Welcome to Townes of Coppermill Property Owners Association Website

The Townes of Coppermill community is located in Western Fairfax County, VA directly to the south of the city of Herndon and of the Dulles Toll Road, to the east of Washington Dulles International Airport, and to the west of Reston. The property is comprised partially of 264 acres on what was once the McNair family dairy farm. Our planned community is comprised of 218 townhouses.

For residents, please use this website as your primary source of information about activities going on within the community.  We will post minutes, and any other document updates as soon as possible.  

We plan to utilize this website as our primary method for communicating with residents of this community.  We are hoping to make our neighborhood a better place step by step.

Thank you for your interest in our community.

Your Board of Directors.

News

TRANSIENT VIOLATION INSPECTIONS:  

Transient Violation inspections are now ongoing and occurring about every 15 days.  Board members are inspecting yards (both Front and Back) as well as gardens and notifying residents of their need to mow their lawns and/or weed their lawns and gardens.  Please be advised the process in place provides only one notification each year prior to fines being assessed.  The board is documenting conditions at the time of the inspection, and ongoing yard maintenance is each home-owner's responsibility.  For information on what lawns and gardens should look like, please visit our Lawns or Gardens section.

Board of Directors Meeting Results (April 25, 2012):

The Coppermill Board of Directors met on April 25, 2012 for their monthly meeting.  The following list of topics was discussed.  

1. The vacancy to the Board of Directors was filled by Greg Luongo, a resident of Coppermill Drive.  Thank you Greg for accepting this position.
2. The date was selected for the Mason and Mason visit for the Reserve Update Study.  For this study, engineers are scheduled to visit the community to assess the physical condition of our infrastructure (asphalt, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, electrical, tot-lot etc) and provide estimates of costs to fix, maintain, and/or replace, along with the estimated lifespan remaining of each item.  This study will compare the amount of reserve funding we need to have in place at the time the repairs or replacements are needed so that we can properly set monthly dues in order to prevent the need for one-time assessments for all home-owners.  This date is set for May 2.  (UPDATE)  Members of the Board and Management Agency walked the property with the engineers on the morning of May 2 and reviewed the condition of the community.  We should receive the initial report from Mason and Mason in the next few weeks.
3. The board sought further recommendations on the tot-lot condition.  Members of the board took measurements and provided the management company with estimate cubic yardage of materiel needed to bring the flooring of the tot-lot into better condition.  The management agent will be providing prices as soon as possible so the board can move forward and get the condition of the tot-lot improved.

Board of Directors Meeting Results (February 29, 2012):

The Coppermill Board of Directors met on February 29th for their monthly meeting.  The following list of topics was discussed.

1. Officers were selected for the 2012 Board.  Offices remained the same as in 2011.  
2. Trash blowing throughout the community was discussed.  Residents are reminded to place all trash out for pickup no earlier than after dusk on the evening before pickup (either Sunday night, or Wednesday night) and per Fairfax County regulations, that all trash is to be secured in a trash can at the curb - not in grocery bags or transactional plastic bags.  As a courtesy to your neighbors, if you know it will be windy on the night before pickup, please consider placing your trash at the curb on either Monday or Thursday mornings.  
3. The contract with the engineering firm Mason and Mason was approved and signed and the Reserve Update study will be conducted this Spring.
4. The Board was notified by a resident about concerns with the Tot-Lot.  The Board is aware that weather and runoff have deteriorated the condition of the Tot-Lot.  The Board urges residents to take caution while using the tot-lot until improvements can be made.  The Board will await the results of the Reserve Update study before taking action.  
5. The Board discussed the likely results of the Reserve Update study.  To inform residents as early as possible for planning purposes, it is expected that the Reserve Update study results will suggest that our community has not put enough money into funding our reserves, and as such, monthly home-owner assessments will need to go up beginning in 2013.  
6.  The Board set the structural inspections date for Saturday, April 7, 2012.  The Rain Date for the inspections will be one week later on April 14.  The Board will be touring the community identifying structural violations for each residence and photographing each violation.  Residents are urged to spend time in March bringing their properties into a well-maintained condition.  Details about structural and transient inspections will be provided in the mail as part of the Spring Newsletter.  Information about archtiectural guidelines can be found here.
7.  The Spring Newsletter will be mailed sometime during the week of 3/13.  The newsletter will also appear on our website at this LINK

Annual Meeting Update - February 8, 2012:

Thank you for everyone who attended the annual meeting on January 25, 2012.  The following topics were discussed and resolutions passed.  

1. School dropoff continues to be a significant issue within the community.  For those unfamiliar, many parents of school-age children have decided that it is easier for them to drop off their children to McNair Farms Elementary school in our community instead of at the front door to the school as directed by regulation.  Parents have found it takes less time by coming into our community than sitting in line at the actual entrance to the school.  The location of the gate in the fence for use by Townes of Coppermill residents only is off of Michael Lawrence drive.  The board has brought this issue to the attention of the school principal, as well as the Fairfax County Police Department as this practice is dangerous to the children of our community.  Traffic jams, illegal parking, speeding in our community, and trespassing are all combined which form a difficult challenge, but unfortunately at this point, the Board does not have the ability to prevent these actions.  This topic will continue to be discussed until a satisfactory resolution is developed.
2. This year, our trash contract with American Disposal Services is up for renegotiation.  Dominion Management has been in contact with ADS in renegotiating the terms of the contract.  A reduced cost has been proposed in exchange for a longer term contract.  The board sees this as an opportunity to reduce costs as our documents and any contract we sign contains cancellation clauses with 30 day notice.  This contract poses little risk to the community.  Should anyone have any concerns or issues with the service that ADS has provided, please notify the board by sending an email to info@townesofcoppermill.org
3. The board passed a resolution to conduct a Reserve Update study to understand the community's current infrastructure status in comparison to the total reserves the community has banked to date.  Our organization, by law, puts part of each home-owner's monthly dues aside into a reserve fund that is intended to cover costs beyond normal operating costs of the community.  For example, should we need to repave all of the streets within the community, the funds saved in the reserves would cover these costs.  If we did not maintain these reserves, community members could be charged "special assessments" each time a substantial project needed to be completed.  The study the board has requested is a "pulse check" on the comparison between the amount of money we have saved, with the estimated age and condition of the community.  This type of study was completed 7 years ago, and an update is required by law.  The outcomes of this study will likely drive a slight increase in dues beginning in 2013.
4. The board approved the initial members of the Vendor Committee.  This committee was formed to increase visibility and transparency into the way in which our community selects vendors to perform services within the community.  Common vendors include electricians for streetlights, the trash service, the landscaping contractor, and the people that do snow-plowing.  This committee was formed to develop SOWs, develop RFPs, review contract solicitations, contact and verify vendor references, and make recommendations to the board on which vendor provides the best value.  The ultimate decision on the vendor selected still remains with the Board of Directors, but the information will be gathered and presented by the commitee.
5. The community also had an extensive discussion about the water retention drainage pond located at the intersection of Frying Pan Road and Coppermine Road.  Further investigation about the cleanup of this area will be discussed with the McNair Farms Home Owner Association.  A member of the community noted that drainage pipes within our community that lead to that pond are also clogged and in need of cleaning out.  The board will take this under consideration and decide upon a corrective course of action in the Spring.  

BUDGET UPDATE 2012:

As of:  1/5/2012 - Coupon Books were mailed on Wednesday, January 4 to all homeowners.  Payment remains due by January 30 to not be considered late.  This should provide all homeowners with ample time to mail in January dues to the address listed on the coupon book.  

At the meeting on December 14, 2011, the Board reviewed a proposed budget and determined that no increase in Home Owner Assessments was approved for 2012.  The 2012 budget and coupon books will be mailed to home-owners as soon as possible.  Payments of $60 are still due on January 1, 2012 regardless of whether your coupon book arrives prior to that date, but are not considered late until after January 30, 2012.  

Annual Meeting Results:  

On Wednesday, December 14, 2011, the community met for the 2011 annual meeting.  Only 12 home-owners were represented in person or by proxy which was insufficient for quorum and the meeting was postponed to January 25, 2012.  

In the upcoming weeks, board members will be going door to door soliciting proxy votes from home-owners so that we can meet the quorum requirements for conducting our annual meeting in January.  

You can find the 2011 Annual Meeting Proxy here