Stop and Speed Limit Signs

The Central Park Master Association Board of Directors has authorized the procurement and installation of "Stop" signs at selected intersections along the Central Park ring road as well as "Speed Limit 25" signs at the Van Dyke and 22 Mile Road entrances.

The signage project was approved at their Nov. 30, 2009 meeting and the signs were installed earlier today.


The "Stop" sign locations were selected on the basis of their proximity to school bus stop and crosswalk locations.

The "Speed Limit 25" signs were placed at the entrances to our community as a reminder that all residential streets have a 25 MPH speed limit.

Water & Sewer Rate increase

At their Dec. 15, 2009 meeting, the Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees voted to raise the existing water and sewer rates by 9%, effective January 1, 2010. Details can be viewed by clicking here and scrolling down to pages 118 through 125 of their meeting agenda back-up documents.

This news comes after your Association Board of Directors have already prepared and adopted the 2010 Budget, which holds the monthly Association dues to $175. The upcoming budget will be very tight and this will only make it tighter. Unless we have a very cool, wet summer, our typical watering schedule will have to be scaled back to prevent an overrun of our water/sewer line item budget, which was based on the cost of water at the prior rate.

A copy of the 2010 budget will be mailed to you in advance of our Annual Meeting on Jan. 20, 2010, during which we will have considerable discussion about the budget.

Pardon this little bit of political punditry, but our local school districts and municipalities have been rightly complaining about how the Michigan Legislature's inability to finalize their budget prior to the start of the state's new fiscal year causes them severe budgetary uncertainties. Yet by passing the last of the revenue rates just two weeks prior to the start of their own budget year, the Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees demonstrate the same lack of consideration towards those farther down the budget planning timeline.

2010 Annual Meeting

Mark your calendars.

The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Association will be held on Wednesday evening, January 20, 2010 at Utica High School. Sign-in will be from 6:00 PM until 6:30 PM, with the meeting beginning promptly at 6:30 PM.

In a few weeks you will receive a mailing with full details and an agenda.

Replacement trees on berm

Our landscape contractor is currently installing evergreen trees along the berm to replace some of the ones which had died over the past few years. In early September, I surveyed the berm by first identifying all of the gaps in the tree line and then determining that it would require a total of 27 evergreens to fill them. Some gaps were larger than others and their locations were identified as such on my project sketch. Upon receiving the estimate from our landscape contractor, the three members of the Board of Directors decided to only fill the larger gaps, since our 2009 budget could not cover the $8,200 it would take to fill all of the gaps.

Based on the Board's decision, I re-surveyed the berm to re-confirm the number of trees needed to fill the larger gaps and we added 1 more evergreen tree to the project, resulting in the total of 15 evergreens which are now being installed.

Since the work has started, I have received several phone calls from co-owners complaining that a gap near their unit was skipped. I have tried to explain that there is only so much money available in our budget for this project and that the decision to proceed with the scaled-back plan was made by the entire Board, not just me. My responses seemed to fall on deaf ears and I have even had my integrity questioned by one complainant. If you are not satisfied with a decision of the Board, I would suggest that you put it in writing and address it to the entire Board of Directors, in care of Kramer-Triad.

I intend to remove myself from the process of identifying and prioritizing the locations of any future tree-plantings that need to be funded by the Association. I will propose at our annual meeting in January 2010 that a committee of co-owners be formed for that purpose, who would then make their recommendations available to the Board. The Board would continue to decide how much to spend (if any) on trees during any given budget year and the committee's prioritized list would be their guide for determining where the trees would be planted with the available funds.

Traffic Enforcement

At the request of residents along the Central Park ring road, the Shelby Twp. Police Department (STPD) has been recently enforcing the 25 MPH speed limit, which according to Michigan law, applies to all streets within platted subdivisions unless posted otherwise.

The Central Park Master Association Board of Directors is currently studying the installation of "Stop" signs at selected intersections along the Central Park ring road, as well as a "Speed Limit 25" sign at each entrance to the Central Park development.

Please remember that unless you see a sign stating otherwise, 25 MPH is the speed limit on all residential streets in the Manors at Central Park, the other Central Park subdivisions and throughout the state of Michigan.

On a related note, be aware that the STPD is strictly enforcing the law regarding the use of Center Left Turn Lanes. Those lanes may only be used for left turns by traffic already on the road that contains the Center Left Turn Lane. The STPD is ticketing drivers who utilize the Center Left Turn Lane while completing a left turn from eastbound Central Park North onto northbound Van Dyke. According to the Michigan State Police Traffic Laws FAQs, "It is unlawful to use the center left turn lane for a right turn or as a merge lane when entering the roadway." See this sketch that shows a legal and illegal turn onto a road with a Center Left Turn Lane.

WOW! Cable and Internet Service Update

Since I wrote this message for the Fall Newsletter, the boards of both the Gardens and Meadows Associations have agreed to join us in pursuing the necessary easement agreements with WOW! Cable and Internet. Those two Associations are now in the process of submitting the Right of Entry documentation to WOW, which I have already submitted for the Manors. It appears that WOW is willing to cover most, if not all, of the costs involved with the easement agreement surveys and documents.

As more information becomes available, I will post it here.

Voices of a Never Ending Dawn

This post has absolutely nothing to do with the Manors, but I have mentioned in passing to many of you about the film in which I make a brief appearance while discussing my grandfather's role in World War One. Some of you asked me to let you know when the film will be shown, so that is why I mentioned it in the the Fall Newsletter and again here in this posting.

In the summer of 1918 President Woodrow Wilson, at the urging of our allies in Britain and France, sent an infantry regiment to North Russia to join the fight against the Bolshevik Red Army with the hope of resurrecting the war against Germany on the Eastern Front. The 339th Infantry, along with the first battalion of the 310th Engineers and the 337th Ambulance and Hospital Companies, whose men were primarily from the Detroit and Michigan areas, were chosen for this task. My grandfather, Clement Grobbel, was a corporal in Company I of the 339th Infantry Regiment.

These men landed in Archangel, Russia in early September of 1918 and soon found themselves braving the cold arctic weather while fighting fierce battles in temperatures of fifty-degrees below zero. They fought numerous battles in Northern Russia for eight long months after WWI had ended until they were finally withdrawn in June of 1919. On the voyage home they began calling themselves "Polar Bears”.

"Voices of a Never Ending Dawn" is their story, told using their own words. This film was produced and directed by Pamela Peak, whose grandfather was also a "Polar Bear". It will have its television broadcast premiere from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Sunday, November 8, 2009 on WTVS - Detroit Public TV, Channel 56. WTVS can be found on Comcast channels 6 and 240 (HD). You can visit the film's official web site by clicking here.

I am the president of the Polar Bear Memorial Association and I've created the Association's web site which has a lot of content and links to information about the Polar Bears.

Central Park Commons Area Landscaping Project

The commons area to the south of the West Broadway entrance to the Manors is currently undergoing significant improvements to the landscaping. The red outlined area on this map indicates the location of the landscaping project. Grand/Sakwa, the developer of the Central Park Planned Unit Development, has hired Adams Landscaping to rehabilitate the irrigation system and improve the appearance of the trees, shrubs and lawns in this area.

All residents of the Gardens, Meadows, Manors and Kensington sub-associations will be receiving a copy of this letter from Adams Landscaping that explains the type of work that will be performed and asks for our cooperation while the new lawn gets established. The costs for these improvements are being funded by the developer, not the Central Park Master Association. Upon completion, the Master Association will become responsible for the costs to maintain these improvements.

Here is Adams Landscaping's timetable for this project:

• Install Meter – completed
• Repair irrigation – completed 09/21
• Complete vegetation kill – completed 09/22
• Distribute homeowner letters – completed by 09/25
• Begin grading operations, topsoil, seeding – starting the week of 10/05
• Finish complete project by 10/20

Sprinkler System "news"

The National Weather Service's current 7-Day Forecast for Utica, MI is unseasonably cool and damp, so as of today I have re-programmed the sprinkler system controllers to eliminate the afternoon watering cycle (except for the lawn surrounding the models on Lexington West). I have also scaled back the overnight watering times to 90% of normal to conserve water and reduce our bills. If and when the weather returns to warmer and drier conditions, I will scale the watering times back up accordingly.

The well-operated system along the berm will soon be undergoing some long-needed repairs to improve the performance of the two zones along the tree line on the top of the berm. Earlier today, Kramer-Triad authorized our irrigation contractor to proceed with the repairs they have identified and estimated. If they are correct with their diagnosis, the cost to fix the zones will be considerably less than the significantly different diagnosis and estimate we received from a different contractor last summer to correct the problems, which we first noticed upon the completion of the switch-over to the well water.

13 Things a Burglar Won't Tell You

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom—and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door—understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com)


And the other 8:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.

4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.

8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

Reader's Digest Contributing Editor Janice Lieberman shared these and more tips on the Today Show and in her blog.

("Hat tip" to Manors co-owner Jackie Colonnesi)

Street Signs & Dollar Spots

AUGUST 18th UPDATE: The new street sign posts were installed today along with the available sign plates (shown above is the new post and signs at the corner of Lexington West and Regent) . Because of an error on the part of the sign plate printer, some posts are missing one or both sign plates. The job will be finished as soon as the printer makes up the corrected sign plates.

The street signs which were ordered earlier this summer are scheduled for installation sometime during the week of August 10th. They will be installed where Lexington North intersects Regent, Watling and Lexington East. A sign will also be installed at the corner of Regent and Lexington West. Lack of signage has been an on-going problem for visitors and delivery trucks and could become a safety issue if it causes a delay in fire or police response. For whatever reason, the original developer never saw fit to place signage at those corners, so your Association will fund the installations.





With the recent arrival of warmer and humid weather, the dormant Dollar Spot fungus has reared its ugly brown spots (shown above, click to enlarge) in certain areas of the Manors. It is very expensive to apply fungicide, which may also require repeated applications to fully eradicate it, only to find that it has returned the following season. After consulting with our fertilizer contractor, we will try accelerating or adding to the fertilizing schedule to keep the grass roots healthy so they can recover instead of burning out. You can help by avoiding walking through infected areas, since the fungus can be spread by contact.

First Amendments to our Condominium Documents

On Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, representatives of Lombardo Homes hand-delivered to each co-owner's front door a copy of the First Amendment to the Master Deed and Bylaws of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Association. The amendments are the result of changes initiated by the developer so that they can market Units 1-14 as "site condos".

Click here to read the post I wrote on April 17, 2009 that explains the practical effects of the Amendments and how the changes to the "Percentage of Value" were determined.

Note that the First Amendments were recorded on April 16, 2009 and that you did not receive your copy of the amendments from Lombardo Homes until 107 days later, despite the fact that Article IX, Paragraph (E) of the Master Deed states, "Co-owners... shall be notified in writing of proposed amendments not less than (10) days before the amendment is recorded...."

Not only did Lombardo Homes fail to provide advance written notification of the amendments, they attempted to pass off the duplication and distribution costs off to our Condominium Association (which would have been a $400+ hit to our budget).

On June 19, 2009, I sent an e-mail to Lombardo Homes asking whether the amendments had been recorded, since we had not yet received copies of them despite the fact they had just installed advertising banners on the Van Dyke entrance announcing the new models for Units 1-14. I received a reply indicating that they had been recorded on April 16th and that a digital copy had been sent to Kramer-Triad for reproduction and distribution to all co-owners.

We responded by pointing out that

• Article IX, Paragraph (K) of the Master Deed states that "A person causing or requesting an amendment to the Condominium Documents shall be responsible for costs and expenses of the amendment...."
• Kramer-Triad would therefore assist Lombardo Homes only by providing them with a set of pre-addressed mailing labels they could use to make an accurate distribution.

The address labels were mailed to Lombardo Homes on June 30, 2009, yet it took them another month to get the amendments copied and distributed to you.

If you compare the "Percentage of Value" numbers in my April 17th post with those contained in the First Amendment documents you received, you will notice that the percentages do not match.

UPDATED Nov. 19, 2009:

This is because in the original Master Deed, Article X, Section 10.1 Central Park Master Community states that, "All assessments levied against the Co-owners and their Unit pursuant to such Master Declaration shall be equal and shall not be apportioned among the Co-Owners in accordance with the percentages of value assigned to the Units owned by them." Therefore, the annual dues for the Central Park Master Association had to be backed out of the percentage of value calculations which resulted in the 0.17422% and 0.64185% values you find in the recorded Amended Master Deed.

Change to lawn mowing schedule

The owner of GM LawnPro and I met earlier this week to discussed the cutting height and mowing frequency. He will raise the cutting height on his lawn mowers beginning with the next mowing.

He said that he is seeing unnaturally slow growth of the lawns both here at the Manors and at his other clients, which he attributes to the cool wet weather we had in early spring that has remained cool but with less rain. He proposed - and I accepted - a reduced frequency of cutting until the lawn growth rate returns to normal. He will make his next cut on Tuesday June 16th and the next one 10 days after that (Friday June 26th) - and so on - until we agree that the growth rate has recovered and requires mowing on a normal 7 day cycle. If we finish the growing season with less than the 26 contracted mowings, we will receive a credit.

Retention Ponds

The Central Park Master Association (CPMA) is responsible for maintaining the six retention ponds scattered around the Central Park development. Kramer-Triad is the property manager for the CPMA (as well as the Manors) and on our behalf, they have contracted with LakePro of Swartz Creek, MI to maintain the six ponds located on our common property.

Per the contract, Lake Pro services our ponds six times each year, beginning in mid-April and continuing at regular intervals through September (about four weeks apart). During each visit, they chemically treat the ponds to control algae, provide floating and submerged weed control and also apply a blue dye to improve the water appearance.

JUNE 4 UPDATE: The CPMA Board of Directors at their June 4, 2009 meeting authorized Kramer-Triad to amend the contract with LakePro to add two additional treatments for the 2009 season, bringing the total to eight. They also directed Kramer-Triad to inform the Board members via e-mail when LakePro notifies them that they have delivered each treatment.

JUNE 8 UPDATE: LakePro has given us tentative treatment dates for the remainder of the summer. They are June 11, June 18, July 1, July 14, July 27, August 11 and September 3.

Factors that contribute to the rapid growth of algae include water temperature, rainfall and the amount of nutrients introduced by lawn fertilization and waterfowl. While we cannot control most of these factors, we can try to keep the geese population to a minimum. Please do not feed the waterfowl (or any other wildlife, such as the deer). Kramer-Triad has also installed exclusion devices on some of the ponds that will hopefully convince the geese to hang out elsewhere.

Central Park Picnic

The residents of the Meadows and Gardens subdivisions to our south are organizing a Central Park Picnic this Saturday (June 6th) from 3pm to 6pm. All residents of the Manors and Kensington condos are also invited to attend. The event with take place on the commons area that is just south of the intersection of West Broadway and Central Park North.

Lawn Mowing delayed one day

GM ProLawn has informed me through Kramer-Triad that because of the holiday and wet weather earlier this week, they will be cutting our lawns this coming Saturday instead of the regularly scheduled Friday.

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Central Park Master Association

The approved minutes of the April 6, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Central Park Master Association can be read here.

Landscaping work

Back to Nature will be doing our fertilizing and weed control this growing season and they made the first application back on May 8th. GM ProLawn will be performing our lawn and landscaping maintenance this year. This is the same company that did our snow removal over the past winter. GM ProLawn has been on-site yesterday and today to do the bed edging and weeding and to also finish repairing snow plow damage from this past winter. All lawns will receive a full cut today and on the following weeks, Fridays will be our designated lawn cutting day (subject to change due to weather or holidays).

Please assist the GM Prolawn crew by removing all of your belongings that are on the grass, such as garden hoses, toys, lawn furniture, etc.

The sprinkler system has been ready for use since April 15th and I am waiting until the grass shows evidence that it needs supplemental watering before I turn it on. Over the past 24 days, my rain gauge has measured 3.8 inches of precipitation, but it looks like later this week it will be much drier and warmer.

Wildlife ?

On Saturday afternoon, April 18th, I spotted this animal near the well by the corner of Regent and Lexington North (click on the image to enlarge it). It appears to be a young red fox, but I'm no expert on identifying wildlife. Maybe it is someone's pet dog? It kind of resembles a Welsh Corgi, but this has a long tail and the legs are not a short as a Corgi. UPDATE: It turns out that it's a pet and that it's a Long-Haired Chihuahua.

As a reminder, please do not feed the real wildlife, since it serves to attract them as well as other species who cause damage and costs for the Association. Last year the Association had to spend precious budget dollars to "evict" multiple woodchucks who migrated from the fields to burrow under rear decks, and then to have another contractor fill in the holes they made. Feeding the ducks and Canadian geese results in a terrible mess on our sidewalks and lawns and "baiting" the deer causes them to want to browse on our foundation shrubs and arbor vitae while they are here. Deer damage was particularly heavy on the arbs near the well, to the point where the lowest five feet of each arb is now too thin to provide any visual screening of the well equipment.

Lawn and landscaping maintenance

GM Prolawn has been awarded the contract to cut our lawns and maintain our landscaping for the upcoming growing season. Friday will be the regularly scheduled day of the week when they will be on-site. This is the same company which had our snow removal contract over the past winter.

Amendments to our Master Deed and Bylaws

All co-owners of units at the Manors at Central Park will soon be receiving in the mail a copy of the "First Amendment to the Master Deed of the Manors at Central Park" as well as a copy of the amendments to the "Manors at Central Park Condo Association Bylaws".

These amendments should be kept with the "Manors at Central Park Documents" book you received at your condo closing. You do not have to respond to these amendments, they are being sent to you since they amend legal documents which you agreed to with your signature at the time you closed on your condo. However, since they consist only of the amended portions of the document, reading them will not tell you the full story of what is happening. I have prepared the following summary for you that explains in plain English why and how the changes were made.

Lombardo Homes, the "developer" of Lots 1 through 14 (Lot 15 no longer exists), desires to create and market the single detached units to be built on those lots as "site condos". Lombardo Homes looked at the possibility of creating a new and separate Condominium Project for those 14 site condos, but has since decided that they should remain a part of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Project, which will now consist of a total of 166 units at completion. Therefore, the developer has exercised his rights under Article IX, Paragraph H of the Manors at Central Park Master Deed to amend our Master Deed and Bylaws so as to redefine the unique set of ownership and maintenance responsibilities that will exist between these 14 site condo co-owners and the Association.

Co-owners of a site condo own and are responsible for their own exterior maintenance and replacement, including the structure, driveway, front walkway and landscaping. Therefore, because of their greater amount of individual ownership in their units, each of the 14 site condo co-owners will have a lesser "percentage of value" ownership in the overall Manors at Central Park Condominium Project. Thus, they will be charged a correspondingly lesser monthly Association fee to reflect the exclusion of allocated maintenance and replacement costs which are unique to the 152 regular condo units on Lots 16-167. When it comes to voting rights, each co-owner of units 1 through 14 will be entitled to (1) vote when voting on those issues that are to be determined with "voting by number" as defined in the Master Deed and Bylaws. When voting on issues that are defined as being determined with "voting by value", each co-owner of units 1 through 14 will have a vote equal to the "percentage of value" assigned to their unit. The maximum total number of votes cast when "voting by number" will be 166. The maximum total of votes cast will be 100% when "voting by value".

As your elected member on the Board of Directors, I have been working closely with Lombardo Homes and Kramer-Triad to determine a fair "percentage of value" for the two types of condo units we will now have in the Manors at Central Park. The "percentage of value" for each type of condo was determined by looking at all line items in the 2008 budget and then allocating them in accordance to the amended Master Deed responsibilities into "equally shared", "partially shared" and "non-shared" costs. "Equally shared" line item are those that all co-owners own and benefit equally from and thus each co-owner bears 1/166th of the costs associated with the line item. "Non-shared" line items are those that pertain to only to the regular condo units 16 through 167 and are allocated to those 152 units. "Partially shared" line items are those in which the site condo co-owners have a partial ownership and benefit.

The "partially shared" category involved most of the work in determining the percentage of value that has been assigned to each of units 1 through 14. For example, the asphalt private access drive in front of units 1-14 is owned and maintained by the Condo Association but unlike the driveways and front walks of units 16-167, the co-owners of units 1-14 will own and maintain their own driveways and front walks. Based on this new difference in responsibilities we looked at the 2008 budget line item for snow removal and estimated what percentage of it is directly attributable to the total square footage of the road surfaces. On a square footage basis, we measured the roadway portion of the snow plowing work to be 25% of the total area that is kept clear, with the remainder consisting of the sidewalks, front walkways and driveways. All 166 eventual co-owners own and can benefit equally from our roadways, therefore, each eventual co-owner of units 1-14 has been allocated 1/166th of 25% of the total 2008 snow removal budget line item cost.

After thoroughly analyzing the 2008 Budget in this manner, we have determined that each co-owner of Units 1 through 14 will be assigned a "percentage of value" equal to 0.21271% (0.0021271). Accordingly, each co-owner of Units 16 through 167 will be assigned a "percentage of value" equal to 0.6383% (0.006383).

These percentages of value add up to 100% as follows: (14 x 0.0021271) + (152 x 0.006383) = 1.0000000 or 100%. For reference purposes, previous to these amendments, each co-owner of the 166 units would have had an equal "percentage of value" of 0.6024% ( 1/166 = 0.006024).

Based on the 2009 Budget spending and the assigned "percentage of value" of 0.21271% for each of Units 1 through 14, the co-owner's estimated monthly Manors Condo Association fee would be $60 which will be paid starting when their house is issued a certificate of occupancy. There is no change to the 2009 $175 monthly Association fee for each of occupied Units 16 through 167.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions about these amendments. After a long process that could have potentially resulted in Lots 1-15 having two-story buildings and being spun off as a separate Condo Association, I think these results are the best we could have hoped for.

Sewer Repairs

The faintly familiar sounds of heavy construction equipment echoed across the northwest portion of the Manors this afternoon. Unfortunately, it was not the welcome noise emanating from new construction work.

A sewer line owned by the Condo Association was blocked, causing the waste water from Units 55 & 56 to back up into their basements. Repeated attempts to open the sewer with a power auger were unsuccessful and a video inspection revealed that a section of the sewer lead pipe was completely separated. Kramer-Triad received approval from the Board of Directors to hire Paul C. Scott & Sons Plumbing to excavate and fix the line as soon as possible to alleviate the problem.

Once the sewer line was uncovered at the bottom of a 10 ft deep hole, the cause of the problem became evident. The contractor who made the tie-in to the sewer lead when the basement was originally excavated in 2004 must have hit the lead with their backhoe and pulled it out of the rubber friction boot on the 10 inch sewer main. This single 6 inch sewer lead services both units and it had been pulled out about 18 inches from the boot. The situation went unnoticed because that end of the sewer lead remained covered with backfill. Ever since the units were sold in 2005, all of the sanitary waste from Units 55 & 56 has had to flow through this 18 inch long tunnel in the sand in order to reach the sewer main. Eventually this tunnel collapsed and the sewer lead filled with sand. It's a wonder that this problem did not surface much sooner and that a sink hole never developed in the front lawn.


"Men at work" on Lexington North.


Workers excavated an 8 ft. x 15 ft. hole that was 10 ft. deep.


The worker in the hole is standing on top of where the sewer lead should have been connected to the sewer main; the manhole structure is at his side.



The section of sewer pipe between the two black Fernco flexible couplings is the permanent repair and it bridges the gap apparently created by the backhoe operator in 2004.

Refuse & Recyclables Curbside Pick-up Location

Our refuse collection company has requested that we assist them so that they may more efficiently collect what we set out at the curb. They can reduce their number of stops and starts nearly in half if duplex residents would voluntarily place their items at the curb on the side of the driveway closest to the driveway of our neighboring unit. This drawing shows the preferred placement location for refuse and recyclables in blue.

Central Park Master Association Board Officers

The newly-elected Board of Directors of the Central Park Master Association held their first meeting earlier this evening. Following their election of officers for the current year, the Board discussed budget issues, items of concern and the process we will follow to complete the transition of control from Grand Sakwa to the new Board. Ryan Dorner was also in attendance, representing Kramer-Triad, the Master Association's property management company.

The 2009 officers of the Board of Directors are:

President - Mike Grobbel,
Vice President - Mike Malone
Secretary - Ted McCoy
Treasurer - Brian Pesola

The Board will meet again in about two weeks as part of their preparation for an upcoming meeting with Grand Sakwa.

Master Association Board of Directors election results

At tonight's transitional meeting, the following people were elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Central Park Master Association:

Mike Grobbel, Manors (2 year term)
Mike Malone, Meadows (1 year term)
Ted McCoy, Kensington (2 year term)
Brian Pesola, Gardens (1 year term)

5/26/2009 UPDATE: The approved minutes of the April 6, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Central Park Master Association can be read here.

Reminder - April 6th Master Association Meeting

The Transitional Meeting of the Central Park Master Association will be held this coming Monday evening, April 6, 2009 in the Commons Area at Eisenhower High School [map].

Sign-in starts at 6:00 PM and the meeting itself will begin at 7:00 PM. It is important that we reach a quorum so that we can conduct the election of 4 co-owners to the Master Association Board of Directors. If you will be unable to attend, please fill out the General Proxy form that you received in the mail from Kramer-Triad. You have several choices for filling it out and having it voted for you.

a) write "Board of Directors" if you want Grand Sakwa to cast your votes for whomever they want. Mail or Fax your Proxy per the instructions on the form, or you can give it to me or a neighbor to bring to the meeting.

b) write in the name of a neighbor who is the designated voting representative for their condo unit and who will be attending the meeting. They will be allowed to receive your blank ballot and cast your votes for you. You may instruct them in advance how you wish to vote or give them permission to cast your votes for whomever they want.

Make sure you sign and date the General Proxy when you complete the form. Call me at 726-0317 if you have any questions or wish me to stop by and pick up your completed General Proxy.

Sign up for Monthly Withdrawal of your Association Fee

If you have not already done so, you might find it more convenient to have your bank automatically withdraw your monthly Manors Condo Association Fee payment from your bank account.

No more having to remember to write and mail that monthly check or having to pay a late fee when you do happen to forget.

By signing up for automatic withdrawal, your bank will automatically make your payment for you on the 6th of each month.

Click here to view and print out the authorization form. Fill in the required information and provide a voided check and send it all to Kramer-Triad's Troy office using one of the three methods described at the bottom of the form.

Refuse Collection Reminder

A reminder to all Manors residents, Tuesday is our normally scheduled refuse collection day and your refuse and recyclables should be placed at the curb no later than 7:00 AM to insure that they will be picked up that day.

You may place your items at the curb beginning at 6:00 PM of the evening before collection day. Empty containers should be removed from the curb no later than 6:00 AM of the day following the collection day.

Master Association Meeting - April 6, 2009

UPDATED: March 25, 2009

Manors co-owners will be receiving a second, revised letter in the mail announcing the Transitional Meeting of the Central Park Master Community Association. The letter is being revised to clarify the voting process. Click either link to read the revised letter: PDF or JPG formats.

The Central Park Master Community Association is responsible for maintaining the streets and areas such as the retention ponds that are shared by all four Central Park sub-associations (Manors, Kensington, Gardens and Meadows). A small portion of your monthly Manors Association fee is directed to the Master Association to fund their budget. Kramer-Triad is the managing agent for the Central Park Master Community Association.

The purpose of the April 6th meeting is to begin the process of transferring control of the Central Park Master Community Association from the developer (Grand Sakwa) to the four sub-associations. At this meeting, four co-owners (one from each sub-association) will be elected to Board of Directors of the Master Association, replacing the current Grand Sakwa Board of Directors.

The revised letter clarifies the voting process, which is that each Manors co-owner gets to vote for their preferred nominee in each of the four sub-association elections. Note that only Manors co-owners are receiving a revised letter, the other three sub-associations received the correct version.

I have already submitted my nomination to be a candidate for the Manors sub-association position on the Master Association Board of Directors. Any other Manors co-owner can also be nominated.

The designated voting representative for your Condo unit will be permitted to cast one vote for their preferred nominee to represent the Manors sub-association on the Master Association Board. They will also be permitted to cast a vote for their preferred nominee in each of the other three sub-association elections.

Likewise, co-owners in attendance or represented by proxy from the other three sub-associations will be entitled to vote in each of the elections.

We must have a quorum of 35% of the total homes in all four communities in order to hold this meeting. If you are not sure you will be able to attend, please follow the instructions for submitting your General Proxy, which will be included in a future mailing.

For more information, please read this PDF "draft" version of the Bylaws of the Central Park Master Community Association.

Board of Trustees approve Lombardo request

At their March 3, 2009 meeting, the Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees approved Lombardo Homes' revised site Plan modification request.

The details of the approved request were the same as those acted on by the Planning Commission at their Feb. 9, 2009 meeting.

Several residents including myself spoke at the March 3rd meeting regarding the discussion held at the Feb. 9th meeting about the exterior colors that will be made available on these new units. At that meeting it was stated that they will be drawn from a palette that will be compatible with the Manors existing color and finish scheme and determined in conjunction with the Planning Dept. At tonight's meeting we expressed the desire that the petitioner and Planning Dept. follow through on that plan and we even mentioned that the palette could also be drawn from the color and finish schemes used on the Kensington condos. Based on our comments, Trustee Paula Filar asked for and received permission to modify the motion and added an additional condition to that effect.

Planning Commission Recommends Approval

UPDATED Feb. 13, 2009:
This request now moves to the Twp. Board of Trustees for their final approval at their meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

At their Feb. 9, 2009 meeting, the Shelby Twp. Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation to the Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees that Lombardo Homes' revised site Plan modification request be approved.

During his presentation, Greg Windingland of Lombardo Homes noted that there had been some changes made to the revised proposal they submitted on Jan. 23, 2009. He explained the changes and made the following comments and commitments:

1. The units to be built under this revised proposal will be:
   a) a true ranch style, no one-and-a-half story options
   b) limited to just one floor plan, a 1,499 sq. ft. model (with basement) called the "Silverado" - the other two floor plans shown at our Jan. 21st meeting and mentioned in the Jan. 23rd letter have since been removed from the site plan modification request
   c) the "Silverado" will be offered with any of the four exterior elevations previously shown; Elevation "C" shows "false dormers" and there is no living space behind them; available exterior colors will be drawn from a palette that will be compatible with the Manors existing color and finish scheme and determined in conjunction with the Planning Dept.
2. Mr. Windingland estimated that these units will sell in the $170K-175K price range
3. because of the odd shape of two of the Lots 1-15, the "Silverado" will not fit within their building footprint; therefore, they are requesting that the site plan be modified to show a total of only (14) 44 foot wide lots, with seven lots on either side of Walter Ct.
4. Lombardo Homes will not push for a creation of a separate condo association for these 14 units, they would remain as part of the Manors Condo Association; left open was the possibility that they would push for a change to the Manors Master Deed that would change the maintenance financial responsibility for these 14 units.
5. Lombardo Homes is committed to building low-rise ranch clusters on Kensington's Walter and Stebbins Courts; these clusters will be similar to those that were first built at Kensington.
6. the site plan will be revised to identify the sidewalk that will lead to Walter Court and the addition of refuse walkway pads between the access drive and Central Park North.
   

Feb. 9th Planning Commission Meeting

The Shelby Township Planning Commission will meet at 7:00 PM on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 to review the revised site plan modification request being submitted by Lombardo Homes.

Residents who received mailed agendas for previous Planning Commission meetings on this subject should have received a mailing this week advising them of the Feb. 9th meeting agenda. Within the next few days, I will distribute a "meeting notice" flyer to the front door of each occupied unit in the Manors at Central Park.

The petitioner's revised request is asking for permission to build detached, single-family, ranch-style condominiums on Lots 1-15 "that will reasonably match the character and appearance of the existing ranches in the Manors". Despite Mr. Sable's promise at our January 21st Annual Meeting, he still has not provided me with any additional information.

This will be the first chance for the Planning Commission to see and hear the petitioner's revised request. There will be an opportunity for public comment during the agenda item. It is possible that immediately following the petitioner's presentation and the public comment, the Planning Commission will move to forward a recommendation to the Township Board.

Lombardo's revised proposal for Lots 1-15

On Jan. 19, 2009, Lombardo Homes withdrew their original site plan modification proposal for Lots 1-15 and served notice that they intend to re-submit a different site plan modification request to the Planning Commission, asking for permission to build "a ranch style home that will reasonably match the character and appearance of the existing ranches in the Manors".

At the Annual Meeting of Manors Co-owners on Jan. 21st, Richard Sable asked to be placed on the agenda so that he could present what his partner (Lombardo Homes) intends to re-submit, plus answer any questions we had. At the meeting, Mr. Sable passed out a few color copies of exterior elevations and floor plans which he indicated would be the basis of Lombardo Home's revised proposal. He indicated that the first floor exteriors would be fully bricked and that the three model floor plans would fit within the originally planned building footprints on Lots 1-15. He also discussed his intention to modify the Manors Master Deed with regards to these fifteen lots and indicated that he would provide more information that could be posted here on this blog by the end of January.

You can view a scanned version of his handout by going to this web page.

Snow piles

Based on the concern that was raised at the Annual Meeting about the size and locations of some of the large snow piles on our property, Ryan Dorner of Kramer-Triad contacted the owner of GM ProLawn (our snow removal contractor). As a result (and at no additional charge to the Association), they came in today and cut some of the snow piles down to size and dumped the excess snow on nearby vacant lots .

Annual Meeting of Co-owners

The 2009 Annual Meeting of the co-owners of the Manors at Central Park was held on Wednesday night, Jan. 21, 2009.

A quorum of co-owners were in attendance for this meeting, of which the main order of business was to elect one co-owner to the Board of Directors of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Association.

Michael Grobbel was the only co-owner who was nominated for the position and he was unanimously re-elected for a one-year term.

Following the election portion of the agenda, Mr. Richard Sable was permitted to speak on behalf of the revised site plan proposal for Lots 1-15 that will be submitted to the Shelby Twp. Planning Commission by Lombardo Homes.

You can read the "unapproved" minutes of last night's meeting by clicking here.

Lombardo withdraws his proposal

Late this afternoon, Anthony Lombardo withdrew his proposal for two-story units on Manors lots 1-15. Therefore, there is no need to attend the Jan. 20th Township Board of Trustees meeting. I will try and contact as many folks as possible by phone and e-mail this evening so they do not needlessly attend the Tuesday night meeting.

Above is a copy of Lombardo's withdrawal letter (click on it to enlarge it). Note that they intend to re-submit a new site plan modification request to the Planning Commission, asking for permission to build "a ranch style home that will reasonably match the character and appearance of the existing ranches in the Manors".

I also received the e-mail message below from the Shelby Twp. Clerk.

----- Original Message -----
From: Terri Kowal
To: Mike Grobbel
Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 3:55 PM
Subject: RE: January Work Session meeting on SP #02-55 (PUD-1) The Manors at Central Park

Mr. Grobbel,

Great news for you and your neighbors – YOU WON!!!!!! Mr. Lombardo is withdrawing his application, it is coming off the agenda, and he is starting all over again at Planning. Can you please let your neighbors know so that they can save some effort and time tomorrow night?

Once again, it is OFF the agenda and WITHDRAWN!!!!!

Congratulations to all of you.

Terri Kowal

Reminder - two meetings this week!

UPDATE - Jan. 19th

The Lombardo agenda item has been withdrawn from the Tuesday night meeting of the Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees.

On Tuesday night, Jan. 20, 2009 at 7:00 PM, the Shelby Township Board of Trustees will hold their regular meeting in the Board Room at the municipal offices at 24 Mile and Van Dyke. During agenda item #7 in the "Planning Commission" portion of their meeting, the Board is scheduled to make a decision on the request by Lombardo Homes to build two-story units on Manors Lots 1-15 instead of ranch style units similar to what is already built to the west along North Central Park. During this agenda item, the petitioner as well as the public are invited to speak on this matter. I intend to speak and present the survey results (see the prior post, below). Please join us at this meeting, even if you do not wish to speak.

The following evening, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009, the Annual Meeting of the Co-owners of the Manors at Central Park will be held at Utica High School, in Room 160 (park and enter at the rear of the building, the room is on your left just inside the rear entrance). Registration begins at 6:00 PM and the meeting will start promptly at 6:30 PM.

In order to legally hold this meeting, we need at least 35% of the co-owners to be in attendance, either physically or through their proxy. Failure to attain a quorum will cause us to have to re-schedule the meeting. If you cannot attend, please fill out the General Proxy form you received in the Jan. 7th mailing and send it to the meeting with a neighbor or call me and I will pick it up from you and take it to the meeting.

Here is the agenda for our meeting:

A) Call to Order (6:30 PM)
B) Introductions
C) Establish that 35% Quorum has been met
D) Comments - Board of Directors and Property Management Group
E) Nominations to Board of Directors
F) Introductions of candidates
G) Selection of Election Inspectors
H) Cast Ballots
I) Guest Speaker - Mr. Bob Hambright, Alcos Insurance Agency
J) Announce Election Results
K) Open Discussion
L) Motion to Adjourn

We intend to end the meeting no later than 8:30 PM. Note that we will have a guest speaker - please bring any condo insurance related questions you may have.

Survey Results - Lombardo Proposal

Below are the results of the survey I distributed to all 86 occupied units on Jan. 10th. As of 2:00 PM, Jan. 19th, I have received a total of 40 responses. I wish to thank all who took the time to respond and I will include the survey results in my remarks at the upcoming Shelby Township Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 20th. Continue reading past the results for my opinions on this subject.

The Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees received plenty of input at their Jan. 7th work session on the Lombardo Homes proposal to build two-story units on Lots 1-15 instead of ranch style units similar to what is already built to the west along North Central Park. The Board is now scheduled to take action on this proposal at their Regular Meeting of Jan. 20, 2009 at 7:00PM in the Township municipal offices. Please plan to attend this important meeting.

In preparation for this next (and final) meeting and recognizing that not everyone from the Manors can attend and speak on this manner, I would like to survey all co-owners for their opinion so I can present the results to the Board of Trustees.

Please read and provide a response for both sections 1 and 2.

Section 1
1. Based on what I know so far about this proposal, I am

(a) _29__ opposed to the Lombardo proposal for Lots 1-15
(b) __4__ in favor of it
(c) __7__ neutral
(d) __0__ need more information

Section 2
The property taxes on Lots 1-15 are delinquent and if this proposal is denied on Jan. 20th, there is a very high likelihood that the County will foreclose on them and that ownership of the 15 lots will change hands by the March 31st deadline. Since the Carpenters Pension Trust Fund (owners of unsold Manors Lots 33 and up) is not interested in acquiring these lots, possible outcomes include:

• an entirely new builder could become involved in the development of this part of the Manors and build on Lots 1-15 according to the original site plan
• the new builder could instead have different ideas on what style of single detached condos to build on Lots 1-15 and we would be faced with another round of Planning Commission and Board of Trustee meetings
• these 15 lots could sit vacant for a very long time.

2. Based on what I know about this proposal including the above information, I am

(a) _21__ opposed to the Lombardo proposal for Lots 1-15
(b) _10__ in favor of it
(c) __9__ neutral
(d) __0__ need more information

The Board of Directors of our Condo Association has declined to take an official position on Lombardo's proposal. This is because the other two Board members also happen to have a fiduciary responsibility to the Carpenters Pension Trust Fund which owns the majority of the unbuilt lots in the Manors at Central Park Condominiums and which has a on-going business relationship with Lombardo Homes that is unrelated to this site plan modification request.

While I do not have a potential conflict of interest that prevents me from taking a position on this proposal, in this situation I am in the minority on this Board and therefore can only speak for myself. For the purpose of this survey, I am "neutral". However, until we can get some assurances that the Township Board of Trustees would protect the Manors from any further changes of this type on lots 33-167, I will remain publicly opposed to this proposal. If we can get those assurances from the Township Board on the 20th (and I think we will), I will drop my opposition.

I personally believe that the loss of visual and architectural continuity can be tolerated in this isolated area of the Manors, that any impact to our property values will be minimal and that our Board of Directors can manage any incremental maintenance costs resulting from this change. As a member of the Board of Directors, I believe that the petitioner's interest in building single detached condos in this specific location, even though they would be different from those in the original plan, is a positive development in a market that has been on "life support". If this proposal is approved with appropriate conditions and the proposed two story units are successful in the marketplace, they will contribute to the viability of our Association and bring in other shoppers who might be inclined to buy elsewhere in the Manors at Central Park. Also, Lombardo has promised the Township and the residents of the adjacent Kensington Condos that if this is approved, he will build only the low rise ranch-style clusters on Walter and Stebbins Courts (which are just to the north of Manors lots 1-15).