The Grove at Huntley Meadows

2012 Pool Season Information

The 2012 Pool Rules and 2012 Pool Application Form are now available. Cardinal will be processing this year's Membership 

applications in the beginning of April, so be sure to fill out and submit your application to be ready when the pool opens on May 26th. Remember that each resident and guest must have a valid 2012 pool pass in order to enter the pool. We look forward to a fun and safe summer!

The pool hours for the 2012 season are:

Regular Schedule:

Group Rate Landscaping Services

Palmer's Property Maintenance, our Association grounds company, is providing a group rate for individual lawn care services. You should have already received a letter in the mail from Cardinal which is attached along with the contract forms.

* Please note, this contract only includes the pruning of the tree's bottom branches. This does not include the shaping of the whole tree. We hope to resolve this in the contract for next year, and apologize for the confusion. Palmer's Property Maintenance is working with homeowners who signed up and expected otherwise.

Download a copy of the landscaping contract for your home type:

• Lindberg Lawn Care Contract 2012 [PDF]
• Townhome Lawn Care Contract 2012 [PDF]

Community Clean-Up March 24th

We're looking for volunteers to participate in the next Community Clean-up. Plan to meet at the pool house, Saturday, March 24 at 9am. Wear long pants and footwear suitable for woods and stream banks.  A limited supply of work gloves is available, so please bring your own if you have them. We plan to work for 2.5 hours, but could finish earlier if there is a good turn-out.

Information and Tips on Scams

Fairfax County has provided the following information and tips about various scams affecting our area:

More and more we hear about the latest scam…a revival of past scam…the lottery scam…e-mail scams...home improvement scams..driveway paving scams...tree trimming scams...door to door sales scams and scams against senior citizens. The list goes on and on.

A recent scam I have heard about:

A grandparent gets a call, from purportedly a grandchild, who states they are in jail in another State/Country and need bail money to get out. I have heard people say the person even really sounds like their grandchild. They are told the child is embarrassed and does not want to tell mom and dad, but needs a few thousand dollars wired to western union at such and such a place. There was a variation of this scam (via e-mail) going around a few years ago.

One of the more insidious has to be the scammers who go around contacting residents, generally seniors, telling them stories about how they have worked for them in the past and noticing all this work which needs to be done on their home. These crooks talk/cajole /convince the victim that it is imperative to have this work done on their home/yard/roof/chimney/etcetera. They write up a contract or verbally agree on an exorbitant rate, then do very minor or cosmetic work and take the cash. If the cash is not on hand they take what they can get now and continue to come back trying to get more, or even take the victim to a bank to withdraw funds. This type of incident has occurred in the Mount Vernon District the past month (January 2012).

When it comes to fraud and scams of any kind, the best offense is always a good defense or preventative strategy.

Some tips to combat scams and fraud:

• First and foremost, educate yourself on scams that are out there and any which may be occurring in the region - keep up to date on the latest trends.
• Help educate your parents, relatives and neighbors on scams and what to look for – "an educated consumer is our best customer" (Sy Syms 1926 – 2009 - Clothier).
• Always allow for a cooling off period...never say yes when approached, even if you think you really want it. Give yourself time to research and really think about what was offered. If the pressure is on, you may make a bad decision.
• Remember the old adages – if it doesn't feel or look right, it probably is not right...or...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true...it's always better to be safe than sorry.
• Ask a friend/relative/neighbor if you are not sure. Bounce the scenario off someone you trust and get their opinion on the situation.
• Ask for references – and then check them out.
• Remember con artists/fraudster are good at what they do, they have worked at their trade just like the average person works to get better at their job. They will seem nice, genuine and make it seem they are looking out for you. Do not let them talk you out of making a sound decision.
• Always remember to ask yourself – do I have to do this today – or is this something I just have to have this very minute. Upon some reflection, I think we all come up with the same answer, which is NO.
• It is a good security practice not to let uninvited strangers into your home.
• Remember to always keep your home doors locked at all times.
• Look out for your neighbors. If you think something is suspicious, ask them. Or call the police non-emergency number and we will check it out.
• Don't be afraid to say NO.

Fraud – be it financial or identity theft are very difficult crimes to solve and recover from. This is why prevention is so important. Don't be afraid/embarrassed to ask for help.

Fraud is also a very under reported crime because victims have a sense of embarrassment, frustration or are resigned to the fact there is nothing to be done.

It is very important if you or someone you know has been a victim of a scam or fraud to report it to the police. Either via the non-emergency police number – 703-691-2131.

Or if of a financial/identity nature via the Fairfax County Police Financial Crimes On-Line Reporting site: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/financialcrimes. There are also good resources and links to more information on this page