Candidates Forum - 24 Oct
19 Oct 2019

Dear GCA member,

Here is your latest newsletter from the GCA. As always, we welcome your feedback.

GCA Board of Directors
Join the GCA Board
We are seeking volunteers to serve on the GCA Board. Come meet your neighbors and serve our community. There are three seats up for election this February, so we are looking for approximately six candidates.

Responsibilities . The GCA includes 839 existing homes plus significant new construction. The Board oversees an amazing array of issues, including architectural review for new and existing homes, road and common area maintenance, walking paths, security, water resources including multiple retention ponds, the Equestrian Center, and finance. The Board meets monthly, with an additional working session each month, and each Board member participates in one or more Committees. Details can be found Here .
Skills Needed . We are seeking Board candidates with a variety of skills and an interest in serving the community. More and more of the day-to-day work is being handed off to Associa, our professional management company, so that the Board can focus on policy issues. With an annual budget of $1 million and allocated reserves of $962K, it is important to have members with financial and business acumen sufficient to oversee the budget and affairs of the association. Backgrounds in administration, communications, contracting, engineering, environmental issues, finance/accounting, land use/urban planning, management, security, strategic planning, real property/architecture/construction, or technology are just some of the areas that are relevant to GCA operations. Experience on boards is helpful, and organizational skills are important. Sound judgment, the ability to work with others, and a willingness to serve the community are essential. Board members serve for a two-year term. Although not required, a good way to become active in the community and learn more about the activities of the GCA Board is to become a member of one of our committees. We will ask candidates to supply bios in December, and we will hold a Meet the Candidates session for homeowners in January before voting begins in February.

Nomination Process . Our nominating committee is actively searching for candidates, and we encourage interested homeowners to run for the Board. We will hold an information session where candidates can talk to current Board members on Tuesday, November 5, at 7 pm in the Rivanna Room at Glenmore Country Club.  You may also contact the Nominating Committee chair, Kathy Rhyne, by clicking here .
GCA Board Approves the 2020 Budget
At the 17 October Board Meeting, the GCA Board approved the GCA Budget for 2020. For the first time in four years there will be a small assessment increase. The $16 per year increase (1.57%) was driven mainly by multiple years of inflation, the newly completed Equestrian Center Reserve Study requirement (we had not previously completed a level 1 reserve study for the EC), increased expenditures for our expanded number of GCA retention ponds, and delinquent resident accounts. The new annual assessment for 2020 is $1036, paid in two $518 increments on 1 March and 1 September. To see next year's approved GCA budget, click here.
Candidates Forum 24 October at 7 PM
GCA, in cooperation with the Running Deer neighborhood, is sponsoring a Candidates’ Forum with Michael Hallahan and Donna Price, the two candidates for Scottsville District Supervisor in the November election. The event will start at 7 pm on October 24 in the East Rivanna Firehouse. Dennis Odinov will be the moderator, and the candidates will answer residents’ questions and state their positions. 

This is an opportunity for the candidates to address your questions and concerns regarding issues in Albemarle County, especially issues that affect our community. Please mark the date; a large turnout is important.
Breezy Hill PC Hearing POSTPONED
The applicants for ZMA201900004 Breezy Hill, dated 10/18/2019, requested a deferral of the 10/22 Planning Commission public hearing. Community Development staff are in the process of coordinating with the applicants regarding the timing (and other details) of their intended next steps. More information will be provided as it becomes available. Thank you.

Tim Padalino, AICP Senior Planner
Community Development Department
County of Albemarle, Virginia
(434) 296-5832 x3088

Note: Click here for the Albemarle County Planning Staff Report Summary.
Fall Branch Debris Pick-up
Mark it on your calendars ... the fall branch collection  will start on Monday,  4 November .

All branches should be placed at the curb by  7 a.m. on 4 November  with the cut end toward the street. No stumps, dirt, trash, or other yard debris will be collected. Anyone living near a GCA Common Area is invited to bring fallen branches to the curb. If your material is not picked up on day one, not to worry, it will take about a week to finish the Glenmore circuit. Remember, there will be only one pass per residence by the GCA contractor. Please be ready!

Note: We'll schedule a fall "leaf pick-up" at the end of November
Deer Population in Glenmore
The issue of the number of deer and their destructive behavior is taken seriously by the GCA Board of Directors. There have been many diverse opinions made recently via NextDoor Glenmore and personal discussions with various Board members. The purpose of this article is to be transparent with the community. Here are some facts:
1.  Deer overpopulation is significant throughout the entire United States and in Virginia. There are twice as many deer in Virginia today then when Jamestown was settled. (Deer were nearly extinct in 1900). Deer bring unwanted diseases such as tick-borne Lyme disease. To date, there is no indication that deer wasting disease is in our local area.

2.   The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has told us in the recent past that we have about 200 deer in the community; however, a healthy number would be around 80. The entire community, including the club, is approximately 1800 acres or 2.74 square miles. When the deer population is excessive, there simply is not enough food to support those numbers ... deer become underweight and are starving. 

3.   Last year, there were 3815 deer harvested in Albemarle County with an area of 726 square miles, or 5.25 deer harvested per square mile. The GCA harvested approximately 100 deer in our 2.74 square mile community, or 36.50 deer per square mile. Deer have about a one square mile feeding range.  

4.   The GCA contracts with a specialized group of bow hunters who have a VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) site-specific Deer Management Assistance Program permit issued to hunt throughout the year. This special permit is limited to named hunters and specific sites. Hence, the possibility of adding hunters is very unlikely. The hunters take about 100 deer per year, all of which are taken to soup kitchens, shelters, etc. Hunting is suspended during summer deer birthing season. Only does are taken on this special permit, and harvesting does is a more effective means for birth rate control.

5.  The #1 priority for the GCA hunters is always residents’ safety. They only hunt in the very early hours before sunrise and only on common areas and the golf course. They never hunt on private properties and will not be dispatched to a homeowner’s property due to a deer sighting.

6.  The cost to the GCA is $2500, which covers the liability insurance for the hunters. All other costs, including hunting equipment, are borne by the hunters.

7.  In addition to the USDA, we have also consulted with US Fish & Wildlife and the National Park Service (NPS). All tell us that “we” are the problem due to over-development of the deer’s natural habitat. We also plant landscaping that the deer love, making for a fabulous smorgasbord and “salad bar”.

8.  Fish & Wildlife, USDA, and NPS all say NEVER feed deer as it merely makes the situation worse by making them more reliant on unnatural and unreliable food sources. The deer must be left to forage for themselves. Also, beginning in 2019, it is illegal to feed deer year-round in Albemarle County.

9. Despite the hunting, the deer population remains about the same; deer do what deer do and multiply. In addition, when we harvest deer within our 2.74 square mile community, other deer move in from outside the community due to the plentiful Glenmore food sources. Deer are very resourceful.

What will the CARB and the GCA Board do?
  • We'll contact the USDA and the VA DGIF to obtain an updated estimate of the deer population in the community, and to seek other effective means for controlling the deer population.
  • We'll meet with the contracted hunting group to discuss other hunting options, and ensure that the hunting continues at a pace to meet or exceed the goal of removing 100 deer per year.
What can you do to help?
  • Do not feed the deer! It is illegal to feed deer at any time in Albemarle County.
  • There are many sources of information regarding deer-resistant plants. One of which is from the University of Virginia (click here).
  • There are many deer repellent products available (some are more effective than others).
  • Deer can also be present on our roads. Please be observant and follow the speed limit.
  • Stay informed. The Common Area Review Board (CARB) is responsible for animal control in the community. The monthly CARB reports to the GCA Board contain a summary of the deer controls. You can see all reports on the CARB section of the GCA web site (click here)
Who Owns the Property Next to Me?
Have you wondered who owns the property next to you, or questioned if the property is yours? There is an easy way to find out. Albemarle County has a Property Records website where you can search your address, and see who owns the properties around you. Click Here to access the web page. Once there, click on the GIS Web viewer. You can then enter your house number and street name. The GIS Site is powerful, and offers plenty of data and tools regarding your home. Check it out.
Virginia Wildfire Season Begins
The Virginia Department of Forestry recently issued a reminder that the wildfire season in Virginia runs from October 15 through the end of November. Please refrain from any outdoor wood-burning fires until the end of November. This season has been extremely dry and Glenmore has many acres of forest with underbrush leaving us very vulnerable to a wildfire in our community.
 
The warning from the Department of Forestry stated, “If a fire does escape a person’s control or is left unattended, that person is financially liable for the cost of suppressing the wildfire as well as any damage that occurs as a result. Depending on the size and complexity of the wildfire, suppression costs alone could range from several hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Add to that the cost of burning down your neighbor’s home, and you could be looking at millions of dollars.”
 
In 2011 there was a wildfire on Ragged Mountain that burned 800 acres and threatened 41 homes, so it can and does happen here. Please be careful and forego outdoor fires through the end of November.

Click Here for the Virginia Department of Forestry Web Site.
Rivanna Radio Control Club Alert - 26 Oct
The Rivanna Radio Control Club (RRCC) promised to alert GCA residents of any out-of-the-normal club activities at UVA’s Milton Airfield across the river from Glenmore. The annual Don Reid Memorial Fly In will be held on Saturday, 26 October from 9:30 AM to 2 PM (rain date is Sunday, 27 Oct). This event reaches out to Boy and Girl Scouts, Explorers, schools, Civil Air Patrol, and the local community who may want to pursue any of the related hobby and career paths. Glenmore residents are invited.

The club will fly planes, helicopters, and drones. The majority are quiet battery-powered craft, but a few are liquid fueled aircraft.
Watch These Dates
Oct 24: County Supervisor Candidates Forum - 7 PM at the East Rivanna Firehouse
Oct 26: Rivanna Radio Control Club - 9:30 AM
Oct 31: Halloween
Nov 4: Fall Branch Pick-Up week
Nov 9: Glenmore Freedom 5K
Nov 11: Veterans Day (click here )
Nov 21: GCA Board Meeting at 7PM
Nov 28: Thanksgiving Day (click here )