2024 Spring Meeting

Minutes from May 14, 2024 

The CWCA Board members include Lizzy Conroy, President; Steve Tabackman, Vice President; Susan Garrahan, Treasurer; Kim Kalhor, Secretary 

Welcome and call to order was at 7:00PM from Lizzy Conroy, 33 people attended the in-person meeting held in the cafeteria at Chesterbrook Elementary School, which the board appreciated considering it was a rainy night. 

Dranesville Supervisor Supervisor Bierman – 7:05  Supervisor Bierman arrived at 7:05. This is his first term in office and he’s been in the job 5 ½ months. The board invited him to talk about topics that involve our area.

• Connect McLean Sidewalk Update – There have been 6 sidewalk projects completed since the summer of 2018, sidewalks are costly to install and take a long time to complete, so 6 is good. Construction costs are high, in part due to mapping and working around utilities. The Chesterbrook Rd sidewalk is estimated to be completed in late 2026. There are a lot of sidewalk projects underway around the county but he will keep fighting for more sidewalks despite a tough budget year.   
• Stream Restoration Update Pimmit Run tributary identified in 2020 plan (due to flooding at N Ablemarle in 2019) will use natural design, and is in collaboration with VDOT to improve the sewer. This project is slated to be completed summer 2026.
• Airplane Noise Supervisor Bierman said he (and the Board of Supervisors) have no jurisdiction over this. He advised residents to submit complaints directly to the Washington Airports Authority, they have a 24-hour noise complaint line; there is also an FAA noise complaint form that can be filled out. See below for further details about this topic and links to submit complaints.
• County Leaf and Trash Collection DPW experiencing high vacancy rates. In addition to staffing issues, they’ve had equipment issues. They are purchasing more trucks, and plan to try and address the attendance challenges that have occurred.  
•  Supervisor Bierman went on to discuss other topics that were not on the CWCA Agenda.
  • The county budget that was passed, he said he could spend all night talking about the budget, it was a tough budget year, there was a huge drop off on commercial real estate tax revenue, they are working hard to attract big business back to the county, FFX County has the highest concentration of AI companies outside of Silicon Valley and a high concentration of satellite companies.
  • Real Property tax rate increased 3%.
  • There is currently an evaluation exercise to reduce county spending. 
  • There were 5 new positions for affordable housing which will help to unlock federal and state dollars to help with the housing crunch. There were 7 new positions within CSB supporting getting more Medicaid dollars to the county. 4 new positions related to probation officers, trying to increase/improve Diversion Programs. 
  • There was a 6.8% transfer to school, they can give all teachers 3% raise, not a single dollar left on the table
  • He provided an update on McLean Central Business Center CBC, update of Mars headquarters in McLean will get a new headquarters, the Astoria Project with retail and homes was approved, which will be next to Moby Dick on Old Dominion Dr. Bierman said that just this past Tuesday the plan was approved to update McLean Professional Park, which are the townhomes that are actually offices, 1/3 of an acre will be a park, underground parking will have 30% EV ready, another 20% will be EV convertible, another good project to bring more vibrancy to downtown McLean.
  • Infill Development has been extensive in Fairfax County: 250 of the projects were in McLean, out of 500 across the county. McLean has a lot of infill problems, how can we incentivize more tree conservation when builders are knocking down trees, Virginia is a property right state and we have better tree canopy laws that the rest of the state. The BOS is reviewing proposals to help preserve more trees that were proposed by a Mt Vernon Infill Task Force. Supervisor Bierman said one thing we need to do is build a better coalition across the county, and he will keep fighting for that. 
  • During a short Q&A, a homeowner impacted by the sidewalk project asked if more information about timing and activities can be provided to property-owners living alongside the path of the Chesterbrook sidewalk. Supervisor Bierman agreed to assist homeowners in getting more information. 
  • Supervisor Bierman provided his email Dranesville@fairfaxcounty.gov and encouraged residents to sign up for the Dranesville newsletter (via this link) to learn what’s going on in our district and in the county.  

Treasurer’s Report – 7:25 (Susan Garrahan)

• Budget Report  Started report at 7:26, reiteration that we haven’t had an in-person meeting since 2019
  • CWCA started the Fiscal Year (Oct 1 to Sep 30) with a $32K balance. We started dues collection late this year and have taken in about $4,900 so far. This is a slightly lower yield than usual, due to the late start. If you’d like to check your dues status, email susan.garrahan@gmail.com. If you’d like to pay your dues for the ‘23/24 fiscal year, see instructions at the end of these minutes.
  • Larger cost items this fiscal year include:
    • Snow removal – $7,000, but $500 was prepaid (as a deposit) in the prior year.
    • Association insurance – $1,400
      This is the first year the CWCA Board obtained insurance, in part to comply with new FCPS rules for groups that want to meet on school property.
  • We currently have a balance of $28,400.

• 2024 Dues and Directory
  • There was a discussion about how to get more households to pay dues. Delinquent households cannot vote on Association business. A proposal to also withhold printed directories from delinquent households was discussed but ultimately decided against. Further ideas included (1) offering more digital payment methods and using QR codes to streamline the use of these methods and (2) having Block Captains help remind those who have not yet paid. If you have other ideas, please reach out to Susan or your block captain.

• Balance Management Proposal
  • In recent years, CWCA has carried a balance over $30,000. Susan has proposed to the Association that in the future if cash on hand is over $30,000 at the start of a fiscal year, we declare a dues holiday. This proposal will be voted on during the Fall 2024 meeting (in early October). 

• Audit 
  • For the first time, CWCA will do an audit of finances this year. Results of the audit will be shared at the fall meeting. 

Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations – 7:50 (Dave Fitzgerald) 

• CWCA has joined this association, which is made up of neighborhood associations and HOAs. The rationale is that by collecting county-wide input from various associations they can get more attention for issues of concern, and it has been a fairly effective group. For example, education is one area where the Federation has had a significant impact on County policy. Other areas of focus include budget, transportation, land use, and environment – anything that can affect members across the county.
• Voting rights are a function of the size of the member association.  CWCA gets two votes, and at the moment we have only one representative.  If you have a passion for any issue within the Federation’s scope, let Dave know if you might like to be our other voting representative or otherwise support its work.
• The Tysons Casino proposal, which the Federation opposes, is what got Dave involved.  The issue will likely be taken up again by the General Assembly in 2025, and efforts continue to get the County Board to go on record against it. A coalition of groups is planning to send a large contingent to the Board’s meeting on May 21. McLeanCitizens.Org has more information on how you can help keep a casino out of Fairfax County. The CWCA Board will discuss whether to send a letter to the Board saying that our association opposes the casino proposal.

Pimmit Run Protectors Update – 7:50 (Marian and Chris Cooper) 

• On November 2, 2023, a Fairfax County sheriff deputy knocked on the doors of 35 neighbors and let them know they are being sued. Representatives of those being sued provided a brief history of the land in question and how the neighbors have reacted.
• In 1972, Bill Moss, a developer who built many homes in our area, divided a family farm into a sub-division, and he wanted to exceed county density requirements. Mr. Moss made an agreement with county to exceed the limit but set aside three acres for recreational purposes (build fire pits, picnic tables, etc.). But the homeowners in that subdivision didn’t realize they needed to pay real estate taxes, so the land ultimately was put in foreclosure and auctioned off. 
• The recent purchasers of this land want to develop these three acres to build additional homes, instead of keeping it for recreation. The purchaser is suing 35 neighbors to undo the original covenant and the newly formed Pimmit Run Protectors group is fighting back. 
• Will Shiffman, Laurel Catlett-King, and Chris and Marian Cooper, members of the group, shared the case progress and fundraising efforts. Please contact any of them if you have any questions or want to get involved. 

Committee Reports – 8:00

Social – Oktoberfest – 5 min (Micaela Mazzarella) Micaela reported the plan is for Oktoberfest to be held this fall in the Laburnum cul-de-sac. The committee is working through details, but it is planned for Sunday October 27^th and will also incorporate Halloween activities.
 
Environmental Committee – 10 min (Betty and Neil Ende) 

Betty spoke for the Environmental Committee about five environmental actions you can take:

• Plant a shade tree – Back again by popular demand, the CWCA Tree Champions program offers residents the option to buy a native shade tree at a low price with all the work done for you. Watch for an email from CWCA with more info.
• Save trees/remove invasive vines – CWCA has many invasive vines lurking which can choke or kill your trees. Visit www.plantnovatrees.org/rescuing-trees for info on how to remove vines and rescue your trees.  Watch from a CWCA email about a neighborhood event to show residents how to identify and remove invasives.  
• Plant native plants – As you plan your gardens, consider planting native plants because they need less water and care than non-natives and they support native butterflies, birds and pollinators. Check out plantnovanatives.org for more information.
• Skip the mosquito spraying, even organic – 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
• Compost food waste – Food waste generates an estimated 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  Instead of disposing of food waste, you can compost materials at home, collect food waste and drop off at the McLean Farmer’s market or other local compost drop off sites or sign up with a local vendor to pick up your compost at the curb each week. Watch for an email from CWCA about composting options. 

Neil spoke about airplane noise. He explained about the changes to the flight path that have resulted in increased airplane noise in our neighborhood. In 2018, the Secret Service concluded there had been too many “incursions” into the airspace near the White House so they moved the “turn point” at which airplanes landing from the north turn toward the airport.  Maryland residents hired a consultant who recommended changes in the flight path that moved flights in our direction. Virginia did not make as strong a presentation. The result was the FAA adopted new flight path regulations which moved the turn point further up the Potomac River and toward the Virginia shore. Neil and CWCA VP, Steve Tabackman, reached out to Congressman Beyer’s for help. They asked Congressman Beyer to investigate whether procedures used by the FAA to implement the change met the “Notice and Comment” procedures required by the Administrative Procedure Act.  At Congressman Beyer’s request, they drafted a letter which the Congressman’s office added to and sent to the FAA. The FAA declined to make any change so Congressman Beyer’s office has asked the Congressional Research Service to review the FAA’s response.  A date for a response from the CRS is uncertain.  We are continuing to discuss other options with Congressman Beyer’s office.  

• Neil encouraged residents who are concerned about airplane noise to file a complaint with the FAA via email to 9-awa-noiseombudsman@faa.gov or by voicemail at (202) 267-3521. Here’s a link with background information
• You can also express your concerns and demand for action by emailing Congressman Beyer’s legislative assistant, Noah Simon, at noah.simon@mail.house.gov.  
• Here’s an article about how airplane noise impacts neighborhoods which includes a survey you can fill out.
• To have any chance of forcing positive change, it is clear we need to drive this process forward through aggressive engagement with all relevant parties.  The complaints need to be strong, come from many residents, and be continuous.  If you would like to work with CWCA on this issue, or have questions or ideas, please email cwcaenvironment@gmail.com. 

Security Committee – 5 min (Cabell Fooshe) Cabell could not make it, but it was noted that any updates on security will be sent out to the neighborhood.

Pineapple Patrol – 5 min (Bonny Sadler) Need help knowing when folks are moving in, block captions please let her know, if you would like to deliver the welcome packages yourself just let Bonny know!
 
Snow Committee – 5 min (Board) Need new co-chair(s) to help run the snow removal operations, please email chesterbrookwoods@gmail.com if you’d like to volunteer! 

Announcements – 8:30 (Board)

• Pet Etiquette Please make sure you pick up after your pets 🙂 
• Fairfax Board of Supervisors Meeting on May 21 at 4:30 – addressing Tysons Casino proposal at Government Center at Fairfax Park 

Adjourn – 8:35PM

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To pay your $15 CWCA dues for the ‘23/24 Fiscal Year, if you have NOT already paid (email susan.garrahan@gmail.com and ask your dues status if you’re not sure):

• Pay by check made out to CWCA and send to Susan Garrahan, 1714 Oak Ln, McLean, VA 22101. Be sure your check shows your CWCA street address.

Pay by PayPal using this link: paypal.me/chesterbrookwoods 

Thank you to everyone who provided additional information to these minutes, your help is greatly appreciated!