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Meadows Messenger
DECEMBER 2001-FEBRUARY 2002 VOLUME XV, NO. 1
Published by the Fairlington Meadows Council of Co-Owners in Historic Fairlington
Note from the President
Dear Neighbors:
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Everyone! Yes, Happy 2002! We have a New Year and a new Meadows Board of Directors. The current board as elected at the annual meeting is:
John Stack – President
Ron Quinn – 1st Vice President
Tim Tereska – 2nd Vice President
Dave Laufer – Treasurer
Victoria Hughes – SecretaryFor those of you who don’t know me, I joined the board last year and was elected President at the board meeting at the end of the October Annual Meeting. I replaced Ron Quinn who was the president for a very successful four years. I am a resident of Court 13 where my wife and I have lived for 27 years.
First things first: we all owe a debt of gratitude to outgoing board member Clay Lovett. Clay has made an outstanding contribution to the Meadows through his 13 years of board membership including 8 years as treasurer. It is comforting to know that he will be within shouting distance. At this time, the board would also like to ask all the residents for their support as the new team transitions in.
We had a very successful annual meeting in October highlighted by our achieving a quorum in near record time. This breakthrough was directly attributable to Diane Thurber and David Andrews of the Court Chairpersons Committee for providing proxy reminders and copies of the proxy form. I think they’ve hit on a winning combination.
For next year, the board’s initial task will be to determine the schedule for the final round of parking lot reconstruction. Affected courts will be notified in advance for a pre-construction meeting just as conducted for other reconstructed courts in the past years.
As in the past, the Messenger Editor has reserved this page for Board news direct from the president. I look forward to sharing community issues with you through the newsletter. As always, all residents are invited to attend the monthly board meetings (usually the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.). Jim Cowell, our very capable Property Manager, is always ready to support us. Jim can be reached at 703-631-7200.
John Stack
MEADOWS DIRECTORY
Messenger Volunteer “Staff”:
Carrie Quinn, Editor
Rose Stack, Distribution Manager
Pamela Hudson, WebmasterArticle Contributors:
Chuck Edwards
Janet Filer
Ed Hilz
Rose StackSend Letters, Articles, or Recipes for Consideration to the Editor:
3395 S. Stafford St. B-1
Items submitted are printed at the Editor’s discretion.
Letters must be signed.Board of Directors:
President: John Stack
1st Vice President: Ronald Quinn
2nd Vice President: Tim Tereska
Treasurer: Dave Laufer
Secretary: Victoria HughesSend Board of Directors Mail to:
Fairlington Meadows Board of Directors
c/o Community Management Corp.
(see below)Request for Board Meeting Minutes:
Contact Jim Cowell (see below) or see Community Bulletin Board at Pool House
Property Manager:
Jim Cowell, Division Director
Community Management Corp.
12701 Fair Lakes Circle, #400
P.O. Box 10821
Chantilly, VA 20153
631-7200 Phone or 631-9786 Fax
or email Jim at JCowell@cmc-management.comTowing Requests:
Call A-1 Towing of Northern Virginia
979-2110
SPECIAL NOTICE
The monthly Meadows Board meetings, which begin at 7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month, are open to all Meadows residents (owners and renters). To request sign language interpreting services in order to attend the meetings, contact Jim Cowell (a minimum of seven week days in advance of the next meeting) at 703-631-7200 on weekdays (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays). Interpretation will be provided if the Board receives timely notice (in order to line up interpreter services) and the requesting resident attends the meeting.
For those that cannot or do not wish to attend, approved Board minutes are posted at the Pool Bulletin Board, and most of the agenda items are discussed in Messenger articles. Note: July’s minutes are approved at the August Board Meeting and posted, after any corrections, in late August or early September.
A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR THE 2002 BOARD?
At the Annual Meeting of the Fairlington Meadows Council of Co-Owners on October 16, 2001, a board seat was up for election due to the “retirement” of long-time member, Clay Lovett. Clay had served on the Board in various capacities for 11 years. Former President Ron Quinn thanked Clay for his long, diligent service and opened the floor for nominations. Although three residents had expressed interest in the board seat prior to the meeting, only one, Victoria Hughes, attended and volunteered for the three-year term.
In an area where everyone seems to be from somewhere else, Victoria is a native daughter having been born and raised in neighboring Alexandria. She attended Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia graduating with a B.A. in Marketing Communications. She is currently employed by Management Systems Designers, Inc. in Vienna supporting the National Institutes of Health as a Program Manager.
After renting several units in and around Fairlington, she recently purchased a unit in Court 3. Victoria says it’s a choice she’s glad that she made. At the meeting, Former President Quinn stated that it would be good to once again have a female perspective on the Board as it has been six years since the last female resident (Diane Thurber) served.
Per the usual custom, after the meeting adjourned, the new Board met to elect its’ officers internally. For the 2002 term, John Stack will serve as President. John was elected to the Board in October of 2000 and has served as co-chair of the Recreation Committee for years. John will now conduct the monthly board meetings, sign off on contracts and unit re-sale packages, appoint committee chairs, assign tasks to CMC or Meadows Committees based on Board input, etc.
After serving four years as President, Ron Quinn will now be First Vice President for the remaining year of his term and conduct any board meetings when John is unable to attend. Ron said he was glad to volunteer as Prez. but felt it was time for a new perspective. Tim Tereska will be Second Vice President and provide back-up for John and Ron. Victoria will fill the Secretary’s position.
Dave Laufer will serve as Treasurer and recommend/take action on various financial accounts and investments, prepare the annual budget in tandem with CMC, and advise the Board and community on various expenditures. Former Treasurer Clay Lovett has kindly offered to aid in Dave’s transition to this position by being available to answer questions or explain past actions and philosophy. In fact, Clay attended the November Board meeting in order to facilitate the transition and tidy up outstanding items such as closing and relocating bank accounts, etc.
IF YOU MISSED THE ANNUAL MEETING. . . .
The meeting began once all of the proxies had been tabulated and after attendees had sampled some of the snacks and drinks provided by Jim Cowell, our CMC Property Manager. For those who don’t know, in order to have the Annual Meeting and vote on the budget, elect members, etc. a quorum of just over 50% must be met prior to meeting commencement. As of the Friday before, only 30% of the proxies had been received despite announcements by direct mail to each owner, articles in the “Messenger”, and a literature drop at each door. The Court Chairpersons Committee was asked to help in obtaining proxies and as usual, came through in the clutch. The final tally was 57.42% due to their efforts over the previous weekend!
With President Ron Quinn presiding, the minutes from the 2000 Annual Meeting were read and corrected before discussion and the unanimous approval of the 2002 budget.
Whoever submits a proxy then has a vote which is weighed according to the unit’s size and the Vote Code provided in the mailed packet of information. For example, if you own an End Clarendon, your vote counts as an “8” whereas someone with a End Braddock only counts as “2”.
Committee chairs John Thurber (Pool), Chuck Edwards (Buildings and Grounds), Diane Thurber (Court Chairs) and Ed Girovasi (Recreation) reported on 2001 activities as well as plans for the new year.
The reports were followed by a question and answer period from various residents regarding upcoming parking lot reconstruction, landscaping plans, painting, etc.
The Annual Meeting was then adjourned until October of 2002, and residents continued to sample the food and mingle with neighbors while the new Board held their brief organizational meeting.
B & G PLANS FALL AND SPRING PROJECTS
By Chuck Edwards and David Manning, Committee Co-Chairs
Fall Planting: The fall planting for 2001 was completed in November. The Building and Grounds Committee reviewed requests from residents and agreed to honor them. However, two projects will not be completed until spring as a result of the extremely dry weather this fall. Residents in those areas have been notified of the delay. We requested that residents water the new plantings until temperatures fell below freezing. This helped the new plants establish themselves and kept the warranty on them active.
In addition to this general planting, the committee voted to put in multi-colored pansies at the circle in front of the community center, at the entrance at 33rd Street, and in the flowerbed at the corner of 34th and Utah Streets. Pansies are cold-weather plants that will help keep our community looking beautiful throughout the winter months.
NOTE: If any resident would like us to consider trimming existing shrubbery or planting new shrubbery or trees in the spring, please contact the committee by writing Chuck Edwards at 3460 A-1 South Stafford.
Arborist’s Report: Our arborist, Jerry Dieruf, reports that Arlington County will remove two trees located at the south entrance of Court 15 on South Stafford Street. These trees have been declining over the past several years and have become safety hazards.
Yard Sale: The Building and Grounds Committee will sponsor a yard sale on Saturday, April 27, at the Fairlington Community Center, so save your treasures and come join us. All that is asked of sellers is a donation of 10% of your profit for the flower fund.
Patio Tour: Committee member, Kym Hill, is organizing another patio tour, to be held in early summer. We may be joined by other condominiums in South Fairlington, making this a community-wide event. Now is the time to start making plans for the growing season!
New Members: The Committee welcomes any resident with an interest in our buildings and grounds to join us even if it’s only for a meeting now and then. See the community calendar for upcoming meeting dates and locations. We would like to welcome new members, Judy Blooms and Mollie Regan.
ODDS & ENDS
COMCAST: Ongoing contact between CMC and Comcast continues in order to minimize damage and inconvenience caused by cable installations.
Comcast contracted with a landscape company to do some of the lawn restoration work which is now complete.
If you know of other problems with INSTALLATION which have not been corrected, contact Jim Cowell at CMC (703-631-7200). Any problems with your SERVICE must be directed to Comcast customer service.
QUAKER LANE SIGNAGE/PARKING: “No Parking” signs on Quaker Lane have been changed to no parking from 1-3 a.m. (instead of 1-4 a.m.) for a 90 day period ending January 31. During the pilot period, the police will observe if there is any increase in the overnight parking along this corridor. The change was requested by Great Harvest Bakery to accommodate their early rising (pardon the pun) employees.
ROOF REPAIRS: The first round of slate roof repairs in all 15 courts was completed last summer. Jack Clark has begun another round of repairs.
SEWER STATUS: Our on-site Maintenance Supervisor, Steve Coombe, advised the Board last fall that all suspect sewer lines are automatically checked twice a year by Eddie’s Plumbing. Historically, the major cause of sewer problems has been tree roots. Around 1980, the Board directed use of a root-burning chemical in an attempt to control the problem. It was determined after a number of years that it was more effective to snake the lines once a year than spend money on chemicals that did not appear to provided the promised 10-year residual effect.
Most of the sewer lines run underneath our parking lots. Before the lots are reconstructed, the sewer lines are “TV’d” prior to start of work. The lines are videotaped using a television camera. The videotapes are then reviewed for any problems. This measure will be taken before the remaining four lots (3, 8 12, 14) are reconstructed.
NO SALT ON THE NEW CONCRETE, PLEASE!
NOTE TO ALL RESIDENTS IN COURTS RECONSTRUCTED IN 1999 AND 2000:
DO NOT PUT CALCIUM CHLORIDE OR SALT OR ANY OTHER CHEMICALS WHICH MAY AFFECT THE NEW CONCRETE SIDEWALKS THIS WINTER TO MELT ICE/SNOW. THIS WILL CAUSE THE CONCRETE TO DETERIORATE AND VOID OUR WARRANTY.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
JAN. 15: Meadows Board Meeting, FCC, 7:30 p.m.
FEB. 19: Meadows Board Meeting, FCC, 7:30 p.m.
MAR. 19: Meadows Board Meeting, FCC, 7:30 p.m.
*FCC-Fairlington Community Center on S. Stafford St. at the traffic circle
IF YOU’RE A RENTER, CONSIDER INSURANCE
People often believe that renters insurance is too expensive and/or that it’s not needed. Fewer than 3 out of 10 renters purchase such insurance according to the Insurance Information Institute. Just consider that without it, you might face the cost of replacing your personal belongings after a fire or theft or picking up the tab for rent AND living elsewhere while repairs are made to your unit. You could also face the prospect of defending yourself in a lawsuit because of some accident for which you might be held legally responsible.
In many cases, for less than a couple hundred dollars a year, you can protect your personal property from loss by fire, theft, wind and water damage or other covered hazards.
Many renters mistakenly believe that their landlord’s insurance will cover their belongings. This type of coverage is rare, so check with your landlord!
To determine how much insurance coverage you might need, take a complete inventory of your personal items and determine an estimated total value of the propery. Insurance companies will often provide an inventory checklist for such a purpose. You will then need to select depreciated or limited replacement cost coverage and the size of your deductible.
Depreciated coverage is the cost to repair or replace your belongings minus depreciation and your deductible. The other type of coverage pays for replacement less any deductible amount.
Some policies also provide personal legal liability coverage and medical payments to others who are accidently injured while in your unit or elsewhere if the injuries are caused by your actions. If you must live elsewhere because of damage to your unit, some policies also cover living expenses.
COMMUNITY NOTES
ABANDONED AUTOS: You can leave a message about a suspected abandoned car and a member of the County’s Parking Unit will mark it and tow it, if necessary. When you call, provide as much detail as possible (license number, make, model, street location, etc.). The number is 703-228-4144.
BABY WIPES AND DIAPERS: Please do not flush “disposable” baby wipes and diapers in your toilet! These items (along with “disposable” feminine products) have been found clogging our sewer lines and can cause a sewer back-up into unit(s). Not only is a sewer back-up messy, smelly, and totally inconvenient, it costs someone time and money to repair.
Depending on the cause of the sewer back-up, dollars are either expended by the condo association or the unit owner. So, either way, your wallets are affected!
SIDEWALK REPAIRS: The Arlington County Public Works Department has notified the Fairlington Citizens Association (F.C.A.) that the remaining County sidewalk repair work in Fairlington will be continued in the spring. They completed the sidewalk work in North Fairlington but did not get to our side as planned.
STREET LIGHTS: If you would like to report a malfunctioning street light, call Arlington County’s recorded telephone line at 703-228-6511. Be sure to have the address where the light is located as well as the pole number when you call.
TOWING IN MEADOWS: FYI-If you, a guest, or a workman parks in someone’s assigned parking space, you or they may be subject to a $95 towing charge (and potential storage charges), not to mention considerable inconvenience. A-1 Towing also requires payment in cash.
If you park your car in a visitor’s space for more than 72 hours, you will also be subject to towing!!
WATER MAIN WORK: Arlington County staff informed the F.C.A. that their contractor will not be doing any water main repair work this winter season on 36th Street. The road cuts will be patched and work will resume this spring. Water main work on Wakefield, Stafford, 34th and 32nd Streets was completed in late November.
UPDATING YOUR TOILET IS QUICK AND EASY
For do-it-yourselvers, updating our old Eljer toilets is a quick, easy and cheap home project.
Due to some problems with our existing toilet and on a tip from On-Site Maintenance Supervisor Steve Coombe, we headed to Home Depot and for less than $50, purchased a Fluidmaster Flush Valve, a package of Eljer Toilet Replacement Parts (including new flush handle), and a new painted wood toilet seat. We chose a nicer seat with chrome attachments for about $18, but you can spend as little as $5.99.
All items come with installation instructions. Replacement time is a few hours if you include cleaning out the tank and toilet bowl.
The toilet works (and looks) like new. We saved the cost of a new toilet as well as a plumber’s labor which would total several hundred dollars all together. Plus, the new toilets are 1.6 gallon flushers and, in our opinion, do not work as well as the ones installed during the 1970’s conversion.
F O O D B Y T E S
Contributed by
Janet Filer and Carrie Quinn
Most food product manufactor’s packaging is designed to entice you to buy their product. Those same product labels also contain descriptions of the calories, serving sizes, and nutrients contained.
The American Heart Association recommends that you choose foods that have low percentages of saturated fat, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. A content of 30% or less of fat, cholesterol or sodium is considered good, but 15-20% is better. You’re probably now thinking of all the yummy, but not necessarily healthy, things you ate during the holidays. Perhaps one of your New Year’s resolutions is to eat better (and don’t forget to exercise regularly)??
Labels claiming that a particular food product helps prevent heart disease should be low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Food with low sodium content is helpful in preventing high blood pressure for some folks.
Diets to help in cancer prevention should be high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat. Low fat potato chips do not count, folks!
To help you determine if the food item you’re looking at has good nutritional value, raise one finger for each of the following:
· 10% or more vitamin A
· 10% or more vitamin C
· 10 % or more calcium
· 10% or more iron
· 10% or more fiber
· 10% or more proteinLower one finger each if the food has:
· 10% or more total fat or
· 200 calories or moreIf any fingers remain up, consider the food to be nutritious.
Here’s a mini-dictionary to help you decipher labels:
Fat Free: Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.Low Fat: 3 grams of fat or less per serving.Lean: Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and no more than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.Light: 1/3 less calories or no more than 1/2 of the fat in a higher calorie version.Cholesterol Free: Less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.With the above in mind, the following are a two recipes which you might consider.
PARMESAN CHICKEN
6 chicken breast halves, skinned
2 tablespoons lemon juice
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, gratedPlace chicken in oiled baking pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cayenne. Combine yogurt, onions, mayo, mustard, Worchestershire, and thyme and spread over chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until tender. Drain off juices. Top with parmesan. Broil 6 inches from heat until cheese is light brown. Serves 6.
SPINACH CASSEROLE
1 10 ounce chopped spinach, cooked, drained
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons oleo, melted
1 tablespoon onion, gratedCombine all. Pour into greased casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serves 4 one-half cup servings.
OVERLOADING CIRCUITS CAN AFFECT
YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBOR
While electricity enriches our lives, it can also bring danger. The most common danger is a house fire which, in our neighborhood, can have even more drastic results due to the close proximity of other units. It is estimated that over 40,000 residential fires per year are caused by overloaded electrical circuits. Hmmmm . . .maybe this article should have been included in time for the holidays and the extra lights in windows and on Christmas trees.Electrical fuses and circuit breakers are used in the main electrical panel of residences. Their function is to sense the overloading of circuits and shut off power to that branch circuit before the wires get too hot and start a fire.What can you do to prevent this??????????· If a fuse blows or circuit breaker trips frequently, have a qualified and licensed electrician determine what the problem is and repair it.
· If the main electrical panel has circuit breakers, flip them off and back on once a year. This will help keep them working. Even better, have the electrician test their functioning.
· If extension cords or plug adaptors are being used to plug multiple appliances in the same outlet, have an electrician install more outlets on new or different branch circuits.
· Using power strips (or multiple outlet surge protectors) with their own circuit breaker protection is better than using extensions cords to plug in multiple items. However, using several plug strips on outlets in the same branch circuit may overload and cause a fire.
· Never run cords under carpet!
· If an outlet or switch feels hot to the touch or makes noises (buzzing or crackling), have it checked and repaired.Think about the above next time you use your high wattage items which may be plugged into the same branch circuit as others. Keep in mind that a hair dryer can draw 1400 watts, an iron 1000 watts, a vacuum cleaner 600 watts, etc.
For any electrical work or repairs, choose a qualified and properly licensed electrician and make sure he/she follows the manufacturer’s specifications and recommendations for any new installations of circuits, equipment, etc.
A FEW FACTS ABOUT POWER SURGES
A power surge is one form of electrical power disturbance which we often have in Fairlington. Those who are home during the day have probably noticed this frequent event which usually lasts just fractions of a second. Although the surges usually do not last long, they can affect your appliances and equipment (your v.c.r. and alarm clock programming may need to be re-programmed, for example).Power surges can vary in duration and magnitude, fluctuating from a few hundred volts to several thousand volts. A spike in voltage can be harmful to appliances and electrical devices. An increase in voltage above the normal operating voltage can cause an arc of electrical current within an appliance. The heat generated from this damages the circuit boards and other electrical components.Smaller, repeated surges can slowly damage your electronic equipment. Your computer or stereo may continue to function after small surges occur until the integrity of the electronic components finally erodes and your equipment mysteriously stops working. This is probably what happened to our television recently. Luckily, the t.v. repairman was able to replace some parts for continued use.
Power surges can enter a home through several paths and do not have to enter through the electrical panel. In the case of lightning, it can take the path of the cable t.v. or satellite dish cable, through incoming phone lines, or through incoming electrical service lines.
A good surge protection system can protect your home from damage and might include protection features at the incoming electrical service, phone lines, and cable lines. When deciding on surge protection measures such as these, contact a qualified, licensed electrician to for advice and installation.
Point-of-use surge protectors at all sensitive and expensive appliances is also recommended and can be purchased at stores such as Radio Shack, Sears, Lowes, and Home Depot as well as office supply stores such as Staples and Office Depot. These are easy to install yourself by following the package instructions.
CHANGE IN COURT 11 CHAIR FOR 2002
After four years as Court Chair of Court 11, Barbara Gomez has turned over her duties to long-time resident and neighbor, Judi Garth. A special thanks to Barbara for handling pool passes, collecting annual meeting proxies, and performing other such valuable duties. Thanks also to Judi for adding these tasks to her continuing community service as a Buildings and Grounds Committee member.