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Fall edition of the Green Runner
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turned in by Wednesday, October 12, 2011 by 5:00 p.m. Since we did not reach the quorum requirements, the meeting was adjourned until Friday, October 28, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Clubhouse. All proxies that were received by the Octo-ber 12 deadline carried for-ward to the October 28 meeting. At the October 28, 2011 meeting, the quo-rum requirements are halved, so we only need 1,500 people present, in
person or by proxy.
We had a great showing of members but not enough to reach our quorum. We tried on October 28, 2011 but again failed to meet our quorum. Our most recent attempt to meet quorum was on November 9,
As many of you are well aware the 2011 Green Run Homes Association Annual Members Meeting has been the longest running meeting in the history of the Asso-ciation. This is due to the discovery of Article XVII in our Articles of Incorporation that requires a 67% quorum for meetings of the mem-bers. It further stipulates that if the quorum is not met at the first meeting a subse-quent meeting can be scheduled and will require half the quorum. Our first attempt was on October 15, 2011, it was held at the Clubhouse from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. We needed 3,001 people present, in person or by proxy, to hold the meeting. Only 92 peo-ple showed up in person and 253 proxies were
2011. Once more we did not meet our quorum require-ment. The next attempt will be on November 21, 2011. We are confident that we will meet our quorum re-
quirement on that date.
Come out to the Clubhouse on November 21, 2011 at 7 p.m. and help our Associa-
tion move forward.
(Portions submitted individu-ally by: Jill Ewell & Amanda
Melson)
Special points of interest:
Annual Meeting
Assessment Changes
Budget & Finance
Member Perspective
Dredging
Inside this issue:
Annual Meeting 1
Assessment Change 1
Budget & Forums 2
Setting Priorities 3
Calendar 4
Events & $aving $ 5
Sports & Awards 6
Dredging 7
Cub Scout Corner 8
Asse ssmen t Change s for 2011 & New for 2012
fees that may have been as-sessed against their account need to be removed. The 2012 Assessment Fee will be $25.90 per month, or $310.80 for the year.
*Anyone who has paid in full for the year would have a $144 credit on their account. *Anyone who has paid any-more than $300 for 2011 As-sessment Fees would have the amount over $300 applied as a credit to their account. *Anyone who has paid $25 per month through September should continue to pay their $25 per month through the remainder of 2011. Any late
2011 Annual Meeting—Longest in History!
Green Runner New Format - $aving $
At the Sept. 27th Board of Direc-tors meeting, the Board of Direc-tors unanimously voted: the As-sessment Fees for 2011 were rolled-back to $25.00 per month, or $300 for the year. The follow-ing guidance is provided for Homeowner Accounts: *Anyone who has paid $37 per month through September now holds a $33 credit on their account and does not need to pay any more assessments for the remain-der of 2011.
The finance committee has been working diligently on the 2012 budget.
One of the big challenges this year was a better understand-ing how our governing docu-ments affect the amount of annual assessment Green Run can charge. Subsequently, this understanding caused the assessment to be rolled back to $300 annually for 2011 and a finding that the maximum amount the Association could charge for 2012 is $310.80 annually. This restriction means that Green Run has had to economize where ever we can to come in at budget for this year, 2011, and to cre-ate a workable budget for 2012. The budget has been completed and your monthly assessment amount for 2012 will be $25.90 per/mo. Look for your coupon books soon. That being said, this scaled back budget means things will be a little different in 2012.
One of the areas effected by the budget scale back is Archi-tectural enforcement. For 2012, we will not have inspec-tors patrolling Green Run streets but will be complaint based only. This means we will need your help to keep
Green Run looking it's best. If you have a concern please contact the office. Many of you noticed the com-mon areas were mowed quite frequently during the growing season for 2011. We all ap-preciated how maintained these areas looked. This came at a cost though and the Finance Committee felt this was an area that could be cut back on in an effort to save money for the association. Another area you will see dif-ferences in is this publica-tion. The Green Runner is going green with a new, elec-tronic format that will begin coming straight to your in-box. This will cut costs signifi-cantly compared to the glossy, quarterly version you have received in the past. It also means that the Communica-tions Committee will be able to publish a Green Runner faster with more timely informa-tion. We will offer a hard copy, black and white version for anyone who would still like to have it mailed to them. This mailing will be done in house, by the committee, saving Green Run yet more money.
Please send an email to [email protected] to let us know what format you pre-fer for your copy of the Green Runner. The Finance Committee has worked very hard with staff to produce a fiscally responsible budget for 2012. The commit-tee met weekly over the course of this budget process and many homeowner's at-tended these meetings to see how things were going and add their input where they could.
Member participation is what fuels change in our Associa-tion so please attend the Fi-nance Committee meetings or any other committee that holds your interest; we are always looking for volunteers. The Finance Committee meets on the second Monday of the month and the current Chair is Board Director and Treasurer, Patricia Keeley.
Bu dget In for mation by J i l l Ewel l
We value your input and
feedback. Submit your
ideas & comments to:
THE GREEN RUNNER | WWW.GREENRUN.ORG
Bill Holtz President
(Oct. 2012)
Jay Stern Vice President (Oct. 2012)
Patricia Keeley Treasurer
(Oct. 2012)
Jill Ewell Secretary
(Oct. 2013)
Amber McCulloch (Oct. 2013)
Scott LaFountaine (Oct. 2013)
New Board Member (Oct. 2014)
New Board Member
(Oct. 2014)
New Board Member (Oct. 2014)
Green Run’s
Officers
& Directors:
The First Wednesday of each month
is our Homeowners Forums, 7pm at
the Clubhouse. This is an opportu-
nity for home owners to discuss is-
sues and ask questions with other
members and Board Members.
PAGE 2 | FALL 2011 | GRHA
Saturday, October 22, 2011, Green Run sponsored a meet and greet with the Green Run Board candidates. The event took place at the Pagoda, 1500 Dahlia Drive, 10am-12noon. Pastries and coffee were served. Approximately 20-30 people came out and met the candidates and got to know the neighbors. We also had blank proxies to hand out if they were not be able to attend the rescheduled Annual Members Meeting.
(Photos on facebook)
Meet & Greet
the Candidates
Cl ick here for the Proposed 2012 Budget ht tp: / /goo.g l / fqVhj
Fellow Green Run members:
By now, many of you have
heard about the recent
change in assessments for
2011. If not, they are $25.00
per month or $75.00 a quar-
ter year or $300.00 for the
year ending 2011. In addi-
tion, the assessment for
2012 will be $25.90 per
month or $77.70 a quarter
year or $310.80 a year and
the limited amount the regu-
lar assessment can be
raised in any single year,
based on the Bureau of La-
bor and Statistics Consumer
Price Index.
The road which brought us
to the lowering of assess-
ment for 2011 was the result
of the combined efforts of a
small but vocal group of
people who showed up at
meetings and demanded the
lowering of the assess-
ments.
In the future, these lowered
assessments should provide
some families with much
needed relief that can help
them meet their other obliga-
tions.
Green Run, as an organiza-
tion, will have to change.
Some things you may have
enjoyed in Green Run in the
past will be scaled
back. This may mean less
landscaping, reduced or
staggered pool days, and
reduced services in the of-
fice.
Sett ing Pr ior it ie s
The Finance Committee,
that meets the 2nd Monday
of each month at the club-
house, has already
had several budget meet-
ings for the purpose of run-
ning the association on less
income. In short, Green
Run must learn how to run
with less money. But, this is
only half of the story.
The other half of the story is
that the members of Green
Run must also change. The
ugly truth is that some of our
neighbors, for what ever
reason, aren't paying their
assessments. This creates
a financial burden on the
rest of the neighbors that
DO pay the assessments.
Green Run, as a home-
owner’s association, has
the responsibility to provide
certain services, and the
members have the responsi-
bility to pay their share. It
works best when both the
Association and its members
act responsibly.
Green Run, as an associa-
tion, has been justifiably
criticized for spending
money on absurd things in
the past. However, some
members who do not re-
sponsibly pay their
assessments should bear
some of the criticism as
well.
These members shall face
certain stepped up collec-
tion efforts by Green Run in
2012.
b y : Mi ch ae l Ca m pb el l
THE GREEN RUNNER | WWW.GREENRUN.ORG
The thought of hearing of
my neighbors getting
dragged into the collections
process isn't pleasant for
me, but it looks like this
method is going to be used
much more often.
So what does the future of
Green Run look like for
2012 and beyond? Much
of it depends on our ability
as a community to adapt to
a tighter than ever
budget. I encourage all
of you to share your best
ideas for saving money. I
have criticized the Green
Runner for being "light" in
content. (useless informa-
tion, two months late) An
idea for more substantive
reading may be a request
for “What is the Most Legal
Fun You Can Have For the
Least Amount of Money" or
"My Favorite Idea for
Stretching a Buck." or
"What I Learned By Being
Thrifty."
By pooling our ideas, we
can then afford some of
the OPTIONAL things
we’ve enjoyed in the past,
and still meet our financial
OBLIGATIONS.
It's YOUR house.
It's YOUR neighborhood.
It's YOUR Green Run.
To avoid this almost cer-
tain increase in the col-
lection process, PLEASE
take a very close look at
your budget and make
some hard decisions on
what you feel are neces-
sities and what are op-
tions.
For example, in my own
budget, I have dropped
cable TV because it is
OPTIONAL but now I
have more time for
friends, I don't go out to
eat as much because it
is OPTIONAL but I have
learned how to cook bet-
ter food. I STILL waste
money on some things,
but I stay aware of them
and try to keep them in
control. It's all about
discerning the difference
between wants and
needs.
In earlier times Green
Run has been lenient in
dealing with our
neighbors who don't pay
their assessments.
These times are drawing
to a close. With few ex-
ceptions, Green Run
must step up collection
efforts on those people
who are delinquent.
When you bought a
home here, this is one of
the things to which
you agreed.
FALL 2011 | GRHA | PAGE 3
THE GREEN RUNNER | WWW.GREENRUN.ORG
WINTER OFFICE
HOURS
Monday—Friday
9am—5pm
Office Closed:
Week of Thanksgiving &
Christmas
PAGE 4 | FALL 2011 | GRHA
Paid advertising Paid advertising
Next Dinner Nov. 18, 2011
6pm at Clubhouse. Fee is $7.00 per person
Menu: baked chicken, stuffing, gravy, corn, broccoli with cheese, rolls, cranberry relish and various desserts. Entertainment: BINGO If you are not on our calling list and would like to join us for good food and good times, please call Nayla Nieves at 757-427-9858
Volunteers Needed!!!!
The Green Run nifty-fifties senior’s group needs volunteers to help with their monthly din-ners. Help is needed with set-up before dinner and with clean up after din-ner. They meet once a month (usually 3rd Friday of the month). For people who are interested
in volunteering please contact
Nayla Nieves at 757-427-9858
Christmas Pot Luck Dec. 9, 2011
6pm at Clubhouse, $3.00
per person (to cover the cost of drinks and paper products)
Menu: ham and turkey will be furnished. Each person making a reservation is asked to bring a side dish or dessert that will feed at least 8 people. When the ladies call for your “reservation” please tell them what dish you intend to bring so we do not have too many duplicates. Entertainment: Sentara Living Choral Group
Nifty 50’s+ Club Events & Volunteer Opportunities!
November
2nd – Homeowners Forum
3rd – Communications Committee
5th – Basketball Sign-ups
7th – Youth & Athletics
8th – Architectural Committee
9th – Annual Meeting-Continued
14th – Finance Committee
15th – Board of Directors Meeting
16th – Finance Committee
17th – Events Committee
21st – Reserved Annual Meeting
22nd – Architectural Committee
21-25 Office Closed for Holiday
January 2012
2nd – Youth & Athletics
4th – Homeowners Forum
5th – Communications Committee
9th – Finance Committee
10th – Architectural Committee
17th – Board of Directors Meeting
18th – Finance Committee
19th – Events Committee
23rd – VBYSL Meeting
24th – Architectural Committee
29th – Basketball Sign-ups
Calendar of Events December
1st – Communications Committee
5th – Youth & Athletics
7th – Homeowners Forum
12th – Finance Committee
13th – Architectural Committee
15th – Events Committee
17th—Kids Holiday Party 1-3pm
20th – Board of Directors Meeting
21st – Finance Committee
27th – Architectural Committee
26th-Jan 2nd Office Closed for Holiday
THE GREEN RUNNER | WWW.GREENRUN.ORG
T hr i f ty Ways to $ave Mo ney by Sara K ri eger
FALL 2011 | GRHA | PAGE 5
If you have ideas, comments
or suggestions
Please Email them to us:
Save money in your home budget by making
your own cleaning products. These home-
made cleaning products use common house-
hold items and work as well as their main
brand counterparts while containing less
harsh chemicals. Just remember to never
use vinegar on marble countertops due to
the vinegar’s acidity. Borax can be found in
the laundry aisle of Farm Fresh and Wal-
Mart.
Visit: www.TheFamilyHomestead.com
Homemade Window Cleaner:
Use a clean 16oz. spray bottle to mix
together a ½ teaspoon of mild dish de-
tergent and 3 tablespoons of vinegar
with 2 cups of water. Shake well and
use as you normally would.
Homemade All Purpose Cleaner:
Use a clean 16oz. spray bottle to mix
together 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1
teaspoon of Borax with a few drops of
mild dish detergent. Fill the remainder
of the spray bottle with hot water and
shake well to mix the ingredients.
E ve nt s:
Children’s Holiday Party!
Saturday, December 17th 1pm—3pm
Children up to age 10,
Crafts while supplies last & Visit with Santa, Watch for
Details & Registration online at our website: www.greenrun.org
Donations & Volunteers needed. Call Heidi: 427-2600
Stay updated on all the latest news and events hap-
pening in our community! Just login to facebook,
“Like” our page: www.facebook.com/GRHOA
and stay connected!
Thank you to all that volunteer to help us during a turbulent time. Volunteers build a strong
foundation for a Great Community! It takes many people talking to members, attending com-
mittee meetings & rolling up sleeves to find solutions to our issues. Thanks to you All!!!
G r een Run Rec eived a C er t i f ic ate o f Mer it
SP O RTS U pdate: Fo o tba l l & Bas ket bal l
Basketball: Ages 4-16 years old.4,5,6 coed team. 7,8,9 boys and girls team. 10,11,12 boys only. 13, 14 boys only. 15, 16 boys only. Registrations are online thru greenrun.org. Fees are residents $65 non-residents $85. A $10 dollar late fee will be applied after Dec. 1, 2011.
First game will be Jan 7, 2012 and season goes until early March.
Football: This year we had a total of 166 partici-pants. 5 out of 7 team have made the playoffs. Championship games are scheduled for Nov 12 and Nov. 19,2011. We would like to thank our spon-sors Tidewater Marine Electric, Glen Davis and Ron Villanueva.
Visit us on Facebook: “Green Run
Spartans, Virginia Beach”
Visit us on facebook
“Green Run Basketball” The Spartans are required to do community service in our area to participate
on the team. This is a picture of some of the boys who went out Oct. 30, 2011
around our neighborhood picking up trash.
Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (FFVF) is a national organization which, as part of its good citizenship program, selects each year individuals and organizations who show excel-lence in community activities. Our local chap-ter, the Colonial Chapter of Virginia, submitted last fall your Green Run Community organiza-tion for its good work in community activi-ties. Judged against entries from across the US you all were selected to receive a Certifi-
cate of Merit. Awarded on November 3rd, 2011
PAGE 6 | FALL 2011 | GRHA THE GREEN RUNNER | WWW.GREENRUN.ORG
Volunteers are needed for : Donations for Kids Holiday Party, Vendor/Contract List,
Neighborhood Watch. Contact Heidi, Call 427-2600 or Email: [email protected]
Committees & Clubs: (each month)
Architectural
Scott LaFountaine
2nd & 4th Tuesday
Communications
Amber McCulloch
1st Thursday
Cred & Nominations
Patricia Keeley
(Seasonal)
Finance
Patricia Keeley
2nd Monday
Youth & Athletics
Patricia Keeley
1st Monday
Events
Chair & Volunteers needed
3rd Thursday
Home &
Garden Club
Rowanne
Stephenson
(Seasonal)
Nifty 50’s+ Club
Nayla in Office
3rd Monday
dredging the ponds will be to remove the
accumulated sediment out of the bottom of
the main storm channel within the pond.
This will help with removing obstructions (silt
bars) within the pond and opening up ca-
pacity to hold stormwater during larger rain
events.
The City of Virginia Beach is working
with the Green Run Homeowners Associa-
tion to coordinate this project. The City will
be holding an informal informational session
in January at the Rosemont Elementary
School Cafeteria. More specific information
will be provided after Thanksgiving. All
Green Run property owners and residents
are invited to attend. This meeting will be a
broad overview on dredging of the first lake.
Prior to construction, another meeting will
be held with residents to discuss what to
expect during construction activities. In 12-
18 months, another meeting will be held for
the Green Run property owners and resi-
dents with more information regarding the
remaining stormwater ponds.
Should any Green Run property owners or
residents have any questions, please coordi-
nate with Jill Ewell:[email protected] .
If you wish to email your concerns directly to
the City Project Manager, Jessica Winter-
werp, P.E. can be reached at jwin-
Dredg ing B y The C i ty of V irginia B each
The City of Virginia Beach Department of Pub-
lic Works has recently started a capital im-
provement project in the Green Run Neighbor-
hood. The City has budgeted to begin mainte-
nance dredging of the existing stormwater
ponds within the community over the next 3
years. Due to funding constraints, not all ponds
can be dredged at the same time and thus work
will be performed in phases. If you have re-
cently seen workers near the stormwater
ponds, they have been performing field investi-
gations to collect data required for design and
environmental permitting of this maintenance
work.
The ponds in Green Run are connected, mean-
ing stormwater, sediment, and nutrient runoff is
transported from the most upstream pond to
the most downstream pond and eventually to a
system outfall to London Bridge Creek. When
performing this type of maintenance dredging
to a pond system like the one at Green Run it is
best to start at the most upstream pond, elimi-
nating the sediment that is transported to the
ponds downstream. The most upstream pond
and the first pond to receive maintenance
dredging by the City of Virginia Beach will be
the pond that is bound by Lynnhaven
Parkway to the north, Rosemont Road to the
east, Buckner Blvd to the south, and South
Independence Blvd to the west and is labeled
#1 in the attached figure. The purpose of
THE GREEN RUNNER | WWW.GREENRUN.ORG FALL 2011 | GRHA | PAGE 7
In October, the Pack went on
it's Fall Family Camp-
out. The week of October
24th to 31st was "Red Rib-
bon Week. The Red Ribbon
and activities this week were
to teach about the harmful
affects of Drug use and to
vow not to use drugs! This
took place at Parkway Ele-
mentary and was attended by
all Green Run Girl and Cub
Scouts.
November brought in the cool
weather and the Thanksgiv-
ing Spirit! Pack 598 led a
Can Food drive, and pro-
vided 50 or so pounds of
food for the Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church Food Bank.
We took a trip to Pipsico
Scout Reservation and went
It has been a great fall sea-
son in scouting for Green
Run Cub Scouts! The Pack
doubled in size in Septem-
ber! The increase in size
also saw the induction of new
leadership. Nicholas Conway
stepped into the Packs Com-
mittee Chair position. Wel-
come Nick!
On September 11th, the
Pack presented the 10th an-
niversary "Flag of Heroes" to
the Fire Fighters of Station
18! A Hero's Dinner was
shared and the Scouts got to
learn about fire safety, the
specialized equipment that is
used to save and rescue per-
sons in burning vehicles or
homes.
camping. While we were
there, we participated in
Pumpkin Chunkin with a cus-
tom built Trebuchet
(medieval siege engine) that
took 2nd place in the Cub
Scout Class. The Scouts
also took 1st place in the
camping "bake off"! The
Pack participated in the 2011
Virginia Beach Veteran's Day
Parade!
In December, Green Run will
see the formation of Boy
Scout Troop 598! Seven
WEBELOS Scouts will ad-
vance to Boy Scouts! This is
a very exciting time for
Scouting in Green Run! If
you are interested in a "year
round" program that pro-
duces fine young men into
Cub Scout Corner !
Call: (757) 427-2600
Email Staff:
Office Hours
For Winter:
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Green Run Homes Association
1248 Green Garden Circle
Virginia Beach, VA 23453
Updates & Info:
www.GreenRun.org
www.Facebook.com/GRHOA
leaders in our community
then e-mail me at
Scouts are "Doing a Good
Turn Daily" in our neighbor-
hoods.
Scott LaFountaine, Cub Master Pack 598
June 2010- Present
