February 15, 2023

Minutes of the Hickory Farms HOA Board held on 15 February 2023 

Location 

Teams 

In Attendance 

Tad Weed- Associate Treasurer  

Ken Sorg- Treasurer 

Ben Noviello-Secretary 

Melissa Stark- Common Areas 

Pam Barrett – Member at large 

The meeting began at 7:00 

The January minutes were approved retroactively 

Treasurer’s report 

Ken reported that all homeowners had paid their annual dues.    

Ad-hoc committee report   

Ben and Ken reported on an ad-hoc commitee discussion held with Telah with regard to the ACC being single-threaded, and possible solutions given the clarification by Jim Bever that Pam had resigned as chief of ACC pending someone else assuming this role.  At the ad-hoc meeting, Telah indicated that she would reach out to appropriate people and report back.  

Draft newsletter article calling for new volunteers  

Ben indicated that a draft article requesting volunteers was located in Teams.  There was consensus that this was satisfactory as written to send to Jennifer for inclusion in the next newsletter. 

Ken indicated a willingness to leverage the existing email list to issue a follow-on message once the article in the newsletter had been published.   

 Report on common grounds 

Melissa provided an update on the scheduled removal of two trees, and the requirement by Fairfax County for replacement trees.  There was a discussion of ongoing efforts to locate an appropriate vendor that could both supply and plant the replacement trees.  There was a consensus to authorize the estimated cost, as it was consistent with the budget. 

Melissa also reported on an anticipated proposal for “permeable pavement” to replace the existing lower-area blacktop path from Cotton Farm to where the existing runoff drain is located.  It was mentioned that, although more expensive than traditional materials, the permeable pavement would also be more tolerant to tree roots, and might qualify for a grant from Fairfax County. 

Melissa highlighted that former president, Jim Bever, was also obtaining two other proposals for traditional blacktop, and that all three proposals would be presented to the board at a future meeting. 

Melissa described efforts to determine if a commercial service that used sheep for certain landscaping tasks was available as an alternative to traditional mowing. 

Security light  

There was a discussion of concerns that a security light installed by a homeowner presented a safety issue for passing cars.  Although it was recognized that this was not something the board had any power to deal with, Ken agreed to write an informal request to the homeowner. 

Newsletter

The idea of republishing articles of perennial interest in the newsletter was discussed.  There was consensus that this was a good idea, and several board members expressed a willingness to coordinate with Jennifer to this end.   

Social Commitee 

Melissa expressed her willingness to take the lead in holding a springtime event, and there was a consensus to authorize the estimated cost as it was consistent with the budget. 

ACC 

Pam reported on ongoing ACC activities, and clarified the role of the ACC with respect to home sales.  

Teams 

There was a discussion of the desire to make more effective use of the Teams environment to complement HOA meetings.   

The meeting ended at 8:00, with the next meeting scheduled for 14 March