Spring 2021 Updates:

It’s been a busy spring in Morris Farm; the school year is coming to a close and with that, another group of Morris Farm graduates will head off to their new chapters. We congratulate you all, especially after an unprecedented year! 

We’ve been busy getting several community improvement projects off the ground. Unfortunately, we’ve also experienced some challenges. Most notably, our pool construction project hit a significant roadblock in the electrical repair and county permitting processes. This is our largest amenity and we know this is unwelcome news. At the end of the newsletter, we have included more detail on the critical points of the pool project since inception; pool registration information is also included, as we do intend to open this season. 

Pool Opening Postponed

 Despite researching and vetting contractors through most of2020, planning for the permit requirements as far back as October, and having a project timeline with a substantial buffer for the unexpected, the issues with the electrical work and conflicting guidance from the county regarding permits will delay the pool opening. We are working hard to open the pool as soon as possible, and we are coordinating with NVPools to extend the pool season until mid-September. You will receive a revised opening date once these project issues are resolved and a new schedule is in place. 

With the welcome news that the Governor is lifting many COVIDrestrictions, we expect our pool rules will look a lot like a normal season when we do open. We’ll know more once the predicted updates are published by the Governor and Virginia Department of Health, but we expect we will not require most of the rules we published at the end of April based on the state restrictions at that time. 

We understand how frustrating the pool situation has been for everyone over the past year; as your neighbors serving on the Board and Pool Committee, we share your sentiments, especially given the amount of planning and preparation we did to avoid this very scenario. As soon as we have updates about getting the project back on track, we will pass them to you. Opting into email and joining the Morris Farm HOA Facebook page is the best way to get those updates quickly.

Community Manager Office Procedures and Protocols

We are very happy to have a dedicated community manager this year. The sheer size of our community in both the number of households and acreage requires dedicated staff for effective management. Our Community Manager, Darnell Robertson, works for our community 30 hours per week. Within this dedicated time, he performs quite a number of duties, including:

  • Visiting on-site daily to help maintain oversight of community services and maintenance needs;
  • Seeking multiple contract bids minor and major improvement projects directed by the Board; 
  • Meeting with multiple contractors on-site or visiting PrinceWilliam County offices on our behalf;
  • Completing myriad routine and Board-directed admin tasks;
  • Fielding 60-75 emails and 3-5 homeowner phone inquiries per day.

Homeowners and residents should expect timely responses to relevant inquiries, but please keep in mind this is a large community. Below are some suggested tips when contacting SFMC:

  • Email is the most effective contact method(drobertson@sfmcinc.com);
  • You should receive an acknowledgment email within 2-3business days;
  • Researching your request may take additional time, especially if there are special circumstances;
  • If you believe your request has been pending for too long, you have the option to:
    • follow-up by email to check-in on the status (using the original thread is a best practice);
    • attend a Board of Directors meeting to speak directly to the Board members (Darnell is in attendance at the regular monthly meetings, as well).

2021 Grounds Improvement Projects Completed and In Progress 

We have a lot of projects we’d love to take on or speed up, but it’s challenging with limited time and volunteer resources to help plan, prioritize, and review bids. With a grounds maintenance contract renewal or award upcoming, we could also use additional eyes on the community to help monitor grounds maintenance performance. The following are grounds projects underway: 

  • Installing two Little Free Libraries, one on each side of the community
  • Cleaning and repairing entrance structures and fences 
  • Installing landscaping in seven cul-de-sac islands on the school side
  • Planting new trees along Rollins Ford Rd. to replace those removed due to health or safety
  • Negotiating with Prince William County for replacement of stormwater management fence on the side of Woodpecker and Catbird closest to homes
  • Refurbishing park and trailhead benches
  • Reviewing master landscape design proposals for multiple landscaping projects throughout the community
  • Seeking proposals for additional pet waste stations and service
  • Community Clean-up in Spring and Fall

ARC Application Process and Expectations

We are in the busy season for making home improvements; most exterior improvements require an architectural application.*Important planning note: Allow 60 days for a decision on your project once you have submitted a completed application! 

Things to Know About Submitting an Arc App:

  • Review the Architectural Guidelines (if you do not have the hard copy, sign in to your account at morrisfarmhoa.com and click on the document under the Governing Documents tab, or review the Files section in the Morris Farm HOA group) and submit the application to SFMC via email toarcapplications@sfmcinc.com.
  • SFMC reviews your application for completion before submitting it to the Board of Directors for review;
  • The Board currently receives a package of completed applications once a week for review;
  • Decision may take up to 60 days for review, although the Board typically returns them much sooner if there are no extenuating circumstances;
  • No work should begin prior to receiving approval;
  • If you request a variance from the Architectural Guidelines, the board may ask you to attend a monthly Board of Directors meeting to discuss your application.

Including all requirements and abiding by the guidelines (or explaining the need for a variance) saves everyone time in processing the application! If the Board invites you to a meeting to discuss your application, it is because there are questions; participating in that conversation may prevent a denial or extended timeline for review! 

We need a Covenants Committee! 

  • Do you not agree with the rules as set forth in the Architectural Guidelines? 
  • Do you not agree with how those rules are being implemented? 
  • Do you think it takes too long to receive a response to architectural applications? 

If so, please consider volunteering to stand up a Covenants Committee, which has been vacant for years due to a lack of volunteers. The Board is acting as the Covenants Committee in addition to Board duties. We need five active and reliable volunteers to stand up the committee; we currently have two. 

If interested, send the volunteer form at the end of this newsletter to Darnell Robertson:drobertson@sfmcinc.com. 

Get Ahead of the Annual Maintenance Inspection: 

Our annual maintenance and architectural inspection will occur in late June/early July (specific dates to be determined). Some of the most common notices received by homeowners are easy to address before the inspection takes place. 

  • Power washing — siding, foundations, front stairs, and sidewalks clean and free of mildew 
  • Exterior trim/wood damage — around doors, windows, garage doors, bay windows, bump-out areas, roofline, porches, wood stairs, and dormer windows often need a fresh coat of paint and should be the same color consistently on your home
  • Landscaping — overgrown grass, shrubs, weeds, and trees overhanging sidewalks
  • Mailboxes — posts needing to be painted or replaced, along with the mailbox being cleaned or replaced. The company below is familiar with our model of mailbox and colors, and there are often enterprising young members of our community who offer mailbox maintenance services. 
    • Mainstreet Mailboxes & More, Inc. 571-379-8454
    • Model: Mailbox is an MP-5 with cream Janzer #1.5 box, with 4” numbers
    • Post: Painted Morris Farm green (Valspar: Cactus Shadow or Sherwin Williams: Artichoke GreenColor Code SW6179)
  • Temporary yard signs — The Board-directed pause on issuing violations for temporary yard signs this spring will end with the last day of the PWCS school year. Avoid a violation notice by removing the yard signs prior to the Annual Inspection.
QUICK REFERENCE INFORMATION

HOA COMMUNICATION CHANNELS:

  • MANAGEMENT COMPANY: SFMC 9464 INNOVATION DR. MANASSAS, VA 20110
  • COMMUNITY MANAGER: DARNELL ROBERTSON 703-392-6006, EXT 281, FAX: 703-392-5039 DROBERTSON@SFMCINC.COM
  • TO RECEIVE EMAILS FROM SFMC, YOU MUST OPT-IN BY EMAIL TO THE COMMUNITY MANAGER
  • COMMUNITY WEBSITE: MORRISFARMHOA.COM
  • COMMUNITY FACEBOOK PAGE: MORRIS FARM HOA WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/ MORRISFARMHOA/

TRASH & RECYCLING

  • TRASH DAYS: M & TH
  • RECYCLING DAY: TH
  • AMERICAN DISPOSAL: 703-368-0500

MAILBOXES

  • POST COLOR:
    • VALSPAR CACTUS SHADOW GREEN
    • SHERWIN WILLIAMS ARTICHOKE GREEN (COLOR CODE SW6179
  • MAILBOX COLOR: OFF-WHITE FOUR-INCH NUMBERS
  • ORIGINAL MAILBOXES INSTALLED BY MAIN STREET MAILBOXES (571- 349-8454)
REMINDERS

ENHANCING YOUR PROPERTY

  • MOST EXTERIOR CHANGES TO PROPERTY REQUIRE AN ARCHITECTURAL APPLICATION PRIOR TO DOING THE WORK
  • EMAIL ADDRESS FOR APPLICATIONS OR QUESTIONS: ARCAPPLICATIONS@SFMCINC.COM PLAN ACCORDINGLY:
  • BOARD HAS 60 DAYS TO RESPOND TIME STARTS UPON SFMC RECEIPT OF CORRECTLY COMPLETED APP
    BOARD IS ACTING AS COVENANTS COMMITTEE AND MUST REVIEW EVERY APPLICATION, WHICH MAY DELAY RESPONSE

SAFETY

  • SPEED LIMIT IS 25
  • 25 MPH MAY BE TOO FAST IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS — USE GOOD JUDGMENT AROUND PLAYGROUNDS, PEDESTRIANS, ETC. AND IN HOURS OF DARKNESS

KEEPING THE COMMUNITY CLEAN

  • DO NOT LEAVE BEHIND TRASH IN COMMON AREAS
  • SECURE YOUR TRASH AND BINS TO PREVENT LOOSE TRASH BEING BLOWN INTO NEIGHBORING YARDS AND COMMON AREAS
  • PICK UP AFTER YOUR PET
  • DO NOT DISPOSE OF YARD WASTE IN GUTTERS/SEWERS TO PROTECT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM; YARD WASTE MUST BE IN PAPER BAGS OR CLEARLY MARKED RECEPTACLES FOR COLLECTION

Stay Informed! Opt into Emails and Join the Morris Farm HOA Facebook Page

Particularly with the disruption to the current pool season, it’s important to stay tuned in to the community’s communication channels: mail, email from SFMC, and the Morris Farm HOA Facebook page. 

  • Join the email list. Did you know you must opt-in to receive emails from SFMC? Email is the fastest way to receive official community information. Email our community Manager, Darnell Robertson to opt-in:drobertson@sfmcinc.com
  • Join the official Morris Farm HOA Facebook page. The Morris Farm HOAFacebook page is the official social media presence for our community. This page, which is managed by volunteers, was created to provide greater reach to our homeowners and residents for timely community information. When joining, simply request approval to join and verify you are a resident by providing the household name on file with SFMC and your street address.

2021 Pool Project: An Overview of the Project Timeline

Below is a general timeline of the pool project thus far. We’ve stuck to highlights of what’s transpired through May 20, 2021; please note that there are countless hours of meetings, consultation at county offices, email coordination, and project oversight that have occurred in the background of these activities. The first indication of project delays was in April. 

  • Late 2019: New Board members elected (one incumbent remained; four members newly elected).
  • Early 2020: Pool fence collapsed due to integrity issues with concrete deck and pavers.
  • Winter 2020: Fence temporarily repaired for 2020 season. Board began soliciting bids for pool deck and full fence replacement.
  • Spring-Summer 2020: COVID impacted all Board business related to the pool, slowing progress but not stopping solicitation. 
  • Fall 2020: Contractors selected (concrete, fence, and sunshade), project plan and timeline agreed upon, multiple on-site meetings between Board, management, and concrete contractors held; sunshade ordered but was impacted by COVID-related production delays. Project estimated to take 4-6 weeks to complete.
  • October 2020: Concrete contractor coordinated with Prince William County permitting authorities to confirm the project permit requirements.
  • November 2020 through January 2021: Hired and onboarded a dedicated Community Manager to help oversee large projects the Board began planning in 2020, including the pool project. Pool project coordination meetings held, received updates of additional delays to delivery of sunshade; concrete project scheduled for after sunshade delivery in February due to footer installation and county-inspection to avoid damaging newly poured concrete.
  • February 2021: Project still on track, despite persistent inclement weather and delayed start date, as the project plan accounted for winter weather delays. Fence contract signed.
  • Early March: Sunshade footers and frame installation complete. Project walk-through with all contractors; fence ordered. Project began; demo completed second week in March. Concrete contractor subcontracted electrical work.
  • Mid-March: Electrical sub-contractor submitted permits to Prince William County upon completion of demo and identification of scope of expected repair work and included in permit planning. Board received updates that concrete pour would occur at the beginning of April and project timeline would not be impacted by County permit process and electrical work required. 
  • April: Leading up to the expected pour date in early April, the Board continued to receive updates from the electrical sub-contractor that they were waiting to hear from the county. 
  • Mid-April: Prince William County denied the electrical permit. The Board directed and led a meeting of all contractors to develop the plan of action to get the project back on track. Consultation with contractors indicated that Memorial Day Opening was still feasible if the permit approval came through quickly. Boardconsulted with SFMC, the Association’s attorney, and escalated our situation through Supervisor Lawson’soffice and within the PWC Plans Intake division, and the PWC inspector and administrators handling our project. Sought and received information from additional concrete and electrical contractors to explore all avenues of addressing project delays and keeping the pool opening date intact. 
  • Late April/Early May: Correspondence between PWC permitting staff and the sub-contractor resulted in the Board aggressively moving forward with alternate options to complete the electrical work. SFMCfinalized bids to hire our own electrical contractor who could immediately perform the work.
  • Mid-May: PWC notified the concrete contractor that PWC staff misinformed the contractor in October 2020regarding the permits needed for this project and that additional permits are required, including concrete and fence. Board communicated to the community via Morris Farm HOA Facebook page and email that the pool opening date would be postponed. Board coordinated with Association attorney and completed contractual actions to address electrical work; met with concrete contractor regarding progress of additional permits and adjusting project schedule timeframes once permits are issued. 

The above outline is through May 20, 2021; there may be additional developments by the time of publication. We are working daily to get the pool open as soon as possible. 

2021 Pool Registration Information 

Returning residents may visit WWW.POOLREGISTRATION.COM to access their pool passes at any time to update their account, including editing members of household. 

Returning residents may use the same pool passes as last year. Log in to your account using your existing email address and password to access/print your passes (if you forgot your password, you may click on the “forgot password” button. If you forgot the email address you used to register last year, contact our SFMC Community Manager.) You may also add or delete family members and/or tenants from your account. 

IF YOU ARE A NEW RESIDENT: 

  • Visit www.poolregistration.com and click on “Create account.” You will be taken to the registration page. One resident will register as the owner (if you have tenants) or head of household, so that there is a primary point of contact on file for all registrants. 
  • Add the information for each resident requiring a pass. If you are a head of household, you will provide information for yourself in the owner section in addition to the resident section. Then you will add each resident in your home requiring a pass. If you are an owner providing passes for tenants, you will provide the name of each tenant. 
  • If the resident has his or her own email address, please include it if you would like the pool pass to be emailed directly to that person. If the resident is a child, simply provide the head of household’s email address. The child’s pool pass will be emailed to the head of household. 
  • All residents age 12 and older must upload a photo for inclusion on the pool pass. 
  • If you are a member in good standing, you will receive your pool passes within 48 hours of registration. Please allow an extra 24-48 hours if you register between 5 pm on Friday and 9 am on Monday. 

What if I am a tenant or have tenants? 

The owner must register on www.poolregistration.com and provide the names and information for his tenants. The owner must certify through the website that he is relinquishing his/her passes to the tenants for 2021. 

“The HOA” is all of us! 

We have an immediate need for volunteers for the Covenants, Grounds, Activities, and Communication Committees! 

Out of our 660 home community, we have fewer than a dozen regular volunteers, including the Board members! If you are interested in helping to help make a positive impact, please contact Darnell (drobertson@sfmcinc.com) to submit the volunteer form. 

Stay informed of and provide your input on Board business by attending Monthly Board of Directors Meetings! 

The next meeting is on June 17, 2021, at 7 pm via Zoom. You will receive the link via email or the Morris Farm HOA Facebook page a few days prior to the meeting.