Board Buzz
BOARD BUZZ – JULY 2022, by Mary Cheston, President
Posted on Jul 1st, 2022
Welcome to the heat of summer! A song from the musical Oklahoma says “June is bustin out all over” and June definitely “busted out” the Board’s work plan as we tackled a variety of new challenges and actions.
Two long-awaited projects have been completed. The Lydias Park Zoysia grass has been installed and the gutters in Village Walk have been cleaned. A Request for Proposal (RFP) has been issued for a new 3-year landscape contract, and RFPs will be released shortly for the first phase of siding repairs and power washing/painting in Village Walk.
The Board completed its review of the November 2021 Member comments on the proposed draft revisions to our NTRA Governing Documents. In late July we expect to receive a revised set of documents from our legal counsel incorporating our agreed changes, and will be moving forward towards a Member vote likely starting sometime in August.
Upcoming this month, the final round of home exterior inspections will take place in mid-July in Village Walk. You will also see orange warning cones being installed where sidewalk trip hazards exist, until we have some repair action from VDOT. A VDOT concrete contractor assessed the condition of the sidewalks about 2 weeks ago and we are awaiting VDOT’s decision. Marking the most severe areas is the best we can offer at this time. Please continue to be mindful when walking.
We are bringing back “tags” for trash can violations as part of our enforcement process. (This approach was last used in 2019.) If you see a yellow tag on your trash can, please take action to appropriately store your can inside your garage or trash enclosure to avoid a fine. Better yet, get in the habit of storing your trash can properly now and avoid seeing it tagged!
This month the Board responded to a request from Eagle of VA on behalf of ME Settlers LLC to start the conveyance process for the Common Areas in Village Walk to transfer to the NTRA. The Board has advised ME Settlers that there are numerous corrective actions that remain to be made in Village Walk, and we cannot accept the property in its current condition. A photo inventory of the deficiencies has been sent to Eagle as well. Much of the information we have compiled is due to the hard work of Village Walk volunteers who served on a Village Walk Asset Acceptance work group in 2020. Many thanks to them for laying the groundwork for the Association’s position.
The James City County acceptance inspection process for Roper Park (Charlotte Park Phase 11) will likely start in the a few months. To help us assess areas needing improvement, the Board will task a working group of Roper Park residents to collect information on site plan discrepancies and needed improvements. (See related July Town Crier article) Everett Lunsford will be our Board liaison for this group. Any Roper Park Owner interested in volunteering should contact Everett at eplunsfo@gmail.com. We also plan to hire Giles & Flythe for an independent engineering inspection of the Roper Park area, similar to what was done for Charlotte Park Phase 10.
The Board has initiated a series of informal neighborhood listening sessions to provide Owners an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas. Our newest communities of Roper Park and Shirley Park were our first audience and the evening was an opportunity for the Board to get input from some happy owners – always a nice thing. Look for an email invitation when it is your neighborhood’s turn to chat!
If you can’t make your scheduled listening session, come to a monthly Board meeting. Members are always welcome to attend – see the NTRA website calendar for dates, generally the third Thursday of the month.
So lots and lots of things are going on…What we did not accomplish in June is that we did not welcome a new Board member. There were no applications to fill the advertised vacancy on the Board for someone to serve until December 2023. I cannot stress strongly enough that the next 18 months are critical for setting the future path of the Association. Two more Board seats will open for election in December. Joining the Board now will help put you ahead on the learning curve.
Please seriously consider helping us to tackle these challenges together by sending an application to the Board Secretary, Monique Stevens at ntra.secretary@gmail.com.
Comment By: Susan Byrne
Posted on Jul 1, 2022
Before any more association funds are expended on the documents we needs to hold an in person listening session. It is unfortunate that there has been no opportunity to have legitimate discussion. Additionally the board should engage a new attorney to prepare the next draft who has not had undue influence on the initial draft. Emailed comments are no replacement for open discussion.
REPLY - The Board's work sessions are open to the public. Listening sessions are ongoing with each neighborhood. Our legal counsel has provided excellent advice to the Board and is an expert in HOA law. All emailed comments have been reviewed and dispositioned. We are listening.
REPLY - The Board's work sessions are open to the public. Listening sessions are ongoing with each neighborhood. Our legal counsel has provided excellent advice to the Board and is an expert in HOA law. All emailed comments have been reviewed and dispositioned. We are listening.
Last Edited: 07/01/2022 at 01:20 PM
Comment By: Terry Hancock
Posted on Jul 7, 2022
Would you please define the "lightly attend" comment. How many homes were invited versus how many actually attended? This is important to know to determine if the word just did not get out, there is homeowner apathy, or maybe even that this sessions should be repeated, if the number was small.. Thanks, Terry
REPLY: All owners from both neighborhoods were invited by email. We know that summer is a busy period for many people, and that Roper Park has a significant number of rental homes. Several owners sent regrets that they were on vacation. Last night attendance increased so things are looking up. All who have attended so far have found the time useful. We encourage all Owners to consider coming for a chat when your neighborhood is scheduled.
REPLY: All owners from both neighborhoods were invited by email. We know that summer is a busy period for many people, and that Roper Park has a significant number of rental homes. Several owners sent regrets that they were on vacation. Last night attendance increased so things are looking up. All who have attended so far have found the time useful. We encourage all Owners to consider coming for a chat when your neighborhood is scheduled.
Last Edited: 07/07/2022 at 01:23 PM
Comment By: Terry Hancock
Posted on Jul 7, 2022
How many attended the first one and how many the second? Assume comments were captured and will be shared with all residents? Thanks, Terry
REPLY - A total of 12 owners have visited with us so far. These are informal sessions - conversations between homeowners. No comments or minutes created.
REPLY - A total of 12 owners have visited with us so far. These are informal sessions - conversations between homeowners. No comments or minutes created.
Last Edited: 07/09/2022 at 12:05 PM
Comment By: NEAL WITHERSPOON
Posted on Jul 9, 2022
There have been two lemonade and listening sessions for communities in New Town, the calendar states that residents of those communities will receive an email invitation, I live in Charlotte Park and I haven't received an email invitation. There are no more sessions scheduled listed on the calendar, does this mean the sessions were uneventful?
REPLY: Dates are added each week when Board availability is confirmed. Invitations are also sent at that time. All of the sessions have been helpful and well received. FYI -- Charlotte Park is likely to be in August due to Board Member vacations that are going to interrupt these sessions.
REPLY: Dates are added each week when Board availability is confirmed. Invitations are also sent at that time. All of the sessions have been helpful and well received. FYI -- Charlotte Park is likely to be in August due to Board Member vacations that are going to interrupt these sessions.
Last Edited: 07/09/2022 at 12:03 PM