Friday, July 13, 2007

Neighborhood Watch Leads to an Arrest

A Neighborhood Watch volunteer called the police about a suspicious person in the Windermere neighborhood in Great Falls. On Wednesday, July 11 at about 6:30 p.m., officers responded to the area. Police identified the 20-year-old man and learned that he was soliciting without a license. The suspect collected several donations for a bogus baseball team.

Greenwood has a no solicitors policy yet we see solicitors all the time. As seen in the arrest in Great Falls - sometimes these solicitors can be criminals out for your hard earned money.

If someone knocks at your door it is always a good idea to answer with the door closed (this way, if it is a criminal looking for an empty home they know someone is home) but you do not have to open the door for a solicitor.

All solicitors must carry a license in Fairfax County. Please ask to see their license. If they do not have one, call non emergency police at 703-691-2131.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Kids Safety Presentation

Congratulations to the kids and parents of Greenwood! According to Officer Nida, we had the largest turn out for a Kids Safety Presentation so far!

Unfortunately, the partition that separates the meeting room into two was broken, and with another HOA's Board meeting taking place at the same time, Officer Nida's portion of the evening will be rescheduled for Tuesday, July 31 @ 7pm.

Nonetheless, we were able to show to the families a presentation on safety within Greenwood. Special thanks to fellow neighbor Ariel BenYishay who realized the importance of communication between the adults and children of Greenwood. Ariel developed a presentation on how we can work together so children can have the freedom and fun of enjoying the neighborhood safely, while being respectful of property and noise levels.

Part of the beauty of Greenwood is how many happy children there are living and playing within our streets. Sometimes it feels to neighbors there may be more kids than there are adults able to supervise, and sometimes it feels to the kids that there's only streets and no place to play and enjoy the summer. Which is why developing relationships among families and neighbors is key for our kids' safety and our common well-being.

The kids who came out on Tuesday night certainly had some fun -- their friendly faces and willingness to participate greatly added to the event. Here is a photo of some of the kids last night after enjoying all the yummy pizza.

While it is disappointing Officer Nida's presentation had to be rescheduled, it opens up the possibility for even more children to attend on the 31st.

We look forward to seeing you all on the 31st!

Aggressive Driving on Seatrend

On Seatrend Way at 8:30pm on Tuesday evening, a silver Acura TL illegally passed a moving car on the Right hand side narrowly missing parked cars then passed another moving car on the Left had side of that car. This driver then sped down the rest of Seatrend.

This same car has been seen speeding on Seatrend on previous occasions. It is unknown if the driver of the car is a resident of Greenwood or just a frequent visitor.

As mentioned in the post on children safety in the neighborhood, there is not a lot of free space in Greenwood and you will see many kids playing along the sides of Seatrend - especially during summer months with the warmer weather and longer days.

All residents need to be respectful of the speed limit and need to ask your guests and visitors to drive safely as well. To help enforce the safety of your neighborhood, if you see anyone speeding or driving aggressively, please report these drivers to the Police Department through an online form for reporting aggressive drivers https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/traf_sfty_report.htm


For more information on Fairfax County Traffic Safety Programs, please click here.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC)

Franconia CAC (Citizens’ Advisory Committee) meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of each month and are usually held at the Franconia District Police Station.

The next meeting is Wednesday, July 21st, at 5 p.m, at King Street Blues (5810 Kingstowne Center, 703-313-0400). It is a fundraiser with proceeds benefiting our Officers at the Franconia Station.

September 19th is back at the Franconia District Police Station at 7:30 p.m., Social time starts at 7:00 p.m.in the community room of the Franconia Government Center.

The CAC works; these meetings are very informative and help to keep residents of the Franconia area aware of what police activities are going on in their community.

Everyone is welcome.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/lee/CalendarofEvents/pol_citadviscomm.htm

Monday, July 09, 2007

How To Keep Your BBQ Flame Free

ABC News interviewed Mary Kay Welch who lost her home in the fire on Dakine. The fire started due to an unattended grill. All five connected townhouses were damaged. Three of the homes burned down; the last two had severe water and smoke damage. Here is the link to the story ABC ran last week on how to prevent grill fires.

Click here to read the article.

Mary Kay attended the Board meeting last Thursday to discuss the progress of the rebuild. We were sorry to hear it is not going well due to a number of circumstances. One of the issues was insurance policies with under appreciated values of the home. Mary Kay urges all members of Greenwood to review their policies to prevent the hassles and hardships that the families of Dakine are experiencing.

On a happier note, congratulations to Chris and Mary Kay who were married on July 7 (7/7/07)!