Town Crier Articles

 

The New Town Community Pool is set to open May 27th for the 2023 season. Your Pool Committee is excited to bring you a number of terrific improvements this year, in addition to continuing the very successful key card system, put into place last year. 

 

Through year-round efforts, the pool committee is happy to share that 10 brand new loungers have been added this year and the NTRA Board negotiated for additional lifeguards on weekends and holidays. In response to pool patrons’ feedback, the Committee has secured the NTRA's approval for a beverage vending machine at the pool this year and is working hard to get that in place prior to the pool opening this season. 

 

2023 Pool Rules and information has been sent via eblast to NTRA homeowners and is posted on the NTRA website’s Pool & Clubs page. May 11th is the target date for submission of the appropriate documents to Chesapeake Bay Management, whether you need to get your pool passes reactivated, or you’re a new pool pass user in 2023. You will find all of the instructions and documents here.  

 

An opportunity for new Residential Association owners to pick up passes (after appropriate document submission) at the pool is scheduled for Thursday, May 18th from 4:00-7:00pm. (Condo owners and renters in the New Town Commercial Association need to contact their own management companies to obtain or reactivate passes.)

 

Some new signage at the pool this year will help to keep the pool area secure and safe, while also informing residents of hours and events. Stay tuned for several events planned by the NTRA Activities Committee at the pool. A lot of effort, dedication and time goes into the three months of safe and fun pool days for the residents of New Town. Many thanks go to the friends and neighbors who serve on the committees and Boards to make this all possible! We look forward to seeing you at the pool throughout the season! 

 

 

Join your friends and neighbors at the Chelsea Green Park (intersection Lydias Drive and Discovery Park Boulevard) for a potluck celebrating Cinco de Mayo, a key event in Mexico’s drive for independence. 

 

The NTRA Activities Committee will set up games, break a piñata and raffle off a gift card, complements of the New Town Commercial Association.  Everyone in New Town is invited.

 

We will provide tacos and fixings and water and juice. 

 

 

 

Rain Date:  Saturday, May 6, 5:30  

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

Submitted by Janice Simmons and Sherrie Carroll
Foundation Square Landscaping Committee

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

     

By Pat Bright and Liz Fones-Wolf, Activities Committee

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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