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.

Sunrise Manors

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

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.

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

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".

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.