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Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 1 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Luther Jackson Middle School students volunteered at a
recent Food for Neighbors collection event.
LVCA Students Fighting Hunger with Local Organization
Winter 2020 Newsletter
by Christine Woodard
My son and I recently had the
opportunity to volunteer for the
Food for Neighbors food
collection event at Luther
Jackson Middle School
(LJMS). Food for Neighbors is
a non-profit organization that
strives to end child hunger here
in Northern Virginia. Many
children and teens in Fairfax
County are “food insecure”,
meaning these children usually
only eat while at school.
During the evenings, weekends
and school holidays, there is no
guarantee that these children
will have food to eat. Through
the Red Bag Program, food is
donated from generous
neighbors like you, and
distributed to the participating
local school to provide food to
students who would otherwise
struggle with hunger outside of
school.
Volunteer work is a part of a civics requirement for students at
LJMS. What made this work so meaningful to my son was
that he was helping his fellow students. Our neighbors who
struggle with hunger are not always obvious as we go through
our day to day lives. This program is such a great way to reach
those in our community who struggle with hunger. During this
recent food collection event, more than 1000 pounds of food
was collected to be given to LJMS
students. That is an amazing way
to support our neighbors!!
You can read more about Food for
Neighbors on their website:
https://www.foodforneighbors.org
The next pick-up date for LJMS is
Saturday, March 7th, 2020.
You can help the students in our
community by signing up to fill a
red bag:
https://www.foodforneighbors.org
/get-involved/request-a-bag/.
Once you register, you will be
given a red bag and a list of
grocery items. On March 7th, just
leave your filled bag on your
doorstep by 8:30am. Volunteers
such as LVCA’s Marcos and
Victor Simionato will pick up
your red bag and deliver to LJMS.
Sorters such as my son Aidan will
receive the food and sort the items
into the school “pantry”. LJMS
school administration will then
distribute the food to students on
Friday afternoons and the afternoons before school holidays to
make sure that all LJMS children have food outside of school
hours.
I hope you will join Food for Neighbors in ending child
hunger here at LJMS by filling a Red Bag for the Saturday,
March 7th pick-up date.
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 2 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Our Community Information….
LVCA Board Members
Donna Jacobson – President
Amy Phipps – Vice President
John Alexander – Treasurer
Gina Keating – Secretary
Bob Rosenbaum – Member-at-Large
Committee Chairs
Architectural Control (Co-Chair) –
Peter Phipps
Architectural Control (Co-Chair) –
Rick Jacobson
Grounds – Mike Nutbrown
Finance – John Alexander
Pool – Lisa Conoly
Recreation – Alexa McKenrick
Communications – Donna Jacobson
Neighborhood Watch – Vacant
Website Manager
Brittany Dewberry
Newsletter Editor
Cheryl Ryefield
Sequoia Management Company
Dale Edwards
Phone: 703-803-9641
Fax: 703-968-0936
Patriot Disposal Services
www.patriotdisposalservices.com
Phone: 703-257-7100
LAFAYETTE VILLAGE COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR
Board Meetings – Meetings for January 2020 through September 2020 will be held
on the 4th Thursday of each month. Location to be announced.
ACC Meetings – Meeting location, date and time is to be determined. If interested in
attending contact Peter Phipps at. [email protected] or Rick Jacobson at
Grounds Committee – Meetings are held at on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:30
p.m. at 7920 Brunswick Forest Pass.
Finance Committee – Meetings are held at 7900 Peyton Forest Trail. Date and time
is to be determined. If interested in attending contact John Alexander at
Neighborhood Watch – TBD
Fairfax Federation – Meetings are held at on the 3rd Thursday of month at 7:30
p.m. at Providence Community Center, 3001 Vaden Dr., Fairfax.
All residents, including renters, are invited to attend scheduled meetings.
Thanks to our newsletter’s contributors:
Donna Jacobson, Lisa Conoly, Mike Nutbrown, John Alexander, Alexa McKenrick,
Anne Sansbury, Rick Jacobson, Christine Woodard, Carl Iddings, Brittany Dewberry,
and those who submitted ads.
Thanks as well to our awesome delivery crew –Greg Johnson, Tina Snapp, Kathie
French, Christie Woodard, Katherine Kraft, Adrian Sobie, Brezy Rivas and
Larry Dunham.
Consider Electronic Payment for HOA Fees
To avoid hassles with locating your coupon book, remembering to pay your
quarterly HOA fees, and dealing with pesky late fees and interest payments, sign up
for Automatic Direct Debit payments. The Authorization Agreement for Direct
Payments form is on the website at
https://lafayettevillage.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/03/Docs/AutomaticDebitFormLVCA.pdf.
In this issue…
President’s Message
Holiday Decorations Contest Winners
Plan Your Kids' Summer Camps
Citizens Police Academy
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 3 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Donna Jacobson, President
LVCA Board of Directors
Hi, Everyone,
Happy New Year! I would like to start the New Year by
asking for a volunteer to Chair the Neighborhood Watch
Committee. The committee already has a few members;
however, it definitely needs a Chair, or two Co-Chairs, to
help the committee become more active.
The Chair of the Neighborhood Watch Committee would be
responsible for holding meetings, writing articles in the
LVCA Newsletter and for being a liaison with the police.
You are not responsible for patrolling the community at all
hours of the day or night. It is a position which is designed
to keep the community informed, rather than one designed to
actually do police work. LVCA has a very good relationship
with the Fairfax County Police Department, which is
extremely responsive to our needs. So, if you would like to
Chair the Neighborhood Watch Committee, please contact
me at [email protected].
In the absence of a Neighborhood Watch Chair, I attended
Supervisor Gross’s Leadership Council on January 11th,
which provided information on the Fairfax County Police
Department. Captain Brooke Wright, of the Mason Police
Station and the second highest ranking woman in the Fairfax
County Police Department, was in attendance to answer
questions.
The website for the Fairfax County Police is
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/fairfax-county-police-
department. The Fairfax County Police Department Daily
News Blog can be found at https://fcpdnews.wordpress.com.
This is a daily recap of significant issues which the police
are dealing with throughout Fairfax County. You can sign up
on the blog page for this daily recap to be sent to you. If
residents have a need to determine the location of a sex
offender, you need to use the Virginia State Sex Offenders’
Registry, which can be found at https://sex-
offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor. However, extreme care must
be taken in the use of information from this Registry.
Mistaken identification may occur when relying solely upon
name, age and address to identify individuals.
A number of residents complained about the increase in
helicopter noise in the area. Captain Wright stated that the
police only have two helicopters and that they only go up
one at a time. However, she stated that there has been an
increase in military helicopters and in helicopters delivering
trauma patients to Inova. She said that if you are interested
in knowing what a helicopter is doing in your area, you can
call the police non-emergency number, 703-691-2131. If it is
a police helicopter, you will also be told if the situation is
dangerous and if you should warn your community to stay
indoors. It was mentioned that one good way to keep your
community informed in this type of situation is through the
Urgent Alert feature of Nextdoor
I encourage all residents, renters as well as owners, to join
the social network site, Nextdoor. You can read an article
concerning how to join Nexdoor in LVCA’s Summer 2019
Newsletter, at https://lafayettevillage.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/07/LVCA_Summer_2019_Newsletter.
pdf. This article explains in detail the many uses of Nextdoor
and how to sign up for it. I am finding the site an excellent
way to get necessary information to residents quickly and
would like to see as many residents as possible sign up.
A Note from the President…
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 4 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Architectural Control Committee (ACC) – Peter Phipps & Rick Jacobson, Co-Chairs
The biggest news from the ACC is the coming spring
inspections. The inspections are performed annually by
Sequoia Management, our property management company,
and include all townhouses and detached houses in Lafayette
Village.
Spring Inspections ~ The Spring Inspections will start in
March, weather permitting. The inspection schedule is:
First Inspection: March 2nd – March 6th. Violation
letters will be mailed by March 16th and have a 30 day
completion deadline of April 15th.
Second Inspection: April 17th, 20th & 21st. Violation
letters will be mailed by April 27th and have a 15 day
completion deadline of May 12th.
The swimming pool opens on Saturday, May 23th and
pool pass enforcement will begin on Saturday, May
30th. Remember, residents need to be in good standing to
use the pool.
Note that the spring inspection dates are dependent on
the weather and may require slight adjustments, since
the weather in March does not always cooperate. Keep
your eyes open for LVCA Announcements around the
end of February concerning any updates in the schedule.
ACC Approval ~ ACC Approval is required before any
Exterior Improvement is made to any townhouse or
detached house. This includes, but is not limited to, new
roofs, new siding, new windows, new shutters, new doors
(front or back), installing solar panels, changing paint colors,
replacing front yard trees, and so on. Many contractors know
that Lafayette Village is governed by ACC Guidelines and
will insist that you provide them written approval before
they will start work. Work performed without or before
approval is received, may have to be redone. Rework is well
worth avoiding.
Corrections to violations from the Spring Inspection do
not require ACC Approval unless you are changing the
appearance of your house. For example, replacing a rotten
board and repainting it the same color, is not considered an
appearance change. If you are not sure if your change
requires ACC Approval, feel free to contact the ACC. The
ACC is always willing to work with residents to resolve
questions or issues. The ACC’s goal is to make the Approval
process as painless and straight forward as possible.
For reference, full ACC Guidelines and ACC Request for
Exterior Improvement forms, are available on the LVCA
website at:
https://lafayettevillage.org/resources/architectural-control-
committee-documents
Finally, always remember to pick up after your dog. It’s a
Fairfax County law, a Lafayette Village regulation and it’s
only common courtesy. Plus, it embarrasses the dog to be
blamed for something that is not their fault (all of the other
dogs know exactly who left that mess!). There are six
community trash cans and two poop bag dispensers placed
throughout the neighborhood, to make picking up after your
dog as easy as possible. So please, if you have a dog, be a
responsible owner and pick up after your dog.
Also, I would like to thank the vast majority of owners who
are extremely conscientious about cleaning up after their
dogs and the amazing people who even clean up after other
people’s dogs. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. We
really do have some wonderful neighbors!
Grounds Committee – Mike Nutbrown, Chair
I would like to say winter is the quiet time for grounds, but
that’s when we have to be planning for all of the things to do
when the ground thaws. Before you know it, we’ll be doing
our neighborhood cleanup and planting our tree for
Earth/Arbor Day, but let’s not wish this time away. We need
time for planning first!
The new trees, shrubs, and grass were planted in the Fall
after a longer-than-expected wait for quotes. Tree pruning
and removal lists are expecting approval at the January
board meeting and will be completed when weather permits.
We’ve received some preliminary drawings and plans to
address the drainage and erosion projects we’ve been
tracking for some time now. We did not get around to
tackling any of those yet, but that will be a top priority in
2020.
Gardening season is just around the corner! We won’t know
if we have any plots available until sometime in February
after all the current gardeners weigh in, but if you’d like to
sign up for a plot or just get on the waiting list, please
contact Anne at [email protected] and let her know.
Committee Updates ….
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 5 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Grounds Committee, continued ….
Another expected project on the list for this year is
replacement of the community trash cans which are showing
wear as they get beat up over time.
The street light project presses forward. We still plan to
convert to LED lights to save energy and reduce
maintenance costs going forward from our aging lights.
We're always on the lookout for new members in the
committee to give input and get these tasks done. Please
reach out if you'd like to join the grounds committee or
would like to attend a meeting. You can email me at
Pool Committee – Lisa Conoly, Chair
There may be snow on the ground but plans have begun for
the upcoming pool season. Look for the 2020 Pool Pass
Application in the Spring issue of the newsletter.
Email me at [email protected] with your comments
or suggestions.
Recreation Committee – Alexa McKenrick, Chair
The Recreation Committee Needs You!
The recreation committee is looking for members. We
have many tasks to attend to this year, including the
repaving of the multi-purpose courts and updating the tot
lot. The time commitment is minimal--meeting once per
month for about an hour (First Tuesday of each month at 7
pm at a home in LVCA) plus some additional work
between meetings. Please consider volunteering your time
and energy. Your contribution will help our community
for many years to come. Our next meeting will be
February 4th at 7 pm. Contact Alexa McKenrick at
[email protected] for more details!
Communications Committee – Donna Jacobson, Chair
Newsletter
Would you like to see our newsletter in full color? It’s easy
and you can access it from anywhere you can get online!
Just go to our webpage at:
https://lafayettevillage.org/resources/lvca-newsletters
Do you or does someone in your household have an
interesting or unusual hobby or accomplishment you’d be
willing to share with our community? We’d love to publish
your story in our feature, Meet Our Neighbors, and have the
opportunity to get to know more about our Lafayette Village
neighbors!
Do you have a special pet you’d like to introduce to the
community? Let us know and help us to get to know the pets
in our community as well by suggesting a pet to feature in
our LVCA Pet Corner in the next issue!
We always welcome the opportunity to include any of your
story ideas, photos, or ads in our upcoming newsletters!
Please feel free to contact me via email at
Committee Updates, continued …. Committee Updates, continued ….
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 6 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Dear Lafayette Village Community,
Thank you for your support in another food drive over
Martin Luther King weekend. Despite the terrible weather
on Saturday, many of you were able to get out and/or raid
your pantry. We had about two dozen donations, totaling
over 250 items and weighing more than 230 pounds. For
the first time, donations were collected at a residence,
instead of the pool house. After suffering through many
years of below freezing weather in the unheated pool
house, John Alexander was very grateful for the change in
venue. He thinks that should be the new tradition.
Donations support the Annandale Christian Community
for Action, known by its acronym ACCA. This local non-
profit provides early childhood education, food, rental
assistance, furniture, and other services to needy families
in the Annandale/Bailey’s Crossroads area. The Food
Pantry provides emergency food for individuals and
families referred by social workers and ACCA member
churches. After a request is received, volunteer drivers
pick up the food from the ACCA and deliver it to clients’
homes. For more information, including how to help at
other times of the year, visit accacares.org.
Community News and Activities ….
This year’s generous donations totaled more than
230 pounds for over 250 items!
Lafayette Village is fortunate to have our own elves-in-
residence who sprinkled holiday cheer throughout our
neighborhood. Thank you to the LVCA Elves, Lisa
Conoly, Amanda Sansbury and Anne Sansbury, who are
part of what makes our community so wonderful!
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 7 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
LVCA’s Holiday Decorations Contest Winners are ….
1st Place
7838 and 7836 Ashley Glen Road
2nd Place
7850 Colonial Village Row
3rd Place
7908 Brunswick Forest Pass
Honorable Mention
7918 Peyton Forest Trail 7827 Byrds Nest Pass
7857 Hampton Village Pass 7820 Byrds Nest Pass
7831 Byrds Nest Pass 7816 Byrds Nest Pass
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 8 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Lafayette Village Weekly Trash Collection Schedule
Day of the Week Collection
Monday Trash and Yard Waste
Wednesday Recycling
Thursday Trash and Yard Waste
Trash and Yard Waste will be picked up on Mondays and Thursdays. Please place
them out for pick up after 6:00pm on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Trash should be put out in closed containers, either trash cans or tightly closed trash
bags. Do not place trash in shopping bags, boxes or other types of open containers
which animals can get into. Trash cans should be retrieved by Monday and Thursday
nights.
Recyclables will be picked up on Wednesdays. Please place recycling out for pick up
after 6:00pm on Tuesday evenings. Recyclables should be put out in recycling bins and
recycling bins should be retrieved by Wednesday night.
* Fairfax County does not allow trash and recycling to be collected in the same truck,
which is the reason that they are collected on different days. Please do not put trash out
with the recycling or recycling out with the trash.*
Trash, yard waste & recycling should be kept in the backyard, garage or house until it is
put out for pickup. It should not be stored in front of the house.
Lafayette Village
Trash, Yard Waste & Recycling Policies
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 9 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Fairfax County’s Citizens Police Academy …. Source: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/servicesah/citizenspoliceacademy
Interested in learning more about local law enforcement?
The Citizens Police Academy is designed to give
participants a glimpse behind the badge and to provide
information about training, policies, and the many units
and divisions within the Fairfax County Police
Department.
We are now accepting applications for the Spring 2020
session that will meet from March 5 to May 9, 2020 and
the Fall 2020 session that will meet from September 17 to
November 21, 2020.
Students will learn about
Police training (including weapons and driving)
Neighborhood Patrol
Crime Scene Investigation
Use of Force
Traffic Stops
Internal Affairs
Police helicopter and its capabilities
SWAT
Department of Public Safety Communications (911
call center)
And much more...
Classes
Classes are held on ten consecutive Thursday nights, from
6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Graduation is held on a Saturday
from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Classes rotate to various
police department facilities around Fairfax County. Due
to the popularity of the program, all participants are
required to attend at least eight out of ten classes in order
to successfully graduate.
Requirements
Must be at least 18 years of age
Live or work in Fairfax County
Must clear a review of your criminal record and police
contact history prior to acceptance
Provide your own transportation
The Fairfax County Police Department seeks people from
a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds when
selecting participants for its Citizen Police Academy.
Candidates from different ethnicities, professions, cultural
backgrounds, orientations, age groups, and communities
throughout Fairfax County are encouraged to apply in
order to enrich class discussions and strengthen
community relationships.
This program is not an accredited certification course to
become a sworn police officer. For information regarding
employment as a police officer or about the paid police
academy, please visit Join Our Team page.
For more information, please call (703) 246-4315 or e-
mail us at [email protected].
Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 8th
Don’t forget – when you turn your clocks forward one hour on March 8th, also change the batteries in your smoke alarms
throughout your home and check the expiration date on your carbon monoxide detector.
This simple act could save your family’s life! It’s easy to replace the hard-wired smoke detectors in our homes – step-by-
step instructions can be found at:
https://lafayettevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/How-to-Replace-Your-Lafayette-Village-Smoke-Alarm.pdf
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 10 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Plan Your Kids' Park Authority Summer Camps Now - My Summer Camp Planner!
Registration for summer camps begins
Tuesday, February 4, 2020. The Fairfax
County Park Authority offers more than
2,000 summer day camp options for kids
ages 3 to 17 at over 100 locations
including RECenters, nature centers,
historic sites, lakefront parks, golf courses
and schools.
Want to make sure you get the popular
camp your child wants? Now is the time to
plan your children’s summer camp
schedules. The Park Authority has made
summer planning easy with My Summer
Camp Planner, developed by a request
from a mom who wanted a simple
spreadsheet to help plan summer camps for all her
children.
Here's how it works:
Download the Summer Camp Spreadsheet.
Quickly sort by location, age of children, type of camp
and the week of summer.
Once you pick the camp, write down the
Catalog ID on our My Summer Camp
Planner Sheet. Plan the entire summer
for each of your children.
Don't forget Extended Care - before and
after camp - for busy working parents.
The Planner has helpful information on
camp fees before they are available
online during registration.
On February 4 go to the Camps page or
Parktakes Online to register. Just type in
the Catalog IDs and register. Summer
planned!
With so many camps to choose from,
browse through the new 2020 Summer Camp Guide with
your child and get new ideas for camps. Share with your
friends and enroll together.
For more information, call the registration hotline at 703-
222-4664 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Source: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/park-
news/2020/z-ir006
Place your order for the annual Native Seedling Sale soon!
The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District holds a
Native Tree and Shrub Seedling Sale each spring. Typically there are
two packages, one with trees that will grow to be larger canopy trees
and the other with smaller trees and shrub species. The theme and exact
species vary from year to year. Orders open online in February, and are
picked up in late April. For this year's package and online ordering,
please go to: Native Seedling Sale
Ordering opens February 4th and closes April 10th.
This year’s seedling sale features small shrubs and trees which are
hardy in small spaces and bear gorgeous flowers and fruits, and display
beautiful colors. The fruits and flowers that these plants grow are
important food sources to birds and pollinators, and are delicious treats
for us! By planting these native species, you are directly contributing to
the betterment of our environment. The plants in each package clean
our water and air, prevent soil erosion, provide valuable habitat, and
add beauty to your property. Source: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-
water-conservation/native-seedling-sale/
Around Our Community ….
Lafayette Village Community Newsletter – February 2, 2020 Page 11 Look for updated information on www.lafayettevillage.org and Nextdoor
Community Ads ….
Interior Painting: Contact Mark Rhodes, Lafayette Village resident and a skilled interior painter, for free
estimates. Call or text Mark at 571-236-5634. Landline is 703-560-8329. Recommendations on the
Nextdoor app.
Interior Decorator and Home Organizer: I’m a professional
organizer and interior decorator living in Lafayette Village. A New
Year is here, let’s declutter and put some spark back in your home!
We can start as a small project or the entire house to achieve results
you will be proud of. If interested, please call me at 703-217-4707 or
email me at [email protected] for more information
and to receive an estimate.
Are you planning for Spring Break or Summer Vacations? Do you prefer All Inclusive Resorts, Cruises
or Tours anywhere around the World? You have a Travel Agent in your backyard in the Lafayette Village
Community. Please call Pascasi e Adedze at 703-5593626 (Home) or 217-7215152 (cell), email at
[email protected]. Explore and subscribe at her website at passycruisevacation.com.
Coming Soon: Merrimac Trail Single Family Home for Sale
Dear Lafayette Village neighbors - We have lived in our home on Merrimac Trail for over six years and
are sad to sell our home and leave this wonderful neighborhood, but we are moving out of state for work.
We have enjoyed being a part of the Lafayette Village community during that time, and know that there may
be some interest among those who live in the town homes in our single family home. We plan to put the
house on the market by the end of March. Before we formally list it, we thought we would pass along the
word to our LVCA neighbors in case there is interest in the house. We are still getting the house ready for
showing and pictures, and have not settled on a listing price yet, but we do have some details about the
house on this website: https://sites.google.com/view/3717merrimactrail/home
If you are interested in learning more about the house, please reach out to David and Melissa Schild at