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7 comments:
First, I'd like to thank everyone who has ever served on the HOA board - what a difficult job!
Here are my comments regarding the survey received at the meeting on Saturday.
Fences - perhaps we could update the styles allowed if the current trends have changed, but they should be equal or higher quality than what our current deed restrictions allow.
To create a look of continuity in our development, the colors white/beige must stay the same as well as the height – Maximum 42”.
Please do not allow any privacy fences. I moved here for the openness of the community. (Of course if an in ground pool is an issue - the fence must meet the village’s regulations for safety purposes.)
Property Management - YES! I never realized this was an option. These people will have time to work on our community all day! Many improvements will come from this. This job is too big for volunteers. I see no negative points to having a company manage our administrative duties. Here are the positive points I see.
• This would allow our trustees of the HOA to focus on what our community really needs. Planning outings and providing us with opportunities to come together. The trustees are volunteers; this should be a rewarding experience for them as well as us as a community.
• Deed restrictions could be enforced
• Nothing would be overlooked, i.e. taxes, deed restrictions, collection of dues.
Sheds – the ability to have a small shed to store the lawn mower and kids bikes would be such a benefit. But I agree that this would have to be heavily monitored and restricted. Again, continuity in the community is important for the esthetics of our community. The sheds should be small, and match the materials and color of the house. There should be restrictions as to how close to another’s property they can be and landscaping should be placed around the shed.
Dues- No one wants to spend more money than necessary, but if making improvements to our community to employ a property management company is enacted, then it will be worth it. I just ask that we look at several options and get references so that we will be employing a company that will benefit us.
Collection of dues – I think communication is the key here. Recently, when dues have been collected, signs are being posted at the entrances. That is a start.
If we do not use a management company, perhaps a phone number can be placed on the sign as to who can be contacted to get a bill if one has been misplaced or received.
Also, an idea to promote publicity that dues are due, what about placing a sign in one’s yard after their check is received stating “It’s time to pay dues”.
No one wants their name published as a non payer – maybe this would be a more positive way to alert people that they are responsible to pay.
Trampolines – I know, I’m a party pooper – but I HATE the things. They are an eyesore and they are very dangerous. . They are becoming more popular and I don’t know if banning them would be passed by a vote. However if we did vote, my vote would be no.
If we do continue to allow them, we must have restrictions placed on them to keep our children safe. For example, there must be safety pads and enclosure nets.
Williamson Lane – Too many people speed down this stretch of road. I fear for my children’s safety. I would like to see speed bumps placed on this road or at least stop signs at severalintersections to slow down the traffic.
Geese – Although the geese are pretty to look at and see floating on the pond, their droppings are a terrible mess and are causing our green space in that area not to be usable. I used to go and sit by the pond all the time, but the geese have taken over. One cannot walk through there without stepping in something. There are ways to force the geese to relocate. This is an important issue that we need to look at as a community.
Green space transferred to village – More discussion is defiantly needed with the village to see what this all would entail and what our rights would be. Of course our contract with the village would need to include a clause that we would have total control as a HOA as to what is done with the green space. Here are the points that concern me and why I think we should let the village handle the green space.
• Cost of maintenance
o Lawn care
o Rebuilding wall of old pond that is currently eroding and will cause flooding and damage to homes near it.
o Removal of trees in the wooded area that are damaged and can cause damage to surrounding housed
o Police patrol of the enclosed area – now that is private property and they can do nothing about the illicit dealings that may be going on back there.
o Someone mentioned that the developers said they could not build on that green space because of all the lead in the ground from the previous gun club – let the village pay for the clean up of that. Do we really want the cost of the removal of that?
o Tax relief – the HOA would no longer be responsible for paying taxes on all this land.
I know that this is a very sensitive subject to those in our community. However, we already have people who are not from our development going back into the old gun club. I really don’t think that by giving the green space to the village would create any more people coming back there. I only see big problems and big dollars for us to maintain the property. Again – as long as we have a final say of what is done with that space, why not let the village pay for it. The mayor said that we would have total control of it; they would just maintain it financially. As long as we get that in writing, everything should work out fine. If we want, we don’t’ have to do anything with the land, just keep it green space, but the village could maintain and patrol the area which would be a huge benefit and relief for our community.
My comments regarding the survey:
Fences - I like how the current restriction. Continuity is very important in the appearance of our development. Changing will break the continuity we have today. One of the more appealing attributes of our development is the open feel it has. Colors should stay beige and white along with the 42". No privacy fences.
Sheds - My vote is "No". i agree that it would be very nice to have a shed to house the childrens toys and lawn equipment. While a good majority of homeowners will follow the guidelines, others will not. My neighbor is currently installing a shed and I did not think that was allowed?? Was a permit given to build it? What can be done to enforce the deed restrictions? Apparently they are already being broken.
We need better language in the deed restrictions to make sure they are followed. Rules will be broken without consequence. The Villages of Westchester deed restrictions are followed. You will not find a shed in that development.
Property Management - Absolutely! Let the people who have the time, knowledge and experiance to step in. The job is too big for volunteers.
Dues - I am willing to pay more to hire Property Management and willing to make the investment in our community. The homeowners all benefit and if everyone pays the annual dues, we should have no problem. Publish the names of those who don't pay. Our open space, entrances, ponds and Gun Club area are what you see when entering our subdivision. The appearance and care for those areas represent the entire development.
Trampolines - Allow them. This is a family neighborhood.
Green Space turned over to the Village - We are not fond of the idea. The property belongs to the Ashbrook Village residents. It does need better care and maintenance. The safety of making it public scares me a bit. It has far too much access for anyone to just drive in the area today. A gate should be installed to eliminate driving up to the area.
I'm of the opinion a Trustee should be more of an example rather than being exempted from responsibility. Trustees are supposed to enforce the rules and regulations, not defy them. How can it be expected of other HOA members to take matters seriously and comply with restrictions when an enforcer is not?
With the decline of the HOA over the years there has been one constant, a Trustee who has repeatedly failed and shows no evidence of serving now, but for himself.
At the June 16 meeting there was a list presented of considerations for possible changes to the deed restrictions, one item being "Sheds - Currently not allowed," yet despite this, one of our Trustees is already in the process of building a shed, which short of shingling the roof, appears to be all but complete!
Due to the negligence of our previous Trustee/Treasurer, who is now Trustee/Secretary, the HOA was without liability insurance for eleven (11) months (June 21, 2006 through May 21, 2007); as we are all HOA members, we were all at risk during this time of being sued if someone had been injured on the common area properties.
Anyone in favor of the removal of Spencer Wood as Trustee or wanting more details as to why, please contact me at athomas@insight.rr.com .
Main Pond: Is it possible and financially feasable to get a fountain with a light? It would be beautiful!
Property Management: It is difficult for the trustees to police their own neighbors. Property management would help with that. My only concern is that it would have to financially feasable. Do they guarantee that they will get a certain percentage of residents to pay dues?
Dues: I think the developer set the dues too low at the get go. Now we are stuck with an income stream that is too low to properly manage the HOA. When the neighborhood common areas look beautiful, that helps all of our property values. I would be willing to pay more, but will others?
Trampolines: Personally, I don't like them. They are an eyesore and dangerous. However, I don't think we should ban them.
Sheds: I think that most of us would like a shed, but I'm afraid of what they would do to the asthetics of the neighborhood. If we did allow them, we would need to strictly enforce regulations about appearance. We currently don't strictly enforce the rules we have now, so I just don't think that we are at a place to properly regulate sheds.
Gun Club: I'm not opposed to turning over the property to the Village, but I would like the HOA to maintain some control. I would like the area to remain a "nature preserve," not soccer fields, etc.
First and foremost, a management company is essential for efficient handling of HOA tasks/obligations. These tasks are far too time consuming for volunteers to handle solely. Management companies will negotiate insurance rates, enforce deed restrictions, and manage the collection process of dues. All which are critical to the health of our HOA. Of course, with that comes a cost, but certainly money well spent. With the community owning two ponds, we can NEVER go without insurance. If someone were to drawn in these ponds; we are ALL potentially liable. As an insurance professional, this coverage is critical. Individual homeowners can also help protect themselves by contacting their Homeowners Insurance carrier to add a rider to their policy; this coverage is called LOSS ASSESSMENT. Generally adds a minimal cost to your policy (approx. $10 per year) and can protect you against assessments of liability from common areas such as these. Contact your insurance advisor for details/pricing.
As for fencing, 42" is plenty high enough. If you allow privacy fences, you are killing property value and community feel. I agree with the writer whom indicated coming here for the "openness of the community". Boxing in yards will kill the asthetics of the community. Keep the quality high and the fence height low.
For sheds, absolutely NO. Of course we all would like to keep our lawn mowers and yard equipment away from our garages, but the quality controls on these items would be too much. There are already no enforcement of the fencing (as there are privacy fences built over the 42" limit), metal swing sets, etc. To add another area of concern is just asking for trouble. Now if we had a management company that were enforcing the current deed restrictions and/or liens were being placed on homes that were non-compliant or fines being issued, then maybe. But for now, I'd say absolutely not. Table it until all the other areas are being enforced. Clutters yards and if not high quality would severely diminish property value and community feel.
The most important area of concern are dues and the collection of dues. Dues MUST be paid. If they are not collected, then interest should be assessed and liens immediately attached to homes (including the addition of interest). These homeowners that are NOT paying dues are stealing from those of us that are. We are all in this community together and we are all required to be commited to the maintenance of our land, etc. If you are unable or unwilling to pay your dues; then move somewhere where there are no dues. We are living in a community based environment and we must all pay our part. The amount of dues we currently pay are nominal. The amount of dues need to be increased to afford a quality management company that we can pay well and expect much. Also, we need to collect enough dues to keep our property looking great. While appropriate dues must be requested from each homeowner, we equally must make sure that the management company &/or HOA volunteers are fiscally responsible on how these funds are used/managed. Make sure we are not over paying for services, etc.
Betterments: In my opinion, we should increase dues to handle a couple of critical items. One big one is the fountain. Make sure the varments are out and the fountain is in. Also doing our best to manage the geese population. This fountain is the first thing you see when entering and gives the community a great feel. Lights being added would be a great addition. Additionally, I believe we should employ our own security company for the community. This would keep the old gun club safe from parking/drugs/etc and minimize crime in our community, speeding, vandalism and other miscellaneous issues.
Selling the old gun club would be a terrible mistake. Ownership of this club/undeveloped area is a great addition to our community. $3000 a year to have it, what is that per household (less than $5.00 per house at best)per year. Keep this place! If you want to develop it, lets take up a collection and put a club house/weight room/community swimming pool. Only residence of the community can join & use (with visitor passes of course). Talk about increasing property value. If you want it undeveloped, then leave it alone, or spend some money to bring in some dirt (to fill the low spots) and have a great place to have a picnic with your family, throw a frisbie with your kids, take a nice quiet walk, etc. Selling it is a critical decision and in my opinion is the WRONG decision.
Trampolines: As an insurance professional, they are an accident waiting to happen. But that gives me no right to make that decision for other residents. I think it is critical that they are properly maintained, for not only the safety of our children, but also the look of our community. Prefer the ones with nets (again for safety, plus tend to be a little nicer looking). Not a big fan, but that is your decision as a homeowner....just make sure you have increased your liability coverage. :)
That is my two cents. My focus is to keep our community strong and to have a great place to raise my family. That is why I moved here. I love the community. We moved here because of the feel, lets keep it that way!
hilliard drive,
Please e-mail me at athomas@insight.rr.com regarding HOA insurance.
Thanks.
Do you know a good Columbia property management company?
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