Lakeport News
From the Editor/President – Stephen Sapp
Social Committee Report – Irene Nagley
Landscape Committee – Mary Sapp
Standards Committee – Jerry Beiter
Book Club – Barbara Khan
Lakeport Governance/Management
Helpful Information
Home Maintenance Checklist for Spring/Summer
By Stephen Sapp
I think a major reason Mary and I feel the way we do about Lakeport is because we became involved in many facets of the community’s life from the beginning and thus have come to know so many of our neighbors, both nearby and farther away. This has given us a sense of “belonging” here that has been further enhanced by our roles in Lakeport’s governance.
In case I'm being too subtle here, let me state explicitly what I'm getting at: The more involved you are in the life of your community, the more you feel a part of it. Not only do you benefit in various ways, but in a positive synergy, your contributions make your community a better place that you can feel even better about! To that end . . .
You have a great opportunity to get started this coming Saturday, May 30, with “I Love Lakeport Day.” We still need volunteers that morning at 9:00 for the Spring Workday, one of Lakeport’s two major annual cleanups. Later that day we will be able to enjoy our Spring Dock Party, a great opportunity to gather as the Lakeport community and enjoy not only the beauty of our setting but also one another’s company. Please email msapp@miami.edu if you can help with the workday, and sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944AFA622A1FCC61-64034271-ilovelakeport#/ if you will be joining your neighbors for the dock party.
Speaking of volunteers (have I been doing that?!), we have two openings that are eagerly awaiting the right people to fill them. Lakeport’s Maintenance Committee is looking for a chair (and members as well). We also need someone to coordinate our Neighborhood Watch program. If you feel moved to take on either of these important positions, please let me know at ssapp@miami.edu
To shift gears somewhat (though still dealing with Lakeport’s ambiance), please remember that if you are planning to make any changes to the exterior of your home, you must consult the applicable standard(s) and comply with the guidance you find there. Also note that standards can change (see Standards Committee report elsewhere in this issue). If you have any questions about whether your project meets the standard or if you want to use a different brand or material from what is specified in the standard, please get in touch with our Standards Committee Chair Jerry Beiter (jbeiter29@gmail.com).
Once again, I want to conclude with the two requests I make every issue:
Please set up Direct Debit through our management company SCS for your quarterly assessment payments, the next of which is due July 1 (remember that the amount is now $365 per quarter, $5.00 more than in 2025). The main advantage is that you never have to worry about being late and incurring late fees or paying the wrong amount by mistake, but you also save the hassle and expense of mailing a check (or being charged a fee by SCS for using a credit card online). Note: If you still want to mail a check, please recall that the address changed recently to c/o SCS, PO Box 1240, New York NY 10008-1240.
Alternatively, you can set up quarterly payments through your bank’s electronic bill payment system (although you will need to change the amount sent whenever the assessment rate changes). I have heard from several people that they don’t want to use automated payments because they like to know exactly how much their bills are, but unlike electricity or water, for example, you already will know exactly how much your quarterly assessment is: Rates are posted in the online “HOA Fee Payment: Charges for assessment, fees, administrative charges” in the Residents tab of the Lakeport website (under “HOA Fee Payment,” which has more information on options for paying your assessment). So please consider this time- and cost-saving way to pay your assessments.
By Irene Nagley
Also, if you can participate in the Beautify Lakeport workday that Saturday morning from 9:00-11:00, please email msapp@miami.edu .
Thanks to Christine Chalk for hosting Lakeport’s Spring TGIF. There was a good turnout, as the photos below show, and residents enjoyed visiting with each other and meeting new neighbors they hadn’t met before. Watch for an announcement of the date for the Summer TGIF once it has been set.
By Mary Sapp, Chair
Another project will be to landscape the narrow strip between the RA path and the iron railing behind 1959 Lakeport Way. Conditions there are similar to the verge. We plan to install Sedum Autumn Joy (there is already some at the end of the downhill side that seems to be doing well there) but supplement with a ground cover (two possibilities are being discussed). This project will also be done in the fall.
In addition, we plan to do two small projects near the dock: The first is to remove a huge invasive Chinese fountain grass to the left of the pollinator garden (saving as many of the daffodil bulbs it overgrew as possible) and transplant three Agastache ”Blue Fortune” shrubs from the pollinator garden in its place (this pollinator did so well last summer that it crowded out and killed two adjacent plants; it will have more room in the new location). The second project is to plant three St. John’s wort bushes between the pollinator garden and where the fountain grass is currently located. This will not only block two paths that the geese have made up the hill but provide another pollinator next to the existing pollinator garden. In addition, we will have fabric barriers installed next to the Kids’ Garden and also near the fence to the South Lakes dock to contain the spread of liriope spicata from adjacent verges.
Two arborists have visited Lakeport to look at our trees. We received preliminary proposals from both and an updated proposal from one (adding dead trees the other arborist found). Once we have a revised proposal from the second arborist (removing some trees if he agrees the work isn’t critical now), we’ll announce the opportunity for owners to contact the arborist doing the work if they want to get proposals for tree work on their own property (presumably for a reduced price because the crew will already be at Lakeport).
Earlier, the Landscape Committee met with the project manager for Complete Landscape Service (Lakeport’s landscape maintenance contractor) at the end of March to walk the property and discuss services scheduled in our contract and some other landscape issues. As mentioned in an email to the community, Complete has been unable to hire the workers they normally would (they hire only legal workers) because although they submitted paperwork and paid fees for H-1B visas for workers they have used in the past, they still had not received government approval by May 1. They ended up switching to other sources of workers, but that has also been challenging because some legal workers are afraid to go to locations that ICE agents are known to visit, and some citizens either don’t come back after one day or have to be let go for lack of effort. We also learned that Meadows Farms is having exactly the same problems with labor. Fortunately, Complete is now getting enough crew members to finish spring clean-up, mowing, and trimming, and last week they treated for grubs at the entrance and roses, put down mulch, and reset the steppingstones to benches in Triangle Park. This week they will finish the mulching, fertilize ginkgos, and fertilize our grass and treat it for weeds.
Not surprisingly, Winter took a toll on some of our plants. Three Wildberry heucheras were planted in Triangle Park to fill in where others had died, and Complete Landscape replaced warrantied plants that died in the entrance beds, at the bottom of the entrance hill, and in the pollinator garden.
By Jerry Beiter, Chair
Lakeport Cluster Standards provide owners with guidelines for repairing their homes using current materials that can reduce costs and also maintain the cluster look required by the Reston Association. Lakeport Cluster Standards are found on the HOA website at https://www.lakeportcluster.org/p/documents.html under “A. Design Standards and Related Resources.”
Whenever a brand or material becomes obsolete, or new materials become available, the Board will look to update the standards to reflect these changes. Recently, the Board approved the use of another brand of roof shingles in the same style and color. The standards are being updated to reflect this change. Note: There are three groups of homes that have shared roofs: 1965, 1967, and 1969 Lakeport Way; 1975, 1977, and 1979 Lakeport Way; and 1991 and 1993 Lakeport Way. The language in the standard states that those owners must replace their roofs at the same time because there cannot be different types of shingles over the shared surface.
If you are making a change that is not addressed in the Lakeport Cluster Standards, you should check RA Cluster Property Guidelines. The RA Design Guidelines can be found in the Document Center on the Reston Association website at https://www.reston.org/252/Design-Guidelines (from there click “View Design Guidelines” and then “Cluster Guidelines”). A number of changes require that you submit the RA Design Review Board (DRB) Application Form for approval prior to starting the project.
Thanks to David Michaelson (former Lakeport resident and Maintenance Committee chair, for permission to use this edited article from Michaelson Roofing Improvements blog)
Why? Because hiring an unlicensed contractor doesn’t just put your home at risk—it could cost you thousands in lost money, repairs, or damage if something goes wrong. Too many homeowners get burned by contractors who never should have been on the job site in the first place.
It’s proof that they are not just someone with a truck and a business card.
You should be able to find all relevant licenses easily right on a contractor’s website. They should be licensed, bonded, and insured in Virginia and should provide documentation in every proposal (or certainly upon request). Contracts should also include language that protects you and ensures the contractor follows all local building codes, manufacturer installation standards, and Lakeport Cluster and Reston Association standards.
If you can’t answer those questions confidently, it’s time to stop and verify. Protect your home and your investment and don’t get taken advantage of. A contractor’s license is your first line of defense against fraud, shoddy work, and financial risk.
By Barbara Khan, CoordinatorDo you want to join some of your neighbors and talk about a good book? Lakeport has an informal book club that is always open to new members. No master’s degree in literature is required (not even a bachelor’s!), and no grades are given. Just read the book for the month selected by members and show up for a lively, lighthearted discussion. We meet monthly on the third Monday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., rotating among members’ homes. If you want to join, contact Barbara Khan (
Maintenance
Jeff Warrington – chairing the Task Force to improve the performance of the drainage swale behind 1944-1952 Lakeport Way
Landscape
Mary Sapp (chair), Kristen Bobik, Steven Browning, John Janowski, Marjorie Myers, and Rosemary Welch – serving on the Landscape Committee
Rosemary Welch – watering plants in Triangle Park (and Andrew Garrison – supplying water)
Marjorie Myers – watering plants at the end of Lakespray
Mary and Stephen Sapp – watering plants at the entrance
Social
Irene Nagley – chairing Social Committee
Christine Chalk – hosting the Spring TGIF
Carol Leos – welcoming new residents
Standards
Jerry Beiter – chairing the Standards Committee
Other
Barbara Khan – coordinating the Lakeport Book Club
Tom Barnett – maintaining Lakeport’s online directory and listserv for announcements and posting Ripples
Stephen Sapp – editing Ripples
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stephen Sapp – President
Jerry Beiter – Vice President
Jeff Warrington – Vice President
Andy Nagley – Secretary
Tod Vollrath – Treasurer
Contact the Board via email: Board@lakeportcluster.org
What Residents and Board Can Expect
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Reminders for Lakeport Owners and Residents
Party Walls: Although sometimes counterintuitive, the RA Deeds make the repair of any architectural element that falls on the property line between two houses (e.g., wall, trim, fence) a joint responsibility. If you aren’t sure whose responsibility it is to pay for the repair or replacement of a shared wall or trim, please see https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSpjzCTaI6Jd0xnbEZEcEhLT3NiWjRKODNlZDBtTWdRdTBJ/view for information relating to party walls.
Contractors: Please ensure that your contractors do not leave building materials (especially nails that may puncture tires) on your driveway or on the nearby street, both during and after their work. Also make sure they do not dispose of building material or clean their paint brushes in wooded areas or down the storm drains.
Maintenance Resources: Be sure to review the Home Maintenance Checklist in this issue for smaller maintenance projects that could save you major expenses and headaches in the future. And remember that RA has arranged with Sherwin-Williams for a discount of 30% to 40% off paints and stains (exterior and interior) and 15% off paint supplies at Sherwin-Williams store #3385, located at 495A Elden Street in Herndon (703-471-1484). If you want to take advantage of the discount, the code is 2214-8496-7. Washington Consumer Checkbook is an online publication (www.checkbook.org) that offers a huge user-friendly database of reviews of many types of local service providers, along with high-quality advice about how to approach selecting and working with them. In addition, Lakeport has a list of vendors and contractors that your neighbors have recommended (if you have had a good experience with a vendor, please add them to the list).
You Must Replace Any Tree You Remove: If you plan to remove a live tree on your property, you need approval from Reston Association. Furthermore, if you will remove or have recently removed a tree (dead or alive), RA requires that you replace it with another tree, preferably a native. See suggested species at https://www.reston.org/DocumentCenter/View/915/Trees-in-Reston-PDF?bidId=.
Drive Slowly: With the warmer weather and the end of the school year, neighborhood children will be outside even more now, playing on sidewalks and in the streets. Please remember to drive slowly and keep your eyes out for children (and other pedestrians), who are not always thinking first and foremost about their own safety.
Lock Your Cars: If you park your car outside, be sure to lock it, and do not leave valuables visible, especially at night. Also remind guests to do the same.
Report Suspicious Activity: If you see suspicious activity, don’t confront anybody but instead call the Fairfax County Police non-emergency number, 703-691-2131 (use this number also to report vandalism or any other crime that has already occurred). The police request that even if you just have a “gut feeling” that something is wrong, please notify them with as many details as possible. It is helpful if you can also take photos unobtrusively. Police will be dispatched (or you may be able to provide a report over the phone). Please pay special attention to suspicious activity or sounds near the Lakeport dock, in the woods, or at night.
Visitors: If you have visitors whose car will be parked in common space for more than one night, put a note on the dashboard with your name and address and the dates the vehicle will be parked in Lakeport so the car is not towed.
Glass Recycling: Please remember that glass is not included as part of regular weekly recycling pickup. Therefore do NOT put glass of any kind in your recycling bin! Lakeport residents have two options to recycle our glass:
1. Free glass recycling is available at Fairfax County Purple Bins: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/recycling-trash/glass. The closest locations to Lakeport are at Reston South Park & Ride and at Baron Cameron Park (Wiehle & Baron Cameron).
2. A company called Glass Goat Recycling offers glass recycling with pickup for a fee. See Bi-Weekly Glass Pickup for details.
Composting. If you are tired of smelly trash cans and want to reduce the amount of garbage you send to the dump, consider signing up for the compost pickup service offered by Veteran Compost DC–From Combat to Compost, which will turn your food scraps into high-quality compost. The company, which hires veterans, provides a bin, which has a sealing mechanism that is very effective at trapping odors inside and is picked up and replaced with a clean bin once a week (currently very early on Thursdays). The discounted group rate for residents of Lakeport is $28 per month. For more information, see https://veterancompostindc.com/ or call (202) 556-3806.
Help Keep Our Community Clean and Beautiful: Please contribute to the appearance of our community by picking up trash anywhere you see it while you’re out walking and enjoying nature in Lakeport (and elsewhere).
Geese: We continue to experience problems with goose droppings on our dock and grassy common areas, though reduced from earlier. We are paying Complete Landscaping to apply FlightControl, which appears to be effective in deterring (but not harming) the geese that eat the grass next to the dock. Please do not feed the geese (not only does this attract them, it’s not healthy for them) but do feel free to shoo them off the dock. Just be sure not to harm them or allow them to attack you—we just want to make their time on our dock unpleasant enough that they will choose to hang out somewhere else! It would be appreciated if you could help sweep the dock (there are brooms behind 1939 Lakeport Way that you are encouraged to use).
Never Again Be Late Paying Your Quarterly Assessment: Please consider paying your quarterly assessments by direct debit through your bank instead of mailing a check or paying on TownSq (which incurs an extra fee). Using direct debit means that you never have to worry about incurring late fees because you forgot to make the payment ($35 in 2026, plus the $25 administrative charge from SCS for sending the letter). Alternatively, you can pay the entire assessment at the beginning of the year. Either approach means the Board does not have to spend time contacting you or to pay SCS for mailing quarterly statements to owners who have not set up direct debit or prepaid. A third option for avoiding late fees is to use your bank’s electronic bill-pay option to set up recurring checks. For information about any of these three options and for mailing checks, go to https://www.lakeportcluster.org/p/hoa-fee-payments-lakeport-cluster-hoa.html.
Update Your Contact Information: Please go to the Lakeport Directory https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gTLD7N8J6U2rSFPhG2g7-M-3_cd4xqNC/view?usp=drive_link (PW=lakespray) and check the contact information listed there for your address. If a correction is needed (including removing the name of a former resident), either 1) send an email to webmaster@lakeportcluster.org and copy along@scs-management.com or 2) fill out the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFILfWGBoWIgWlBPSQmIKj4kIX0kPA7XsRjnsaOsNXuvVSkw/viewform. If your home has renters, have them fill out the form so they will be listed in the directory. Remember also that if you need to contact a neighbor or just remember someone’s name you have forgotten, you can always check this directory.
Outdoor Checklist
Be sure to water your plants. The longer days and increased heat of summer mean that the plants in our yards come under greater stress, especially during periods of no or sporadic rain. To maintain the appearance of your yard (not to mention to save yourself the expense of replacement), please remember to water your plants when needed. When watering, it is best to soak the area around the roots but not re-water again until the soil 3”-4” below the surface is no longer damp (fewer and longer waterings are the best way to encourage deeper roots while avoiding root rot). Helpful information can be found at https://www.meadowsfarms.com/blog/tips-on-watering-your-plants/.
Check wood siding and trim for signs of splintering, deterioration, softness, green mildew, or other discoloration. These are signs of potential wood damage. Replace damaged siding and trim following Cluster standards for paint color. In the case of mildew or discoloration, ask a home improvement provider to suggest the appropriate cleaner to preserve the wood.
Exterior metal railing is prone to rust. Home Depot has a product that cleans the rust effectively. One bottle of Rustoleum Rust Dissolver is probably a lifetime supply (or sufficient to share with several of your neighbors). Scrape rusted areas with a putty knife or flat screwdriver, spray on the rust dissolver, let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then wash it off with water (clear directions are on the spray bottle.) Keep doing this until all the visible rust is gone. Dry the metal, sand it lightly, and then spray it with a Rustoleum primer. When that dries, you can paint it with the approved trim color for your house. There’s no guarantee that the rust won’t eventually return, but you can prolong the life of your exterior railing pipes (and particularly the collars that attach the pipes to your trim wood) by many years.
If you haven’t checked your gutters already this spring, you should do so now. Remove leaves and other debris from gutters and make sure gutters are still firmly anchored and properly connected to downspouts.
A dark vertical line on the middle of your garage door is most likely caused by insufficient tension on the chain from your garage door opener to the front wall of your garage. Over time, the chain will slacken and start to drag on the door, which leaves that black mark and eventually will wear through the paint if left uncorrected. Most of these chains have a tensioner or turnbuckle that can be tightened to fix the problem. Once you have tightened the chain, the door can be cleaned with something like Scott’s Outdoor Cleaner and the gentle use of a scrubbing sponge from your kitchen.
Driveways should be maintained in good condition with no loose sections of asphalt, holes in the surface, or crumbling edges. All older asphalt driveways will crack, and we recommend filling these cracks annually with semi-liquid driveway patch (available from Home Depot either in a squeeze bottle or in caulk-style tubes). Patching the cracks will prolong the life of the driveway considerably, though this type of product works well only in cracks that are no wider than about ¼ inch. When small sections of asphalt break up and are no longer easily patchable with a liquid product, cold patch can be used to repair that section: Dig out the loose asphalt, put cold patch in the hole (available in 60-pound bags from Home Depot), and pound with the top surface of a sledge hammer to compact it. Be sure to bring the cold patch up to the level of the existing driveway and smooth it into the original surface.
Driveway sealers help to improve the look of the driveway and cover the differences among the original surface, crack fills, and cold patch fixes; they also help extend the life of the driveway. Sealers typically come in a five-gallon can and require a squeegee for spreading.
All driveways eventually will reach a point where small fixes are insufficient, and they will need to be repaved. When your driveway is more than 5% cold patch or has many cracks that can’t be filled, this is a good indication that professional repaving is needed.
Indoor Checklist
Homeowners should check and if necessary replace gasket/pressure regulators in bathtubs and showers (including the overflow) to avoid flooding from a leak.
Be sure to replace or clean your HVAC filter regularly.
If you didn’t change the batteries in your smoke detectors earlier this spring, you might want to do that now.
