A NEW BEGINNING 2008

The Ashbrook Village Homeowner's Association blog has been moved to: www.ashbrookvillage.blogspot.com

Meet the Mayor event - notes from the meeting

First, I hope all have received their newsletters that were delivered last week. Many important topics are covered within.


I want to thank Canal Winchester Mayor, Jeff Miller, for making himself available to the HOA residents for a "Meet the Mayor" event held at my house (Scindra Kolecki) on Saturday. It was a perfect day, and despite being held during an OSU football game, many residents gathered together for a potluck dinner and hot dogs cooked over the open fire.

The Mayor settled in for a bit of a "fireside chat" with residents who wanted to discuss various issues, not only regarding the HOA, but also regarding the Village in general.

Mayor Miller had a FAQ Sheet that he handed out which addresses some of the topics that he is asked about frequently. The contents of that handout are posted at the end of this blog-post for your convenience.

As residents who RSVP'd with their regrets have asked for a synopsis of the conversation, here is a summary version of the topics covered:

Phone in Question from a resident:

Q. Taxes in CW are comparable to communities such as New Albany and Upper Arlington. Why is it that with taxes so high that we don't see a difference (improvement) in the development in CW?

A. Our tax base is divided between Franklin and Fairfield County and property taxes go to county services. In Franklin County, the larger funded services include A.D.A.M. (Mental Health) C.O.T.A. and the Franklin Park Conservatory. Property taxes do not go to the village.

Canal Winchester gets income from income taxes. This tax is on the rise as we’ve added 1000 new contributors in recent periods through population growth and reciprocal arrangements. The revenue is greater than ever and the 2% rate for Canal Winchester is the highest rate available by law.

These funds have been put to good use, as the village is solvent, which was a major initiative of the new administration. A reversal of the situation from the prior administration. The bond rating of the Village had previously made access to capital difficult, and an improvement in the rating has also been a major initiative. In fact, there was a substantial carryover from the prior budget year.

The Village is using the funds to apply for an AA or AAA bond rating so that it can borrow for future infrastructure.

By 2012 the Village will become a city. This will give ability for a change in taxes as well. Learning from nearby new cities, the present administration is making plans to manage this process appropriately.

This entails ensuring that as a “first ring” community outside of Columbus, that CW maintains a particular differentiation, something that Upper Arlington and Bexley did very well, where communities such as Whitehall, Gahanna and Reynoldsburg didn’t do as well.

Circling back to answering the specific question, taxes don’t drive development, but rather Expendable Income and Rooftops build development.

To that end, there was a study that was commissioned by Boulevard Strategies that identified that Columbus is “over-retailed” by about 25%. Therefore the Village is not actively focused on just additional retail.

What is being done is the increase in new subdivision standards, which is discussed in the handout below. Essentially, this is an attempt to regulate new growth to be towards higher income homes to help contribute to the expendable income in the community and help the school district ratio of higher income participants. This is directed at balancing the “bell curve” of income levels in the community and school district.

Q. What is the “identity” of the Village? For example, Pickerington is a good place to buy antiques, etc.

A. The soul of a community essentially reinvents itself every 4 to 5 years. Our heritage is an agricultural + urban blend. Several in the community have deep roots in agriculture, while new developments such as Westchester, Ash brook, Canal Cove and Cherry Landing are bringing in new residents. Many like the new subdivisions, schools and the quality of life. Our schools are particularly attractive as the students demonstrate higher than average GPA’s and % of students going on to college.

Thus, the community is really identified with the hometown feel of a community known for its excellent schools. As new entrants come into the community, some speak of a growth situation that is taking the hometown feel away. The principal that drives the identity of the Village is, in the Mayor’s opinion, not the size of the town, but the size of the hearts within the town.

Stacey Boumis, candidate for Council, was a guest in attendance and discussed some of the efforts of the planning committee as well. Good employers in the area contribute to the community in that new job creation benefits the local housing market and the retail community. The planned hospital is a very good employer to look forward to in the future. Approving a 25,000 square foot professional building nearby will also attract professionals who may chose to live in the community.

The planning committee is maintaining areas where the higher end developments can be built, as well as areas for community amenities and recreation facilities.

The Mayor went on to discuss attempts to bring a college to the old middle school. He also spoke about the Burger King controversy and what can be construed as “Mayonnaise Mile” on Gender Road. He has been working with Casto to bring in higher end retailers such as Panera, as opposed to the same cookie cutter repeats of common strip malls. A City BBQ and Grater’s Ice Cream are slated to occupy the old Studio C / Wendy’s property. The planning committee continues to steer the identity of the destinations towards a more desirable, diverse and stimulating commercial area.

Recreation plans with the bike path have been moving slowly, but with cooperation with State and Federal agencies. While significant funds have been secured, the process is slow. Eventually, the bike path could connect to the Three Creeks Park and Diley Road parks area and be a high-point for walkers and bicyclists.

Q. Does Waste Management really separate recyclables?
A. Yes, it is done manually and mechanically. Every bag is ripped open and the garbage is separated by glass type, plastic, paper etc. Visits to the plant are available to see for yourself!

There also has been some discussion about the fear of a “cash burning power plant”. The material in the handout covers this topic. (See Green Solution to Landfill below).

Q. Why are Labor Day rides at our festival “less than desirable”?
A. The Labor Day committee is responsible for the event, and is not a function under the Mayor’s control.


Q. What village ordinances exist regarding the parking of commercial vehicles within the community?
A. Overnight parking of commercial vehicles (with more than two axels) is not permitted in the city. The Sherriff’s office has the ability to ticket violators. However, smaller commercial vehicles are not prohibited by the city.

Further the HOA has restrictions regarding commercial vehicles parked in the street. Several neighbors have complained about unsightly large vehicles and lawn contracting equipment parked on streets within the subdivision. While not a municipal issue, the HOA Management company will begin to serve notices to the operators of these vehicles to comply with the deed restrictions.




Finally, the contents of the FAQ Handout

Too much growth:
-There were 48 houses built in CW last year
-We are on track to build 100 this year
-The actual village boundaries stop at Bob McDorman's lot. North of there is Columbus
-The Mayor set a new standard of minimum building requirements that apply to all new developments that will raise the average housing price to help balance the housing stock built in Columbus and in our schools
-Only 30% of the kids that go to CW schools live in CW
-Country Living Magazine voted CW the best place to live in Ohio

Why water restrictions?
-We have restrictions on unattended lawn watering as good stewards of our resources
-There were no plans to fund a new water plant four years ago.
-Our new plant is online
-The Mayor negotiated an emergency connection with Pickerington that has kept us from instituting a water ban

Fire house on Dietz:
-The homeowner is in jail for Federal Drug Violations, including arson of his own house that was double insured
-The Mayor has taken the property to environmental court to have it declared a nuisance
-Within the past several weeks, our office has been contacted by persons requesting permits to fix this house

Virginia Homes leaving Villages of Westchester:
-They have not notified the Mayor that they are leaving, however, he believes it to be so
-They have been performing on the jobs that they were obligated to finish

Green Solution to Land Fill
-We are in the beginning stages of investigation into an environmental approach to removing our municpal solid waste from the landfill
-We are the host community for Waste Management's transfer site for parts of Franklin and Fairfield County
-Our trash is currently sorted and shipped to remanufacturers or the landfill
-In 25 years the landfill will be full
-It will take an additional 14 million miles per year to transport our trash to the next landfill
-There is a way to clean the municpal waste creating a product called "fluff" and reuse it
-Batelle Memorial Institute has found 3 uses for the prouduct 1) to add to depleated soils, such as strip mined land, 2) to press it into building material, 3) to add 1 part to 9 with coal, to make electricity
-There are no plans to make electricity here
-If they choose to use the fluff at a power plant it can be transport3ed to an existing power generating plant
If there is any negative impact on our environment, we will not permit a plant to be built

how to post a comment

Just click on comments ( in small letters at bottom of the posting) and it will take you to a link where you must create a google account. This site does not allow anyone to post anonymously. After creating your account, simply type in your comment and post. Also available is our email.

ashbrookvillage@yahoo.com

Special Meeting June 16th 2007 Regarding Deed Restrictions

Today we held a special meeting to discuss a number of issues. There are several major initiatives underfoot that I want to make everyone aware of.


1) The exploration of hiring a HOA Management Company
2) The effort to collect "ballot issues" to be used for voting for deed restriction changes
3) The possibility of entering into an agreement with the Village to take over ownership of the gun club area.
4) Unpaid HOA dues.

HOA Management Company:
Initial discussions regarding a Management Company have been met with a positive response. The trustees will meet with a couple of companies and post the results of those conversations as we learn about options. This item does not require a vote from the HOA members. But the trustees are looking for your opinions on the subject.

Unpaid HOA Dues: This was a hot topic. We still have somewhere between $27,000 and $30,000 to collect in back dues. 102 property owners have not paid this year. Ask your neighbor to pay if they haven't. In hiring a property management company we will be getting to some serious levels of confronting this issue. The company will send three letters. The first is a friendly reminder. The second is not so nice. The third will have the court date on it. Court costs will be added to the amount owed. Just another reason why I think a property management company is the way to go. If your neighbor tells you they never got a bill, my phone number is posted here and we'll be happy to give the amount they owe.

Deed Restrictions Ballot Suggestions:
Please submit these to me as soon as possible. I'm planning on putting together the comments I recieve by the end of the month. That should give everyone time to think about the issues and what points you want to make. Keep them general. Remember, if we have too many are posted it will spread the vote and we may never get a 67% vote on anything. At the bottom of this sheet is the text from the meeting. Please copy and paste in word or similiar tool and print off a copy with your comments. My goal is to put together the essense of what I get back and post it. Eventually this will be used for coming up with the ballot of voting issues. These will be distributed by volunteers for votes door to door. A committee will then gather and count the votes. Lastly, we'll post the results and let you know if anything changed.


Gun Club - Village Ownership:
The Mayor was on hand to discuss the Village's willingness to discuss with the HOA the possibility of taking over the Gun Club parcel as a Village Park. This 10 acre parcel remains unimproved, and costs the HOA over $3,000 annually in tax assessments.

There were many people who voiced a number of concerns about the area:

• Being unimproved has been appreciated by many, as the area acts as a natural, quiet area for walks. Lot owners that adjoin this parcel paid lot premiums for the benefit of being against and area that had no improvement plans.
• Concerns regarding HOA and non-HOA residents who might frequent this area.

We also discussed the Muskrats in the pond and putting back in the fountain. The consensus was to trap the Muskrats and remove them. Then put the fountain back and use a conduit to deter further chewing.

__________________________________________________________________

Please print off this portion and return to me at 7490 Williamson Lane or you can post your answers publicly and we'll add them to the others. Questions - call me at 833-6187

DEED RESTRICTION CHANGES – ADDITIONS


Fences – change restriction on color/style?
Currently only picket style , white or beige is allowed











Fences – change height allowed
Maximum height is currently 42”









Sheds –
Currently not allowed
· Size allowed – Up to _____________________
· Materials for construction required-
Siding, roofing
· Color -













Language to put teeth into violations around deed restrictions. Currently no fines.










Raise Dues –












Trampolines –











Others?

Welcome to the Ashbrook Village HOA Blog

I created this blog to be a source of open communication across our community. Please feel free to post your comments, concerns or questions, and PLEASE...be respectful of our neighbors and anyone who may not share your opinions.