HCA STREAM RESTORATION UPDATE

Project Manager WSSI confirmed late last week that streambed reconstruction work was substantially complete by December 1, and that additional new erosion control planting is scheduled to start mid-December 2016.  In addition, footbridge removal and replacement will be delayed pending Fairfax County re-approval of an expired permit within the next few weeks.  Full completion, including clean-up of the staging area, is now planned for February 2017.

HCA LEAF + DEBRIS REMOVAL UPDATE

Contractor Perfect Landscapes advised today that they plan to provide third and final contracted 2016 leaf removal services midweek next week, and as early as Tuesday, December 20.  Their crew will also remove and chip fallen tree debris recently collected and stacked near footpaths by Members, and deposit as much resulting chipped material as possible on the HCA North Shore Dr. dirt emergency and maintenance vehicle access road adjacent to Block 3 to replace similar mud control surface material typically blown away during leaf removal. 

HCA FALL CLUSTER CLEAN-UP @ NOV-DEC

HCA Fall Cluster Clean-Up will run from the remaining days of November 2016 through the third of three planned leaf removals in mid-December.  During the Clean-Up, we encourage Members to remove vines from tree trunks and branches, remove debris behind rear row houses and carriage houses, stack fallen tree debris near footpaths, and remove personal property stored on nearby Common Areas.  The HCA grounds maintenance contractor will remove the stacked debris in mid-December as part of the final leaf removal.  However, Members should not otherwise remove invasive species English Ivy from HCA Common Areas because it provides inexpensive ground cover that controls soil erosion.  Be careful to avoid Poison Ivy and similar plants.  Contact individual Directors to coordinate special projects.

HCA HOLIDAY TRASH + RECYCLE SCHEDULE 2016-17

The Republic Services website advises local residential customers in their updated Northern Virginia holiday schedule, as follows:
THANKSGIVING DAY, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016
- No trash pick-up on Thursday, November 24
- Service resumes on next normal pick-up day, Monday, November 28
CHRISTMAS OBSERVED, MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2016
- Normal Monday morning trash and recycling service provided
NEW YEAR OBSERVED, MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2017
- Normal Monday morning trash and recycling service provided
CHRISTMAS TREE / YARD WASTE PICK-UP
- Wednesday mornings, January 4 and 11, 2017
To prevent local raccoons and other animals from opening curbside bags and spreading trash on Common Areas, and to help maintain the appearance of the cluster, please place trash out for pick-up no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening before scheduled pick-up.

HCA LEAF REMOVAL STARTS @ MON NOV 14

Perfect Landscapes advised HCA that the first of three HCA Fall removals will start on Monday, November 14.  The second removal will be just before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and the third removal before the Christmas holiday weekend, weather permitting.  Based on RA guidelines, the contractor plans to blow and then remove leaves from HCA meadows, planters, flowerbeds, and plazas  rather than relocate them into the streambeds.  HCA will post more information here when available. 

HCA TREE RISK ASSESSMENT UPDATE

The HCA Board of Directors recently engaged a certified Independent Consulting Arborist with more than 40 years of experience who assessed and documented the failure likelihood, target impact, and risk rating of all high risk trees he identified first hand during site walks throughout 18 acres of Hickory Cluster Common Area, including several trees reported by Members.  Trees on private property were not included and are the responsibility of individual homeowner Members.  The Arborist marked with rings of yellow/green tape those trees that require the most immediate deadwood trimming, structural support cabling, or complete removal.  PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THE MARKING TAPE.  It will be used by bidding contractors to identify, estimate, and perform work on those trees during January-March 2017 to take advantage of Winter reduced pricing.  Once the Arborist completes his report, the Board of Directors will review the recommendations, approve work subject to available funding, and obtain RA DRB approvals as necessary.  UPDATES ... The Independent Consulting Arborist assessment report, assessment summary, and assessment map, including Group 1 trees approved and funded for action by HCA Directors on December 21, 2016, are now available for public reference.  RA DRB approved removal of 16 live Group 1 trees on March 7, 2017, in addition to 14 dead or invasive species trees that did not require RA approval.  HCA also approved and funded immediate trimming of eight additional Group 2 trees on March 15, 2017.  Work on 17 Group 3 trees is pending HCA cable or remove decisions and funding for late 2017 or early 2018 action.  Contact project lead HCA Secretary Michael Poss for more information.

HCA COMMON AREA ENTRANCE ENHANCEMENTS

HCA Directors at the October monthly Board meeting continued ongoing discussions and agreed on a new uniform landscaping plan to enhance both the Maple Ridge Road and Hickory Cluster entrance Common Areas.  The Member advisory team, Perfect Landscapes designer, and project leader Director Blake Travis collaborated after the meeting to revise the plans and reduce proposed costs to fit within an agreed maximum budget.  HCA then signed a contract to include regular maintenance for the first year, and work will begin following RA DRB approval of a related HCA tree removal application.  

Affected Neighbors will be notified in advance and asked to remove any private property from these HCA Common Areas before clearing and planting.  Future improvements will include other similar hardscaped and landscaped areas clusterwide.  

UPDATES

A three-person RA DRB panel will discuss the HCA tree removal application and related landscaping plan as agenda item No. 5 during its Tuesday, December 6, 2016 public meeting at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.  Agenda items may be called earlier or later than announced, so interested Members should arrive no later than the 7:00 p.m. meeting start time.  

On December 6, 2016, an RA DRB panel of three approved an HCA application for removal of a single Dogwood tree and replacement with three new Dogwoods at the Maple Ridge Road entrance, and advised that related planned entrance enhancement planting was an internal HCA issue not subject to RA review or approval.  However, the panel requested confirmation that planned Liriope was not an RA-designated invasive species before HCA proceeds further.  

On February 21, 2017, the full RA DRB heard additional Member comments and voted to support the DRB panel December 6 decision that allowed the HCA project to proceed.

HCA UNLOCKED CAR BURGLARIES CONTINUE

HCA Directors learned this week that two unlocked Member vehicles were ransacked last night, this time at the north end of Block 2 in the 1153x and 1159x Maple Ridge Rd. address areas.  They are the most recent of several nighttime car burglaries in all Blocks dating back more than a year that HCA Directors discussed with Members at the May 2016 Annual Meeting.  Fairfax County Police detained one suspected local car burglar in August:  " ... A resident reported two males looking into vehicles in the parking lot. ... One of the suspects was apprehended shortly thereafter. Property was recovered. ... "  The arrest mugshot shows the suspect wearing a hooded sweatshirt.  Coincidentally, a Block 2 Member captured 4:30 a.m. security camera images of a car burglar at work last Spring ... tall and wearing a hooded sweatshirt.  HCA Members should call FCPD at (703) 691-2131 to formally report items stolen from Hickory Cluster vehicles, and (703) 246-2786 to claim stolen items already reported that may have been recovered.  FCPD cannot identify or return recovered stolen items without a formal crime report.  More importantly:  LOCK YOUR VEHICLES AND REMOVE VALUABLES.  UPDATE ... FCPD reported November 1 that another Hickory Cluster vehicle was burglarized in the 15000 Maple Ridge Rd. area.

LAKE ANNE FELLOWSHIP HOUSE UPDATE

Although not publicly reported until today, affordable senior housing provider Fellowship Square Foundation (FSF) signed an agreement on September 1, 2016 with affordable housing developer Community Preservation and Development Corp. (CPDC) for a new facility to replace all 240 apartment units in two 1970s buildings now massed in the center of the site.  FSF says there is " ... sufficient excess land available on the site to allow construction of a new building.  Once the new building is completed, the tenants of the existing building will be able to move in. ... "  These statements indicate that, like the 2014 plan presented to RA DRB for comments, FSF may again propose to build along Baron Cameron Ave., Village Rd., North Shore Dr., and Hickory Cluster Block 1 property lines.  It also appears that such a plan may require removal of numerous mature trees that have provided a natural visual buffer to Block 1 homes for decades.  According to the original March 1964 Reston Deed of Dedication Book 2431 page 359 subdivison land survey, the Hickory Cluster Block 1 property line with the FSF parcel is 75.66 feet from the carriage house rear patio far edges.  Fairfax County Planned Residential Community (PRC) Commercial/Industrial zoning regulations and building setback requirements may also apply.  FSF and CPDC must still finalize architectural plans, obtain RA DRB approval, obtain required zoning and building permits, and secure construction financing.  More information is available in previous HCA website posts.

RELAC A/C 2016 SERVICE ENDS TODAY

From Reston RELAC LLC yesterday:  "The end of the 2016 Cooling Season is this Sunday, October 9.  We had a record number of over-90F days this summer without any major problems. ... During the next four weeks we will schedule work that had to wait until the end of the cooling season to be completed.  Many of you may need shutdown valves replaced on your systems.  While the water pipes are drained is the time for any maintenance on your units.  The water pipes will be empty from October 24 through November 23.  ... "  And remember to leave your system inside return valve open so Winter furnace-heated water or air between the supply and return valves can escape without expanding and rupturing your chilled water cooling coils.