CWHOA SPRING NEWSLETTER 2008:
COVENANTS COMMITTEE REPORT
Spring is coming, along with the Covenants Committee's next walk-through of the neighborhood. The new Committee is Ann McQuaid, Bev Casserly, and me, Catherine Curtiss, the new chair. Ed Gershon is our liaison to the Board. We have tentatively scheduled the walk-through for May 14 but that may change depending on weather.
For the walk-through we plan to focus on two general categories -- problems in the common areas, and glaring or persistent issues with the homes. Please send me an email (ccurtiss37@gmail.com) if you want us to be sure to put something on our "look at" list.
We did an exploratory walk through the Community in the fall. We alerted the Management Company to certain problems with the common areas such as steps with broken bricks, broken transformer boxes, and clogged street drains; these problems have been eliminated or will be addressed in the spring. We are now waiting for Denchfield to replant the grass and gardens that had been dug up for the irrigation system.
With respect to the homes, we saw only a few glaring or persistent problems, such as dangerously crumbling front steps, barren yards, or broken or obviously non-compliant windows.
The Committee also noted that some street signs were worn and we are currently in the process of evaluating the best way to improve all our signage. Shortly we will provide recommendations to the Board on re-doing the street signs in the Community to make them uniform, more effective, and perhaps more attractive. The Committee is aiming to provide its recommendations to the Board in early May. Ideas for improving the signs are most welcome - just send me an email.
On a personal note, I never thought I'd find myself on a Covenants Committee! I urge other homeowners to get involved in the Cloisters West Association; elections for Board vacancies and appointments to committees are coming up in June.
Enjoy the Spring!
Catherine Curtiss
SPRING CLEANING WEEKEND
Now we have a reason to begin our spring cleaning in the Cloisters West–inside and out! At the green space by 3600 Winfield, a large dumpster will be provided Sat. April 26th (until Monday AM) for residents to dispose of (non-perishable) items that have been piling up over time. No paint or hazardous materials.
In addition, a charity truck will be coming through to collect unwanted reusable goods–place items on your porch marked DONATION for Mon.AM.
Take advantage of this opportunity to clean house and donate to a good cause. The CWHOA Board members may even grill a few dogs to reward the hard work!
Managers Report
It has been a busy winter at Cloisters. Denchfield has installed an irrigation system that will water the beds at the 36th and 37th Street entrances as well as the lawn near 3600. This will improve the health of our planting and facilitate the long planned upgrade of shrubbery in these areas. We thank you for your patience while this was underway. The permitting process through DC was time-consuming and resulted in an incredible delay in this project. The benefits of the system, however, will soon be apparent.
Denchfield once again applied the incorrect mulch at the outset of the spring season. They returned free of charge to install the correct mulch. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused but at least you are now very well mulched and at no additional cost to the Association.
The Covenants Committee is advising the Board on speed bumps. They are looking at the need for these devices since they are only installed about half of the year, and if needed, a design that would be more consistent and attractive. The old bumps will not be reinstalled. The Board will report back to you on the Committees recommendation. Please remember that the Committee will do a thorough inspection of the property shortly. Please make sure your yards are cleaned and mulched, fences repaired, and other minor repairs made as soon as possible.
Submitted by
Roger Tilton
BOARD NOMINATIONS:
The CWHOA is currently accepting nominations to be considered at the Annual Meeting in June. If you would like to run for a seat on the CWHOA Board or if you would like to nominate someone, please contact a current Board member. Refer to page 4 for telephone numbers; email addresses are available on line at: www.cloisterswest.org
There may be 1 or 2 seats available for 2008/2009. Members meet one evening per month from 7-9pm. The commitment is 2 years. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors and to have an impact on decisions made on behalf of the community.
ANNUAL MEETING: JUNE 17
Mark your calendars! The annual Cloisters West Home Owners Association meeting will take place June 17th in the Heritage Room at Georgetown Visitation from 7pm to 9pm. Everyone is welcome!
A few items on the agenda are as follows:
President’s Address
Management Report
Master Plan
Board Nominations
Guest: Jack Evans, DC Councilmember, Ward 2
Q&A
It is important for neighbors to work together to make a Homeowners’ Association successful. The CWHOA Board members look forward to seeing everyone there!
REPORT: Alliance for Local Living
By Jerry McQuaid, Cloisters’ West HOA liaison, and Chuck Vansant, Director, Off Campus Student Life
The Alliance for Local Living (ALL) is an advisory council and community action group established by Georgetown University to deal with issues and challenges arising within the neighborhoods surrounding the University where the majority of undergraduate off-campus Georgetown students reside. ALL meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the Career Counseling Center’s Conference Room on the main floor of Leavey Center.
ALL is composed of representatives from the University administration, faculty, neighbors, including homeowners from Burleith and West Georgetown, students living in these neighborhoods, church leaders, Metro Police Department, the Georgetown Department of Public Safety, landlords, and business owners.
Five Principles of ALL:
1. Neighbors have a right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property.
2. Students living in these neighborhoods have an obligation to respect these rights and to enjoy the benefits of living in the wider community.
3. Georgetown has a duty to work proactively with the communities surrounding the University to assist students in their transition to community living.
4. When appropriate and possible, the University should intervene swiftly to resolve issues and problems caused by students.
5. All neighbors, including businesses, churches, and landlords can collaborate to create and sustain neighborhood environments that are safe and enjoyable for all.
Jerry McQuaid participates in ALL meetings representing the Cloister’s West Board of Directors and all Cloisters’ residents are welcomed and encouraged to attend. ALL addresses individual house situations along with community-wide issues. From the perspective of a Cloisters’ West owner, it is important that our community demonstrate its willingness and interest in improving the quality of life in the neighborhood. Participation in ALL meetings provides the opportunity to elevate issues to the University’s officials before situations escalate to unacceptable levels.
ALL hopes to be a conduit for information to the community and from the community to the University. Its goal is to raise the consciousness of students, agencies, and groups dealing directly with neighborhood problems.
ALL monitors the effectiveness of the University's efforts in helping maintain clean neighborhoods, reduce noise complaints, and solve problems that arise between students and homeowners, landlords and businesses.
Toward this goal, the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program was developed. SNAP is a direct response program for neighborhood complaints received by the Georgetown University Department of Public Safety Hotline (202.687.8413). SNAP operates on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights during the school year from 10PM to 3AM. When a complaint is received at the Hotline, the SNAP unit is dispatched to the scene. The SNAP unit is comprised of a GU Student Affairs professional and a Securitas patrol guard. SNAP addresses the students’ behaviors that led to the complaint and educates them on their responsibilities as residents of the neighborhood. If the SNAP unit believes they can not successfully resolve the complaint immediately they will call Metro Police to the scene.
We encourage the Cloister’s West community to participate as actively as they can in the ALL monthly meetings so that all perspectives are heard and all issues addressed to our mutual satisfaction.
For more information, please contact Chuck VanSant at Vansantc@georgetown.edu or Jerry McQuaid at
gfmcquaid@gmail.com
Master Plan Committee
Please feel free to join the Master Plan Committee. This will be a 5 person committee that will be joined by the 5 members of the CWHOA Board. This committee will address the entry at 37th Street (columns, signage, lighting and landscaping) and the mailboxes. The timeline will be for the committee to meet during the spring, summer and the fall with construction to take place by March 2009 prior to the spring 2009 landscaping. Anyone who is interested in participating should send an email to Ed Gershon at: egershon@aol.com
Water Quality Issues; Possible Solutions
* Do you ever feel like you are inhaling steamy chemicals when you take a shower with DC water? Does the chlorine dry your skin or alter your hair color? You may want to consider a shower-head filter system (that simply attaches to your standard shower head without any adjustments.) Many types are available on line or you can buy one at Sephora on M Street.
* Do you drink water directly from your spigot or do you trust your refrigerator to filter your drinking water? Whatever you do, try to avoid becoming addicted to individual plastic water bottles; they harm our environment. Consider ordering DrinkMore Water home delivery which is locally super-filtered water; available in various sizes with optional hot/cold dispensers to fill your canteen. You can taste the difference! www.drinkmorewater.com
Spring Gardening:
The time has arrived...spring has sprung! Let’s start sprucing up our gardens and planting our favorite flowers. Imagine what the Cloisters would look like without all of the beautiful greenery, shrubs, blossoms, and blooms. If you don’t have a green thumb, then plant something simple.
What is one way to create a very welcoming entry to your home? Greet your guests with welcoming pots and plants! (Experts recommend that containers be rather large to avoid being dwarfed by the front door.) Colorful glazed ceramic and clay containers seem to be popular this year!
Recycling:
New recycling bins arrived to all Cloisters West residents on Monday, March 24th. Now, let’s make sure we know how to best recycle our “stuff.”
We use a private contractor for trash removal. Recyclable rubbish (plastic and metal containers, glass and newspapers including color/glossy magazines) is collected on Tuesdays
Cloisters Directory Notice
The CWHOA will soon be UPDATING the Cloisters West Homeowner Directory. It is important to be able to reach your neighbors. Participation is highly encouraged; privacy is respected. A board member will be contacting you to confirm accurate information. Name, address, phone number, and email will be requested.