HCA MEMBER HOSTS FREE SHRED @ SAT APR 27

Block 3 Member and local Realtor Rob Chevez is hosting a free annual community paper shredding and disposal event from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, at Lake Anne Elementary School.  According to Rob, attendees can shred documents in real time rather than drop them off for shredding later.  For more information on this one-day event, please contact rob@thecazagroup.com.

RELAC A/C 2019 SERVICE STARTS EARLY @ THU MAY 2

Reston RELAC LLC announced this week that they will be ready to start service to Hickory Cluster and most other customers as early as the second 80F day after May 1, 2019, rather than the State Corporation Commission tariff required start date of May 22.  RELAC also started service early last year on April 29, 2018.  The 2019 season operations start-up follows weeks of plant and distribution system preparations that began April 10.  The SCC tariff season officially ends October 9 of each year, but RELAC has extended past service end dates due to unexpected warmer weather.  UPDATE ... April 30:  Since both May 2 and 3 are expected to be 80F+ temperature days, RELAC 2019 service will start at 12:00 noon on Thursday, May 2.  Trapped pipe air is purged at the plant, so homeowners need not purge it from their home systems.

HCA TREE DOWNED BY TORNADO WINDS @ FRI APR 19

According to a NOAA National Weather Service damage estimate revised upward yesterday by the local forecaster, a tornado with up to 75 mph. winds damaged Reston homes and trees at about 8:55 p.m. Friday night, April 19 along a four mile, 100 yd. wide, radar-tracked path between Fairfax County and Reston Parkways.

 

Strong associated inflow winds also downed a 33 in. diameter Red Oak tree in Hickory Cluster ... No. 17 within the 2016 HCA Tree Risk Assessment summary and map ... just northwest of HCA Block 1 Group 5 Goodman Houses.  The tree was evaluated by the HCA Consulting Arborist in 2016 to have High combined failure probability and target impact risk ratings due to trunk decay indicated by initial sounding tests, and was pending further arborist testing and recommendations.  Fortunately, the tree caused no reported property damage or injuries and did not block Maple Ridge Rd.  HCA will remove the downed tree at a future date.  Similar winds also downed a large nearby treetop along Fairway Dr. at Hook Rd.

HCA TO REPLACE OVERGROWN BLOCK 2 PLAZA TREES

As part of a 2016 Tree Risk Assessment, the HCA Consulting Arborist identified numerous HCA trees clusterwide that were at high risk of failing and of impacting people or property upon such failure.  The assessment included large overgrown Tree No. 27 at overall High/Extreme risk at the south end of Block 2, and large overgrown Tree No. 31 at overall High risk at the north end, both Little Leaf Lindens in Common Area above-grade circular planters.  Large, weakened, co-dominant limbs prone to fracture and failure were major safety concerns. 

In addition, neighbors have complained for years about adjacent home wall, window, and roof damage; excessive debris clogging roof drains and littering plazas; roots damaging planters and creating plaza trip hazards; annual Aphid infestations and sticky honeydew attracting invasive ants to trees and homes; and unhealthy plaza black mold that required expensive annual power washing.  For each tree, recommended annual pruning and pest control would cost as much as $900 during remaining 15 year life, and almost $500 for immediate safety cabling of large branches. 

In 2012, HCA replaced five Block 2 Common Area invasive species Bradford Pear trees impacting resident parked cars.  In 2014, HCA replaced a large overgrown Block 3 plaza planter Sycamore tree causing similar adjacent homeowner and Common Area problems. 

In April 2017, HCA agreed to remove Tree No. 27 pending required RA DRB application completion and approval, and to further discuss action on Tree No. 31.  Earlier this month, the HCA Consulting Arborist again evaluated both Block 2 Linden trees and recommended that HCA replace them with smaller, lower maintenance trees more consistent with available building and planter space.  HCA agreed, and is currently completing RA DRB applications and contractor proposals for existing tree and stump removal, planter soil preparation, new tree replacement, and a first-year watering plan.  UPDATES ... May 15:  HCA received RA DRB approval to remove both Trees 27 and 31.  July 24-26:  Contractor removed both trees as authorized, with stump removal soon, and replanting option decisions still pending.