water St., Yorktown. For more information, visit this website: tinyurl.com/yorktownfallfest, or phone 757-890-5900.

Oktoberfest Celebration: The event takes place on Oct. 8 from noon to 9 p.m. at The Bier Garden, 438 High St., Portsmouth. It is an attempt at an authentic German beer hall, at least as authentic as you’re going to get in this neck of the woods. OK, yes, Busch Gardens, but that’s not the point here. Tickets start at $5. For more information, visit this website: tinyurl.com/biergardenfest, or phone 757-393-6022.

The Passion of One Enriches the Many: Amanda Wilbourne, Nautical Dog, and Schwartzy’s Cat Cove in New Town

By, Patti Vaticano

We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. Immanuel Kant

Amanda Wilbourne received her first dog at the age of 18; and Roxy, a Welsh Corgi, soon became the love of her life. Roxy was the catalyst, and animals thereafter became a major focus in Amanda's life. In time, that focus became a drive, became a passion—a passion that has endured. At 20, she thought it would be fun to open a shop devoted to dog care and carried through with the idea by opening up a shop called Nautical Dog, riverside in Mattaponi. She eventually moved that shop to New Town, keeping the name, the focus, and the passion. That move was 14 years ago, and Nautical Dog, Main Street New Town, has, in every way, thrived--a testimony to Amanda's good will and dedication and to the community's love for its animals. New Town Main Street has seen many merchants and a number of big retail chains come and go over the years; but Nautical Dog, with unique pet items and healthy food choices, lovingly selected and well-priced, has remained. But more than remain, the store has gone through some amazing avatars that have endeared it even more to New Town, Williamsburg, and to the county-at-large.

Due to the great success of her venture, Amanda expanded her business in 2018, moving out of the store’s original space for larger quarters next door. Nautical Dog became Nautical Dog Pet Market and Dog Wash, adding an area equipped with indoor washing stations, where resident dog and cat lovers could come and wash their fur babies in a safe and loving environment. The washing stations were and are a big hit with locals; but in truth, the business success of Nautical Dog has become the lesser story, because Amanda’s vision was even greater. Her desire to "give back" to the community by helping those animals without loving owners--the disabled, the challenging, the overlooked—was very strong; and the Dog Wash became a means to satiate it. Now, every 3rd weekend of every month is "Clean for a Cause Weekend" at Nautical Dog, with $5 from every self-serve dog wash going to an animal charity. The store holds food drives throughout the year for different animal rescues as well, such as the pumpkin and gourd collection after Thanksgiving, last year, the drop-offs going to a local farm animal rescue—and now, on the 2nd Saturday of every month, Nautical Dog hosts on-site pet adoptions with The Heritage Humane Society.

But Amanda’s heart is large and her vision ever growing with regards to meeting the needs and securing the well-being of animals. A remarkable reality, given she is a very busy wife and mother of two young children--Aidan, 6 and Charlee, 3--as well as being an amazing entrepreneur. Oh, yes, and Amanda brings her work home with her. She is also mom to 11 animals, at present, 5 dogs and 6 cats, all of them rescues and one a hospice foster dog. She has a true heart for rescues, especially senior and hospice-care animals; so, it’s not surprising that her desire to help animals has not ended with the dog wash, site adoptions, or food drives. Welcome Schwartzy’s Cat Cove!

The most popular pet in America today is the dog, followed by the cat, followed by the domestic rabbit. Surprisingly, given the ease of its care and how unobtrusive a pet it can be in the life of its owner, the cat is the most abandoned animal in American shelters and rescues today. (The runner-up is the domestic rabbit.) When the space that housed the original Nautical Dog became available, Amanda envisioned that adjacent space becoming a haven to take in adoptable cats, to showcase them to patrons who, perhaps via a loving impulse, would take them home and love them forever. Named after Amanda’s first store cat, Schwartzy, Schwartzy’s Cat Cove, playing on the nautical theme, opened on July 16th of this year, marvelously recreating for patrons an undersea kingdom thanks to Amanda’s clever design and the construction talents of her husband, Kyle, owner of KMW Construction in Toano. To date, the Cove has found loving homes for 54 cats. In every way, the dream has been realized and New Town and Greater Williamsburg are all the better for it. The Cove kitties are provided by Heritage Humane and remain at the Cove until their new owners find them. “By taking in cats from Heritage Humane, Heritage is then able to take in animals from other shelters, elsewhere.” Quite simply, it's a lovely domino effect. Amanda’s great kindness just keeps on giving.

Cove kitties come and go every week, and there are usually anywhere between 8-15 cats at any given time at The Cove. They are silly and sweet, adorable—and waiting. Stop by to visit. It’s a magical place that has truly enriched New Town —and you never know, a new friend may be waiting there for you.

The Casey Family Farm-Turned New Town

By, New Town Commercial Association; Mason & Markwith Media

New Town is built on land which was mostly owned by the Casey family. The largest portion of it was covered in woods, but it was or had also been the home to a pecan grove, an apple orchard of more than 300 trees and farmland on which with such crops as corn, wheat, oats and soybeans were grown.

When Williamsburg and James City County had to find a location for a new courthouse, they settled on the Casey property provided that the courthouse would not be located in the woods or in the middle of a field, but in a new pedestrian friendly community with both residential and business spaces. What a perfect idea! From plenty of planning, including nationwide contests in search of a designer for New Town and an architect for the courthouse, New Town was born. Fun fact: even a firm from Rome entered!

Robert Casey, one of the three brothers who then owned the land, reflected on what the family hoped for New Town and what it is today. “When we were growing up in Williamsburg, most of the major businesses and professional offices for the area were concentrated on Duke of Gloucester or Prince George. But with the population growth, space in downtown became too limited. Businesses and professional offices scattered. We hoped that New Town would not only be large enough to conveniently provide most of the amenities for those who live there, but would be large enough to serve the greater community. I believe that we have come close to fulfilling that dream. Most of those who live in New Town are able walk in less than 20 minutes to shop, eat out, go to the theater, etc. And if they are unable to walk, they can easily find parking. And people from all over the area come to New Town to enjoy those same benefits and experiences.”

From growing up in Williamsburg, attending Matthew Whaley School, Asbury College, Emory University, being an active United Methodist minister for more than 43 years, married for 65 years with two children and six grandchildren, Casey now enjoys the retired life which includes frequent visits to the restaurants, bookstore, theater and other places in New Town. What a treat to celebrate what New Town has accomplished with the Casey family land!

News from the New Town Commercial Association

UPDATE: General Election Voting Information for New Town

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION

By, NTRA Board of Directors

Applications are now being accepted for the 2023-24 Board of Directors of the New Town Residential Association (NTRA). There are two vacant seats.

Strong leadership is critical to the success of our homeowner association. Please submit an application by sending a one-page Word or PDF document to ntrasecretary@gmail.com by November 4, 2022 (5:00PM).

Your one-page application should have the following information:

Name

Address

Email address

Name of neighborhood

A brief bio showing your qualifications for being a Board Director

A short statement of why you want to serve on the Board of Directors

Candidate information will be posted on the NTRA website through the election period.

Candidates will be asked to attend a candidate forum with the community.

The election will be held electronically beginning after Thanksgiving weekend, November 28 – December 13, 2022.

_____________________

NOTE:

All nominees must be NTRA owners in good standing.

Term of service is 2 years.

No more than 2 Directors may be elected from any single neighborhood. (Incumbent members of the Board for 2023 are from Abbey Commons, Chelsea Green and Village Walk.)

What is involved in serving on the NTRA Board?

Our Board of Directors is comprised of homeowners who have volunteered to stand for election to leadership in our community. Board officers and members serve the community by making and enforcing the association’s rules and policies, collecting dues and ensuring its facilities and common areas are well managed, maintained and attractive. The Board holds regular meetings (currently monthly).

UPCOMING New Town Fall Festival & Community Potluck Review

By, NTRA Activities Committee

SAVE THE DATE: Fall Festival - Saturday, Oct. 15, 2 - 4 pm (Village Walk)

The New Town Activities Committee is sponsoring an old-fashioned fun-filled fall event for New Town at the Village Walk neighborhood on the corner of Casey and Settlers Market Boulevard. Everyone, adults and children, are invited. Among the activities will be cake walks, pumpkin painting, and games including corn hole, shark toss game, races, pie face showdown, and more. Guests will also enjoy cider and other goodies. Come to participate or just share the good time and music.

Join us for this exciting, inaugural event as we celebrate the kick-off of the Fall season on Saturday, October 15 (rain date Sunday, October 16) from 2:00 to 4:00.

We are also seeking volunteers to help run the event. If interested in helping, please contact Liz Fones-Wolf at efwolf@wvu.edu.

Community-wide Potluck – Friday, Sept. 16 in Lydias Park (Abbey Commons)

The NTRA Activities Committee sponsored this picnic, during which we enjoyed beautiful weather, fun music, yummy hotdogs and a wide variety of delicious sides and desserts. Best of all was meeting new neighbors, and catching up with friends that we haven’t seen in a while. Two $25 gift certificates, donated by New Town’s Commercial Association, were awarded to the lucky winners of the drawing.

Front Porch Chat

By Patti Vaticano

I thought I would devote the Front Porch Chat introduction, this month, to something crucial to all of us here in New Town: Owner voting to approve our New Town Residential Association revised Governing Documents. I am hoping highlighting the campaign may motivate those who are yet uninterested—and caution those who may think otherwise—that this is a hugely important step in New Town homeowners taking full-ownership of their community and homes.

We have this one moment in time to (1) rectify the outdated and misleading language of our developer, (2) level the playing field to make home assessment fair and equitable, (3) consolidate the documents for easier access and administration, (4) clarify the applicability of our documents to all lots by correcting errors and omissions affecting our neighbors and the services they are entitled to, and (5) limit the Commonwealth of Virginia from directing how we operate our community in the absence of our own requirements. On or preferably before October 18th, please take advantage of this opportunity to VOTE FOR the revision of our Governing Documents. Carpe Diem. Seize the day! It will not come again in quite so advantageous or palatable a way.

Some spooky entries with the last day of the month in mind

Curious Happening: In Edgar Allen Poe's 1838 novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, a four-man crew is shipwrecked and lost at sea without food or water. Ultimately, the team decides that they must turn to cannibalism to survive, and they draw straws to decide who will be sacrificed so that the rest may live. The character chosen (and subsequently eaten) was the cabin boy, Richard Parker.

In 1884, a real ship was shipwrecked, the Mignonette, an English ship bound for Australia, and one of the mates—the cabin boy, also named Richard Parker—became ill after drinking sea water. The rest of the crew decided out of desperation to kill and eat Parker, before he became too tainted by disease. The remaining men were saved, but charged with murder upon their return to shore.

Poems: A Vagabond Song by Bliss Carman

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

Historical Fact: Some scholars believe the werewolf made its debut in The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest known Western prose, when Gilgamesh jilted a potential lover because she had turned her previous mate into a wolf.

Halloween Riddle: The person who built it sold it. The person who bought it never used it. The person who used it never saw it. What is it? (Answer below; don’t peek.)

Spooky Quote: Shadows mutter, mist replies; darkness purrs as midnight sighs. -Rusty Fischer

Holiday Hack: Tired of carving the classic jack-o’-lantern? This year, carve a pumpkin with Halloween-themed cookie cutters, instead. Empty the pumpkin in the traditional way, then use cookie cutters—cats, ghosts, witch’s hats—to carve out the spooky silhouettes you enjoy best. Tap them in and pull out their centers. Viola! A carved pumpkin ready for your front porch!

PC Hacks: Use Halloween Ambiance tapes on YouTube to make your house even more spooky, this year. Find one and run it on your TV or laptop for hours of spooky images in your home. Try this one out!

Recipes:

Bat Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cupcakes

Vanilla Buttercream

Gel food coloring, to color frosting

Chocolate peanut butter cup minis (such as Reese’s)

Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Thins (such as Oreos)

Royal Icing

Candy eyeballs

Toothpicks

Directions:

Bake cupcakes as directed and let cool. Prepare buttercream and tint to desired colors.

Gently skewer chocolate peanut butter cups with toothpicks, one on either side of the cup and one to affix it to the cupcake. Twist chocolate sandwich cookie thins in half; scrape off and discard the cream. Cut each cookie in half, then use royal icing to attach the cookie “wings” to the toothpicks and the candy eyeballs to the chocolate peanut butter cup “bat bodies.”

Recipe and photo: 60 Scary Delicious Halloween Desserts to Serve at Your Extra Spooky Party--Good Housekeeping, Halloween, 2022

Pet Care: Pre-Halloween and during trick-or-treating, keep candy safely stashed in a high cabinet secured with a lock or child-safety latch. Many foods, such as chocolate, gum and xylitol (a sweetener used in many foods) are hazardous to pets. Monitor your children! They may make the harmful mistake of sharing their loot. Make sure they know the difference between a treat for them and a treat for their four-legged friends.

Riddle Answer: A coffin.

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