MARCH
 
st-patricks-01

President's Message- March 2021

First and foremost, I trust everyone weathered the February ice storms with little to no damage to your property. I saw many trees throughout the community damaged by the ice, and many of you called at least one of the board members to report trees with broken branches that had fallen into the streets. Our tree service was out and about the weekend of 21-22 February cleaning up streets and entrances. Fortunately, few trees fell onto residential property, and if you reported any common area trees on your property, we will try to get to those as soon as the ground dries up more.

Also, I want to thank the many residents who “attended” our virtual meeting on 04 February. Between those attending via their computers and those attending by phone, we had over two dozen residents at that meeting. This virtual meeting was the result of COVID concerns and allowed all to be safe while conducting business. Although the process was a bit cumbersome because of the technology, we had an opportunity to hear concerns from many residents about our gazebos, speeding cars through the community, and interest in possible playgrounds presented by one resident on behalf of his daughter. Because the immediate future is still uncertain as to when it will be safe to gather again, the board decided to hold virtual meetings for May and November, while keeping live meetings for our budget and annual meetings.

Other than complaints about trees and weather, the biggest item continues to be dogs and waste. We have received notices about owners not picking up after their dogs. The complaints are not localized in any particular area of the community but are coming from all over Birkdale. Two particularly egregious complaints come from areas around Old Bond/Royal Birkdale, where dog droppings are left near the walkways, and from Spyglass Hill Circle, where dog pooh has been left in the streets. If you walk your dog anywhere in the community, please be a good neighbor and pick up after your pet.

Lastly, “Save Our Pool” is an ad hoc action for those of you concerned about the fate of the Birkdale swimming pool. Last year several residents suggested that the board take over the pool. The board considered the question at several meetings but determined not to pursue the idea because of liability, maintenance, and operation costs. Mike Hatch, the owner of the golf course and pool, recently distributed a letter stating he will open the pool for the 2021 season, but its fate beyond 2021 will depend upon resident response this season. The pool is a major asset to the community, but subscriptions have declined since the swim team moved to the Collington community. The pool is a social venue for many, a therapeutic activity for others, and a summer exercise outlet for many kids in the community. If you are interested in saving our pool, talk up 2021 summer subscriptions among your friends and neighbors. If we want to keep the pool, there needs to be interest indicated through memberships.

Ron Buchanan
President, Birkdale Community Association

***
KpVVQgz

Special Meeting Board of Directors

Birkdale Special Meeting of the Board regarding Solar panels.

Mon, Mar 1, 2021 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (EST)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/297242997

You can also dial in using your phone.
(For supported devices, tap a one-touch number below to join instantly.)

United States: +1 (872) 240-3412
- One-touch: tel:+18722403412,,297242997#

Access Code: 297-242-997

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting
starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/297242997

***

Treasurer's Report

ASSESSMENTS

Our next Assessment is due April 1st.

As of January 20, 2021, a total of 132 accounts were in arrears totaling $34,828 of overdue assessments, of which 22 accounts have been turned over to collections and have accumulated an additional $1,953 of late fees and legal expenses. If you have not paid your first quarter assessment, please pay with immediate effect.

As a reminder, assessments are due on the first day of each calendar quarter: January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. Please note, the BCA Board has approved NO CHANGE to the 2021 assessment, which will remain $404/year or $101 per quarterly assessment.

Just a reminder, there are several options for paying your assessment. Owners can mail a check to ACS West, Inc. Owners may also pay online through their banks or use an electronic assessment payment outlined in your coupon book. Remember, some methods of payment add service fees, which are the responsibility of the homeowner. Please allow adequate time to ensure that your payment is received by the due date.

COLLECTION POLICY

Birkdale Collection Policy adopted in 2018 remains in effect for 2021. If quarterly assessments are not paid, ACS West, Inc. sends out reminder notices. If ACS West efforts fail, delinquent accounts are sent to our contracted outside collection agency, Equity Experts, Inc. Once an account is sent for outside collections, neither BCA Board Members nor ACS West can assist a homeowner in resolving outstanding assessments, and delinquent homeowners will be responsible for all collection fees which will include agency bills for contact, service, procedures and possibly court and legal fees. The Collections Policy is available at www.birkdaleonline.com, under Governing Documents.

If you have any questions related to assessments please contact:

Lee Ann King, Birkdale Community Manager
ACS West, Inc.
1904 Byrd Ave, Suite 100
Richmond, VA 23230
(804)282-7451 or admin@acswest.org

Susan Lipp,
Treasurer, Birkdale Community Association

***
financial march1
fin2 march
***
105133

ACS West is our Managing Agent

You may use your coupon book to send in your payment or set up quarterly payments through ACS West or your bank.
link to: ACS WEST

REMINDER: Our next Assessment is due April 1st .

Thank you!

***

News from the Architectural Review Committee

7z59K4g

Rain,Rain,Rain....... go away. March has started off really wet. Despite the weather it seems like home projects are picking up in the neighborhood. There are several new roofs being installed and trees and large branches are being worked on because of several ice storms a few weeks ago.

When thinking of new projects for your property, please remember that a new request is required for any general work to your property. Thanks for all your help in keeping the Birkdale Community in tip top shape.
Wishing everyone a Happy Spring.

Applications submitted to ARC for approval:
13843 Ashbourne Hollow Circle - Remove trees
13843 Ashbourne Hollow Circle - Roof
9225 Mission Hills Lane - Fence
14501 Houghton Street - PlayStation
8331 Emeral Dunes Circle - Fence

Link to the ARC Guidelines
Link to the ARC application

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 resident Rich McGinness - The Mailbox Guy- who will assist you with mailbox maintenance.

Rich McGuinness at Themailboxguy@yahoo.com or call 919-621-9983

***
10854

2021 BIRKDALE FINAL COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION CALENDAR

February 4 Board Meeting

May 6 Board Meeting- virtual

May 8 Semi-annual Yard Sale

August 5 Board Meeting-virtual

September 9 Board Budget - Meeting 6 pm at the Birkdale Clubhouse

October 2 Semi-Annual Yard Sale

October 7 Annual Board Meeting- 6 pm at the Birkdale Clubhouse

October 17 Fall Festival

November 4 Board Meeting- virtual

Annual Meeting and Budget Meetings are to be held at 6:00pm on the specified dates at the Birkdale Golf Club, 8100 Royal Birkdale Drive, Chesterfield, VA 23832. All other Board Meetings are to be held the first Thursday of the month at 6pm, but will be held virtually due to COVID.

DSC 0181 1

Landscape & Neighborhood Etiquette

The winter weather has hit us hard this season. An ice storm in February created a beautiful scene but did cause damage to trees in the neighbor hood. If there are trees that have fallen from the common onto your property, the crews will be out as soon as the ground dries.

Here are the reminders from the Landscape Committee

NO DUMPING- 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.

PARKING- Do not park on the green spaces in Birkdale. Please park in your driveway rather than on the street fronting your home. Street parking limits access to emergency vehicles, causes congestion, and is a hazard for children and walkers.

NO FIRES whatsoever. Fires require a permit from Chesterfield County. It is not appropriate to burn any vegetation in common areas and cause alarm to nearby homeowners.

TRASH- Birkdale has a backyard trash policy. Please do not take you trash cans to the curb. There are many companies who offer backyard pickup services in our neighborhood.

DOG WASTE- Please be courteous and pick up after your pooch. While walking please make an effort to keep your dog from using the bathroom on other resident's property. Direct them to the mulched common areas whenever possible-and pick up!

If you have any problems or complaints regarding common areas, please call Wayne Bass at 804-639-0795.

Lighting

Gas street lights were replaced with solar powered LED lights last year and are now the standard from the Winterpock Road entrance to the Spring Run Road entrance. Solar power is dependent on adequate sunlight to recharge the batteries. Thus in winter, lights may not function all night. If you have questions or notice a situation which may need attention, call ACS West for investigation.

DSC 0186 1
DSC 0184 1
***
7z59K4g

Covenants Committee


As empowered by the Master Declarations, the Covenants Committee and the ARC Committee seek to ensure that the quality standards of the community are maintained, and individual property values are enhanced. Under these guidelines, the Covenants Committee enforces terms and conditions included in the covenants and laid out in the ARC Standards. Overall, we are pleased to report that of the 657 properties in Birkdale, violations are usually less that 5 percent. Recurring covenants violations continues to be placing of trash cans at curbs. The standard of backdoor trash pickup was established in 1988 when Birkdale was formed, and the standard was embodied in the Single Family Protections in 1988. The Covenants Committee will soon be planning for the annual inspection. All homeowners are asked to review the ARC standards and their own property. The conditions of mailboxes is always an issue but other common violations are: trash in gutters, poor landscaping conditions, algae or mildew on siding, poor driveway conditions, and other general maintenance issues.

A volunteer is needed to head this important committee. If you would like more information or are interested in helping out, please contact Earl Bishop at 639-5915, earlbishop8313@gmail.com

***
dominion power 1

Winterpock Substation Equipment Upgrade Project

At Dominion Energy, we are committed to updating the community on developments related to the
Winterpock Substation Equipment Upgrade Project in Chesterfield County, Virginia. In April 2020,
we sent a letter to the community announcing the project, which involves expanding the substation
to install additional equipment. This work is necessary to meet future load growth and continue to
provide safe, reliable, and affordable electric service to your community.

Prior to the substation expansion taking place, other minor construction activities are necessary to
prepare the site. These activities, such as building new foundations and moving equipment, will
begin in February 2021 and will be performed Monday-Thursday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Pending Chesterfield County approvals, the expansion work is scheduled to begin in April 2021. This
will involve removing trees to the north and southeast side of the substation, grading the expansion
areas, constructing a new control house enclosure, and replacing the existing 8-foot chain-link fence
with a new 12-foot fence. This new fence provides additional security measures to better protect the
substation. The increase in height will hide more equipment and eliminate the need for barbed wire.

Our anticipated timeline for the project is below:

October 2020-January 2021 Submit Conditional Use Permit and County Staff Review

Feb. 16, 2021 Planning Commission Meeting

March 10, 2021 Board of Supervisors Meeting

April 2021 Anticipated Construction Start Date

October 2021 Anticipated Construction Completion Date

Once construction is complete, we will install landscaping on the southeast portion of the substation to replace the vegetative screening loss due to the tree removal. We believe the remaining vegetation on the north side of the substation will continue to provide sufficient coverage.
As a valued member of the community, we would like to hear your questions or concerns about the project. If you are interested in a small group virtual meeting with our project team, please contact us as soon as possible. You can send an email to powerline@dominionenergy.com or call 888-291-0190.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to complete this important project.

Sincerely,
The Electric Transmission Project Team

***

Middle and High School students return to the classroom this month.

For information on schedules and updates please visit the county website at https://mychesterfieldschools.com/

Please continue to slow down when driving through the neighborhood as children will be out riding bikes and playing. Please avoid parking in the streets as it blocks the view and affects the safety of everyone.

Spring Break is April 2nd-9th. Here is the full 2020-2021 School Calendar.

calendar
cal 2
***

Neighborhood Watch

ChesterfieldPolice2014Insignia

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

Chesterfield County Covid Updates: Click here to link to the County website

***

Please Serve on our Committees

Volunteer

Want to participate on a committee? This is a great way to meet and work with neighbors for a common goal: helping our community. We are currently looking for Neighborhood Watch, Covenants and Social Committee chairs.

Please send a message to this newsletter with your interests or contact any Board member, and the BCA will gladly and willingly find a place to use your talents! Many thanks!

newsletter@birkdaleonline.com

***

Community Contact List

The Birkdale Board Members
Ron Buchannan, President 804-740-4212, r_buchanan02@comcast.net
* Wayne Bass, Vice- President 639-0795
* Susan Lipp, Secretary /Treasurer 513-978-4708, susanwlipp@yahoo.com
* Lee Kemmett, Member-at -Large, 804-739-6405, clkem5@comcast.net
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 639-5915, earlbishop8313@gmail.com
* 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
* 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? 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. Resident rates start as low as $15/month.

 
 
Powered by Mad Mimi®A GoDaddy® company