RELAC A/C 2016 SERVICE STARTS @ MAY 23

Reston RELAC LLC President Mark Waddell just advised customers via email that the system was up and running yesterday following initial plans to start service on May 9 just before the weather cooled down, and then on the official SCC tariff operations start date of May 20 when air temperatures went down again.  The NOAA National Weather Service predicts 80F+ outside air temperatures for the remainder of this pre-Memorial Day holiday week.  Waddell requested that customers do not bleed air out of their home chiller coils because RELAC automatically bleeds air and adds water within the chiller plant closed loop.  For 2016 Summer Season startup assistance or any other home system issues, call RELAC at (703) 349-3301.

HCA 2016 DIRECTOR ELECTION NOMINATIONS

Block 3 Member David R. Pickering announced in a May 15 message and statements of interest and qualifications that he will seek election to the HCA Board of Directors.  Block 1 Member Thomas Drake also confirmed in a May 18 message that he too will be a candidate for Director and provided statements of interest and qualifications.  In addition, Director Madeline Cohen announced at the May 18 monthly Board meeting that she is resigning her unexpired 2014-17 term, and Director Ashley and Secretary Poss indicated they would seek re-election.  Although an election for three Director terms was previously announced, the election will now be for three 2016-19 full terms, and for the remainder of one 2014-17 unexpired term, at the 2016 HCA Annual Meeting on the morning of Saturday, May 21, 2016, at the Lake Anne Reston Community Center.  Please note that the meeting packet cover letter dated April 29 incorrectly stated that the May 21 election was for only two Directors.  HCA encourages all Members in good standing to participate.

HCA PLAZA POWERWASH @ MAY 16-20

As announced in a notice distributed to all Members as part of the 2016 Annual Meeting information packet, Block 1 plaza powerwashing starts today, Monday, May 16.  Block 2 is scheduled for Tuesday-Wednesday, May 17-18, and Block 3 for Thursday-Friday, May 19-20.  The schedule is subject to change depending on weather and other factors.  Members should remove private property stored on Common Areas and relocate nearby vehicles to provide contractor access to plazas and related surfaces, and to prevent the chance of personal property damage.  Please refer to the notice above for more information.

HCA SPRING CLUSTER CLEAN-UP @ MAR - APR

The remainder of March and all of April 2016 will be annual HCA Spring Cluster Clean-Up time during which Directors will coordinate projects with other Members, including:
BLOCK 1
  Various tasks TBD ... Director Smith
BLOCK 2
  Remove Common Area debris behind rear patios ... Director Travis
  Remove Common Area streambed debris ... Director Poss ... DONE
  Remove plaza flower bed debris near 1153x ... Director Poss ... DONE
  Relocate parking island Dafodils to bed ... Director Poss ... DONE
BLOCK 3
  Remove Common Area debris behind rear patios ... Director Cohen
  Remove western storm drain blockage ... Director Poss ... DONE
  Clean central Common Area sheep sculptures ... Director Poss ... DONE
  Remove Common Area debris along North Shore Drive ... TBD
  Remove Common Area streambed overgrowth ... TBD

HCA also encourages Members to stack tree and other debris near curbs and footpaths for removal, remove private property stored on Common Areas, and remove ivy from tree trunks and branches.  However, Members should not remove English Ivy otherwise growing on HCA Common Areas because it provides inexpensive ground cover that effectively controls soil erosion, even though it is an invasive species.  HCA will remove stacked debris in early May, powerwash Common Area plazas in May, and post updates here when available. 

HCA ANNUAL MTG + DIRECTOR ELECTIONS @ MAY 21

The HCA Annual Meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Saturday, May 21, 2016, at the Rose Gallery in the Reston Community Center at Lake Anne.  TWC will mail meeting information, Director nomination forms, and Proxy absentee vote forms to all HCA Members in late April or early May.  HCA will also post the 2016 meeting packet on this website.  However, only Members in good standing with no current balances due may vote. 

Three current Director three-year terms will expire and are up for nomination and election this year, and Treasurer Zerrin Turner advised Directors this week that she will not seek re-election.  HCA encourages interested Members in good standing to provide Nomination Form statements of interest and qualifications to TWC as soon as possible, but no later than 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 20, 2016, and to indicate if you would like that information posted on this HCA website.  Or you can choose to be nominated at the Annual Meeting itself.

Volunteer Directors of this non-profit, non-stock corporation are tasked by the original 1964 HCA Articles of Incorporation with maintaining and improving the Common Areas; enforcing covenants and restrictions; and assessing, collecting, and disbursing funds; all for the benefit of the property and peace, health, comfort, and safety of residents.  Directors typically review budgets, proposals, and contracts; collaborate with other Directors, neighbors, and consultants to make critical decisions; and may provide hands-on project leadership.  Directors must meet at least quarterly, but usually meet monthly.  At whatever level, HCA welcomes your participation.

HCA ROAD STORM SERVICE UPDATE

From the NOAA National Weather Service this morning for Reston:  " ... Rain and snow likely before 9:00 p.m. (Thursday), then snow. ... New accumulation of 1-2 inches possible. ... Snow likely (Friday), possibly mixing with rain after 9:00 a.m., then gradually ending.  ... New snow accumulation of less than 1/2 inch possible. ... "  No information received from the snow removal contractor as of midday Thursday, but plowing may occur if accumulation exceeds 2 inches.

HCA TRASH + RECYCLE SVC CANCELLED @ MON FEB 15

From Republic Services earlier this morning:  " ... With the present inclement weather conditions, we would like to inform you that our Fairfax office and operations are closed today.  With the storm coming faster and worse than expected bringing snow and ice, and with safety at the forefront for our employees and the community alike, closing was the right thing to do.  Expectations for service will resume on the next regularly scheduled day (Thursday).  "

HCA ROAD STORM SERVICE UPDATE

UPDATE MON FEB 15 AM:  With snowfall at about the 2 inch service trigger depth, our contractor plowed HCA streets at about 9:00 this morning. 

From NOAA National Weather Service Sunday afternoon:  "Snow likely tonight after 1:00 a.m. ... less than one inch.  Monday ... snow before 1:00 p.m. then snow and sleet ... freezing rain ... .  New snow and sleet accumulation of 2-4 inches possible.  Monday night ... freezing rain and sleet ... ice accumulation ... around 1/10 inch ... new sleet accumulation of less than 1/2 inch possible.  Tuesday ... rain or freezing rain ... chance of snow showers."  Last update from our snow removal contractor was Friday morning:  " ... Our next round of winter weather will be passing through our area on Monday.  ... this system looks like it has the potential to drop several inches of snow during the day before transitioning to freezing rain and then finally rain in the overnight into Tuesday.  Plowing is anticipated during the day on Monday and will commence when accumulations have reached approximately two inches.  Sand/salt/chemical applications will follow as required."

LAKE ANNE FELLOWSHIP HOUSE UPDATE

Fellowship Square Foundation Inc. (FSF) announced earlier this week that they have new plans to redevelop the Lake Anne I and II Fellowship House, adjacent to HCA Block 1 carriage houses.  According to FSF, "... new construction will replace all 240 apartment units in the 1970s era buildings."  The announcement followed a five month evaluation of two existing buildings by the Community Preservation and Development Corp. (CPDC) commissioned by FSF.  The study concluded that existing buildings should be torn down and replaced rather than renovated because of "structural obsolescence" and that "excess land" would allow new construction.  New FSF partner CPDC is described as a "... non-profit agency that purchases and revitalizes distressed low-income housing communities."  It has helped redevelop other regional properties including Island Walk, a 1970s Reston 102-unit limited-equity cooperative developed by the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority that suffered from poor design, inadequate funding, deferred maintenance, and significant deterioration. 

FSF and then-partner Novus Residences LLC originally said they could replace only 140 of 240 (114 subsidized) affordable senior units because of limited property value leverage, and because FSF/Novus hoped to build 285 new Lake Anne market value living units to generate revenues that would fund other FSF housing elsewhere.  In response, Fairfax County indicated it would not continue to offer Section 8 housing vouchers to residents.  FSF/Novus then said they would be forced to raise rents to cover increased operating expenses and loss of subsidy income.  In addition, FSF/Novus plans that included large mid-rise buildings covering most of the North Shore Dr. existing buildings site and an adjacent currently undeveloped Village Rd. site, with a large above-grade parking garage along Baron Cameron Ave., resulted in a number of negative comments during a March 2014 RA Design Review Board public working meeting.  The project has been on hold since late 2014.  More information is available on a previous HCA website post.

LAKE ANNE CONTRACT POSTAL UNIT OPEN

Several HCA Members requested a post about mailing services that recently returned to Lake Anne following closure more than a year ago of a long time Contract Postal Unit within the former Lake Anne Pharmacy.  Conveniently located within Chesapeake Chocolates, the new CPU just opened for business on February 1.  In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service reported that for every CPU opened it closed two, and profit margins are thin, so community support is critical to help CPUs generate enough revenue to make operation worthwhile.  But then again, not every CPU is located in a chocolate shop within a Modern Architecture historic district.