President’s Message

Summers are generally a slower time for your civic association volunteers, but maybe a busy time for you.  Many of you are involved in a variety of family activities, getting home projects done, spending time in the garden, or just plain relaxing. (I’m sure you deserve it!) 

However, past months of work by your civic association volunteers will come to fruition this summer in a number of cases. Some projects may impact the area where you live or drive, so I encourage you to read about them here.

If you are relatively new to our community and recently became an OHECA member, I welcome you. I encourage all members to help make other new residents aware of the Orange Hunt Estates Civic Association and what it accomplishes for minimum annual dues.  I want as many residents as possible to be an informed citizenry and realize the value of community participation.

I have decided that my current 2-year term as OHECA’s president ending in March 2027 will be my last. I will expand more in this newsletter.

Please keep yourself, your family, and others safe, so your summer is a happy time.

Regards,
Gary Koblitz
president.oheca@gmail.com

Recent Actions

At the March annual membership meeting and in the spring quarterly newsletter, OHECA advised of several situations it believed needed to be addressed with local authorities. All of those, and more, are in some stage of resolution and are detailed below. One unexpected event that also required effort to fix was the destruction of the Old Keene Mill Rd community entrance sign. Damaged Old Keene Mill Rd Entrance Sign During the darkness of April 23, a driver lost control of her vehicle traveling westward on Old Keene Mill Rd and crashed through our “Orange Hunt Estates” entrance sign. The driver was charged with speeding and reckless driving. After more than two months of OHECA interactions with the DMV, our insurance carrier, and vendors, a new sign was fabricated and recently installed. Restoration of power and some landscaping remain to be completed in the coming weeks.  (You may recall that  almost a year ago another auto accident resulted in major damage to our Fairfax Parkway entrance sign, the second time that’s happened at that location in recent years! )   Huntsman Blvd Crosswalk at Side Saddle Rd: Before 2025 the curbside pavement markings at this location implied that curbside parking was allowed up to this crosswalk. Cars routinely parked here blinded southbound drivers on Huntsman Blvd from seeing a pedestrian stepping off the curb into the crosswalk. Virginia law prohibits parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, so the markings and law conflicted.  In 2024, at OHECA’s request, this crosswalk was upgraded with a more prominent bold, ladder-style design and related signage. More recently, we asked VDOT to resolve the confusing parking lane markings. In response, VDOT recently erased the markings near the crosswalk, with an end to the parking lane drawn farther back from the approach to the crosswalk. We also wanted a no parking sign installed, as has been done at the approaches to the crosswalk at Bridle Wood Dr, but VDOT apparently did not believe this was necessary. Although the right hand photo above shows cars still parked near the crosswalk after the parking lane markings change, more recent observations indicate that the residents here are obeying the new pavement markings and pulling cars onto their driveway. Perhaps a discretionary FCPD warning ticket helped! Please abide by the 20-ft no parking law at crosswalks and intersections elsewhere in our community. It is meant to provide clear driver sight lines to pedestrians and other cars. In  particular, parents parked illegally to pick up or drop off children exiting the two elementary schools, or waiting for their kids at school bus pick up and drop off locations, can put these children in more danger.  “End School Zone” Signs: Thanks to a resident’s comment, it has become apparent that certain school zone signs are missing in the area of Orange Hunt Elementary School. Drivers are alerted to their leaving the school zones bordering the school at only one of the four zones marked by a flashing yellow light. That one location is along the southbound lane of Huntsman Blvd between Spelman Dr and Spur Rd. It seems  incredulous that this situation may have existed for decades without notice! The purpose of an “End School Zone” sign is to inform drivers when they can resume the normal speed limit. The purpose, of course, is to make the area safer for children and parents walking near the school at the start and end of the school day. These signs may not have application where the speed limit on the applicable street is normally 25 mph anyway. For example, there are no yellow flashing lights marking a school zone on the Reservation Dr approaches to Sangster Elementary School.   FCPS Office of Safety and Security has promised to review this situation and solicit estimates for sign installations, as needed. We expect that these signs will be installed before the start of the school year, but no promises have been made.  Huntsman Blvd Crosswalk at Houndmaster Rd: After VDOT responded to OHECA requests in 2024 for more visible crosswalks along Huntsman Blvd, the absence of a crosswalk at Houndmaster Rd seemed inconsistent. The OHECA rationale for a crosswalk here are (1) there are southbound and northbound bus stops at the intersection, so this is a location where commuters would naturally be crossing Huntsman Blvd, and (2) there is more than a quarter-mile gap between Bridle Wood Dr and Red Jacket Rd without a marked crosswalk for routine pedestrians to safely cross trafficked Huntsman Blvd. Some residents in the area agreed and urged OHECA to pursue this. VDOT recently rejected this request based on what it states are evolving practices guiding the establishment of marked pedestrian crossings. VDOT cited several factors behind its rejection:The proximity of the existing crosswalk at Red Jacket Road.Expected pedestrian volumes.Water main conflict on the northern side of the intersection.Lack of an existing handicapped ramp.Sight line issues.Over-use of marked crosswalks tends to degrade a motorist’s expectation about pedestrian activity at any specific competing crossingIt’s unfortunate that VDOT has ruled this way, given that pedestrian safety concerns should usurp the VDOT positions in OHECA’s opinion. Some of the VDOT arguments seem hollow. Pedestrians will cross where it’s most convenient for them, so why not make it safer for them with a marked crosswalk? We believe drivers are more likely to stop for a pedestrian waiting at a marked crosswalk.  Pedestrian volumes are not different at any of the other crossings that VDOT upgraded in the past year or so, nor are sight line issues worse compared to the Side Saddle Rd and Bridle Wood Dr marked crossings, which themselves are poor in certain directions. Yes, installing a marked crosswalk here has physical challenges, but they seemingly can be overcome. The storm drain can be avoided. A handicap ramp can be constructed, just as VDOT or the county did of its own volition at the nearby Red Jacket Rd pedestrian crossing several years ago. Obviously, the engineers disagree with this OHECA  assessment.  Lower Huntsman Blvd Median Issues: This median from Red Jacket Rd to Old Keene Mill Rd has eroded over the decades causing low spots that collect rainwater and roadway asphalt to break off where the median slopes steeply. Below Bridle Wood Dr, impatient drivers are riding on the grass to skirt backups of drivers waiting to turn onto Old Keene Mill Rd during peak hours. This has caused tire ruts further eroded by storm water runoff. In response to OHECA’s request to resolve these, VDOT will add topsoil as early as the middle of July. We have not been advised how extensive this landscaping will be, including whether sod will be added. Sidewalk Repairs: At OHECA’s request, VDOT will continue to perform certain sidewalk repairs this summer, starting as early as mid-July. This fiscal year, it has funded leveling work along Reynard Dr and Huntsman Blvd. Once completed, approximately 75 percent of our community sidewalks will have experienced grinding, slab raising, or slab replacement to eliminate potential tripping hazards over the past five summers. OHECA plans to pursue further repair work with VDOT in subsequent VDOT fiscal years. For example, there are slabs with significant cracking or major discrepancies with abutting storm drain caps. What VDOT can do for us every summer depends on its funding and priorities, and, fortunately, it has been responsive each year.   Reservation Dr Park Parcel Message Board: At the March annual meeting, membership approved funding that would include a permanent community message board similar to that pictured. We want a message board on this OHECA-adopted Park Authority plot to service the south end of the community with information, as has existed at the Old Keene Mill Rd entrance. Presently, we have to place and remove a portable message sign at the Reservation Dr parcel, which is inconvenient. We were optimistic that we could complete this project this summer after requesting requisite PA permission. However, the PA has informed that it is reviewing its policy on installing message boards on all park property, apparently because of vandalism experienced at larger parks. We have rebutted with the distinction between the tiny plot embedded in our residential area and the normal large parks used by the public for recreational purposes. We await a PA decision. Dead Median Trees: Another dead Bradford Pear tree was removed recently from the Huntsman Blvd Median, but a couple or so more need to be cut down here and on the Sydenstricker Rd median for replacement with cherry trees, hopefully this fall. The dead tree removal and replacement has not gone as quickly as OHECA hoped this spring and summer. So far, VDOT has not been responsive to our request, except for that one tree. We continue to work the matter. VDOT owns the medians, but OHECA is paying to mow them, and it funds the planting of replacement trees to keep these areas looking nice. C’mon, VDOT, can’t we be partners in this endeavor?

Why This Will Be My Last Term – Gary Koblitz

Like many of you, I have participated in my community wherever I have lived. The strength of civic organizations and so many other groups can be measured by the involvement of its volunteers. 

I have lived in Orange Hunt Estates with my family for almost 40 years and raised my two children here from the time they were toddlers. I have been active in its affairs and in the Springfield community writ large for almost that entire duration. My time as president of OHECA will have added to six years by the time my term expires in March 2027. Before that, I was its VP for about four years and an active Neighborhood Watch volunteer for many years.

I’m not sure if there is an exact age when one’s Golden Years officially begin, but be assured that I have been there for a while! I’d like to be optimistic about my future, but, realistically, it will be more uncertain with each advancing year. That probably is the primary factor in my believing that we should begin planning for a smooth transition of the presidency now, rather than risk a possible more disruptive situation later.

While some experience as an officer or committee member in OHECA is a valuable asset, it is not essential to be a candidate for President — or any other position. There are many residents with experience in their careers and private lives that are transferable to helping to keep OHECA humming along. I’d like to see some new residents get involved in the operations of the association, so we always have smooth transition of roles as volunteers leave. Fresh ideas, new enthusiasm, and new skills are always welcomed. We have about 21 months before March 2027, so I’m asking all of you to give serious thought in the coming months to participating in OHECA oversight.

My wife and I have no intentions of leaving the community, so I want to stay involved in some capacity, but it’s time for me to carry a lighter load. 

Be assured that I will remind everyone regularly about my expiring term, so this does not easily escape your mind! Thank you for your understanding.

A Look Back – 1972

You know how your cell phone occasionally reminds you where you were a few years ago with a photo recalled from your phone’s gallery? We are going to do something similar with an aerial photo taken of Orange Hunt Estates in 1972. This will be memory lane for only a small number of residents still living in our community since the early years, but for the vast majority, it will be an informative trip back in time. Enjoy.Orange Hunt Estates was carved out of rural, forested land starting in 1965. After about 7 years of development, parts north of Sydenstricker Rd had been completed, except for a short extension of Powder Horn Rd beyond Deborann Ct. On the other side of Sydenstricker Rd, construction had advanced to Conservation Dr. There was no Orange Hunt Elementary School. By 1980 Orange Hunt Estates extended along Reservation Dr to Pohick Rd (now the Fairfax County Parkway), and incremental extensions of Huntsman Blvd finally reached Pohick Rd. For a comprehensive history of Orange Hunt Estates development, click here.