Masons Passage News
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
John Fiorenza
As you know, the Mason's Passage Homeowner's Association is completing its first full year of operations after having transitioned from Curry Development Company. In that time, we've made some progress but were somewhat constrained by the limited resources that were left to us at the time of the transition. Now, as we head into 2003, we will continue our efforts to make Mason's Passage one of the premier communities in Lorton, Virginia. To that end, we have made several changes that we believe will help us to serve you better. These changes include the following:
First, to better represent the interests of the homeowners of Mason's Passage, we have terminated our relationship with Armstrong Management Company and have hired Tri-State Management/Koger Group to serve the community. Second, we have established a community open forum, where for the first half hour of each monthly board meeting, we invite homeowners to join us to discuss community concerns, raise questions, provide feedback, or present issues. We encourage homeowners to join us during this time at 9782 Lorraine Carol Way, and for those of you unable to do so, please feel free to contact me via email (Fiorenza-John@aramark.com) or phone (703-339-1621) to convey your message. Third, as announced at the annual meeting in October, in light of severe budget pressures, the Board reluctantly agreed to increase the homeowner's association dues by 5% to $132.33 per quarter, effective January 1, 2003. We believe this change will help us in our fiscal management efforts.
In addition to these changes, I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Karen Garrison, our newest Board member. Karen was nominated and elected to serve on the Board after the resignation of Richard Idar in October. We are pleased that she has decided to join us. We encourage others to join us in our efforts to improve the community as well, since it is only with your help that we can make Mason's Passage a better place to live, and a truly nice place to call home.
Please see the following important announcements and news as we close out 2002.
NEW MANAGEMENT COMPANY SELECTED
The Board is pleased to announce that we have selected Tri-State Management/Koger Group, Inc. of Fairfax, Virginia, to handle the management services for our community. The change becomes effective on January 1, 2003.
Koger comes to us with an impressive history and a diverse background of association management, and a management style that the Board believes will be efficient, effective and professional.
As part of this transition, Koger will be verifying homeowner information. You will be provided with a postcard to return directly to Koger. Please complete the postcard and mail it back to Koger as promptly as possible. This information is important as the cost of various services is based on an accurate assessment of the number of homes in the community.
Please note that effective January 1, 2003, Koger will bill you directly for your Homeowners Association dues. Instead of the quarterly dues booklets, you will be receiving quarterly statements with a pay advice. As an alternative to the pay advice, you may make your quarterly payment directly via automatic deductions made from your bank account, starting with your second quarterly payment. To select this option, complete the ACH (Automatic Debit) form included with your first quarterly bill.
HELP NEEDED - MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY!
If you want to make a difference in the community, sharing just a small amount of your time each month, and more importantly, sharing your ideas on how to make Mason's Passage a great community, please consider becoming involved in one of several committees we have available. Immediate help is needed for both Neighborhood Watch and the Architectural Control Committee (ACC).
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
The Mason's Passage Neighborhood Watch is a group of concerned homeowners who work together to develop new and creative ways to help build a safer community. Currently, we are looking for both active and passive volunteers to help in this important initiative.
Specifically, we are looking for people to serve in any of the following capacities:
- Watch Person
- Block Captain
- Window Watcher
- Passive Observer
- Walking Patrols (Pet Walkers)
ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE (ACC)
The Architectural Control Committee is also looking for volunteers to get involved. Please call Pet Maxwell at 703-805-4717 (days) or 703-550-1249 (evenings), or send an email to pet.maxwell@amsc.belvoir.army.mil.
HOLIDAY TRASH REMOVAL
Holiday trash removal will be on Wednesday, January 8, 2003 and Monday, January 13, 2003. The trash removal for the week of Christmas and New Year's will occur on the regular Tuesday/Friday schedule.
CHANGE FROM MONTHLY TO QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
Starting in 2003, the newsletter will be sent on a quarterly basis with your HOA assessment statement from Koger. Thus, the next newsletter will be issued in March 2003. The Board will send any urgent communications that cannot wait until the quarterly mailing via ad hoc mailings throughout the year.
TO ALL MASON'S PASSAGE HOMEOWNERS, HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON!!!