Masons Passage News
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Summary of Annual HOA Meeting
In October, Mason's Passage Homeowners Association Board met with homeowners for an official Annual Meeting at Gunston Elementary School. There was a majority of homeowners present, and a vote was cast for two Board positions. Barry Simmons was re-elected, and Mirza Baig was newly elected to the Board.

For 2005, the Board positions are as follows:

Barry Simmons-President
Rose Ridolfi -Vice President
Tammy Grunkemeyer-Treasurer
Krista Bassett-Secretary
Mirza Baig-Member At Large

If you were unable to attend the meeting and would like a detailed account of the issues discussed and questions and answers, please feel free to visit the Mason's Passage website for a copy of the meeting minutes.

Thanks to all who attended the meeting!

Update on the Bond Release Process
The Board of Directors is continuing to work both with our engineer as well as representatives from Fairfax County about the bond release for Phase I of Mason's Passage. (The bond release process for Phase II will begin later.) There are a number of outstanding issues that were identified at a walk-through of the community this past summer. Some of the issues have been resolved while others are still being worked out. We will continue to provide updates both in future newsletters as well as on the Mason's Passage website.

New Website
Please note that the new web address for the HOA is www.masonspassage.org. Also note that you will be redirected to the new website if you continue to use the previous web address of www.oocities.org/masonspassage.

Holiday Trash Removal Schedule The trash removal schedule for the holiday season is as follows:
· No trash removal on December 25th and January 1st;
· Tree collection is January 5th and 12th. Note that this service is free of charge and requires no prior scheduling. Simply place your tree at the curb on one of those two days. All tinsel and ornaments must be removed from the tree. Any trees that are not collected on the dates listed may be placed at the curb on a trash collection day after January 12th.

Neighborhood Watch
Our Neighborhood Watch committee is once again starting to get off the ground. If you have any additional time, i.e. just a few hours a month, please consider getting involved. We need as many people as possible to keep a watchful eye on our community, especially given the recent incidents of graffiti and vandalism. Please contact Bill Booze at Tri-State Management/Koger at 571-432-5408 for more information.

We are also beginning a Neighborhood Watch e-mail list. If you are on this list, you will automatically receive a Police Incident Report each week. Also, you will be notified via email of any significant crime issues in our area. If you are interested, please send an email to Bob Mills at Rmills26@cox.net.

Lastly, Fairfax County now has an "on line" service that allows us to file a wide variety of non-emergency reports. This is primarily for crimes that may seem insignificant or offer little hope of solution. Through analysis, it may be the key to solving a larger problem. Often times, people do not have time to wait for an officer to come, thus the department is offering a way to report many lesser offenses over the Internet.

Thus, we can file minor reports at our own convenience. The information will be reviewed and included in the police department's overall analysis of crime trends in the community. A police incident number is e-mailed back to confirm the report has been accepted by the Police Department.

To file an on line report, please do the following:

Go to "http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov", click on public safety, click on Police Department, and then click on "File an On-line Police Report".

Parking
Please be reminded that as of October 1st a towing company has been patrolling the community and is authorized to tow away vehicles that are parked in a prohibited manner, such as in a fire lane. This is intended to address the congested parking situation in our neighborhood and provide greater safety as cleared streets enable free access by emergency vehicles and life-saving equipment in cases of emergencies. Homeowners are encouraged to use their garages and driveways for parking.

Garage Usage
As mentioned in previous newsletters, please note that there is a County ordinance that requires garages to be used primarily for parking vehicles and not as living or storage spaces. If you are using your garage for storage instead of as a parking spot for your vehicle, then you are violating this County ordinance, and contributing to the parking congestion in the neighborhood.

Architectural Review Committee Guidelines
The Architectural Review Committee has noticed that there are many homes where the architectural guidelines of the HOA are not being followed. Here are a few examples:
· Planters should not be on or near your mailbox.
· Mailboxes should be painted black and include only the house number.
· Garbage cans should be stored in the garage and not on driveways in plain view.

Please be sure to review the Architectural Review guidelines. A copy can be found on the Mason's Passage website. If you are in violation, you will receive a letter and a warning notifying you of your violation. As always, if you intend to make changes to your property, please be sure to complete an ARC Form, which also can be found on the website.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Happy Holidays!