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Message from
Supervisor Kauffman

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Message from the Chairman

While I was enjoying the summer break from writing this message, a few things crossed my mind.

1. Are we sure we want the Montreal Expos?
2. Dan Snyder financing Tom Cruise? Hmmm…Washington Redskins = Mission Impossible?
3. Can we wait another year before we start hearing about the 2008 presidential race?
4. How about a year-and-a-half?
5. There are 9 planets. There always have been 9, there always will be 9.
6. When exiting Stoneybrooke, if you don’t hug the double yellow line to turn left or proceed through, you obviously don’t live here.
7. Blowing up the old Wilson Bridge was a good idea. What’s the over/under on years before we want to blow up the new one?
8. Did I really remove the county sticker from our vehicle windshields, never to put another one on?
9. I’m from Ohio and thus, a big Ohio State fan. I’m not a fan of Michigan. Is the West Potomac mascot really the Wolverines?
10. The Army wants to build a military theme park at the engineering proving grounds? Didn’t Dan Snyder buy the Six Flags Amusement Parks? Maybe he’ll buy the Army?

It was a slow summer…

COLD SPRING BARRIER
I recently received a letter from Dana Kauffman stating that the Board of Supervisors will vote on September 11, 2006 to adopt a resolution requesting discontinuance of a segment of Cold Spring Lane (the barrier) from VDOT maintenance responsibility.  The discontinuance will still allow the retention of right-of-way for potential needs in the future.  We support the resolution as it makes the barrier as permanent as possible.  I have included as an attachment to this email the letter and Board agenda item.

MANSION NOISE
This summer, Bernie Tabarini and I met with representatives from the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) to discuss the ongoing problems with noise emanating from events at the Mansion.  Here are the highlights from that meeting.

• The Historic Property Rental Division of the FCPA has sent a letter to all clients who have active contracts for rental to remind them of the noise policy.  The letter reminds their clients that they will receive one warning for noise and the second time will result in the plug being pulled.  If the plug is pulled, the FCPA has a process whereby senior managers are immediately notified, regardless of day and time. 
• After the June SCA meeting, in which only 4 people attended, I received a letter from the FCPA noting this fact and that it is in violation of our lease agreement.  As a community association we are required to have a minimum of 10 attendees.  I told the the FCPA that due to the "special relationship" we share over noise, I did not appreciate receiving that letter.  They assured us that the letter is standard policy.  
• I asked the FCPA if we could get a list of rental dates and clients and they agreed.  They did say that the next rental is not until August and that they would give us updates as to when to expect rentals.
• I also asked them if they would consider including a letter from the SCA in their contract package.  They agreed to consider a letter from us.  That letter is now in draft form and has been sent this morning to the FCPA.  Once the letter is approved, I will send it along to all you.  I explained that we now send a package of Stoneybrooke material to all realtors who are selling houses here in Stoneybrooke and a letter in their package would be along the same lines. The letter would congratulate the renter on their choice of the Stone Mansion, wish them a happy event or best of luck on their wedding day, and remind them that their event will occur in the middle of residential neighborhood.  As any resident tries to do, we hope that they too act like a good neighbor.
• We discussed the procedure to contact them should noise become a problem.  Your points of contact will be anyone from the SCA Board, each of whom has contact numbers for the FCPA Historic Property folks.  You can find the SCA Board in any issue of the Sentinel and our numbers are in the directory.  I would encourage you to work through us first.  If need be, we will then call police.   The FCPA has also been provided with the SCA Board members names.
• We ended our very cordial meeting with a discussion of the Mansion's history, for which the FCPA offered to attend one of our SCA meetings to give a presentation on that, as well as on the Huntley sight.  We'll look at booking her for our January, 2007meeting.
  

PARK AUTHORITY PROPERTY BOUNDERIES
At the end of our meeting regarding Mansion noise, the FCPA asked us if we would pass along a message that they are in the process of assessing each park's property boundaries to determine if there are any encroachment problems from properties adjacent to theirs.  They relayed that they are doing this for ALL FCPA properties and even relayed a one story of multiple (and I mean dozens) of problems in just one of their parks.  Thus, if you are contacted by the FCPA, be forewarned.  As a preemptive measure, if you abut Stoneybrooke Park, you may want to pull out your plats and determine if you have, or think you have a problem.  If you do, you might want to contact them to see if you can work out a solution. 

MAILBOX
Recently, the U.S. Postal Service posted a notice on the U.S. mail collection box at the top of Stoneybrooke Lane that the box is under consideration to be removed for lack of mail volume. I recently spoke with the postmaster concerning the box and he confirmed that our box as well as many other throughout the Alexandria area are under consideration for removal. The USPS requires an average of 25 pieces of mail per day to justify the continued presence of the box. Due to a few calls and letters from Stoneybrooke residents, the postmaster told me on August 30 that he would run another check on the Stoneybrooke box through the month of September. If it is still not garnering 25 pieces/day, the box will be removed, without notice. Thus, if you want the box there, put your outgoing mail in it. Remember, placing your outgoing mail in your curbside mailbox is an invitation to identity theft, especially if you raise the flag.

RECENT ELECTRICAL FIRE
As some of you know, a home here in Stoneybrooke experienced an electrical fire last week.  Fortunately, there was little damage and more importantly, no one was hurt.  The fire occurred as a result of the main electric feed disconnecting from the meter mounted on the outside of the house.  The lights in the home flickered and the owner then was fortunate to see sparks flying from the feed/meter.  Dominion Virginia Electric believes the disconnect occurred as a result of settling of the house.
 
Upon responding to the home, the fire department relayed some important information. The fire department advised the homeowner to never try to put out an electrical fire.  While the homeowner did have an extinguisher rated for all fires, the fire department indicated that it is best to let them handle it.  And they did arrive very promptly.  Electrical fires are particularly dangerous so this is good advice.  Seeing as how I like to run OUT of burning buildings, and they like to run IN, I'll take their advice.
 
The second item is to let you know that I contacted Dominion Virginia to ask if they inspect outdoor feed/meter connections.  The response I received is that they do, and there is no charge.  Thus, if you think you have a problem, you would be wise to have it checked out.

LIGHTING THE WALLS
After a summer of research and investigation, it is not likely that we will be able to light the walls. I have not completely given up on the idea however, if we do anything, it will have to be with solar power, which may not get us the juice we’ll need. We’ll keep talking about it.

All for now,
Mike

Message from
Supervisor Kauffman

Plans for Fort Belvoir’s future under BRAC will bring about the best of times and the worst of times.

By now I’m sure you’ve heard of the Army’s plans to locate 18,000 jobs and a military theme park in museum wrappings on the Engineering Proving Ground (EPG) in Springfield (on the West side of I-95, between the Franconia-Springfield Parkway and the Newington interchange/industrial area). These jobs, particularly those coming with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, are welcome and can be supported with reasonable transportation improvements. However, the idea of co-locating these jobs with a theme park/museum - attracting an estimated 3 million visitors a year - have state and local officials and transportation experts issuing red flag warnings over the all-but-guaranteed gridlock.

While I may only scratch my head and wonder why the Army would freely chose to place secure commands next to tourists, I must strongly fight the proposal unless they can “show me the money” for real transportation improvements that support their vision.

For years, we fought side by side with and for the Army to secure the Army museum for our area. The understanding was absolutely clear: the museum was to be built adjacent to Route One. It was to be paired with Mount Vernon as a strong attraction for tourists and to support the redevelopment of Route One. The Army Museum belongs there, not beside the Mixing Bowl project where it will bottleneck traffic on I-95, I-395, and I-495 and choke local roads.

Also, the Army has so far chosen to walk away from proposals to include the GSA warehouses (off Loisdale Road just below Springfield Mall) in its plans for Fort Belvoir’s future. However, for me, the bottom line is that Federal land is Federal land. How can the Army contemplate the largest single job expansion in the area while ignoring 70 acres of publicly owned land located right next to a Metro station and regional transportation center?

We still have many months of review ahead of us. During those months, our community concerns over the best way to minimize the impacts of this potentially great opportunity must be taken into consideration. The Army leadership asked for our input and we freely and happily provided it. Now it’s time for Pentagon leadership to acknowledge that “ground-level intelligence” and modify its plans accordingly.

Information on Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
A Fairfax County Citizen Corps Program administered by the County’s Fire and Rescue Department

Purpose
To train citizens to be better prepared to respond to emergency disasters, both natural and manmade, in their community when first responders are delayed. The CERT members act as the “Citizen Arm” of the Fire and Rescue Department.

Training
31 hours (8 weekday evenings for first aid and other training, 1 weekend day for practical exercise) FEMA standard course materials modified to meet County standards and procedures. The short course consists of 3 weekday evenings ,1 weekend day and the one day final exercise.

Issued Equipment (Trainees provide leather work gloves and boots)

1. Vest
2. Helmet
3. Back pack
   – Multi-purpose tool
   – Flashlight
   – Radio (Citizens Band - 2 way)
   – Eye protection

Course Overview

1. Fire safety/suppression.
2. Emergency medical operations/first aid
3. Light search and rescue
4. CERT organization/ incident command.
5. Disaster psychology.
6. Terrorism/ Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
7. Incident command.

Emergency Roles

1. Locate and turn off utilities
2. Extinguish small fires
3. Treat injuries
4. Conduct light search and rescue
5. Help to relieve survivor stress
6. Report to and assist first responders

Non-Emergency Roles

1. Distribute preparedness materials
2. Staff first aid booths at special events
3. Assist with installation of smoke alarms

Additional CERT Training Opportunities

1. Shelter management
2. Community relations
3. Donations management
4. Special needs concerns
5. Debris removal
6. Utilities control
7. Advanced first aid

For more information and to sign up for the course: www.fairfaxcountycitizencorps.org

Call Volunteer Fairfax at 703-246-3460 or Bob Mizer, CERT Coordinator, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, 703-246-3926

Stoneybrooke Babysitters

Rachel Bier (CPR Certified) 703-765-0260
Kerry Hammond 703-765-4403
Ronja Roberts (16) 703-765-8555
Kelly Geren (CPR Cert) 703-768-6163
Ryan Schless (CPR Cert) 703-721-0923
Stacey Selman (CPR Cert) 703-765-9114

Mother's Helpers

Anna Jurkowski 703-765-2736