July 2026 Meeting

The meeting opened with introductions from the board — Andrew Mitchell (Vice President), Nick Orrison (Treasurer), and Caitie Duncan (Secretary) — while President Chad Ramsey was unable to attend due to travel. Andrew read a heartfelt message on Chad’s behalf, thanking residents for their involvement, reflecting on the neighborhood’s strong sense of community, and touching on a few bittersweet notes for the year, including the closing of the Original Pancake House and the loss of a few longtime neighbors. The board also shared that they’ve been working hard to modernize the association, shifting toward paperless operations with QR codes now used for meeting sign-ins, dues payments, and a neighborhood feedback form called “FPCA Cares”. The website and Facebook group have been kept in sync, offering the bylaws, a subscribable community calendar, and an archive of past meeting recordings and agendas, and Facebook group membership has grown to around 104 members.

The board then recapped this year’s Neighborhood Block Party, which was a great success thanks to volunteers who ran the grill, handled music, and organized activities, plus a generous food donation from The Italian Store. Looking ahead, the board is already brainstorming ways to build on that success next year and welcomes new ideas. On the infrastructure side, residents were encouraged to keep submitting tickets for road repairs, since persistent complaints tend to get faster attention from the county; a few trouble spots, including a sizable pothole, came up in discussion, and one resident shared their experience working with VDOT to get a repair prioritized.

Nick gave a treasurer’s update, reporting that membership dues are up to 15–16 paid households, with a goal of adding a few more, and that the association’s bank balance sits around $1,500 after about $379 in expenses this year, most of which went toward the block party. The board also recently switched to United Bank, which has been a smooth and low-fee experience so far. One important piece of housekeeping: the association is behind on filing several years of nonprofit paperwork with the IRS (2023 through 2026) to stay in good standing, and the board plans to file everything together via certified mail before the next meeting.

On the events front, a recent playground meetup and snack share at Tyler Park was a hit with families and is likely to become a recurring event. Coming up, the association’s Fall Fete is scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd from 4–7 PM on Adams Lane, sponsored by Urban Cottage, and will feature food, a special adult beverage, and possibly apple cider pressing for the kids. A November general meeting is also planned (date to be determined), along with a rebranded holiday lighting event called “Lights, Sights, and Holiday Nights” set for December.

Finally, the board raised a couple of ideas for future events that need a volunteer to take the lead: a neighborhood yard sale and a Halloween block party involving a temporary road closure on Elmwood between Rogers and Lawrence. Several residents expressed strong interest in the Halloween event for both community and safety reasons, though it would require collecting signatures from all affected residents by the end of August to get county approval — anyone interested in helping organize it was encouraged to reach out to the board. The meeting wrapped up with a reminder that sign-in sheets were available via QR code for anyone who wanted to be added to the association’s contact list.