Coventry Group Property Management, Inc.

As the weather warms, our lake and properties become tempting to people who live outside of our community. Trespassing signs have been posted throughout the community. However, these do not always serve as a deterrent.

If you see someone and know that they are trespassing, the sheriff’s office has advised the following actions:

• Do not approach the individual.
• If you know the name and/or address of the individual:

1. Please call Coventry Group with the name and address, the date of the incident and the place. A certified letter from AMLPOA will be sent to the individual or his/her parents if underage, advising that he/she is trespassing and to please stop.
2. Take a picture of the individual trespassing and send to Coventry Group with the date of the incident and the place and name and/or address of the individual.

If you don’t know the individual’s name or address:

• Call the sheriff the next time you see him.  They will arrest him. Give the sheriff Coventry Group’s number so that they can discuss trespassing charges.

COVENTRY GROUP COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
540-535-0816

~Citizens Should Not Burn Before 4 P.M.~

RICHMOND – As Virginia prepares for the beginning of spring fire season which runs from Feb. 15 through April 30, Governor Bob McDonnell is warning Virginians that the threat of wildfires is increased this year due to Virginia’s mild winter.

“Wildfires in the Commonwealth are very weather-dependent,” Governor McDonnell said. “When you combine the effects of the 2011 tornadoes and Hurricane Irene with the relatively mild and dry winter we’re experiencing, it adds up to a potentially dangerous spring wildfire season. That’s a life safety issue which could affect thousands of Virginians.”

Ninety-five percent of wildfires in the Commonwealth are caused by humans, so citizens need to help the Department of Forestry to reduce the risk of wildfires.

“The best thing people can do is to obey the law by not burning trash or debris before 4 p.m. each day during spring fire season,” Governor McDonnell said. “Virginia’s 4 p.m. law has been in place for almost 70 years and is one of the best tools we have for reducing the threat of wildfires. Because humidity levels typically increase and wind speeds usually decrease after 4 p.m., the likelihood of a fire escaping is reduced.”

The Department of Forestry offers additional fire safety tips including:

·        Even if it’s after 4 p.m., don’t burn if the wind speed is in excess of 20 miles per hour and humidity levels are below 30 percent

·        Burn in small piles rather than one big pile

·        Before igniting your fire, clear the area around the pile down to bare dirt

·        Don’t add to the fire after midnight

·        Keep a fully charged hose and a shovel on hand to extinguish any spot fires that ignite away from the burn pile

·        Dial 9-1-1 as soon as a fire escapes your control

According to State Forester of Virginia Carl Garrison, more than 40 percent of the 1,114 wildfires in Virginia last year were caused by people burning trash or debris. “These fires threatened the lives of thousands of Virginians and more than 4,000 homes and structures in 2011,” Garrison said.

Starting a fire before 4 p.m. during spring fire season is not only dangerous, it’s a Class 3 misdemeanor crime. It can also be very costly. In addition to a fine of not more than $500, the person responsible for an escaping fire is financially liable for the cost of suppressing the fire and for damage caused to another’s property.

“A good-sized fire that escapes someone’s control can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars just in suppression efforts,” Garrison said. “If your fire burns down the neighbor’s home or barn, you could be liable for hundreds of thousands.”

The Department of Forestry will be using a new slogan this year to remind people about the 4 P.M. burn law. “Eager to Burn? Wait Your Turn” was developed by Neal Oberholtzer, a state area forester in Mecklenburg County, as a way to discourage people from burning before 4 p.m. The slogan will be featured on the Department of Forestry’s website as a click-through portal to information on wildland fires.

The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. With nearly 16 million acres of forestland and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.

Homeowners,

Winter is starting to show it’s wrath, nothing major but a pain for those not prepared.

Our mountain can be quite different from lower laying areas and most don’t realize how the slight elevation can at times make conditions difficult to maneuver.

This last dusting or snow sleet and freezing rain is a perfect example.  With the coldest temperatures at night, then during the day warming just enough to soften the packed down snow and sleet,  has been refreezing over night. During the mid day for the most part it can be a waste of time and money to chip the roads as the chips will just be pushed down into the softened  snow, doing little or no good to help traction. FYI Chipping roads at times will happen more during and after the night freeze 4:30 5pm to 4:00am,  this of course just depends on the conditions.

Working with in our budget one must be vigilant but at the same time, safety is most important. Being snow -Zar for the 4th year, I know we will get our share of complaints, I do take them all as a serious matter and respond according however, I also know many are from people that have no tires on their car, no 4 wheel drive and when conditions are unfavorable are the first ones to venture out, get stuck and  point fingers.

That said, people need to be reminded the importance of proper equipment necessary on our mountain to get around in a safe slow manor. At the very least emergency strap chains are recommended for little cars without tires for snow and icy conditions. 4×4′s during snowy slippery condition helps but during icy conditions I still recommend chains, Buying a set of emergency quick on and off chain can make a huge difference in all winter condition here.

http://www.vulcantirechains.com/?refad=MSNTireChains&c1=MSN_SE_NW&source=USA&kw=tire_chains

Drive safe.

Brian Marshall

Our next Association Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15th at 7:00 p.m. at the Linden Fire Hall. If you would like to join us, please call Mark Schloemer at 540-535-0816.

Thanks to all for participating in the Firewise wildfire fuel clean up by clearing their properties of sticks, branches and brush, and thereby reducing the risk of wildfire for all residents of Apple Mountain Lake (and bordering properties such as Skyland Estates)! The project was a successful team effort: residents cleared, dragged, hauled, and the the chipping crew chipped, thousands of branches. Literally tons of highly flammable wood debris was reduced to fast-decomposing wood chips!

Special thanks to Gena Williams, our Firewise representative from the Virginia Department of Forestry, who spent countless hours on this project.

If you haven’t yet submitted the hours that you have spent in 2011 clearing or hauling brush to the Firewise Committee, please do so by noting how much time you spent working on cutting or dragging branches, clearing brush etc. in a quick email summary to amlfirewise@gmail.com. For example:

-          From John and Jane Homeowner, 1234 Granny Smith Rd, spent 2 hours each on 12/9/11 gathering branches.

We need to report our volunteer work hours to Firewise to help us get future grants.  We can use all the volunteer hours we can get!

Sincerely,

The Apple Mountain Lake POA Board and the FireWise Committee

Did you know that Apple Mountain Lake is rated “high” risk concerning wildfires? To help reduce this risk our community has been participating in the Virginia Department of Forestry’s “Firewise” program since 2006. A professional tree crew paid for by Firewise grant money will be in Apple Mountain Lake for several days starting December 12th (weather permitting) with a powerful chipper/shredder machine. Get all the details here.

Don’t forget to make note of how much time you spend working on cutting or dragging brahcnes, clearing brush, etc. and send a quick email summary to amlfirewise@gmail.com. This will help us obtain future Firewise grants.

We hope that you will join us in this effort!

Mark DeAngelis is Apple Mountain Lake’s new president. A copy of his letter to the AML membership can be downloaded here.

Our Association Treasurer’s Report for October 2011, the end of our fiscal year, can be viewed here.

The fiscal year ended with a lot of association business activity. We had our monthly board meeting as well as our General Membership Meeting. Minutes from each meeting can be downloaded from the links below:

October Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes Posted from the October Annual Meeting