Management has been made aware of errors in the Direct Debit Increase Notice some of you have received from Legum & Norman Realty. There was an error in pulling “unit types” and merging them with mailing addresses, so many of you are receiving erroneous information concerning the amount of your current and future Direct Debit. Legum & Norman Realty is aware of the error and will be correcting the erroneous notices. It offers the community its sincerest apologies. The notice is informational only and is not drawn from or reflective of the amount being used to calculate your FY24 monthly assessments. Those of you on direct debit for payment of your assessments will automatically increase on October 1 to the correct amount of your new monthly assessment as calculated in the Budget mailing that was sent to you in August. If you have questions or concerns about the amount of your current direct debit or wish to confirm the amount of your upcoming direct debit October 1, 2022, please telephone Management at (703) 379-1440.
Distribution of 2024 Parking Decals begins Monday, October 2, 2023, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Daily and Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Management Office. While retrieving your 2024 Decal(s), you will be asked to review and update your contact information on file with the Association, including telephone number and email address (if any) as required by the Association’s By-Laws. Please see the attached for the information that will be required. The “Option” for receiving the monthly newsletter will change this year. You will now be asked whether you wish to opt “in” to receiving a hard copy through the US Postal Service. The default will be via electronic delivery to the email address(es) you provide. (This move is to save substantial costs associated with printing and delivering the newsletter monthly.)
If you are planning any type of structural changes or renovations to your unit, please be sure to contact the Management Office before you begin! A variance from the Board of Directors is required for any changes to the interior structure of a Unit that involve construction – either adding or removing structural and finish elements. Part of the Variance involved procuring all required Permits from either Arlington County or the City of Alexandria. Contact Management for more information and be sure not to begin construction until you have the appropriate documents and approvals. If you have a doubt whether your renovation project requires a Variance from the Board of Directors, contact Management! (703) 379-1440.
The Association’s various insurance policies renewed on Saturday, July 15th. In addition to a 25% increase to the premium this year, the deductible for all perils except water rose from $15,000.00 per incident to $25,000.00 per incident. The deductible for losses associated with water rose from $15,000.00 to $50,000.000 per incident. Unit Owners are reminded to be sure they update their HO6 policies to carry sufficient coverage for both type of losses in the corresponding amounts.
ASBESTOS – IMPORTANT NOTICE
Renovations contemplated to a unit that impact building materials that are suspect for containing asbestos that could release fibers from the matrix of those building materials require a licensed asbestos inspector to test for the presence of asbestos in each of the rooms in which the renovations are contemplated, or in which a likelihood of disturbing certain finished surfaces containing those building materials exists (Subject Areas). Such renovations include, but are not limited to: (1) removal of original vinyl flooring, (2) removal of any flooring mastic manufactured prior to 1982, (3) removal and or replacement of older attic thermal system insulation (e.g. vermiculite), or that (4) Impact/disturb ceilings containing a popcorn finish, or ceilings finished with joint compound manufactured prior to 1982 (regardless of popcorn finish) in any manner (scraping the texture, cutting holes for recess lightning, drilling, putting drywall over it, etc.) or (5) Cut or otherwise disturb drywell finished with joint compound manufactured prior to 1982. A copy of the findings of the test shall be attached as an exhibit to a Variance prior to its submission.
Welcome to Fairlington Villages!
At its September 6th meeting, the Board of Directors adopted a policy to cease acceptance of monthly assessment payments at the Management Office. The policy of accepting payments at the office is decades old when payments could be couriered to the Managing Agent for immediate deposit that same day. Today, payments accepted at the management office must be mailed to the same location that Unit Owners mail the payments themselves, at an additional cost for postage. Payments later in the beginning of the month that are mailed to the PacWest Lock Box on behalf of Unit Owners arrives after the 15th, incurring a late fee that must be manually reversed. The Policy adopted by the Board is attached and can be found in the Documents Library of TownSq.
October Newsletter
The City of Alexandria will be undertaking a large-scale multi modal project along King Street near the Bradlee Shopping Center. As part of this project, there will be opportunities to improve stormwater treatment and hopefully the overall medians and other streetscape elements. Alexandria will be launching a feedback form in Mid-September to ask for feedback on experiences navigating the area and priorities for improvement. Here’s a link to the project website with some initial information:
To ensure maximum access to the Association’s EV Charging Stations, once the EV charger determines that a vehicle is fully charged, if it is not moved within 15 minutes, then an automatic “parking” charge of $2.00 will be added for vehicles remaining in the EV charging spot for longer periods of time.
Management continues to receive complaints about the transference of smoking odors from cigarettes and marijuana from one unit to others, especially in the multi-unit buildings.
If you are a smoker or allow smoking in your unit, please make every attempt to ensure that your unit is sealed (common walls, outlets, behind appliances, etc.) to minimize the transference of smoke and smoke odors.
Non-smoker unit owners experiencing the negative effects of the transference of smoke odors are also encouraged to take such measures.
Other mitigation measures that can be effective are:
1. Purchase and use an air purifier (smokers and non-smokers)
2. Place a wet towel at the bottom of your door to prevent the smoke and odor from entering the hallway.
3. For marijuana consumers, consult your prescribing physician to determine whether edibles may be an effective and non-intrusive delivery method in lieu of smoking.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation in the effort to mitigate the negative effects of smoking and the transference of smoke odors to others.