www.mecahoa.org MECA Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, February 15, 2012 The monthly MECA Board meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m., at the Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston, VA 20190. The Board members in attendance were: Anne Himes, Paul Osborn, Jason Lynch, Michael Cutler, Dennis Fisher, Adam Shubert and Jennifer Wagner. 1. Meeting Call-to-Order (President Anne Himes) 2. Meeting Rules of Conduct: This Board Meeting will follow Robert’s Rules of Order. The Agenda will be followed in the order listed. All New Items will be added to end of this Agenda and, time permitting, will be discussed or will be tabled until next month’s meeting. All comments are to be addressed to the Meeting Chair. Proper meeting decorum will be required. Please keep your comments to no more than two (2) minutes, so that everyone has an opportunity to speak. Please speak only after the Meeting Chair has called on you to do so. The Board invites participation from all homeowners. 3. Approval of January 2012 Board Meeting Minutes (Secretary Jennifer Wagner): The minutes of the January 18, 2012 MECA board meeting were reviewed and approved. 3. MECA Finances (Treasurer Paul Osborn) a. Monthly Treasury Report – normal monthly expenses, paid for the storage locker b. OPC contract – has been approved at the last meeting and signed today. c. 2011 fuel surcharge request – closing out contract from last year. Motion made to approve the request. Motion was approved. OPC will invoice us. d. Annual Dues Progress – 76 people have paid, about 1/3 of the homes. 4. ACC Committee (ACC Chair Dennis Fisher) - no violations 5. MECA Calendar and Community Events (Board - All) a. MECA Board Meeting on March 21, 2012 b. MECA Board Meeting on April 18, 2012 c. MECA Clean-Up Day --- Saturday March 24, 2012 9:00 am. We will be mulching the playground. d. Egg Hunt – March 2012 --- Either March 24 or March 31. We will contact Melinda Malone, the egg hunt coordinator, to see what date works best for her. A motion was made to allocate $150 for the egg hunt. The motion was approved. e. Garage Sale Day - May 5, 2012 8am – 1pm. Advertise in Washington Post, Reston Times, Herndon Patch (we will ask Jennifer Carney to post advertisements) (Sophie Cahoon will post an advertisement in Craigslist) 6. MECA Playground and Common Areas (Vice-President Jason Lynch) a. Lyme Bay and New Austin Court Common Areas i. Anne Himes read a statement about MECA Board Members’ responsibilities. ii. Number of unsupervised users iii. A complaint was made by Lori Goll (see attached) iv. Two complaints were made by Rose McIntyre (see attached) v. A complaint was made by Charlie and Cindy Riner (see attached) vi. Lori Goll – questions about what unsupervised activity means. She has collected neighborhood signatures asking that there be no limit placed on number of people in the area. Parents are insulted at the insinuation that they are not supervising their children. She feels that their children have been unfairly characterized and that people will have a negative opinion of them. See attached documents from Ms Goll. vii. Sophie Cahoon – She has a 16 year old son who does not require supervision. He uses bad language. She talked to him about it after the November letter was sent out. She does not like the word bullying. She is upset that their kids have been accused of bullying. She would like to know specifically what happened. She feels that her child was characterized as something that he is not. viii. Susan Miller – She feels that the sign is offensive and condescending. It is her responsibility the parent her kids, not a sign. Unsupervised activity is too vague. We need to be more specific about what will be done if someone violates the rules. It will come down to “he said she said” and we can’t resolve neighbor conflicts. She feels the board should apologize for sending out the November letter. ix. Glenn Himes – Emotions have gotten very heated on this topic. Polarization into us vs. them, which makes resolution very difficult. He encourages people to make fewer judgments about the intent of the board, and instead open a dialogue to try to resolve issues. Parents feel that kids need supervision in organized activities, but not outside of them. Assuming that kids will behave appropriately does not always work. x. Sue Martin – Her house backs on to the common ground. She’s lived there 28 years. She has picked up trash from the common area. She was happy to see the kids play football in the common area. It was nice to see the area used. The sign is fine, but there needs to be another sign that says unnecessary complaints will be prosecuted. xi. Wendy Aurentz – She lives on the common area. She does not think there is a big concern about flooding. She has never really had a problem with kids in the common area. Kids make noise, but it doesn’t bother her. She is wondering how the person limit will be enforced. xii. Rose McIntyre – Everyone on the common area except for a few people have signed a petition saying they want the kids to play there. She doesn’t want bullying or profanity. She said that if there is a problem with littering, she will send her children to clean it up. She read from her complaint (see attached). xiii. Amy Persil – her opinions have been covered so she declined to speak. xiv. Response from Jason Lynch – great that we can come together and discuss this issue. He gathered information about limits in the county and limits at schools as to how many people can be in an area without a permit. xv. A motion was made to form a committee to evaluate whether we need reword the sign. An amendment was made for the committee to be composed of up to 10 people, at least two from the board and up to 8 from the community. The amendment was approved. The motion to establish the committee was approved. xvi. We are tabling the discussion of limits to see what the committee thinks. b. New Austin Court Common Area: Phase II of Drainage Remediation: (1) additional root grinding and (2) grading of drainage area. We are trying to schedule this work, but we need to have drier weather. c. Basketball Court re-surfacing – we are getting bids to resurface the court in summer 2012. Northeast Asphalt Company is coming to look at it, and will also evaluate the tennis court. 7. Legal: Official Complaint process tabled until the next meeting 8. MECA Newsletter – We need to move the newsletter along. 9. MECA 2012 Directory – Roll-out 10. Review of any Open Issues a. MECA Insurance Update – tabled until next month b. Refinancing - Insurance Information Request Process – tabled until next month Meeting was adjourned at 8:56 p.m. The March 2012 Board meeting will be held on Wednesday March 21, 2012 at 7:30 at the Reston Regional Library. Submitted by: Jennifer Wagner Secretary Complaint from Lori Goll: Letter to the MECA Board February 13, 2012 Dear members of the MECA Board, I have three complaints that I would like to register. 1) The content and threatening tone of the sign recently posted in the Lyme Bay Common Area. In particular, the terms “No Unsupervised Activities” and “No Yelling” with the statement that “Violators Will Be Prosecuted”. 2) The alarming tone and inaccuracies of the email letter which was sent to all MECA residents on February 2, 2012. 3) The possible capacity limitation being considered for the Lyme Bay Common Area. First of all, I know this letter is lengthy, but it contains many important points and I respectively ask that you read the entire letter. I understand that the Board was trying to remedy a situation that was particularly troublesome for one or two homeowners. However, I believe the Board acted prematurely and inappropriately in response to this complaint. It seems that there was little or no consideration as to how this action would affect the rest of the neighborhood. The Board stated that its intent was to make Monterey Estates a “safe and pleasant place to live”. We have owned our home here for 22 years. We have used the common area for lots of activities: throwing Frisbee, flying toy helicopters, passing volleyball, playing football, baseball, wiffleball, and sledding to name a few and we have never had any problems. If it is muddy we wear our old shoes. My 13-year-old son was perplexed and intimidated by this new sign, as were many of us. He asked “Does that mean I can’t play there anymore?” The fact that a child thinks he can’t play in our common area without getting in trouble should be enough reason for the Board to remove or change this sign. Remember that many children and adults will read it, not just “large gatherings of unsupervised youths”. I posted this sign on FaceBook to get peoples’ opinions. I will attach their very telling responses to this letter. I hope you will HONESTLY consider how this sign appears to people, young or old, residents or not. It makes our neighborhood sound unwelcoming and even hostile. “No Unsupervised Activities” is too vague. Supervised by whom? Parents? Board Members? If this rule is going to be enforced it needs to be defined. Please do not threaten to prosecute violators of such an indeterminate rule. “Area Closed at Dark and When Raining” with the promise that “Violators will be prosecuted” means that high-schoolers walking across the common area to get their morning bus in the dark or home from the bus in the rain WILL be prosecuted. Period. Of course no one wants to hear foul language. No one wants bullying to occur in our neighborhood or anywhere. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to remind “unsupervised youths” of this, and also to be courteous to their neighbors. However “No Yelling” should be removed from the sign. If my son plays catch in the field with a friend or two, it will be hard for that friend to hear him if he doesn’t “yell”. What is the acceptable level for “yelling”? How many decibels? Kids laugh and shout when they play. Even little ones are taught about their “outside voice”. If this disturbs the homeowner nearby and she complains, will we be “prosecuted” and lose our privilege to use the common area? I still don’t understand, after all these years, why it was so necessary to post this long list of rules. Have any of these rules been broken repeatedly lately and needed posting? What about other rules like picking up after your dog or littering or dumping or drugs or alcoholic beverages or public urination? We could post sign after sign of rules if it was an appropriate thing to do and if we had a serious problem with these issues. This sign should be removed or replaced immediately. At the very least, the rules of “No Unsupervised Activities” and “No Yelling” MUST be removed. They are ambiguous and vague which will make them impossible to enforce. And PLEASE remove “Violators will be Prosecuted”. And how about adding the word “Please”. People do not need to be bullied and threatened to obey rules. The second major concern I have was the email sent to MECA residents on February 2, 2012. This letter was full of inaccuracies and partial truths. The tone was alarming, and in several instances, played on current unrelated events for emotional emphasis. I urge you in future correspondences to stick to the facts. The purpose of these notices should be to inform residents of facts, not to try to scare them or persuade them into agreement using inaccurate and incomplete information. I will cite several examples: In the second paragraph of this letter, it was explained that the rules posted on the sign “were in response to recurring problems with large gatherings of unsupervised youth”. This was a very creative way to make a bunch of kids playing football sound like a gang. And that “These youth were observed disturbing the adjacent neighbors, using profanity, making excessive noise, and bullying smaller neighborhood children. “ I am sorry that a bunch of loud kids playing football and cussing disturbed the neighbor. It would disturb me, too. But I think that rather than call or write the MECA Board to complain, I would have gone out and asked them to watch their language. Most kids (and ALL of the kids that I personally know that play in the common area) are respectful of adults and would try to curb their language if asked. And again, “football” was never mentioned. As far as “bullying smaller neighborhood children” is concerned, we all agree that it’s mean for an older larger group of kids to “take over” a field when they’re younger kids playing. If this was what happened it was not nice. Again, did the complaining homeowner talk to the kids about this or just add to the complaint? Were parents called? References were made in the letter to the “broad media attention of bullying” to add weight and seriousness and a whole new level of badness to what occurred. Posting a sign is not a guarantee that no bullying will occur, just as NOT posting a sign doesn’t mean that bullying is allowed. Kids have conflicts and disagreements. Sometimes parents need to step in to aid in resolution. This is not the responsibility of a homeowners association. It was said that the rules and regulations were posted “so that residents (as well as non-residents) understand what appropriate and inappropriate behaviors are”. Is it now the MECA Board’s responsibility to tell people of all ages how to behave? I know they are allowed to make rules regarding the conduct of those in the common area for the good of all, but in this case I think their solution was not for the good of all, but to appease one or two. I think it was appropriate for the Board to bring the situation to the community’s attention in the November newsletter and to suggest parents talk to their kids that play in the common area. I know, in fact, that a couple of parents did talk to their kids. Litter was picked up. I believe some of the kids respectfully talked with a complaining homeowner when she told them they couldn’t play there and even helped her with a chore at her request. Was the Board made aware of this? I know the community certainly wasn’t. It was stated that “Several Board Members observed the activities in the Lyme Bay Common Area over an approximate three-week period and determined that action needed to be taken”. You actually told all the MECA homeowners that over three weeks you continually observed large gatherings of youth being excessively loud, disturbing neighbors, using profanity, and leaving trash around, and bullying small children? How many football games did you actually see over the three week period? How many neighbors were “disturbed”? One? We talked to almost every single neighbor around that common area and they were NOT DISTURBED. Many said they like to see the kids playing football out there. Did you see bullying of small children again? How many incidences of what you call bullying occurred? Did you EVER talk to the kids? How could “several” board members observe these activities over three weeks? How many is “several”? Perhaps the biggest problem I have with this letter is the entire paragraph actually telling the community that these signs are necessary in order for the police to take any action. I called the police to discuss this sign. These statements are FALSE. Signage is NOT NECESSARY for the police to “take action” if a resident or non-resident is doing anything suspicious or illegal in our community. I am appalled that you are using the serious and scary “reports of suspicious persons being sighted in the community” as a legitimate reason for posting this sign. You have falsely lead homeowners to believe that the police are powerless to do anything unless they have a sign of rules to enforce. You have also, with your alarming words, insinuated (in at least two of our childrens’ minds) that the police will be called if the “rules” are broken. The police will not ticket or arrest MECA residents and their guests if they are playing unsupervised in the common area, even if they are yelling or playing in the rain. It was WRONG to threaten and scare our kids. This is true bullying. You have said that this area was “never designed for athletic or recreational activities”. People have been playing football all over this country for decades in areas not designed for football. The Board even stated in their November newsletter that “we encourage our property to be used for exercise and recreational purposes”. Fields can get muddy when people play on them, whether it’s 2, 8, or 20 people. My yard is muddy from my two little dogs walking along their certain paths. This time of year (especially during and after a wet autumn) you will find muddy fields everywhere. When spring comes and the grass comes out of dormancy the fields almost always repair themselves. Limiting the use of the common area to 12 people of any age is not going to solve any of the “problems” or “complaints”. And it will open up a whole new set of problems. How will it be enforced? If the 13th kid shows up to play, will all the kids lose the right to play in the common area? If a homeowner who lives adjacent to the common area has a backyard party and more than 12 guests spill out of the yard boundaries into the common area, will they get in trouble and be banned for 60 days? If it’s snowing and my children and their friends (there’s more than 12) meet to sled and play in the common area, will they be “prosecuted”? I’ve walked around to a few neighbors (including some along the common area) with a survey about limiting the capacity of the common area to 12. I will bring a copy of the survery to the Board meeting Wednesday evening. EVERY single homeowner we talked to does NOT want the capacity of the common area limited to 12, including many who live on the common area. I don’t see how the Board in good conscience can make up an arbitrary rule like this and then spend our homeowners’ dues on a sign attempting to enforce it. The letter concludes with the two reasons the sign was installed: “as a response to the lack of adequate supervision by parents” and “the complaints registered by neighboring homeowners whose lives have been frequently disrupted by events in their residential area”. The first reason is RIDICULOUS and insulting. If my child or ANY neighborhood child (over 8 according to you) wants to play football with friends in our common area he does not have to be supervised by ANYONE. My son is respectful of adults, not excessively loud, and doesn't use profanity. He has a cell phone and regularly checks in with me to let me know where he is and what he’s doing. But this is frankly none of the MECA Boards’ or any other homeowner’s business. All of the people that I personally know in this neighborhood would call me immediately if they saw a problem with the behavior or safety of my children. The bottom line is my children and their friends have every right to participate in any legal activity in that area without fearing punishment. I think the second reason is the reason is the root of the problem. A homeowner doesn’t want to come out into their yard and be “in the middle of a football game”. If that homeowner is in their own yard, they are certainly not in the “middle” of a game occurring in a common area which every resident in this neighborhood has a right to use as much as they do. Living adjacent to the common area presents its own set of advantages and it’s own set of problems. Just as living next to a neighbor who has an annoying barking dog, one that doesn’t weed their garden enough, or has ugly Christmas decorations. We live in a community and we need to have a certain level of tolerance. When problems like this one arise, we should talk about them together, and try to come up with an effective solution which is FAIR for everyone. In conclusion, I urge the Board to act responsibly and conservatively now and in the future to keep this neighborhood the safe, friendly, and pleasant place that it has always been. Please remove, or at least change, the sign. Please send a letter of correction and apology to the homeowners whom you have mislead and quite possibly alarmed. And please do not vote to restrict the capacity of this area to 12 or any other arbitrary number. Thank you, Lori Goll FaceBook Comments Regarding Lyme Bay Common Area Sign XXXXX I will say it is a new sign posted in our common area XXXXX Too negative, I would not want to be there XXXXX Certainly not very welcoming & raises a lot of questions: who has to do the supervising (doesn't say no unsupervised "children")? And are they really going to prosecute someone for yelling?? XXXXX They might as well just put up a fence with "no trespassing" signs all the way around. A little overboard! XXXXX WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE!!! XXXXX Debbie said it!!!! XXXXX yeah. what debbie said. XXXXX and why close when raining - do people get mugged in the rain or something? XXXXX I think you know how I feel about this! Great idea btw XXXXX No fun allowed! XXXXX It's very controlling. Basically saying, "you can be here, but you can't and don't make any noise or we'll take legal action." Sheesh! XXXXX Hmmm...They already think the worst of me. Let them at least meet me first. Then they can tell me not to bully or swear! But now I want to swear and yell because they said I couldn't!! XXXXX Yikes. XXXXX So I will be prosecuted if my child is there having fun and uses her "outside voice". I will be prosecuted for taking my dog on a walk there when I take him out at night or early in the morning or if it is raining. Why don't they just say "Stay the f*&^ out!" XXXXX Kinda looks like you only have to have your dogs leashed when its raining......sounds like somebody has way too much time on their hands....not to mention, they don't sound like shiny happy people! XXXXX I love how they have to say "no profanity" - as if that's a natural concern. Who are they expecting as visitors? Really, let's perfect this sign with "no drug sales to children, no public urination, and all visitors must provide the name of your parole officer at the front desk". Ooooooh ... I think I just figured out where this sign appears. XXXXX You mean it's not in cabrini green chicago? XXXXX Dave says it reminds him of a Dolores Umbridge sign..... XXXXX Is it a prison? XXXXX Who is supervising their activities is what I want to know? XXXXX My parents live in Monterey Estates. XXXXX hmmm... XXXXX "No Unsupervised Activities" seems a bit vague...... XXXXX I don't recall ever being supervised while playing football, basketball, baseball, catch, Frisbee or anything else. Sounds like a load of over-controlling, meddling BS to me. But I'm just a grumpy old guy so what do I know? Those folks need to get lives! XXXXX I think I may have used profanity when walking the paths there once with a friend . . . oopsie. (Seriously, my whole childhood would have to be deemed in violation!) XXXXX Does seem a bit crumudgeon, but as we live across from a big common area, we have a similar prob. A big group of teenage boys play football, which is seemingly good clean fun. But they oftn yell loud profanitys in front of lots of little kids who are also in park and when they leave, tons of trash. So i like it but too bad kids need hoa enforcement of good manners. XXXXX Translation - Keep walking - no having fun allowed! XXXXX ????? now this is stupid. XXXXX Ugh, this is one of MANY reasons I so dislike HOAs. Theydo know it's a family neighborhood, right, where children should be encouraged to be children? What good then, is the purpose of a common area? To me, there is nothing more delightful than hearing a bunch of rowdy kids playing in the yard -- the more space for them the better. I'm with David (and I'm not even an old grumpy guy :o) ). XXXXX The rules probably made by those who do not have children or whose kids are grown and left the nest!! XXXXX Does their email have a typo? What's a BOAED? Haha... First Compliant from Rose McIntyre: Dear MECA Board Members, I am writing today in hopes to convey concerns about what has recently taken place in the neighborhood, and request action to remedy some of the problems. I have lived here for over 12 years now, and have appreciated the community, neighbors and board. I trust that if we all work together, solutions amenable to most, if not all can be obtained. As I have said in earlier emails sent to the board, I believe there can be a "win - win" situation regarding our recent struggles in the community. We are a community of good kids and good parents, we just all need to talk to each other. That being said, I am registering a complaint regarding a letter sent out to the community by the board regarding the Lyme Bay common area activities that occurred last Fall, and about the recently erected sign in the Lyme Bay common area. The letter that was recently sent out to all MECA residents about a Fall football game was misrepresenting of the teens, missing of information, and of slanted view. As far as I am aware, no teenager was directly spoken to about this event, nor were their parents. This letter presented a group of teenagers as if they were bullies with foul mouths. There was no mention of what actually occurred, which was a football game, and there was no mention that these teenagers later spoke with a complaining homeowner and attempted to make amends. They reached an agreement with this homeowner, that being of using no foul mouths and picking up their trash. They even raked leaves for this homeowner, at this person's request.. Clearly a group of kids wanting to make things work . None of this information was in the letter that was sent out to all the MECA residents. Why??? These kids are MECA residents. They have a right to play in the common area. They are good kids, that will sometimes make mistakes. Lets talk to them. Lets teach them. They do listen !! The common area belongs to ALL MECA residents. It is not an extension of anyone's back yard. For 12 years I have lived by this common area and I have seen it used for football, soccer, baseball, volley ball, tag, duck duck goose, flying kites, birdwatching, girl scout badges, Easter egg hunts, visits by Santa, etc etc etc..... the list can go on and on. There has never been a problem. Does anyone question why there is a problem now? There has been a report of bullying.....was it investigated? Was it proven true? If a bully was identified was that person told not to return to the common area? I sure hope so. I know that my son and his close friends, and their parents were never approached or spoken to about that one day of football. I know my son and his close friends did not bully. It is not right to punish a group of kids if they did not do anything wrong. My child and his guests have a right to play in the common area. MECA kids have a right to play outside. The common area belongs to all of us, we who border it and those in MECA who do not. As I parent I expect my children to be respectful of others and of their environment. I expect them to watch their mouths and to clean up after themselves. If I hear kids curse, I ask them to stop, and usually they do. One thing I have loved about our community is that the parents and kids work together. We all agree that we want a safe neighborhood. I believe we agree that we want kids and adults to be respectful to each other. Most would agree that we do not want to hear profanity. And I believe that we want people to clean up after themselves. The letter that went out did not have all the facts, and it misrepresented a situation, and in actuality can be perceived quite threatening. I think this needs to be acknowledged and corrected. In regards to the sign that has been erected in the Lyme Bay common area, I find it nonwelcoming, threatening and intimidating. I know of a few children that have even questioned whether they would be "prosecuted" for playing out there. This is just wrong !! No kid should feel this way. The language of "no yelling" and "no unsupervised play" and the threat of "prosecution" for these things is not ok. If laws are broken, then of course legal action will take place. We do not need a sign threatening prosecution. How intimidating and unfriendly do we really want to be? Supervision varies depending on age of child, maturity level of child, and risk of activity at hand. This is also a parenting decision, not that of the MECA board. "Yelling" or using an outside voice is not a crime, nor a Fairfax County ordinance violation. It is not the responsibility of the MECA Board to write these things, nor do I believe it representative of the feelings of this community. When children play outside, they laugh, have fun, and often use "outside voices". "Yelling" when playing may be appropriate. I have contacted the Fairfax County Police and have been informed that kids playing and making normal noise outside , or that of kids even "yelling" outside, whether it be playing football or another activity, is not a violation to any noise ordinance, nor is It breaking any law. I was told by a police officer that because of this, an officer would not write up a charge and take it to a magistrate. The police officer also told me that as a resident of MECA, I (and my family) have a right to use the common area. This sign is negative and threatening. It is intimidating and a violation of my and my kids' rights. I request that this sign be removed, and if the board still feels that a sign is needed, I request a more friendly one replace it . Such as: Welcome to MECA This Common Area Is For Residents and Guests Please Help us Keep Our Neighborhood Clean and Safe Pick up After Yourselves, Leave No Trash Behind Respect Your Neighbors Please Refrain From Profanity Fairfax Leash Laws are Followed Play at Your Own Risk, MECA Assumes No Responsibility I also request that no official limit of common area use be arbitrarily assigned. This too would feel like an infringement and violation of our rights as MECA homeowners. Should additional situations arise, they can be addressed as needed, hopefully with respectful communication among all parties involved, whether kids or adults. I believe much of what has happened could have been avoided from the get go if only the teens were directly approached and spoken to. I respectfully request that the Board discuss these concerns at the board meeting, and they consider the impact of their actions on this community. I welcome further communication with the Board. My hope is that we all work through this, and be closer and more connected, with additional communication channels and supports opened. Sincerely, Rose McIntyre 2657 New Aspen Court
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