Certificate of Insurance

How to obtain a Certificate of Insurance

As of April 2015, the condo association has a new insurance agency and coverage is now provided through 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.

Minutes of the 11-2-2015 Board Meeting

MANORS AT CENTRAL PARK
CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION
Minutes of the
Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors
November 2, 2015, 1:00 PM

(UNAPPROVED)

1. Called to Order at 1:00 PM; Board members in attendance: Mike Grobbel, Larry Cybulski, Ray Swiderski; also in attendance: Mike O’Brien (Casa Bella).
2. The Meeting Agenda was approved with no changes.
3. The Board approved the minutes of the Special Meeting of March 17, 2015
4. New Business
1. 2016 Budget – the Board reviewed the proposed budget and adjusted selected amounts to provide additional funds for grounds repair & maintenance, tree/shrub maintenance, exterior wood repair and road maintenance.
2. The Board approved the adjusted budget for 2016:

                                                    i.     Monthly Association Fees remain same as 2015

                                                   ii.     Total Income of $318,840 based on 127 total units

                                                  iii.     Total Operating Expenses of $286,358

                                                  iv.     Total contributions to Replacement Reserve Account of $31,884  

3. The Board agreed to publish a  newsletter and discussed its content
4. The Board reviewed and approved a Welcoming Letter with slightly different version to be sent to new buyers of:

                                                    i.     Newly constructed condos (Units 35-157)

                                                   ii.     Existing condos (Units 15-167)

                                                  iii.     Existing site condos (Units 1-14)

5. Set date, time and place for 2016 Annual Membership Meeting

                                                    i.     Wed. Jan. 27, 2016

                                                   ii.     Sign-in begins at 6:30 p.m.; meeting begins at 7:00 p.m.

                                                  iii.     Board Room, Shelby Twp. Municipal Building

5. Old Business – the Board discussed:
1. Delinquencies
2. Rental units
6. Open Discussion – there were no items discussed
7. Set next Board of Directors Regular Meeting date, time and place; the Board agreed
1. to allow the president to call the next meeting
2. that a meeting will probably be needed to be held in early January 2016
8. The meeting was adjourned at 2:42 p.m.

Oct. 18th Open House at the Packard Proving Grounds

Our "neighbor", the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site will be having their annual Open House on Sunday, October 18th, 1-5pm.

Skunks love grubs

Skunk on the prowl, Dec. 2014.

In addition to the visits we get from wild turkeys, possums, woodchucks and the occasional deer here at the Manors, we are also visited by skunks.  However, since they are nocturnal animals, we only occasionally see them out and about.

What we do see is the damage they inflict on our lawns each fall when they feast on the grubs that are beneath the sod.  The Association does pay for an annual application of grub killer, but many grubs still survive at the perimeter of the lawns near the sidewalk and driveways.

The Association's landscaper is attempting to repair the more heavily damaged areas by removing the damaged lawn, applying an insecticide to kill the remaining grubs and then installing new sod a few days later while we still have our lawn sprinkling system available.   Smaller damaged areas are being repaired by tamping the loose tufts of grass back into place and adding grass seed.  However, once the irrigation system is winterized, we will have to wait until spring to repair any more lawn damage.

Lawn damaged by a skunk feeding on grubs.

Damaged lawn after tamping.

Our wildlife control contractor does not recommend setting traps for skunks.  More often than not, the traps end up catching other types of wildlife instead of the skunks, unless the trap is placed adjacent to the skunk burrow.  Since we have not identified any skunk burrows on our premises, they are probably living in the fields to our north and west and venturing onto our property at night to fatten up for the coming winter.  Also, if a trap was placed on the lawns where they have been feeding, you could find an angry possum or skunk snarling or spraying at you in the morning!

The Board of Directors believes that grub control is the most appropriate solution to our skunk problem and we are working with our lawn fertilizing contractor to achieve better results in 2016.

Wild Turkeys

A "rafter" of wild turkeys were spotted yesterday on the west side of the Manors property. There were at least 13 of them, about half of them being young poults.

Road Closure Announcement

 

(click to enlarge)

Announcement from the Charter Township of Shelby:

Following the finalization of an independent structural engineer’s inspection of a bridge on Shelby Road just north of 22 Mile Road, the Macomb County Department of Roads decided to close the bridge Sept. 11 and facilitate a full fill of the span underneath the bridge with full reconstruction of a new roadway.

The bridge runs above an old railroad line that led into the former Ford Motor Co./Visteon plant near 23 Mile and Mound roads. After reaching an agreement with that property’s current owner, the MCDR finalized a plan to remove the railroad line and fill the area to facilitate the new road.

“Last week the Macomb County Department of Roads completed an independent engineering inspection of the bridge on Shelby Road over the abandoned railroad spur into the old Visteon complex north of 22 Mile Road,” MCDR Director Bob Hoepfner sad. “The inspection revealed significant deterioration, and it was determined that the structure must be closed to traffic.

“We have received permission from the owner of the old Visteon complex to remove the deck and fill the structure with earth and repave the roadway and hope to have this work completed in the next few months,” Hoepfner added. “Since this structure is located on a County Primary Road, the Macomb County Department of Roads will cover 100 percent of the project cost.”

Like all bridge replacement and reconstruction projects on primary roads in Macomb County, the Shelby Road bridge replacement falls under the MCDR policy in which the MCDR absorbs all construction costs associated with the project.

The closure on Shelby Road comes on the heels of the finalization of an agreement between the township and the MCDR to reconstruct roughly one mile of 22 Mile Road beginning 500 feet east of Shelby Road traveling west to Ryan Road.

The 22 mile Road project is independent of the Shelby Road bridge replacement, and, because 22 Mile Road is designated a local road, the costs associated with the reconstruction of the road and a box culvert over the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal must be split between the county and Shelby Township.

Streetlight Outages

The following streetlights are out of order due to failed underground wiring:

1) East side of Lexington West, behind 6638 Lexington South
2) East side of Regent, across from 50011 Regent
3) Northwest corner of Watling and Lexington South
4) Southwest corner of Watling and Lexington North

Some of these failures are due to the underground wiring being cut by construction crews back in 2004-2010.  They were repaired with splices which over time became corroded by moisture, which then caused them to eventually short out. Other failures might be the result of more recent construction activity.

The underground electrical lines for the streetlights do not appear on the MISSDIG drawings, so the contractors are not responsible for the damage.  Therefore, it is up to the Association to repair and replace the failed underground wiring.  Since it is very difficult to find the location of the break, a new underground line must be installed between the streetlight and the electrical meter, which can be anywhere from 100 to 500 feet away. The Board of Directors will have new wiring installed for each streetlight once the risk of damage from new construction in the vicinity has subsided.

Storm Sewer Repairs

The heavy rains we had on August 11, 2014 (post with photos) caused two sinkholes to develop on our property.  The sinkholes resulted from breaks in the underground storm sewer pipe that had gone undetected until then.

What happened that day is that the retention basin filled up from the 5.1 inches of rain we received that day, causing the water to back up into the storm sewers and catch basins.  By 9:00 p.m. some streets were covered from curb to curb with standing water that had no place to go until the retention basin eventually drained down later that night.  In the meantime, the backed-up storm water escaped from the breaks in the two buried pipes and as the water receded, it sucked the surrounding sand into the pipe, causing a small sinkhole behind 49995-50011 Regent and a much larger sinkhole between 49992-50008 Watling.

The Association hired a contractor who managed to get the storm sewer pipe at the smaller sinkhole repaired later in the fall of 2014.  However they found that the pipe at the larger sinkhole was much deeper and after an initial attempt had to be abandoned, they brought in heavy equipment last week to make the repairs.

In both cases, it's believed that the breaks in the plastic storm sewer pipe were caused by construction debris that was dropped directly onto the pipe during the backfilling of the storm sewer trench in 2004.

Landscaping repairs at the smaller sinkhole have already been made and the Board of Directors intends to have the landscaping repaired at the Watling sinkhole sometime after Labor Day.

Below are photos of the Watling sinkhole repairs that were made on Aug. 13, 2015.

The excavator had to dig a hole about 7 ft. deep and 12 ft. wide to expose and repair the broken storm sewer pipe.

The worker's foot is next to the break in the storm sewer pipe.

The broken section was cut out and replaced with a new section of 12 in. diameter pipe.

Roadway Maintenance

Workers finished the last of the asphalt paving at
around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 4th.

The Association's Board of Directors recently contracted to have two catch basins rebuilt and approximately 220 feet of access drive replaced in front of 6915-6979 North Central Park.  This work took place over the past two weeks and was completed today. 

The asphalt needs to harden for three days before it will be safe to drive upon. In the meantime, affected residents may park along the north side of the North Central Park roadway.

Groundwater Sampling

Every three months Ford Motor Company has a subcontractor come on-site to take groundwater samples from the two monitoring wells that are located behind 50119 Lexington West.  The next such sampling is scheduled for Monday, July 27, 2015 and their subcontractor has requested and received permission from the Board to enter the premises.

Their subcontractor, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates (CRA), has recently merged with GHD Services Inc. and their corporate name has been changed to GHD.

Therefore beginning with the July 27th groundwater samplings, the crew's trucks, hard hats, etc. will be marked "GHD" instead of "CRA". 

2015 Municipal Water Quality Report

Shelby Township issues a report every year regarding the safety and quality of our municipal drinking water.  The report is called "The Pipeline" and you can read the 2015 edition by clicking here.

Page 3 of the report discusses "Area Maintenance Meters" and suggests that all lawn watering take place between midnight and 5 am.  All of the municipal water used for lawn irrigation here at the Manors is supplied through "Area Maintenance Meters" and thus is not subject to any sanitary sewer charges.  Because of the large areas involved, we cannot confine all of our lawn irrigation to those recommended 5 hours, but be assured that when watering is required, our controllers are programmed to keep every water meter in use during those 5 hours.

Fireworks

Reminder - fireworks are not allowed on the limited or general common elements of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Association, which includes all of the land, sidewalks, driveways and streets.

The Association is a private, non-profit corporation that is registered with the State of Michigan.   The Association, through its Board of Directors, is responsible for, among other things, the management, maintenance, operation and administration of the common elements.

Article VII, Section 1, paragraph (c) of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Bylaws states that,

No unlawful activity shall be carried on in any unit or upon the limited or general common elements, nor shall any unreasonable noisy activity be carried on in any unit or on the common elements.  No member owning any residential unit shall do or permit anything to be done in his unit or on the common elements that will increase the insurance rate on the Condominium without the written approval of the Association.

The Michigan Fireworks Safety Act PA 256 of 2011, Section 28.462 - as well as Section 26-160 (c) of the Shelby Twp. Code of Ordinances -  state that fireworks may not be used on public property, school property or the private property of another person unless express permission is obtained to use the fireworks on that property.

Section 26-163 of the Shelby Twp. Code of Ordinances states that first-time violators shall be deemed responsible for a municipal civil infraction and subject to a fine of not less than $75.00 and not more than $500.00.

On-Line Requests for Service

With the recent transition to Casa Bella for our property management services, Manors co-owners can now submit a request for service on-line, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

If you have not yet registered for your free account, go to http://www.casabellamanagement.com/user_signup_association.php and provide the requested registration information.  Casa Bella will verify your information and activate your account.  You should then receive an e-mail from them confirming that it has been activated.  The Casa Bella activation process should not take more than one business day - usually it is activated within a couple of hours.

After your account has been activated, go to the Casa Bella home page at http://www.casabellamanagement.com/index.php and provide your Username and Password in the Login box on the right side of the page.

Once you are logged in, click on the "Service Requests" link on the left side of your home page.  It will open the Service Requests page (shown above), from which you can submit requests for Work Orders as well as Modification Requests, Violation Reports and Change of Address.  Click on the appropriate green magnifying glass icon and the proper form will open up.  Complete the form and submit it.  Your submitted service request is visible to you, Casa Bella employees and all of the Board members.  You can also check back at any time to follow its status.

The menu on the left side of your Casa Bella home page also provides additional links to other useful options and documents.  From there you can view our Master Deed, Bylaws, Rules & Regulations, meeting minutes and financial documents as well as verify your current balance. 

Co-owners still have the option of requesting service by calling Casa Bella at (248) 655-1500.

New ranch-style condominiums for sale

There are 47 available sites to choose from

New ranch style duplex condominiums are now being constructed and marketed here within the Manors by Woodlake-Landtec of Central Park LLC.  Their sales office is located at 49966 Lexington East.  Phone 586-739-1373.

For more information, visit their web site at manorscp.com

Shelby Twp. "Leash Law"

From the Facebook page of the Shelby Twp. Police Department:

***From the Chief's Desk***
Now that the weather has broken, DC Coil would like to remind our residents about our "leash law". According to Shelby Twp. Municipal Code, animals are not permitted to run freely or be "at large" on any property, public or private, except your own.
We get recurring complaints from residents about people letting their dogs run free in the parks and neighborhoods. When in the parks or walking on any sidewalk or roadway, animals MUST be leashed.

First violation of this ordinance will result in a written warning. Second violation is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Let's look out for our friends and neighbors, and keep our furry family members safe as well!

Posted by Shelby Township Police Department on Thursday, April 30, 2015

As a reminder, the streets, access drives, sidewalks and landscaping within the Manors at Central Park are general common elements belonging to the Condominium Association.  As such they are private property and the Association does not allow anyone, including our co-owners, to let their pets run freely or be "at large" on our property.   Unattended pets - even if leashed -  are not permitted to be kept on the common elements, limited or general.

Clean-up Day Postponed

The Central Park Clean-up Day has been postponed one week and will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2015 beginning at 12 o'clock Noon.

Volunteers should meet at the pond near the 22 Mile Rd. entrance to receive an assigned area.

2015 Clean Up Day and Garage Sale Dates

Revised April 15th - note the new times for both events!

 The 2015 Central Park Community Clean Up Day will be held on Saturday, April 25th beginning at 12 o'clock noon.  Meet at the walkway path next to the South Pond (the one closest to 22 Mile Rd.).  All residents of Central Park are invited to participate.

The 2015 Central Park Community Garage Sale will be held Thursday-Friday-Saturday May 14, 15 & 16, 2015.  Times are 9:00 AM until 8:00 PM.  All residents of the Gardens, Meadows and Manors communities are welcome to participate (Kensington residents cannot participate because of their Bylaws and lack of parking).

Groundbreaking

Excavation began today on the first of the four duplexes that will be built this spring.

Minutes of the March 17th Board of Directors Meeting

The Board of Directors held a Special Meeting on March 17, 2015.

Click here to read the meeting minutes.

In the minutes it mentions that the Board of Directors has adopted a set of rules relating to the storage of flammable materials.  These new rules can be read in their entirety here.

UPDATE:
Copies of the rules were mailed to all co-owners on March 24, 2015 and they become effective April 5, 2015.

Start of Construction

As you may have already noticed, underground utilities have been marked and some excavating equipment has been delivered in preparation for the start of construction of the remaining units here at the Manors.

Construction of the remaining 47 units will begin with the following 8 units:

• Units 35 and 36 at 49863-49879 Lexington West
• Units 152 through 157 at 6702-6718, 6734-6750 and 6766-6782 Lexington South.

 

Condensation on the inside of your windows?

Are you experiencing a lot of water condensation and ice on the inside of your windows?  If so, this is not the result of a problem with your windows, it's simply an indication that the humidity level inside your home is too high and that you need to take some corrective actions.

Minutes of the Feb 6th Board of Directors Meeting

The Board of Directors held a meeting on Feb. 6, 2015, during which they elected their officers for 2015:

• President: Mike Grobbel 

• Secretary:  Ray Swiderski

• Treasurer: Larry Cybulski

Click here to read the meeting minutes.

Minutes of the 2015 Annual Membership Meeting

The 2015 Annual Membership Meeting was held on Jan. 28, 2015.

Three co-owners were elected to serve as the Board of Directors for 2015:  Mike Grobbel, Larry Cybulski and Ray Swiderski.

Click here to read the minutes of the meeting.

Jan. 14th Board Meeting Minutes

Click here to read the minutes of the Jan. 14, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting. 

These minutes are also available at Casa Bella's web site for registered Manors co-owners. Not registered yet? Simply click on this link and follow the instructions: http://www.casabellamanagement.com/user_signup_association.php

Trash pick-up delay

Rizzo Environmental Services pickups in the Charter Township of Shelby will be delayed one day this week because of the winter storm.

Snow Emergency in Effect

The Shelby Township Police Dept. has declared a Snow Emergency as of 8:54 AM, Feb. 1, 2015.

Please park all of your vehicles in your garage and driveway during this snow emergency.

You may park again on the streets or access drives only after the snow has stopped and the roadways have been fully plowed.

Vehicles parked on the Manors streets and access drives during a declared snow emergency are subject to being towed away without the owners consent.  This also applies to the Central Park main roadways (North Central Park, West Central Park, South Central Park and East Central Park.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

Signed: Board of Directors, Manors at Central Park Condominium Association

2015 Annual Membership Meeting

The 2015 Annual Membership Meeting of the Manors at Central Park Condominium Association will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 beginning at 7:00 PM.  Registration will open at 6:30PM

The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Shelby Twp. Municipal Building, which is located at 52700 Van Dyke, Shelby Twp., MI 48316.

The purpose of this meeting is to elect three members to the Board of Directors was well as to review last year’s accomplishments and plans for the coming year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Updated Jan. 26, 2015

Click here to view the meeting agenda.

Here are the minutes from last year's annual meeting which the members will be asked to approve during the Jan. 28th meeting.

Here is the 2015 Financial Report that has been prepared for the membership, as required by Article V of our Condominium Bylaws.
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If you are unable to attend (or even if you are not sure whether you can make it), please fill out the General Proxy form you received in the mail last week from Casa Bella and give it to the person who will be attending the meeting and acting as your proxy.  This can be a neighbor or any member of the Board of Directors.  Please do not send your General Proxy to Casa Bella.

If you have not already completed and returned the Co-owner Questionnaire form that you received from Casa Bella in early December, please do so as soon as possible so that the Association's records can be updated prior to the Annual Membership Meeting.

Also, please take the time register as an Association Member on the Casa Bella web site.  More information can be found here.

Casa Bella is now our Property Managing Agent

As of Jan. 1st, Casa Bella Property Management is now the Managing Agent for the Manors at Central Park Condominium Association.

If you have not already completed and returned the Co-owner Questionnaire form that you received from them in early December, please do so as soon as possible so that the Association's records can be updated prior to the Annual Meeting on Jan. 28, 2015.

Casa Bella provides each of our Association Members with the opportunity to register and create their own on-line account, from which they can make and track maintenance & modification requests, download available financial statements and make payments online quickly and securely

To register as an Association Member, simply click on this link and follow the instructions:
http://www.casabellamanagement.com/user_signup_association.php

During the registration process you will be asked to provide your Unit Number.  If you are not sure of your Unit Number, click on the link with your street name that appears under the heading "Useful Links" on the lower right side of this blog.  Find your name, address and parcel number.  Your Unit Number corresponds to the last three digits of the parcel number.  For example the parcel number for 49997 Lexington East is 23-07-21-199-085.  Therefore, during the registration process, you would input 85 for the Unit Number.

Members of the Board of Directors will also be able to utilize these on-line account features not only as a co-owner but also to keep track of all requests that have been submitted by members as well as to monitor our monthly financial progress relative to the budget.  In the past the Board had to rely on paper-based reports that were usually outdated by the time we received them.  The Board also hopes to be able to communicate directly to all co-owners in a more timely fashion using the on-line accounts.

The Board strongly encourages all of our Members to register and use their on-line account so that requested services can be delivered and followed-up in a more efficient manner and the Association's administrative costs can be reduced through the elimination of reproduction and mailing costs.