Pheasant Lake Townhome Association Newsletter April 2014 Pheasant Lake Documents Available On-Line at: http://plta60487.wordpress.com (Don t google the website - - it doesn t come up; instead, you have to type in the text yourself for the above link) July 2005 Revised Declaration and By-Laws Exterior Modification Request Form (revised Jun3 2013) Exterior Light Policy (Updated December 2005) Rules and Regulations Delinquency Policy, Satellite Dish Policy and Dog Feces Policy Marquette Bank ACH Form Minutes of board meetings Newsletters Year End Financials Owner Communication Procedures PHLK Picture Courtesy of Len Wiencek Note: Next meeting is on Monday, MAY 12, 2014 at the Tinley Park Village Hall, 16250 Oak Park Ave. at 7:00 PM. Board meetings are typically held on the 2nd Monday of the month. The next board meeting is updated on the PLTA website each month. When you have maintenance issues, CONTACT EPI: Phone: 708 396-1800 Ext. 23 (Terry handles Pheasant Lake calls) E-Mail: epi@epimanagement.com Website: http://www.epimanagement.com Newsletter Content Communications with Board Newsletter distribution Tree Removal EPI Homeowners On-line Portal Sprinkler System Activation Chimney Cap Replacement Tinley Park Twitter & Emergency Email New Bank Accounts June Board Mtg.: June 16th Roofing Project Update Request for Volunteers Owners NOT Interrupt Contractors Working on Property Trespasser Fishermen on Lake Owners/Guests on Lake Thanks to Volunteers Mailbox Compliance If you have questions for the board Come to a board meeting and ask. If you cannot come to a board meeting, then contact EPI and then they will convey your questions to the board. Page 1 of 5
I. Communication with your Board of Directors This is a reminder regarding the memo sent to all owners, by EPI, dated August 16, 2012, about communication of association business with board members. It asks that you not contact the board members personally. Board members are owners, neighbors and volunteers. Please respect their privacy and use the contact info above to inform EPI of association related problems and concerns. EPI is the channel to the PLTA board, or owners are, of course, free to attend board meetings to convey their concerns to the board. II. Newsletter Publication and Distribution There is a website for distribution of association documents, courtesy of our treasurer, Beth Murphy. You can view and download meeting minutes, newsletters, association by-laws and more as shown above. The address and content are shown at the top of page one. Owners were polled in 2013 regarding their preferences for newsletter delivery. Some owners requested that hard copies be delivered to them because they did not have internet access, some requested an email notice when a newsletter is posted to the Pheasant Lake website, and some indicated that they would just check the Pheasant Lake website on their own to check for newsletters (without getting any email notice). The poll also indicated: If a unit owner does not respond, the newsletter will NOT be delivered to that unit. The board is distributing newsletter information to owners based on owners responses to that June 2013 poll. III. Ash Tree Removal and Common Area Clean-Up The dead Ash trees (other than parkway trees) have been removed; parkway trees are the responsibility of the Village of Tinley Park. There remains piles of tree stump mulch, that was part of the tree removal process. The association will be responsible for the clean-up of the affected areas. In an effort to save the association some money, there has been a suggestion that a volunteer group be formed that could do the clean-up and restore the common area. This has worked well in the past for various projects. A specific date has not been set for this activity, but it will be discussed at the April 14, 2014 board meeting. If you are interested in volunteering, you can notify EPI and they will forward the information to board member Jerry Spehar, who has offered to work with the group. IV. JUNE BOARD MEETING: BEING HELD ON 3 RD MONDAY JUNE 16, 2014 The Board meetings are typically held on the 2 nd Monday of the month; however, due to schedule conflicts, the June meeting is being held on Monday, June 16. When the location is confirmed, it will be posted on the Pheasant Lake website & the notice board by the bench, but you can also call EPI for the meeting location. Page 2 of 5
V. EPI On-Line System for Homeowners The new EPI web portal is now functioning and accessible by homeowners. The web-portal allows homeowners to access 2 types of information. 1. Assessment information 2. Work Order information Owners will also be able to make assessment payments online, but there are fees involved. There are other features available to homeowners. This web-portal is available to all Pheasant Lake Townhome owners. EPI s on-line web-portal is located at: http://www.epimanagement.com Owners should click on Member Portal. You will be asked to register. Just enter your ID (e-mail address) and press Continue. EPI will send you an e-mail containing a temporary password. Usually within a business day or less. Use the temporary Password to continue the registration process. You will be asked to furnish your own personal password. Owners will be required to submit a current completed Census Card. VI. Roofing Project Update Normally, the board does not have enough business that requires them to meet during the winter months (December through February); however, the board took the opportunity to meet during these months with the roofing contractors who have bid on the roofing project to be completed in 2015. Board members Jerry Spehar and Beth Murphy drafted a list of questions for the roofing contractors that the entire board reviewed, discussed and revised. The revised question list was given to each contractor, and those questions were the basis for each roofing contractors presentations to the board. Since the roofing contract will be bid again in early fall prior to preparation of the 2015 budget, the board wanted to be fully informed on all of the details regarding installation of the new roofs included in our contract specifications and also wanted to try to get a better handle on the extent of contract extra costs involved. Thus, as you can see, preparation for the 2015 roofing project is an ongoing activity being conducted by the board well in advance of the work being done. VII. Chimney Cap Replacements As part of the roofing project discussions, the board discussed the age and condition of the chimney caps. The board decided to have all chimney caps inspected and photographed for board review. After that review, the board decided to hire contractors to replace the cement and metal chimney caps on all 92 units DURING 2014 so that this work does not interfere with the roof replacement project in 2015. The cost for the chimney cap replacements is being funded by the unassigned reserves, not the roof reserves. The total cost for the chimney cap replacements is $57,480. This chimney cap replacement work began in March 2014. Page 3 of 5
VIII. New Bank Accounts & Renewal Of CD S Since the maximum account balance that is FDIC insured at each bank is $250,000, the Association opened new money market accounts at both First Merchants Bank and Charter One. The CD s at United Trust Bank that matured in December 2013 were renewed for 18 months so that they would be available to pay roofing contractors in 2015. IX. Sprinkler System Activation The tentative date is May 3, 2014 (Saturday) to turn on the sprinkler system. Please report all malfunctions to EPI. This is a volunteer crewed project, other than major leaks that involve extensive digging. X. Thanks to Volunteers THANKS to Volunteers -- Already in Action Special thanks to Tom Kripple for his continued help with cleaning up around the pond and to James Hansen for maintaining the Goose Line around the lake. (See item XI below.) XI. Request For Volunteers As mentioned under the sprinkler section, volunteers help to do work on the property to save costs. Volunteers help with other miscellaneous maintenance projects, including some landscaping work. If you are interested in helping out as a volunteer, your help (of any kind) would be greatly appreciated. Please contact EPI and let them know that you re interested in volunteering. EPI s contact information is included on the front page of this newsletter. XII. Owners Are Not To Interrupt Any Contractors Working On Property All owners of our 92 units are reminded that they are not to be interrupting contractors while they are doing their work on the property. If any owner has an issue or concern regarding contractor work, the owner should contact EPI and convey their concerns. EPI will contact the contractor (and the board, if needed). EPI and the board need to be aware of any owner concerns regarding contractors; EPI tracts this information through their work order system. Some board members are approved by the board to serve as the liaison for individual contractors, but that does not mean that all unit owners should be interacting with contractors on the property. Board member designated liaisons (and EPI) are aware of the specifications under the contracts with Pheasant Lake. Page 4 of 5
XIII. Owners & Their Children/Grandchildren & Guests On Lake All owners are responsible for their guests, their children/grandchildren, and their children's/grandchildren's friends who play or fish around the lake. Children should not break the goose fence, which does very successfully keep the geese (& their extensive droppings) off the grass when the fence is intact. The fence is kind to the environment and very reasonable in cost (again, due to using volunteers to help maintain the fence). Children should also be instructed to not throw the rocks (riprap) into the lake. XIV. Trespasser Fishermen On Lake All owners should keep an eye out for pond fishermen who trespass on our property and tend to break the goose fence. If an owner does not feel comfortable talking with the intruders, a call to the Tinley Park Police will suffice. XV. Village Of Tinley Park: Twitter & Emergency e-mail Alert System Twitter Do you like receiving your information in 140 characters or less? Follow the Village of Tinley Park on Twitter and receive quick updates on what's happening around town. Here is the link for Tinley Park s Twitter: https://twitter.com/tinleypark_il Emergency Text/Email Notifications Residents also can register to receive emergency text message notifications on their cell phones and/or email accounts. These messages include important notifications such as police alerts, severe weather warnings and other serious situations as determined by our public safety departments. To take advantage of this important service, click here* and register your cell phone number (cell phones must have text message capabilities) and/or email address. Standard text message charges will be applied by your cell phone carrier. *To register for Emergency Text/Email Notifications: 1. Go to the Tinley Park Website at: http://tinleypark.org 2. THEN find the Quick Links on the right side of their home page AND click on Emergency Notification Sign Up XVI. Mailbox Compliance Notice From The Tinley Park Public Works Department With the warmer weather, now is the time to make sure your mailbox complies with postal regulations. The front of the box should not extend past the curb. Also, the post must be firmly set in the ground and not cracked, rotted or rusted. The box must be firmly attached to the post. The Public Works Department is not responsible for mailboxes damaged by snow plows if they do not meet these requirements. Page 5 of 5