Welcome to Hollin Hills

An Open Letter to the Community

Dear Neighbors,

By now you have most likely heard that the Civic Association of Hollin Hills is proposing an increase in annual membership dues. For the record, most of this increase is attributable to a request from the Hollin Hills Parks Committee for resources to rehabilitate our seven neighborhood parks. I am writing this open letter to the community on behalf of the Parks Committee to make you aware of the reasons this increase is so desperately needed.

Hollin Hills’ parks are, like Hollin Hills itself, the result of an award-winning grand vision of what contemporary suburban living could be. That vision preserved trees, celebrated the terrain and gave rise to a forward-thinking landscape plan. It is why our woods, parks and common areas are so much a part of our homes.

While sustainable in the early years of our community because of a larger pool of willing volunteers, in more recent years, that vision has failed to keep pace with the realities of land management. Put simply, a handful of committed neighbors pitching in on a few weekends per year is no match for Mother Nature.

For safety and aesthetics, our parks require regular, year-round, professional maintenance

• Invasive Plants Our biggest challenge, invasive plants (English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle and stilt grass, multiflora rose, porcelain berry and more) are choking wide swaths, narrowing walking paths and killing trees. Invasives must be pulled out by their roots to stop spread and destruction. NOTE: Judy Okay from the Virginia Office of Forestry and Asad Rouhi from Northern Virginia Soils and Water Conservation have agreed to serve as advisors to the committee on invasives removal. They will help us ensure that only “bad” plants are eliminated and desired native species are left undisturbed.
• Tree Removal/Trimming Owing to last year’s hurricane and age, many trees are partially uprooted or leaning precariously. Several of these trees are very old and very tall. Professional tree experts will be required to remove or trim them.
• Pathways A favorite of dog and individual walkers, many park pathways are becoming difficult to navigate. Encroaching plant growth, soil erosion, water run off and muddiness are the main reasons. In addition, bridges are deteriorating and need rebuilding.
• Trash/DumpingTrash – beer bottles, soda cans, Starbucks cups, plastic of all shapes and sizes – is an ongoing problem in most of the parks. Some is blown in by the wind, more is washed in by creeks and rain, still more is simply dumped by thoughtless individuals. Volunteer collection of this trash is the only system we currently have in place to keep the parks clean. Regular trash collection is badly needed.

It is important to note that this work will be performed in accordance with the Parks Committee’s ongoing philosophy about maintaining natural parklands. We will continue to balance nature taking its course with a healthy concern for neighborhood safety and commitment to removing the living and man-made elements that can damage and destroy. And we will continue to call on interested neighbors to help keep the parks alive for everyone to enjoy.

Our parks truly are an amenity that distinguish Hollin Hills from other communities nearby. Without proper maintenance, they will run down further and, ultimately, be lost to use. The proposed dues increase amounts to about $1 per week. If you value the parks and their contribution to our property values, we strongly encourage you to support the proposed dues increase.

Sincerely,