Kingspoint Crier: January 2023
Letter from the KP Presidents
Dear Kingspoint Club Members,
Happy New Year! January saw us hosting our annual stockholder’s meeting. We began and ended our meeting with Cider and Sweets supplied by our engaging Social Committee. A huge thank you to everyone who attended the meeting to ask questions and discuss club business. We appreciate everyone’s ideas and feedback. It’s a great reminder of how engaged and dedicated our members are. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like to share your ideas (kppresidents@gmail.com).
Dues: A reminder that dues have been increased to $700. Please pay in a timely manner. If you pay dues quarterly, the first payment of $175 is due now. Jim Gravgaard, KP Treasurer, sent 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.
Upcoming Social Events: We have a full year of fun social events planned in 2023. Mark your calendars and join in the fun!
Sunday, February 12: Super Bowl LVII Party and chili Cook-off Contest
Sunday, April 9: Easter Egg Hunt on the Green
Saturday, April 22: (afternoon) Progressive Cocktail/Mocktail Party (21+ only)
Monday, May 29: Memorial Day picnic and 3rd Annual 5K Fun Run
Tuesday, July 4th: Pool Cookout
Monday, September 6: Labor Day Pool Party/Drool in the Pool
Late Sept/early Oct: Campout/Movie on the Green
Tuesday, October 31: Halloween Party
Early November: Harvest Cocktail (21+ only)
Sunday, December 10: Luminary Night
Mid-December potential Ornament/Movie Marathon
Membership Chair Vacancy: We are looking to fill this vacant position. We are also looking for committee members to assist the chair. The responsibilities of this position include the following actions:
Reach out to new families moving into the neighborhood and invite them to join the club. Explain the price structure and verify if they can transfer membership or need to join as new member (information can be found in QB or with help of treasurer)
Reach out to current residents that are not members or former members. Find creative ways to keep current membership even more engaged
Encourage families selling homes to keep their membership active, explaining that transferring an active policy as a selling point. This is done by verifying membership status. Occasionally answering questions from realtors may be involved.
Encourage existing members to stay in the KP Club—occasionally this involves talking with families considering dropping their membership. This is done in conjunction with the treasurer to make sure families not paying their dues return to good standing or are removed from rolls.
Reach out to non resident members from past years in spring of current year to ask them to renew their membership. Answer questions and make membership signage for the front of the neighborhood encouraging all to join in spring.
Boat Lottery: A reminder that the Kingspoint Club offers boat storage at the College Creek Boat Landing for Kingspoint Club resident members only. Storage racks can accommodate canoes, kayaks, or paddleboards. Due to the demand for spots exceeding capacity, we will conduct an annual lottery to assign slots.
Please submit the Boat Lottery Form by February 1st to be entered in the lottery (only one entry per household is permitted). If you are selected for a boat slot, payment is due to the Kingspoint Club Treasurer by February 14th. If payment is not received by this date, you will lose your spot. The fee for boat storage is $100. To be considered for a boat slot you must be a resident member in good standing, and you must have paid your boat fees for 2022. Please note that if you had a spot in 2022 you must still enter the lottery. There is no guarantee that you will retain your spot from one year to the next.
Clubhouse News: Please see the rates for renting the Clubhouse 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
Lifeguards: Are you interested in becoming a lifeguard? We want YOU! Please read the following information regarding lifeguarding at the Kingspoint Pool in 2023. Continental has posted training classes in Richmond and VA Beach. Information can be found at Top Lifeguard Training in Southern Virginia | Continental Pools. By the end of the month, Continental expects to have more classes posted in Newport News.
As in the past, Continental is giving discounted lifeguard training for their own employees and it is our understanding that if the training is completed by April it will be free. Interested applicants can apply at this Continental Season Lifeguard Form. The pay rate starts at $14 per hour and increases depending on the experience, availability, etc.
Pool Attendants: We plan to hire pool attendants to manage the pool during the swim-at-your-own-risk hours. They will work during these non-guarded times when the pool will be open without a lifeguard and children will need to be supervised by a responsible adult/guardian.
Pool attendants will manage the daily pool responsibilities. We are looking for attendants aged 15 and older. We are open to adults helping out, either for pay or as a volunteer. Pay will be similar to entry level wages.
Pool attendants will have the following responsibilities. They will monitor the entry at the pool. They will monitor/Adjust the pool’s pH levels. They will skim the pool for debris. They will clean and arrange the tables. They will tidy the deck and restrooms.
Website: The Club is working on creating a new website in 2023. We will be rolling out our updated website in the near future. Please share any photos that you have of activities, members, and the natural beauty at the pool, the clubhouse, the green, and the dock with kingspointpresidents@gmail.com. We would love to highlight the many fun activities that we have enjoyed through the years. We will send out an announcement as soon as our new site is live.
Thank you,
Sarah Huber and Kim Lavach,
Co-Presidents, Kingspoint Club
Kingspoint Neighborhood Association News
Happy New Year to everyone in our Kingspoint Community! May 2023 be good to you and your family. We trust that you enjoyed the beautiful holiday decorations throughout Kingspoint as much as we did this year. Many thanks to everyone who brought light into the winter darkness and shared your festive spirit with neighbors throughout the holidays.
Yuko Sato constructed the stunning evergreen holiday arrangements on our sign again this year. We all appreciate her talents and willingness to continue this beautiful Kingspoint tradition. We appreciate the families who donated greenery from their gardens for the arrangements and David and Wendy Miller, who decorated trees and shrubs at our entrance with white lights. We all enjoyed the beauty resulting from this terrific teamwork!
Many thanks to Sarah Huber and Eric Hilton and their Kingspoint Club team for their efforts to organize our Kingspoint Luminary Night celebration on December 11. Brandy Belue, Phil and Karen Schneider and David Miller set out luminarias at the entrance, donated by Sarah and Eric. We hope you had the opportunity to walk or drive around our neighborhood to enjoy the beauty of it all. It is always magical to see a winter evening transformed by holiday lights.
Our Neighborhood Association organized our informal Neighborhood Watch and began our ‘No Solicitors’ policy in October of 2015, with the help of the JCC police Community Services Officers. We had a growing problem with people going door to door to sell products and services, which was a safety concern for many residents. We learned from MPO Alan McDowell that anyone going door to door to do business must have a Peddler’s License and photo ID. Police do a background check when issuing the Peddler’s License.
MPO McDowell asked residents at our neighborhood meeting in 2015 to contact the police about anyone going door to door, who didn’t have the license, so that police could check their ID and inform them of county policy. KPNA volunteers posted several ‘No Soliciting’ signs near the neighborhood entrance. We asked neighborhood residents to decline to do business with door-to-door salespersons, and to inform them of the neighborhood’s ‘No Soliciting’ policy. This effort has been very effective, and now we rarely have anyone cold-calling at neighbors’ doors.
As you may know, political operatives and religious outreach fall outside of the county statues if these workers aren’t offering a product or service for sale. Many residents, particularly those living alone, don’t want strangers at the door for a variety of reasons. We can look out for one another, and help keep our neighborhood safe, by presenting a united front on this issue. Canvassers may justify their work by informing us that streets in Kingspoint are public, which is true. However, your yard and porch are still private property, of course, so this doesn’t justify their presence at your door.
You can reach the JCC Police dispatcher at the ‘non-emergency’ number (757-566-0112) and ask them to have an officer come and speak with anyone going door to door in the community. Be prepared to offer a description of the person(s) and any vehicles you observe.
Resident children and youth participating in fundraising activities for their school or community groups can get the word out to neighbors through the Crier and community emails, so that interested neighbors can get in touch with them directly to place orders.
Did you know that James City County offers a huge range of recreational opportunities, facilities, and classes, including at their indoor pool and weight rooms, at the Recreation Center on Longhill
Road? Learn more about opportunities and fees here. You may purchase passes for family members for just a few months, or for the entire year. Here is a link to the JCC Winter/Spring 2023 Activity Brochure and information about upcoming programs in local parks, including full-moon hikes at Freedom Park.
Kenita Hill is working on revisions to our 2023 Kingspoint Neighborhood Directory, which we plan to distribute to every home in March. Please look over your own listing in the 2022 Directory and contact Kenita by February 26 with any corrections to your personal information.
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. We publish the Directory in hard copy, and distribute only to neighborhood residents, to protect neighbors’ privacy. Many thanks to Mary Haines, who has joined our team to help greet new families in the neighborhood.
Although we have enjoyed a mild January, longtime Williamsburg residents know that snowy weather may still find us in February or March. We request everyone’s cooperation in keeping Kingspoint streets free of parked cars when it snows. We always hope that VDOT will spread sand and plow our community, and they will do a better job for us all if they don’t have to work around parked cars.
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 will need some help spreading mulch at the entrance, and we have an ongoing list of neighbors with chainsaws and rakes, willing to help clear fallen trees during and after storms. Please send an email to kpwebmistress@gmail.com, if you can help.
Please visit our KPNA website for news and useful community links, regular updates and a link to the digital 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 rea- sonable 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
February 12th — Super Bowl LVII Party and Chili Cook- off Contest at KP clubhouse
February 14th — Women’s Club Movie & Box Lunch, noon at KP clubhouse
April 9th — Easter Egg Hunt on KP Clubhouse Green
April 10th — Woman’s Club Wine Reception, 5pm-7pm at KP clubhouse
April 22nd — Progressive Cocktail/Mocktail Party, afternoon at KP Clubhouse (21+ only)
Kingspoint Club Board
President — Sarah Huber and Kim Lavach
kppresidents@gmail.com
Treasurer — Jim Gravgaard
jimgravgaard@gmail.com
Secretary — Anna Thomas
annaweigel100@yahoo.com
Membership — Gina Flango
ginaflango@gmail.com
Facilities — Dave Stanhope
Dstanhope@hotmail.com
Clubhouse Coordinator — Denise Koch
dwkoch3@gmail.com
Additional Club Contacts
Social Committee Chair — MaryKate Galke
mkgalke@gmail.com
KP Crier Editor — Saskia Mordijck and Pieter Peers
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 Gina Flango, ginaflango@gmail.com.
Kingspoint Women’s Club
The Kingspoint Women’s Club next gathering will be a Movie & Box Lunch at the KP Clubhouse on Tuesday, February 15 at 12:00 noon. More information will follow for that event.
The final gathering will be a Wine Reception will all members invited to bring an appetizer for 12. It will be held on Sunday, April 10 at the KP Clubhouse from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
Playground Capital Campaign
We are so thankful to Tara Peters, Tracy Sohoni, Larkin Schmidt, and Danny Schmidt, who are leading the capital campaign to raise money for replacing the playground at the clubhouse. Please see below for information on an upcoming meeting to discuss playground needs and details on how to donate.
When: Tuesday, January 31 – 7:00 PM
Where: Kingspoint Clubhouse
Why: We must replace playground equipment due to wood rot and age we must replace current structure to keep our kids, grandkids, friends, and community safer.
Facts: At this time, Kingspoint Club does not have funds to invest in playground equipment due to current pool costs and other community needs – community contributions are the only option.
Larkin & Danny Schmidt have offered to cover all playground costs up to $6000. Any additional funds raised will either offset these costs or rollover into a future KP Dock capital project account.
Contributions may be given to Tara Peters, 102 Cove Road, by Friday, Feb 3, or brought to the meeting on January 31. Please make checks out to Kingspoint Club, Inc. We must move forward immediately – prior to pool season and heavy playground use!
Meeting: We will vote playground set to purchase in following week (options will be presented) and we will collect contributions.
Goal: Completion by April 1, 2023.
Contact: Tara Peters 630-291-1890, Tarashpet@aol.com
Kingspoint Women’s Club
The Kingspoint Women’s Club next gathering will be a Movie & Box Lunch at the KP Clubhouse on Tuesday, February 14 at 12:00 noon. More information will follow for that event.
The final gathering will be a Wine Reception will all members invited to bring an appetizer for 12. It will be held on Sunday, April 10 at the KP Clubhouse from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
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
KPNA Board President — Elizabeth McCoy — e.mccoy105@gmail.com
Secretary — Kenita Hill — arubahill@gmail.com
Treasurer — Brandy Belue / Karen Schneider
Members at Large — Ann Hobson, Harvey Manning, Melody Nichols, David Miller
Great Decisions 2023 Lecture Series
Our Great Decisions leadership team, Don Schilling and Abra Smith, are in the final stages of preparation for for the 2023 program to be held on Tuesday mornings in February and March. As was the case last year, our 2023 program will be hybrid; for each session registrants can choose whether to participate on Zoom or in-person by coming to the Williamsburg Regional Library auditorium. Among the stimulating topics and expert speakers are:
Iran and Gulf States addressed by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy at William & Mary, who has had a sterling career in military and government service.
Chinese Foreign Policy featuring Professor Andrew Mertha, Director of the China Studies Program and the China Global Research Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Energy Geopolitics addressed by Dr. Carolyn Kissane, the Academic Director of the graduate pro- grams in Global Affairs and Global Security, Conflict and Cybercrime at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU and who was named one of Breaking Energy’s Top Ten New York Women in Energy and Top Ten Energy Communicator.
Elections in Latin America with Ambassador Christer Persson, who as a member of the Swedish Foreign Ministry held various positions at the home-office and abroad largely dealing with Latin America.
Registration remains open. For additional information on the program and to register go the League of Women Voters-Williamsburg website (https://www.lwvwilliamsburg.org).
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 subscribe to the Crier, 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 the Crier 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 fea- tured, and we reserve the right to crop and rescale the photographs to limit the file size of the Crier.
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 sit- ting. 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 babysit- ter 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 wa- tering 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 medications. Retired teacher. In business since 2016. Lisa Garber. 757-848-8331 or beastiebestiesofwilliamsburg@gmail.com.
