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Community Meeting Held
On Monday, October 7, 2002, the annual Mason's Passage HOA meeting was held at Lorton Library. Richard Idar, former president, opened the meeting by bringing the community up to date on what has occurred over the past year and identifying current issues facing the community.

The Transition Study, a review of the community by a third-party engineer, is ongoing. The study includes several items that the developer of Mason's Passage needs to fulfill before he is released from his bond and control of the community fully transitions to the HOA. The developer is still working to resolve several significant issues, such as concerns about how close the tot lot is to the pond and the generally unsatisfactory condition of the common areas around the community.

There was a note of gratitude to the residents who have served on the four existing committees: Architectural, Communications, Grounds and Parking.

Justin Karlinchak nominated Karen Garrison to serve a 3-year term as the HOA board member at-large. She was approved unanimously.

The Board had a two-month evaluation of the HOA covenants and by-laws in an effort to make them more comprehensible. The result of the evaluation is a new handbook created by the Architectural Control Committee for all residents entitled Mason's Passage Homeowners Association Handbook: Rules and Regulations and Architectural Guidelines. A copy was given to all residents at the meeting. Additionally, the Handbook is available online.

The 2003 budget was presented. In order to meet expenses in 2003, there will be a 5% increase in HOA dues, to $132.33 per quarter. The jump mainly reflects a 10% climb in the cost of grounds maintenance and a 2.8% increase in trash removal

2003 Board of Directors
The following homeowners will serve as members of the Mason's Passage Homeowners Association for the coming year.

We extend our congratulations and appreciation for their willingness to serve:

President: John Fiorenza
Vice President: Barry Simmons
Treasurer: Tom Hartmann
Secretary: Karla Smith-Jackson
Member at Large: Karen Garrison

The community also extends its thanks to outgoing Board President, Richard Idar for his work over the past year.

Don't Hibernate on Lawn Care
Now is the time to be fertilizing your lawn in order to keep it beautiful and prepare it for winter. The following information on fertilizing is from the Scotts Company's website at www.scotts.com:

Early fall (September to October) - With cool nights, rainfall and morning dew, this is a great time to supply the lawn with the nutrients it needs to recover from and repair summer damage. An early fall feeding is one of the most important of the year.

Late fall/early winter (November to December) - A final feeding before the nasty winter months will strengthen roots and increase nitrogen stores for an early spring green up. At this time of year, roots remain active for just a couple of weeks when the top growth stops - the energy reserves are stored for the following spring.

The specific time of day you fertilize your lawn depends on weather conditions, and some fertilizers shouldn't be applied if rain is in the forecast for 24 hours.

Fairfax Co. Police Dept. Crime Report
The following incidents were reported by the Fairfax County Police Department recently:

9700 Plaskett Forest Lane - Cash taken from residence

10300 Gunston Road- Two golf carts reported stolen.

Springfield Mall- An 8-year-old girl was playing in the castle area at Planet Play Arcade when an employee coaxed her to a secluded area, exposed himself to her and had her touch him. The girl immediately told her mother, who notified Springfield Mall security. Police arrested Craig Mabe, 18, of the Kingstowne area and charged him with aggravated sexual battery.

Halloween at Mason's Passage
The HOA board has provided a few guidelines for Halloween 2002.

If you wish to have your child participate in trick-or-treating, please do so within the hours of dusk and 8:30pm

If you will be providing treats, please make sure that your garage and porch lights on. If you do not wish to participate, please keep your garage and porch lights off.

Remember to exercise great care when driving through the neighborhood on Halloween night since there will be many additional people walking in the community. If you decide to cross Route 1 to go trick or treating, please exercise caution.

Halloween Safety Tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• When purchasing costumes, masks, beards and wigs, look for flame resistant fabrics. To minimize the risk of contact with candles and other fire sources, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.
• Use costumes that are light, bright and clearly visible to motorists.
• For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car's headlights.
• Children should carry flashlights to see and be seen
• Tie hats and scarves securely to prevent them from slipping over children's eyes and obstructing vision. If your child wears a mask, make sure it fits securely, provides adequate ventilation, and has eye holes large enough to allow full vision.
• Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has examined them carefully for evidence of tampering.
• Carefully examine any toys or novelty items received by trick-or-treaters under three years of age.
• Keep candles and jack-o'-lanterns away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame.

Local Halloween events

• Springfield Mall Halloween Spooktacular - Oct 31st. In-mall Trick-or-Treating, 6-7pm, Balloon Sculpting, 6-7pm, Comedy-Magic Show, 7pm.

• Cox Farms Fall Festival-Oct. 1-31, 10-6 daily. Live entertainment until 1 pm, unlimited hayrides, mountain slides, rope swings, cider and apples, farm animals (Goats, American Bison, Donkeys, and more), tunnels and mazes, take home a patch pumpkin.

• Cherry Hill Farms Halloween Festival- Oct. 4-31, 10am-6pm. Hayrides and farm animals. More than 500 scarecrows, huge slides, animal barn, corn maze, hayride, and select your own pumpkin.