Early Spring 2022 Updates:

Spring is upon us, and the Association’s Board of Directors hasseveral updates for the upcoming year to share with you.

If you are not already aware, we welcomed a new CommunityManager at the end of 2021. Holly Gibson (hgibson@sfmcinc.com)replaced Darnell Robertson as our main point of contact for our management company, SFMC. Holly has a wealth of community management knowledge and experience. We are looking forward to accelerating many business items in 2022 in partnership with Holly.

Over the fall and winter, the Board undertook a comprehensive look at the Association’s largest service contracts in an effort to mitigate rising costs. The sharply increasing cost of doing business continues into 2022, and the Board continues to look for ways to maintain or improve current levels of service while stretching our resources to create more value. The budget is always a topic of conversation in open session at monthly Board of Directors meetings; we invite homeowners to attend and hear where your assessment fees are being allocated across services and projects. The next regular Board meetings are at 7 pm on March 22; April 26; and May 24. The link for meeting access is provided by email a few days ahead of each meeting. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Spring Activities

We have a new year of fun activities planned for the community, thanks to a small group of dedicated neighbors who graciously organize family-friendly events that are no- or low-cost. These events do not come free of effort, however; without additional help, it may be difficult to continue to do fun things like movie nights at the pool, the July 4th parade, and more. If you are available to pitch in an hour or two for an event, please volunteer when the committee provides a Sign-Up Genius.

Keep an eye out for emails and posts on the HOA Facebook Group (@MorrisFarmHOA) and the Calendar of Events here on our new website with more information about our spring events.

  • March 25: Food Truck Friday (Pool Parking Lot)
  • TBD: Community Spring Clean-Up
  • TBD: MMF Celebrates Spring!
  • April 22: Food Truck Friday (Pool Parking Lot)
  • May 7: Community Spring Yard Sale
  • May 28: Opening Day at Pool

New HOA Website

Have you seen the HOA website recently? The dated look and architecture is gone, replaced with a fresh and intuitive place to find useful community information! For more than a year, our Board President, Dana Alexy, has selflessly volunteered countless hours designing and creating content to improve communication and information resources for our homeowners and residents.

Homeowners: You will find answers to frequently asked questions, a calendar of events, governing documents such as theArchitectural Guidelines and Application, newsletters and blogs, and much more!

Prospective buyers will also have better insight into the neighborhood, such as school and utilities information, and what makes our community a great place to live through an improved public-facing page.

Opt-In to Get HOA News by Email 

If you have not already done so, opt-in to receive emails from SFMC, our management company. The Association has been absorbing sky rocketing costs recently, so we will be increasing our electronic communication for non-essential communication (such as newsletters) as a way to reduce some expenses. 

Opt-in using one of two methods:

QUICK REFERENCE INFORMATION

HOA COMMUNICATION CHANNELS:

  • MANAGEMENT COMPANY: SFMC 9464 INNOVATION DR. MANASSAS, VA 20110
  • COMMUNITY MANAGER: HOLLY GIBSON 703-392-6006, EXT 281, FAX: 703-392-5039 HGIBSON@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 

TRASH & RECYCLING

  • TRASH DAYS: M & TH
  • RECYCLING DAY: TH
  • YARD WASTE: TH (MAR-DEC)
  • 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)
food truck graphic
open envelope graphic

Yard Waste Collection Resumes — No Plastic Bags! 

Our community’s yard waste collection days are Thursdays. Avoid youryard waste not being collected and follow county regulations; do notuse plastic bags. 

Yard waste not collected? Last fall, the implementation of the newcounty yard waste procedures was hit-or-miss. While we hope this year will operate more smoothly, here’s what to do if your yard waste is not collected:

  • Ensure your yard waste is properly prepared;
  • Keep the yard waste on the curb through Saturday;
  • If the yard waste is not collected, fill out the Missed Pickup web form on the ADS website: 
  • If your yard waste repeatedly is not picked up, contact ourCommunity Manager, Holly Gibson, at hgibson@sfmcinc.com, soshe can contact the ADS representative for our community. 

You can view more information about the yard waste collection rules from the county website or by doing a search for “Prince William County yard waste”.

   

Good Neighbor Corner

This section of our newsletter will highlight how we can all contribute to awelcoming and respectful community. “The HOA” is all of us!

Common Area Use

Common areas should be used responsibly and courteously. While commonareas are for the appropriate use of all of our residents, please be mindful thatmany of our common areas are adjacent to private lots. Residents and guestsshould be respectful of private property at all times and avoid trespassing bycutting through yards on the way to or from common areas.

Vehicle Parking Reminders

Both Prince William County and our Association have rules regarding the parkingof recreational vehicles, commercial vehicles, and trailers on residential streetsand on residential property. Make sure you’re familiar with the Association’svehicle and towing policy. 

We’re a Pet-Friendly Community

Meadows at Morris Farm prides itself as a pet-friendly community. Over the pastseveral months, we have added four new pet waste stations along Rollins FordRoad and replaced two aging stations at Peacock Park. 

Some Good Neighbor reminders for pet owners:

  • Only take a waste bag as needed so others won’t find the bag station empty.
  • Remind those who walk pets on your behalf to pick up pet waste.
  • Keep your dogs on a leash in accordance with Prince William County law.
  • Remind family members and visitors to secure fence gates so pets stay contained.

ARC Application Process and Expectations

If you are planning on an exterior modification to your home, it’s probable that you need HOA approval before starting the project.

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 (click here if you do not have a copy of the guidelines) and submit the application to SFMC via email to arcapplications@sfmcinc.com.
  • SFMC reviews your application for completion before submitting it to the Board of Directors for review.
  • Absent a Covenants Committee, the Board receives a package of completed applications weekly 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 nor materials purchased prior to receiving an 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 (in the absence of a Covenants Committee) invites you to a meeting to discuss your application, it’s 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. It requires a monthly, but manageable time commitment.

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 one.

If interested, send the volunteer form at the end of this newsletter to Holly Gibson:hgibson@sfmcinc.com.

5 Ways to Avoid a Rejected Architectural Application

  • Provide a complete and accurate description of the proposed improvement.
  • Include drawings to scale on a surveyor certified plat showing location and measurements of structures suchas a deck, landscaping, or other physical changes to the property.
  • Describe the type and color of materials being used, e.g., wood, composite, stone, paint.
  • Plan for and provide details for height and width at maturity for trees or large shrubs.
  • Get signatures from at least two adjacent neighbors; this is simply an acknowledgment of their awareness ofthe project, not seeking their approval.

What Does the HOA Do, Anyway?? 

Ever wonder what your assessments pay for? Do you think “the HOA” just goes around looking for ways to harass residents? 

We invite you to stay informed of and provide your input on Board business by attending Monthly Board of Directors Meetings! We typically have zero homeowners in attendance who are not regular volunteers on a committee or there for an arc app. Monthly meetings are the method to interact on Board business directly with the Directors. Listening in on a meeting also helps familiarize you with what decisions are required to manage the community and where your money is going. 

Board meetings are virtual, so you can dial in from anywhere. The dial in number and link are sent via email & posted to the Morris Farm HOA Facebook page a few days prior to the meeting. 

We Can’t Have Nice Things Without Volunteers! 

Out of our 660 home community, we have fewer than a dozen regular volunteers, including the Board members! 

  • Would you like a community that: 
  • Provides timely responses to architectural applications; 
  • Plans dog swims at the pool; 
  • Hosts fun events; 
  • Plans and installs new/improved amenities and beautification projects? 

These are all examples of things that require volunteers! It may be an hour or it may be a sustained effort over weeks/months, depending on the scale of the project. What can you offer? 

Do you want to see a Dog Swim on the last evening of the pool season? We need volunteers who will research how to hold a successful event, plan the event, and oversee implementation. Our pool management company will not provide lifeguards due to potential liability. 

We are still looking for four volunteers to stand up a functioning Covenants Committee. As a part of this committee, you will review architectural applications and recommend updates to the Architectural Guidelines. Currently, the Board of Directors is serving double-duty as the Covenants Committee. 

The Board of Directors will need new volunteers this fall! Four of the five sitting Board members are in their second or third year of service to our community, and the time is approaching for fresh perspectives and ideas. While these volunteer positions require more time, they are the most impactful to our community. If you are interested, learn more about what the Board of Directors does by going to the Files tab in the Morris Farm HOA Facebook Group for a description of roles and responsibilities, or go to the Board and Committees page on www.morrisfarmhoa.com. 

Vandalism Costs Us All 

We’ve had several incidents of intentional damage to our community’s property–our playground equipment, park property, trail signs, and the brand new Little Free Libraries. Vandalism not only makes our neighborhood less welcoming, but it costs all homeowners money for added maintenance and replacement of damaged items. We need your help! 

  • If you see damage to our common area property, please notify Holly Gibson (hgibson@sfmcinc.com) 
  • Be patient while Holly assesses the damage, contacts a contractor(s) for an estimate, works with the Board for approval of the work if needed, and then schedules the work. Things take time in an HOA; the community does not have an on-site, on-call maintenance team. 
  • Remind our kids in particular that not respecting our community’s property is something that we all pay for. 
  • If you live near a common area that is vandalized, check security cameras and share any information with SFMC and Prince William County Police as appropriate.