Category: Community Events

Good morning! Just a few quick items for you as I sit on my deck enjoying the gorgeous weather. Please find the latest information below.

PERMANENT LINKS:
PWCA Website: www.parkwestcommunity.org
PWCA Pool Link: www.parkwestcommunity.org/living-in-pwca/

SEASONAL LINKS:
Direct Pool Sign-In Link:
http://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13576DF05A6CDEAC1AA3-pwcasign

COVID-19 Links:
CDC guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Johns Hopkins GLobal COVID-19 Map and Coronavirus Resources: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
State-wide analysis and guidance: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/
County-specific guidance: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/covid19/
County Emergency Preparedness: https://fairfaxcountyemergency.wpcomstaging.com/category/coronavirus-covid-19/

1. POOL OPERATING HOURS. While the water will be a little chilly, you still have two days to enjoy the sun on the pool deck! As with each end-of-season, we could use some help in storing furniture on Sunday and accomplishing other required actions throughout this weekend. Please contact either pool@parkwestcommunity.org or myself if you’d like to
take on or assist in any of these actions.

Specific Hours:
Saturday, September 11: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 12: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Sunday, September 12: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Puppy Plunge – no humans
allowed in the pool during this last hour.

2. PUPPY PLUNGE; SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021; 6:00 PM; POOL. TOMORROW, our inaugural Puppy Plunge will finally occur! Attached/linked to this message are two documents for your review and for those wanting to attend with their dogs, to take action on. Key item to remember is to bring proof of the 2021 Fairfax County dog license with you. This can either be the current tag or the current receipt from the County. The license will be returned to you after review. You will also need to sign the agreement prior to entering the pool deck with your dog. We will have two dog egress locations (the permanent steps and a temporary dog ramp) in the main pool. The main pool and the wading pool will both be available for your dogs’ enjoyment during this hour.

3. BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING; September 21, 2021; 7:00 PM; Virtual. The September board meeting will be conducted via the RingCentral virtual meeting framework. See the website under ‘Meetings’, select the year (2021), then the meeting (20210921). Document #01-1 contains the information to join the meeting.

4. POOL PARKING LOT STREET LIGHT OUTAGE. We are aware of the parking lot light outage. Dominion is working the issue – the current plan is to replace the current metal-halide bulb with an LED lamp assembly.

5. COMMON GROUND UPCOMING WORK. For your situational awareness, fall turf maintenance actions are scheduled to begin next week. You’ll be seeing crews spreading topsoil and seed in various locations throughout the community. We’re starting earlier this year to give the seed a chance to root in before the leaf cleanups start next month. You’ll also see fertilization, erosion control work, retaining wall work, and general crew days in the near-term.

6. ANNUAL MEETING – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS. With our Annual Meeting coming up in November we attached a nomination form in the August 2021 newsletter. Each year three of our nine member Board of Directors are up for election. Please consider submitting your name for consideration by the membership. If that seems to large a step, consider volunteering for any one of our committees. I KNOW they’d be happy for any assistance you could provide.

Thank you for reading this, enjoy the weekend while also remember those we lost during the events that occurred 20 years ago.

Regards,

Mark

Good morning! One more email for you listing the specifics for the event today along with some information on the Puppy Plunge next Sunday.

LABOR DAY SOCIAL
The Labor Day Social is on for today, and we have beautiful weather for it! Setup is at 4:00 PM, and the Social starts at 5:00 PM at the pool. We would like to share a few points with regards to our protocols this year:

1) Following county and CDC guidelines, unvaccinated individuals should plan to wear a mask except when eating or when in the pool; we encourage vaccinated individuals to also wear a mask at those times.

2) We are not renting additional furniture for this event. If we get a large turnout you may consider bringing your own chairs or just sitting on the concrete.

2)Sign-in at the pool is still required for this event. You can sign in ahead of time at the Direct Pool Sign-In Link (http://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13576DF05A6CDEAC1AA3-pwcasign) or on a sign-up sheet at the entrance to the event. Hand sanitizer will be available at the sign-in table for your use.

3) We’ll have boxed meals from Red Hot & Blue for you this year – think of this as our substitute for the Fourth of July social we normally have. The boxes include different combinations of meats and sides, which will include utensils and napkins. The boxes will be clearly labeled, so please only take a filled closed box. Do not sort through the boxes or open them until you return to your table. Please keep your forks for cakes, to reduce waste from the event.

4) We’ll have 5-gallon containers with iced tea, lemonade, and water. Hand sanitizer and wipes will be available on the table with the drinks for your use. Please consider bringing a reusable cup with you to reduce waste from the event.

5) We’ll have two cakes that will be cut and placed on plates by a gloved volunteer. Remember to hang on to your forks!

6) We have some activities for the children planned. Hand sanitizer will be available, and we ask that all children wear a mask while participating.

For those of you who volunteered, we will see you at the pool at 4:00pm. For everyone, please show your regard for your neighbors in following the guidelines above. If you are feeling unwell, please do not attend, and use your common sense and judgement when interacting with groups or touching surfaces.

PUPPY PLUNGE INFORMATION

PUPPY PLUNGE; SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021; 6:00 PM; POOL. Our inaugural Puppy Plunge is finally on for this year! Attached/linked to this message are two documents (Letter and Agreement) for your review and for those wanting to attend with their dogs, to take action on. Key item to remember is to bring proof of the 2021 Fairfax County dog license with you. The license will be returned to you after review. You will also need to sign the agreement prior to entering the pool deck with your dog. We plan to have two dog egress locations (the permanent steps and a temporary dog ramp) in the main pool.

Look forward to seeing you later today and next weekend!

Regards,

Mark

Good afternoon to all.

George Mason University has approved our use of specific parking lots during the seal coat project.  Updated slides are attached for your review.

Synopsis:
1.  Lot C is approved for use.  If Lot C is full Lot A may also be utilized.
2.  Do not park in any marked spaces
3.  Do not park in any coned or barricaded areas.
4.  PWCA PERMITS ARE REQUIRED.  You may request temporary parking permits as normal.  Those temporary permits may be used in the GMU parking lots.
5.  Properly permitted vehicles may park there starting July 17th.  All vehicles must be removed no later than July 31st.
6.  If you are towed from a GMU parking lot, please use their process to retrieve your vehicle.  Our tow company will not have visibility to the specifics of the event.

Regards,

Mark

Good afternoon!

We are very excited about the pool opening tomorrow, despite the chilly weather we are expecting.

First off – here’s the county guidance on COVID as related to community pool operations.

“As of May 28, 2021, Executive Order 79 is in effect which terminates Seventh Amended Number Seventy-Two removing all previous restrictions. However, all unvaccinated individuals in the Commonwealth aged five and older should cover their mouth and nose with a mask in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.”

With that stated, we would like to share information regarding the pool operations as of Opening Day:

1. Entrance Procedures. Entry (and exit) will once again be through the bathrooms in the pool house, rather than the front gate. Please do not enter through the guards’ office. While we will no longer be limiting the number of residents who can use the pool due to social distancing, we will once again be using Sign Up Genius to track entry into the pool. Each person will need to sign in individually. We will no longer be using paper forms for the Agreement to Assume Risk and Release (known as the Waiver) for Pool Use and the Pool User Acknowledgement. By signing in and entering the pool deck, all attendees in your reservation agree to and accept the 2021 Waiver for Pool Use and agree to abide by the requirements of the 2021 Pool User Acknowledgement, as attached to the signup and via posted signage. For children under 16 years of age, the signing adult is considered to have accepted the Waiver and User Acknowledgement on behalf of the child.

You will be able to sign up either the day before or the day of your visit. There will be a tablet available for you to sign up at the pool if you forget to do so at home. If you plan to attend frequently, we recommend you create a Sign Up Genius account and save your contact information. The link to the Sign Up is below:

www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13576DF05A6CDEAC1AA3-pwcasign

2. Pool Furniture. Pool furniture has been placed on the deck for use. It will not be cleaned between uses. It is your responsibility to clean the furniture before use if you so desire. In addition, please do not use furniture marked with yellow caution tape – it has been identified for removal or needs repair.

3. Pool toys and Flotation Devices. We are not currently providing pool toys or flotation devices with the exception of the two pool basketballs. Please bring your own if you so desire and take them with you when you depart or they will be removed and discarded.

4. Guest Passes. We are starting to distribute guest passes and anticipate that we will allow guests at some point this summer. For now, we request only residents use the pool. A future announcement will be made when guests are permitted.

5. Pool Pass and Guest Pass Distribution. If you have not picked up your pool passes or guest passes, they will be available to pick up at the pool on Monday, May 31, from 11:00 to 11:30. We are still working through the backlog of late pool pass applications and change requests – if you entered an email address on your pool pass application, you will receive an email prior to the Monday distribution window letting you know that the passes will be available.

6. Social Events. Currently most of the social events for the summer, such as National Night Out and Sundaes on Sunday, are still on hold. National Night Out is planned to go via the County but we have no volunteer to organize the event – if you’d like to volunteer please email your interest to us. An announcement will be made if we are able to reinstate them. Regarding our traditional Fourth of July Party, due to the long lead times in planning required, the Board does not anticipate that it will go forward this year. An alternate plan for some kind of Labor Day / Pool Closing Social is under consideration. We need volunteers to make this happen! A volunteer Sign Up Genius will be published shortly; in the meantime, if you are interested in volunteering please contact pool@parkwestcommunity.org or social@parkwestcommunity.org. A decision will be made at the June Board of Directors Meeting based on the level of interest and willingness to volunteer that is expressed.

7. Grill Use. Use of the grill is not currently available, though we anticipate it will be available soon. When it becomes available, an announcement will be made, and a reservation tab added to the Sign Up Genius.

8. Private Parties. Reservation of space for private parties is not currently available. If it becomes available, an announcement will be made, and a reservation tab added to the Sign Up Genius.

Alright – lots of information. The website will be updated with the SignUpGenius link shortly.

My thanks to the volunteers who helped get the myriad details accomplished that were critical to get us to an opening day in light of the rapid changes in policy over the last few weeks. Look forward to seeing you at the pool in the near future….

Regards,

Mark

Begin forwarded message:

From: Tom McCook kpwroadraiders@gmail.com
Date: 4/7/2021
To: Tom McCook trmccook@gmail.com
Subject: Reminder … Park clean-up – next Saturday, April 10, 8-11AM

Just a friendly reminder, I think the rain will hold off till late Saturday and “most of the Boy Scouts” will be delivering mulch, so we need as many neighbors as possible to volunteer.

I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday.

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Tom McCook kpwroadraiders@gmail.com
Date: Sun, Apr 4, 2021 at 12:43 PM

Neighbors, Scouts, Students & friends,

Our annual spring park clean up at Lakeside (off Pommeroy) and Royal Lake (off Gainsborough) parks is this coming Saturday, April 10, 8-11AM
We need your help for as much time as you can commit (start early, leave early, start late, leave late, etc.).

We are approaching this effort, to clean-up, pick up plastics as much at the source as possible. We want to eliminate the trash prior to getting to Lake Royal, Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
We are asking the volunteers to walk up-stream into “crooked creek/ rabbit branch” and Shane’s creek as feasible, along with the trail along the lake and just beyond the dam up-to Guinea road.
Lots of areas to clean, we need your help, of all ages to participate, a great family & friends activity, socially distant that you can support.

Still in the pandemic, the virus is still around us, so we ask everyone to participate with face masks and be respectful of social distancing.
I have attached two forms from FCPA on COVID release and the park volunteer team activities. We’ll have copies at the parks during check-in, but it is easier if you can complete prior to.
Recommend gloves & “long pants” some plants have numerous thorns. We’ll supply trash bags. We’ll have “hand-sanitizer” and face masks as needed.

April 10, just as spring is starting to “pop into wonder” before the new growth is so thick that we cannot see the trash!
Greg Sykes will be leading a separate effort to pull a very invasive plant – “garlic mustard” into the Shanes creek area. If you are interested to support this invasive management activity, please contact me or Greg Sykes for further details (at the same time/location for check-in at Royal Lake Park, greg@grsykes.com).

Students – a great chance for service hours, please come & explore nature while cleaning up our trash.
Scouts – many great opportunities for volunteer leadership. I have many projects just “waiting for you” Please give me an email/call to coordinate.

Goals as always …

1. Explore & discover nature in our wonderful park system
2. Clean up our trash for wildlife and neighbors in the park

Rain day – unless it is raining “VERY HARD” we intend to clean up next Saturday; in case of extreme weather/ thunderstorms; we’ll reschedule as early as possible.

Next opportunity – May 15, Friends of Royal Lake (FORL) will be sponsoring a “trail maintenance day”
Our focus is support proper and effective rain-water control on the trail, so the wetlands are preserved, erosion is minimized and the trail is kept “as dry as possible” this is a long-term endeavor and we need your support (& wheel barrows) to preserve our wonderful Lake Royal park for the future!

Any questions, please give me a call AND please forward this email to family, friends, neighbors and interested students.

Sincerely,
Tom McCook
703.839.5205