- Commencement: Meeting called to order at 7:37 p.m. with 25 homes directly represented and 23 represented by proxy, achieving quorum. The meeting was conducted in person at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church along with an online option for participation due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
- Welcome, orientation and introductions (Eric Kerby): Current board members introduced.
- Board member nominations and election (Eric Kerby): 3 expiring terms (Carlos Chadha, Anna Urman, vacancy)
- Anna Urman self-nominated to run again; Carlos Chadha chose not to re-run
- Andrew Hernandez, Dan King, and Hunter Lang self-nominated to the board in advance of the meeting; no nominations from the floor
- Discussion regarding two board members from the same household
- One homeowner indicated this practice was not permitted by prior Vantage HOA boards
- No prohibitions stated in the by-laws or covenants; board members represent the community rather than their own household and board members must recuse themselves from any matters pertaining to their own property; current board accepts the nominee
- Anna Urman, Dan King, and Hunter Lang elected via majority vote
- Fairfax County Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk
- Kingstowne Government Center which will house library, police, and conference rooms is projected for development by 2024; currently reviewing design and will provide opportunity for community input
- New INOVA Hospital: 144-bed facility to complement existing health plex; will include parking garage and structure
- Former Top Golf site: Holding design meetings to collect ideas; will present options for community input
- Storm drainage issue in Vantage HOA community: County POC is Curtis Parks; work order created and scheduled but unable to reach homeowner to confirm access to property; Supervisor Lusk will follow-up with Curtis and/or board to resolve
- Waste removal challenges: shortage of drivers with CDL licenses in the county; 25% of positions vacant in the county sanitation department; looking into training/attracting drivers to the county
- Police vacancies: challenges with filling these positions as well
- Telegraph Road re-striping: Supervisor Lusk will follow-up with VDOT about the timing
- Street light outages: contact Supervisor Lusk’s office; will be able to assist if on county property or will assist with follow-up if on state property
- School redistricting: Not handled by Supervisor Lusk’s office; contact school board representative Tammy Kaufax to provide input
- Overgrowth affecting fences along South King’s Highway: County POC is Aaron Campbell
- New Crossing Guard at Groveton Elementary: evaluation determined the number of children walking in the area required a crossing guard; police department has committed to assigning one and looking to fill the permanent position; Supervisor Lusk’s office requested a temporary placement in interim
- Renaming Lee District:
- Robert E. Lee High School renamed to John R. Lewis High School approximately 1.5years ago
- Researched district name to determine if it should also be changed; unable to show definitively that district was named after Robert E. Lee, but there were several Lee family members who lived throughout the district
- May have to rename anyway if board of supervisors makes boundary adjustments
- Held 3 public meetings with community; current alternate name suggestions: Franconia, Huntley, or Laurel Grove
- Final decision will not be made without further input: Supervisor Lusk requesting residents contact his office with opinions
- Year in Review
- Completed (Eric)
- Neighborhood Watch re-established: requesting volunteers
- Private Streets committee re-established
- New signage throughout neighborhood: Neighborhood Watch, private community, and pet cleanup signs
- Digital ticketing system deployed
- Volunteer for The Villager; transitioned to electronic delivery
- Set schedule for monthly board meeting: 2nd Monday each month at 7 p.m.; open to all homeowners; contact board or secretary for invitation
- Pending (Dave)
- Repaving asphalt path in park
- Repairing concrete on path to park: requesting volunteers to obtain quotes
- Clearing two culverts
- Cleaning park equipment: requesting volunteers for water supply to support power washing
- Cleaning and installing tread for slippery bridge
- Completed (Eric)
- Treasurer’s Report (Anna)
- 2021 financial summary and statements presented
- Goal for total assets:
- Must identify needs through a formal reserve study as required by a 2002 law: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter18/section55.1-1826/
- Must remain solvent, have sufficient assets to address any needs identified by the reserve study, and stay current with inflation
- Goal for total assets:
- 2022 budget overview
- Base dues rate will be raised by $5 and adjusted for inflation every 5 years thereafter, consistent with the Consumer Price Index, rounded to the nearest whole dollar
- Expecting increase to private streets dues also; current rate ($24/year) was set in 1971 and is insufficient to maintain private streets; considering reserve study to inform new rates; Private Streets committee would like community assistance on determining an appropriate rate
- Anticipated major expenses: repaving park path, reserve study, and QuickBooks online/self-service portal
- 2021 financial summary and statements presented
- Architectural Control (AC) Guidelines Revisions (Brian)
- Summary of AC committee activities for the year, including tickets for AC change requests and disclosure packages completed
- AC Guidelines revisions and community input plan:
- Draft AC revisions to Committee by 31Oct2021
- Committee inputs to Board by 15Nov2021
- Board reviews draft: if approved at December meeting, will submit for community input by 15Dec2021
- Will post to Facebook Group and send to email distribution list; will include in The Villager, time permitting; hoping to avoid mailing hard copies due to impact on timing; community input period closes by 19Jan2022
- Board votes to approve at Feb2022 monthly meeting
- Community discussion
- Suggestion to mail postcard to all homeowners with link to site to review proposed revisions and provide comments electronically; ensures board reaches those who may not be in the Facebook group or email distribution list
- Request 1994 guidelines be added back to website; board concurs both the 1994 and 1995 documents must be considered in the revisions; board will post 1994 guidelines to site for community’s consideration in reviewing AC revisions; board will standardize future enacted documents with signatures of the board
- Concern regarding timeline for review beginning in late December due to holidays; board acknowledges dates are estimates and board will attempt to give extra time where possible
- Concern regarding legal review of document revisions to ensure document is legal; board stated these types of document reviews are cost prohibitive based on estimates received to date
- Community Comments and Other Business
- Request board remind or reprimand Vantage residents for violation of leaving trashcans on the street all week. Board does not actively seek out violations per the Approach to Enforcement document posted on our site and recommends submitting complaint to HOA board via https://vantagehoa.org/contact/ for any recurring issues that have not been resolved through direct communication with the homeowner.
- Poison ivy removal from common areas: recurring nuisance, best way to treat is with pesticide which could potentially have a negative impact to Huntley Meadows
- Speeding on Vantage is a risk to small children living on the street; study previously conducted and determined Vantage did not meet minimum threshold for speed bumps; board will refer issue to Neighborhood Watch Chair to follow-up with county police; board also recommends residents contact Supervisor Lusk’s office for possible reconsideration of minimum thresholds
- Contact for issues with sidewalks on common streets (overgrowth, repair, etc.): recommend completing form on VDOT’s site at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/ since VDOT maintains the sidewalk right-of-way along Vantage’s public roads
- Liens for unpaid dues: no late notices have been assessed for late HOA dues this year, but a second reminder will be distributed soon; previously issued liens remain active
- Private Street distribution process: Up to the private street homeowners to identify and select contractors; once identified, homeowners on the private street submit a form to the Treasurer for payment; a check is issued assuming funds are available; if insufficient funding available, private street members must provide additional funds to cover costs
- Dead trees/untrimmed trees; if the tree is on private property, board asks residents to initiate conversation with the homeowner first and if still unresolved to file a complaint with the board; if tree is on HOA property, please contact the board with concerns; board consults with an arborist and attempts to not remove trees unnecessarily in accordance with the Fairfax County Urban Forest Management canopy requirements which requires remediation if too many trees are removed – see https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/trees/about
- Confirmed that if the board accepts a complaint from the community, the board becomes the official complainant
- Concerns that homes with painted brick have been left unaddressed for over 2 months and may appear as tacit approval by the AC committee; AC committee chair confirmed there is no tacit approval, all homeowners with painted brick have been notified, and discussions are still on-going
- The HOA turns 50 on Wednesday, October 20th
- Minutes will be posted once reviewed and approved by the board, including any materials provided from the Supervisor Lusk’s office
- Adjournment: 9:52 p.m.