DHCA July Board Meeting
Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 7:30 pm 

Minutes

Board Attendees: Courtney Desautels, Karen Capwell, Mark Troppe, Jared Schwartz, Ileana Cionanu, Kathy Sullivan, Shane Morgan, Dan Graver, John Riley, Kevin Mitchell

Guest Attendee: Patricia Kapur

1. Cavalier Club Update  

a. Testimony

• Mark submitted testimony for the June 24 hearing -- Project Number SSPA 2023-I-2B Cavalier Club. Our biggest concerns are the traffic changes to Wilson Blvd, the trees, and being consulted on the process.Ileana posted our testimony on the DH site's announcements section on June 23. Background: In May the initial plan with the construction of a second apartment tower, parking garage, and 5000 sq ft of retail was approved to move forward. The Planning Commission approved it on June 24th and next it goes to the Board of Supervisors on July 14. 

b. What is Next: 

• Redevelopment at the Cavalier Club and the Wilson  Blvd changes are on parallel paths.  The comprehensive plan for the development will move forward even if the Wilson Blvd part is on hold.  VDOT has responsibility for assessing Wilson Blvd now that the county has approved it.  This whole process involves a lot of quick turnarounds, as they have an aggressive timeline. 

• Transportation Plan. 

• • Mark has the underlying transportation study (over 190 pages) and will look at it. If anyone wants to look at it, he can share it. (Dan will look at it and Karen has a friend in transportation who will also look at it.)

• Communications with DH residents. 

• • Patricia said the Grove houses received a certified letter from an architect and arborist stating that the parking garage site plan has been submitted and it can be approved within 30 days of the letter postmark (June 26).

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2. Little Free Art Gallery 

• DHCA is supporting Stacey Schwartz’s grant application for the Little Free Art Gallery in Dominion Hills. We expect to hear in early September if it is granted. This is not for the continuation of the physical Library itself but for other aspects of the project.

3. Neighborhood Plan 

• James Scampavia provided feedback for Kristen Gilley, who is incorporating and further editing. 

4. 4^th of July Event 

• Board members Kathy  (and her husband), Terri, Shane, Courtney, and Dan are coming.  Ileana will be there starting at 9 am to start with the set-up for those who can come a bit early. 

• Shane has a Fourth of July playlist. He will bring the extra ice pops as well.

• Courtney agreed to be the person to tell the parade participants where the start line is.

5. Park (including trustees) 

• Matt Bachrak spoke with current trustee Bernie Hyde, who has requested a replacement trustee for his position, and has no documents. 

• The Board determined we should approach the law firm that drafted earlier legal advice for the Board decades ago to see if they have the trust itself (separate from the gift of the property into the trust, which we know exists and we have it from both Shane and Ileana, who got it from Arlington earlier).  The law firm exists and while there might be a fee, we should be able to ask for our client file. 

• ACTION: Ileana will contact the firm.

• The Board agreed we should start seeing who’s interested in the trustee position.  Board members should not be trustees due to the conflict of interest.  Both Ileana and Shane will start conducting reach-out to see who’s interested in the trustee position.

 5.Nonprofit status

• Ileana and Shane listened to a SCORE training on how to set up a nonprofit. 

• The Board agreed to move forward with the easiest nonprofit path: to reinstate the 501(c)(4) status, which is expected to cost $600.  The Board can later consider a subsequent move to 501(c)(3), which will require more paperwork. One benefit of having either is that we will be eligible for cheaper rates for our website and insurance.

• Ileana is retrieving the old tax documents back from Dan.  Ileana has started the document that will need to be completed if we want to get 501(c)(4) status back.

• Ileana, Shane, Dan, and Kevin will meet separately in July to continue to work through the IRS document needed for reinstatement.

6. Constitution and Bylaws 

• Shane, Ileana, and Courtney have made comments on the draft and will meet in July to go through the specifics to present at the September Board meeting. Comments are appreciated.  Dan will advise as needed.

7. Park Maintenance

• John reported that the park work day in June resulted in a lot of invasive plant removal at the park.  It was a small but mighty turnout!  The session in July will be skipped because it is so hot and many people are traveling. The group plans to start strong in the Fall, when it is cooler.  Matt Richard will remove the event from the website.

Adjourned.  Board Approved the Minutes by email.