Woodard’s Crestlake Homeowners’ Association
Newsletter
June 2008
2008 Board of Directors
The Crestlake Homeowners’ Association (CHOA) has organized its Board of Directors and Committees:
Jim Brock – President
Mike Anderson – Vice President; Webmaster
Sandi Schopp – Treasurer
Jaime Kofoot – Secretary; Chair, Membership Committee
Steve Quick – Sergeant at Arms
Rick Edwards – Board member; Chair, Architectural Committee
Cindy Ferry – Board member
Jim Page – Board member
Phyllis Williams – Board member; Chair, Ponds and Commons Committee
Angela Page – Chair, Social Committee
Schedule of Meetings
The Board of Directors will meet bi-monthly instead of monthly. The schedule for the remainder of 2008 is:
- July 10
- September 11
- November 13
The Board decided to move the Annual Meeting of the CHOA from December to January. The next Annual Meeting will be held January 8, 2009.
Accomplishments
The CHOA Board of Directors has:
- Increased and expanded the insurance coverage for the ponds and common areas
- Re-established and renewed the not-for-profit corporate status
- Updated the By-Laws
- Retained legal representation and hired an accounting firm for bookkeeping and taxes
- Developed an excellent website at www.crestlake.org
- Established a PO Box (#325) and an Association telephone number, 353-LAKE (217-353-5253)
- Collected the 2007 assessments from 347 of the 350 property owners (see Assessments below)
- Promulgated a multi-year budget proposal
- Adopted common area rules and policies
- Sponsored a Halloween Parade for the children in the neighborhood that was attended by nearly 175 people
Ponds Remediation
The Board hired Berns, Clancy and Associates (BCA) to assess the condition of the ponds in Crestwood. The Board reviewed the report from BCA and decided that the sides facing homes on Hawthorne Pond North and Hawthorne Pond South are the highest priority and will be repaired first. BCA prepared contract documents and specifications for the remediation of these ponds and the Board sent out guidelines to contractors to get bids.
The Board received three bids. Following a thorough review, the Board accepted the bid of Ribbe Trucking. The Village has been contacted to determine required permits and the contracts have been signed. The frequent soaking rains have delayed the start of this project. Work will begin as soon as weather permits.
Ponds Maintenance
The Board accepted the bid from Marine Biochemists for the chemical treatment of Magnolia Pond. The other lakes will be chemically treated as needed.
The aeration of Magnolia Pond will be postponed until after Fiscal Year 2008 homeowner’s dues have been collected and more is known about the total costs which will include electricity.
Construction in Crestlake
If you are planning or have started a project that requires a building permit from the Village of St. Joseph, please submit those plans to the CHOA Architectural Committee for final approval.
For those who have lived in Crestlake for a while this may come as a surprise because previously most of us have made those improvements without ever consulting the CHOA. However there have been issues where some homeowners felt they had problems with construction impacting their property and had no way to bring their concerns to anyone’s attention.
As an active homeowners’ association in Crestlake, it is our duty to ensure that everyone follows the covenants and rules that are in place. This includes the construction of new homes, as well as the installation of fences, storage sheds or swimming pools. When there are complaints from residents or disputes between neighbors, the CHOA gets the call. CHOA wants to ensure that all guidelines are followed and address any concerns that may arise. To submit your plans, contact the CHOA Architectural Committee at www.crestlake.org or call the CHOA phone number, 353-LAKE (217-353-5253).
Assessments
At the initial neighborhood meeting in May 2007, the annual assessment was raised from $120 to $150. In the summer of 2007 the CHOA hired RSM McGladrey, Inc. to send out statements and collect assessments. They also provide house sale closing letters.
The Board determined that it would be unfair to the residents who paid to not vigorously pursue 100% payment from everyone. After multiple notices, only three property owners failed to pay. CHOA was forced to take them to court – those cases are still pending. The CHOA Board congratulates the 347 home owners who did pay their assessments and gratefully thanks them for their cooperation.
Reminder: The CHOA Board has adopted a policy not to actively pursue unpaid assessments prior to 2007. However, it will not issue a letter for a house sale closing unless all prior assessments have been paid.
Common Areas
As previously mentioned, in order to protect all the residents of Crestlake, the CHOA has incorporated and obtained liability insurance for the common areas and the ponds. We have received direction (enclosed) from the CHOA insurance carrier, State Farm, that structures – specifically play-type structures – should not be placed on common areas or on CHOA-owned property. This creates a legal liability for all the residents. The CHOA Board is legally required to do “due diligence” to notify all the residents of the rules to keep personally-owned structures off of common areas.
Additionally, the CHOA Board is compelled to notify all residents that illegal activities should not be conducted on CHOA property. For instance, illegal fireworks cannot be used on CHOA property. While most of the Board members personally enjoy the fireworks that residents shoot off on July 4th, etc., we cannot condone or authorize such activity.
Newsletters
Due to the high cost of postage, newsletters like this are typically mailed only once per year. Newsletters sent via email are the primary method of communicating with Crestlake residents. The Board strongly urges you to visit www.crestlake.org and sign up to receive additional announcements like this via email.
