Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Keeping in the Loop

BUDGET and DUES 2027

Your Board of Directors has completed its annual financial review and approved the 2027 annual budget and capital expense items to be undertaken. Both are available on our website under the password protected section (contact the FLCA office for password information if needed). A modest 2.59 percent dues increase was approved. 2027 Annual dues will be $1428.00, paid in quarterly installments of $357.00

As a reminder, coupon books are no longer being mailed out. Homeowners are responsible for paying dues on time using one of these methods.

ANNUAL MEETING PACKETS will be mailed to all homeowners at least 15 days before the annual meeting which will be held on January 27th at 6:00pm in the Poolhouse. The FLCA office will send an email when they have been sent so you'll know when to expect them.

Signs and Decorations

Please remember that all political signs need to be out of yards within 7 days after the election. All Halloween decorations must be down within 20 days after Halloween (but preferably sooner!). Thanks for adhering to our Resident Rules and Regulations!



WOULD YOU LIKE TO RUN FOR THE BOARD of DIRECTORS?

If you would like to run for the 2027 Forest Lakes Board of Directors, please contact the FLCA office. You will be given a candidate form that will need to be turned into the office by Tuesday, December 1st in order to be on the printed ballot. Questions? Please call the office at 434.973.4596

SCOUTING FOR FOOD

Scouting for Food returns! Cub Scouts Pack 206 and Troop 75 are collecting for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank throughout Forest Lakes. Flyers will be left on many doorsteps on Saturday, November 7. Scouts will be collecting food on Saturday, November 14, starting at 9AM. Please place bags of canned or dry food on your front step or out by the curb so Scouts can be sure to find them.

You may also drop food off at Food Lion on Seminole Trail at the Scouting for Food bin throughout the week of November 9th.

If your food donation pickup is missed on Saturday, November 14, please call Rebecca Thomas at (714) 745-9929 to have a Scout come pick it up. 

Thank you!

TENNIS NEWS

Congratulations to Captain Jenny Furlow whose Forest Lakes Team won the Fall 7.5 Combo Team City Championship. They will participate in the State Invitational Championships in April of 2027. Good luck!

Junior Tennis Training for players ages 10-12 will be held beginning Wednesday November 18th from 5:00-6:00pm for four weeks. This class is for beginners to advanced beginner level. Minimum class to happen is 6 players. Tuition is $65. Contact Coach Don at dpaitrick@comcast.net to register. Register deadline is Sunday, November 16.

High School training for varsity level players is ongoing now on Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:00-6:30. Class size is limited. Classes will run through December. Contact Don for more information.

See you on the courts

Coach Don

dpaitrick@comcast.net

Pickleball News

Pickleball lessons and clinics are now available to residents. For scheduling and information, call, text or email RSPA Certified Pickleball Professional Jason Grigg. jasongrigg1@gmail.com 434/906-0977

Introducing the Forest Lakes Business Exchange!

Do you own a business, run a side hustle, or work for yourself here in Forest Lakes? You’re invited to join the Forest Lakes Business Exchange, a new quarterly meetup for neighbors who want to connect, swap ideas, and support one another’s work.

Every kind of business is welcome: shop owners, consultants, contractors, creatives, home-based entrepreneurs, and everyone in between. Our community is full of talent, and the best referrals often come from right down the street. This is a relaxed chance to meet the people behind those businesses, learn what they do, and find ways to support one another! 

Our first gathering will be on Wednesday, January 13, 2027 at the Forest Lakes Poolhouse from 4:00-6:00.

Interested? Email Brentney Kozuch at Brentney@storyhousere.com to get on the list, and you’ll receive details .

Let’s keep it local and grow together!

Thinking About Leasing Your Home?

The FLCA Board of Directors approved a new policy requiring homeowners to complete a "Homeowner Rental Notification" form. This will help the association have contact information for both the homeowner and property managers. So, if you are renting or are thinking about renting your home, it's a must that you complete this form and return to the FLCA office. Thank you!



Psssssst.......He's Coming Back!

Santa will be at the Pavilion on Wednesday December 16th at 6:00-7:30pm! Mark your calendar! More in December's newsletter.

Fall Holiday Market

Saturday, November 21st

10:00am - 1:00pm

The annual Fall Holiday Market is coming soon! Click HERE to see all the vendors (new and old!). The December holiday market will be on Saturday, December 19th.

PUMPKINS FOR LIVESTOCK

Pumpkin pick up at the south parking lot! Bring your clean, unpainted pumpkins that are void of any wax or other foreign objects (remember, they are being fed to livestock!) starting the evening of November 6th - Nov 8th and then again on the evening of November 13 - 15th.There will be a pick up truck clearly marked where you can donate your pumpkins for a good cause. Please be sure to look for the truck and don't leave your pumpkins sitting in the parking lot!

Those Leaves are Calling.....

It’s that time of year (again) - leaves are falling and the joy of raking has begun! Please respect our common areas and do NOT rake or dump your leaves onto ANY common area or stream. Even if you think it won’t matter or “won’t be seen” … it does matter and it will be seen. Piles do not decompose as fast as you may think and are unsightly, and our streams get clogged and bogged down when leaves are dumped into them. GFL, our trash company, will take up to 10 bags of leaves per trash pickup. This goes for sticks and branches too. Sticks must be cut down to a length of 3 feet and bundled for pick up.

An ALTERNATIVE to raking and sending leaves to the landfill, is to turn them into a natural resource by mulching them with your lawnmower. Mulched leaves are a lawn and garden gem — they:

🌿 Enrich the soil – Decompose quickly to naturally fertilize your lawn and garden.

💧 Protect and conserve – Help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and prevent erosion during the growing season.

🐢 Support wildlife – Create habitat for toads, turtles, butterflies, earthworms, and insects (which also feed the birds!).

⏱️ Save time and energy – No more endless raking and bagging!

Learn more:

Piedmont Master Gardeners

·      Leave the Leaves

Virginia Cooperative Extension

·      "Leave" Them Alone: Lawn Leaf Management

·      Making Compost from Yard Waste

(Thank you Susan Lorenzo for your contribution to this article!)

Forest Lakes Invasive Plant Group (FLIP)

Upcoming Work Days

The first Fall work day of the Forest Lakes Invasive Plant (FLIP) group is Saturday, November 7^th, 0800-1000 along Ashwood Blvd at the back of Forest Lakes South. We’ll focus on remaining invasive vines and bushes near the traffic circle. If you can use a lopper, clipper, electric chainsaw, tree saw, and/or squirt bottle, we can use your help! Please bring your own tools and gloves. Forest Lakes will provide food when we finish. 

For details, please contact John Oliver at johndoliver@comcast.net. Our second workday is tentatively scheduled for Saturday morning, November 21^st, so mark your calendars. Thanks in advance for protecting our trees and forests!

Ongoing Groups and Activitie

Ongoing Groups and Activities

Mah Jongg

Is open to all Forest Lakes Mah Jongg players, every Tuesday at the Pavilion. 6:30-8:30pm no sign up necessary. (No Mah Jongg the week of Thanksgiving!)

Yoga Flow (for all Yoga info, contact Tarti at tdjakaria38@gmail.com)

Mondays and Thursdays 5:30-6:30pm Pavilion

Book Club

Third Wednesday of each month 1:00 in the Pavilion. Check out the website for current book.

ko

INVASIVE PLANT OF THE MONTH - FOUNTAIN GRASS

I first noticed Fountain Grass a couple years ago, sprouting across the slope of the Lake Hollymead dam, and thought it was beautiful. I considered uprooting some for my yard, but being the upstanding citizen that I am, I resisted the urge (being right out in the open along Powell Creek Drive and the high likelihood of being caught had nothing to do with it).  Since then, watching it spread with abandon along the north side of Lake Hollymead, it occurred to me it might be invasive and the iNaturalist app confirmed my hunch!

Fountain Grass is a relative newcomer to the invasive scene in the East, and we have a lot to learn about its impact. It spreads quickly through seeds and underground runners, thriving particularly in sunny, well-drained areas, like near our lake. Yet it is relatively drought resistant and can handle some shade. Its dense growth can inhibit native plant diversity and increases risk of fire. Beyond Virginia, it is considered a noxious weed in a number of states.

Controlling Fountain Grass is difficult. It can be dug up, but will regrow if all the roots aren’t removed. Mowing will keep it from seeding, but will not eliminate the original plants. Young leaves can be grazed by herbivores, but older plants are too thick for them. Chemical control is possible, but thorough familiarity with procedures and laws is critical, especially since Fountain Grass often grows by water.  Generally, a foliar spray during growing season is most effective.

Things you can do:

1.     Don’t buy Fountain Grass (resist its allure like I did)! Yes, it is still for sale on Amazon and even at Lowes.

2.     Follow my upstanding example by not transplanting it from common areas into your yard. 😉

3.     Join FLIP, the Forest Lakes Invasive Plant Group. Contact John Oliver johndoliver@comcast.net (our next work day is this Saturday, Nov 7, 8-10am. See details in this newsletter!)

- Kathy Smyth, FL Invasive Plant Group (FLIP) Volunteer

FLCA OFFICE CLOSURES IN NOVEMBER:

November 12 - 17 CLOSED Emails will be checked

November 25-29 CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday

NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES

• The next regular FLCA Board meeting will be Monday, December 7th. This is a combined Nov/Dec meeting and will be held off-site.

• Need a babysitter or petsitter list? Call the FLCA office. Want to be on the list? Call the office! SNOWSHOVERS WANTED 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

“The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” - Norman Vincent Peale, American author

Top Dog of the Month will return in December. Gobble.