Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season!!

Keeping in the Loop

DUES, ANNUAL MEETING, COUPON BOOKS

DUES – As stated in November’s newsletter, there will be an increase in dues for 2025. Beginning in January 2025 dues will be $333.00 per quarter/$1332.00 annually.  If you pay automatically through your bank, please don’t forget to update the amount. If you pay through Klik ‘n Pay, the payment should automatically update unless you’ve put a cap on the amount that can be withdrawn. Please contact the FLCA office should you have questions.  

ANNUAL MEETING – The 2025 Annual Meeting date has been set for 6:00pm on Wednesday, January 22nd at the Forest Lakes Poolhouse. All Forest Lakes homeowners are invited to attend and should receive annual meeting information packets in the mail mid-December. In case of inclement weather, the meeting will be on January 29th, 6:00pm, in the Poolhouse.

Whether or not you plan to come to the meeting (and we hope you do!) please remember to send your ballot in early in order to establish a quorum. If a quorum is not established, we’ll have to re-send out all information which costs the homeowner’s association money!

COUPON BOOKS - Coupon booklets for 2025 will be mailed out mid-December to all homeowners. If you are signed up for Klik N Pay, you will not receive a booklet. NOTE: This will be our LAST YEAR with coupon booklets!!

Signs, Decorations and Leaves

Please remember that all political signs need to be out of yards within 7 days after the election. All Halloween decorations should be down and pumpkins put away. Christmas decorations need to be down by January 14th!

If you haven't already, it's time to tackle those leaves in your yard! Every Forest Lakes home should maintain a neat and tidy appearance, and a yard full of leaves all winter long doesn't meet this standard. Please take a moment to spruce up your yard and rake those leaves.

A quick reminder: do not rake leaves onto the common areas. If this happens, you'll be asked to remove them. GFL will pick up up to 10 bags of leaves or yard waste on each trash day, so take advantage of this service.

Thank you for helping keep our neighborhood looking its best!

CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP

Christmas tree pick up will be TUESDAY JAN 14th. Please put your trees out with your trash for Tuesday pickup If your neighborhood trees are not picked up on Tuesday, they will be picked up on Wednesday. Have your tree cut into 5’ sections and place on curb. All ornaments, lights and decorations must be removed. Any tree left out after this date will be charged extra for pick up. 

HOLIDAY LIGHT CONTEST

Our neighborhoods are starting to look very festive and bright - just in time for our annual holiday light decoration contest. If you haven't gotten yours out yet, you still have time Our judges are set and ready to go – NORTH AND SOUTH, you’ll BOTH be under the judges’ spotlights on Friday, December 13th. Good luck to all!

FOOD DRIVE BARREL - FITNESS CENTER

Our resident Yoga instructor, Tarti Djakaria, has one again organized a food drive for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank from now until December 15th. You can drop off any non-perishable, unexpired food items at the south gym in the designated barrel. Items needed most are peanut butter, canned soup, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned fish, canned beans, whole grain pasta, brown rice. Thank you Tarti and thank you Forest Lakes residents!

DIRECTORIES - Last Chance!

Would you like to be in the Forest Lakes Directory? If so, and you HAVE NOT filled out a DIRECTORY FORM before, please do so and return to the FLCA Office. If you are in the directory, please make sure your information is up to date. Many of you still have only home phones listed and obsolete emails. Not sure? Fill out another form and send it our way. We plan to have new directories in the office in January 2025.

HOLIDAY ARB PROCESSING

Thanks to all of the residents who submitted ARB applications this year. The committee processed an average of two applications each week. Many thanks to committee members John Schmidt and Todd McGee for their hours of hard work throughout the year! The deadline to submit an ARB request for December will be Friday, December 13th. No applications will be processed after December 18th 2024 through January 6, 2025. If you plan on submitting an application this month, please submit it now. 

FLCA LOST AND FOUND

We've still got a lot of "stuff" that hasn't been claimed, and we've had it for a while. Last chance this year to come see if anything we've found is yours! We'll be donating it all to Goodwill at the end of 2024.

SANTA IS COMING TO TOWN!

Santa will be back this year on Tuesday, December 10th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Pavilion. Come enjoy cookies, milk and listen to Santa read "Twas the Night Before Christmas". PLEASE NOTE: Parents with very young children or with kids who will not stay for story time please consider coming right at 5:30 to see Santa and then scoot out the door. It gets crowded! 

If you miss Santa on the 10th, or just can't get enough of him, you can also catch him on his fire truck on Sunday, December 15th at the South Pool Parking lot from 12-1; the Hollymead Pool Parking lot from 1-2 and the North Pool Parking lot from 2:30-3:30. Flyer

Winter Holiday Market

Saturday, December 14th

9:30am - 1:00pm

The annual Winter Holiday Market is coming soon! The Fall Market was a huge success and packed. Please drive slowly and park carefully while visiting the market. Details HERE

**HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS**

Dec 23 9am - 2pm

Dec 24 Closed

Dec 25 Closed

Dec 26 - 31 9am-12noon

January 1 Closed



LAST BUT NOT LEAST....NOTES FOR ALL RESIDENTS

• Please continue to keep your dog on its leash at all times. Also, picking up after your dog still seems to be a thing that not everyone thinks they need to do. Nothing could be further from the truth - you do. Everyone does.
• Do you know where your cat is? For owners of outdoor cats....please be mindful that your cat may be sleeping on someone's porch all night, messing in someone else's yard or making itself at home there. Not every homeowner is ok with this. Please keep track of your cat and be considerate of your neighbors!
• Parents, please speak with your kids. We're starting to have reports of rowdy teens pounding on doors of homes, shouting vulgar language, vandalizing common area and equipment. We understand "kids will be kids" but some of these antics have reached a new level. Violators will be held accountable.

TENNIS AND PICKLEBALL NEWS

It is our favorite time of the year! We wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season! 

Few notes for you!

Junior Winter Tennis

Visit the Forest Lakes website for the winter class schedule. 

Link:  Forest Lakes | Amenities

We will have similar after school programs with a few additions in the schedule. If you wish to stay involved you can email me the month you want to register. From there, I will send those interested an email each week if the clinic will run as it will depend of course on the temperature and overall weather. As long as it is 40-42 degrees, we will run clinics. 

Adult Tennis and Pickleball 

Tennis players: Your USTA end of year rating is published! Check your USTA tennis page or the APP to see if you got bumped or stayed the same! 

I will email groups separately on a week to week basis as usual to see who would enjoy getting out and enjoy some of my new HITS sessions. Fun drills and games for some great play and exercise. 

I offer a package of private lessons as well – send me an email!

I am also looking to play more pickleball as I am feeling healthy again! If anyone is interested in playing, let me know!

PRO SHOP SALE! 

HOLIDAY SALE ends December 15. If you are in the hunt for a tennis or pickleball gift, please email or come see me at the pro shop. Sale will include junior and adult performance tennis racquets and pickleball paddles, all bags, shoes, and great string packages. 

North Courts: 

Water has been shut off for the winter. While you can still play, I would recommend coming to our south courts first, of course. North Courts 5-6 are the best during the day, with 3-4 being next. Courts 1-2 are closed as I will start winter maintenance so we are ready for the 2025 season. I will prepare the others as we move into January. 

Bookings 

Be sure to cancel your booking if you decide not to play or if the temps get lower than you expected. If you need assistance, email me or text me and I am happy to help cancel. We hope you can cancel the day before. Courts will be slow given the temps, but when weather permits, as you know we do fill up quickly. ;) 

Holiday plans

I will be away for the Holiday December 21-28. Jason will be out for the rest of December as well. I hope to see as many of you around on the courts. Let's continue to have some fun! 

Let's play! 

If anyone is interested in playing, let me know! I am also getting back into platform tennis this winter. Of course, I will continue to play tennis as my schedule permits!! I will also introduce you to a new game--POP tennis! Can't wait! Stay tuned! 

LASTLY, stay tuned for a special email and mailer coming out soon. 

Rob Johnston

Director of Racquets Forest Lakes Community Association

Johnston Tennis Academy

(434) 974-5567

jtaforestlakes@gmail.com

December Dates to Remember

Dec 10 Santa here 5:30-7:30 Pavilion

Dec 14 Holiday Market, South Pool Parking Lot 9:30-1:00

Dec 16 Gateway Village Annual Meeting 6:30, Poolhouse

Dec 23 FLCA Office hours change. See above.

Dec 25 Merry Merry!

Looking ahead....

Jan 1 Happy New Year!

Jan 22 FLCA Annual Meeting, 6:00pm, Poolhouse

NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES

The next regular FLCA Board meeting will be Wednesday, February 26th at 6:00pm in the Pavilion. The January meeting is our Annual Meeting on Jan 22, 6:00pm, Poolhouse.

• Need a babysitter or petsitter list? Call the FLCA office. Want to be on the list? Call the office! We need snow shovelers too!



• For information on Pickleball, Yoga, Libraries, and Parents group click HERE
• Forest Lakes Book Club
• Forest Lakes Board of Directors
• Community Forms and Documents
• FLCA and Sub-association Contacts

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home." — Edith Sitwell, British poet

Nola the Office Dog is in the spirit of the season with her Christmas haircut. She hopes Santa likes it!