The Kingspoint Neighborhood Association October News

Persimmon trees grow wild in Kingspoint. Their fruit ripens in October and November

Autumn feels like such a relief after a hot, dry summer.  I trust you are enjoying the cooler weather, the fragrance of woodsmoke, and the beauty of our neighborhood trees as they change to their autumn colors.  Our peak color is still a week or two away, but it is always a pleasure to go ‘leaf peeping’ on the Colonial Parkway and through the neighborhood.

Many thanks to neighbors helping to set the mood for Halloween with your wonderful decorations.  If you have not yet had a chance to walk around our neighborhood and enjoy the many creative autumn and Halloween decorations, please take time to walk or drive through the community soon.  There are pumpkins and cobwebs, pots of bright flowers and festive displays on every street. 

Halloween Trick-or-Treating will commence on Monday, October 31 from 6PM-8PM throughout our county.  The Kingspoint Club’s Social Committee has organized a Halloween party for members at the clubhouse.  There are no plans in the works for candy tables throughout the neighborhood, as we have done the last two years.  If that system worked well for you and your close neighbors, you might want to coordinate your efforts to greet children visiting your street.

Please remember to have the little ones carry lights and wear colors easily seen after dark.  All neighbors can assist by leaving their streetlights burning to make it brighter and safer for those out celebrating. Neighbors who aren’t participating in Halloween should leave their porch lights off.  

Circle K Landscapers finally finished repairing all the areas of excavation in our neighborhood.  They are finished, and Dominion is finished with their work on the cable.  This is good news for us all.  I’m sure you’ve noticed the work that JCSA has been doing at our pumping station to improve our sewer service.  We generally don’t need to give the utilities much thought, but we will benefit from these upgrades in the years to come.

Many, many thanks to everyone who helped with the clean-up after our recent storms.  Lots of our neighborhood trees took a major hit and we lost some venerable trees that have grown here since before our community was built.  It required tremendous teamwork to open up streets, free driveways, and move logs and branches.  A huge ‘Thank you!’ to everyone on our Chainsaw Gang, and to everyone else, who reached out to help neighbors in need.

We are always happy to welcome neighbors who want to work with us on various projects.  Please reach out to any Board member if you or a family member can volunteer.   We will need some help spreading mulch at the entrance, and we have an ongoing list of neighbors with chainsaws and rakes, willing to help clear fallen trees during and after storms.  Please send an email to kpwebmistress@gmail.com, if you can help.

Our membership drive is delayed a bit this year because we are working on the transition to a new Treasurer.  Please watch for email news on this soon, and a KPNA membership packet by early November.

Please make your plans now to vote on or before November 8.  This is an important mid-term election, and your vote is very important.  Our neighborhood votes at Laurel Lane Elementary School.   If you haven’t already made a plan to vote, you will find the information and contacts you need on the JCC Office of Election’s website. 

The Office of Elections has moved to 4095 Ironbound Road.  This is behind the Courthouse, between Monticello Avenue and Ironbound Road.  If you are already registered to vote in JCC, you only need show up with your ID to vote early.

You may also request a ballot through the mail at vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.  Note your reason for voting at home as ‘social distancing’.  Request a ballot to be mailed to you by Friday, October 28.  Completed ballots can be mailed to the Office of Elections on Ironbound Road, or ballots may be dropped off in person.  Find complete details online about voting this November.  New neighbors may be interested in this map of voting districts and precincts.

Many of us have strong political opinions, particularly during election season.  It is our Kingspoint traditionto abstain from displaying political signs on our properties, right of ways or at our community’s entrance.  We all want to maintain our beautiful, peaceful community free from politics.  See the covenants page in your Directory for more details about displaying any signs in our community.

This is the perfect time of year to plant trees, shrubs, bulbs and perennials.  Planting in the fall allows plants to get a good start on growing new roots before next summer’s heat.  If you lost some trees this year, please consider planting some new trees, with safety in mind, of course.  Many of our favorite flowering trees, like dogwoods, redbuds, crape myrtles, Camellias and red buckeye won’t get tall enough to endanger your home. 

If you have space and want to replace a native oak, maple, or beech tree lost in a storm, you might enjoy the articles, Growing Indigenous Trees from Seeds and From History and Legends to My Own Front Yard:  The Beautiful Oak, both new on the JCCW Master Gardener website this month.  You’ll find a wide variety of garden articles and other useful information on the Master Gardener website. Our neighborhood was completely wooded before it was developed, and we can easily replace trees lost over the years with seedlings from our neighborhood trees. 

Many thanks to Ann Hobson, Chris Bonday, Tom Mahone and those working with them as theyspruce up our neighborhood entrance and keep the grass cut and shrubs watered throughout the summer. 

Please continue to let us know when new neighbors arrive near you.  We want to welcome all new neighbors and bring them a current Kingspoint Directory. 

Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association September News

Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Neighbors have put up with quite a bit of disruption in the neighborhood these past few months as Dominion Energy began replacing the original power cables into our community with new, more dependable lines.   Between the power outages; the ongoing utility work; and the workers, heavy equipment and rolls of cable turning up throughout the neighborhood; our patience and good humor have been put to the test.  Many neighbors are still working to receive compensation for damages during the outages. 

Through this entire process, Dr. John McGlennon, our member of the Board of Supervisors, and numerous members of our county’s staff have been invaluable allies. They have done what they could to make things better and speed the process along.  They continue to advocate for neighbors during the ongoing landscape repairs and reparations for damages. 

VDOT has proposed a series of improvements along Rt. 199 between Brookwood Drive and John Tyler Highway.  You may still submit comments about their proposals.  Find complete information about the proposals on this VDOT website.

The Neighborhood Association will launch its fall membership campaign in October, again this year. Please watch for an updated KPNA brochure and consider supporting the work we do in Kingspoint. We depend on volunteer effort and voluntary contributions from neighbors to keep up our initiatives on behalf of all Kingspoint residents.

We are always happy to welcome neighbors who want to work with us on various projects. Please reach out to any Board member if you or a family member can volunteer. We have an ongoing list of neighbors with chainsaws and rakes, willing to help clear fallen trees during and after storms. Please send me an email if you can help and aren’t yet on our Chainsaw Gang list.

Please make your plans now to vote on or before November 8.  This is an important mid-term election, and your vote is very important.  Our neighborhood votes at Laurel Lane Elementary School.   If you haven’t already made a plan to vote, you will find the information and contacts you need on the JCC Office of Election’s website . 

The Office of Elections has moved to 4095 Ironbound Road.  This is behind the Courthouse, between Monticello Avenue and Ironbound Road. Any registered voter can vote absentee by showing up at the office with your ID, between now and November 5, 2022. 

You may also request a ballot through the mail at vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation.  Note your reason for voting at home as ‘social distancing’.  Request a ballot to be mailed to you by Friday, October 28.  Completed ballots can be mailed to the Office of Elections on Ironbound Road, or ballots may be dropped off in person.  Find complete details online about voting this November.  New neighbors may be interested in this map of voting districts and precincts.

We find ourselves in the midst of another election season where most of us have strong opinions. It is our Kingspoint tradition to abstain from displaying political signs on our properties, right of ways or at our community’s entrance. We all want to maintain our beautiful, peaceful community free from politics. See the covenants page in your Directory for more details about displaying signs.

Bear sightings continue around our area.  This year neighbors have shared their sightings of a bear in their back yard, snakes in their garage, and bats in their home.  And of course, we always have families of deer, rabbits, squirrels, and a variety of turtles in the neighborhood.  Please keep in mind that it is illegal to feed deer between September 1 and early January.  Bears are attracted to many different food sources, including bird feeders, garbage cans, grills, and fruit bearing shrubs. 

While Animal Control officers are available to help with family pets, they won’t remove wildlife.  In most cases, it is up to the homeowner to have wild animals removed when they cause a problem.  And quite often, there are laws protecting those animals that make it illegal to catch them and release them elsewhere, or to harm them in any way. 

Please bookmark the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources website for easy reference should unusual wildlife turn up in your yard.  Cornwells Wildlife Control (757.264.6369) will safely remove a variety of animals from your property and will help you close openings to keep wildlife out of doors. 

Many thanks to everyone who has worked together to make the opening of school safe and successful in the neighborhood this year.  It always requires patience and consideration to work together to get everyone to work and to school on time.  Let’s continue to look out for one another.  As days grow shorter, please remember to carry a light or wear reflective clothing when you are walking, jogging or biking around dawn and dusk.

Many thanks to Ann Hobson, Chris Bonday, Tom Mahone and those working with them as theycontinue work on our neighborhood entrance and keep the area well-maintained throughout the year.  They work hard to keep that area beautiful.  Heartfelt appreciation to all Kingspoint neighbors who keep their homes and yards attractive.  Your pots of flowers, wreathes, and thoughtful plantings bring a bit of happiness to us all. 

We want to welcome all new neighbors and bring them a current Kingspoint Directory.  Mary Haines is visiting new neighbors, so please contact her when new neighbors arrive near you.

Visit the  KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association August News

Many of us are looking for better days ahead as August draws towards a close and the cooler, brighter days of September beckon.  Many families are busily shopping for back to school and figuring out new schedules. September and October offer a much-appreciated respite from summer’s heat and humidity as the season begins to turn. 

We can feel the excitement building as summer draws to a close. From Labor Day until the first frost of November is one of the best seasons of the year in our area. It is a great time to walk, get out on the water or bike on the Parkway. It’s a great time for watching birds and butterflies.  Mid-September through early November is the best time for planting new trees and shrubs because they can establish good roots before cold weather arrives.  We can plant daffodils and other bulbs in October through December, and we enjoy pots of bright chrysanthemums and pansies once the weather begins to cool.

Neighbors have put up with quite a bit of disruption in the neighborhood this month as Dominion Energy began replacing the original power cables into our community with new, more dependable lines.   Between the power outage for most of the day on August 3; the utility work at the Crownpoint Road and Kingspoint Drive intersection; and the workers, heavy equipment and rolls of cable turning up throughout the neighborhood; our patience and good humor have been put to the test.

Our frustrations brought this matter to the highest levels of county government, thanks to the efforts of Dr. John McGlennon, and that initiated a new plan for how the county and VDOT will work with utilities and neighborhoods when such major infrastructure work is required, going forwards.  As always, communication is key to any sort of success.  Many of us certainly wanted, and expected, better communication from Dominion before they began digging up neighborhood yards. 

I can promise you that Dominion executives heard that message loud and clear from Kingspoint.  Many thanks to former KPNA President Tim Murphy for his invaluable assistance in working with Dominion Energy.  Tim, and my husband Stephen, managed to convince the Dominion contractors that digging up our entrance landscaping and irrigation system wasn’t a very good idea.  The new cable was laid in that area after our landscaping contractors marked all of the important lines and recommended the best path for the cable to do the least damage.

There will be more power disruption as Dominion finishes laying cable and connects and tests the new cables.  We expect to receive some notice, probably around the end of next week, before the power is turned off.  This should give neighbors the opportunity to unplug sensitive electronics beforehand.  I expect to receive enough warning to be able to send out an email with some advance notice.  If any readers of the Crier aren’t on the neighborhood email distribution list, please write to me at kpwebmistress@gmail.com to have your email added to that list.

If you have a hardwired generator at your home, you may want to consider whether you want it turning on and off during the connection process and set your controls accordingly.  Dominion has already stated that they may need to turn the power on and off more than once as they test the system.

Our other frustration this summer has been cell phone service for Verizon customers.  It seems that Verizon has been working to update its infrastructure to provide 5G service, but those of us with Verizon cell phones have been struggling to get a signal to make and receive calls.  This is a county-wide problem that remains unresolved.  Many of us have been getting the annoying message that a cellular network is unavailable.  The signal has been inconsistent throughout the day in most areas.

Several neighbors have shared their experiences in trying to resolve this with Verizon.  Some have gotten a ‘power booster’ to plug into their router which has ‘fixed’ the problem.  Some neighbors paid for this gizmo, close to $200.00, and others were persistent enough to get it sent to them for free.  These calls with ‘customer service’ often went on for hours.  A neighbor who has a Verizon router was able to reset the router to solve the cell phone problem.   My own Verizon problem remains unresolved, and I hold out hope that Verizon will ‘fix’ this once the infrastructure upgrade is complete.

Summer usually brings out a wide variety of animals in our neighborhood.  This year neighbors have shared their sightings of a bear in their back yard, snakes in their garage, and bats in their home.  And of course, we always have families of deer, rabbits, squirrels, and a variety of turtles in the neighborhood.  While Animal Control officers are available to help with family pets, they won’t remove a bear from your yard or bats from your attic.  In most cases, it is up to the homeowner to have wild animals removed when they cause a problem.  And quite often, there are laws protecting those animals that make it illegal to catch them and release them elsewhere, or to harm them in any way.

Please bookmark the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources website for easy reference should unusual wildlife turn up in your yard.  You will find identification guides for many species, safety tips, and advice for how to get wildlife to avoid your home.  I’ve been sending links from this website to neighbors this month.  And neighbors shared names and contact information for services to safely remove troubling wildlife from your home.  Cornwells Wildlife Control (757.264.6369) will safely remove a variety of animals from your property and will help you close openings to keep wildlife out of doors.  There are also two individuals in JCC who will come to specifically remove snakes.  Their names and numbers were printed in an email to the community earlier this month.  Please write if you need that information again.

Our waterfront areas and ravines are home to a great many animal species. Most of these wild areas are Resource Protection Area easements and vegetation there may not be disturbed, by law, without first seeking a permit.  Once granted, that permit must be followed to the letter, because doing more than the permit allows can still result in fines.

Please be aware that many of the animals living within the RPAs, including all snakes, are protected, as well.  Learn more here.  There is free access between the Colonial Parkway and parts of Kingspoint so that bears, coyotes, and other animals can wander in and out of the community freely.  Because animals can smell food so keenly, bird feeders, grills, compost piles and trash cans may attract hungry wildlife to your yard.  Please keep an eye out, don’t leave pets outside unattended at night, and remind children to use caution when playing outside. 

It won’t be long before families with young children and pets will head to the bus stops once again.  We expect the work crews to be finished before the first day of school, but we have no guarantees.  It always requires patience and consideration to work together to get everyone to work and to school on time.  Let’s continue to look out for one another.

Many thanks to Ann Hobson, Chris Bonday, Tom Mahone and those working with them as they continue work on our neighborhood entrance and keep the area well-maintained throughout the year. They work hard to keep that area beautiful.  Heartfelt appreciation to all Kingspoint neighbors who keep their homes and yards attractive.  Your pots of flowers, wreathes, and thoughtful plantings bring a bit of happiness to us all. 

Please continue to let us know when new neighbors arrive near you.  We want to welcome all new neighbors and bring them a current Kingspoint Directory. 

Visit the  KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association May News

Cornus kousa blooms at the neighborhood entrance each May.

Happy Memorial Day to everyone, and congratulations on completing another academic year.  We can sense the excitement in the air as May melts into June.  With the school year at an end, we look forward to favorite summer pleasures, travel, and more family time. 

Please remember to watch for families on their way to the pool and the Creek when driving through the neighborhood.  More of us will be out walking, biking, and playing.  If you are out in the early morning or late evening, kindly carry a flashlight or wear reflective clothing so drivers can see you from a distance and give you plenty of space.  The 25 mph neighborhood speed limit may be too fast in some areas and at certain times of day.  Please be especially cautious at corners and wherever you may not be able to see who else is in the street ahead.

Late May in Kingspoint also brings out the biting flies, mosquitoes, chiggers and ticks.  Many thanks to all neighbors, especially those on corners, who keep their grass trimmed.  Biting bugs love to wait in tall grasses and weeds for their next meal.   

We’re all a bit more aware of diseases these days, and both mosquitoes and ticks can carry serious disease.  Please remember all of those precautions that the CDC recommends we take each summer to keep the bugs at bay, particularly emptying out any standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding around our homes.

Many thanks to Ann Hobson, Chris Bonday, Tom Mahone and those working with them as they continue work on our neighborhood entrance and keep the area well-maintained throughout the year. They work hard to keep that area beautiful.  Heartfelt appreciation to all Kingspoint neighbors who keep their homes and yards attractive.  Your pots of flowers, wreathes, and thoughtful plantings bring a bit of happiness to us all. 

It can be a challenge to find plants for our yards that the deer and bunnies will ignore.  If you are looking for ideas, check out this general information, ‘But Will Deer Eat It?,” from the JCCW Master Gardener website, and this list of deer-resistant plants for our neighborhood.

You may have seen the early summer weather forecast for tropical storms.  NOAA issued their official summer 2022 forecast on May 24, 2022.  They expect yet another above normal season with between 14-21 named storms.  Hurricane season begins June 1.  Long-time Williamsburg residents know how to prepare and what to expect. 

New residents will find some tips on our Severe Storm Survival Guide on the Kingspoint Neighborhood website.   Former KCI President Anne Allen and I compiled the guide several years ago, immediately following a hurricane that affected our community.  There are some lists, some suggestions, and a few links to additional information that we pulled together while the experience was fresh in our minds.

Thanks to everyone who has agreed to help out, if needed, as part of our Chainsaw Gang.  We hope we won’t need your services, but please keep those tools sharp and ready to go.  Tree damage and power outages are our most common concerns with summer storms.

New families continue to move into Kingspoint.  Please continue to let us know when new neighbors arrive near you.  We want to welcome all new neighbors and bring them a current Kingspoint Directory. 

Visit the  KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association April News

Dogwood, Virginia’s State Flower

Our Kingspoint neighborhood is especially beautiful this time of year as the Dogwoods, Azaleas and Wisteria bloom, the trees green again, and everything looks fresh.  Many thanks to everyone who has pitched in this month with their own clean-up and landscaping efforts at home or in the larger community, as we all prepare for warmer weather. 

We can each commit our own “Act of Green” in celebration of the 52nd Annual Earth Day this year.  Planting trees has been an Arbor Day tradition since April 10, 1872.  What better gesture of hope for the future, and investment in a better tomorrow than planting a tree?

It is a real treat to walk around the neighborhood and see what folks have growing in their yards and on their porches. Neighbors appreciate everyone’s efforts to make their own little corner of the neighborhood more beautiful this summer.   We appreciate the fresh plantings, renewed mulch, potted flowers, wreathes on doors and well-maintained homes that demonstrate neighbors care about the community.  Kingspoint remains a desirable neighborhood for families seeking a new home. 

Warm congratulations to all Kingspoint neighbors who have worked so hard to successfully complete this academic year.  We send a special ‘thank you’ to all neighborhood teachers and professors who have found innovative ways to teach and encourage their students during these challenging times, and acknowledge the efforts of all parents, grandparents and family friends who helped students complete their academic work over the past year. 

Cox Cable customers will find that the JCC public information channels have moved.  Find details here.  Have you signed up for emergency weather and other alerts?  This is a free service provided by county staff.  We have already had some rough weather this spring, and the alerts provide timely warnings.

County police officers will sponsor a Drug Take Back program in cooperation with the DEA on April 30 at the James City County Law Enforcement Center at 4600 Opportunity Way from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.  They will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction.

Many thanks to Ann Hobson, Chris Bonday, Tom Mahone and those working with them as theyspruce up our neighborhood entrance for spring and keep the area well-maintained throughout the year. 

Please remember to share the street with caution and courtesy, whether you are walking, biking, or driving.  Warm weather brings us outdoors, and we can expect to encounter more neighbors outside.  Watch for playing children on many side streets and more pets along the way.  Please remind your guests to drive cautiously in Kingspoint and to respect our 25-mph speed limit.

We’ve had some problems in recent months with dogs off-leash running through Kingspoint.  We appreciate everyone’s help in keeping their pets safe and leashed when they aren’t at home.

Please continue to let us know when new neighbors arrive near you.  We want to welcome all new neighbors and bring them a current Kingspoint Directory. 

Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

Elizabeth McCoy e.mccoy105@gmail.com

for the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association Board

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association March News

April brings such beauty in our neighborhood.  Many thanks to everyone who has pitched in this month with their own clean-up and landscaping efforts at home or in the larger community, as we all prepare for warmer weather.  It is a real treat to walk around the neighborhood and see what folks have growing in their yards and on their porches.

We celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day  at the end of each April.  We can each commit our own “Act of Green” to participate in  Earth Day, celebrated on Friday, April 22, and Arbor Day on Friday, April 29.  Planting trees has been an Arbor Day tradition since April 10, 1872.  What better gesture of hope for the future, and investment in a better tomorrow than planting a tree? 

Two native American chestnut trees will be planted in the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and Freedom Park Arboretum on Saturday, April 23, at 10:30 AM, in celebration of Arbor Day.  The community event also commemorates the new arboretum in the park.  Button bush trees and seed bombs, with native flowering perennial seeds, will be given away in the Williamsburg Botanical Garden that morning.  Please come, if you are free, and enjoy a morning in the park greeting friends and neighbors.

You may have noticed how many thousands of local trees have been destroyed in recent years by storms, development, VDOT, and by the Colonial Pipeline Corporation when they cleared the area above their underground pipeline in Kingspoint last year.   If you and your family have space, planting a tree or large shrub is one way to help offset this enormous loss.  Trees filter out greenhouse gasses and pollutants even as they produce oxygen, protect the soil from erosion, provide cooling shade and beautify our neighborhood.   You might be interested in participating in the grassroots ‘Homegrown National Park’ movement introduced by Dr. Doug Tallamy in 2020.  Kingspoint is perfectly situated to participate.

Ben and Eilish Jenkins asked me to include a note of thanks to everyone who helped after a large beech tree fell in their Northpoint Drive yard earlier this month: “We wanted to forward a heartfelt thanks to those that unsolicited, came to our rescue.  Thank you so much to Mitch, Bill, Mike and Andrew and a few of the younger generation as well that came to our aid.  We feel truly blessed to live in this wonderful community with such selfless neighbors willing to come forward and help out in a case such as this!! “ 

Your new 2022 Kingspoint Neighborhood Directory will be delivered to you soon.  If you haven’t received yours by April 8, please contact us at kpwebmistress@gmail.com.   Publishing an annual Kingspoint Directory is funded by membership contributions to the Neighborhood Association.   Kindly re-use the clear cover provided with your 2021 directory, and then please shred any old directories you may be discarding, to protect the personal information of our neighbors. 

We appreciate each neighbor who has supported the KPNA since our membership appeal last October.  Your support funds our ongoing responsibilities and projects and allows us to keep a balance for unexpected expenses.  We do our work on a cash basis, without incurring any debt.  Any neighbor who might have overlooked their membership last fall may still join the KPNA by dropping off a check for the $25.00 annual dues to our Treasurer Brandy Belue at 205 Southpoint Drive.

As we prepare for spring indoors and out, we have an opportunity to discard and recycle many household chemicals and electronics at VPPSA’s next Household Chemical collection day on April 9 at Warhill High School from 8:00 AM until noon.  Please check their website for a list of what they will and won’t accept.

County police officers will sponsor a Drug Take Back program in cooperation with the DEA on April 30, at the James City County Law Enforcement Center at 4600 Opportunity Way from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.  They will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction.

Many thanks to Ann Hobson, Chris Bonday, Tom Mahone and those working with them as they spruce up our neighborhood entrance for spring and keep the area well-maintained throughout the year. 

Please remember to share our streets with caution and courtesy, whether you are walking, biking, or driving.  Warm weather brings us outdoors, and we can expect to encounter more neighbors on our streets.  Watch for playing children on many side streets and more pets along the way.  Please remind your guests to drive cautiously in Kingspoint and to respect our 25-mph speed limit.

Neighbors have requested that we remind dog owners to kindly carry bags to clean up after their dogs when out walking.  Most pet parents clean up behind their pets already, but there have been a few incidents lately where dogs were allowed to take care of business in a neighbor’s yard, and it was left unattended.  Let’s show consideration for one another, and always clean up behind ourselves when out and about. 

We’ve had some problems in recent months with dogs off-leash running through Kingspoint.  We appreciate everyone’s help in keeping their pets safe and leashed when they aren’t at home.

Please continue to let us know when new neighbors arrive near you.  We want to welcome all new neighbors and bring them a current Kingspoint Directory. 

Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

The Kingspoint Neighborhood Association February News

We have all survived one of the coldest and snowiest Williamsburg winters in recent memory. Even so, we have had a milder time of it here than in much of the country. Signs of spring encourage us, even with more winter cold in the forecast for a few more weeks. Watch for early daffodils and hellebores blooming in many Kingspoint yards.

Your new 2022 Kingspoint Neighborhood Directory will be delivered to you by late March.  Publishing an annual Kingspoint Directory is funded by membership contributions to the Neighborhood Association.   Kindly re-use the clear cover provided with your 2021 directory, and then please shred any old directories you may be discarding, to protect the personal information of our neighbors.  You’ll notice a huge number of changes this year as we continue to welcome new neighbors, see neighbors move house within the community, and sadly lose old friends who move on.  We publish the Directory in hard copy, and distribute only to neighborhood residents, to protect neighbors’ privacy. 

KPNA Secretary, Kenita Hill, is finishing the revisions to our 2022 Kingspoint Neighborhood Directory.  If you are new to the community, or have a new family living near you, please let us know so we can visit with a copy of the Kingspoint Directory and include them in the 2022 listings. Many thanks to Mary Haines, who has joined our team to help greet new families in the neighborhood.

Many thanks to Ann Hobson and Gary Gordon for their continued work at our neighborhood entrance to renew the mulch, blow fallen leaves, and prepare our trees, shrubs and grass for spring.   Tom Mahone and Chris Bonday are continuing their dedicated efforts to keep the grass neatly trimmed.  Our daffodils will begin blooming one day very soon.  If you are willing to join our crew of volunteers to help with maintenance chores at the entrance, please get in touch with Ann.

We appreciate the ongoing efforts of all neighbors to keep our community looking neat and well maintained.  Realtors tell us that Kingspoint remains a very desirable community.  We certainly welcome the many families who have chosen Kingspoint as their new home over the past year.

Many, many thanks to everyone who responded to our 2021 membership appeal for the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association.  Your contributions allow us to continue the work we do for the community.  Brandy Belue resumed her position as Treasurer of the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association last December and continues to accept membership contributions.

Kindly keep an eye on the neighborhood street signs as you come and go.  If you notice one in need of maintenance, you can report it at: kpwebmistress@gmail.com.  VDOT quickly repaired the Stop sign at Kingspoint Drive and the Parkway access road that fell over St. Valentine’s Day weekend.

You may have noticed that our regular postman, Mr. Rodney Hammond, has recently returned to our route. Please watch for Rodney and extend a warm welcome. He has meant a great deal to our community over the last several years, and we have all missed him since he took leave last November for a health challenge.

As we prepare for spring indoors and out, we will have an opportunity to discard and recycle many household chemicals and electronics at VPPSA’s next Household Chemical collection day on April 9 at Warhill High School from 8:00 AM until noon.  Please check their website for a list of what they will and won’t accept.

” James City County invites citizens to share their thoughts about the heritage and cultural features they love in James City County by participating in the Natural and Cultural Assets Map Survey. The survey represents a critical opportunity for citizens to review six draft maps developed as part of the Natural and Cultural Assets planning effort: natural habitats, agriculture, forestry, water resources, cultural resources, and recreation.  The online survey is available at https://jamescitycountyva.gov/NCASurvey, and paper surveys are available at the James City County Library and the James City County Recreation Center through March 7. ” (See the first link above for more complete information.)

You can order your free at home Covid tests at https://special.usps.com/testkits or https://www.covidtests.gov/.  Locations that give vaccines are likely to also have free N95 masks from the national stockpile.

We always welcome new volunteers.  If you have time to share, please reach out to any member of the KPNA Board, and tell us how you would like to help.  We have several volunteer positions to fill in the coming months.  Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

Best wishes to all for a beautiful spring, from your Kingspoint Neighborhood Association!

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association January News

Floral arrangements by Yuko Sato

Happy New Year to everyone in our Kingspoint Community! May this new year be good to you and yours.

We hope you and your family enjoyed the beautiful holiday decorations throughout Kingspoint as much as we did this year.  Many thanks to everyone who brought light into the winter darkness and shared your festive spirit with neighbors throughout the holidays.

Many thanks to Sarah Huber and Eric Hilton and their Kingspoint Club team for their efforts to organize our Kingspoint Luminary Night celebration on December 12.  Brandy Belue and her team arranged luminaries at the entrance that were donated by the Kingspoint Club.   We hope you had the opportunity to walk or drive around our neighborhood to enjoy the beauty of it all.  There was tremendous participation throughout the community.  It is always magical to see a winter evening transformed by holiday lights.

Yuko Sato constructed the stunning evergreen holiday arrangements on our sign again this year.  We all appreciate her talents and willingness to continue this beautiful Kingspoint tradition.  We appreciate the Kingspoint families who donated greens from their gardens for the arrangements and David and Wendy Miller who decorated trees and shrubs at our entrance with white lights.  Chris Bonday blew away the leaves and tidied up the grass.   We all enjoyed the beauty resulting from this terrific teamwork!

KPNA Secretary, Kenita Hill, is working on revisions to our 2022 Kingspoint Neighborhood Directory, which we plan to distribute to every home in March. Please look over your own listing in the 2021 Directory and contact her by February 20 with any corrections to your personal information. 

If you are new to the community, or have a new family living near you, please let us know so we can visit with a copy of the Kingspoint Directory and include them in the 2022 listings. We publish the Directory in hard copy, and distribute only to neighborhood residents, to protect neighbors’ privacy.  Many thanks to Mary Haines, who has joined our team to help greet new families in the neighborhood. 

We want to welcome Phillip and Karen Schneider, recently who moved in at 100 Kingspoint Drive. Phillip grew up in Kingspoint so we welcome him, and his family, back to the community! David and Carla Harsanyi have moved into 120 Kingspoint Drive. Please extend a warm welcome to both of these new families, and help them as they settle in to the community.

Many, many thanks to everyone who responded to our 2021 membership appeal for the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association.  Your contributions allow us to continue the work we do for the community.  Brandy Belue resumed her position as Treasurer of the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association on December 16, 2021. If you overlooked your membership last fall, please drop it off with Brandy going forward. We appreciate Don Garber’s willingness to step in to the position last May, and for all of his contributions as Treasurer this year.

We always welcome new volunteers.  If you have time to share, please reach out to me, or any member of the KPNA Board, and tell us how you would like to help.  We have several volunteer positions to fill in the coming months. Ann Hobson is seeking volunteers to help with spreading mulch at the entrance later this spring.

We are saddened to share that several long-time neighbors have passed away in recent months.   Jim Ryan (November 28, 2021), Phil Thorpe, (December 8, 2021), and Trudy Moyles, (December 28, 2021).  These individuals have been well-loved, respected, and active members of our Kingspoint community for many, many years.  Please join in expressing appreciation for their lives to their loved ones still among us.

You may have heard that our Roberts District Supervisor, Dr. John McGlennon, was elected the Chair of the Board of Supervisors for 2022.  We look forward to his excellent leadership through this challenging time.  At the BoS meeting earlier this week, there was some discussion of how the Covid-19 virus has affected county staff, so that there currently are staff shortages in many departments. 

You can order your free at home Covid tests at https://special.usps.com/testkits or https://www.covidtests.gov/.  Soon, we will all be able to pick up free N95 respirator masks at local pharmacies such as CVS, Costco, Walmart, and others.  Locations that give vaccines are likely to also have free N95 masks from the national stockpile.

Long-time Williamsburg residents know that snowy weather may continue to find us in February or March.  We request everyone’s cooperation in keeping Kingspoint streets free of parked cars when it snows.  We always expect that VDOT will spread sand and plow our community, and they will do a better job for us all if they don’t have to work around parked cars.

Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

Best wishes to all for a happy and joyous new year, from your Kingspoint Neighborhood Association!

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association November News

It is the season of gratitude for our many blessings as individuals, families, and in our beautiful Kingspoint community.  We remember so many friends and neighbors who are no longer with us in Kingspoint, and the contributions they made, even as we greet and begin friendships with families who have joined us over the past year.  Our community continues to grow and thrive. Best wishes to all for the weeks of celebration ahead.

We all enjoy the many holiday decorations and displays of lights that neighbors share with us each December.  This is ‘the season of light’ for many of us, and the comfort we take in candlelight and holiday lights during this darkest time of the year unites us.  Our beautiful neighborhood is especially festive at the holidays, thanks to the efforts of so many. 

Yuko Sato will work her floral magic again this year as she installs evergreen arrangements on the Kingspoint sign.  We appreciate those families who donate greenery from their yards for the arrangements.  David and Wendy Miller have volunteered to dress the entrance in white twinkle lights for the month of December.

Special thanks to all those who have served on or volunteered to work with our Neighborhood Association Board this past year.  We are delighted that Brandy Belue has rejoined the KPNA Board as a member at large.   Our very talented and generous volunteers have repaired signs, installed lighting, blown leaves, watered shrubs, mown grass, pulled weeds, cleaned up fallen trees, painted, picked up trash, pruned, raked, mulched and generally pitched in to help this year.   Our community is better for the volunteer efforts of so many generous neighbors. 

We always welcome new volunteers.  If you have time to share, please reach out to me, or any member of the KPNA Board, and tell us how you would like to help.  We have several volunteer positions to fill in the coming months.  Please send an email to kpwebmistress@gmail.com, if you can help.

Many thanks to everyone who has already responded to our 2021-22 membership appeal for the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association.  Your contributions allow us to continue the work we do for the community. 

If you have intended to drop off your membership renewal, please know that we will gratefully accept your contributions through the end of the year.  If you have misplaced the brochure, no worries.  Simply drop off your check with your name, address, and phone printed on it to Treasurer Don Garber.  Our annual membership contribution has remained $25.00 for the past several years. 

Please ask your guests and visitors to drive cautiously, with an eye out for children, pets, and neighbors out walking.  The days have grown very short and pedestrians may be harder to see. Walkers are encouraged to carry a flashlight and wear bright and reflective clothing at dawn and dusk.

James City County will pick up leaves in our neighborhood one day between December 6 and 10.  Leaves must be left at the curb in clear plastic bags before 8:00 AM on December 6.  We don’t know which day the truck will come, and they will make only one trip this year.  Bulky items, like limbs, won’t be accepted. 

You may drop off your own bagged leaves at the Jolly Pond Convenience Center, 1204 Jolly Pond Road, daily between 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on January 8-16.  There is no charge during this week.  Leaves dropped off by residents will only be accepted in clear bags no larger than lawn or leaf-size (40 gallons or less).   

Please continue to let us know when new neighbors arrive near you.  We want to welcome all new neighbors and bring them a current Kingspoint Directory. 

Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital Crier.

FYI: Resource Protection Areas

College Creek embraces our neighborhood to the west, and Halfway Creek to the south. We have two large lakes within the community. Rainwater which falls on Kingspoint eventually flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Like all of James City County, Kingpsoint is a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area, and we can all practice good stewardship of our rich and diverse natural resources.

Land adjacent to wetlands is particularly sensitive. Proper management allows the land to act as a filter to trap pollutants, including silt, before they reach the creeks and the bay. We enjoy the many beautiful birds and other animals these naturalized areas support.

The 1988 Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, which has resulted in laws for how sensitive lands adjacent to wetlands can be developed, came twenty years after our Kingspoint neighborhood was built. A current map of Resource Protection Areas (RPAs) indicates that many of our homes and yards fall within these protected areas. It would be far more challenging to develop Kingspoint today, due to these environmental protections.

Resource Protection Areas extend 100′ landward from the shore of a wetland, including the Kingspoint lakes. But many of our ravines also qualify as RPAs because of the streams which flow through them, to the lakes and creeks. Although we own our lots, we all need to educate ourselves about what parts of our properties may fall in a protected RPA.

There are many laws which control the management of RPAs, and we need to work with the James City County Office of Engineering and Resource Protection before building, landscaping, cutting trees or clearing undergrowth within an RPA. Violations can result in substantial fines and other costs.

Our forested and natural areas are very important. They filter many pollutants from the air and from stormwater run-off. They limit erosion and provide habitat to the rich web of life around us.

We all enjoy the natural beauty of our community, and working together, we can manage it responsibly to help preserve our unique Tidewater ecosystem. Please be a good steward of this land, which we hold in trust for future generations. You may call county staff at 757-253-6670 with any questions.