Board of Directors Elected
At a community meeting in September, control of the Mason?s Passage HOA was transferred from the community?s developer to a Board of Directors elected by a quorum of homeowners present. The open meeting was held at Gunston Elementary.

The terms of the board members are staggered so that the entire board does not turn over at the same time. The newly elected board members are listed in the box at side.

In addition, three standing committees were formed. They are as follows:

Architectural Review ? Chair Petronella Maxwell
Grounds ? Chair Dr. Seemi Baig
Communications ? Chair Kristin Bowl

HOA Forms Neighborhood Watch
Homeowner John Enos is heading up an effort to form a neighborhood block watch for Mason?s Passage.

Many other homeowners have expressed interest in volunteering to assist in this effort.

The Block Watch Program is designed to encourage residents to work together to address crime related neighborhood problems. Communities all around the country have found great success with such programs.

An informational session was held at John?s home this past week with an officer from the Fairfax County Police Department.

If you were unable to attend the meeting, feel free to contact John at 703-339-9024 for further information.

Parents are Asked to Keep an Eye Out for Their Children
Homeowners are asked to ensure that their children are playing in a safe area and not on the streets of the community. With darkness coming early these days, it is often difficult for drivers to see children.

Several homeowners have reported incidents where young children were nearly struck as they played in the street, unaware of oncoming cars. The tot lot and recreation area behind the pond are great places for children to play safely and under the watch of parents.

For the safety of all, drivers should obey the speed limit and stop signs of the community and to be watchful for young children.

Homeowners are also asked to monitor and observe the activities of their older children.

Quite a few instances have been reported of destructive behavior by pre-teens and teens, including graffiti and removal of pickets in the community gazebo.

Such incidents will be diligently reported to local authorities.

Information about HOA Board Meetings
The Mason?s Passage Board of Directors will meet on a monthly basis. Notice of each meeting will be posted in this newsletter as well as posted on the website.

The monthly meetings are generally held in a board member?s home. It is the intention of the Board to hold open community meetings quarterly at which residents may bring up concerns they may have or for the board to get feedback from the community on a pre-determined topic. The first meeting is tentatively scheduled this Spring.

Any resident may attend a meeting to hear the business being considered by the Board. However, the board has a long list of issues to address at each monthly meeting and must follow a pre-determined agenda of business.

If any resident has an issue they wish the HOA to address, they should communicate these concerns to Armstrong Management Services. Armstrong is on contract with the HOA to serve some of its administrative needs and to bring community concerns to the board for consideration. Letters from several residents have already been read at past board meetings and those issues considered by the board.

Next Board Meeting
1/2/01?7:30 pm
9724 Plaskett Forest

Communication With Homeowners
Our new Board of Directors is committed to keeping you up-to-date with information that affects Mason?s Passage.

This newsletter will be distributed on a monthly basis following board meetings so that decisions made by the Board can be communicated to the community. The newsletter will also include important notices about trash and snow removal, improvements to the community, reminders meetings or deadlines and other important information.

In addition to the newsletter, we are in the process of creating a website with similar information, but also additional resources such as the by-laws of the HOA, forms to request consideration by the Architectural Committee, links to local resources, etc.

We also intend to create a private e-mail list so that homeowners who wish to receive information by e-mail may do so, thereby saving our HOA the cost of postage.

Your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone outside the HOA. Please send your e-mail address to: kristinlbowl@yahoo.com.

Good News!
HOA Fees will stay the same for 2002 at $126.00 quarterly. Dues are due on the first day of each quarter (1/1, 1/4, 1/7, 1/10).

Please note that information on a new collections process for those who owe back dues has recently been distributed to all homeowners. Please take time to read this information carefully.

Holiday Trash and Recycling Schedule
There will be no trash or recycling pick-up on Christmas Day or New Year?s Day.

Items will be picked up on your next regularly scheduled pick-up day. There will be one makeup pick-up for recyclables on Saturday, December 29th.

Please have all items out by 6:00 am.

Pick-up of Christmas trees was scheduled for Wednesday, January 2nd and January 9th. Due to complications, the trash company will be picking up Christmas trees on January 9th only.

Please remove all decorations and tinsel before placing your tree at curbside.

Please note that trash cans and recycling bins are not permitted to remain in public view except on trash days.

Landscaping and Grounds Maintainance
The Grounds Committee is working with the Board of Directors to consider proposals and bids for the maintenance of the grounds of Mason?s Passage and also for landscaping.

Among the plans is development for what has become known as the Mason?s Passage ?village green?. This is the open area on which the gazebo sits at the front of the community.

As it stands, the village green is not in accordance with the original design of the community and plans are underway for the development of this area into a park-like setting, with more trees, plantings, and grass.

This area is currently used as a recreation field, but will not be used for these purposes in the future. Homeowners are encouraged to make use of the designated recreation field next to the pond.

While proposals and bids are being considered currently, it is likely that actual landscaping of the village green will not occur until Spring.

The Board is also investigating what the remaining responsibilities of the developer may be in relation to landscaping.

Many of the Board and Committee members have already invested many hours of work on this project.

Architectural Review Process
If you are planning any permanent improvements or modifications to the exterior of your home or property, please be aware that such changes must be approved by the Architectural Review Committee under the by-laws of the Homeowners Association.

Examples of changes that require approval include painting any part of the exterior of your home a different color than its original paint, the planting or removal of trees or the construction of a deck or other structure.

Architectural review forms are available through Armstrong Management. They can also be downloaded from the website. Completed forms should be submitted to Armstrong which will bring the forms to the committee for review at their monthly meetings.

The committee is currently working on a version of the architectural guidelines in layman?s terms. These should be available by the first of the year. Information on the approval process will also be available so that homeowners know what to expect regarding timeframes for approval or appeals if needed.

Community Directory
If there are enough interested homeowners, the HOA will consider creating a directory with address, phone and/or e-mail address information to be shared among the residents of our community. Keep an eye out for further information in this newsletter and on the website in the near future.

Armstrong Management Services
Prior to the formation of the HOA?s Board of Directors, Armstrong Management Services was contracted by the community?s developer to serve the needs of the community while it was being built.

This contract remains in effect. If you have questions about the community such as trash pick-up or snow removal, need information about the various committees, or wish to communicate a request to the Board of Directors, please contact Armstrong at: