July 2016

Volume 34, Issue 7

Greater First Colony Newsletter

4th of July Party at the BEACH!! Sunday, July 3rd 5:00 to 9:00 4th of July Bike Parade 10 AM Sharp!! Arrive at the park at 9:30!

President’s Corner A very big thank you to Gene Bruss, Vice President, for leading the Board and meetings while I was out of the country. My only concern is that Gene would make a motion at the General Membership Meeting to rename Lake Pasbehegh to Bruss Lake given all the fishing he does there. Happy 4th of July, and thank you to the O’Conner’s and Youshock’s for co-chairing our Association’s 4th of July party at the beach, along with the many other volunteers. We have a new sound system for use at the party, which was graciously donated to the Association by Neil and Petra LaFountain, thank you! I’m sure our “All American” disc jockey,“Wolfman Jack” Larson will enjoy using it to spin the itunes. A few last shout outs go to Bobby Jankovic, Sylvia Davis and Sony Hull for repainting the Park pavilion and Meagan Schultz and Terry Walker for working hard to get the wireless internet at the Clubhouse and the Pool. Yes, we now have wireless internet at the clubhouse and pool. So if you’re a pool member you can relax and surf the web or maybe even work from the pool area. Now, rentals for the clubhouse will be provided free internet access to support their events. July is the time the Association’s Board starts to formulate the budget for our next fiscal year, which is presented at the September General Membership meeting. That means this is a good time for Association members to talk with committee chairs or board members if you might have some idea for the board to consider ahead of the September meeting. A few residents have asked about the board’s discussion on 4 incremental payments for yearly dues. We have not yet made a decision to implement this payment system, but I’m interested in hearing from others is if this is a good option for residents. The Picture of the Month - If you missed seeing the “strawberry moon” this past month on the first day of summer, you’re in luck. There was great viewing from the First Colony beach, and it was captured by Patty Maloney. Enjoy the picture because the next occurrence is in 2062,

and even longer if the skies happen to be cloudy that day. For consideration for picture of the month, please keep sending your pictures to me at [email protected]. Last, my family and I would like to thank everyone for their condolences on the Like many others in our passing of my Father. neighborhood of my generation, we continue to experience the loss of those from the “Greatest Generation”. We have a lot to be thankful for from this generation, especially just following our celebration of the 4th of July. Very Respectfully, Jim Szykman, GFCACA President

June General Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2016 The June general membership meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Vice President Gene Bruss. In total, 12 people were in attendance which did not constitute a quorum. No changes to the minutes of the previous general membership meeting, held March 10, were suggested. Meagan Schultz, Business Manager, presented the budget performance summary for the eight months October 2015 through May 2016. The association had 348 members as of the end of May. Two more families joined at the beginning of June bringing total membership to 350, the budgeted amount. Overall, there have been no large unexpected expenditures so far this fiscal year. The swim team contributed $1K toward the new vacuum for the pool which cost $3K. For the eight months reported Revenue: $168,121; Operating Expenses: $60,167; Capital

Expenditures: $44,632; Net Income: $63,323. Total liquid assets were $313,321 consisting of $68,841 in checking and $244,480 in the reserve fund. Committee reports followed. In brief, by committee Beach & Marina: dock construction is complete; all slips but one are rented; there are many bookings for the gazebo; no open fires are permitted; the committee will consider posting a rule sign; by GFCACA bylaws, the Beach & Marina Committee may establish, maintain, and enforce rules and regulations covering use of the beach & marina. Lake & Spillway: W&M biology professor Randy Chambers took samples from the lake; there is a high concentration of duckweed, but no invasive species; will look into stocking the lake with sterile Asian grass carp which feed on aquatic weeds. Park: parking lot will be graded on June 10. Pool: there is a good set of returning lifeguards; new vacuum is working well; will check grounding circuits for underwater lights; the first home meet for the swim team will be July 7; Wi-Fi was installed in the clubhouse, but need a cable run to the pool. Bobby Jankovic briefed those present on a proposed hot air balloon event to be held this fall in conjunction with the food drive formerly known as Walk for Hunger. The goal is to collect more than the 1,600 lb. of food collected last year. The event would be held in the morning, when the weather is generally calmer, and the balloon would be tethered. General support was expressed for Bobby’s plan. A concern was raised regarding the growth of bushes at the corner of John Rolfe and Pasbehegh which obstruct the view of traffic. An idea was repeated to invite new residents to a neighborhood party free-of-charge as a way to welcome them and introduce them to the benefits of association membership. A suggestion was made that starting meetings at 7:30 PM rather than 7:00 PM would be more convenient. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM. Respectfully submitted, John Hochella, Secretary

Send email to [email protected]. You need to include your first and last name, address, and the 5 digit number on the card you still have (find it on the edge, just the first 5, like 62313. We then cancel the lost card. You need to send $10 replacement cost to GFCACA, PO Box 5123, Williamsburg VA 23188 (same place as membership). You will be issued a new card. There is a delay while that card gets entered in the gate computer. You will be notified when that has happened.

Looking Good We have hired First Colony high school student Parker Goering to do regular maintenance (mowing the lawn, trimming the perimeter) for the summer. This creates another job for neighborhood kids, is cheaper than a commercial service, and is keeping the marina well maintained.

Ladies Only, Please This summer, thanks to Jim Szykman’s initiative (lining up the women’s vote for a second presidential term?), we are featuring a clean, flushable porta-potty, reserved for our female members and guests. Rumor has it that men have lesser standards when it comes to porta-potty use, but in any case, it makes use less of a stress test for women. Let us know what you think. Booking Gazebo We have had a record number of reservations for parties at the Gazebo, which is great to see. Andrew Mayfield has been working overtime to get those booked. If you want to reserve, check the GFCACA web site to make sure the date is free, then email [email protected] with date and times you want. This continues to be a FREE benefit to members, with many donating the refundable $50 security deposit to Fast Forward. Thank you!

NOTICE!!! A 3-mile (5-kilometer) road race will be held in First Colony on the morning of July 16 starting at 8:00 AM and lasting until about 9:00 AM. About 100 runners and walkers will be on Pasbehegh, John Rolfe, The Maine, Jordans Journey, and Barrows Mount. Course marshals will be posted at intersections. The clubhouse area will be cleared no later than 10:00 AM. The race is sponsored by the Colonial Road Runners and benefits a local non-profit.

Beach and Marina Report Fools Regatta-Aug 6 Mark your calendars, assemble your junk, the Fools Regatta is Saturday Aug 6 at 2pm. We will have a beautiful t-shirt designed by First Colony’s very own 6year-old artist, Samantha Andresky, winner of the art contest and $25 prize. Thanks Samantha! How to Replace Your Card If you have lost a gate card here is what you must do.

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Come join us on Sunday for food and fun at the Beach beginning at 5pm. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Last Name A to M = side dish Last Name N to Z = dessert We also need volunteers to help with several items to help make the event a success! Check out the link below and sign-up. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4eaaaa2aa4f94-4thofjuly

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Are you thinking of selling your home?

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Call Bobby…deep roots and branching knowledge

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Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Capital

Cellular (757)291-1114

Email: [email protected]

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We will soon lose long-time residents, Frank and Lynn Bagli of Greenbrier, who are moving down the road here in town as they downsize. They have always been very active in Greater First Colony and in our greater community, and will be missed. I appreciate so much when neighbors inform me of sadness or sickness in our community. Please don’t assume that someone else will tell me. I would rather get 10 calls than none to alert me to sickness or any other adversity. We want those in pain to know that we care. It doesn’t take a minute to call or send me an email. Thanks to all those who keep me informed.

Ann Hunt, Sunshine Chair

Welcoming Committee

Sunshine Report I received a call from Jim Szykman thanking me for the flowers he received after the death of his father. We sent get-well wishes to Diane Gilbert of Heritage Landing. We also sent our sympathy to George Hudgins of The Maine and Susan Franz of Cardinal Court on the death of his wife and her mother Barbara. Our sympathy was sent to Joyce Burke of John Rolfe Lane on the death of Diane Taylor from cancer. We sent sympathy to Kay Kane formerly of The Maine, on the death of her husband John. They moved to Williamsburg Landing last fall, but just recently put their house on the market.

Find us on Facebook! First Colony—Williamsburg Our website: www.greaterfirstcolony.org

The new owners of 98 Shellbank are Melissa and Paul Worthington. It was Paul who found the house and had been eyeing it for awhile. When he brought Melissa and their 3 children into the neighborhood to see the house, they saw cars driving slowly as children were on the street and people waved as they passed. The atmosphere was friendly and it definitely seemed like the right place for children. Once they moved into the house, a large number of neighbors brought them keys that Sid had given to them to come into the house while he was away. They were impressed with the trusting nature of many who live here. The family had been living near-by at Settlers Mill in a rental house. Every time Paul gets a promotion, they move so they have spent a lot of time packing and unpacking boxes for several moves during the last 5 years. Melissa said she and Paul spend most of their spare time doing things with or for the children, but the packing and unpacking was so frequent, it has started feeling like a hobby. She is hoping to get back into some gardening as she grew some wonderful hostas in Reston. The family enjoys being outdoors and the children look forward to meeting other children who live in the neighborhood Victoria Owen and Michael Freid are the new owners of 103 Barrows Mount. When they drove through the neighborhood, they thought it was beautiful. All the houses were not the same style and things were so different from one house to another. Victoria said she enjoyed walking the loop around the neighborhood looking for houses that were the same house plan as hers. Also in their previous house they felt like they could stretch out an arm and touch the neighbor’s house. Here they even have enough room for a little garden. When they still had their seedlings in the house, they looked out the window and saw deer eating in the back yard. Before they put their plants outside, they built a raised bed garden and fenced it in to protect

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their plants and guarantee something for themselves. They are both graduate students studying physics at William and Mary. They have been living in Williamsburg for several years so they are familiar with activities around town. When they aren’t busy with their studies, gardening and yard work, they both like to bake. They like baking breads, but most of all they enjoy making desserts. There are a lot of houses for sale or rent here in the neighborhood so I hope our residents are watching and will notify me when new people move here. Georgia Allen Welcoming Committee Chair

[email protected] or 565-3293

Lake Report Last week Dr. Randy Chambers and his class from WM checked the water quality and plant growth in Lake Pasbehegh. No change from past reports: there are a lot of dissolved solids, visibility is very poor, oxygenation up top is good with lower levels down below. They did not see any signs of hydrilla or mill foil, which are invasive grasses. They did report a bumper crop of duck weed floating on the surface, along with our perennial mats of fibrous algae which lie dormant in the cold months and float up as it photosynthesizes in the warmer months. Nothing eats the algae mats, unfortunately, so added grass carp will not help with that. I have received some comments from neighbors who live along the various fingers of the lake with regard to raising the lake level. Unfortunately we can't raise the lake level any higher or it will run over the main dam. The only long term solution to the lake filling in with sediment is to fund a dredging project, which is unfortunately more than we can afford as a community. Lake Pasbehegh acts as a large storm water basin for several neighborhoods including Berkeley's Green, Fernbrook, Heritage Landing,

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Shellbank Woods and First Colony. In order for it to continue to function in this role, the County will need to come up with a long term plan to combat the sediment. Thanks to Dan Moniak and John Hull for controlling the weed growth along the lake side of the main dam. We are trying to keep the growth down so folks can fish from the bank, which is admittedly difficult since the water level is so high. We looked into building a bulkhead along the bank but the one contractor we spoke with thought that the road was too close to allow the necessary structural support. The dam, as some of you have noticed, is slowly sinking which is another long term challenge that we need to plan to address. I've seen a lot of fishermen out on the lake in between rain storms and it sounds like the bite is pretty good! We have bass, crappie, sunfish, pickeral, catfish and even shad in good numbers. There are some monster grass carp that push 30 pounds which can give a good pull. If you do use the community pier, please remember to pack out your trash. If anyone is interested in putting together a First Colony Fishing Derby, let me know. Could be a fun way to enjoy the lake and raise awareness and some resources for one of our most special resources. Tim Harris Lake Chairman

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Upcoming Events Betty Brittain

Mon, July 4

Annual 4th of July Bike Parade Meet at the Park at 9:30. Ride starts at 10.

Mon, July 11 Yoga at the Clubhouse 5:30 PM Wed, July 13 Yoga at the Clubhouse 5:30 PM

Mon, July 18 Yoga at the Clubhouse 5:30 PM Wed, July 20 Yoga at the Clubhouse 5:30 PM

Mon, July 25 Yoga at the Clubhouse 5:30 PM Wed, July 27 Yoga at the Clubhouse 5:30 PM Sat, Aug 6

8th Annual FOOLS REGATTA 2 PM

YOUR LOCAL PRINTER!

+0A ,/KLG4>0N5 , & * WILLIAM E. WOOD

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