Guest Blogger

As you know there was a guest blogger yesterday, NASCAR20. YOU too can be a guest blogger but I would prefer to have someone that chimes in to the blog on a regular basis.

NASCAR20 ASKED SOME GOOD QUESTIONS YESTERDAY, what color can we paint our decks… can we plant a tomato?

I think we should be able to paint our decks any natural wood color or white if we want. The association is supposed to make sure our prices stay high not to be Nazis about a tomato plant.

Do you think plants should be pulled out if the owner does not have permission?

Decks in The Village?

I am not sure if you all have noticed, but the rules for Arlington Village indicate two things: 1) no vegetable gardens and 2) decks must not be stained but maintain their natural color. Who is enforcing these rules? Or are they outdated? At the last board meeting (the first I have attended as a resident) one of the board members mentioned updating the rules. I agree! Perhaps it's time we all take a look at the rules of Arlington Village and be part of the discussion to update them. I don't know about you but it pretty intrusive for a condo association to tell me what I can and cannot plant in the space by my deck or what color my deck should be...but hey, that's just my personal libertarian opinion coming out. What do you think??

YES, I have been slacking this weekend...

It is true...the poster from yesterday is right...if I am enjoying myself than how will my Arlington Village residents get their fill of what is happening around our little spot of heaven?

Speaking of the pool...it was crowded. But, that is a money maker for AV. So do we stop giving guest passes or do we suck it up and put our towel on the nearby grass/mulch? Sucking it up means less higher condo fees...what is your verdict????

It's so nice out...

Sorry I don't have anything witty to say today...I've been enjoying myself outside at the pool. Just one more thing I love about the village. However, I have been bad and not gotten around to getting a key to the tennis courts. Does anyone know if the courts are any good...hard to get time on them?

Miniature Golf in Ballston???

I have to admit...I was reading the What's Up Arlington Blog (see link to the right) and saw a short blurb about Putt Putt golf. I think this is a really interesting idea. I'm always looking for something different to do that isn't necessarily an indoor activity.

Check out the story in the Sun Gazette for more information.

They have to do something with that space at the corner of Glebe and Wilson now that the car dealership has been evaporated. What do you think should go there?

Car Theft and the AV Blast

Just want to make sure that residents saw that there was a car stolen from Arlington Village. I got this note 5 days after it happened. In situations like this...time is of the essence...maybe someone saw something that night and could have told the police information that could lead to an arrest?

This is also a good time to remember to call the police if you see anything suspicious. I looked up some of the crime reports from the Arlington County Police and it wasn't pretty.

This is Message from AVBlast...

From: Avblastmail@aol.com
Sent: Wed 6/25/08 3:42 PM
To: AVCondo@aol.com

To: All Residents
From: Arlington Village Management Of

Please be advised that an Arlington Village resident's vehicle was stolen on June 20, 2008, at 1501 South Edgewood Street. The 1996 red Honda Civic was last seen around 12 midnight and was noticed missing the next morning at 8:30 a.m. Arlington County Police was called and a report was made.

Sad News

I’m sorry to write that we lost one of our Arlington Village residents on Saturday. Lt. Col. James Walton died in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan after his vehicle struck a roadside bomb and his convoy came under fire, the Army said.

Please see the Washington Post for his story in today’s paper.

I will be praying for him, his wife and family.

Vroom...Vroom

I hope everyone realizes I was trying to type what cars sound like with the whole vroom vroom title? :) That's what I think of when I see cars racing up and down S. Barton Street and other straight-aways in the village. This was very apparent today when I stopped by a friend's unit and tried to leave one of the Arlington Village lots. First of all, I couldn't even see cars coming at me from the left...I crept out into the street praying that I wouldn't be crushed. This is very dangerous...the spot adjacent to the entry should be eliminated...I know that isn't going to win me any applause from the people that park there...but just try to go in and out of the lot. You'll see what I mean for yourselves!

A few years ago someone actually was going so fast on S. Cleveland that they couldn't negotiate a right or left turn and crashed straight into a car. If it wasn't for the car...I'm sure it would have gone straight into one of the units.

Now S. Cleveland has speed bumps...but what about the rest of the Village? Do people think this is a big problem...or are they ok with how fast people go? Maybe I'm a fuddy duddy and should just be quiet?

I also question some of the surrounding streets to the Village as well. I always get nervous at the streets that only have stop signs on the cross streets. Maybe we should have some more 4 way stops?

I think we really need to start thinking about some of these issues since so much construction is happening. It is always better to give input at the beginning of a situation rather than the end.

Board Meeting TONIGHT!

Yes, it is time for our monthly Board Meeting this evening at 7:30 PM. Please send me an email and let me know what is discussed. I'm indisposed tonight...but will definitely catch the next one.

I wish they would send out the agenda for the Board Meetings on the AV Blast...or even put them up in those little boxes near the garbage cans. Maybe it would rev up participation by residents in the meetings? The last minutes I saw...it was a pretty meager crowd of 1 observer. Yikes.

Who parked in my spot?

Yes, the infamous problem of parking in Arlington Village. Do you park on the street or are you parked in one of the few Arlington Village lots? Have you been spied on and gotten a ticket for not having an Arlington County sticker or gotten the dreaded letter for out-of-state license plates?

It’s true, there are people that call the police when they see cars without Arlington County stickers. There are also people that put notes on cars that they deem an “eye sore”. I think this type of behavior isn’t abnormal but since we are in such tight proximity to others…it sometimes makes you wonder how crazy ARE your neighbors?

It seems like Arlington Village had a parking committee but I’m not sure if it still around. I know that they must have had something to do with charging for PODS! I think this is a bit ridiculous. I can see having a rule that a POD can only be there for a certain amount of time…maybe 2 days…since it takes time to move all of your belongings. However, I’ve had PODS located near me and it really wasn’t that much of an inconvenience. Eventually, most people are going to move…so do you want to be treated like this when you move in the future? You’d hope that your neighbors would be tolerant and the village wouldn’t charge you an arm and a leg.

On another note, the worst thing that I’ve heard about parking is that there are people that habitually park in the handicap spots and they aren’t handicapped. NOT COOL! These spots are there for a reason…just because they are open and close to your front door…doesn’t make it right for you to park there.

Any other parking problems or solutions you have for the Village?

Columbia Pike Blues Festival

I was really bummed that I didn't get a chance to go to the Blues Festival. It looked like it was pretty crowded as I drove by and went to go do all my errands. If you were able to go...let us all know how it was!

However, I was thinking...why can't Arlington Village hold some type of block party? I never really got into the pool party thing. Pizza and the pool...never really made sense to me.

Just imagine...taking over the 1301 S. Cleveland parking lot and getting a band...having some food or pot luck. It could be really great. I also think doing movies outside...like screen on the green sounds like a fun idea. I know that Shirlington is doing that as well...check out the Movies Under the Stars schedule.

Anyone have thoughts about more fun things to do as a community?

AV Blast...Do you get it?

First of all...do you know what the AV Blast is? AV (which stands for Arlington Village) Blast is the way Arlington Village gets important information about the Village to its residents. I'm sure that there are other people that live nearby that might be on it as well.

I have been in a couple different situations in the last 3 or so weeks where people have asked that their e-mail be added to the list. (The three different situations constitutes probably at least 10 or more people.) Many of them had asked previously to be on this list and others had requested to have their email addresses updated. Obviously there is some disconnect.

I think it is great that we have this feature...I just worry that the community doesn't embrace it. Plus, I'm not sure if the right information is always going out. I also don't understand why we get an e-mail about a wine and cheese reception but not a Board meeting. For some reason I don't have any AV Blast emails from October 2007 to March 2008. It's possible that I could have deleted some...let me know if I have. The point is...should we use this tool just for emergencies like security problems or would you like to get a reminder to make sure you have your pool pass submissions in on time?

I think it would have been nice to get an AV Blast about the last big storm we had. Part of 13th Road was blocked off because a tree had caught on fire. I don't need information about people's pet projects though. Posts should be about Arlington Village. I've been in situations where people want to use your organization to put out fundraisers and other tidbits about their interests to YOUR members...and it is never a good match. This is because then you have to choose what goes out from external sources and what doesn't. Someone is going to be really mad!!!

Any way...sign up for AV Blast...it has some useful information. Plus, I see it only getting better and more informative. E-mail Avcondogm@aol.com to get on the list!

Rising Water Prices = Rising Condo Fees?

I received a question about the rising water fees in Arlington County…it is true…they instituted a 14.5% increase in water and sewer rates…effective May 1, 2008. So according to our lovely newsletter…that means our rate will jump from $9.20 to $10.54 a gallon. WOW!

I have to say that this is a serious issue…however…residents are still being asked to water all the new plants for 30 to 40 minutes (2 to 3 times weekly). Isn’t that just asking for your condo fees to go up? I love all the plants and trees…but I also have a budget. I’m assuming other people do as well…

If you want to delve further go to Arlington Village to see how much CONDO FEES have gone up in the last 4 years! For the smallest one bedroom in 2004…condo fees were $144…in 2008 they are $203. That’s a difference of $708 per year! For a three bedroom that increase per year goes up to $1,212.

Make sure to keep watching the Crier about budgeting for next year. The Assets Committee is starting to craft the FY09 Budget and needs volunteers. Contact the office if you want to know where all your money is going to…who knows how much they will want to raise fees next year???

DOGS, DOGS, and more DOGS!

Has anyone noticed that the residents of Arlington Village are very partial to dogs? They are everywhere...all the time. I like dogs. The gardeners don't like dogs. I always laugh to myself when I see the signs that say, "please don't curb your dog here". Someone actually spent money on those signs and took the time to make sure they are very visible.

I wonder why we don't have our own dog park for all the dogs. We have a dog swim but no park. The gardeners might benefit from a dog park. Maybe the reason we don't have a dog park is because the Board is afraid of the dog owners uniting against the gardeners that don't like the dogs? Perhaps they also don't want more dogs off leashes. If I see in the Crier one more time about how to keep your dog on a leash...I'll bark! Everyone knows that some dogs need to be leashed and some don't. If your dog jumps on people or eats small animals...keep them leashed.

That's really all I have to bark about today.

Columbia Pike…Revitalized?

I keep hoping that all of this construction on Columbia Pike will be worth it. That we will have this fabulous oasis of shopping and trolley cars and turn into the next Clarendon/Courthouse area. However, is this not dragging on? Does anyone else miss the beloved Cowboy Café? Is anyone worried that they are going to take away our CVS and Giant while they are being rebuilt?

I guess change takes time…but I’m impatient for all the things that have been promised.

I already love the fact that the Pike offers the Farmer’s Market and can’t wait to see how the Blues Festival works out this Saturday. We have some great restaurants like Bangkok 54 as well as staple businesses like the Arlington Draft House and Bob and Edith’s.

Those are some of my favorite parts of the Pike…what are yours?

13th Road Clogged Drains...Wasting Money?

I just want to say thank you to the first resident that posted a comment on the NEW ARLINGTON VILLAGE BLOG! Please pass this site on to your neighbors so that everyone can hear what’s happening at Arlington Village. I’m not sure when the next communications meeting is…but this would be a great meeting to attend if you are a concerned resident and want to see something happen.

Next, so going back to The Village Crier…because this is where we get most of our Arlington Village info…what’s up with residents having to clear away the drains on 13th Road??? Didn’t this area just get a complete makeover? Didn’t the Village just spend a lot of money to do this? I think it was tens of thousands of dollars…if not more.

I know that I would be really angry if I got water damage because the Village failed to do this project properly. Is anyone going to do anything to fix the problem? I know that there are plans to update other areas in a similar fashion. Will the clogged drain problem be addressed there at least? I have a thousand other questions about this blurb in the Crier (Page 2, June Edition)…however I’m going to either have to go to the next Grounds Committee meeting on July 8th or ask one of the Committee members for their 2 cents. Maybe someone out there can help with this subject???

The Village Crier...Friend or Foe?

So…for our first topic I’ll write about something timely…our new edition of “The Village Crier”. I remember when I used to get this at the beginning of the month. I got this last one two weeks into the month. How helpful is that? Personally, I think that the Arlington Village website should have all of this information posted. It seems very hypocritical to use all of this paper but then stress every month how we need to recycle and conserve water! Also, a better website would probably lead to better communication and resident participation in community events. I heard that it costs between $20,000 and $30,000 to print and deliver our newsletters every year. WOW!

So…should we go to an electronic newsletter? Why can’t we get a timely newsletter? Is the information provided in The Crier useful to Arlington Village residents? What would you like to see in The Crier?

Thanks for listening…and I hope this first discussion topic gets plenty of buzz. Feel free to send other topics to me that you would like to see discussed.

Greetings to our new blog!

Hello Arlington Village Residents!

I hope this brand new blog becomes a great way to communicate about our lovely community. We can discuss the good, the bad and everything in between.

We have loads to talk about such as: Board elections coming up in October, lots of construction and issues happening with the Columbia Pike Revitalization, new ideas on how to update the grounds of the Village and the day-to-day running of our association.

I initially thought of creating this blog because I was hearing a lot of grumbling from my neighbors. However, I don't think a blog that only airs resident problems is either useful or productive. I believe that the more our community talks to one another about everything that touches the village...the better off we will all be!

Look forward to hearing from everyone.