Dues and water fees are past due!!!

Potomac Bay Estates

Property Owners Association

Dues and Water Fees Are Past

Due date for both payments was April 1, 2022

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Association Dues – ALL property owners pay this fee

$300 per lot

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Community Water System Fees – Those property owners who are connected to the community water system pay this fee

$325 per lot in addition to the Dues

Notices were sent to all property owners by email or USPS mail.  Check your email.  If you have indicated you want USPS mail, check your mailbox.

All fees are due NO LATER THAN April 1, 2022. Please pay your fees on time to ensure that you are able to vote in community matters.

If you have any questions, please email  potomacbaypoa@hotmail.com 

Thanks to all who attended the annual meeting

Our annual meeting was held Saturday, May 14, 1:00 – 2:00 PM at the Northumberland Public Library in Heathsville instead of our picnic area because of rain.

Thanks to everyone who attended in person and to those who were not able to attend but summitted proxies.

A Board of Directors’ meeting was held immediately after the annual membership meeting.

We will post the minutes of both meetings in a few days.

New phone dialing requirements for our area

A few days ago, one of our neighbors made phone calls to local numbers only to be greeted with a “fast busy” – that is, a busy signal that “beeps”  much faster than a normal busy signal.  A fast busy usually indicates a problem with the call – line outage or other problem. Officially known as a “reorder tone,” this is what the fast busy sounds like:

Concerned because he knew the calls should go through, our neighbor redialed the numbers using 10-digit dialing – that is 1-804-XXX-XXXX – and the calls went through without a problem.

It appears that telephone calls made from landline phones in our neighborhood (and likely all of Area Code 804)– and possibly your cell phone — now require you to dial all 10 digits of the number you are calling — that is, if you are calling 580-XXXX, you now must dial 1-804-580-XXXX.  This may be the case throughout the 804 area code.

 There are two reasons for this change:

  1. The coming nationwide introduction (in July) of 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL), and,
  2. The shrinking availability of phone numbers in area codes nationwide.  While our 804 area code is in better shape than many area codes, some of the telephone carriers that serve our area decided to go with 10-digit dialing now rather than wait until they run out of numbers.

It may be that your carrier – or the exchange you are calling – does not yet require 10-digit dialing.  In any case, if you call a number in our area and get a fast busy, try the call again using all 10 digits – that is  1 + Area Code + Exchange and number.

Annual Meeting

The PBE POA Annual Meeting will be:

  • Saturday, May 14
  • Picnic area at the west end of Potomac Drive
  • Potluck lunch at 12:00 noon; meeting at 1:00 PM

Please bring a side dish and a dessert to share.

Association will furnish hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, condiments.

Annual meeting Agenda:

  • Welcome
  • Verify roster information
  • Treasurer’s report:  FY21-22 finances; proposed FY 22-23 budget (for information, Board of Directors votes on the budget).
  • Water system report
  • CHECK BACK LATER FOR ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA

Property Owners’ Association dues and water fees due not later than April 1, 2022

 

Potomac Bay Estates

Property Owners Association

Fees Statement

for 12 months ending March 31, 2022

===================

Association Dues – ALL property owners pay this fee

$300 per lot

—————————

Community Water System Fees – Those property owners who are connected to the community water system pay this fee

$325 per lot in addition to the Dues

Notices were sent to all property owners by email or USPS mail.  Check your email.  If you have indicated you want USPS mail, check your mailbox.

All fees are due NO LATER THAN April 1, 2022. Please pay your fees on time to ensure that you are able to vote in community matters.

If you have any questions, please email  potomacbaypoa@hotmail.com 

All about dolphins

From time to time folks in our neighborhood see dolphins in the Potomac River.  If you spend any time on your boat in the Bay or the River, you likely have encountered dolphins.

Dolphin Facts | Dolphin Project
Bottlenose dolphin. Scientific name: Tursiops

The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project is a regional organization of volunteers who monitor dolphins in the Potomac and the Bay, and who educate people about dolphins.  Visit their website  pcdolphinproject.org

If you are able to photograph dolphins, try to get a close-up shot of the dorsal fin — the Project uses the shape and markings of the dorsal fin to identify individual dolphins.  To date, they have identified around 1,000 individual dolphins.  Email photos and the location of the photo to them at pcdolphinproject@gmail.com.

Here’s a photo taken September 1, 2021 in the Potomac near where it joins the Bay.

Dolphins winter in the ocean and associated waters in and south of North Carolina.  In spring, summer, and early fall dolphins enter the Bay and the Potomac that are important breeding grounds for them.

Here are some safety guidelines for operating a boat around dolphins:

  • Stay at least 50 yards away from dolphins.
  • Don’t approach dolphins in a boat — propeller strikes can kill or injure dolphins.
  • If you want to observe the dolphins, put your boat in neutral unless you need to move.
  • Don’t chase or encircle dolphins.
  • Reel in your fishing line when dolphins are nearby, or, move to another area.
  • Do not feed the dolphins; don’t throw leftover food or bait into the water if dolphins are nearby.
  • Dolphins like to “bowride” — that is, come alongside a boat and ride along in the bow wake.  If dolphins bowride your boat, either shift into neutral, or, maintain slow speed, straight ahead until they peel off.

2015 dolphin sightings.

2015 and 2016 dolphin sightings.

2015 and 2016 Citizen Obs V1 (1).png

Also, if you photograph dolphins, email the photos with date and location to us at potomacbaypoa@hotmail.com — we will post your photos on this website.

Another organization — Chesapeake Dolphin Watch also collects data on dolphins in the Bay and tributary waters.  Their website requires visitors to establish an account (free).

Thank you for protecting our local wildlife!!

Important development for our area is in the making

Last week, Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tom Kaine, along with Representative Rob Wittman introduced legislation to designate Virginia’s Northern Neck (which includes Northumberland County) as a National Heritage Area (NHA).  This designation, if approved, would deliver federal dollars, encourage public-private partnerships, and assign a specific entity – the Northern Neck Tourism Commission – to help protect the Northern Neck’s natural, cultural, scenic, and recreational resources.

Under this proposed legislation, the NHA designation would apply to the land between the Potomac River and Rappahannock River, spanning King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties.

Senator Warner stated: “As many Virginians already know, the Northern Neck is reflective of the Commonwealth’s unique history, with deep connections to eight Algonquian tribes and a number of American statesmen, including James Madison, James Monroe, and George Washington.  I’m proud to introduce this legislation to help protect the rich history and unique geography of the Northern Neck and leverage federal dollars to spur long-lasting economic opportunity in the region.”

Senator Kaine added: “Virginia’s Northern Neck is a source of pride, history, and economic development for the Commonwealth.   The beauty and cultural significance of the region attract tourism, strengthening Virginia’s economy and supporting jobs. I’m proud to introduce this piece of legislation to highlight the Northern Neck’s natural beauty and cultural assets, which will bring visitors and economic development.”

Representative Wittman stated: “The Northern Neck’s lands and waters showcase a natural beauty unlike any other. As a longtime resident of the Northern Neck, I know our heritage is unique and worthy of preserving.  With a history profoundly intertwined with that of the entire nation, it’s only right for us to recognize the Northern Neck as a National Heritage Area. I’m proud to join Senators Warner and Kaine in introducing this bipartisan legislation.” 

The National Park Service – which awards the National Heritage Area designation – conducted an NHA Feasibility Study which concluded that the Northern Neck’s themes, local traditions, and natural and historic resources retain “sufficient integrity and opportunities for public engagement” to be eligible for an NHA designation.

Under this proposed legislation, and as approved by the NPS study, the heritage area would be managed by the Northern Neck Tourism Commission, which would serve as the NHA’s local coordinating entity.

If this legislation passes, it would make federal funding available to the region and empower the Northern Neck Tourism Commission to carry out an area management plan, that would include:

  • Protecting and restoring relevant historic sites and building;
  • Carrying out programs and projects that recognize, protect, and enhance important resources;
  • Developing recreational and educational opportunities in the area;
  • Establishing and maintaining interpretive exhibits and programs;
  • Promoting a wide range of partnerships among the federal government, state, tribal and local governments, organizations, and individuals;
  • Increasing public awareness and appreciation for natural, historical, scenic, and cultural resources in the area; and
  • Ensuring that clear, consistent, and appropriate signs identifying points of public access and sires of interest are posted throughout the area

If our region is designated as a National Heritage Area, we can expect to see an increase in tourism and national interest in our area because of the region’s unique part in America’s early history as well as our natural beauty.

The legislation introduced by Warner, Kaine and Wittman has not yet been assigned a bill number — here is a link to the legislation as introduced and a link to Senator Warner’s announcement of the bipartisan legislation.  Here is a brief description by the National Park Service of a National Heritage Area

IF YOU OWN PROPERTY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND LIVE IN ANOTHER STATE OR ANOTHER VIRGINIA CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, please read the bill and if you agree that our region should be designated a National Heritage Area,  contact your US Senator and Representative and ask them to support this legislation.