February 2008 Archives

Con-Serv Industries (CSI) becomes our new trash pickup contractor effective March 1st . The last pickup by Potomac Disposal Service (PDS)  will be February 28th. Pickup days will remain the same; Monday and Thursday. Containers need to be curbside by 7:00 am on collection days. PDS will pickup their containers and recycling bins on February 28th and 29th. CSI will begin delivering containers beginning February 27th. Additional details follow:

Schedule:

• All containers to curbside by 7:00 am on pickup days
• Trash pickup days: Monday and Thursday
• Recycling pickup: Thursday
• Yard waste pickup: Monday
• Bulk waste pickup: Thursday
• Christmas tree pickup: First two weeks in January

About Recycling:

• CSI uses a "Single-Stream" recycling process.
• Please see the attachment to the announcement mailed to all residents.

Containers:

• # of trash containers: One (1) per address (95 gallon tote)
• Extra containers: $75 (purchased by resident - contact CSI directly to order)
• # of recycling bins: 2

Holiday Schedule:

• Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years: No pickup
• Pickup after these holidays will be on the next scheduled pickup day (NOT the day after)

Reminders:

• Trash containers must be kept out of sight at all times except on pickup days.
• Containers may be placed curbside after sundown the day before pickup but must be removed before sundown the day of pickup.

CSI contact: 703-444-3181

Residents who are selling their homes can advertise them on this site for free. Your ad will randomly appear on the home page (@Home in Raspberry Falls) with a full page on Homes for Sale. Simply email the Website Administrator (see bottom of page) and we will provide instructions. Our Website enjoys a high Google ranking and prospective buyers will find us when searching for Raspberry Falls. Restricted to residents. Not for real estate agents.

Letters were sent to all homeowners yesterday (February 11th) announcing the official launch of @Home in Raspberry Falls. What is important is that the letter contains your permanent registration authorization code and  registration instructions to gain access to the private areas of the site.

Questions or comments about the new site or the registration process can be directed to

admin at raspberryfalls dot org.

We are actively seeking volunteers to help manage the site. These include:

• News contributors
• Writers
• Content editors
• Publishing management
• Assistant webmaster

The site is built on the Movable Type publishing platform and is very easy to administer. Our goal is to create and promote the most professional, high content and interactive HOA site in the region and beyond. If you are interested in participating, direct your email to the address shown above.

Loudoun County property assessments were mailed last week. The assessor  indicates that the average property assessment is down 8% from last year with the eastern part of the county down even more. The west shows more modest decreases with some areas increasing slightly.

Kirby Bowers, the county Administrator, has proposed a 25.6 cent increase in the tax rate to fund what he says is the most "lean" budget in years. The proposed tax rate would be a 26.6% increase over the 96 cent 2007 rate. So lets do the math assuming your assessment is down 8% on a $1,000,000 home in Raspberry Falls:

1997: $1,000,000 assessed value at 96 cents per $100 = $9,600 property tax bill.
1998: $920,000 assessed value at $1.216 per $100 = $11,190 property tax bill.

The result is equal to a 17% increase. But, if your assessment is like mine which went up slightly, we are going to be paying a bit more than the stated 26.6% increase due to the proposed tax rate.

So, I say watch your assessment. The last time I checked, Raspberry homes sold in  2007 were selling for much less than what they sold for in 2006.

The County Supervisors will no doubt pare the proposed budget by some amount but the result will still be a hefty increase.

The LCSA is proposing the management combination of multiple community infrastructures as opposed to stand alone as we now have in Raspberry. This means rates could change. LCSA held a meeting for homeowners at the RFG&HC clubhouse on February 20th.

Representatives of LCSA made the following presentation: LCSA Proposed Rate Increase Presentation - Raspberry Falls.ppt. The following FAQ's were distributed: LCSA FAQs Proposed Rate Increase - Raspberry Falls.doc

Also, here is an Excel file to assist in estimation the new rate for you: LCSA Bill Estimator For Raspberry Falls.xls. Residents can add their information in the highlighted area. The rest of the spreadsheet is formula driven.

A recent email from Scott Lutz to the Raspberry Falls community:

Raspberry Falls Resident -
 
As some in the community may know, there are two applications for three cell phone towers across from Raspberry Falls.  I have attached my letter in response to these applications (the letter summarizes my comments I made at the Public Hearing on Tuesday, January 8th).  At the Public Hearing the Board of Supervisors referred the applications to the Land Use Committee who met on Tuesday, January 29th.  Instead of looking at any individual applications, the Land Use Committee took a step back and discussed whether the towers were needed and the wireless coverage areas across the County.  The Committee asked for additional maps and coverage information across the County.  I see this as a positive step.  The Committee is going to meet again on this issue at the end of the month. 
 
Recently, I was contacted by the Supervisor's Kurtz Office (our local Supervisor).  Four of the six cell phone tower applications across the County are in the Catoctin District (more cell phone tower applications are coming through the pipeline).  I was asked to reach out to our community to see what we thought of our wireless coverage. 
 
As for me, I have a Treo for my personal phone/internet (Verizon) and I have a BlackBerry for my business phone/internet (Cingular).  I never had a problem with either my Treo or BlackBerry within Raspberry Falls community or the Route 15 corridor.
 
What cellular services do you have and have you ever experienced problems?  Feel free to respond to this e-mail (and I will pass the information to Sally Kurtz's office) or you can forward your feedback directly to Sally Kurtz at skurtz@loudoun.gov   Also, feel free to forward this e-mail to your neighbors in the community.

Here's a copy of the letter delivered to the Board of Supervisors: 

Nextel Silo and CWS Whites Ferry Applications - Letter to Transportation and Land Use Committee.pdf

  
Thanks,
 
Scott
(571) 278-9389