Villas Landscape Planning Committee

Meeting Notes:  June 28, 2007

Members Present :

Emery Dilda – Chairperson

Elaine Diepenbrock

Peggy Verdine (new member)

            Sherri Burke – Villas Board Liaison

Discussion Items:

Members reviewed progress made on the action items from the previous meeting:

1        Obtain plat map:  Janice reported that she had made many contacts, including Sylva (Armstrong Management), and none were successful at producing the map.  The final recommendation she received was that she probably would need to get it from the “county.”  The discussion that ensued provided information that some documents had been stored in the cabinets in the meeting rooms of the Center and it is possible that the plat map may be among these papers.  Emery will pursue a further search.

2        Research outside sources of information/assistance:  Elaine had disseminated information prior to the meeting about:  Stafford County Office of the VA Cooperative Extension Service, Tri-County/City Soil & Water Conservation Group, and associated links.  In addition she obtained a recommended reading list for Gardening with Wildflowers and Native Plants, and the Eastern VA Coastal Plain brochure on Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration and Landscaping.  She also has ordered a subscription to The Virginia Gardner Newsletter from the Extension Service that she will share with the group.

3        Coordinate with Falls Run resources for information/assistance:  Emery had made contact with Board and Committee members to explore possible ways to collaborate and coordinate efforts, with particular emphasis on defining the areas for which each group has responsibility.

The committee began a review of the villas map that was available in the directory and preliminarily identified common areas that may be the target for landscaping.  Members agreed that the plan should be a broad-based, long range plan that would entertain all aspects of landscaping, including building foundation areas as well as common open areas, and would also address possible hardscape options.  It is anticipated that the plan will be developed with separate implementation phases that can occur over time.

The recruitment for additional committee members will continue with each current member encouraging others to join the effort.

Decisions Made:

1        The long-term phased plan will be drafted and presented to Villa residents for input, comments, and suggestions

2        The committee will identify resources for professional landscaping design that will be cost-effective.

3        For the next few months, regular meetings will be held at the Center on the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m.  The extra meetings will allow the group to make initial progress more rapidly.  The meeting schedule is as follows:

July 12                                     September 13

July 26                                     September 27

August 9                                   October 11

August 23                                 October 25

Only one meeting will be held in November and December:  11/8 and 12/12

Action Items:

1.      Continue to recruit members for the committee. 

2.      Continue the search for an official plat map of the villas section of Falls Run. (Emery)

3.      Make contacts with Dick Haas and begin attending the FRCA landscape committee (Emery)

4.      Contact local nurseries to evaluate the potential for receiving professional assistance: 

1        Stafford Nursery (Elaine)

2        Roxberry & Meadow Farm (Emery)

5.      Contact the Master Gardner certification group to explore the possibility of one of their “students” taking on the Villa as a required project (Peggy)

 6.  Begin assembling the preliminary structure of a plan document as a working tool to built on.  (Sherri volunteered to start this effort for the committee's   consideration).