Bentwood Farms - Mallard Pond Homeowners Association

February 2002

May 21, 2002

Notes from the President
By Jim McGrath

Spring is NEAR! As I write this, we have had some very cold and snowy weather lately, but Spring is coming soon. With Spring, comes the work to get our neighborhood looking good. There were a few trees which didn?’t get replaced last fall, because we didn?’t like the selection available at the time. These will be planted once the weather breaks. We also will be having some work sessions, one for the pond area, cleanup, pruning of overgrowth, etc., and another to hopefully build a bridge from the common area on Thoroughbred across the creek to the pond area. What does this mean to you? If you use any of these areas, we would like you to help us! Please pitch in and volunteer some time or knowledge to make it go quicker or more efficiently. Notices will go out once those times are set.

We are still trying to put a planning committee together for the pond area. The first meeting will be set at our next monthly meeting on March 4; please attend if you would like to be part of the committee or share your ideas on how the pond should look and be maintained. Funds permitting, we are planning on cleaning up and regravelling the path as part of the process this spring.

For those selling homes in the neighborhood, we thank you for your cooperation in placing signs at the entranceway only to advertise open houses. I have and will contact realtors who violate this request and remove signs if ignored. Our neighborhood continues to sell homes in a reasonable time period, which is good, because times have changed and it is no longer a seller?’s market. If we can keep our neighborhood looking nice, it also helps us to keep the property values higher, which translates into quicker sales.

Trustee Position Available
We appreciate the service of past trustee Nick Lacy, who, due to a hectic work schedule, is stepping down. If you would like to run for trustee, please come to the next meeting, or contact Jim McGrath for more information. I would like to thank all the trustees and ACC members who volunteer their time and talents on an ongoing basis to help our neighborhood.

Join Us At Our Meetings!
The Board of Trustees encourages all neighborhood residents to join us for monthly Trustee meetings. The meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 at the Violet Township Offices located at 12970 Rustic Drive.

Social Committee News
By Andrea Turner

I hope everyone is enjoying the mild winter we are having. We are getting geared-up for the Easter Egg Hunt. Please make sure you put your RSVP and money in the mailbox if you plan on attending. Also, if you are able to help us out, please call me or just check a box on the bottom of the Easter flyer. If you are interested in being the Easter bunny, we need you. Please let me know. The Easter flyer and a social questionnaire are with this newsletter. Please don?’t throw them away. We would like your feedback on what activities you as the community would like to have. Please put the filled out questionnaire in the same RSVP mailbox as the Easter RSVP goes (at the common area on the corner of Winners Circle and Steeplechase, down by the bridge.) The RSVP deadline is March 6th.


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, Jim & Jennifer Hellmich, Billy Kelly, Lori Goddard, Megan Snare and Terry Egan. 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, hooks will be installed replacing the shorter screws and nails.

Grounds

We are planning on a work party in the spring for the pond area, and as mentioned earlier, want to implement a plan for the pond that can be followed and also give direction to our maintenance group. We will be working on the bridge from Thoroughbred, across the creek to the pond, around the same time.

Welcome Wagon

If you have new neighbors, contact Sharon at 861-0325 to receive a ?“Welcome Folder?”.


Upcoming Events

Our next community garage sale is scheduled for the third weekend in May. The sale runs from Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th. Signs will be posted at the entrances and ads put in the newspapers. If you have any question, call Sharon. For higher visibility, put balloons on your mailbox.

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 will also publish the listing on our website, (parents names only), to help both the sitters and those in need of childcare.
The following is a list of neighborhood childcare providers. Teenagers (students) are listed under their parents?’ name:

(To protect the students, we have deleted info for posting on the internet. Please call Sharon to obtain babysitter information.)



Architectural Control Committee
By Craig Turner, Chairman & Board Member

The Architectural Control Committee (ACC) would like to extend our thanks to all our neighbors that have adhered to the deed restrictions in regards to submitting written requests and plans for various projects, removing stored boats and vehicles, maintaining the exteriors of your homes, etc. during the past year. As the new building season approaches, we hope that this process continues.

As a reminder for all projects needing approval, the ACC requires a copy of your plot plan that shows where the work is to be 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. Please phone if needed: 577-9311

New Architectural Control Member Needed
If interested, please call any board member, or plan to attend the next Homeowners meeting.

Treasurer?’s Report
The Dues notice for year 2002 has been mailed. If you did not receive it, please contact Curt Anderson immediately at 861-1206 to get a copy. The deadline to return your $80 check is March 29, 2002. If dues are paid on time, it helps prevent future mailings and other notices, which saves all of us money. An envelope was provided to aid you in returning the payment. If there are any questions, please call Curt.