Ascot Homeowners Association
Minutes, Board of Directors -- Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Prepared by Secretary, Julie Reiss
This month Ascot's Board met at the home of Julie Reiss on Tuesday, January 17, 2006. With all Board members present, including Mick Fox, Lars Okeson, Julie Reiss, Dave Peirce, and Heide Zufall, the first order of business was approval of the prior minutes from the December 2005 meeting. Our Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, Diane Preston, was also in attendance for most of the meeting.
Budget
Next Lars reviewed the '06 budget with the Board and announced that the '05 actuals are closed. He indicated the Board could decide in subsequent meetings how to use the $1,163 in Ascot's reserve fund for capital improvements. Briefly, Board members discussed possibly resealing the basketball court and replacing a backboard, rim, and hoop. After a proposal to approve the '06 budget, the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The '06 budget will soon be posted on-line at our website, www.ascotwalk.org.
Common Ground News
Heide has received the new proposed Sunrise Lawn and Landscaping contract. It shows, after some negotiation, a 9% increase over the previous 2004 contract. While seeking two other bids in the coming weeks, she will continue to negotiate with Sunrise to get the increase closer to 5%.
Homeowners may have noticed two dead pine trees in front of the basketball court. During our meeting, it was noted that lack of watering could have caused the trees to die. In response, all Board members have volunteered to rotate watering the new trees for the first three weeks. Lars and Dave have also volunteered to handle tree pruning in the common grounds. The Board briefly discussed organizing a Spring Clean-Up Party for removing the dead pine trees as well as tree and shrub pruning.
Neighborhood Watch
Diane Preston informed the Board she has registered with the Fairfax County Police Department as Ascot's Neighborhood Watch Coordinator. During the second week of March, she will learn more about Neighborhood Watch at a police-sponsored dinner for coordinators.
In her new role, Diane has responded to several incidents. She filed an on-line police report for the two spray-painted signs near the Bishopsgate-Burywood intersection. The stop sign has been cleaned by VDOT, and the neighborhood watch sign will soon be replaced. More recently, two stolen cash registers were recovered by police in the common area. If any homeowner saw unusual activity on January 2nd or 11th between 4:00 am and 7:00 am, please contact Diane. The Board appreciates Diane's efforts and invites her to return to the next Board meeting at Mick's house, Wednesday, March 8, at 7:30 pm.
Safety and Security: Neighborhood Vigilance
In light of the recent criminal events and in response to homeowners' desire for increased vigilance in safety and security, the Board discussed various measures for reducing vandalism and common area disturbances. These measures include establishing night patrols, encouraging good house lighting, and providing lights for the tennis courts. The Board will continue discussing these and other measures at future meetings to determine the best course of action.
Safety and Security: Speeding
The Board also continues to address the ongoing issue of speeding by requesting homeowners to report the makes, models, colors, and license plates, if possible, of offending vehicles. Please contact any Board member or Diane Preston with that information so the Board can begin to keep a record of documented incidents of speeding. Board members have also contacted the Fairfax County Police to increase speeding surveillance in the neighborhood.
As mentioned in the last minutes, the Board is calling for volunteers to be a part of the Speeding Taskforce that will investigate ways to curb speeding in Ascot. Please contact a Board member if interested. The taskforce leader will be asked to attend the next meeting on March 8.
Homeowners' Dues
Invoices for dues of $120.00 were distributed with these minutes, and payment is due February 28, 2006.
Respectfully submitted,
Julie Reiss
Secretary, Oct 2005 - Sep 2006
Contacting the Board
Homeowners are welcome to contact the Board about community concerns. Send email to the Board, write to Ascot Homeowners Association, PO Box 934, Great Falls, Virginia 22066-0934, or contact any Board member.
