Kingspoint Crier: April 2023
Photo © Wendy Miller
Letter from the KP Presidents
Dear Kingspoint Club Members,
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Club's first dock fundraiser, Docktails, an amazing social event presented by our awesome social committee! Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets and made generous donations to the capital campaign for the dock. If you have not had a chance to donate, do not despair! The dock campaign is in its infancy, and there will be many more opportunities to participate in fundraising events, such as the upcoming Memorial Day 5K & Fun Run.
If you would like to make a gift to the capital campaign for the dock, we welcome your donations. Gifts may be dropped off to the Treasurer, Jim Gravgaard, at 110 Overlook Drive (please call/text 804-370-3098 to let him know) OR they can be mailed to the following address: Kingspoint Club, P.O. Box 365, Williamsburg, VA 23187.
We look forward to seeing everyone at our Memorial Day 5K Fun Run, as well as at the Memorial Day picnic. Be on the look-out for more information.
Clean Up New Date: We will be having our annual Spring Clean-Up on Sunday, May 7th, 2-6 PM. Be on the lookout for a Sign-Up Genius containing many opportunities to volunteer. Help us prepare for the upcoming 2023 summer season!
Swim Team: Registration is open! The season runs from the beginning of June until the end of July, with 3 home meets and 3 away meets. All interested KP Club members' children/grandchildren are eligible to participate, as are all non-resident members. Fees are $100 per child; fees cover coaching, VPSU costs, a t-shirt, and a swim cap. Register your child today!
Our season will begin with our Informational Ice Cream Social on Sunday, April 30 at 3:00 p.m. at the KP Clubhouse. Practice will start on May 30 when the Kingspoint Pool opens. From May 30 until June 16, practices will be after school, and we will shift to morning and evening practice times once school is out! Meet dates are posted on the swim team website.
We are excited to announce that our Dolphin head coaches are newcomer Anna Krus along with returning coaches Mary Blinn and Megan Pruitt! Longtime Kingspoint Dolphin Will Patterson will be assisting. Applications for junior coaches are open — please see the Kingspoint Swimtopia coaches page for instructions and submit your application!
We are hosting a parent meeting during both the ice cream social and the first practice session; please make every effort to attend one of these meetings for important information regarding our new volunteer structure and open positions.
For a preview, check out the team leadership page. Please consider stepping into one of these roles THIS year to help smooth the transition!
Dues: Thank you to members who have already paid their dues. Just a reminder that dues have been increased to $700. Please pay in a timely manner. If you pay dues quarterly, the second payment of $175 is due now. Jim Gravgaard, the KP Club Treasurer, will be sending electronic invoices to members via email; these invoices contain a link to allow you to pay the invoice electronically. You can also send your dues via a check made out to the Kingspoint Club, Inc., P.O. Box 365, Williamsburg, VA 23187. Questions? Please contact KPWilliamsburg@gmail.com.
Facilities Committee Members: A huge thank you to Sergio Ghio for taking on the role of the Facilities Chair. He is actively looking for project teams and additional committee members to assist him on various projects throughout the year. Please reach out if you would like to help: KingspointFacilities@gmail.com.
Membership Committee Members: A huge thank you to Meredith Robertson for taking on the role of the Membership Chair. She is actively looking for more committee members to assist her. Please reach out if you would like to help: KPMembership@gmail.com.
Clubhouse News: Big News! We are replacing the Clubhouse floor in the beginning of May. It will bring a beautiful update to already beautiful space. Come see for yourself!! And, if you have a graduation, birthday, anniversary, baby shower, book club, work party, or other special event, please make a plan to book your rental today! Please contact Denise Koch at KPClubRentals@gmail.com or 757-870-0900.
Clubhouse rental rates in 2023:
KP Resident Club Member: $50 rental / 1x per calendar year
KP Resident Club Member: $150 half day ( 4 hrs.) /$200 full day (8 hrs.)
Non-KP Resident Club Member: $350 half day (4 hrs.)/ $550 whole day ( 8 hrs.)
Non-Club Members: $400 half day ( 4 hrs)/ $600 whole day (8 hrs.)
Recurring rentals for KP Club members: $25 per hour / 6 mo. contract
Swim Lessons: In conjunction with the swim team, Cindy Timberlake has kindly agreed to hold a swim lesson session, for "advanced beginners" starting Monday June 5 and running for 8 sessions (M-Th) for 2 weeks from 5pm -5:45PM. This is designed for kids that want to participate on the swim team (ages 4-6) who aren't quite able to swim the length of the pool.
Cindy has also expressed interest in offering lessons to any interested non-swim team families. If you are interested in lessons please contact KPSwimteam@gmail.com.
Lifeguards: Interested in becoming a lifeguard at your neighborhood pool this summer? We want YOU! Continental has posted training classes in Richmond, Newport News, and VA Beach. Information can be found at Top Lifeguard Training in Southern Virginia | Continental Pools. Interested applicants can apply at Continental Season Lifeguard Form. The pay rate starts at $14 per hour and increases depending on the experience, availability, etc.
Pool Attendants: The club is hiring a pool attendant manager and together we will be interviewing and hiring pool attendant applicants in May. To apply, be on the lookout for a “Pool Attendant” email. Pool attendants will manage the pool during the swim-at-your-own-risk hours: They will work during non-guarded times when the pool is open without a lifeguard, when children will need to be supervised by a responsible adult/guardian.
Pool attendants will manage the daily pool responsibilities. They will monitor the entry at the pool. They will monitor and adjust the pool’s pH levels. They will skim the pool for debris. They will clean and arrange the tables, and they will tidy the deck and restrooms. We are looking for attendants aged 15 and older, and pay will be similar to entry level wages. For more information, contact KingspointFacilities@gmail.com.
Website: www.KingspointClub.org It’s official–the new Kingspoint Club website is live! Please share any photos that you have of activities, members, and the natural beauty of the pool, the clubhouse, the green, and the dock with KPCrier@gmail.com. We would love to highlight the many fun activities that we have enjoyed through the years.
Thank you,
Sarah Huber and Kim Lavach,
Co-Presidents, Kingspoint Club
Honoring Graduates
If you would like to congratulate a recent graduate in the Kingpoint Crier, please send an email to kpcrier@gmail.com.
New Crier Format
With the launch of the new Kingspoint website, the Crier will be published in this blog format. Please contact the editors at KPCrier@gmail.com with feedback, corrections, advertising requests, and more. Thanks!
Publishing in the Crier
If you have an event to share with the Kingspoint community or some news to report that you would like to see posted in the Kingspoint Crier, please send your contributions to kpcrier@gmail.com before the 20th of the month. The editors reserve the right to refuse and edit any submissions; the editors will not run any articles that overly or covertly target specific demographics or neighbors.
Subscribing to the Crier
If you know someone who wants to get emails when the Crier is published online, please ask them to send an email to kpcrier@gmail.com.
We cannot add names to the distribution list unless the request is send from the email address itself. Similarly, if you are receiving Crier emails and you would like to unsubscribe, please let us know at kpcrier@gmail.com.
Your Photographs in the KP Crier?
It is always great to see beautiful pictures of our neigh- borhood. If you want your photos featured in the Kings- point Crier, then please send them to kpcrier@gmail.com. We cannot guarantee that every photograph will be featured, and we reserve the right to crop and rescale the photographs to limit the file size of the Crier.
Advertising Policy
The advertising policy for the Kingspoint Crier is as follows: business related ads are $10/ edition for a business card ($100/yr); $25/ edition for quarter page ($260/yr); $50/ edition for half page ($525/yr). We can provide an invoice if necessary. The space will be limited to a reasonable size to be determined by the Crier editors and space constraints of each edition; small ads of one, or two sentences, from residents and non-resident club members are free as a community service; non-profit and children’s ads are also free.
Kingspoint Calendar
April 30 — Swim Team Informational Ice Cream Social, KP Clubhouse, 3 PM
May 7th — Spring Clean-Up, 2-6 PM
May 29th — Memorial Day Picnic and 3rd Annual 5K Fun Run, afternoon at KP clubhouse
May 30th — Swim Practices Start
July 4th — Pool Cookout at KP pool
Kingspoint Club Board
President — Sarah Huber and Kim Lavach
kppresidents@gmail.com
Treasurer — Jim Gravgaard
KPWilliamsburg@gmail.com
Secretary — Anna Thomas
annaweigel100@yahoo.com
Membership — Meredith Robertson
KPMembership@gmail.com
Facilities — Sergio Ghio
KingspointFacilities@gmail.com
Clubhouse Coordinator — Denise Koch
KPClubRentals@gmail.com
Additional Club Contacts
Social Committee Chair — MaryKate Galke
mkgalke@gmail.com
KP Crier Editors — Margaret Pizer and Dave Parrish
kpcrier@gmail.com
The Kingspoint Club, Inc. oversees our community’s recreational property on Northpoint Drive. This waterfront site includes a beautiful clubhouse, neighborhood pool, picnic area, dock, and a children’s play area. The KP Club operates the pool and clubhouse and organizes neighborhood social events for members. Membership in the Club is optional for residents, and includes use of the pool, boat ramp and dock. Members may also rent the clubhouse and pool for social events. Membership is required to attend some Club sponsored social events. Non- residents may also pay annual dues to use the pool and the clubhouse. For more information or to join, contact KPMembership@gmail.com.
Facebook Page
Kingspoint neighborhood has its own Facebook page to add info, photos, items for sale, invite neighbors to a last minute movie or bbq, post last minute updates for swim meets, cancellations, etc. This page is a "Closed Group", so you will have to "request" to be added (this prevents just anyone from joining the group and posting spam). But all residents are encouraged to request an invite!
Here is how you do this: Click to go to the KP Facebook group. It will say it’s a closed group, and then in the upper right corner, under the photo, you click on ‘JOIN GROUP’. The Admin for the group will approve all KP residents!
Little Dolphins
Looking to connect with other parents in the neighborhood? Consider joining the “Little Dolphins” Facebook page. It’s a network of parents in the neighborhood with kids ranging from babies to teenagers. (Just search for "Little Dolphins Kingspoint" on Facebook). It’s a nice way to meet parents in the neighborhood with similarly aged kids. If you aren’t on Facebook, or if you are having problems joining the group, email Tracy Sohoni, tracep@yahoo.com
Kingspoint Neighborhood Association April News
Our Kingspoint neighborhood is especially beautiful this time of year as the Iris and mountain laurel 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. It is a real treat to walk around the neighborhood and see what folks have growing in their yards and on their porches.
The Virginia Native Plant Society’s Annual plant sale will be Saturday, April 29, 9:30 am - 2:00 pm at the Williamsburg Community Building, 401 N. Boundary St. Any interested in learning more about native plants, and perhaps purchasing a few is invited to attend. The Annual Plant Sale at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden began on last Saturday. This ‘honor box sale’ will be ongoing for the next several weeks. The Master Gardener Plant Sale will be held at the WBG again this year on May 6 from 9:00 AM until Noon.
We appreciate the tremendous support neighbors have given our Kingspoint Neighborhood Association membership drive this month, and your support for the Redbud Initiative. Treasurer Karen Schneider continues to accept membership contributions at her home.
Please remember to share the 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.
There are a few particularly difficult spots for walkers. Walkers frequently need to step off the pavement when traffic approaches, especially at some of our main intersections. Please pause and look both ways at Kingspoint intersections, and keep a sharp eye out for neighbors walking or riding bikes. We nearly had a tragedy recently when a long-time neighbor nearly fell where the shoulder was badly eroded.
I’ve been in touch with Mr. Carroll at VDoT to request repairs to broken pavement and areas of erosion at the intersection of Crownpoint Road and Kingspoint Drive and at the intersection of the access road and Rt. 199. We are very appreciative to the folks at our local VDoT office who sent a team to repair areas of erosion at these intersections this past week.
Our local VDoT office is aware of our need for repaving on several Kingspoint streets. They have been in touch with me to explain that they have requested bids on the job several times in recent years. The degree of work needed at this point makes this job extremely expensive. Since Kingspoint Drive is one of the streets which badly needs repaving, it is unlikely that they will repaint the lines, as we have requested, until they can paint them on fresh pavement. Please don’t think that we have been forgotten, but the lead time on planning and securing financing for work like this is measured in years.
Many thanks to David Miller for his efforts to post six new ‘No Soliciting’ signs. Several neighbors suggested that we needed more visible signs. Two of these new signs are written in both English and Spanish.
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.
Many thanks to Ann Hobson and Phillip Schneider for their continued work at our neighborhood entrance. You may have noticed the recent repaving around the pump house. Tom Mahone and Chris Bonday are continuing their dedicated efforts to keep the grass neatly trimmed. If you are willing to join our crew of volunteers to help with maintenance chores at the entrance, please get in touch with Ann at annhobson1010@gmail.com.
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 2023 listings. Many thanks to Mary Haines, who has joined our team of volunteers, and the KPNA Board, to help greet new families in the neighborhood.
Find other JCC news and announcements, including information about a septic tank pumping grant program, in “JCC News to Know”.
Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links.
Elizabeth McCoy kpwebmistress@gmail.com
for the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association Board
Plant of the Month
Mountain laurel. Learn more at “Plants I love and deer ignore.” © Elizabeth McCoy
Kingspoint Neighborhood Association
KPNA Board President — Elizabeth McCoy — e.mccoy105@gmail.com
Secretary — Kenita Hill — arubahill@gmail.com
Treasurer — Karen Schneider
Members at Large — Ann Hobson, Harvey Manning, Melody Nichols, David Miller, Mary Haines
Neighborhood Ads
Pet Sitting: Available Daily and Holidays, 4 years experience. Yuko Sato phone: 757-634-5447
Pet Sitting: Haley Elton offers dog walking and pet sitting services. Available daily. Contact her managing agent, Norman Elton, at 757-293-8346.
Baby Sitting and Pet Sitting: Carolyn Clinton is available for baby sitting and pet sitting. 757-903-7777. Twins John and Catherine Clinton are also available for baby sitting and pet sitting. John also mows lawns. Call their mother Susan Clinton @ 757-903-7205.
Baby Sitting and Pet sitting/walking: Hello all! My name is Lexi. I am a pet sitter and babysitter who has attended a CPR class and a training course for babysitting. I have lots of experience with animals of all types and breeds. Some other services I offer are watering plants, collecting mail, or taking care of your house while you are out of town. For reasonable rates and more details call or text 757-298-8798.
Daily pet visits, walks, overnight in your home: Experience with dogs, cats, birds, giving medica- tions. Retired teacher. In business since 2016. Lisa Garber. 757-848-8331 or beastiebestiesofwilliamsburg@gmail.com.
