Only three people, and just one of the presenters, turned out for the Buckingham Community Civic Association Monday Sept. 21. Pat Hope, the long-time BCCA president who is running for the 47th Virginia House of Delegates seat sent an email just before the start of the meeting telling everyone he would not be able to attend. That may have kept people home. The meetings historically draw about a dozen people.
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“Another wave of adjustments is coming this year,” warned Doug Myrick, Arlington County Homeownership Program Coordinator in the county’s housing division. His office is keeping an eye on those adjustable rate mortgages. It is his job to reach people who need help avoiding, or working through, a foreclosure.
“Ideally we’d like to hear from people before they miss their first payment,” he said at the BCCA meeting. He said the county has set-up financial literacy training for people in this situation and that the county can help draft a letter of explanation for the banks.
“We do work with you to plan ‘Act 2,’ so to speak,” he said, adding that planning for life after the foreclosure or refinance is important.
Appearing at the BCCA meeting was part of Mr. Myrick’s three-pronged approach. Rather than going hyper-public with the program, his office is trying to reach people in places where the embarrassment factor might be lower—at civic association meetings, at churches and at PTA meetings. Pastors, priests and school social workers can alert him to families in crisis. His office is “trying to get people directly to counseling,” he said.
For help: email the housing division to Mr. Myrick’s attention.
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Terry Serie was scheduled to speak about the county renewing the live entertainment permit at Union Jack’s Pub. Noise, especially in the evenings and nights, was the issue for people who live on N. Tazewell Street about a block from the bar, where Mr. Serie lives.
The issue was taken up by the county board last Saturday, and that body accepted the recommended changes hashed out by the pub’s owner, citizens, including Mr. Serie, and county staff. The county will revisit the permit in six and 12 months.
In an email yesterday, Mr. Serie wrote: “Continued feedback during the next year will help to strengthen the conditions during the next review. Working the process is required to achieve results.”
Earlier coverage:
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The BCCA still does not have anyone who will fill President Pat Hope's shoes should he win election to the House in November. Three of us, after the meeting, ran through names, and admittedly, no single person came up as the best to run the show. If you live in Buckingham, and if you have been keeping track of Buckingham, please consider going to meetings and helping to run the BCCA.
