Hickory Farms Board Calendar

• July 9, 2019 - Board of Directors Meeting

Saturday Social Calendar 2019

Come Join Us in the Upper Commons!

• June 25 - Cornhole Tournament, Adults Only
• Sept. 21 - Fall Fest, All Ages
• Oct. 05 - HFCA Yard Sale
• Oct. 19 - Monster Mash Party, All Ages
• Oct. 29 - Annual Meeting
• Dec. 15 - 18th, Holiday Decorating Contest, Voting & Awards, All Ages

Coming soon: Informal monthly play dates in the Upper and Lower Commons.

Congratulations!!

The Braddock District Council and Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, have recognized Jarrett and Melissa Stark for the Best in Braddock for Neighborhood Enhancement or Beautification at the Community Association Level Award. The awards ceremony takes place on July 10.

We appreciate all their hard work. Well Done!!

Final Deed and Declaration Survey is Underway

Hickory Farms has started its final Deed and Declaration survey drive this month. The Board needs to obtain all Hickory Farms homeowners’ decision (yes or no) on this issue. Please send us your decision by June 30. It would be greatly appreciated.

As of publication, 92 signed amendment forms have been received. 14 home owners voted not to support the change.

The Board understands you may have questions you need answered before you express your decision. Bruce’s article on page 5 may help answer your questions. The ACC – Board process is defined in the Rules and Regulations, Section 4

Also, feel free to contact Bruce directly at 703-989-0751. The instruction for completing the form is in the Bruce’s article. You can mail it or call a Board member to pick it up.

Thanks,
Charles (Chuck) Stewart
HFCA President

Author in Our Midst! Cookbook for Sale!

Our very own Hickory Farms neighbor, Claire Coleman, has published a cookbook! The books are for sale and you can pick one up on one of your walks around the neighborhood. Just knock on the door of 10007 Cotton Farm Road to purchase one, if you’re interested. The cost is $15.00 (cash or check) in person or $20.00 if it needs to be mailed somewhere. Below is a copy of the cover and inside title page. They are selling fast, so stop by soon!

Community Yard Sale Planned for Saturday, October 5th!

It’s early yet . . . but not too early to start thinking about what you want to sell! Get together with your neighbors for a fun morning! (This is a good deal for you!)

After taking a break last year, we’re holding a Community Yard Sale again this year. Pete Scala will run it, and we plan to hold it this fall. As always, we run it on a Saturday from 8 am to noon.

As in past years, HFCA does the advertising, posts signs, and distributes maps showing yard sale locations (but not names). Because we usually have many families participating, we always get a much better customer turnout than single family or 2 or 3 family yard sales.

The way it works is; that Saturday morning you put out your items for sale in your front yard, and shoppers use the map we provide to go to participating houses.

In order to cover costs, a nominal charge is required for people participating. You can call or email Pete Scala [(703) 764-0730 or scalapr@verizon.net] to sign up.

Deed & Declaration Change – Wrapping Up in June 2019!!!

To date, of 198 (100%) property owners in Hickory Farms, 92 (46%) have signed the Deed & Declaration Amendment Form. A total of 14 (7%) have responded NO to the proposed amendments. For the remaining 92 (46%) property owners who have not responded YES or NO, individual HFCA Board Members will be reaching out to contact property owners in June to obtain a decision one way or the other. The Board is looking to complete all Amendment contacts by June 30th!!! In order to become effective, 150 or more property owners must sign the Amendment Form. In order for the proposed Amendments to be defeated, 50
or more property owners must indicate a NO position.

If you have not already responded, please send your signed Amendment Form (copy provided in this HFCA Newsletter) to: HFCA, P.O. Box 2239, Fairfax, VA 22031. If you would like to register a NO decision, please email hfca@hickoryfarms.org. If you have any questions regarding the Amendments, please call me at 703-989-0751.

Several homeowners have expressed concern that the Amendments will provide too much power to the HFCA Board regarding penalties for noncompliance with enforcement of HFCA Restrictive Covenants. For the record, for almost 25 years (1975-2010) HFCA had the powers included in the Amendments. During that time, HFCA did not abuse or overuse the penalty provisions. Due to Virginia court decisions, HFCA has not been able to issue fines for non-compliance. Prior to the court decisions, HFCA applied the penalty provisions in very limited, extreme non-compliance cases. The current Board is committed to continuing that approach. We are not the kind of Association that is over zealous and oppressive. Our primary engagement approach is always to work with property owners to correct non-compliance situations in a reasonable fashion. Without the Amendment, if a homeowner unreasonably refuses to act to resolve issues, the only option left will be court action. All HFCA property owners then share the cost of legal proceedings. That will create upward pressure on the Annual Assessment Charge. No one wants to live next to or across from a property that is run down, overgrown, mold covered and looking dilapidated. The Amendments will help us address those very rare cases. The HFCA Board respectfully asks each property owner to sign the Amendment Form and help keep our community the valued place it is to live!

Thanks!
Bruce Bernhardt
Neighbor, HFCA Board Member and VP

North Path and Drainage Repair Completed!

A Virginia licensed surveyor completed surveying the north side of our North Path. An asphalt and construction company completed work on the water run-off and major repaired the cracks in the North
Path. A new drainage pipe under the North Path was added and an existing drainage pipe was cleared to direct water to an existing Fairfax County storm drain. Five major portions of the path were repaired and smaller cracks in the asphalt were filled. Funding for this project came out of the HFCA Reserve Fund, which is designated for funding capital improvements.

Thanks and Well Done, Bruce!

Get a Great Workout

Get a great workout — practically in your own backyard — at any of the 3 George Mason University gyms listed below! Join your HFCA neighbors as a corporate member of Mason Fitness.

Membership rates for August 2019 - August 2020 are $450/member. You may separately purchase a parking pass for $15 upon activating your membership.

Mason’s corporate membership policy requires us to provide a roster with each member’s full name, address, and date of birth. Members must be residents of Hickory Farms.

Payment will be due no later than July 31, 2019. Please contact Jennifer Maloney at jmaloney57@gmail.com if you wish to renew your membership or become a new member.

Membership includes access to:

1. Aquatic and Fitness Center, which has a variety of fitness programs, cardio and strength equipment, and aquatic amenities and programs https://recreation.gmu.edu/facilities/aquatic-and-fitness-center/
2. Recreation and Athletic Center (the “RAC”) which has three gymnasiums, racquetball courts, squash courts, and a two story fitness gallery https://recreation.gmu.edu/facilities/rac/
3. Skyline Fitness Center which features cardio, weight training/strength equipment and a basketball court. This gym is open 24 hrs during the fall and spring semesters https://recreation.gmu.edu/facilities/skyline-fitness/

Other features include:

• Weight training/strength gallery
• Cardio gallery
• Cycle studio & multipurpose room
• Olympic size pool
• Recreational pool
• Whirlpool & Sauna
• Extensive group exercise program
• Fitness & Aquatic programs
• Dedicated room for stretching and light weight use
• Men’s and women’s locker rooms
• Family changing room

Neighborhood Watch Schedule

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.

Clean Your Slimy, Moldy House Siding Through This Group Purchase

This is a good time to get those slimy algae stains and mold off your vinyl house siding. Northern Virginia Pressure Washing Service has offered special pricing to Hickory Farms residents through group purchases in 2011, 2014, and 2016.

I was shocked to hear that some homeowners are paying more than $400 to have their homes pressure-washed. Rob Banks and his crew can pressure wash most HF homes for less than half that.. And, while they are at it, they can clean your deck, driveway, or sidewalk, many of which have turned gray or black because of the recent proliferation of mold.

Rob has developed three tier pricing based upon the amount of siding on your home:
small = $180, medium = $195, and large = $210.

Here are a few tips: Ask the crew to keep the high pressure water stream away from double pane windows and doors. The water pressure can break the seal between the glass panes and, after a few months, they may fog up. Take special care when cleaning concrete. Too much water pressure can tear up the surface of the concrete (“spalling”), leading to premature failure. It is generally OK to pressure wash decks constructed of pressure treated wood. However, it is not recommended to pressure wash deck components made of Trex.

Also, some folks still have the original aluminum siding, which has become oxidized and worn over the years. I know from personal experience that one too many pressure washings can wear the paint down to bare metal. This siding is more than 40 years old; consider replacing it with another material (vinyl or Hardie Board) or paint the metal, as was done at 10008 Cotton Farm and 4313 Farm House. While NVA Pressure Washing does not generally do aluminum siding, you might try the following outfit, who recently pressure washed a few aluminum siding Hickory Farms homes: José Alvarez 703-618-4241 Jmauricio29@outlook.com José also does excellent tree work at very reasonable prices.

When you contact Northern Virginia Pressure Washing Service, please tell them that you are with Hickory Farms and that “Kirk sent me.” Call/text Rob Banks at 202-330-9922 or email him at robmelisab@verizon.net

Kirk Randall
Country Squire Ln

Lower Commons