Dear Wainwright Cluster owners and residents,
We will soon have the rescheduled annual meeting to announce, but we felt that it is important to give you a preview of the lighting replacement project details, so you have some time to review the plans, understand the changes, and come to the annual meeting with any questions you might have.
The plan
There are currently 12 light posts divided amongst the 3 sub-units in Wainwright. They were installed in the mid-70s and are outdated in their style, project light out in all directions, the bulbs frequently burn out, are not energy efficient, and 3 poles currently do not function at all. Its obvious they need to be replaced, and 2015 is the year! We have been saving up our reserves to afford such a big, and necessary, capital improvement to the cluster.
Below you will find the plan showing where the current light fixtures are, where the new lights will be (RED DOTS) (3 are being relocated, one is being removed), and where additional parking lot light fixtures will be added to the exterior of the carports (BLACK DOTS) to give our parking lot a little bit more light. The light fixtures on the inside of the carports will not be changed. We will also add 3 small lights (GREEN DOTS) to the front entrance signs, directing a little light to illuminate the signs at night. The lights will still be set to come on in the evening and off in the morning, using photocell technology.
The plan is to convert to LED lights, which have 100,000 hour life span! The quality of the light will change, as LED gives off a white light, which will appear different than the bulbs we currently have. So don't be surprised if you don't only notice the fixture changes, but a light quality change. The style of the fixture has yet to be approved by the Reston Association (RA), but our initial design selection is very simple. contemporary, and yet we believe, architecturally appropriate for the design characteristics of the Wainwright Cluster. We hope to have this ready to present to you at the annual meeting. The light fixtures will point the light DOWN, instead of OUT, and in some cases into people's homes. This will be a big improvement for many of you who live with light glares. Our goal is to provide an appropriate amount of sidewalk and parking lot lighting to ensure residents can see when they walk at night...our goal is not to illuminate the cluster like a commercial parking lot. It will be subtle, yet effective.
There are 3 light fixtures which are currently on resident's personal property, and our goal is to move these fixtures onto cluster common property (houses affected are 1717-1719,1729, and 1737). For these 4 owners, we will be asking you to sign off on this plan on the RA approval documents, as this will definitely impact your properties. The holes left by removing the previous light poles and wires will be covered in, but no landscaping will be done on your properties. Of course the installation crew will try their best to reduce the impact on any existing landscaping or grass.
The carport outlets will be replaced with GFI outlets and we will ensure that carports with outlets have power 24 hours a day (currently the upper cluster only has power at night, due to a design flaw in the current photocell system).
There should be very limited need to alter our current cluster area landscaping, although the small brick patio in the lower cluster in front of 1717 will probably be affected, and we had plans to replace it soon anyway.
What's next
We have already hired an installation company that was approved through a competitive procurement process. Once our fixtures are approved by RA (which we hope to have in March), the installation company - Outdoor Illumination, will start the process of repairing any electrical lines that are not currently functioning. Once done with this, they will install the 11 new lights, carport light packs, and new entrance signboard lights. You will start to see Outdoor Illumination around the neighborhood as they map out their installation plans - so say hi if you see them.
Your role
All of you are welcome to ask any questions, express concerns, or ask us to clarify the plans...we can answer emails, phone calls, or you can come to the Annual Meeting to see more of the plans and ask the Board questions.
We appreciate that you have taken the time to review, understand and ask any questions you have before the work starts. We believe the new system will be a HUGE improvement to the Wainwright Cluster. We hope to see you at the Annual Meeting.
Kind Regards
Wainwright Board
We will soon have the rescheduled annual meeting to announce, but we felt that it is important to give you a preview of the lighting replacement project details, so you have some time to review the plans, understand the changes, and come to the annual meeting with any questions you might have.
The plan
There are currently 12 light posts divided amongst the 3 sub-units in Wainwright. They were installed in the mid-70s and are outdated in their style, project light out in all directions, the bulbs frequently burn out, are not energy efficient, and 3 poles currently do not function at all. Its obvious they need to be replaced, and 2015 is the year! We have been saving up our reserves to afford such a big, and necessary, capital improvement to the cluster.
Below you will find the plan showing where the current light fixtures are, where the new lights will be (RED DOTS) (3 are being relocated, one is being removed), and where additional parking lot light fixtures will be added to the exterior of the carports (BLACK DOTS) to give our parking lot a little bit more light. The light fixtures on the inside of the carports will not be changed. We will also add 3 small lights (GREEN DOTS) to the front entrance signs, directing a little light to illuminate the signs at night. The lights will still be set to come on in the evening and off in the morning, using photocell technology.
The plan is to convert to LED lights, which have 100,000 hour life span! The quality of the light will change, as LED gives off a white light, which will appear different than the bulbs we currently have. So don't be surprised if you don't only notice the fixture changes, but a light quality change. The style of the fixture has yet to be approved by the Reston Association (RA), but our initial design selection is very simple. contemporary, and yet we believe, architecturally appropriate for the design characteristics of the Wainwright Cluster. We hope to have this ready to present to you at the annual meeting. The light fixtures will point the light DOWN, instead of OUT, and in some cases into people's homes. This will be a big improvement for many of you who live with light glares. Our goal is to provide an appropriate amount of sidewalk and parking lot lighting to ensure residents can see when they walk at night...our goal is not to illuminate the cluster like a commercial parking lot. It will be subtle, yet effective.
There are 3 light fixtures which are currently on resident's personal property, and our goal is to move these fixtures onto cluster common property (houses affected are 1717-1719,1729, and 1737). For these 4 owners, we will be asking you to sign off on this plan on the RA approval documents, as this will definitely impact your properties. The holes left by removing the previous light poles and wires will be covered in, but no landscaping will be done on your properties. Of course the installation crew will try their best to reduce the impact on any existing landscaping or grass.
The carport outlets will be replaced with GFI outlets and we will ensure that carports with outlets have power 24 hours a day (currently the upper cluster only has power at night, due to a design flaw in the current photocell system).
There should be very limited need to alter our current cluster area landscaping, although the small brick patio in the lower cluster in front of 1717 will probably be affected, and we had plans to replace it soon anyway.
What's next
We have already hired an installation company that was approved through a competitive procurement process. Once our fixtures are approved by RA (which we hope to have in March), the installation company - Outdoor Illumination, will start the process of repairing any electrical lines that are not currently functioning. Once done with this, they will install the 11 new lights, carport light packs, and new entrance signboard lights. You will start to see Outdoor Illumination around the neighborhood as they map out their installation plans - so say hi if you see them.
Your role
All of you are welcome to ask any questions, express concerns, or ask us to clarify the plans...we can answer emails, phone calls, or you can come to the Annual Meeting to see more of the plans and ask the Board questions.
We appreciate that you have taken the time to review, understand and ask any questions you have before the work starts. We believe the new system will be a HUGE improvement to the Wainwright Cluster. We hope to see you at the Annual Meeting.
Kind Regards
Wainwright Board