Minutes from 14 April 2021 FLC HOA Board Meeting

The monthly scheduled meeting of the Fair Lakes Crossing Home (FLC) Owners Association (HOA) Board of Directors (BoD) convened via Zoom videoconference beginning at 7:00 PM on 14 April 2021 to take up matters requiring attention.  During the COVID pandemic, as a public announcement, meetings dates are being posted in advance to the community calendar on the website with instructions for participation to allow for neighborhood involvement. 

Attendance:  4 of the 5 members of the FLC HOA Board were present: Ajay Ganji (President), Kevin Nawroth, Clarence Hunter, and Pete Mattes.  No community members attended.

Five items composed the agenda:

  1. FLC Annual Neighborhood Cleanup
  2. Status of the I-66 Soundwall Replacement
  3. Removal of Dead Trees within the HOA-administered common spaces in FLC
  4. New Landscaping Contractor Performance
  5. Update on tennis court plan.

Board Action:

  1. The first agenda item for the HOA BoD was discussion of the annual neighborhood cleanup event raised by Mr. Nawroth.  Mr. Nawroth volunteered to be the BoD lead for planning and execution of the cleanup effort in conjunction with his wife, Rebecca.  He proposed that the date of the cleanup be set as Saturday 15 May with a rain date on Saturday 22 May.  The Nawroths will produce a flier with cleanup day information and publicize the event to garner maximum participation.  They will purchase supplies needed for the cleanup (gloves, bags, etc.) and be reimbursed by the HOA BoD for their purchases.  The BoD unanimously approved the plan.
  2. The second agenda item for BoD consideration was the status of the I-66 soundwall replacement.  The sound wall separating the FLC neighborhood from I-66 traffic noise has been removed during the I-66 expansion project.  According to the sound study done in support of the I-66 project, the wall is scheduled to be replaced.  Now that the easement issues with VDOT are resolved by the FLC HOA, Mr. Ganji will reengage with VDOT to determine their plan to replace the wall.  Mr. Ganji will report status of the I-66 sound wall replacement to the Board at the next scheduled meeting.
  3. The third agenda items concerned the question of dead tree removal on HOA land threatening HOA member’s property and was brought to the BoD’s attention by Mr. Nawroth.  There were two issues requiring BoD action. 
    • First, a request has been made by members of the FLC HOA (residents at 4747 and 4749 Cochrane Pl) to have trees removed from HOA property that pose a direct threat to the owner’s property.  The CMC team has already had an assessment of the threat posed by the trees completed that indicates there is a threat to the homeowners’ property and requested an estimate of removal of the trees.  The estimate is $4800 for the action.  The BoD unanimously approved funding the removal.
    • Second, the BoD reviewed the process for homeowners to identify and request removal of trees that directly threaten their property from HOA administered land.  The procedure in place with Capital Management Company is:
      1. Homeowner identifies a tree on HOA land that is in a condition that directly threatens their property.
      2. Homeowner notifies CMC of the tree of concern.
      3. CMC verifies that the tree is on HOA land and contacts an arborist to provide an assessment of the threat that the tree poses.
      4. If the assessment validates the homeowner’s position, CMC solicits an estimate to remove the tree.
      5. CMC forwards the estimate to the BoD for approval to expend HOA funds.
    • The BoD unanimously approved keeping this process in place.
  4. The fourth agenda item concerned the implementation of the new landscaping contract for 2021.  Ridgefield Landscape is the new landscaping contractor for the FLC HOA this year.  Mr. Hunter noted that some landscaping is not up to par in the neighborhood.  Mr. Hunter will take photos of the areas of concern and provide them to CMC to take up with Ridgefield Landscape to be addressed.  The BoD noted that we should all pay attention to the quality of the landscaping this spring given the change of contractor.  Mr. Hunter also reported that bamboo is growing in the area behind his house and is concerned about it as an invasive species.  He will contact Fairfax County to determine how best to eradicate it and update the BoD at the next scheduled BoD meeting.
  5. The fifth agenda item was the status of actions regarding a proposed tennis court in the FLC community.  Mr. Mattes provided to the FLC HOA BoD members a legal opinion from the BoD legal advisor that discussed the process and challenges to a BoD proposal to consider building a set of tennis courts on the HOA administered properties.  Given that the information was received on the day of the meeting, Mr. Mattes proposed that the BoD members review the information and come prepared to discuss the options at the next scheduled BoD meeting.  The BoD unanimously approved this way ahead.
  6. No further business was conducted.  The BoD adjourned at 7:55 PM.
  7. The next scheduled BoD meeting is on 12 May 2021 at 7 PM.