Bentwood Farms - Mallard Pond Homeowners Association

May 2002

May 21, 2002

Notes from the President
By Jim McGrath

Welcome new neighbors! For those of you who live towards the back part of the subdivision, you have noticed that there are very few houses left to be sold before we will be finally built-out. That will be good news for those putting up with construction dust and noise. In the meantime, we continue to get new neighbors, both those moving into new houses, and those who purchase an existing house. Please welcome and show these new families what our little piece of the world has to offer. Sharon Lach continues to greet each family as she is made aware of move-ins, and they get a packet of information from our association as well. If you know of someone who has recently moved-in, please contact Sharon at home, 861-0325. Thank you for your help!

Monthly Meetings

The Board of Trustees encourages all neighborhood residents to join us for monthly Trustee meetings. The next meeting will be June 3rd at 7:00pm at the Violet Township Offices located at 12970 Rustic Drive. In our website, there have been several comments requesting ?“special?” meetings, on a variety of topics. It has always been our intention to take as much time as is necessary to fully address any concerns of our homeowners, so we encourage you to come and ask your questions then. If you have a burning issue or problem that cannot wait, please contact one of the Trustees:

Jim McGrath jmvett@aol.com
Curt Anderson 861-1206
Craig Turner 577-9311
Sharon Lach 861-0325
Wayne Whitehead wpje@excite.com

Upcoming Events- GARAGE SALE

Our community garage sale is THIS WEEKEND. The sale runs from Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th. Signs are posted at the entrances and ads were put in the newspapers. If you have any question, call Sharon. For higher visibility, put balloons on your mailbox.

Social Committee News
By Andrea Turner

Thank you to everyone who braved the wind to go Easter egg hunting this year. We had a lot of volunteers who helped make it a success. If you are interested in helping on future committees, please let me know. The following people helped make the event possible: Beth Boyd, Donna Breitinger, Denise Denunzio, Sharon Lach, Debbie Segbers, Stephania Wilson, and Beverly Zurhorst.

Architectural Control Committee
By Craig Turner, Chairman & Board Member

** REMINDER TO ALL RESIDENTS **
Boats, trailers, campers, etc. are not allowed to be stored on any lot. Please refer to Article II paragraph 7 and 8 of the Deed Restrictions for further clarification. The Association allows boats to be placed on lots the day prior and the day after its day(s) of use only.

This article is also a reminder that any exterior projects such as fences, patio & porch additions, exterior painting, landscaping and other items outlined in the deed restrictions are required to be first submitted to the Architectural Control Committee for review and approval. You may contact me by phone at 577-9311 if you have any questions on submissions.

For all project that need approval, the ACC requires a copy of your plot plan that shows where the work is located at on your property, a cover letter that gives a brief description of the work along with your name and address, copies of plans/prints if available, and any product data that is applicable for the type of material and/or color that will be used. Submissions will be kept for our records.

The ACC?’s goal is to have a seven-day turn around for review on project submissions. A letter of approval or disapproval will be delivered to the resident as soon as the ACC members sign it. Please allow for this time when scheduling your project start date. The ACC would like to thank you in advance for following these requirements.
New Architectural Control Members Needed
If interested please call any board member or plan to attend the next Homeowners meeting.


Communications Committee

Trustee Sharon Lach formed the communication committee, which has the responsibility to help improve the lines of communications between the board of trustees and the homeowners. Please thank the following people for volunteering to walk or ride the various newsletters, flyers, and phone directories to your door or mailbox; Carla Searfoss, Billy Kelly, Lori Goddard, Terry Egan and Colette Goddard. Please welcome our two new volunteers, Beverly Zurhorst and Stephania Wilson. We have 7 walkers and 2 for folding and stuffing bags. One more helper is needed in this area. Sharon?’s ongoing projects include updating the community map and phone directory. If you see an error in the phone book, please call so the master listing can be updated. In order to reduce debris from the wind blowing bags off mailboxes, over the summer, hooks will be installed replacing the shorter screws and nails.

Grounds

Sharon is also our grounds trustee. She is responsible for insuring the common areas are maintained.
Spring cleanup is ongoing, with mulching of the beds and killing the weeds to be completed soon. A work party is being planned to clean up the debris around the pond. This will enhance its beauty and give greater access to the shore for fishing, and a walkable pathway around the pond. This cleanup is scheduled for this Saturday, May 18, from 10 am until 4pm. Anyone not participating in the Garage Sale is asked to come help out. Bring gloves!
There was a suggestion made to continue the white fencing around the front of the pond area, allowing for an appropriate opening for access, to control traffic and give notice that our pond is private for our neighborhood. We are attempting to get the fencing donated, so that there would be no cost to the Assn.
Note to parents- several children have been seen in the common area woods with hatchets, cutting-down or chopping-up our trees! While we can understand that kids like to play, please don?’t let your children cut or hurt the live trees, they provide screening and hold the dirt in place near the creek. Also, the obvious safety factor, that of sharp objects being swung around near other kids, is dangerous!
Welcome Wagon
If you have new neighbors, contact Sharon at 861-0325 to receive a ?“Welcome Folder?”.


Babysitter Listing

To help our residents who may need sitters, we are attempting to get a listing of those willing to baby sit, either during the day, or at night, and on weekends. To be included in this listing, contact Sharon Lach at 861-0325. We decided not to publish the listing on our website, not wanting others to somehow get access to our kids, so we will publish the list in our newsletter from time to time instead.
The following is a list of neighborhood childcare providers. Teenagers (students) are listed under their parents?’ name:

For internet purposes, we have deleted this information to protect the students. Please call Sharon for a listing, or consult the printed newsletter.


Treasurer?’s Report

The Dues for year 2002 are now past due! If you did not receive your billing, or the second notice, please contact Curt Anderson immediately at 861-1206 to get a copy. There are still some homeowners who have not yet paid their $80; if this sounds like you, please make your payment as soon as possible, so we can be finished with this collection process. Thank
you to all homeowners who paid.

Aeration Service!
Does your yard need aeration? If so, contact Britta Hausmann, for an appointment. 759-9390. This is a local student, running her own business. Great Rates!

Would you like to advertise in our Newsletter? If so, contact Jim McGrath at JMVETT@ aol.com for rates, etc. Our rates are reasonable?… and you will get a longer-term posting on our website too.