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A Few Winter Storm Reminders:
We are all part of a community. Storms can bring us together or cause problems. Let's avoid unnecessary stress and friction and let the only problems be the ones caused by nature.
1. Everyone is responsible to clear the sidewalks that border their home and keep them clear. That may be a challenge if we get the drifting snow that is forecast, but it is a necessity. Don't clear your snow by putting it on the sidewalk, in the street, covering the fire hydrant, or in front of your neighbors' cars (and yes, people have done all of the above). If your neighbor can't shovel his/her property alone, do it for him/her or contact Pat Mahoney at p-ail...@msn.com and she will get a Snow Angel to clear the sidewalks. This is a safety issue for all.
2. Don't park in fire lanes, don't double park, don't park on sidewalks, and don't block the entrance or exit to any house or road. You not only risk a ticket from the police, but Runnymeade can also have a vehicle immediately towed without notice for any violation that presents a safety hazard or issue.
3. Please keep one side of High Meadow Rd (the state road) free of cars. We don't need to park on both sides. It is essential for emergency vehicles and for safe driving to only park on one side of the street when there is reduced room to maneuver and when cars are slipping and sliding. VDOT has already pretreated High Meadow but had to skip over the places where cars were parked. For the area along the island, this means VDOT could only pretreat the center of the street. Once plows come through, there will be even less space to get through. For most of the last 25 plus years, cars only parked on one side of High Meadow. Only recently did we start to see cars using both sides of the street to park. It may be a convenience to park on both sides, but right now it is dangerous and unnecessary.
4. Don't hog non-reserved parking spaces. There is no reserved non-reserved parking space in Runnymeade--even if you shoveled it clean. Don't put a chair in a parking space or mark it as yours. It is not yours.
5. Please use your reserved parking space, garage, and/or driveway. Clean the snow off your reserved space where it says "reserved" so that visitors will recognize it is reserved when you are not home. But when you are home, use it.
6. Definitely don't put your garbage out early this weekend. It is entirely possible that American Disposal might have to cancel Monday pick up if streets are unsafe or landfills are closed.
7. Please don't use chemicals that are harmful to pets to treat your sidewalks. Cats and dogs lick their paws and ingest the chemicals you put out to melt the snow and ice.
8. Please keep fire hydrants cleared off so that emergency crews can find them in a hurry. A map showing the location of Runnymeade fire hydrants is attached. Why not adopt your local fire hydrant?
Thanks for your consideration.
WHO ARE THE SNOW ANGELS? About 5 or 6 years ago, we created the Snow Angels program. It is not a group of residents who come and lie on the snow in front of your house and flap their arms. It is a group of residents who volunteer their time to help other residents who need assistance to clear off their stairs, sidewalks, and cars/parking spaces when it snows. If you need assistance or you know of a neighbor who needs assistance, please contact me at p-ail...@msn.com, and I will match you up with one or more Snow Angels to help. If you are willing and able to help, please contact me so that you can be matched up with someone who needs your help.
THE RESULTS ARE IN -- While there are still a few lingering decorations up, the 2015 Runnymeade Holiday Homes Decorating Contest is over and the unofficial observation is that we had the greatest degree of participation ever with some truly spectacular displays. Once again, the street that had the highest percentage of homes participating was Castletown Way, which was crowned the Brightest Street for the 4th year in a row.
The Winners were:
MOST FESTIVE 6162 Castletown Way
MOST UNIQUE 6045 Crown Royal Circle
MOST CHARMING 5922 Langton
MOST ELEGANT 5913 High Meadow
Honorable Mention:
MOST FESTIVE 5921 Ambassador Way
MOST UNIQUE 6111 Castletown Way
6166 Castletown Way
MOST CHARMING 5870 Langton
6020 Crown Royal Circle
5923 Heatherwood Ct
MOST ELEGANT 6094 Heatherwood Dr
The Elegant Row: 6014-6018 Knights Ridge Way
The Prize Patrol has not finished delivering the prizes. This year we had prizes from:
*Nalls, which donated the Grand Prize (for the Most Festive Winner) as well as $5 Nalls Gift Certificates for all the Honorable Mentions
* Unos, which donated the prize for Most Charming
*Karen Wyatt Skin Care, who donated an Advanced Facial
*Pat Mahoney, who donated a gift certificate from Bath & Body Works
Also at Runnymeade's request, VDOT installed new signage on High Meadow Rd to prohibit on street parking in places too close to intersections to be safe. These prohibitions are being enforced.