Kingspoint Crier: August 2023
Letter from the KP Presidents
Dear Kingspoint Club Members,
We hope that you’ve had a wonderful summer. We will end the swim season with our Labor Day Celebration. It will be followed by Drool in the Pool, our annual doggie swim, once the pool officially closes for the season.
If your students aren’t already back in school, we hope that they will have a very exciting upcoming first week. We look forward to hearing all about their first days back.
Social Committee: Labor Day Celebration
What: Celebrate the end of summer with a Labor Day picnic!
When: Monday, September 4th - Lunch will be served at 1 pm.
Where: KP Clubhouse and Pool
How: Grilled burgers, hot dogs, & slushies (hard and soft)
How: Please bring your favorite dessert OR side to share
How: Recommended donation $15/family, $4/alcoholic beverage
Please help our hard-working social committee by signing up to grill, set up, or clean up.
Pool Hours:
June 16 - August 27:
Monday - Friday: 12:00 - 6:30 p.m. (Pool Attendant 12-4:30 p.m.; Lifeguard 4:30-6:30 p.m.).
Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays: 12:00 - 7:00 p.m. (Lifeguard)
Aug. 28 – 31:
3:00 - 6:30 p.m. (Pool Attendant 3:00-4:30 p.m.; Lifeguard 4:30-6:30 p.m.)
Sept. 1 - Sept. 4:
12:00 - 7:00 p.m. (Lifeguard)
Lifeguard and Pool Attendant Hours: The Club will be utilizing a combination of lifeguarded hours and swim-at-your-own-risk hours. The swim-at-your-own-risk hours will be monitored by pool attendants who will be managed by the Pool Attendant Manager, Cindy Timberlake.
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 on duty, when children (under 14) will need to be supervised by a responsible adult/guardian over the age of 18.
When lifeguards are on duty, non-swimming children & children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult (18+) swimmer at all times.
Swim Lessons: If you are interested in swim lessons, please contact Cindy Timberlake at timberlakecindy@gmail.com
Club Rules: The Board updated and approved the Club’s Rules. They had not been officially updated since 2012. To view the complete list of Rules, please visit the Club Rules page on our website.
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 third 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.
Capital Campaign for the Dock: 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.
Facilities Committee Members: Dave Stanhope has returned to the Facilities Chair position. 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: Meredith Robertson, the Membership Chair, is actively looking for more committee members to assist her in reaching out to welcome new residents. Please reach out if you would like to help (KPMembership@gmail.com).
Clubhouse News: In addition to replacing the floor in the main part of the clubhouse in May, we have completed replacing the floor in the kitchen. It is a beautiful update to a 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
Website: www.KingspointClub.org It’s official–the new Kingspoint Club website is live! Be sure to check it out. You can now find everything Club related, including current and past Criers, on the website. Let’s take a fun trip down memory lane. 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 wealth of incredible Club memories we have created through the years.
Thank you,
Sarah Huber and Kim Lavach,
Co-Presidents, Kingspoint Club
Kingspoint Calendar
September 4 – Labor Day Picnic and Drool in the Pool
Kingspoint Club Board
President — Sarah Huber and Kim Lavach
kppresidents@gmail.com
Treasurer — Jim Gravgaard
KPWilliamsburg@gmail.com
Secretary — Anna Thomas
KPSecretary757@gmail.com
Membership — Meredith Robertson
KPMembership@gmail.com
Facilities — Dave Stanhope
KingspointFacilities@gmail.com
Clubhouse Coordinator — Denise Koch
KPClubRentals@gmail.com
Additional Club Contacts
Social Committee Chair — MaryKate Galke
KPSocialComm@gmail.com
Landscape Director — Nancy McDonald
peachstreet258@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.
Kingspoint Neighborhood Association August News
Some of us have a few more weeks to relax and enjoy summer, while others are preparing for back to school and back to work on our various projects. Perhaps you also feel the change in the air as summer winds down and the cooler, brighter days of September beckon. The new academic year brings its own challenges as well as promises of good things to come. William and Mary students are already arriving for fall term. Classes begin August 30. WJCC Public Schools open to students on Monday, August 28 this year.
It is time once again to watch out for the children and give school buses plenty of room as they settle into their new routines. We typically have large family groups gathering at the bus stops in the mornings and afternoons. Working together, we can help everyone get to work and school on time, while everyone stays safe. Please keep parked cars away from intersections so that everyone can see far enough ahead to drive safely.
Let’s also keep an eye out for neighbors walking pets and those on bikes as we drive through Kingspoint. We need to treat all intersections with care. Sometimes children, pets and walkers aren’t visible until we round that corner. You’ve heard this before, but neighbors continue to experience close calls.
Excitement is building as this especially hot, humid summer draws to a close. Labor Day weekend through 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 Colonial Parkway.
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 appreciate all efforts to keep your yard and home beautiful.
As you know, a major rehabilitation project along the Colonial Parkway began in mid-August. The project will upgrade about 10 miles of the Parkway, and will last for three years, ending in June 2026. There will be disruptions and detours in various areas for a long time to come. Find the proposed work schedule and detours here.
Neighbors have been asking about new user fees for the Colonial Parkway in recent months. Signs for those new fees appeared at many of the parking areas between Kingspoint and Jamestown Island last week. Now, one is expected to have a pass to park in any of the parking areas, use the beaches or fish, as well as to visit the various visitor centers. This is new and unusual for many of us accustomed to just hopping on the Parkway.
We did a bit of research and learned that there are a lot of different options for passes, particularly for those who are disabled veterans or who are over 62. There are annual or yearlong passes available to use on the Parkway, even for those under 62, and special National Park passes for every child in grade 4. Disabled veterans can get a free lifetime pass that also provides generous discounts on certain user fees and admission to attractions, including free admission for a party of four to the archeological site at Jamestown. Find details at the link above. These various passes can be used in any national park. Take your ID cards to the Visitor Center at Jamestown and the friendly staff there can advise you on your best option and sell or give you your pass the same day. Ask about the hanging pass your car, too….
Your Neighborhood Association Board voted this week to install electricity and electric lights and outlets at the neighborhood entrance. We have an electrician ready to begin work this fall to install lights on timers or light sensors, and to also install outlets for the white twinkle lights at the holidays. This entire project, including the fee for Dominion Power to run a new line out to the sign and set up our new account, will cost around $3500.00.
Neighbors have asked about better lighting at our entrance over the years. We have been using solar lights, but there are many problems when the batteries don’t properly charge up on overcast days. The lights often didn’t stay on deep into the evening in winter. We expect these new electric lights will be a definite upgrade for the neighborhood as we will soon have reliable lighting on our sign every evening.
Many thanks to David Miller for his tireless work with Dominion Power and with local contractors to gather all the information needed to begin this project. This initiative to light the entrance will entail the initial expense for installation of all the fixtures, meter, and control panel, as well as a new monthly financial obligation for the KPNA to pay for the electricity.
We are asking neighbors who have not yet supported the KPNA this year to please consider sending in your annual membership contribution of $25.00 now, as we face these additional expenses. We plan to send out a follow-up membership letter next month to those neighbors who have not yet contributed in 2023. If you have been intending to return your membership form in your 2023 Directory, this is a good time to do so, as it will save us sending you a letter next month. We will greatly appreciate any additional contributions from neighbors to help finance this special project.
Please send your contribution, with a note stating your name and address, to KPNA Treasurer Karen Schneider. You may mail it, or you may leave it in the Schneider’s mailbox at 100 Kingspoint Drive at any time. Find details in your 2023 Neighborhood Directory.
This is the last call for anyone wanting to participate in our Redbud Initiative to replant native redbud trees throughout Kingspoint. Any neighbor may request two free seedling trees as a gift of appreciation for their 2023 KPNA membership. Simply request your trees when you make your membership contribution. Karen is keeping track of who has requested trees. We will order the trees in early September for delivery next March. Participants will be contacted when the trees are available for pick-up next spring.
JCSA is still waiting for their paving contractor to repair Kingspoint Drive. It should be any time now and we’ll provide further information as we receive it. VDoT still need to apply the promised sealer on Kingspoint Drive once that repair is made. We expect there to be flaggers controlling traffic when this work begins.
We are extremely fortunate that severe weather has missed us so far this year. Hurricane season, which lasts until November 30, can be nerve wracking. Even when the big storms pass us by, we still have plenty of weather excitement in late summer. We have had several severe thunderstorm alerts in recent weeks. 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. Call 757-259-3100 for more information.
Many thanks to Ann Hobson and her volunteers for their continued work at our neighborhood entrance. 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. We need volunteers to help spread mulch in the coming weeks.
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. Contact kpwebmistress@gmail.com to be added to our email news list. Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links.
Elizabeth McCoy kpwebmistress@gmail.com
for the Kingspoint Neighborhood Association Board
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
Kingspoint Women’s Club Events
Kingspoint Women's Club planning committee wants to invite all Kingspoint women to a great year of fellowship.
September 19: 10:00 - 12:00 @ Clubhouse, Fall Social, Ann Hobson lead
November 14: 12:00 - 2:00 @ Clubhouse, Salad Luncheon, Virginia Bendura and Mary Grogan Leads
February 20: 12:00 - 2:00 Luncheon, TBD Joyce Houff
April 28: 5:00 - 7:00 @ Clubhouse, End of Year Cocktail Party, Denise Koch lead
If you would like to be a hostess at any one of these events, please contact the lead.
We hope to see old friends back and new faces this year.
Planning Committee: Ann Hobson, Joyce Houff, Denise Koch, Virginia Bendura, Mary Grogan and Emily McDowell
In Rememberance
Longtime Kingspoint resident Edwin Huff Powell passed away on August 20, 2023. His daughter Lisa writes that Edwin and his wife Margaret moved to Kingspoint in the late 80's and loved the neighborhood and their home.
Subscribing to the Crier
Starting this month, we are using the new website’s email list management feature to notify subscribers when a new Crier edition is published. Current Crier subscribers have been manually added to the email list. If you know someone who wants to get emails when the Crier is published online, please ask them to visit this page and sign up using the form below. You can now also unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe button in any Crier notification email.
If you have trouble using the form and unsubscribe link, please contact kpcrier@gmail.com and we can make your changes manually.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
