Hickory Farms Calendar

• Dec 11 - Board of Directors Meeting

2018 Strategic Plan Community Survey

The results are in, download the complete results from the "Download Files" menu.

Annual Assessment is due by Jan 1, 2019

Dear Hickory Farms Homeowner,

Your $200 Hickory Farms Annual Assessment is due by January 1. Please send your check or money order to: HFCA, P.O. Box 2239, Fairfax VA 22031. If you have already paid, please ignore this mass mailing being sent to all homeowners.

The Assessment should be paid by the person who owns the home on January 1. Payments that are not postmarked or in the physical possession of the Treasurer by January 7 are late and the homeowner will be charged an additional $50. Payments received after that date that do not include the additional $50 charge (total payment is $250) will be returned to the homeowner for non-payment. On February 1, de-linquent accounts will be turned over to the Association’s attorneys for collection. At that point, the amount owed by the delinquent homeowner will be $250 plus attorney fees (another $200+) and could include significant court costs if HFCA files a lawsuit. These procedures are in accord with the Hickory Farms Community Association Bylaws, which have no provision for waiver.

• Do not mail or hand deliver your payment to the Treasurer’s house.
• Write the house number and street name of your property on your check.
• Moved? New homeowner? Email owner’s name, address, and telephone number to Kirk_Randall@Hotmail.com, who maintains HF records.
• Renters & tenants, please give this notice to your landlord.
• Questions? Email: Treasurer@Hickoryfarms.org

A Big Thank You!

At the 2018 HFCA Annual Meeting, Melissa Stark, Brian Roethlisberger and Dante Gilmer (left to right) were given plaques for their long and outstanding contributions toward making Hickory Farms a better place to live.

Melissa planned and manages the restoration of our common areas. She is highly knowledgeable about landscaping, she serves on the Board, and oversees the landscaping contractors. She personally helps with many tasks.

Brian manages the ACC, brings a statistical discipline and consistency to annual inspections, works with residents to resolve to their home issues, including taking trash to the dump in his truck, and gives ACC clearance for home sales.

Dante has served in various HFCA Board positions as Treasure, Assistant Treasurer and as an ACC committee member. He organized the ACC annual inspection as well as worked on many common area pro-jects. Dante currently serves as HFCA Treasurer.

The HFCA greatly appreciates Melissa’s, Brian’s and Dante’s hard work. The HFCA also appreciates all of our many volunteers who bring amazing skill sets and talents to our community. Our volunteers help to keep our costs low.

The 2019 Board of Directors

• President: Chuck Stewart
• Vice President: Bruce Bernhardt
• Secretary: John Kitzmiller
• Common Areas: Melissa Stark
• ACC: Pam Barrett
• Treasurer: Jim Bever
• Assistant Treasurer: Dante Gilmer
• Neighborhood Watch: Debbi Buchanan
• At Large: Telah Jackson & Kirk Randall

Attention All Landlords

Make sure the Treasurer has your current contact information so you may receive newsletters and other information such as notices of Annual Assessments. If your property is being managed by a real estate agent, please ensure the agent‘s contact information is also given to the Treasurer. Please email owner name, street address of owner, owner’s email address, street address of Hickory Farms property, and telephone number to Treasurer@HickoryFarms.org. Please also send it to Kirk Randall, who maintains the Hickory Farms owner database to Kirk_Randall@Hotmail (that’s an underscore between names). We need this information immediately since we have already send out Annual Assessment bills in early November and they are due in January 2019.

Last Chance to Join the Group Tree Work Purchase

Kirk Randall (Country Squire) is organizing a tree work group purchase for December/January, when rates are usually lower than other seasons. This is the fourth group purchase he has run. It is also the largest, with 30 homeowners participating thus far. If you are interested in participating, please email your name, phone number, email address, and street address to kirk_randall@hotmail.com (that’s an underscore between names) or call 703425-0210. Kirk will contact you in December. The tree company selected by Kirk will provide you with an estimate which, of course, you may decline. However, if you have an urgent need for tree service, this may not be the deal for you. Part of Kirk’s agreement with the company will be that they can work us in-to their schedule and if a big storm comes thru and they get a flood or work, we may be bumped down the priority list. In other words, they give us a lower price in exchange for scheduling flexibility.

Water Line Failures - Consider Insurance Before It Happens to You

Well, yet another homeowner’s outdoor water line failed in November. Because of faulty construction, our homes are at significantly at risk for water line failure. Dozens of Hickory Farms homes have suffered water line breaks over the years, so I encourage homeowners to take out water line insurance before the inevitable happens. HomeServeUSA offers insurance and other products such as for electric, sewer pipes, gas furnaces, appliances, etc. https://www.homeserveusa.com/mail/dominionenergy The premium is included in your Dominion Electric monthly bill. Other organizations such as AARP and AAA may also offer this kind of insurance. The insurance premium for most homes is $4.99/month, which covers repair or replacement, but not repairing damage to the yard, such as seeding, sod, concrete repair, and plants. This additional coverage is $1.99/month. Once you have registered, there is an initial waiting period of 30 days, within which you will not be able to request a repair. My 150’ water line failed in 2013 and the insurance saved me many thousands of dollars for the repair. Considering that I have what may be the longest water line in the community, I am being extra conservative by continuing the insurance, should the repair itself prove to be faulty (hopefully not!).

Kirk Randall
Country Squire Ln

An Exciting Opportunity!

Chuck Stewart has been serving double duty for Hickory Farms, both as a busy President and as interim editor of our Newsletter. We urgently need a editor to take over the Newsletter, which is the means through which homeowners and residents are kept up-to-date with current happenings in the community. Please, please email Chuck at President@Hickoryfarms.org to learn more about this exciting opportunity.

Final Push to Approve Deed and Declaration Changes – Request Response from 122 Hickory Farms Property Owners!

Attached to this newsletter is a form for amending our Hickory Farms Deed of Dedication and Declaration of Covenants (Deed and Declaration) document. During the 2017 HFCA Annual Meeting a detailed presentation presented the background for the proposed amendment. The HFCA Board recommended amending the Deed and Declaration document and those in attendance at the meeting agreed with the recommendation by the Board. In summary, two court cases in Virginia* have ruled that Homeowner Association authority to as-sess penalties for violations of Association covenants and rules and regulations must be expressly stated in Association governing documents. When our documents were created in 1975, the wording used in the doc-uments did not include such an express statement. Following review of the court decisions, review of Virginia Property Owners Association Act (VPOAA) provisions and discussion with our attorney, the attached Amend-ment Form was developed to include express language in our Deed and Declaration document which com-plies with VA court decisions and VPOAA provisions. In order for the amendment to become effective, 75% (149 of our 198 property owners) must approve the amendment in writing. If more than 25% (50) of our HF homeowners reject the proposed amendment, the changes will not be effective.

Since the 2017 Annual Meeting last October, multiple articles have been included in the HF Newsletter seeking writing approvals from all 198 HF proper-ty owners. To date, 85 property owners approved the Amendment and signed the Amendment Form. For the 85 property owners that have responded, thank you! For the 122 property owners who have not provided input to this very important decision, we need to hear from you - now. We are planning to complete the Amendment approval process in time for our 2019 Annual Meeting.

If you agree with the HFCA Board recommended changes to the Deed and Declaration document, please sign the Amendment Form and mail it to: HFCA, P.O. Box 2239, Fairfax, VA 22031. If your property is owned by one person, one signature and date are required. If jointly owned, both signatures are required. If your property is part of a Trust, the Trustee must sign the Amendment Form.

If you do not agree with the Amendment, please send your NO vote back to me via text (703-989-0751) or email (hfca@hickoryfarms.org).

Please don’t put this off! We need to hear from the remaining 122 prop-erty owners as soon as possible! If you have any questions, please call me directly at 703-989-0751 and leave a voice message, I will return your call!

Thanks!
Bruce Bernhardt
HFCA Vice President

* Court cases: Farran v. Olde Belhaven Towne Owners Ass'n Case No. CL-2009-11786, 80 Va. Cir. 508; 2010 Va. Cir. LEXIS 92 and Shadowood Condominium Assn., vs. FC Redevelopment & Housing Authority: VA Supreme Court, 6/22/2012

Neighborhood Watch Schedule December 2018

We are working to enlist 50 residents/teams on the roster! Contact Debbi Buchanan at 703.307.7323 or simplydebbi1@gmail.com for information or to be added to the roster.