Spring Meeting 2023

Treasurer’s Report 

CWCA Treasurer, Susan Garrahan, presented the treasurer’s report for the fiscal year through this month (10/1/21 – 4/15/23): 

• CWCA collected dues from 374 houses which generated $5,966 in revenue (some people paid more than the $15 dues). 
• There was no snow this year so we only spent $500 – the deposit – on that line item, versus a budget of $15,000.  (Snow removal is by far our largest budgeted expense item).  
• We incurred additional expenses of $5,310 which was for: one-time, private-contractor leaf vacuuming in December ($3,362), the Oktoberfest Block Party, and CWCA management and meeting expenses (e.g., directories, printing fees for flyers, and zoom meeting fees)
• Our cash on hand at the moment is slightly higher than at the start of the fiscal year, and Susan suggested that CWCA think about taking a dues holiday next year.  To approve that approach, the Board would make a proposal and vote on it at the Fall meeting. 
• If you would like more detailed information about our finances, please send an email request to chesterbrookwoods@gmail.com.

President’s Report

• Block Captain Social – May 3^rd – The CWCA Board will host a block captain social as we have new block captains and departing block captains. The board wants to use this social so block captains can meet each other and discuss best practices and learn from each other.  
• General Liability Insurance Policy – The CWCA Board was looking to host a hybrid Spring Meeting with a Zoom call option as well as an in person meeting at Chesterbrook Elementary School — where meetings pre-Covid have always been held. The Fairfax Country school policy now requires a General Liability Insurance Policy to hold a meeting at the school, which the board does not currently have.  The alternative was to hold the meeting at Vinson Hall which would have required attendees to pre-register or to hold it at the McLean Community Center. Because of its proximity and ease of use, the board is investigating whether we can get insurance at a cost-effective price to be able to use Chesterbrook for future meetings and neighborhood events. There was a question on whether adding such an insurance policy would impact dues.  Susan advised she doesn’t think so. 
• Social Committee – The CWCA Board is looking for volunteers to form a social committee. This committee will primarily be responsible for organizing the fall Oktoberfest Block Party and other events the committee would like to hold, such as Food Truck Fun, or a Fourth of July Party, etc. — the possibilities are endless!  Steve Tabackman and Kathleen Porter volunteered to join the committee.  If you are interested in joining also, please email chesterbrookwoods@gmail.com  

Committee Reports 

Security:  Cabell Fooshe provided the security report.   

• Cabell started his report by saying, no news is good news! He said it’s been quiet, which is the best kind of news to hear from Security. He reminded everyone that some streets in the neighborhood are narrow and there have been reports of speeding so remember to always drive slowly, the neighborhood has lots of walkers and dog walkers. He also reminded everyone to be sure and keep your dog on a leash. One neighbor said that they see cars blowing through stop signs so when you see something like this, report it. He ended his report by saying on Saturday April 1^st, when we had very strong winds, trees came down in the neighborhood and there were power line issues. We live in the ‘Woods’ so we need to be aware of the dangers of falling trees and downed power lines. Lastly, Cabell will reach out to Officer Beyer for any updates.   

Snow Removal: Steve Sunderhauf and Ed McGrady are Committee Leads 

• The snow committee did not report since we didn’t have any snow this year so there was nothing to report. Lizzy mentioned that the co-chair of the committee, Ed McGrady is stepping down and thanked him for his many years of service. The board is looking for someone to step into the role of co-chair. Thank you again Ed!  

Environmental Committee:  Betty Ende gave the report 

• Now is the time of year to check for ivy or other invasive plants that can choke or kill your tree. Betty mentioned there is a pamphlet she can supply discussing the importance of getting vines off trees or you can go to https://www.plantnovatrees.org/rescuing-trees to learn more about rescuing native trees. Other great articles on the site include https://www.plantnovatrees.org/post/want-birds-and-butterflies-plant-native-shrubs and https://www.plantnovatrees.org/why-native-trees 
• The environmental committee asks that you consider skipping the mosquito spraying (organic or not) this year. If a spray kills mosquitos, it kills pollinators too!  Here is guide to natural mosquito abatement (Dump, Dunk, and Screen) that works as well, if not better, than spraying: https://www.upmd.org/222/Community-Mosquito-Control

• Earth Day is Saturday, April 22^nd and the McLean Community Center is hosting a drive-through recycling event (paper shredding, electronics recycling, clothing and bulk item recycling, bicycle donations, latex paint recycling, and composting).  For details and to sign up so you can drive through (time slots are 9am, 10am, 11am) please visit https://mcleancenter.org/events/mclean-earth-day-act-locally/ 

• The McLean Trees Foundation approached CWCA about a new program called Tree Champions which supplies sizeable native trees to help replenish the mature tree canopy we are losing in the neighborhood. Through Tree Champions, residents can purchase 7-10” trees for a lower price than what you would pay at a garden center. Trees will be available for planting in the fall.  The environmental committee will send out a separate email with additional details in the next few weeks.
• The environment committee will hold an online meeting on Sunday, April 30^th at 3 pm.  Zoom instructions will be sent out via a separate email. Everyone is invited to attend to discuss environmental issues, garden events, getting builders to pledge to be more environmentally friendly, etc.  To join the committee or for questions, please email cwcaenvironment@gmail.com.   

Pineapple Patrol: Bonny Sadler gave the report 

• Bonny asked that everyone please let the patrol know if any neighbors need a welcome bag, the block captains will be reminded to let the patrol know as well. Email bonnycsadler@gmail.com to let her know of anyone just moving in that needs a warm welcome to the neighborhood!   

Announcements  

Connect McLean Sidewalk Update – Elizabeth Ende provided the update  

• Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is working on the following nearby sidewalk projects: (1) Kirby between Chesterbrook and Mori – Relocation of utilities is going on Kirby so it may cause slowdowns getting onto Kirby from Chesterbrook until it is completed (estimated by June 2023).  The construction of that Kirby sidewalk is scheduled to begin this fall and be completed summer 2024.  (2) FCDOT held a community meeting on December 13^th to review the design plan for the three sidewalk segments along Chesterbrook from Maddox to 41st street which will be completed as one long segment — 3,200 feet. FCDOT will begin the land acquisition phase now through the early part of 2024.  Utility relocation will take place beginning in the spring of 2024, construction starting summer 2025 with project completion summer 2026.  Please note, this project is also coordinating with the DPWES Stream Restoration and VDOT Pipe Replacement project in the vicinity of Chesterbrook and N Albemarle. That project expects to begin utility relocation summer 2024 and be completed fall 2025.   

Traffic Calming – Susan Garrahan provided the update  

• Susan presented a very interesting power point on traffic calming.  She noted the blind spots, curves, lack of shoulder in many places from Albemarle to Arlington Co and the high volume of cars turning on and off the road.  She pointed out that 15MPH warning signs are installed on either side of Forest Ln because of these safety risks.  In addition, this year, bus stop warning signs have been added because of the number of elementary-through-high school bus stops between Woodman and Crescent.
• To assess speeding on Chesterbrook Rd., Fairfax County Police set up a temporary radar “speed board” on Chesterbrook Rd – first measuring speeds of eastbound traffic (installed just after Forest Ln.) and then westbound traffic (installed just before Brookside Rd.).  The data collected is disturbing:  throughout the day, there are cars driving > 45MPH – which is reckless driving (a misdemeanor).  There were even instances of cars clocked at over 55MPH, including one at 73MPH!
• The speed limit on Chesterbrook Rd is 25 MPH.  We are worried about the school children and other pedestrians that use/cross the road.  Please recall a pedestrian was killed near the intersection of Chesterbrook and Oak Ln in 2017  https://patch.com/virginia/mclean/car-crash-kills-pedestrian-mclean-police.  
• We encourage all our residents to drive carefully and defensively on Chesterbrook Rd.  The more our local traffic complies, the more we will slow down the through traffic as well.

Neighborhood Cleanup  

• Saturday April 22^nd from 9AM-11AM you can drop off unwanted furniture, appliances, e-waste, clothes, etc. at Chesterbrook Elementary hosted by JD Callander (if you have questions about acceptable materials, please call 703-821-1025)
• Saturday May 13^th from 10AM-Noon a cleanup will be held on Brookside Rd hosted by Lizzy Conroy  

Meeting adjourned shortly after 8:30 PM.