Budget – Annual dues will remain $150 although the late fees will increase to $30 for payments received after the July 31st deadline. On September 1, 2012, the second notice for 30 day late non-payment of dues will be sent from the CHOA attorney via certified mail. Late fees, attorney fees and costs incurred to your association will be added to your dues.
We have retained Puzey & Wright Accountants to monitor your CHOA finances and Michael Scott to oversee the ponds and commons areas. Currently, we have been able to stay within our budget without increasing the annual dues.
There are several factors that will determine whether a dues increase is in order such as rising costs, legal fees, insurance, pond & maintenance as needed and managing the business of the association with fewer funds. We are still paying for the remediation ponds loan and when this loan is satisfied we hope to begin the last phase of the pond remediation process. In the meantime, we are also looking at bids to repair missing rock and erosion where remediation repairs were previously made.
This brings us to an important point. Every Crestlake homeowner has a monetary vested interest in the neighborhood and the common areas. We need everyone’s help in monitoring the ponds. All of you have invested in the repair and maintenance of these ponds including the placement of large rock (rip-rap) to help curtail the bank erosion.
Unfortunately there will be unforeseen expenses to replace missing rip-rap in 2012 as some of the rock is missing or has been thrown into the ponds in various locations. Each time you see someone throw one of these rocks into the ponds it is estimated that it costs about $1 per rock when you calculate the cost of the rock, transportation and individual labor costs to replace that rock. With your help to curtail the loss of this rock, we can help keep our dues at the current level or not increase dues for lake front lots.
We encourage you to take the time to check the Rules and Regulations that govern the commons area. The Rules and Regulations, as well as the Covenants, are available for viewing in the documents section of our website, www.crestlake.org A few of the areas covered are construction, pets, garbage, and property maintenance. Our website, also, provides other useful links such as access to the village of Saint Joseph website for additional guidelines.
The bylaws of the association state we have to maintain a board of directors with certain officer positions (in order to retain our tax exempt status) and provide liability insurance for the ponds and commons areas.
We want to welcome the new and thank the former board members for their non-compensated, dedicated, and conscientious service on behalf of their fellow Crestlake homeowners.
At the July meeting it was decided to increase the number of meetings in 2013 to every other month starting January 2013. It was also decided to include the Neighborhood Watch meeting at the end of each CHOA board meeting for continuity.
We cordially invite all members to attend the next Crestlake Homeowners’ Association meeting which is Thursday, October 18 at 7 p.m. at the St. Joseph Township building, just west of Kolb Park.
