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 | Resident Expresses Spending Concerns |
 Recently, I received a letter from a resident who expressed concerns with several of the Board's spending decisions over the past years. I did my best to respond to these concerns and to explain the decision making process the Board followed when making these decisions.
One of the main reasons I ran for the Board was to add transparency to the Association's financial picture and to ensure that your dues are spent wisely. For this reason, I felt that it was important that I post both the original letter and my response.
I am sure that some of you may have similar concerns, and I hope this posting helps to address those worries. As always, if you do have any questions regarding the association, please feel free to contact me at your convenience at dawhite@ameritech.net. You can also add any thoughts in the comments section below and I will do my best to respond in a timely manner.
Thanks
Don White
Treasurer
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Posted by dawhite on Wednesday, February 21 @ 21:36:25 CST (323 reads)
(comments? | Score: 0)
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| Snow Plowing Concerns |
 With the heavy snowfall came several resident concerns about the street plowing. As you well know, residental plowing in Columbus is not a priority. Due to the slow city response, we looked into hiring a private contractor to plow our streets. The cheapest bid we received was $2400 for last week's snow alone. At this price, the Board could not justify spending nearly 10% of our operating budget when the city was due to arrive in the next couple of days.
If the community wants us to investigate this for next year, we will be glad to do so with the undestanding that our dues may have to be increased to provide this service. Please respond to the poll on this topic so that we can be guided by you!
Thanks
Don White
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Posted by dawhite on Wednesday, February 21 @ 21:06:13 CST (288 reads)
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| Casto to present to Northland Community Council on 1/31 |
 Over the past several months, members of the Responsible Retail
Committee, which consists of representatives from neighborhoods
surrounding this site including Albany Park, have been meeting with
Casto representatives to get a better understanding of the proposed
plans.
Talks are ongoing, and we have been pleased with Casto’s
willingness to listen to our concerns. In fact, a major victory has
been scored with the commitment that there would be no Wal-Mart Super
Center on this site!
A Super Target, however, is now planned for
this area. The RRC is continuing discussions as there are still
outstanding items that need to be resolved.
Please be
advised that Casto representatives will be making a presentation before
the Northland Community Council (NCC) on Wednesday, January 31 at 7pm
at the Minerva Park Community Center located at 2820 Minerva Lake Road. This meeting is open to the public. A vote on the proposal will not be taken that evening, but the developer will be seeking feedback on the proposal from the NCC Development Committee.
Parking at the community center is scarce, so please try to carpool wherever it make sense.
Check back here for more information.
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Posted by blaiss on Sunday, January 28 @ 23:00:00 CST (339 reads)
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| Reminder: Get Your Fu Shots This Year |
 For information on where to get your flu shot in central Ohio visit the Adult Immunization Coalition of Central Ohio's website at www.vaccine4me.com.
You can also call the flu shot hotline at 1-614-437-2900. |
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Posted by blaiss on Saturday, September 30 @ 14:09:19 CDT (357 reads)
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| Greenspace Design Approved |
 At our August Board Meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed the proposals that were presented by the Greenspace Committee Chair, Danielle Hays, for the development of our Greenspace. After reviewing the three bids, the Board approved the Winnscapes Design. A Winnscapes representative was at the meeting and presented the details of the project and answered questions for the twenty-five Homeowners and Board Members that were present.
A link to the design and bid will be placed at the bottom of this article by Steve Blaiss in the near future.
A summary of the project and design details is below:
Ground Prep & Turf Installation: The land will be sprayed and tilled to kill the current vegetation. Top soil will be added, and the ground will be graded and smoothed. Any rocks or construction debris will be removed from the soil to give a good base for the lawn and landscaping. The soil will be seeded and covered with straw or other bedding material to ensure good lawn development.
Irrigation: a 49-head, 10-zone irrigation system will be installed in order to protect our investment in the lawn and landscaping. Additionally, a hose bib will be installed in the shelter facility.
Fencing: A 4-rail New Albany style fence will be placed along the front edge of the Greenspace to seperate it from the road and to create a park feel. This fence will be similar in design and appearance to the fence that runs along the front of the subdivision along Dublin-Granville Road.
Paving: A 5' wide concrete walk will be installed from the sidewalk at the front of the lot back to the shelter house. A small seating and conversation area will be placed in the middle of the lot that will measure approximately 15' square. [The original bid called for a 5' wide packed gravel walk. At the request of homeowners at the meeting this was changed to concrete for a slight price increase].
Plantings: The lot will have a line of 5, 2"-2.5" diameter Sugar Maples along the north and south side of the lot. A line of 11 Viburnums will be planted underneath the Maples towards the back of the lot to provide a privacy screen for the adjacent homeowners' back yards. The entrance will be edged with 18 Happy Returns Day Lillies and 6 Dwarf Korean Lilac bushes. Around the seating area in the center of the lot will be planted 12 Coreopsis and 12 Knockout Shrub Roses. Also 2 flowering Ivory Silk Tree Lilacs will be planted in this area. At the front of the shelter will be planted 6 more Dwarf Korean Lilacs and 12 more Happy Returns Day Lillies. Finally, the Shelter will be flanked by 2, 3" diameter Red Oak Trees to provide a taller centerpiece in the back of the Greenspace.
Shelter: The Shelter will be a wooden 20' x 25' shelter. It will have a poured concrete floor and a small attached storage unit / utility room. It will be painted white with shaker shingles on the roof.
Site Furnishings: The Greenspace will be equipped with 4 full size picnic tables, 2 benches and 1 trash receptacle.
Electrical: The shelter will be equiped with low intesity lighting for use during evening hours. It will also be equipped with multiple GFCI receptacles. We have also asked that a circuit be added for the future addition of ceiling fans in the shelter house.
Financial:
The final project will cost approxiamtely $83,000. We requested some minor design changes to the bid, but they should not affect the final price more than $2,500 either way.
The Board reviewed various financing options and decided that the best way to fund this project would be through securing a loan in order to complete of the entire project at once. We currently have approximately $24,000 in cash on hand for use as a downpayment on the project and to cover 2006 loan payments.
The Board plans to charge a $60 Special Assesment to each lot for five years from 2007 to 2011 to pay off the balance of the loan. This additional $5 per month will bring to the total Annual Assocation Dues to $200. The Board also will use excess funds from annual operations to make additional payments on this loan in order to shorten the overall period of the loan and the Special Assessment, if possible.
The Board would like to thank the Greenspace Committee and Danielle Hays for their hard work on getting this project to the approval stage.
We are in the process of securing the loan for this project. Once the loan approval process in complete, Winnscapes can begin the permitting process. We are aiming for actual construction to begin in late September with a target completion date of Halloween.
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Posted by dawhite on Wednesday, August 16 @ 22:05:27 CDT (582 reads)
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| Special Board Meeting to Present Greenspace Plans Announced |
 The Greenspace commitee has received 3 seperate bids for the Greenspace, selected a recommended design and presented it to the Board of Trustees for approval. The Board would like to open a portion of our Wednesday meeting to present the selected design to the community and present our financing plans.
We also are also looking for community feedback on the final design before begining the construction process.
The meeting will be held Wednesday, August 2nd at 7:00 at the New Albany Libray.
Please note that we will only be opening a portion of this meeting. If you have additional concerns you would address during the closed session, please contact Kellie, Bob or Don at your convenience.
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Posted by dawhite on Sunday, July 30 @ 15:58:09 CDT (1221 reads)
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| Albany Park Lawn Maintenance Standards Approved |
Upon the recommendation of Albany Park’s Design Review Board, at the June 7, 2006 Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the following Lawn Maintenance Standards for the subdivision. These Standards are being enacted to ensure the attractive appearance of our subdivision for our homeowners, and to help protect and increase property values in our subdivision as a whole.
Albany Park’s Lawn Maintenance Standards are as follows: 1) Lawns must be kept healthy, green and reasonably free of noxious weeds through adequate irrigation, manual lawn care, and/or chemical treatments at all times unless otherwise directed due to government imposed watering and/or other restrictions. 2) Bare patches in lawns must be repaired with the same, or similar, seed or sod in a prompt manner. 3) Lawns must be kept mowed and edged on a regular basis with grass not to exceed eight inches in height. 4) All grass clippings or other yard waste must be removed from sidewalk and driveway areas after mowing or other yard work. 5) Yard waste bags may not be placed on the curb for pickup until the day prior to the regularly scheduled collection day. 6) Sidewalks must be edged and any invasive grass treated with chemicals or otherwise removed to maintain a neat appearance. 7) Flower, Planters, and/or Garden beds must be maintained and kept reasonably free of noxious weeds and non-ornamental grasses. Additionally, beds must be edged and maintained with adequate hardwood mulch or other appropriate bed coverings such as decorative stone, cocoa shells, pine needles, etc., to maintain a neat and distinctive appearance separate from the remainder of the lawn. The Design Review Board will be responsible for enforcing these standards upon the receipt of a complaint from any homeowner in Albany Park. At that time, the Design Review Board will review the complaint, and, if the complaint is found to have merit, will follow Albany Parks Resolution Procedures to correct the problem. |
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Posted by dawhite on Wednesday, June 21 @ 10:51:03 CDT (666 reads)
(Read More... | 1 comment | Score: 5)
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