Questions Raised at the Meeting
During the meeting, SCA members asked the following questions related to the establishment of a community parking district. Answers that were provided during the meeting are included below the questions in italics.

QUESTION: How does Fairfax County define the term RV with the community parking district guidelines?
ANSWER: The term RV refers to motor homes and camping trailers. According to the Virginia Code, Section 46.2-100, camping trailer, motor home, and trailer are defined as follows:

• "Camping trailer" means every vehicle that has collapsible sides and contains sleeping quarters but may or may not contain bathing and cooking facilities and is designed to be drawn by a motor vehicle.
• "Motor home" means every private motor vehicle with a normal seating capacity of not more than 10 persons, including the driver, designed primarily for use as living quarters for human beings
• "Trailer" means every vehicle without motive power designed for carrying property or passengers wholly on its own structure and for being drawn by a motor vehicle, including manufactured homes.
  

QUESTION: Is a POD temporary storage unit prohibited in a community parking district?
ANSWER: A community parking district bans the parking of trailers, RVs, and watercraft from the STREET, not private property. Thus, a community parking district does not cover temporary storage devices that are already banned from street parking. If you find it necessary to park a temporary storage device or trash trailer on the street, you must obtain a permit from the VDOT.

QUESTION: Does this include Woodstone?
ANSWER: It can, if Woodstone residents whose streets connect to Stoneybrooke want the community parking district. We will leave this up to them.

QUESTION: Is there a time period established for how long a petition drive can remain open?
ANSWER: Yes, one year. A complete Frequently Asked Questions document, provided by Fairfax County, is included in this issue of the Sentinel.

QUESTION: Does a community parking district prohibit trailers, RVs, and watercraft from Stoneybrooke?
ANSWER: No, it only prohibits them from being parked on the streets. Rather than parking them on the street, residents will be forced to park them in their garage or driveway.

Vote to Initiate a Petition Drive
Following the speakers, a vote was taken to determine whether Stoneybrooke residents support the initiation of a petition drive to establish a community parking district within Stoneybrooke. Only SCA dues paying residents were eligible to vote. Signed proxy votes were accepted prior to the meeting. The voting results were as follows:

 

Position	Number of Votes
FOR the initiation of a petition drive to establish a community parking district within Stoneybrooke	35
AGAINST the initiation of a petition drive to establish a community parking district within Stoneybrooke	12

Post-Vote Information
Based on the vote, the SCA supports the initiation of a petition drive to establish a community parking district within Stoneybrooke. The petition must have signatures from 60% of the Stoneybrooke homeowners for Fairfax County to consider the petition. At the meeting, Mike Jurkowski asked for volunteers to coordinate this petition drive. No one volunteered. In response, the SCA board established February 28, 2007 as the date by which someone must volunteer to coordinate this petition drive. If no one volunteers by this date, the SCA will no longer support this petition drive.

Other Topics of Interest
South Kings Highway/Harrison Lane Update
The land acquisition associated with the South Kings Highway/Harrison Lane renovation project is approximately six months behind schedule. The original project finish date is the end of 2008. With this land acquisition delay, Mike Jurkowski asked Mohammed Gharavi of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) whether the finish date has been set to mid-2009. Thus far, Mike has received no response.

SCA Covenants – New Homebuyers
When houses within Stoneybrooke go on the market for sale, the SCA has recently begun sending the selling agent a letter informing them of the covenants currently in place within Stoneybrooke. This action is in response to recent homebuyers in Stoneybrooke not being aware of the neighborhood covenants.

If anyone is interested in reviewing the covenants, they are available in the Stoneybrooke directory and on the Stoneybrooke website at http://stoneybrooke.org/pages/covenants.html.

Stoneybrooke Directory
The Stoneybrooke directory is currently being updated and should be available by late spring.

Architectural Control Board
Mike Jurkowski informed the SCA members that the SCA Board is discussing the reestablishment of this committee. The discussions are in response to structures being built within Stoneybrooke that violate Fairfax County regulations. The Architectural Control Board is a resource Stoneybrooke members can use to ensure their building plans are allowed under Fairfax County regulations and the Stoneybrooke covenants.

Speaker Comments – Sanitary District for Trash Collection Purposes
After the meeting, the speakers were asked to document their comments for inclusion in the February 2007 Stoneybrooke Sentinel. The comments are included below.

Lawrence Woods
I OPPOSE ANY ATTEMPT TO REPLACE MY PRESENT FINE REFUSE SERVICE WITH THE GREATLY INFERIOR FAIRFAX COUNTY TRASH SERVICE.

1. AMERICAN PICKS UP REFUSE BI-WEEKLY VERSUS FAIRFAX ONCE A WEEK PICKUP
2. AMERICAN PICKS UP BULKY ITEMS AND LARGE LOADS OF TRASH WITHOUT HAVING TO BE CONTACTED FOR A “SPECIAL” PICK UP.
3. AMERICAN COST LESS AND ITS FUTURE RATES WILL PROBABLY ALWAYS BE LESS THAN A FAIRFAX GOVERNMENT SERVICE.

LIKE MANY PEOPLE IN STONEYBROOKE, I FREQUENTLY HAVE LARGE ITEMS AND LARGE AMOUNTS OF TRASH TO BE PICKED UP. I THINK IT WOULD DETRACT GREATLY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO SEE LARGE ITEMS, SUCH AS FURNITURE AND APPLIANCES AND LARGE AMOUNTS OF TRASH AT THE CURB FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

THIS TUESDAY, WHILE OUT FOR A WALK, I NOTICED THAT FIVE HOUSES ON STONEYBROOKE HAD LARGE ITEMS AND/OR A LARGE AMOUNT OF ITEMS FOR AMERICAN TO PICK UP. AMERICAN TOOK ALL THE TRASH THAT THESE HOUSEHOLDS PUT OUT THAT DAY.

FAIRFAX AND AAA TRASH SERVICES WOULD POSSIBLY REQUIRE A CALL FOR A “SPECIAL” PICK UP.

I DO NOT NEED TO POINT OUT TO ANY OF YOU THE FREQUENT TERRIBLE MESSES ON MEMORIAL DRIVE AND HARRISON LANE. DEBRIS, FURNITURE, APPLIANCES, AND OTHER ITEMS ARE LEFT AT THE CURB FOR WEEKS AT TIME. THESE STREETS HAVE FAIRFAX TRASH “SERVICE”.

MANY STONEYBROOKE RESIDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECALL THE “MOUNTAINS” OF TRASH SPREAD OUT IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE THAT IS TWO HOUSES WEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF HARRISON LANE AND SOUTH KINGS HIGHWAY. TRASH WAS LEFT BY THE UNCURBED EDGE OF THE ROAD FOR WEEKS AT A TIME. FREQUENTLY THERE WERE CABINETS, DRYWALL, FIXTURES, TOILETS, BUCKETS OF TAR AND PAINT ETC. THE PERSON LIVING AT THIS RESIDENCE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A CONTRACTOR BECAUSE MANY TOILETS, CABINETS, ETC WERE PLACED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

I REPORTED THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION TO THE FAIRFAX AUTHORITIES ON AT LEAST A DOZEN OCCASIONS. MOST OF THE TIMES I DID NOT SEE ANY ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THIS HAZARD.

ONE TIME I HAD TO STOP IN MY LANE WHERE A TOILET WAS IN THE ROADWAY. ANOTHER PERSON STOPPED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE .ROAD AND MOVED THE TOILET BACK TO THE APPROPRIATE YARD.

WHILE WATCHING A NATIONAL NEWS CAST AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA, I SAW AN EXAMPLE OF FAIRFAX’S INEPTITUDE. THEY SHOWED PICTURES OF PILES OF DEBRIS STILL LEFT OVER FROM STORM ISABEL. THEY COMMENTED THAT EVEN “ONE OF THE RICHEST COUNTIES” HAS TROUBLE IN CLEANING UP STORM DEBRIS EVEN AFTER MANY MONTHS.

IN CLOSING, I WILL OPPOSE ANY EFFORT THAT WOULD FORCE ME TO SUBSCRIBE TO A GREATLY INFERIOR, MORE EXPENSIVE TRASH SERVICE.

I WILL DO EVERYTHING LEGALLY POSSIBLE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.

Susan Burdett
My vote was NO to create a sanitary collection district

--I want to clarify that circulation of the petition should be limited to a time of 2-3 months and that all petitioners should be verified as current homeowners prior to submission to the Board of Supervisors.

---The change would merely redistribute the garbage, not change the quantity.

--The change would be more burdensome for larger families and create an issue with storage.

--The change would create a wildlife issue for missed set outs due to forgetfulness or out-of-town trips.

--The change would create an odor problem during the summer months.

--There is no recourse if we are unhappy with the county service. We can’t change back.

--Sanitary collection districts exist to force people who don’t properly dispose of their garbage to do so by attaching the fee to their tax statement. Stoneybrooke does not have a problem with improper disposal of garbage.

--Private carriers can still be hired, but at additional cost. Those who really want to get twice a week service can still get it. Those annoyed by twice a week service can’t stop it.

Speaker Comments – Community Parking District
After the meeting, the speakers were asked to document their comments for inclusion in the February 2007 Stoneybrooke Sentinel. The comments are included below.

Lawrence Woods
MY ONLY CONCERN WITH A PARKING DISTRICT WOULD BE IF IT LED TO HAVING RUMBLE STRIPS PLACED ON STONEYBROOKE LANE.

MY CONCERNS CENTER AROUND ENCOURAGING GOOD DRIVING HABIT WHICH I DOUBT CAN BE ADDRESSED WITH A ESTABLISHMENT OF A PARKING DISTRICT.

I HAVE NOT BEEN BOTHERED BY BOATS, RECREATIONAL VEHICLES, TRAILERS ETC. BEING PARKED FOR AN EXTENSIVE PERIOD IN MY AREA.

I WOULD LIKE SOMEDAY TO SEE, IF A WHITE CENTER LINE ON STONEYBROOKE LANE, WOULD REDUCE THE TENDENCY OF SOME DRIVERS FROM CROSSING OVER THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET WHEN GOING UP AS WELL AS DOWN THE STREET.

ALSO, I WOULD LIKE SEE SOMEDAY THAT ALL STONEYBROOKE DRIVERS ARE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR TURNS OFF AND ONTO SOUTH KINGS HIGHWAY BE AT A RIGHT ANGLE. FREQUENTLY I SEE DRIVER MAKE 45 DEGREE TURNS AT THIS INTERSECTION. THE DIAGONAL CUTS INTO AND OUT OF STONEYBROOKE, IE THE CUT ACROSS THE BOW TO USE A NAVY TERM, CAN BE DANGEROUS.

LASTLY, AS NO ONE YET HAS FOUND A WAY TO SAFELY STEER AND CONTROL A CAR WHILE TALKING ON A HAND HELD CELL PHONE, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF HAND HELD CELL PHONE USERS WOULD CURB THEIR VEHICLES UNTIL I HAD A CHANCE TO PASS BY THEM GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

Susan Burdett
My vote was NO to creating a petition for a Community Parking District.

--I want to clarify that circulation of the petition should be limited to a time of 2-3 months and that all petitioners should be verified as current homeowners prior to submission to the Board of Supervisors.

--The decision to create a Community Parking District would be a grave error. Proponents of creating a parking district argue that the proposal is not merely about boats and trailers, but sending a message to our neighbors about what kind of community we want to live in. I couldn’t agree more. I want to live in a community that cherishes all of its neighbors and can revel not only in our similarities, but, also, in our differences. Make no mistake, this decision will reflect who we are as a community and our values.

If we truly are trying to maintain/increase real estate values, then we are concentrating in the wrong area entirely. Improvement of Groveton Elementary School would yield a far greater impact on our property values, and we could be proud of our efforts as we embrace every child in the community. The school has need for volunteers, fundraising, and grant proposal writers. In combination with neighboring communities we could truly make a difference.

--Creation of a Community Parking District will affect trailers and boats ONLY. Commercial vehicles under 12,000 pounds will NOT be affected by the measure.

--There are a whopping 2 potential violators in our community. For the record, I don’t own a trailer, boat, or commercial vehicle.

--There is 1 boat.

--There is 1 trailer. The trailer is used for a Circus Club, a community service organization that trains young people in circus skills and performs in nearly every parade in the Washington, D.C metropolitan area. The Circus Club lost their storage facilities at a local school that needed the space and private storage warehouses proved too costly for the club to remain viable. As a community, we have an obligation to support those who support our community.

--The community will have to pay $1,380 to submit the petition. These monies will come from SCA funds. It is improper to have the community association pay for a petition to limit the right of law-abiding taxpayers to park a legally licensed vehicle in front of their house.

--The violators will simply park in their driveways. The parking district does not bar boats or trailers from being parked in their driveways. The SCA will have paid $1380 to force someone to walk a little farther to put their groceries away.

--This measure opens up the SCA and its leadership to lawsuits. There is already a lawsuit underway in Kingstowne. That there are only 2 offending vehicles makes the association particularly vulnerable.

--There will be a signage impact. The legal requirement is that a sign be placed every 200 feet. Will the signs change the feel of the community? Do you want a sign in your front yard?

--Community Parking Districts exist to protect communities in/near commercial and recreational areas from having those outside the community take space on the streets. Clearly, 2 privately-owned vehicles parked in front of the owners’ homes don’t meet the criteria.

--Creation of a Community Parking District in Stoneybrooke is simply a bad idea

Scott McMahon, SCA Vice Chairman
The Board has not considered my comments or taken any vote on them, so I offer them as personal thoughts only, having observed the discussions among neighbors this evening. I do not speak for the SCA Board.

I support the establishment of a community parking district (CPD) because the Board has gotten numerous complaints about boats, work trailers and other types of vehicles that shouldn’t be parked on the street in a development like Stoneybrooke. As you know, the SCA’s options for action are extremely limited, so a CPD would prohibit certain types of vehicles, and thus provide some relief to homeowners. But the CPD will not solve the full spectrum of the problem we face. There appears to be an increasing number of small, commercial vehicles, such as ladder trucks, carpet cleaning vans and the like, on the streets in Stoneybrooke. The CPD will have no effect on vehicles of this type. I believe the County Code allows one such vehicle per household. Stoneybrooke’s covenants, which presumably bind all homeowners, do permit small, commercial vehicles to be parked in the neighborhood, but such vehicles must be parked in a manner that ensures that they are not visible from residential streets. This community standard is critical to maintaining the neighborhood appearance that has long defined Stoneybrooke. Even so, other neighbors that I have spoken with agree that an unfortunate trend has started: More and more families are parking commercial vehicles in front of their homes, in plain view. In some cases, two or three commercial vehicles are parked in front of the owner’s residence, or even worse, on the lawn. This trend is changing the appearance of Stoneybrooke, and if it continues, it will gradually change the character of the neighborhood in a way that most homeowners never expected when they purchased their property here. And that’s really the point -- it’s a property values issue. People who bought a home here were told, as I was, that Stoneybrooke was one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Lee District. And you could see why, just by driving down Stoneybrooke Lane. People purchased with the expectation that community standards would be adhered to and property values would be maintained as a result. Many of us have made financial plans for our retirement, assuming that property values and sale prices will be lucrative in the future. We all have an interest in maintaining the appearance of our neighborhood and preserving our property values. We won’t maintain either if down the road it’s obvious that Stoneybrooke is a neighborhood that’s seen better days. Aesthetics matter and are worth protecting in Stoneybrooke.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Stoneybrooke Residents,

Private trash haulers offer suspended service while house owners are absent from the area
e.g., vacation, prolonged work absence etc. Your bill is credited.

Most private haulers will offer a senior discount.

Trash pick-up is twice a week and less expensive than County once-a-week service.

Trash presentation at curbside is the responsibility, regardless of hauler, of the resident
household. It should be packaged with cleanliness and ease of removal in mind. This factor should not be a driver for change in our community trash haulers because of negligence on a few untidy homeowners.

Dick Swain

* * * * * * * * *

Dear Stoneybrooke Residents,

My name is Tricia Kobus and I have lived in Stoneybrooke for 35 years. First, I would like to say that I believe that Stoneybrooke’s officers and directors have done a lot of good things for the community. However, I strongly disagree with the current effort to try to get the homeowners to petition Fairfax County to obtain County-sponsored trash service. I have gathered the information below from two County representatives in the Division of Sanitation and Waste Recycling and a representative from each of the three companies that currently service Stoneybrooke.

Before you sign a petition requesting Fairfax County trash service, please consider the following issues:

1. County Service- Obtaining service through Fairfax County does not necessarily mean service by County employees. The County often contracts out the service to a private company. The County’s website states that most county residents have private trash service. The fee for County service is added to real estate tax bills but is not an allowable tax deduction.
2. Private Service Availability- Even if the community has County service, private companies may still service individuals in the community. It has been stated by the board that private companies will not be allowed to come into Stoneybrooke if we get County service. That is NOT correct. Individuals who still want private service will have to pay the County fee but may still hire a private company. Please don’t think that everyone will just accept County service. I can guarantee that some people will still elect private service so there will still be private trash trucks coming into Stoneybrooke and there will still be trash in front of those houses on days other than the County days to pick up trash.
3. Frequency of Collection- County trash collection is one time a week compared to two times a week with private companies. If you have something in the trash that smells, it can be there for many more days before it is picked up by the County than if we have private trash collection. Also, if for some reason, you miss putting out your trash in time for the County collection, it will stay for another full week before it is picked up with County service compared with a few more days with private service.
4. Cost- Currently, the fee for County service is $315/year. However, it has been proposed to the Fairfax County Board to increase the fee to $330/year ($27.50/month) as of July 1. The three private companies I spoke to stated that they have no plans at this time to increase fees. The current private trash fees for two pickups a week are:
   • Virginia Trash--$28.95/month
   • AAA--$28.99 + fuel surcharge (currently $1.79) = $30.78/month
   • American Disposal--$27.95/month
5. Senior Discount- The County does not offer a senior discount. Senior discounts offered by the private companies are:
   • Virginia Trash—none
   • AAA--$21.99 + fuel surcharge (currently $1.79) = $23.78/month for 60 & over
   • American Disposal--$23.95 for 62 & over
6. Group Rates- The County does not offer a group rate. Group rates offered by the private companies are:
   • Virginia Trash—none
   • AAA—none
   • American Disposal--$22.95/month if they service over 50% of the community
7. Pipestems (Privacy Drives)- The County does not go up pipestems. The policies stated by the private companies are:
   • Virginia Trash—states they do not go up pipestems but some residents state they do
   • AAA—currently goes up pipestems
   • American Disposal—currently goes up pipestems

If you think there is a lot of trash out now, think of how much more trash is going to be put on the main streets in our community when all the people who live on pipestems and currently have their trash picked up in front of their house begin putting their trash on the main streets.

Thank you for considering my point of view.

Tricia Kobus

To all Stoneybrooke Homeowners: :
We endorse Mrs. Kobus’s letter and add the following recommendations and observations:

1. A second petition should be circulated at the same time as the Association proposed petition stating, “I do not agree with using County trash collection services and wish to continue using more efficient, convenient and cost-effective private trash service.” Such a petition would present a more comprehensive reading of both positions on this matter.
2. The effect of bringing the county in would be to levy an additional $330+ tax on the elderly and limited income members of our community who will continue to pay for private service in order to avoid lugging their trash down their 160-foot long pipe stems to Stoneybrooke Lane.
3. We encourage our citizens to visit Harrison Lane and Memorial Street on trash days to get an idea about how unsightly it is when everyone puts their trash out on the same day. Keep in mind that those streets are not impacted by many pipestems.
4. The vote that was taken this month before our Citizens Association was based on incomplete and inaccurate information and therefore should be nullified. Instead of a petition, we recommend that the Citizen Association hand carry proxy vote sheets to all of our neighbors who are homeowners. Quite simply … everyone gets a voice on this matter.

Kasey Corbett, 6824 Stoneybrooke Lane
Margie Baker, 6826 Stoneybrooke Lane
Jan Curtis, 6830 Stoneybrooke Lane
Doug Drabkowski, 6828 Stoneyrooke Lane

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Stoneybrooke Residents,

 I offer here my personal views. I am not writing for the SCA Board. After further discussions with neighbors regarding the increasing number of small, commercial vehicles being parked in Stoneybrooke, and even large ones such as dump trucks, and understanding that the SCA is largely powerless to intervene to defend property values, I think it's worth exploring options that a group of concerned neighbors might pursue, independent of the SCA. At a minimum, I think a group should be formed to identify individuals or organizations with relevant expertise and to discuss options. We need to know where we stand and what rights we have. We should do this before it's too late to act. If the problem continues unchecked, we will loose our right to enforce community standards. This neighborhood will eventually reach a tipping point, after which
homeowners that have the means to leave will leave. Those of us that remain will face the consequences of our failure to act while we still had an opportunity to do so effectively. I'd be happy to discuss possible initiatives with interested neighbors (some have already expressed interest). I have come to this view after many hours of researching other options and after
meeting with county officials to discuss options. If we want to protect property values in Stoneybrooke, we'll have to do it ourselves. That's the way I see it. Email me and we'll talk, .

Scott McMahon

Stoneybrooke Babysitters

Soumya Azzam (Licensed, CPR certified) 703-660-8499
Ronja Roberts (19) 703-765-8555
Ryan Schless (CPR Cert) 703-721-0923
Stacey Selman (CPR Cert) 703-765-9114

Mother's Helpers

Anna Jurkowski 703-765-2736

Announcements

Retirement News
Congratulations to Mike Lynch, who recently retired from the IRS after 36 years of service.
Mike gave himself a birthday present and retired on his birthday, January 3. Congratulations,
Mike! Well done!

More Retirement News
Congratulations to Ron Kobus, who recently retired on 1/3/07 from General Services Administration after 40 years of federal government service. Great job, Ron!

New Arrival
Congratulations to John & Adrienne Petz on the arrival of their first child, a daughter! Sarah Grace Petz was born on December 20, 7 pounds 14 ounces, 20 inches. According to her grandfather, she will be attending UVA undergrad and Vanderbilt Law School (his law school alma mater). Everyone is doing fine.

Classifieds

The SCA Board reserves the right to add or cancel events without notice.

Month	Day	Date	Time	Event	Location
April	Sun	15th	2pm	Kid’s Egg Hunt	Stone Mansion
May	Sat	5th	8am	Spring Yard Sale	Community
June	Sat	16th	4pm	Spring Fling	Stone Mill Place
	Thu	21st	7:30pm	SCA Mtg	Stone Mansion

We Thank Our Sponsors!

 

 

 

 

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