 Photo taken by resident Kevin Blacknell | | PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Recently one of our neighbors shared this photo taken at the entrance to the golf club. This inspires me to think that this ordeal we have been experiencing may be coming to an end, and we can open our lives to social connecting not distancing. But we cannot forget the lives that have been lost to Covid-19 or the lives that have been severely impacted by the disease or the economic repercussions. May we all soon enjoy the brighter day. Through these three months, there have been experiences that we cannot take back or take a Mulligan. Some of our members have experienced economic downturns as businesses have retracted or shut down. Others may have friends or relatives affected by Covid-19. Also we have 25 young people in our neighborhood who had their senior year in high school or college turned upside down. Good luck to all to embark on new paths or move forward with the situation we have. For the association, these months have brought a few changes which we are weathering well. We canceled a Board meeting and the Spring Yard Sale. The Yard Sales usually provide a social opportunity for neighbors to interact and do some spring cleaning. The Spring Yard Sale is also a fundraiser with Goodwill to benefit the Spring Run Elementary School PTA. In the past two years this has provided several hundred dollars for the school. The next BCA Yard Sale, hopefully with the Goodwill truck, will be October 3rd. The association has also completed the street light project. New lights have been installed at the intersection of Royal Birkdale Drive and Parkway and at the Birkdale gazebo. In June the annual inspection will be done. This is addressed in detail later in the Bulletin. If you have plans to address some of these matters, please submit an ARC request for our information.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for August 6th. All residents are encouraged to attend and be part of the management of this association. Two months after that, on October 1, the Annual Meeting will be held. Two Board seats will be open for election. Residents interested in these positions may contact any Board member for more information. Earl Bishop
President, BCA | June 1, 2020
ASSESSMENTS THANK YOU! Your Birkdale Community Association Board sincerely appreciates homeowners who pay their assessments in a timely way. Birkdale’s annual assessment continues to be the same as in past years; $101 per quarter or $404 per year. Currently, 57 homeowners did not pay the April 1st assessment. Your board appreciates our residents who have brought their accounts current. COVID-19 SITUATION The BCA Board recognizes that we are in an unusual situation with the Covid-19 prevalent in our society. The Board has considered and adopted the recommendations of Community Associations Institute, a national organization supporting community associations such as ours. The adjustment to our collections policy is as follows: 1. Quarterly assessments that were due April 1, 2020, are still due. The third quarterly assessment will be due on July 1, 2020.
2. Residents experiencing financial difficulty due to Covid-19 should immediately contact the association manager identified below to discuss a payment plan.
3. Late fees and penalties will not be assessed if such notice is given and a payment plan is agreed to.
| 1. | Quarterly assessments that were due April 1, 2020, are still due. The third quarterly assessment will be due on July 1, 2020. | | 2. | Residents experiencing financial difficulty due to Covid-19 should immediately contact the association manager identified below to discuss a payment plan. | | 3. | Late fees and penalties will not be assessed if such notice is given and a payment plan is agreed to. | If you are unable to pay your assessment on time because of a COVID-19 issue, it is your responsibility to notify ACS West, Inc. to work out a payment plan. ACS West, Inc.
Lee Ann King, Birkdale’s Community Manager
1904 Byrd Avenue, Suite 100
Richmond, VA 23230
804-282-7451, or admin@acswest.org PAYMENT OPTIONS There are several options for paying your assessment. Owners can mail a check to ACS West, Inc. at the address above. Some residents pay online through their banks while others use an electronic assessment payment outlined in your coupon book. Remember, some methods of payment add service fees. Please allow adequate time to ensure that your payment is not late. Assessments are due on the 1st day of each quarter: January, April, July, and October. COLLECTION AGENCY If quarterly assessments are not paid, ACS West, Inc. sends out reminder notices to owners. However, if their efforts are not successful, the BCA Board has authorized Equity Experts to file liens and other legal actions, including foreclosures. Once an account has been referred to Equity Experts, owners must deal with the collection agency, not individual Board Members nor ACS West, Inc., our Community Manager. Delinquent homeowners pay all collection fees. These charges can be substantial since the collection agency bills for each contact, service and procedure. There is NO CHARGE, however, to our association. Since November 2016 when Equity Experts became Birkdale’s collection agency, they have dealt with 101 delinquent accounts and have collected over $42,000 for our community. Currently, Equity Experts is following 15 delinquent accounts. Our current delinquency has been reduced to $31,676.36, or and represents 11.9% of Birkdale’s annual budget. This percentage includes accounts that have been in arrears for several years. Equity Experts continues to pursue these accounts while also monitoring several bankruptcies. Your Board, ACS West, Inc., and Equity Experts continue to work together to resolve all delinquencies. QUESTIONS? Contact Betsy Martello, Treasurer, 804-739-7487, or, betsy@martellofamily.com | Please Line the Main Streets on Thursday for our Graduation Parade at 6 pm Thursday, June 4th at 6 pm. We look forward to celebrating our retiring teachers and graduating seniors with a Birkdale Graduation Parade. Thank you to Dani Fink for spearheading this event along Anne Haring, Mark Fink, Earl Bishop and others who have helped. Below are the details! The parade will begin June 4 @ 6:00 pm! We will have the graduates and special guests line up BY 5:15. We have a neighborhood photographer who is volunteering his services to take photos of all of you. A Chesterfield Sheriff's deputy will lead the parade and a Chesterfield County police officer will hold up the back of the parade procession. We will start FROM the area adjacent to Old Bond Street. Most of you will drive towards Ainsdale, and then simply turn around heading towards the clubhouse. I will have cones at the areas in which to park and will line you up along the fairway between Turning Lane and Houghton. We will proceed along Royal Birkdale and then go RIGHT into Avalon and follow Spyglass Hill Circle back around to either pulling over into Emerald Dunes Circle, leaving at the Spring Run Entrance or simply heading back home, the idea being that we don't have the entire parade backtracking and keeping Royal Birkdale clear. Because the roads are state maintained, we cannot keep traffic from entering or leaving, so if you come up to anyone needing to come out onto the parade route or needing to enter or exit the neighborhood, please just simply slow down and let them pass. We also will have golfers who will want to cross the parade route. We have volunteers at each golf path crossing and they will guide them and stop vehicles to allow them to cross. Please work and be patient with residents, visitors, golfers, and our volunteers. We will NOT be going into cul de sacs, so spectators are encouraged to line the main roads, in the grass or sidewalk areas, using social distancing guidelines. Our wish is to keep the main roads free of parking and hope neighbors park IN the cul de sacs or walk to the public areas at the ends of their cul de sacs or along the route. Fingers crossed for great weather on June 4. If you have any questions, my cell phone number is below. We look forward to this celebration of our Birkdale graduates. And remember, the parade WILL begin at 6!!! Congrats to all of you!!! Thank you! Dani D. Fink 804-334-9405 | Helping Out the Chesterfield Food Bank The residents of Leamington Drive held a food drive in May for the Chesterfield Food Bank.
They collected over $350 in donations. Below is a social distance photo. They would like to challenge other streets to participate. If you would like to spearhead a drive on your street you can contact Candis Ingram for details at candis.ingram@capitalone.com | May was a busy month with requests throughout the Community. Please, when sending your request to ARC where you are adding any structure to your property, please note .....you will need a plot plan (property layout) showing the location of your addition such as a: shed, patio, fire pit, porch or any other structure. Thank for your cooperation. Applications submitted to ARC for approval:
8603 Royal Birkdale Drive - Shed
8831 Emerald Dunes - Roof over patio
8818 Kennemer Place - House addition
8907 Sawgrass Place - Temporary ramp (front house)
8936 Sawgrass Place - Exterior painting
8936 Sawgrass Place - Work on front porch
8302 Houghton Place - Roof
8855 Emerald Dunes Circle - Roof
8307 Houghton Place - Basketball goal
8710 Royal Birkdale Drive - Remove trees (front lawn)
8602 Old Brompton Road - Fence Lee Kemmet
ARC Committee Mailbox Maintenance Mailbox maintenance is the homeowner’s responsibility, and the specific requirements are in the ARC Guidelines. When painting your mailbox, Lowe’s on Hull Street has the equivalent paint color as Benjamin Moore which is Lowe's - Valspar, Quart, 372, Birkdale Vanilla Cookie, Exterior Satin, Duramax, 105-1, 107-1, 214-2.5. For your metal mailbox, Cottage Red Benjamin Moore is available at Virginia Paint and can also be mixed at Lowes. The Birkdale logo and numbers may be purchased from Sign Crafters Inc., Attn: Barbara Isenberg, 804-379-2004 or email bisenberg@sign-crafters.com OR You may contact residents Larry Marko or Rich McGinness who will both assist you with maibox maintenance. Larry Marko at Larry@mailboxman.org or call 804-399-6013.
Rich McGuinness at Themailboxguy@yahoo.com or call 919-621-9983 | "Recovery of Learning" FREE Summer School for Chesterfield County Students- Enrollement is now open. We are excited to share updated information about summer learning opportunities for Chesterfield County elementary school students. Participation in these opportunities is optional. Recovery of Learning summer registration for all current CCPS elementary students (pre-k through fifth grade) opens Monday, May 25. You can access all program information using this link or by selecting “Recovery of Learning: Elementary Schools” from the Hot Topics section on mychesterfieldschools.com. All elementary students who register for Recovery of Learning will need Internet access and a school-division issued Chromebook or personal device (home computer, tablet, smart phone, etc.) with the minimum system requirements to run each application. Registration provides the added benefit of virtual support from a Chesterfield County teacher following a set Monday-Thursday schedule from June 29 to July 31. (While we hope many will take advantage of this opportunity, elementary school students who opt not to register for the Recovery of Learning program will still have access to the same content and instructional applications, without teacher support, through the student “backpack” accessed on the my.ccpsnet.net district dashboard.) The instructional applications selected for our summer Recovery of Learning elementary school opportunities will provide students with access to a personalized curriculum in both mathematics and language arts that covers course content from the grade level they were in during the current school year. These instructional applications also will allow students to progress beyond the current school year if they are ready. Students will work in the three primary instructional applications described below. Those registered will have a licensed teacher interacting online to provide support through goal-setting, progress-monitoring, virtual office hours, and small group instruction. All courses provide students an opportunity to move through the content at their own pace and to test out of content previously mastered. Dreambox: Computer-adaptive math application (mathematics) (system requirements)
MyOn: Digital library of books and reading materials (literacy) (system requirements)
Lexia Core 5: Comprehensive computer-adaptive literacy skill-building application (system requirements)
Paper packets will continue to be prepared and made available at schools or mailed twice during the month of July for students as requested. Special education support and assistance for English language learners is built into the Recovery of Learning program, and includes summer staff dedicated to supporting teacher and learner needs. If you have questions regarding support for your student, please contact your child’s school. If you have general questions regarding the Recovery of Learning program, please contact Karen_Watson@ccpsnet.net. | Landscape We have a new locally owned landscape company called Nature's Way. They will be working on enhancing the entrances as this is the first thing people notice as they enter our neighborhood. Please do not drag brush and clippings or debris into the common areas to include the area surrounding the power lines behind Royal Birkdale. Those areas belong to you and to me as property owners. Do not park on the green spaces in Birkdale. Please use driveways and try to avoid street parking. When you are forced to park on the street, please do not park across from another vehicle. This limits the roadway and does not allow for emergency vehicles to pass through. NO FIRES are allowed in the neighborhood. Fires require a permit from Chesterfield County. It is not appropriate to burn any vegetation in common areas and cause alarm to nearby homeowners. If you have any problems or complaints regarding common areas, please call Wayne Bass at 804-639-0795. Our Neighborhood is Completely Solar We added a new solar light by the gazebo and at the Royal Birkdale entrance because the one we had there did not get enough sunlight to charge the batteries. This completes our change to all solar powered lights and the elimination of the gas lights. If residents observe a problem with a solar light such as no light at night, please call Nick Martello at 804-739-7487. |
Covenants Committee
The Covenants Committee has the responsibility to enforce the governing documents of the Association. These are primarily found in the Architectural Standards and Guidelines and there are others in the Declarations, Bylaws, and Articles of Incorporation. The Covenants Committee is empowered by the Board of Directors to conduct an annual inspection of the properties to ensure compliance. The purpose of this is to protect the interests and home values of all property owners. The inspection is done in the spring of each year. The following are the most common discrepancies which are identified:
Mailboxes and posts – These wooden structures are affected by weather and normal aging. Many issues can be corrected by washing to remove mildew, dirt, or bird droppings. Posts are frequently damaged by edging and trimming which may necessitate painting or replacing lower level trim. Paper boxes weather the worst and may need replacing. This will necessitate replacing house numbers and the logo. Mailboxes also rust and fade and need maintenance periodically. The ARC Standards should be consulted for paint colors and material specifications. Houses – Commonly noticed problems with houses involves dirt or mildew which are easily removed by power washing. Gutters which sag or become filled with dirt and debris are common. Missing shutters or screens, roof shingles, or pieces of siding or trim are frequent issues. Driveways – Driveways in Birkdale are primarily asphalt, concrete, or aggregate. Each of these will deteriorate over time and need maintenance. Parking off of driveways on lawns is also a violation. Landscaping - Our standards require the maintenance of landscaping consistent with good property management. This includes lawns as well as plantings. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed or pruned, and dead plants or trees should be removed or replaced. | Any suspicious activity should always be reported to the local police to investigate. Bear and fox sightings should be reported to the Animal Control number. Emergency 911 | Non-emergency 804-748-1251 Animal Control 748-1683 Traffic Hotline 804-318-8084 or speeding@chesterfield.gov |
The Pets of Birkdale Meet Cooper and Blu Steiner who live on Pebble Beach Court- Cooper is a 13-year-old Lemon Beagle and Blu is a 3-month-old Silver Lab. Blu is one of the many new puppies in the neighborhood. Copper is doing a great job teaching her the ropes! If you would like to send us a picture of your pets we will feature them in next month's edition. Email to newsletter@birkdlaeonline.com | 2020 BIRKDALE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION CALENDAR All Events prior to June 10th are canceled until further notice.
(May 7 - Board Meeting - canceled & May 9- Semi-Annual Yard Sale with Goodwill Truck at Spring Run Elementary- Canceled) August 6- Board Meeting September 10- Board Budget Meeting October 1- Annual Meeting October 3- Semi-Annual Yard Sale October 11- (Tentative) Fall Festival November 5- Board Meeting | The Birkdale Board Members
* Earl Bishop, President, 639-5915, earlbishop8313@gmail.com
* Doug Craig, Vice President, 639-1439, cckcraig@aol.com
* Betsy Martello, Secretary/Treasurer, 739-7487, betsy@martellofamily.com
* Wayne Bass, Member-at -Large, 639-0795
*ACS West, Community Manager, Lee Ann King 804-282-7451, fax 804-282-9590, E-mail: admin@acswest.org Association Contact Names and Numbers
* ARC—Lee Kemmet, 739-6405, clkem5@comcast.net
* Covenants Committee--- a volunteer is needed to head this committee Earl Bishop is currently serving as contact
* Landscaping/Lighting—Wayne Bass, 639-0795; Nick Martello, 739-7487
* Newsletter—Cynthia Steiner, 804-852-3365, newsletter@birkdaleonline.com
* Social Committee—VACANT
* Neighborhood Watch--VACANT (Won't you please put your name here?) Other Community Contact Names and Numbers
* Women’s Club—currently inactive
* Lake Committee---
* Swim Team—Joy Blocher, email: collingtonswimteam@gmail.com
* Birkdale Golf Course Clubhouse, 739-8800, www.acumengolf.com
* Birkdale Golf/Swim Membership, hospitality@acumengolf.com |
Support your Neighborhood and Local Businesses who Advertise in the Birkdale Classifieds Do you need help with your yard and home projects to get ready for the annual inspection? Time to contact the advertisers in this month's Classifieds to help tackle those chores. The Classifieds are filled with local businesses that offer services to make our lives easier. To view the current issue of the Birkdale Classifieds click the link below. This publication is printed and delivered to paper boxes of all Birkdale residents the first week of each month. If you would like to run an ad in the Birkdale Classifieds, contact Cynthia Steiner at classifieds@birkdaleonline.com. or text 804-852-3365. Resident rates start as low as $15/month. | |
