Summer is over and the cooler fall weather has finally come.  My prayers for a warm dry weekend for Liz and Guy's wedding were answered.  Now we are all ready for the much needed relief to our lawns and air-conditioning systems.  The staff is busy prepping for the winter, and the snowplowing plan for the sub-associations has been revised to reflect a rotating order of priority and sent out to their Boards for signature. 

I hope many of you have taken the opportunity to go down to the lake and see the progress Lake Services has been making on the dredging project.  You should also take note of the work now in progress along the 18^th hole.  I'm very pleased to report to the Membership that the new owners of the Montclair Golf, Tennis and Swim Club appear very interested in working with the MPOA to our mutual benefit.  The retaining wall at the 18^th tee is our first of hopefully many joint efforts to address common area concerns that affect all of us.

I want to acknowledge the work of our History Committee, under the leadership of Bill Riski.  Last month their efforts cumulated in the dedication of a memorial plaque capturing the significant encampment located in Montclair during the Civil War.  Although all of us are many generations beyond this struggle it is important to preserve and recognize our links with the past.  We do not celebrate the cause; rather we recognize that even with the common bonds of country, language, faith and a rich interwoven heritage, conflict still arose demanding great sacrifices from all sides.

Two big reminders that I hope everyone will take to heart. First, DO NOT use the storm drains for leaf disposal.  We just spent nearly a million dollars digging dirt and leaves out of Lake Montclair.  Secondly, DO NOT FEED the ducks and geese.  This is now a covenant of Montclair and for good reason.  This year we spent thousands of dollars dealing with water testing and beach closing that is directly traceable back to our excessive geese population.  Feeding them only makes them stay and multiply.

The Budget and Election Committees are hard at work preparing for the 2008 Annual Meeting scheduled for March 15, 2008.  Please attend one of the public sessions on the budget so that your questions and input can be addressed BEFORE the Board begins our efforts.   Also, I encourage everyone to sign up for ArmstrongConnect and take advantage of your chance to win one of Armstrong Management's monthly prizes for current users.  Those who register can check their lot files and even more importantly check their MPOA account balances.  It is the responsibility of the member to pay their assessments on time and to make sure that they are properly recorded.  It is discouraging when people attempt to vote and then find out, too late, that they are not in good standing.  Correcting accounting errors or making payments of a late fee you may not be aware of is easy; HOWEVER, it must be done before the cut off for the Annual Meeting. Sign up NOW!

I would like to encourage every registered voter in Montclair to VOTE.  I hope you have taken an opportunity to research the positions of the various candidates with regards to Montclair issues such as traffic, the need for Prince William County to build the fore-bay to address the silt coming down Powell's Creek, and the need for State and Federal assistance with future dredging projects which helps preserve the Chesapeake Bay.

Tina and I wish for all of Montclair a safe and blessed holiday season.  We all have much to be thankful for.  Please keep our troops and their families in your hearts and prayers.

James V. Cech
President, MPOA