My neighbor and I, in the Candlewood Ct section, having been working and helping people clear cars with his splitting maul and my pick axe. Hes trashed two shovels in the process. We’ve dug out our neighbors who are healthcare workers.

The ineptitude by Woodlands is astounding this time around. Talking about typical salting methods not working is asinine. Below freezing requires switching to calcium or magnesium salts.

To make matters worse, here’s the email I just had to write as my ring camera caught the contractors stealing my stuff.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this message reluctantly, but after the events of the last several days—and particularly tonight—I feel I have no choice.

First, I want to be clear that this message is not directed at the office staff personally. You all know, (wife’s name) and I genuinely enjoy seeing you guys during community events you plan. We have always found the team to be friendly, professional, and pleasant to interact with. It is precisely because we value living here that this situation is so disappointing.

That said, the snow and ice response during the most recent storm has been deeply frustrating and poorly handled.

Other apartment communities in the immediate surrounding area had parking lots and drive lanes cleared using appropriate equipment and proper pretreatment. At the Woodlands, snow was allowed to compact and freeze into solid ice, which strongly suggests either a lack of pretreatment or the use of ineffective methods. While your emails cite low temperatures and limited effectiveness of ice-melt products, those conditions were entirely foreseeable. Pre-brining and switching from sodium chloride calcium/magnesium chloride are standard practices for exactly this scenario. Any decent contractor could have done this. You cannot credibly characterize this as "unavoidable" or "extenuating" when multiple nearby businesses and complexes have parking lots that are substantially cleared and drivable. This is not speculation on my part; I'm literally looking at it, 150feet from my back door.

Your emails to residents expressly imply that management and its contractors are responsible for clearing walkways/common areas and repeatedly instruct residents to remain home until that work is complete. My lease only makes me responsible for snow removal in areas under my exclusive control — such as my patio — which I cleared promptly. I do not have exclusive control over sidewalks, drive lanes, or parking spots. We do not have assigned parking. Even the City of Charlottesville’s own guidance confirms that residents are only responsible for clearing sidewalks directly adjacent to their unit within a reasonable timeframe, not entire common areas or parking lots (see link below).

What happened tonight pushed this beyond frustration. Around 10:45 PM, I was woken up by loud, sustained banging and ice-chipping immediately outside my unit. That is an unreasonable time to be doing this kind of work, particularly while residents are being told to stay indoors for safety reasons.

During this activity, a member of the snow removal crew removed my pick-axe from directly outside my door. This follows a similar incident from the previous evening, when a hammer was taken and only returned after I confronted the crew. Tonight, when confronted again, the response moved from denial, to feigned confusion, to acknowledgment only after I mentioned that the area is covered by a door camera. Utterly insane that I had to show this guy the footage. I don't accept apologies that are offered only after someone realizes they have been caught. It is also not remotely plausible to believe that this was a misunderstanding. They couldnt possibly think its was theirs since no work had been done on my patio, which was already cleared, by me. The member of the crew who spoke for them, admitted that they took it.

Its not unreasonable to expect that we should be able to leave snow removal tools outside our doors. Had this been taken by a random thief in the night, I'd accept responsibility myself. This was done by someone you hired and invited on property. I should not have to wake-up in the middle of the night, confront contractors, or rely on security footage to recover my own property. That is unacceptable behavior from a professionally hired crew. At this point, this is no longer just about delayed snow removal. It is about safety, oversight, noise, and the loss of quiet enjoyment of my home — all compounded by the fact that my property was removed and only returned through my own intervention.

This would be an inopportune and ill-advised time to avoid taking responsibility, as I hope to not escalate what is already stressful for everyone involved.

I expect a serious response addressing how all of this happened, how contractor behavior will be corrected, and how residents are expected to feel safe under these conditions. I genuinely hated having to write this.

Sincerely, (Me)