LRMHA Fall Newsletter 2023
September 22, 2023
Update Your Home!
Letters with required repairs and changes have gone out to all homeowners.
If you have corrections to make, please handle minor ones this fall if you can and plan to complete everything by the end of May 2024. If you have any questions, contact Northern Virginia Management (NVM) and the Architectural Review Board (ARB) will answer them. If you are not able to complete repairs by the deadline, let us know via NVM.
Remember, ANY EXTERNAL MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR HOUSE NEED ARB APPROVAL BEFORE BEGINNING ANY WORK. This applies even if you are painting something the exact same color as before, picking a color from the approved chart, or replacing existing items with the same thing. Turnaround time for approvals is normally very quick. This process will prevent you from having to re-do work if it doesn’t meet approval for any reason, thus saving you time and money.
Decorate for Halloween!
We invite all residents to decorate their homes and/or yards for Halloween, Tuesday, October 31, to make the neighborhood fun and friendly for children to trick or treat. Even if you just sit outside with a funny hat on or put out a pumpkin it will make it more festive for the little ones. We will let the Annandale Today blog and the NextDoor for Annandale know that we are a neighborhood where children can expect some treats Halloween night. If your kids are too old to trick or treat, they can still put on costumes and help outside to be sure younger kids are safe and add to the fun and fantasy of the evening.
Treats do not have to be candy. Children appreciate non-sweet things and little lights, toys or stickers as well. Any type of food should be individually packaged for safety and the sanity of parents. Stop by 4533 to meet “Madame Sinestre” in her outdoor “Parlor of Awful Misfortunes and Extremely Lifeless Accessories” and enjoy a fresh cup of cider, tea or coffee to ward off the chill of the night. If you’d rather not hand out treats alone, pull up a chair there and help greet the little angels, ghosts and pirates who’ll be visiting.
If you are not going to be home or do not wish to hand out treats, remember to subdue your lights until 9 p.m. on the 31st.
Please note: artificial spiderweb material has been implicated in several wildlife deaths as animals, especially songbirds, get stuck in it, so please do not use it for decorations.
Junk & Garbage Removal
You must contract and pay for bulk junk removal on your own; our general garbage contract does not cover removal of appliances, mattresses, old furniture, mirrors, or construction materials, for example. Contact a junk hauling service to schedule and pay for special collection. Many offer point and hauling services and will remove the items from your home and yard for you.
REMINDER: trash—especially food waste—should be double-bagged in the heavy black garbage or contractor bags or securely bagged and contained in a lidded garbage can. Adding a spray of vinegar or ammonia (Windex) will help deter animals from tearing into bags and spreading garbage all over the Mews.
White trash bags or plastic grocery bags are unacceptable for setting out any garbage and may not be used for recycling either. Any paper goods with food residue cannot be recycled and should be put in the trash. Pizza boxes can be recycled if no food is left in them.
Thank you for not causing litter and keeping Little River Mews beautiful.
Trash/garbage collection is on Mondays and Thursdays.
Recycling is picked up on Wednesdays. Do not place garbage out with recycling.
Do not place trash/garbage out for collection on Fridays, Saturdays, or Tuesdays, or before 7 pm on Sundays and Wednesdays. Any trash placed out after collection on Mondays and Thursdays must be promptly removed from common ground and put out for the next scheduled collection.
Please promptly pick up your trash if an animal breaks into your bags or loose trash/recycling is blown about. It is not a responsibility of Board members to clean up after residents who haven’t properly secured their trash.
Neighborhood Enhancements
Our sidewalks are due for some minor repairs. There are many slightly uneven slabs, a couple of cracked slabs, and a few broken edges and chipped curbs. You will be notified before work begins.
There has been some subsidence of grassy areas next to two drains that are on common ground. We will be getting estimates to have them repaired at the same time as the sidewalk work.
A dead tree and a pair of small cottonwoods with an unstable root base between us and Terrace Townhomes will be cut down this fall and the cherry in the circle will be trimmed to remove dead branches. We will remove and replace the diseased cherry near 4502 after it blooms next spring and reevaluate a pine that has some dead branches on top but otherwise appears to be healthy early next year to see if it can be saved.
Due to the large number of trees that have been trimmed or removed in the past few years, we’ve had no major tree losses or damage to property despite several bouts of severe storms with heavy winds. Our swales have also held up well and prevented flooding of yards behind our homes. We also seem to have far fewer trespassers coming from our neighboring development.
A solar light will be installed on our Little River Mews sign at the front of the development before winter.
Our contract includes two rakings and removal of leaves. The first leaf raking is scheduled for November, with one other following a few weeks later.
No Increase In HOA fees for 2024!
Because we achieved cost savings when we switched trash contractors and kept costs down by locking in discounted multi-year contracts and carefully monitoring finances, we are foregoing any Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase in homeowner quarterly assessments for next year. Quarterly assessments will continue to be $350 per quarter in 2024.
Nearly everyone pays their assessments on time. If you are one of the few who don’t, please make an extra effort to pay your assessments when they are due at the start of January, April, July, and October. We are counting on everyone paying their share on time so we can maintain our neighborhood common grounds and mow your front and side lawns, take care of emergency repairs, pay for trash collection, snow removal, and administrative expenses, pay for legally required audits and licenses, and pay our association’s taxes.
Annual Meeting: An In-Person Option?
With luck, we can hold the Little River Mews’ Annual Meeting in person on November 13 at 7 p.m. this year. Our meeting will be held in either the Mason District Government Center or the Northern Virginia Management offices. Call-in participation via a GoTo Meeting option should also be available. Notices will be sent in advance of the event.
Celebrate Fall with Your Neighbors - Enjoy Hot Drinks and Snacks
The Labor Day Cookout was a lot of fun with great food, drinks, and fun activities despite the hot weather. The next activity will be an all-ages outdoor Fall gathering on Sunday, November 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. Gather at the tent(s)* that will be in front of 4533 near the traffic circle.
Hot cider, cocoa, tea, and other cold-weather drinks and snacks will be provided, and you are encouraged to bring sweet or savory treats to share. We all love cookies, pretzels, nuts, crackers, and cheese! Put on a sweater and enjoy a low-key friendly time and meet your Board members. Join in ice breaker games to help you get to know other residents.
* If needed, we can put up a larger tent or two for gathering and chatting.
NOTE: No LRMHA funds will be used for this activity
Board of Directors
President: Pamela Rinehart
Vice President: Karyn Selko
Secretary: Pam Broberg
Member at Large: Bob Estadt
Member at Large: Jessica Miller
Our management company is Northern Virginia Management, 4306 Evergreen Lane, Suite 101, Annandale 22003. For any issues, please email [email protected].
Check lrmha.org for notifications, guidance and news you can use.