Board Buzz
BOARD BUZZ - September 2025 by Jack Espinal, President
Posted on Sep 1st, 2025
MULTIPLE NTRA BOARD POSITIONS OPEN IN DECEMBER AND PROPOSED LANDSCAPING AUTHORITY CHANGES
Upcoming Board Elections
This fall, four positions on the New Town Residential Association (NTRA) Board of Directors will be up for election. This unusual situation is caused by the past resignation of elected Board members.
According to Virginia law, Board-appointed members can serve only until the next scheduled Association election. Thus, the seat currently held by John Stratton is in this category and expires in December. The elected replacement for this position will serve a one-year term, January 2026 through December 2026, ensuring that no more than three board member terms expire in the same year.
Expiring Full 2 Year Board Terms
Three 2-year Board of Directors positions will be vacant and up for election at the annual meeting in December. Current holders are from the Abbey Commons, Village Walk, and Savannah Square neighborhoods, namely President, Jack Espinal, Vice President / Treasurer, Everett Lunsford and Board Member, Ross Iaci.
The elected replacements for these three positions will serve from December 2025 through December 2027. The only Board position that is not expiring in December this year is held by Board Member, Sommer Wrona from Charlotte Park.
Role of the Board of Directors
The NTRA Board of Directors is essential to preserving the integrity, functionality, and vibrancy of the New Town community. Board responsibilities include governance, financial oversight, community engagement, the election of Association Officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer), approval of contracts and budgets, policy development, enforcement of governing documents, working with the New Town Commercial Association, and oversight of capital improvements. Board members also ensure compliance with governing documents / community rules and manage reserve funds for long-term capital repairs. Participation includes attending monthly board meetings and working sessions, with much of the work conducted collaboratively online and via email.
Call for Candidates and Volunteers
The NTRA depends on committed, thoughtful volunteers for effective leadership. If you are interested in running for one of the four open Board positions, please send a brief resume to the Association Secretary (ntra.secretary@gmail.com), including your contact information, relevant experience and a statement on why you wish to serve on the Board, for example, how you wish to improve the New Town community. This information will be used to help introduce you to our voting members. All candidates must be owners in good standing and applicants from all neighborhoods are welcome.
In addition, the following NTRA committees are seeking volunteers:
- Finance Committee
- Communications Committee
- Emergency Management Committee
- Landscape Advisory Committee
- Asset Maintenance Committee
- Architectural Review Committee
- Pool Committee
The work of our committees is crucial to the Board of Directors, as their analysis and recommendations facilitate informed and effective decision-making. These committees also broaden community engagement and help ensure that residents’ perspectives are thoughtfully considered in all decisions undertaken by the NTRA Board of Directors. Individuals interested in participating on a committee are invited to email the NTRA Secretary at ntra.secretary@gmail.com, specifying the committee of interest.
Proposed Governing Document Changes to Address Landscaping Services
The NTRA Board has been actively working to improve landscaping services for New Town homeowners. This year, the use of three landscaping companies has led to better service, but there is still room for growth to meet homeowners’ expectations. The Board is committed to enhancing the landscaping experience and offering more flexibility so residents can choose the level of service that best suits their needs. Additionally, there is a need to address how landscaping costs are distributed. Currently, except for 69 homes in Charlotte Park, owners who opt out of the Association’s landscaping services must still pay for them, which is not fair but is required by the existing governing documents.
To address this issue, the Board is proposing amendments to the Association’s documents regarding landscaping services. In late September or early October, residents will be asked to vote on two key amendments. These changes will empower the Board to offer landscaping options tailored to each homeowner’s needs and ensure fairness. The first amendment will authorize NTRA to remove dead leaves from across the entire community in the fall, whereas the current documents provide for removal from common areas only. The second amendment will give the Board the flexibility to provide landscaping services suitable for single-family homes, townhomes, and cottages, recognizing that different home types have different needs, rather than applying the same services and standards to all homes. It will also enable the NTRA to reduce fees for all those who choose to do their own landscaping. Passing these amendments requires approval from two-thirds of Association members in good standing.
New Landscaping Standards
In anticipation of these changes, the NTRA Board of Directors has developed a set of landscaping standards for the community, which were formally adopted at the August 2025 Board meeting. They are now available on the NTRA website. Please take a few minutes to review these new standards.
These standards serve three main purposes:
- They give landscaping contractors clear guidance on the community’s expectations for services and associated quality.
- They offer homeowners who opt out of NTRA landscaping services the necessary guidance to maintain their own yards.
- They provide the Association Manager with clear criteria for conducting landscaping inspections throughout New Town.
Homeowners selecting comprehensive NTRA provided landscaping services will always be considered to be in compliance with these standards. If the Association Manager finds that a standard is not being met for a home receiving NTRA services, the issue will be addressed directly with the landscaping contractor without having to involve the homeowner.
The NTRA Board of Directors strongly encourages all members to vote in favor of the two proposed landscaping amendments in the upcoming election. Their approval will allow tailored landscaping for the various types of homes in New Town and ensure that charges for services provided by our contractors are fair and equitable.
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