For What It’s Worth
Wordsworth August 2024 E Newsletter
The voting member meeting for Wordsworth is the 22nd of August in the Village Hall. There is no reason for you to attend unless you want to run for voting member. The proxies are needed to have a quorum so we can have an election of a voting member standing for Wordsworth. Thanks to you we have the required number of proxies to hold a meeting.
The budget process is ongoing and we are making sure we have the required bids for current contracts pending. The Reserve question stays the same. A treasurer we had before the Pandemic recommended that we lower the amount being distributed toward our reserves, making us in today’s economy behind the times. Additionally, today’s cost of materials that just keeps going up, we are playing catch up to prevent us having to special assess in the future due to lack of reserve funds being available. We need to make sure that our Operating Budget doesn’t fall short of those before mentioned repair and materials cost of issues that are not covered by reserves. When we have a proposed budget ready the Board will approve distribution of the proposed budget to the residents 30 days prior to approval of the Board.
The proposal budget for distribution along with other Board business will be at the annual meeting in October before the election of the Board. There is one seat up for election this year for a three year term. If you would like to run for that seat, please send a short bio to Brett by the 23rd (immediately) to be on the ballot he will send out next month. We will take nominations from the floor at the meeting. Brett bcampbell@communitygroup.com
At the meeting in August, we added a resolution concerning electric vehicle charging stations. The resolution and the ARC form needed to add an EVCS will be posted on the website both on the documents page and the ARC page.
The 2023 financial statements will also be posted on the website under the documents page.
I need to make clear what is ahead for us concerning the condo interior sprinkler system that we are required to address every 20 years. We addressed the garage sprinkler system which is a dry system that made it easy to replace and test without too much problems to the people who volunteered their garage in your building when it was done two years ago. The condo interior system requires a more complicated approach to what is required in order for us to comply with the Fire Marshall. It is a wet system and must be drained before they can remove and replace the sprinkler heads in your condo making it necessary to do all the building work in one day because with the sprinkler system drained, we have to be under fire watch during the process. This is what VSC and the Board have come up with in order to cover all the condos as required. We will set a schedule to do 10 buildings a year to coordinate with our ten building inspections already in place starting with this year’s buildings 100 through 1000. I have already alerted those buildings that they will be done this year. Needing the availability of all condos in the building we will need access from the owners, which will require a contact for those residents that will not be available on their scheduled time to allow entry into the contact. We still need two volunteers, one upstairs and one downstairs to remove and replace 4 155 degree Fahrenheit sprinkler heads from downstairs pendant heads and remove and replace 4 155 degree Fahrenheit side wall heads in the upstairs condo for testing. VSC has also informed us that they will be required to replace the 165 degree Fahrenheit sprinkler head located in the utility room in your condo in all the condos in your building. No schedule in place for this Fall for 100 through 1000 but they will be informed when we receive it from VSC.
For planning purposes, I am listing the 10 building schedule for the future. For 2024, buildings 100 through 1000; for 2025 buildings 3000 through 3900; for 2026 buildings 2400 through 2900,4500 through 4800; for 2027 buildings 1100 through 1800,4000,4100; for 2028 buildings 1900 through 2300,4200,4300,4400,4900 and 5000. There is no reason to panic because you will have time to plan.
During the meeting we had a report from the chair of the enhanced landscaping committee and I have included it in this newsletter to hopefully answer questions:
As committee chair, I’d like to present an over view of the Wordsworth’s Landscape Committee Beautification Project. The committee began its work to revitalize the landscaping around the buildings about year ago. About 8 months ago, after a few false starts, we reorganized our plan. We realized the need to photograph all 400 beds to evaluate the existing plantings or lack thereof and set an initial goal. Our first goal was to replant and upgrade only the neediest beds around all 50 buildings. We felt this goal was achievable, would revitalize community spirit, be affordable, and help us understand landscape costs. Using the photos organized by building, we created an RFP, specifying plants to be used in approximately 100 beds of 48 buildings. This RFP was given to U.S. Lawns and James River, our current landscape maintenance company. Landscape designers from both companies met with us onsite to see and discuss building beds and the scope of the project. U.S. Lawns gave a written proposal for a cost of $22,920. James River did not send a written proposal but provided a verbal estimated cost for the same work of $56k to $64k. In as much as we now had some idea of costs, the committee, with guidance from Sue Mays, decided to evaluate all beds in our community, and work with U.S. Lawns exclusively. As of today, our work, planning the re-planting of the rest of the beds, is about 65 to 75% complete. 1 8/14/2024 A second estimate from U.S. Lawns was requested and received on Aug 1, and is based on our most recent work, and as I just mentioned about 65 to 75% complete. I’m pleased to report that this current estimate U.S. Lawns provided is $80k. In discussing this with Jason Martin of U.S. Lawns, the final cost is likely between $97k and $110k. The committee is working diligently to complete the bed planting guide RFP as soon as possible. It is our intention to review the completed document prior to giving it to the Board and once reviewed, we will meet with U.S. Lawns, Jason Martin, to settle questions about procedures and plantings prior to requesting a final price. Jason Martin, U.S. Lawns, would like to do this project in two parts, with 1/2 done this year, and the other 1/2 done next year however we could break this into 3 parts over 3 years, if desired by the board. We expect a small cost of materials increase doing it this way. It will be in the final contract for board approval. Jim Blohm, chairperson.
The Worthy Ladies luncheon will be held at Senior Fox Mexican Grill on the 29th of August at 11:30AM. Please RSVP Marti Heller at 757-689-0839 or mrhmbh@yahoo.com by the 27th if you want to join us.
The Wordsworth AM Book club will resume in September. The book selection for September 10th is “I Will Find You” by Harlan Coben selected by Sue Mays. The club meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month (except for July and August) at the Village Hall at 10AM. The Book list for the Fall is listed on the website www.wordsworthvillagecondo.com. Contact Rosemary at irishrose105@aol.com if you want to be on the reminder list.
If you have group event going in Wordsworth or the Village Hall and you need new members or subs, let me know and I will put it in the newsletter. Be sure to check out the calendar on the website because I take the events where anybody from the West Neck family can take part from the West Neck calendar.
That’s it for now. I recently was given a blessing to pass on to you.
May the Sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night. May the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into you being. May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.
Sue
