January - March 2009

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

The winter season finds many of us indoors, waiting for the warmth to return and planning activities for the year ahead. It's no different for the Daventry Grounds Committee as we evaluate what we accomplished in 2008 and plan our projects for the year ahead.

Looking back, we completed a significant portion of the tree removals and trimmings identified by the arborist to ensure the continued health of the trees in our community. We also planted more than a dozen new trees, completed four erosion projects, conducted two neighborhood walk-thrus, and as I write the second of our two leaf removals is being completed.

Our largest pending projects in 2009 relate to trees and erosion. We will continue with tree removals as outlined by the community hired arborist and plant new trees throughout Daventry as our budget allows. In addition, we are currently seeking bids for a hydrologist to evaluate the erosion issues throughout Daventry and prioritize those areas based on risks to safety and property damage. This year we plan to complete the top two or three projects identified by the hydrologist, with the intent to continue working down that list in the years ahead.

Of course, we will also be conducting two neighborhood walk-thrus again this year; as in 2008, the first will be in late spring and the second in late fall. If you received a door hangar during our fall '08 walk-thru (completed 10/20-11/16), the resolution will be suspended until the spring. Please be sure to remedy any issues relating to those notices before our spring '09 walk-thru as any outstanding violations at that time will be escalated to letters sent on behalf of the Board. As always, please let us know if you ever have any questions about a door hangar or letter you've received and we will be happy to work with you to adjust the timing of resolution for your notice. You can find contact information for all of the neighborhood representatives to the right.

On a less pleasant note, pet waste continues to be a problem throughout Daventry, creating not only unsightly and odorous messes but also health concerns for our children and the parkland and watershed surrounding our community. Please make sure that you and your children always remember to take bags with you when walking your dogs and clean up after them, and kindly remind your neighbors as necessary. If any of your neighbors persist in ignoring the Daventry rule and Fairfax County law to clean up after their pet, please contact Cardinal or your neighborhood rep (anonymously, if desired) and violation notices will be issued, leading to fines as outlined in the Daventry By-laws for continued non-compliance.

As a committee we're doing our part and following Fairfax County's lead in gradually deploying pet waste stations throughout the community to make it even easier to properly dispose of your pets' waste. We added one new station off Solomon Seal this summer and plan to install another one between Jewelweed and Asterella next year. These stations are stocked with clean-up bags, feature an enclosed receptacle for the waste, and are restocked and emptied regularly. And unlike the tree and erosion projects which must follow a timeline based on necessity, this is one in which we actively solicit suggestions on sites for additional stations as funds are available.

We've appreciated your help in identifying neighborhood issues that need our attention and we look forward to another productive year working on behalf of our fellow residents of Daventry.

Alia Carbone
Grounds Chair