Sunday, December 7, 2014

Winter 2014-5 Newsletter

Click here to read the Winter 2014-5 Newsletter that will be mailed to each co-owner during the coming week.

It contains important information regarding the transition from Kramer-Triad to Casa Bella, the 2015 Budget, the recent sale of the vacant lots and the appointment of Ruehle's Towing to remove "unauthorized vehicles" that are improperly parked on our streets and access drives.

UPDATE: We apologize for the quality of the copying of the front page of the newsletter.  Here is the text that appears in the feature box on the right side of the page.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 - - -

The Board of Directors hopes everyone has a happy and safe holiday season.

Please take care to avoid any possible damage to your outdoor lighting and extension cords during snow removal operations by routing them away from the sidewalks and driveways.

All exterior holiday decorations and lighting must be taken down as soon as possible in January.

Units 16 through 167 have exterior garage light bulbs that are the property of the Association.  These are energy-saving LED bulbs that cost about $11 each and those residents who have removed them to use holiday colored bulbs must reinstall the LED bulb in January.

recent Board of Director Meeting Minutes

Here are the minutes of the Board of Directors meetings that were held in November and December of 2014:

Dec. 6, 2014

Nov. 7, 2014

Friday, December 5, 2014

Monthly payment options with Casa Bella

If your monthly Association Fee has been automatically withdrawn from your bank account through an ACH Debit by Kramer-Triad, the authorization you gave Kramer-Triad has been discontinued following the final withdrawal that occurred today for your December payment.  You do not need to take any action to cancel the ACH authorization that you gave to Kramer-Triad.

Casa Bella does not use ACH Debits but they provide multiple other options for making your monthly payments, beginning with the payment that is due on Jan. 1, 2015 (and late on the 10th):

1) Pay by mail - send your check or money order along with the coupon to
Manors at Central Park Condo Association
c/o Casa Bella Property Management, Inc.
850 N. Crooks Rd., Suite 100
Clawson, MI 48017

(coupon booklets are being printed and you should receive them in the mail shortly)

2) Pay on-line using the following available methods

a) One-time payment:
       1) direct payment from your bank account (e-check)
       2) credit card payment
b) Automatic (recurring) payment:
       1) direct payment from your bank account (e-check)
       2) credit card payment

(click here to view the demo page on the Casa Bella website that shows you these payment options; this demo page shows the typical secured on-line form you would use to make on-line payments after you become a registered user on their website after Jan. 1st)

Thursday, December 4, 2014

How to winterize your outside faucets

Residents of the Manors are responsible for shutting off the water to their outside faucets and draining the water from the lines so that they do not freeze.  Failure to do so might result in freezing that causes the water line to burst and/or the faucet to be damaged. The co-owner is responsible for the cost of repairs and any resulting flood damage in their basement. 

(click image to enlarge)

Some units at the Manors have two outside faucets (also called a hose bibb), one in the rear and one in the front or inside the garage. The photo above shows the typical location of the shut-off valve for the outside faucets on all units at the Manors  It is located in the basement ceiling just inside of the faucet.  Since the units at the Manors do not have "frost-free" outside faucets, it is crucial that they be winterized every fall. 

The following video shows how to winterize your outside faucet.  Use the reverse process to turn the water back on in the spring.




Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Sunrise Manors


(click to enlarge)

In case you missed it, here is what the sunrise looked like at 7:18 AM this morning over the Manors at Central Park.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Trash and recycling regulations

A Watling Street resident's windblown trash,
Oct. 21, 2014.


Click here to read about the new trash and recycling regulations.

Basically, everything you set out to the curb for collection by Rizzo needs to be inside a container and it has to be covered with a lid.  Plastic bags containing trash or recyclables may not be set out on the ground.  They must be inside a closed container.

The only exception is a recycling tote bin.  If you use a tote bin, all recycling items must be enclosed inside a clear plastic bag, which is securely tied and then placed in the tote bin.

Clear plastic bags for the recycling items can be purchased at Home depot, Lowes and other similar stores.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Packard Proving Grounds Open House and Classic Car Show



Fall Open House And Cruise-in Classic Car Show


Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site
49965 Van Dyke Shelby Township, MI 48317

Sunday, October 19, 2014
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Rain or Shine

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Lombardo Homes to construct 47 new condos in the Manors at Central Park

The members of the Board of Directors of the Manors at Central Park Condo Association are pleased to announce that Lombardo Homes, Inc., through their "Blue Heron Communities, LLC" subsidary, has purchased all of the 47 vacant lots in the Manors that had been owned by the Carpenters Pension Trust Fund.

Lombardo Homes also acquired the rights to use the building plans for the duplex and detached,  ranch-style models that had been constructed in 2007 (refer to the existing duplex units at 49831-49847 Lexington West and the detached unit at 50156 Regent); these and ten other units were built by Sable in 2007 but completed and marketed by Lombardo Homes in 2008-2010). It is Lombardo Homes' intention to keep the exterior appearance as close as possible to those units when building the remaining 23 duplex buildings and the 1 remaining detached unit. The building codes have changed since 2007, so there will have to be some changes made to the interior plans of the new units.

Lombardo Homes is currently projecting the first quarter of 2015 for the start of sales, but that is very tentative and could slide.

Lombardo Homes already owned Manors Unit #1 at the corner of East Broadway and North Central Park and they have recently begun construction on that "site condo".  This will be a "spec" home similar to those just to the west and it will be marketed through their Lancaster at Central Park subdivision sales office, which will likely occupy a model that will be built on North Central Park near the Genisys Credit Union.   Lombardo Homes intends to install and pave the interior streets in Phase II of this subdivision before the end of this year [Lancaster site plan].

When the new construction and sales are finally complete, the Manors will have a total of 166 units, fourteen of which will be "site condos".

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Trash & recycling containers

The recent changes to the rules and regulations regarding trash and recycling containers are now in effect and will be enforced beginning on Nov. 1, 2014.

All trash placed at the curb must be inside a rigid container that is between 32 and 96 gallons in size.  The container must have a lid and the lid must be in place when the trash container is placed at the curb for pick up.  Plastic bags of trash placed at the curb cannot be handled by the trash truck's lift arm.

Recycling symbol
All recycling items must be in a container that is clearly marked with the recycling symbol.  You may use the 96 gallon recycling cart provided by Rizzo back in 2012 or you may continue to use the 18 gallon tote bins previously provided.  However the new regulation requires that when using a tote bin, all recycling items must be enclosed within a clear plastic bag that is securely tied and placed within the bin. 

The Board of Directors is requiring that the tote bin items be securely enclosed in a plastic bag so that they are not blown away by the wind or spilled onto the pavement when the lift arm dumps the tote bin contents into the truck. Rizzo requires the use of a clear bag so the operator can visually confirm that it contains only recycling items.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

How to obtain a Certificate of Insurance

How to obtain a Certificate of Insurance

UPDATED: As of April 2015, the condo association has a new insurance agency and coverage is now provided by the Maris-Brown Agency.  Therefore there are new procedures for requesting a certificate of insurance that you or your lending institution may use.
 

  • E-mail:  send your request to certs@mbrinsurance.com and include your Unit number and street address, the banks name, fax and bank account numbers
  • Telephone:  call them at 1-855-266-3646.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Monthly Rainfall totals

It may seem that this is the wettest summer we have had in a long time, but according to my rain gauge, we have yet to surpass last summer's total rainfall.

The chart below shows the May through September monthly totals I have recorded since 2009.  Through September 10, 2014, we have received 1.45 less inches of rain than fell during May through Sept. 2013.


UPDATE: With the one-quarter inch of rain we received early on the morning of Sept. 30th, we finally surpassed the 2013 summer rainfall total.  Here is the updated chart including all of the rain that fell after the 10th:


Thursday, August 28, 2014

Soil sampling - continued

Crews from a  McDowell and Associates subcontractor are on-site today and tomorrow to take soil samples at various empty lots throughout the condominium.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Revisions to the Rules and Regulations

At their Aug. 15, 2014 meeting, the Board of Directors adopted revisions to the Association's rules and regulations, which were originally created and adopted in 2008.  A complete copy of these Rules and Regulations will be mailed to each co-owner within the next few weeks.  Enforcement of additions and revisions will begin on Nov. 1, 2014.

The major changes to the rules and regulations are in the following sections:

  • Article 1 "Parking Regulations", where Paragraph 5 has been added to address “Snow Emergencies” and where Paragraph 7 has been revised to add the enforcement provision allowing for the towing of “unauthorized vehicles” without the owner’s consent. 
  • Article II, Paragraph 2 has been revised to include new regulations requiring the use of covered trash and recycling containers.
  • Article III: Paragraph 1 has been modified to address antennas that extend beyond the outer perimeter of the deck to which they are mounted;  Paragraph 4 has been added to address antennas that have been installed on the roof by co-owners. Roof-mounted antennas are expressly prohibited on Units 16 through 167.

Rizzo 96 gal. trash cart
If you need to purchase a trash and/or recycling container, Rizzo Services will sell and deliver to your door a "Shelby Twp." 96 gal. wheeled Trash cart with an attached, hinged lid. The cart dimensions are 28" w x 33" d x 45" h. (this is the same size as the green "Shelby Twp." Recycling carts here in the Manors). It can be purchased for $75 over the phone by calling Rizzo at (866) 772-8900; Visa, MasterCard and American Express accepted.

"HuskyLite" 96 gal. trash cart

Sam's Club currently sells a "HuskyLite" 96 gallon trash cart for $69.62, plus tax, for a total cost of $73.80.  It's dimensions are practically identical to the Rizzo cart (both are made by the Rehrig Pacific Co.), but if you factor in the membership and delivery costs, the Rizzo trash cart is still a better deal.

Rizzo Services requires that all trash containers have a minimum 32 gallon capacity. If you prefer to purchase a trash container smaller than 96 gallons, keep in mind that it will be picked up and squeezed by the truck's mechanical arm while it is being emptied.   Therefore, a sturdier container will last longer.  Here is a sampling of what is available from Home Depot and other retailers (these cannot be used for recycling waste pickup):

  • "Roughneck" 45 gal. Black Wheeled Trash Cart with hinged lid, 22.0" w x 26.4" d x 36.6" h - $24.97
  • "Roughneck" 32 gal. Black Wheeled Trash Can with detached lid, 22.3" w x 25.5" d x 32.5" h - $19.97
  • "Toter" 32 gal. Green Wheeled Trash Cart with hinged lid, 19.8" w x 24.3" d x 37.5" h - $59.98 (this is a smaller and more compact version of the Rizzo trash cart; it's also more sturdier than the "Roughneck" trash carts, which will deform when gripped by the Rizzo trash truck's mechanical arm and may not empty completely)
Toter 32 gal. trash cart
Click here to read the complete set of revised Rules and Regulations.

15 Aug 2014 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes


Minutes of the 15 August 2014
Meeting of the Board of Directors of the
Manors at Central Park Condominium Association


1.     Meeting was held at the residence of Mike Grobbel, 49997 Lexington Ave. East, Shelby Township, MI 48317.
2.     Meeting began at 9:55 AM EDT; Quorum was established with three Board Members being present.  Board Members present: President Mike Grobbel, Treasurer Larry Cybulski, and Secretary Bhartan Amin. 
3.     Approved the agenda for this meeting.
4.     The Board formally approved the 25 April 2014, meeting minutes.
5.     Management Report from Brandi Lane was reviewed.
a.     Awaiting quotes from two contractors, one to finish the tree trimming project and the other to make repairs to damaged lawn areas. Quotes are expected from one contractor later today and from the other early next week.
b.     Delinquency report was reviewed.  One account will be referred to an attorney for further action.
6.     Updates from President Grobbel
a.     Proposed revisions to Rules & Regulations.  Lengthy discussion took place on parking and trash.  With minor corrections, revised Rules and Regulations dated August 15, 2014 were unanimously approved [link]. Copies will be mailed to all co-owners and residents along with the Fall 2014 newsletter.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Heavy Weather


Looking west from my deck at 8:00 PM this evening.  As of 11:00 PM, the "frogs" say we have received 5.1 inches of rain today!  3.6 inches of that total fell between 6 and 9 PM.



At 9:00 PM the pond between the Manors and Kensington was filled all the way to the south end.


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Condos destroyed by fire

 
Courtesy WDIV

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. -
Firefighters battled flames at a condo complex Tuesday evening on Oakmonte Boulevard, just south of Silverbell Road and west of Adams Road in Oakland Township.
The flames spread to several units, but no serious injuries have been reported.
It's not known how this fire started.  Firefighters from Rochester and Rochester Hills were helping fight the flames.

Link to WDIV video.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Loose dog

A dog similar in appearance to the one above has been repeatedly observed roaming the grounds in the vicinity of Regent and Lexington West Avenues.  Does anyone know who this dog belongs to?

Only indoor pets are allowed at the Manors and when they are outdoors they must always be kept under control by their master.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Soil Sampling

Beginning on June 25, 2014, crews from McDowell and Associates will be occasionally on-site to perform soil analysis to confirm the limits of the previously-detected groundwater contamination near the northwest corner of our property.  They will be sampling at four different locations along the berm at points north of 49943 Lexington Ave. West and west of 6829 Lexington Ave. North.  Their work should be completed within two weeks. 

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Condo market is starting a comeback

From the June 8, 2014 Detroit Free Press: 

"After booming and crashing, Detroit's condo market is starting a comeback"

Key information from the article for Manors co-owners:

Local development experts say the reason most large banks haven’t sold mortgages for new Detroit condos is that the buildings are considered nonwarrantable, meaning Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the FHA are unwilling to buy loans on the secondary market that originated in such buildings.

This situation makes the mortgages riskier for lenders, who must keep the loans on their books rather than sell them off.

In 2012, Detroit-based First Independence Bank became one of the first lenders since the recession to write mortgages for new Detroit condo buildings with 10% to 20% down payments.

At least five other local banks and credit unions have since followed suit.


  • First Independence Bank
  • Quicken Loans
  • Ross Mortgage
  • Lake Michigan Credit Union
  • Talmer Bank and Trust
  • Huntington
  • Level One Bank

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Minutes - BoD meeting of April 25, 2014

Click here to read the minutes of the Board of Directors meeting held on April 25, 2014.

Suspicious person & vehicle

A suspicious person and vehicle was observed in the vicinity of Lexington West between N. Central Park and Lexington South at around 1:25 AM, Friday, June 6, 2014. The car was either an older model Mercury Sable or Ford Taurus of undetermined color.  The driver was a man of slender build and about 6 foot tall. The Shelby Twp. Police Department was notified and they will step up patrols in the area.

Below is a summary of all Shelby Twp. Police incident reports within all of Central Park for the first five months of 2014.

Police Reports in Central Park for first five months of 2014

Map of incident reports Jan. 1 through May 31, 2014
(scroll down for map of prior year incident reports)

According to  Crimedar.com, these are all of the Shelby Township Police Department incident reports within Central Park that were filed during the period of January 1 through May 31, 2014.  Click on the links below to read the incident report summary (street number addresses are approximate).

Anderson Ct.

Blackwell

E. Central Park
April
March

Haymarket

Moore Ct.

N. Central Park
April
March
January

N. Central Park
and Lexington W.
N. Central Park
and E. Central Park

Regent
May
March

St Nicholas

S. Central Park

Tottenham

Watling

W. Central Park

W. Central Park
and Haymarket
W. Central Park
and Baker
Map of incident reports Jan. 1 through May 31, 2013


Monday, June 2, 2014

New light bulbs were installed today

The new light bulbs were installed in all of the exterior garage light fixtures today at Units 16 through 167.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Spring 2014 Newsletter

Click here to read the electronic version of our Spring 2014 Newsletter.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Minutes of the 1/15/2014 Annual Meeting

Click here to read the minutes of the Annual Meeting of Co-owners that was held on Jan. 15, 2014.

Election results from that meeting: Bhartan Amin, Larry Cybulski and Mike Grobbel were re-elected to serve as the Board of Directors for 2014.

Minutes of the 1/10/2014 BoD meeting

Click here to read the approved minutes of the Jan. 10, 2014 meeting of the Board of Directors.

Friday, April 11, 2014

WOW infrastructure installation plan

WOW's installation contractor will be installing their underground infrastructure in four phases that correspond to the four sub-associations in Central Park.

MISSDIG is on-site today in the Manors to mark all of the existing underground utilities.  As soon as that is complete, the contractor will begin underground work within the Manors.  When the work in the Manors is nearly complete in a week or two, MISSDIG will begin marking the utilities in the Meadows and then the contractor will shift their underground work to that sub.  The same pattern will follow for the underground work in the Gardens and Kensington sub-associations.

Click here to read more about the WOW's Central Park infrastructure installation project.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Annual Membership Meeting of the CP Master Association

You should have received a letter in today's mail informing you of the upcoming annual membership meeting of the Central Park Master Association.  It will be held on Friday, May 2, 2014 at the Shelby Twp. Municipal Building in the Board Room. 

Our New Association Manager at Kramer-Triad

Ryan Dorner has resigned his position at Kramer-Triad where he had been our Association Manager for many years.  Our new Association Manager is Marty Tessmar and Ryan has been working with Marty so that there will be a smooth transition.

The Board thanks Ryan for his years of service to our community and wishes him well in his new endeavors.

Installation of WOW Internet, Cable & phone infrastructure

Brian Sommers of WOW Internet, Cable & Phone met with board members from Central Park yesterday morning to walk us through their construction plans.

Click here to read an outline summary of the information they provided.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Snow removal operations

The 13 inches of snow we received over the past week and the extreme cold that followed has been a trying experience for everyone.

Even though it may not always have been apparent, the snow removal contractors operating here in the Manors and elsewhere in Central Park have been doing their best to keep the access drives, roads and entrances as clear as possible as we recover from this "snow emergency". 

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Snow Removal

UPDATE: Trash pick-up will be delayed this week by one day due to the storm.  Set your trash and recyclables out on Tues night or very early on early Wed morning. 

Our snow removal contract specifies that snow removal from our streets, driveways, parking areas, porches, sidewalks, etc, shall commence within two hours of the time when the snowfall reaches a depth of 1.5 inches at our location.  The contract also states that for public safety reasons, priority must be given to opening and maintaining access to our site.   

The contract leaves the choice of de-icing and/or plowing our streets (which includes the access drives) to the discretion of the contractor. However it does state that when de-icing, the entrances and exits shall be double treated (salt is the specified de-icing material for our streets and either calcium chloride or potassium chloride must be used everywhere else).

Therefore, when we have a significant snowfall such as we are experiencing today, it follows that keeping the streets open is our contractor's top priority and may require repeated plowing, in which case the clearing of driveways and sidewalks have to be given secondary priority.


Depending on the severity of the storm, work on the driveways and sidewalks might not begin until the storm subsides. In the event the contractor is unable to to completely clean all of the specified areas in one day, the contract stipulates that follow-up service shall be performed the following morning no later than 12:00 Noon.

As an alternative to using snowblowers and/or snowshovels, our contract states that driveways shall be back-plowed so as to push snow out towards the street and that the snow closest to the garage doors shall be cleared manually so as to avoid plow damage to the doors.


Residents are expected to do their part to help the snow removal process by following the Association's  bylaws, rules and regulations.

Article VII, Section 1, paragraph (j) of our condominium bylaws addresses the parking and storage of vehicles and it states that residents shall park their vehicles in the garages that have been provided for that purpose.

Overnight parking is prohibited on all streets from November 1st through March 30th inclusive, unless a co-owner has received written approval from the Board of Directors.  The purpose of this regulation is to facilitate snow removal operations.  “Overnight” shall mean the period from Midnight until 6:00 AM. 

No written approvals have been requested or granted for overnight, on-street parking during the winter of 2013-2014. 

If a resident has more than two vehicles, they should be parked overnight in their driveway so that the street may be eventually cleared across its full width.  It's recommended that a third vehicle should be parked all the way to one side of the driveway to allow the contractor the option of back-plowing the other half of the driveway.  Otherwise, the contractor will manually clear the driveway areas surrounding the parked vehicle(s).  As soon as the street has been plowed across its full width, the vehicles may be moved from the driveway and parked on the street.

Your Board of Directors suggests that whenever you see or hear that local communities have issued a snow emergency, the neighborly thing to do is to park all of your vehicles in your garage and driveway until our streets have been cleared, regardless of the time of day.