Trash and Recycling Services

Recycling

James City County provides recycling pick-up every two weeks through VPPSA. Residents who wish to participate pay a quarterly fee to the county and have a choice in what size receptacle they receive. Residents may opt-out of this service at any time.

There are several local thrift shops that both accept contributions at their location, and pick up items in our neighborhood. The Re-store, DAV, Goodwill, etc. all help give another useful life to items we are ready to describe. The Re-store is a great resource for building materials, old kitchen cabinets and appliances, etc. They also accept furniture, small appliances, and fixtures, etc. DAV and Goodwill accept household items and clothing.

Composting

There is a new and interesting recycling service for compostable materials available in Williamsburg .  It is called “Fill Happy,” and it accepts a wide range of materials including food, plant and paper/cardboard waste.  The monthly fee includes a weekly pick-up of the 4 gallon recycling bucket(s) each Wednesday, and delivery of a bag of finished compost twice each year.  The materials are composted at a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality permitted composting facility.  This company offers additional services to help us all reduce our carbon footprint and exposure to toxins.  Find more information at: https://fillhappy-va.com. 

Weekly Trash Pick-up

Every Kingspoint resident must contract individually with one of the private contractors for their trash pick-up. It pays to shop around as different companies offer their own rates and levels of service.

These companies currently pick up trash in Kingspoint:

Waste Management This is the company that VPPSA contracts with for recycling services

Bay Disposal 757.224.0638

Republic (757) 898-5488

Suburban This is a locally owned business that gives personalized service to customers. They will pick up your cans from near your home if you request this. They will also take larger items when you request that service.

103 B Ron Springs Road Williamsburg VA 23185 (757) 253-0519

Bulk Trash Pick-Up For those big projects or big problems, contract for a one time bulk pick-up with JCC Solid Waste (schedule online). This service costs $75 per appointment, and may be shared by multiple households.

GFL

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association October News

We have finally been blessed with some cooler weather, and our record hot summer has passed into another beautiful autumn.  If you have not yet had a chance to walk around our neighborhood and enjoy the many creative fall 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. 

According to guidance from county staff,  Halloween celebrations will be a bit different this year to keep everyone healthy.  Those wanting to give candy are encouraged to offer treats while keeping healthfully distant from others, minimizing what gets touched and how often, and wearing face-coverings if participating outside.  Several neighbors have already shared that they plan to set up a treat table near the street for neighborhood children to grab a treat and go.

Trick-or Treaters, and adults with them, should plan on wearing face-coverings and maintaining a healthful distance from others to minimize any sharing of the virus during Halloween celebrations.  Please remember to give the little ones flashlights or glow-sticks so motorists can see them.

JCC Trick-or-Treat hours are 6-8 PM on Saturday, October 31.  Families who aren’t participating should leave their porch lights off.   Those with yard lights near the street are encouraged to leave them burning, to make it brighter and safer for those out celebrating.

Some of you may be aware of the dam that separates a Kingspoint lake from Halfway Creek, located behind private property on Overlook Drive.  The wooded lots on the other side of the dam are also private property.  Erosion has been a problem here for many years, and county staff determined this week that the dam is no longer safe for foot traffic due to the erosion.  The barrier with tape and stakes was constructed by staff from the Stormwater and Resource Protection Division, who are the professionals who work with us on our RPAs.

We appreciate the support of everyone who has joined the Neighborhood Association and renewed their membership this fall.    Our Treasurer, Brandy Belue, will gratefully accept your membership contributions through the end of the year.   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.

Early absentee voting at the Recreation Center on Longhill Road continues through October 31.  If you are already registered to vote in JCC, you only need show up with your ID to vote early at the Rec Center.  Neighbors who receive ballots in the mail may return those to the Registrar’s Office drop boxes at the Rec Center and other locations, instead of mailing them back.  Our polling place will be open as usual on November 3, at Laurel Lane Elementary School. 

Our Neighborhood Association volunteers continue work at our entrance. Thanks to Chris Bonday and Tom Mahone for their hard work to keep our entrance mowed, trimmed and neat, and to Ann Hobson for her work with our new trees and shrubs.  

If you have a new family near you, please let us know so we can visit with a copy of the Kingspoint Directory.  Contact Secretary Kenita Hill if you need to make changes to your listing in the Kingspoint Directory.

Remember to visit our KPNA website for news,  useful community links, and regular updates on matters affecting our neighborhood.

Invitation to the Virtual Conservation Forum 2020

Garden Club of Virginia would like to invite you to attend the online 2020 Conservation Forum.See link to view anytime Oct. 27 at 7:00 am through 2021.  It is free.  No registration required. Please share with organizations and individuals that might be interested.   

From: Libbey Oliver and the Williamsburg Garden Club

https://www.gcvirginia.org/forum2020/

 VIRTUAL CONSERVATION FORUM

October 27, 2020  

Halloween 2020 Planning

Halloween has been one of the high points of the year in Kingspoint as families gather for a little fun on one of the last warm evenings of the year.  However, this is 2020, and we are all doing things a bit differently.

Trick-or-treating is classified as a Moderate to High Risk activity in terms of spreading the Covid-19 virus.  When you think about it, what makes Halloween celebrations fun- getting together with friends and family- also presents opportunities to spread the virus.

We know that some people with virus symptoms don’t test positive for several days.  Some people who test positive – and are contagious- don’t show obvious symptoms.  Different families are comfortable with different levels of exposure to the risk of catching- or spreading- the virus.

James City County is currently leaving the decision to participate in traditional Halloween activities – or not- up to individual families.  Read their specific guidance here.   Households that do not want to participate should turn off their porch lights, as usual.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH)   have issued guidance for Halloween. Unless new guidance is issued prior to the end of the month, James City County feels that those who want to participate in trick-or-treating should make that decision for their families.

For those who choose to participate, James City County trick-or-treating hours will be 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 31 for children ages 12 and under.

If you do plan to participate in Trick or Treating this year, it is important to protect yourself.   Kindly follow this guidance from the Virginia Department of Health:

1. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past ten days, or have been in contact with someone with COVID in the past 14 days, follow VDH guidance to stay home and away from others. If you are self-isolating or self-quarantining, do not participate in trick-or-treating this year, and look for other virtual options to celebrate.

2. Be sure to maintain at least six six feet of distance between yourself and others who do not live in your household at all times.

3. Wash your hands before going trick-or-treating or handing out candy. Hand sanitizer should be used while trick-or-treating or handing out candy when soap and water aren’t available.

4. Wear a cloth mask. Halloween masks may not fit snugly against the face and may not cover the nose and mouth. Halloween masks with gaps and holes do not protect against inhaling respiratory droplets from other people. Wearing a cloth mask under a Halloween mask may make it hard to breathe and is not recommended.

5. If you hand out candy, consider setting up an area outside, like a folding table or chairs, to set out candy. Space out the placement of treats so that multiple people do not have to reach into the same bowl or find contactless ways to deliver treats, like a candy chute that is more than six feet long. For trunk-or-treating, create distance between cars by parking in every other space.

VDH Guidance: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2020/09/VDH-Interim-Guidance-for-Halloween-Events-2.pdf

CDC Guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html

Chesapeake Bay Board Hearing on the Waltrip Project October 14

The Chesapeake Bay Board will consider the matter of allowing Mr. Waltrip to build a retaining wall and re-work existing revetments in a Resource Protection area at their next meeting on October 14 at 5 PM.

According to Mr. Michael Woolson, Senior Watershed Planner and Chesapeake Bay Board Secretary, this is the regulatory body that has jurisdiction over work done on land, in the RPA, and this proposed work must be brought before that board for review and approval before any work may be accomplished.

Here is how Mr. Woolson explained the matter when asked:   “… the Chesapeake Bay Board requested that the retaining wall and revetments be brought before the them for review and approval at the next meeting (October 14).  The wall and revetments are completely out of the Wetlands Board jurisdiction, so when the proposal went to the Wetlands Board for approval, these never received approval. “

You may recall that at the last hearing before the Wetlands Board, that body determined that they had jurisdiction over only about 20 square feet of the entire proposed project and voted unanimously to approve that portion, which was mainly the retaining wall.

Jurisdiction over the rest of the project, and particularly those parts which impact College Creek below the tide line, falls to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers.  They have not yet set a hearing date, as they haven’t heard back from Mr. Waltrip, who is applying to build this extensive marina project, since they sent a series of inquiries to him last month.

All interested Kingspoint neighbors are encouraged to participate in this latest hearing.  We will post additional details as they become available.

According to Mr. Woolson, the proposal is the same as the revised version considered in September.  The hearing will be at 5:00 PM in the Board’s meeting room on Mounts Bay Road.  Complete  details may be found in the letter that was sent to neighbors who own property along College Creek, reprinted below:

September 23, 2020
RE: CBPA-20-0090
20 Marclay Road
Retaining Wall and Revetments

Dear Adjacent Property Owner:
In accordance with State and County Codes, this letter is to notify you that a request has been filed with the James City County Chesapeake Bay Board by Mr. Larry Waltrip, Short Neck, LLC for encroachment into the Resource Protection Area (RPA) buffer for the construction of a retaining wall and revetments. The project is located at 20 Marclay Road and further identified as JCC Parcel No. 4820100012.

A complete description, plan and other information are on file in the Stormwater and Resource Protection Division and are available for inspection during normal business hours, should anyone desire to review them.  The Chesapeake Bay Board will hold an advertised public hearing on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 5:00 p.m., in the Board Room of Building F, 101 Mounts Bay Road, James City County, Virginia, at which time you may request to speak on the above referenced project.

Sincerely,
Michael D. Woolson
Michael D. Woolson
Chesapeake Bay Board Secretary
757-253-6823
michael.woolson@jamescitycountyva.gov

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association September News

 

Sub-contractors for Cox laid a cable to the JCCSA pumping station this month. The new cable crosses Kingspoint Drive and runs through our landscaping.  They did an excellent job of cleaning up after the work was completed.

We are pleased to welcome David Miller as a Member at Large on the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association Board.  David, and his wife Wendy, have lived in James City County for more than 30 years, but moved to their Kingspoint home on College Creek in 2017.  They are both deeply involved with the greater community, and David has been working with neighbors and county staff on the College Creek marina proposal.  We are extremely fortunate that they are willing to work with the KPNA on this and other matters.

The Neighborhood Association will launch its fall membership campaign in early October 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.

Briefly, if you haven’t already made a plan to vote in November, you will find the information and contacts you need on the KPNA website.  It takes no more than five minutes to visit the registrar’s website and request a ballot through the mail, if that is what you want.

Early absentee voting began on September 18 at the Recreation Center on Longhill Road and continues through October 31.  If you are already registered to vote in JCC, you only need show up with your ID to vote early at the Rec Center.  Neighbors who receive ballots in the mail may return those to the Registrar’s Office drop box at the Rec Center, instead of mailing them back.

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.

Please note the separate article about National Night Out on October 6, when police vehicles will drive through our community with lights and sirens on to greet neighbors.  You are invited to come out and wave to them to thank officers for their work on our behalf.  Our JCC police and the DEA will sponsor a Drug Takeback Program on Saturday October 24 from 10:00 AM – 2 PM at the Law Enforcement Center on Opportunity Way.  Officers will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction.

We appreciate those neighbors who have spruced up their yards for fall.  This is such a good time of year for planting, renewing mulch, for cutting back weeds and pruning out dead wood.  We keep our community looking fresh and appealing when we each do our part at home.  Many thanks to everyone sharing bright planters on your porch and festive wreathes on your doors.  Your efforts are always noticed and enjoyed!

Our Neighborhood Association volunteers continue work at our entrance. Thanks to Chris Bonday and Tom Mahone for their hard work to keep our entrance mowed, trimmed and neat, and to Ann Hobson for her work with our new trees and shrubs.

If you have a new family near you, please let us know so we can visit with a copy of the Kingspoint Directory.  Contact Secretary Kenita Hill if you need to make changes to your listing in the Kingspoint Directory.

Remember to visit our KPNA website for news,  useful community links, and regular updates on matters affecting our neighborhood.

 

 

Neighborhood Watch- National Night Out October 6, 2020

Our James City County Police will visit Kingspoint to observe National Night Out on Tuesday, October 6.  Police cruisers will drive through the community with lights flashing and sirens on to greet neighbors.   Police officers will stay in their vehicles, but neighbors are encouraged to come out and wave a greeting in appreciation for all officers do for our James City County community throughout the year.

Our police department participates in the ‘Not on My Watch’ program, pledging to police the community with fairness, compassion and integrity.  They provide numerous community classes throughout the year, offer various personalized  services to residents and businesses, and offer Community Services Officers for additional outreach.

Our Community Services Officer, MPO Brandon Frantz, invited Kingspoint to participate in National Night Out this year.  This event was postponed from its usual date in August due to concerns with the virus, which is why officers won’t be getting out of their vehicles and mingling with neighbors.

Kingspoint Neighborhood Association August News

As August draws to a close we are looking ahead to a new season and new opportunities.  Some of you may remember a 1970’s classic, Future Shock, by Alvin Toffler.  How many of us reading it with skepticism nearly 50 years ago would expect to live through so many of the predicted changes in our own lifetimes?  We are all finding ways to adapt and get on with our own endeavors.  We share heartfelt best wishes with everyone as they navigate learning and working from home this fall.

Toffler wrote about the shock we experience when changes come to fast.  He writes, “Our moral responsibility is not to stop the future, but to shape it…to channel our destiny in humane directions and to ease the trauma of transition.” Alvin Toffler

Kingspoint neighbors have been busy helping one another ‘ease the trauma of transition’ for these past six months, and especially helping the children and our elders in the neighborhood.  And for that we are all extremely grateful.

More changes lurk on the horizon and I trust that we are all looking ahead and doing what we can to make circumstances better for ourselves and others.  To this end, you will find several recent posts on the Kingspoint website and articles in this Crier:

Parents who expect to homeschool their children for some part of the year and college students taking classes online will find resources through the Williamsburg Regional Library.

Briefly, if you haven’t already made a plan to vote in November, you will find the information and contacts you need.  It takes no more than five minutes to visit the registrar’s website and request a ballot through the mail, if that is what you want. Early absentee voting will be available at the Recreation Center on Longhill Road.

If you have been watching the long term weather forecast and have worries about trees near your home, there is a new article on the website, Caring for Our Kingspoint Trees,  that offers guidance on how to select a certified arborist and provides contact information for a variety of arborists working in our area.

There is also a wealth of information and contact information to help you and your family prepare ahead of severe storms in the ‘Severe Storm Preparation Guides.’   You can sign up for JCC alerts to your phone or tablet, to stay in the loop when severe weather threatens.

If you, or anyone in your family might need special help during or after an evacuation or other weather emergency, consider signing up for James City County’s special needs registry.  This service allows our emergency services to know who may need special assistance due to mobility or other health issues.

James City County wants to help anyone with special or functional needs develop a plan so they will be prepared to survive for an extended time, with the possible loss of electricity, water, communication, food and medical resources. Contact coordinator Barbara Watson, at 757-259-3100 for more information.

Neighborhood Association members have worked with local government this month to request repaving at the neighborhood entrance and repairs to the deep potholes on the shoulder of the Kingspoint access road.  We have also worked closely with staff from the Stormwater and Resources Protection Division to address concerns about the proposed project across College Creek from our community.  There is a phone number, provided in the article, where you can leave a voice mail that will be read into the record at the upcoming Wetlands Board hearing on this project.

Our Neighborhood Association volunteers continue work at our entrance. Thanks to Chris Bonday and Tom Mahone for their hard work to keep our entrance mowed, trimmed and neat, and to Ann Hobson for her work with our new trees and shrubs.

If you have a new family near you, please let us know so we can visit with a copy of the Kingspoint Directory.

Remember to visit our KPNA website for news,  useful community links, and regular updates on matters affecting our neighborhood.

Elizabeth McCoy

for the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association Board

Proposed College Creek Project Under Further Review

The proposed new marina would be built along the opposite shore of College Creek, replacing the existing dock and hardening the bank.

Kingspoint neighbors are working together and with county staff from the Division of Stormwater and Resource Protection to address concerns about the proposed construction of a small marina directly across College Creek from the Kingspoint Club.

The project, in its current configuration, appears to encroach on the one navigable channel of the Creek, and it appears that the proposed docks and boathouse would stop boaters from going further up the Creek towards College Landing Park, and may prevent craft launched from the park from getting any further downstream towards Archer’s Hope and the James River.

Additionally, current plans for hardening the bank of College Creek do not allow for a living shoreline, which is required under a new Virginia law.  There would be major negative ecological impacts to College Creek, including increased sedimentation and disruption to the many creatures who live in and around this historic waterway.  Motorized traffic from this new marina could further spread the Phragmites already infesting many previously navigable parts of College Creek.

Other concerns have been raised about the application.  Residents along College Creek have concerns about how this large construction will permanently alter the landscape of this historic area, which has been kept in its natural state, as much as is possible.

After a conference call on Wednesday afternoon, neighbors received assurances that a sounding will be taken of the creek at low tide and evaluation of this study will be used in further review of the project.  Additionally, county staff will meet with the applicant and contractor later this month on site to discuss the project, and the contractor may be asked to stake out the project in the Creek so that all parties may see how far into the Creek it projects from the shoreline.

There is a public hearing of the Wetlands Board scheduled for September 9, 2020, at 5 PM to discuss this project. However, the hearing may be deferred to a later date to allow for revisions to the proposal.  The Wetlands Board currently has jurisdiction only on the part of the project that impacts the shoreline.   New construction over College Creek is under the jurisdiction of the VMRC and the Army Corps of Engineers for a private, residential project.

However, if the application is revised to request approval of a commercial project, then the Wetlands Board has jurisdiction over the entire project along with the VMRC and the Corps of Engineers.

Anyone who wishes to make a comment, but cannot appear at the hearing in person, can participate by calling 757-253-6772 to record a comment that will be played during the meeting.  Recorded comments must be submitted no later than noon on the day of the meeting.  Please give your name and address for the public record and limit comments to five minutes or less.  You may also email comments to Mr. Michael Woolson, who is the Secretary to the Wetlands Board, at michael.woolson@jamescitycountyva.gov.  Please copy the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, at jeff.madden@mrc.virginia.gov and reference the case number in the subject line, VMRC 20-1053.  All emailed comments will be part of the Board package.

While the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association has not formally discussed or taken a position on this project, KPNA President Elizabeth McCoy will continue to serve as a point of contact, as she does on behalf of the Association for all county related matters, to share information with concerned neighbors and with county staff.  Our Robert’s District Supervisor, Dr. John McGlennon, continues to work with neighbors and with county staff as this situation unfolds.

Plan Ahead to Vote This November

Do you have questions about how to vote this November?  All Kingspoint neighbors are encouraged to plan ahead now, so that you are able to participate in this historic election while protecting your own health and well-being:

First, check to make sure that you are registered and that your information is correct.    View your registration status and make updates to your voter record if your information has changed.

Your Voting Choices:

1. Polling places will be open on election day, as usual, for those who wish to vote in person.

2.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The County’s Registrar encourages all James City County     Voters to Vote from Home by absentee ballot.

Your options for obtaining an application or making your request:

• If you have a Virginia issued DMV I.D., complete an absentee application online.
  Visit vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation. Follow the prompts for requesting an absentee ballot. Please note the instructions regarding social distancing for your selections when choosing an absentee option and absentee reason.

• Or print, complete and sign a paper absentee application. Return by mail to: JCC Office of Elections and Voter Registration, 5300 Palmer Lane, Williamsburg, VA 23188, by fax at 757-259-4945, or by scanned attachment email: vote@jamescitycountyva.gov. You are required to ensure the completed application reaches this office.

• Or call 757-259-4949 and request an absentee ballot application be mailed to you.

Ballots will be mailed out after September 18.

3. You may vote Absentee IN PERSON between September 18 and November 3 between 8 AM and 5 PM at the JCC Recreation Center, 5301 Longhill Road, Williamsburg Virginia 23188.

More  information from The Virginia Department of Elections. 

Find information specific to JCC here.