According to this article in yesterday's Macomb Daily, the Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees voted on Tuesday night to raise the rates they charge us for water and sewer service by almost 10%%.
This is the second consecutive year that the Board has given their residents this kind of a "Christmas present". Last year at their Dec. 15, 2009 meeting the Board approved a 9% increase that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.
Tuesday night's vote means that the Shelby Twp. water rates will rise from $2.873/100 cu.ft. to $3.157/ 100 cu. ft. - an increase of 9.9% that will go into effect on January 1, 2011 [details here on pages 110 and 111].
What is driving the latest 9.9% water rate increase here in Shelby Twp? By comparing the information provided by the Shelby Twp. DPW to justify the 2010 and 2011 rate increases, it appears to me that the cost of water purchased from Detroit is anticipated to rise only about 5.7% in 2011. However, revenues associated with new construction are estimated to be down by about 14.9% in 2011 and must be made up by the existing water customers to help cover the fixed operational costs of the Shelby Twp. water department.
With this latest increase, Shelby Twp. residents will be paying a water rate that is 1.65 times higher than their neighbors in Macomb Twp. [source].
This is the second consecutive year that I failed to anticipate a last-minute water rate increase when I prepared the annual budget for the Manors ("fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me").
What this rate increase means to our Association's budget is that in 2011 (as in 2010), we will again spend about $3,000 more on water for lawn irrigation than we would have otherwise spent and will therefore have to find offsets elsewhere in the budget to cover any overage in the budget's water line item.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Annual Meeting set for Jan. 19, 2011
You should have received a letter in today's mail from our property management company, Associa Kramer-Triad, announcing details of the upcoming 2011 Annual Meeting of Co-owners.
The 2011 Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday evening, Jan. 19, 2011 at the Shelby Township Municipal Building. Sign-in begins at 6:00PM and the meeting will begin at 7:00PM. Compared to the meeting room at Utica HS that we have used in the past, this venue is much larger and is available without charge.
It is critically important that we have at least 35% of the Manors units represented at the meeting (at least 59 of the 166 units), either by proxy or in-person. We struggled to meet that requirement for last year's meeting. If you are the least bit unsure of your ability to physically attend the meeting, please sign and return the General Proxy form that will arrive in the mail in early January. You can always change your mind later and attend the meeting in person (your signed General Proxy will be returned to you at the sign-in). Call me at 586-726-0317 if you have any questions about filling out the General Proxy or if you would like me to pick it up from you and take it to the meeting on your behalf. If you prefer to attend the meeting but need a ride, please contact me and I will try to arrange for someone to get you there and back.
As you may have noticed in the letter you received, we will be electing only one person to the Board of Directors at this Annual Meeting. If nominated, I will run for another one-year term as your representative on the Board. It is my hope that the two Board members representing the Carpenters Pension Trust Fund will see fit to hold the Transition Meeting later in 2011, at which time we would elect additional co-owners to the Board and take full control of our Association.
In the meantime, I have submitted a proposed 2011 budget to the other Board members for their feedback and approval. My proposed 2011 budget maintains the 2010 revenue and spending levels. For Units 16-167, the monthly Association fee would remain at $175 and there is another $420 Additional Assessment to pay for Phase 2 of the exterior painting project. The monthly fee for Units 1-14 would remain at $60.
The 2011 Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday evening, Jan. 19, 2011 at the Shelby Township Municipal Building. Sign-in begins at 6:00PM and the meeting will begin at 7:00PM. Compared to the meeting room at Utica HS that we have used in the past, this venue is much larger and is available without charge.
It is critically important that we have at least 35% of the Manors units represented at the meeting (at least 59 of the 166 units), either by proxy or in-person. We struggled to meet that requirement for last year's meeting. If you are the least bit unsure of your ability to physically attend the meeting, please sign and return the General Proxy form that will arrive in the mail in early January. You can always change your mind later and attend the meeting in person (your signed General Proxy will be returned to you at the sign-in). Call me at 586-726-0317 if you have any questions about filling out the General Proxy or if you would like me to pick it up from you and take it to the meeting on your behalf. If you prefer to attend the meeting but need a ride, please contact me and I will try to arrange for someone to get you there and back.
As you may have noticed in the letter you received, we will be electing only one person to the Board of Directors at this Annual Meeting. If nominated, I will run for another one-year term as your representative on the Board. It is my hope that the two Board members representing the Carpenters Pension Trust Fund will see fit to hold the Transition Meeting later in 2011, at which time we would elect additional co-owners to the Board and take full control of our Association.
In the meantime, I have submitted a proposed 2011 budget to the other Board members for their feedback and approval. My proposed 2011 budget maintains the 2010 revenue and spending levels. For Units 16-167, the monthly Association fee would remain at $175 and there is another $420 Additional Assessment to pay for Phase 2 of the exterior painting project. The monthly fee for Units 1-14 would remain at $60.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Pay your Association fees on-line
The Associa Kramer-Triad Management Group has launched a new and secure credit card portal that Manors Co-owners can use when paying their condo association fees.
If you are interested in using your credit card to make your payments on-line, click here and follow the instructions.
If you are interested in using your credit card to make your payments on-line, click here and follow the instructions.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Letter from Great Lakes Geophysical, Inc.
If you have recently received a letter from Great Lakes Geophysical, Inc., you may safely ignore it. That letter should have been sent to the Association Board of Directors instead of to selected individual co-owners. Your Board of Directors will respond on behalf of all co-owners.
For those who did not receive the letter, Great Lakes Geophysical is requesting permission to enter our property for the purpose of conducting a survey in search of underground natural gas deposits. The survey process involves setting up some equipment and sensors that are linked by cables. The equipment is portable and all work is conducted on foot, so there should be little inconvenience to residents and no possibility of damage to the common elements or individual condominium units.
If you have any questions, please contact me and I will do my best to answer them.
For those who did not receive the letter, Great Lakes Geophysical is requesting permission to enter our property for the purpose of conducting a survey in search of underground natural gas deposits. The survey process involves setting up some equipment and sensors that are linked by cables. The equipment is portable and all work is conducted on foot, so there should be little inconvenience to residents and no possibility of damage to the common elements or individual condominium units.
If you have any questions, please contact me and I will do my best to answer them.
Friday, August 27, 2010
AT&T U-verse
You may have noticed the presence of several AT&T workers in and around the Manors over the past few days. I spoke with one of them today and he says that they are making minor changes in the telephone wiring terminal boxes in our rear yards that are needed to support the expansion of their U-verse Cable and Internet service to our area. U-verse uses the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) architecture to provide high-speed Internet access and high-definition television signals to their residential customers. Their network uses fiber optic cables that terminate at large digital multiplexer boxes that must be installed within 3,000 to 5,000 feet of the customers each box will serve. AT&T's existing telephone service copper wires are the final link in the network they use to deliver the U-verse programming to their subscriber's homes. The AT&T worker I spoke with indicated that they plan to very soon install a digital multiplexer box that will be close enough to serve the units at the Manors.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Shrub trimming and replacements
UPDATE: Shrub Trimming was completed as scheduled. The dead and dying shrubs will be replaced on or about August 30th.
Our landscape contractor plans to trim our shrubs during the week of August 23rd.
I have submitted a work order to replace dead and dying shrubs at the following locations:
Globe-shaped evergreens
(1) at 6995 Central Park North
(1) at 6803 Central Park North
(1) at 6557 Lexington Ave North
(1) at 49960 Watling Ave
Creeping evergreens
(1) at 6731 Lexington Ave North
(3) at 50008-50024 Watling Ave.
We also plan to remove the dying short evergreen hedge that was installed in front of the arborvitae at the irrigation well near Regent and Lexington North. The arborvitae behind them are surviving despite the deer damage from the winter of 2008-2009. We intend to replace the removed hedge with a planting of boxwood evergreens (deer do not like the smell of boxwood).
Our landscape contractor plans to trim our shrubs during the week of August 23rd.
I have submitted a work order to replace dead and dying shrubs at the following locations:
Globe-shaped evergreens
(1) at 6995 Central Park North
(1) at 6803 Central Park North
(1) at 6557 Lexington Ave North
(1) at 49960 Watling Ave
Creeping evergreens
(1) at 6731 Lexington Ave North
(3) at 50008-50024 Watling Ave.
We also plan to remove the dying short evergreen hedge that was installed in front of the arborvitae at the irrigation well near Regent and Lexington North. The arborvitae behind them are surviving despite the deer damage from the winter of 2008-2009. We intend to replace the removed hedge with a planting of boxwood evergreens (deer do not like the smell of boxwood).
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Found Cockatiel
Did you lose your cockatiel? If so, one of the Manors co-owners has found it. Contact me at the phone number on the right sidebar and I will put you in touch with the person who is caring for it.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Rainfall
Since I measure the rainfall we receive here at the Manors with my rain gauge and track it with a spreadsheet, it is very easy for me to graph the daily rainfall amounts for the season and post it to the Internet. Click on the image above to enlarge the graph, which was current through 10:00 AM, July 20th.
UPDATED Oct. 1, 2010
I've continued to update this graph on a regular basis and you can view the latest version by clicking here.
Rainfall totals by month:
May 2010 - 4.5 inches
June 2010 - 4.0 inches
July 2010 - 4.85 inches
August 2010 - 0.45 inch
Sept. 2010 - 4.37 inches
Sunday, July 11, 2010
WOW Cable & Internet Service
I'm sorry to report that my efforts to bring WOW Cable & Internet Service into the Manors have been in vain. Easement agreements were drawn up but the Board of Directors for the Meadows Homeowners Association have so far declined to sign the documents. Therefore, I've just been informed by WOW's Director of Operations for SE Michigan that we have lost our place in their queue of 2010 expansion projects.
Without the Meadows easement agreements, WOW is unable to bring their cable infrastructure into the Manors. Even if the Meadows Board changed their mind tomorrow, it would be 2013 at the earliest before WOW could have us inserted into their expansion plans.
If you decide to switch from Comcast to a satellite television service, please note that you must submit an Alteration/Modification Request prior to having your satellite dish antenna installed and that there are restrictions on where your antenna may be mounted. Please read Article III of this document for more details.
Without the Meadows easement agreements, WOW is unable to bring their cable infrastructure into the Manors. Even if the Meadows Board changed their mind tomorrow, it would be 2013 at the earliest before WOW could have us inserted into their expansion plans.
If you decide to switch from Comcast to a satellite television service, please note that you must submit an Alteration/Modification Request prior to having your satellite dish antenna installed and that there are restrictions on where your antenna may be mounted. Please read Article III of this document for more details.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sprinkler System Changes
Today I read all of our irrigation water meters and revised all of the sprinkler system settings. A second watering cycle was added in the middle of the day and all of the overnight cycle start times were moved earlier (some as early as 9:30 PM) so they all finish before 6:00 AM when the pressure in the Shelby Twp. system begins to drop. To view the revised sprinkler system settings, click here.
Between April 21st and today, all of the meters feeding the sprinkler system have delivered 3,678 units of water (367,800 cubic feet). At $2.873 per unit, that comes to $10,576 worth of water, which is about one-third of our 2010 budgeted amount for municipal water. Over those 75 days the system actually watered about 51 times, due to the rain sensors, a couple of weeks of every other day watering, etc. So basically, it costs the Association about $207 ($10,576 divided by 51) each time we run all of the zones in the Manors. With a second watering cycle, our daily cost becomes about $400.
Based on our water consumption to date, I did some calculations to determine how many days we can afford a second watering cycle:
$33,000 - 2010 Budget line item for municipal water
($10,567) - spent to date (one cycle per day)
$22,433 - line item balance
($12,740) - projected spending through Sept. 30 (one cycle per day)
$9,693 - available for second daily watering cycle
$9,693 will fund 47 actual days with a second daily watering cycle, so we should have enough budget to water twice a day for the next 6 to 7 weeks, if necessary.
In 2009, we watered for 20 weeks (May 21st through Oct. 7th) at a cost of $33,000. On Jan. 1, 2010, Shelby Twp. increased our water rate by 9%. To make matters worse, this year we had to start watering on April 21st because of the warm and dry spring. But with careful monitoring and some stingy watering during the past 10 weeks, it looks like we can afford to water 23 weeks this year (up to the traditional Sept. 30th shut-down date) with the more expensive water and still come in at the same total cost as last year.
I'm sure you've noticed lately that the Shelby Twp. water pressure has been very low between the hours of 6 to 9 AM and from 6 to 10 PM. The heads on our sprinkler system requires a minimum water pressure of 35 PSI to operate properly and provide sufficient overlap.
UPDATE: Using a pressure gauge to measure the actual pressure being maintained by the Shelby Twp. water system, I observed that it was below the 35 PSI minimum from 8:00 PM through 10:30 PM on July 6th, bottoming out at 27 PSI around 9:00 PM. At 6:15 AM on the 7th, the water pressure was even lower at 20 PSI and it didn't reach 35 PSI until 9:00 AM. It reached the normal pressure range of 50+ PSI at noon.
With the revised watering schedules I have tried to avoid watering during those low pressure time periods, but it is impossible to do so on Controllers 1 and 2 (serving addresses on Lexington South and Central Park North). That is due to the fact that all zones on these two controllers are hooked up to the same water meter and must run sequentially for 13.5 hours to complete one cycle.
Between April 21st and today, all of the meters feeding the sprinkler system have delivered 3,678 units of water (367,800 cubic feet). At $2.873 per unit, that comes to $10,576 worth of water, which is about one-third of our 2010 budgeted amount for municipal water. Over those 75 days the system actually watered about 51 times, due to the rain sensors, a couple of weeks of every other day watering, etc. So basically, it costs the Association about $207 ($10,576 divided by 51) each time we run all of the zones in the Manors. With a second watering cycle, our daily cost becomes about $400.
Based on our water consumption to date, I did some calculations to determine how many days we can afford a second watering cycle:
$33,000 - 2010 Budget line item for municipal water
($10,567) - spent to date (one cycle per day)
$22,433 - line item balance
($12,740) - projected spending through Sept. 30 (one cycle per day)
$9,693 - available for second daily watering cycle
$9,693 will fund 47 actual days with a second daily watering cycle, so we should have enough budget to water twice a day for the next 6 to 7 weeks, if necessary.
In 2009, we watered for 20 weeks (May 21st through Oct. 7th) at a cost of $33,000. On Jan. 1, 2010, Shelby Twp. increased our water rate by 9%. To make matters worse, this year we had to start watering on April 21st because of the warm and dry spring. But with careful monitoring and some stingy watering during the past 10 weeks, it looks like we can afford to water 23 weeks this year (up to the traditional Sept. 30th shut-down date) with the more expensive water and still come in at the same total cost as last year.
I'm sure you've noticed lately that the Shelby Twp. water pressure has been very low between the hours of 6 to 9 AM and from 6 to 10 PM. The heads on our sprinkler system requires a minimum water pressure of 35 PSI to operate properly and provide sufficient overlap.
UPDATE: Using a pressure gauge to measure the actual pressure being maintained by the Shelby Twp. water system, I observed that it was below the 35 PSI minimum from 8:00 PM through 10:30 PM on July 6th, bottoming out at 27 PSI around 9:00 PM. At 6:15 AM on the 7th, the water pressure was even lower at 20 PSI and it didn't reach 35 PSI until 9:00 AM. It reached the normal pressure range of 50+ PSI at noon.
With the revised watering schedules I have tried to avoid watering during those low pressure time periods, but it is impossible to do so on Controllers 1 and 2 (serving addresses on Lexington South and Central Park North). That is due to the fact that all zones on these two controllers are hooked up to the same water meter and must run sequentially for 13.5 hours to complete one cycle.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
June 2010 Newsletter
Co-owners should have received their June 2010 newsletter in this past week's mail. Click here to read a scanned version of it:
I wish it would rain!
"I Wish it Would Rain!" was a 1967 hit by Detroit's Temptations and I've been humming that melody a lot lately.
Because of the abnormally dry spring, this year we had to start watering the lawns on April 20th, which was a full month earlier than 2009. Since then, we have received 9.3 inches of rainfall in my backyard rain gauge, 60% of which fell over four separate dates: May 2, 11, 13 and June 5 (click on the chart above for a better view of all of the rainfall I've measured from April 20th through July 3rd).
Lately, the rainstorms seem to pass either to our north or south, leaving us with hardly enough rain to skip a watering cycle. The National Weather Service records at their Detroit Metro Airport location show an official rainfall total over that period of 11.6 inches, 2.3 inches more than we've received here in Shelby Township.
Because of the early start this spring and Shelby Township's recent 9% increase in water rates, I've been closely regulating our watering frequency and lengths to keep us within budget. As of July 2nd, I have increased the watering duration by 20% on all zones to get us through the current and forecasted hot and dry spell. I also moved the starting times earlier so that the last zones will finish by 6:00 AM, which is when the water pressure begins to drop.
I am hoping to avoid adding a second watering cycle for as long as I can, particularly since the Township has asked everyone to voluntarily avoid watering their lawns between the hours of 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM. UPDATE: second watering cycle was added July 5th (read this post for more information).
Friday, May 21, 2010
Why don't they just park on the lawn?
It's even closer to the front door - and then maybe the rest of us could use our sidewalks for their intended purpose!
Seriously, now that parking is only permitted on one side of the street, there is no reason for anyone to park with their tires on the sidewalk. Courtesy violation notices have been routinely ignored, so from now on "sidewalk parkers" will receive a formal violation notice, with fines assessed for subsequent violations.
And what's up with all the parking on the empty lots? The Bylaws clearly state that co-owners have exclusive use of their garage and driveway for parking their vehicles. That provides four parking spaces per unit. The Bylaws further state that "each co-owner shall park his vehicle in the garage.... provided therefore" and that "at no time shall a parked vehicle be located on any sidewalk, landscaped area or empty lot". We have plenty of on-street parking available for the use of co-owners and their guests, so "field parkers" can also expect to receive a formal violation notice.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Maple Tree Infestation
Some of the silver maples along the walkway behind the units on Lexington East have leaves that are covered with red bumps. These bumps are called "galls" and are caused by the Maple Bladder Gall Mite. More information about the mites and the galls they produce can be read here and here, but the bottom line is that this is a cosmetic problem and they are highly unlikely to harm the trees. Therefore, I do not plan to spend any budget money or take any actions to control them.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Exterior Painting
Our exterior painting contractor began work this past Monday. Their first step is to identify, remove and replace all deteriorated wooden trim. These trim pieces have been marked with an orange paint stripe and they will be returning to remove them and install new trim pieces, which will then be painted with a primer before work begins on repainting the exterior of the affected units.
Removal and replacement of the deteriorated trim is a noisy task. Please bear with us while this vital work is performed.
The first 46 Units on this list will be painted this summer. The contractor will decide the actual order in which they will be completed. The contractor will return next year to work on the 47th through 105th Units on that list.
Removal and replacement of the deteriorated trim is a noisy task. Please bear with us while this vital work is performed.
The first 46 Units on this list will be painted this summer. The contractor will decide the actual order in which they will be completed. The contractor will return next year to work on the 47th through 105th Units on that list.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Additional Assessment
The Additional Assessment for exterior painting that I mentioned in the April 2010 Newsletter was approved this past week by the Board of Directors of the Manors at Central Park Condo Association. Co-owners of Units 16 and higher will soon receive a letter from our Managing Agent (Associa Kramer-Triad) with full details on how to make your payment.
The exterior painting contract was awarded to U&S Painting, which plans to begin work during the second half of May. They will be painting 46 units this year and the remainder during 2011. The initial 46 units were all originally painted during 2004, while the remainder were painted in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Click here to view a web page that lists all units in the order that they were initially painted.
The Additional Assessment also provides funding for the application of landscaping mulch throughout the condominium common element areas. The contractor plans to do this work within the next seven to ten days.
The exterior painting contract was awarded to U&S Painting, which plans to begin work during the second half of May. They will be painting 46 units this year and the remainder during 2011. The initial 46 units were all originally painted during 2004, while the remainder were painted in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Click here to view a web page that lists all units in the order that they were initially painted.
The Additional Assessment also provides funding for the application of landscaping mulch throughout the condominium common element areas. The contractor plans to do this work within the next seven to ten days.
Development News
- Aside from the single detached condos being built along Central Park North, there are only two remaining finished condos that have not yet closed and both have binding sales contracts. Unit 33 on Lexington West is scheduled to close on April 26th and Unit 103 on Watling is scheduled to become the 106th closed unit sometime in May. Once all of the 14 single detached condos on Central Park North are built and sold, the Association will have a total of 119 units. The developer does not plan to build any of the remaining 47 units until the market for duplex condos improves.
- The 22 Mile Road rezoning that I posted about on Feb. 22nd is nearing final approval. The rezoning and special land use request for a skilled nursing care facility has received a recommendation for approval from the Shelby Twp. Planning Commission. The Shelby Twp. Board of Trustees will hold a Public Hearing and make a final decision on the request at their May 4, 2010 meeting. More information can be found on this web page (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the latest news). This subject is also being discussed on the Central Park Master Association Group page on Facebook.
- Lombardo Homes is planning to ask Shelby Twp. officials for permission to build single-family homes instead of clustered condos on the Kensington Phase 2 parcel that is located south of Central Park North and east of Central Park East. Greg Windingland of Lombardo Homes explained their plans to the Central Park Master Association Board of Directors at their April 5th meeting. At the Board's suggestion, Lombardo will hold an informational meeting on May 11, 2010 to present their plans to all Central Park residents prior to any public hearings. I have prepared this web page that explains the information Greg presented on April 5th and the concerns that the Board shared with him. The web page also contains the location and time of the May 11th informational meeting. This subject is also being discussed on the Central Park Master Association Group page on Facebook.
Sprinkler system activated
LBI Irrigation installed our water meters and activated the sprinkler system on April 20th. I immediately began a daily watering schedule because of the dry spell we've had, plus the fertilizer and pre-emergent crabgrass treatment that we received on April 15th needed to be watered into the turf. The zones along Central Park North and Lexington South did not become operational until this morning because of a stuck valve that could not be repaired until yesterday.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Central Park Sub Garage Sale
This year, the Manors at Central Park will join the other Central Park associations in holding a Subdivision Garage Sale on May 13-15, 2010 from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM daily. The Central Park associations will place signs each day at the Van Dyke and 22 Mile Road entrances, plus they will run a newspaper ad in the local paper. "Backyard Party Rental" is offering Central Park residents a Garage Sale Equipment Discount Package: rent Eight Foot Tables for $5 each (cash only, delivery and pick up included). The owner lives in Central Park and having rented from them prior to moving here, I can highly recommend his company.
More information on the garage sale and the table rental offer can be found here, including a garage sale pricing guide.
This will be the only time this year that garage sales will be permitted in the Manors at Central Park.
More information on the garage sale and the table rental offer can be found here, including a garage sale pricing guide.
This will be the only time this year that garage sales will be permitted in the Manors at Central Park.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Traffic Study Request
The Central Park Master Association recently contacted Glenn Wynn, the Shelby Twp. Planning Director, to enlist his aid in requesting that a traffic study be performed at the two entrances to the Central Park community.Click on the image at left to read the letter he received back from the Macomb County Road Commission confirming that they will be undertaking a traffic study to determine if traffic signals are warranted at the 22 Mile Rd. and/or Van Dyke entrances to Central Park.
Verification of need is only the first step in the process. If traffic signals can be justified by the traffic study counts, then their purchase and installation must be funded in a future budget before the project can proceed.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
2010 Annual Meeting - Central Park Master Association
The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Central Park Master Association will be held Wednesday evening, April 7, 2010 in the Board Room at the Shelby Twp. Municipal Building, which is located at 24 Mile Rd. and Van Dyke.
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 2 co-owners to the Master Association Board of Directors.
The Central Park Master Association is responsible for maintaining the common areas owned and used by all four subassociations in Central Park (the Manors, Kensington, Gardens and Meadows). All co-owners of the Manors are also members of the Central Park Master Association and are entitled to attend and participate in the Annual Meeting.
Last year's meeting was our first one and we elected a full slate of four members to the Board of Directors, one from each of the four Central Park sub-associations. They are:
Mike Grobbel, Manors (2-year term)
Ted McCoy, Kensington (2-year term)
Brian Pesola, Gardens (1-year term)
Mike Malone, Meadows (1-year term)
The two highest vote-getters received the 2-year terms (which is the normal length) and the other two received a 1-year term. The bylaws state that except for the first annual meeting, two Board members are elected to a 2-year term at every annual meeting. Therefore, at this and all future Annual Meetings, the election results will never cause a turnover of more than half of the Board.
Since the Board members representing the Gardens and Meadows subassociations received the 1-year terms, the nominations and elections on April 7th are for those two positions only. They may be only nominated by members of their own subassociation (which is why only the Gardens and Meadows are mentioned on the Nominating Ballot), but all members of the Master Association may vote to select the person to represent each subassociation.
The bylaws permit Board members to run for re-election and I strongly endorse the nomination and re-election of Brian and Mike.
Nominating Ballots will be collected during the meeting, after which the two elections will take place.
We must have a 35% quorum of Master Association members either in attendance or represented by General Proxy so that we can legally conduct this meeting and election. If you are unable to attend (or not sure whether you will be able to attend) please read the Annual Meeting notice letter and then fill out the General Proxy form that were delivered to the front doors of Manors units on March 10th (co-owners of leased units should have received their packet in the mail from Kramer-Triad). If you have misplaced your Annual Meeting notice letter and General Proxy form, an electronic version is available here.
You have several choices for filling out the General Proxy form and having it voted for you.
a) write "Board of Directors" if you want the current Board to cast your vote on your behalf. 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 vote 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 (Mike Grobbel) at 726-0317 if you have any questions or wish me to stop by and pick up your completed General Proxy. If you submit a completed General Proxy and later decide to attend the meeting, your General Proxy will be given back to you at the meeting and you will be able to vote in person.
On a related note, the Central Park Master Association now has its own Facebook Group. If you are a Facebook member, login to Facebook and then click here to view and join the Group. If you are not a Facebook member, it's free and all you have to do is click here to sign up and join.
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 2 co-owners to the Master Association Board of Directors.
The Central Park Master Association is responsible for maintaining the common areas owned and used by all four subassociations in Central Park (the Manors, Kensington, Gardens and Meadows). All co-owners of the Manors are also members of the Central Park Master Association and are entitled to attend and participate in the Annual Meeting.
Last year's meeting was our first one and we elected a full slate of four members to the Board of Directors, one from each of the four Central Park sub-associations. They are:
Mike Grobbel, Manors (2-year term)
Ted McCoy, Kensington (2-year term)
Brian Pesola, Gardens (1-year term)
Mike Malone, Meadows (1-year term)
The two highest vote-getters received the 2-year terms (which is the normal length) and the other two received a 1-year term. The bylaws state that except for the first annual meeting, two Board members are elected to a 2-year term at every annual meeting. Therefore, at this and all future Annual Meetings, the election results will never cause a turnover of more than half of the Board.
Since the Board members representing the Gardens and Meadows subassociations received the 1-year terms, the nominations and elections on April 7th are for those two positions only. They may be only nominated by members of their own subassociation (which is why only the Gardens and Meadows are mentioned on the Nominating Ballot), but all members of the Master Association may vote to select the person to represent each subassociation.
The bylaws permit Board members to run for re-election and I strongly endorse the nomination and re-election of Brian and Mike.
Nominating Ballots will be collected during the meeting, after which the two elections will take place.
We must have a 35% quorum of Master Association members either in attendance or represented by General Proxy so that we can legally conduct this meeting and election. If you are unable to attend (or not sure whether you will be able to attend) please read the Annual Meeting notice letter and then fill out the General Proxy form that were delivered to the front doors of Manors units on March 10th (co-owners of leased units should have received their packet in the mail from Kramer-Triad). If you have misplaced your Annual Meeting notice letter and General Proxy form, an electronic version is available here.
You have several choices for filling out the General Proxy form and having it voted for you.
a) write "Board of Directors" if you want the current Board to cast your vote on your behalf. 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 vote 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 (Mike Grobbel) at 726-0317 if you have any questions or wish me to stop by and pick up your completed General Proxy. If you submit a completed General Proxy and later decide to attend the meeting, your General Proxy will be given back to you at the meeting and you will be able to vote in person.
On a related note, the Central Park Master Association now has its own Facebook Group. If you are a Facebook member, login to Facebook and then click here to view and join the Group. If you are not a Facebook member, it's free and all you have to do is click here to sign up and join.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Rezoning Request
A rezoning request has been submitted to the Shelby Township Planning Department that would affect an 8.44 acre parcel that is located on the north side of 22 Mile Rd. adjacent to the southeast portion of the Gardens subdivision in the Central Park community.
The petitioner is proposing to have the zoning on this parcel changed from "Industrial" to "Multiple Family". Click here to learn more about this proposed rezoning and the 120 bed skilled nursing facility that the petitioner intends to build there if they receive the rezoning approval.
Board Members of the Gardens and Central Park Master Associations met with the petitioner's representatives on Feb. 17, 2010. The Board Members are supportive of this proposed rezoning, which would restrict development on this parcel to the less intense multiple family residential land use.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
2010 Annual Meeting of Manors Co-owners
The 2010 Annual Meeting of the co-owners of the Manors at Central Park was held on Wednesday night, Jan. 20, 2010.
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.
The "unapproved" meeting minutes can be read here.
During the meeting, I mentioned that the Board will be soliciting quotes from multiple painting companies as the first step towards initiating an exterior repainting program. I explained that building exteriors typically need to be caulked and repainted every five or six years to keep up the appearance and avoid deterioration and that if the Board did not take action soon, we would be risking even higher costs down the road. We have 46 units that were initially painted during 2004 and this will be the sixth year of exposure to the elements for those paint jobs. 48 more units were initially painted during 2005 and 2006 and there are another 11 that were first painted in 2007. Here is a list of all units arranged in their approximate construction order.
The consensus of the co-owners in attendance was that they felt we should not delay the start of the repainting program beyond 2010. Rather than increase the monthly association fee and fund the repainting out of the operating budget, I explained that the Board would prefer to levy a Special Assessment to pay for this work. More information will be forthcoming once we have competitive bids in hand and have a realistic estimate of the cost.
At the meeting I also mentioned that myself and several other co-owners recently had cellulose insulation blown into our attics to bring them up to R-49. I have received my first gas bill and after comparing it with a neighbor's bill, I've calculated that my gas consumption has been reduced by about 20%. We received estimates from three different suppliers and went with Ace & Sons Insulation.
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.
The "unapproved" meeting minutes can be read here.
During the meeting, I mentioned that the Board will be soliciting quotes from multiple painting companies as the first step towards initiating an exterior repainting program. I explained that building exteriors typically need to be caulked and repainted every five or six years to keep up the appearance and avoid deterioration and that if the Board did not take action soon, we would be risking even higher costs down the road. We have 46 units that were initially painted during 2004 and this will be the sixth year of exposure to the elements for those paint jobs. 48 more units were initially painted during 2005 and 2006 and there are another 11 that were first painted in 2007. Here is a list of all units arranged in their approximate construction order.
The consensus of the co-owners in attendance was that they felt we should not delay the start of the repainting program beyond 2010. Rather than increase the monthly association fee and fund the repainting out of the operating budget, I explained that the Board would prefer to levy a Special Assessment to pay for this work. More information will be forthcoming once we have competitive bids in hand and have a realistic estimate of the cost.
At the meeting I also mentioned that myself and several other co-owners recently had cellulose insulation blown into our attics to bring them up to R-49. I have received my first gas bill and after comparing it with a neighbor's bill, I've calculated that my gas consumption has been reduced by about 20%. We received estimates from three different suppliers and went with Ace & Sons Insulation.
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