About 2 years ago a parent from Henderson Elementary School started a campaign to move the flashing 25mph blinking lights (Wink-O-Matics) on Waterway Dr. to cover all side streets that our children walk in the mornings and afternoons to slow down drivers. Well with the help of our MPOA President VDOT finally came out and agreed that they should be moved! They are not as far back as we would like; however their visibility is much better for drivers when they are approaching the school zone. We should all say a huge thank you to Blake Nicolai and Jim Cech! Thank you both so much for looking out for our students welfare!

We're going to have an epic Senate race in Virginia this year, pitting two former Virginia Governors against each other; Republican Jim Gilmore and Democrat Mark Warner.

Yesterday, at the Virginia Democratic Convention in Hampton, Mark Warner set aside any talk of being interested in being considered as a potential VP for Barack Obama in his acceptance of the party's nomination to run for the Senate seat that will be open with the retirement of Senator John Warner (Virginia's Senator Jim Webb, and Governor Tim Kaine are both also frequently mentioned as VP candidates).

Today's Washington Post has an editorial worth reading that reviews Gilmore's term as Governor.

Mr. Gilmore's Candidacy
A former governor cites his ruinous term as his principal qualification.
The Washington Post, Sunday, June 15, 2008

If you have walked along Waterway recently, you probably notice the sign telling walkers that Montclair Country Club golfers will use the sidewalk -- as a path for their golf carts for a while. During one of the last big rains, a footbridge was washed out, so this was the Club's chosen option, to get the golfers from hole to hole, until the bridge is repaired.

The problem is that this decision is illegal, even though the Club's Golf shop tells me that the MPOA Board told them it was OK. I called the Prince William County Police, who confirmed that it was illegal to drive golf carts on the sidewalk -- but they were not manned to enforce that law. Yes, that is exactly what I was told. Next I contacted a PWC elected official, who said she would ask the Police about the manning problem they seem to have. On Friday, the Club’s Manager told me he would call VDOT, to see what he could legally do, during this period. But, I have heard nothing from that effort either. It does seem that the Club will continue to break the law and the Police will do nothing about it. No, I am not anti-golfer, but I do think having golf carts coming beside you at speed, along the narrow sidewalk, is very unsafe. Maybe I am in the minority, but I think safety comes first here and with one single exception, the golf carts drive by like I am in the way without slowing down.

Fire and rescue crews are searching for a 28-year old man who reportedly was on Lake Montclair in a canoe that capsized and has not been seen since. The possible drowning was first reported at 3:20 pm, and at 6:16 pm crews were still searching.

Fire and rescue teams search for man in Lake Montclair
The Potomac News, 5/21/08

Water Recovery Continues for Man in Lake
News Channel 8, 5/21/08

UPDATE: The accident victim was identified as Philip Esposito of Ashgrove Drive in Montclair.

Drowning victim identified

While I'm sure many of us had a late night on Sunday working to keep water out of our own basements (I was on wet vac duty myself all night long), there is a noteworthy item on the official MPOA site about the Dam. The severity of the storm led MPOA staff to open the Dam to maintain the lake at a safe level. No information is included about how long the Dam remained open.

One document that Montclairions should be familiar with is the 'Emergency Action Plan' which is available for download on Armstrong Connect. It describes the following conditions levels for rising water on Lake Montclair:

Stage I Condition - Heavy rainfall amounting to 3.3 inches within a 6-hour period; or 4 inches of rainfall within a 12-hour period; or a staff gauge reading of 4 feet on the hood of the principal spillway (lake elevation of 192 feet).

Please don't forget to stop by the MPOA building between the hrs of 9am and 5pm to pick up your 2008-2009 Beach / Recreation Tags. My wife picked ours up today.

Also, for those that pay the annual assessment at the MPOA building, the first payment is due this week.

The annual covenants violations arrived in the mail this week. Feel free to share your notice here.

I received two; one for dirty gutters and the other concerning the paint on my mailbox.

The gutters are not overflowing with debris but they do have some tree gunk stuck to them in a few places. The mailbox on the other hand is the same color it has been for the past 15 years.

Two years ago everyone on the street got notices about cracks in the ir driveway. Looks like this year the mailbox police are out.

Please visit the Main Montlcairva.com website and look at the entry with regards to street maintenace. Be careful that you don't block yourself in.

Street Repairs

It is sad to see someone so young lose their life, especially to an alcohol related incident. On my Southlakes Cove Neighborhood Watch board, they had mentioned an incident that happened this past week where a 21 year old was struck by a vehicle on 234 near the end of Waterway. She had decided to not drive her vehicle due to the intoxication. Another neighbor had mentioned the incident to me along the lines of the woman was being disorderly and was asked to leave Brothers Encore and went over to Burger King and was being unruly there as well. Then she apparently went over to Bloom and used the telephone there to phone a friend that would be coming to pick her up from Manassas via the South Bound Side of 234. She was caught on tape falling down, so she must have been extremely drunk. She was informed that the authorities were on their way. It is unclear as to who alerted them. She then apparently decided to go to the other side of 234 to be ready for her friend to pick her up. This is why the accident occurred, due to the rain and low visibility.