On Saturday, February 16 at 9:30 am, State Senator Toddy Puller, State Senator Adam Ebbin, and State Delegate Scott Surovell will host a Town Hall style meeting at the Mount Vernon Government Center around the corner from us at 2511 Parkers Lane. They will be gathering to discuss a wide variety of issues including the funding for U.S. 1 and other state transportation issues, uranium mining, gun control, immigration, Medicaid, and a host of other issues as they affect members of our community.

This should be a great opportunity to hear what our representatives have to say about issues important to our area.

Guest/Non-Reserved parking is suddenly in short supply in Mount Woodley Manor. It is apparent some residents are using these minimal parking spaces to park their vehicles. While there is no bylaw that prohibits a homeowner from parking his/her vehicle in guest parking, we urge residents to use the two parking spaces reserved for their property. In other words, do not park in guest/non-reserved parking because it is closer to your front door. In those instances where a resident is using guest parking as overflow, we encourage them to use the parking available on Sherwood Hall Lane. A copy of the Parking Space Assignments list is included in this newsletter. It is important to note that there are four open/guest parking spaces in MWM. These spaces are currently marked Reserved and will be re-marked as Guest whenever repaving occurs in MWM.

We also want to remind homeowners that parking commercial vehicles on MWM premises is prohibited. The bylaws expressly prohibit the parking of any commercial vehicle in MWM reserved parking spaces except for contractors performing temporary work in the neighborhood. Commercial vehicles are subject to towing at the homeowner’s expense. This also includes any junk or abandoned cars parked within the confines of MWM.

In November we distributed flyers to all homeowners kicking off our electronic Neighborhood Watch Group.

Rather than having street patrols, we’re relying on one another through membership in the MWM HOA Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MW M_HOA/) to keep Mount Woodley safe and informed through e-mail. Recently, when a homeowner was confronted by a prowler in their backyard, we were able to get the message out quickly through our MWMHOA Yahoo Group, reminding homeowners to keep gates locked and front and back porch lights on. Through the Group, Officer Greg Kottemann with the Fairfax County Police Department sends updates on police activity, safety tips and community news. The Gum Springs Civic Association also keeps us informed on the latest turn of events regarding the possible widening of Sherwood Hall Lane, something that would greatly impact our community. If you haven’t yet joined the group, we urge you to do so by contacting Sue Brock at sue22306@gmail.com or 703- 778-0216. Joining the group is easy and we encourage your participation.

The Board of Directors voted on a 5% increase of the semiannual assessment that became effective on January 1st of this year. The new assessment will be $314.00 due in April and October. At this time, the current BoD would prefer to avoid a special assessment that would be necessary if the Board were to get proposals to repave all parking lots and the main thoroughfare. We believe that an increase in dues will enable the repaving to be done in increments. As has been stated by previous Boards, MWMHOA dues are still among the lowest in our area.