Town Crier Articles

On the last Sunday of February, New Towners cheered on the William & Mary Women’s basketball team in a game against the College of Charleston’s Cougars at the Kaplan Arena. Our neighbors joined a large crowd supporting the Play4Kay fundraiser which honors female cancer survivors, and the William and Mary players demonstrated their support by trading the Tribe’s traditional dark green for pink uniforms.

 

Before the game, participants gathered at the Wrightman Room in the arena for a pizza party.  The event attracted New Town basketball fans as well as those interested in socializing with friends and meeting new neighbors.  As they munched on pizza, veggies and cookies, William & Mary assistant coach Kenia Cole spoke briefly, promising a fast-paced game with lots of three point shots.  Attendees, including a delighted youth basketball player, won a basketball with the team’s signatures and Virginia Barch won a gift certificate provided by the New Town Commercial Association. 

 

As promised, it was an exciting contest.  Led by Bella Nascimento, who currently leads the league in scoring, the Tribe jumped out to an early ten-point lead, but Charleston fought back and it looked like they were going to take control of the game. However, William & Mary did not go quietly and had a chance at the end to tie the game with a three pointer that unfortunately rimmed out. While disappointed by the loss, resident Bob Finn declared “It was a heck of a close game” and a fun time.

 

The Activities Committee’s next event, is an Easter Egg Hunt on April 19 at Lydias Park in Abbey Commons.   Feel free to bring your kids and grandkids or just stroll over to watch the fun!

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

  

   

 

 

 

• Buy Nothing New Town Williamsburg is a great spot for giving and asking for items, skills, and more at no cost. Have a plant you no longer want to care for? Post it! Need someone to help you move some furniture? Just ask!

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

New Town now has a local Buy Nothing group! If you are not familiar with this organization, Buy Nothing is a global initiative that operates on a hyperlocal level. This means you get to know your neighbors while keeping items out of the landfill, decluttering your home, and requesting items or neighborly help you would like. The best part is that all of this is free. No trades, barters, or cash is ever involved.

 

Gina Forster and Tammie Ortlieb are your local admins of the group. You can message either one of us with questions. Tammie has been involved with Buy Nothing groups for over a decade and has enjoyed the strong sense of community that is built within the groups.  I have personally enjoyed my Northern Virginia neighborhood Buy Nothing group and am excited to create that same sense of neighborliness here in New Town.  I have given and received plant cuttings, spices, art supplies, children’s items, and much more. People have even offered skills/actions such as a knitting lesson or a ride to a doctor’s appointment. Each interaction feels like a connection, not just a transaction.

 

Spread the word to all your New Town Neighbors!

 

To join, simply head to Buy Nothing New Town Williamsburg on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/share/A4pgKhZ4cCACj2XV/?mibextid=K35XfP 

(Remember to answer the membership questions and agree to the rules to be accepted into the group.)

 

Hope to see you there!

 

#gratitude