Elk Creek Farms

Elk Creek Farms November-December 2005 Newsletter

Jan 23, 2006

Over the past 2 months the Board of Directors has been meeting with the developer and township to ensure the completion of any outstanding issues and final dedication of the development. We have met with Township officials to discuss areas of common concern for the purpose of working together to make Elk Creek the best community it can be. Most recently, members of the Board met with the developer and Penn Township representatives during a walk-through inspection of the common areas that took place in November.

For the future, the Board intends to actively monitor and participate in the Penn Township inspections of the common areas to ensure homeowner concerns and other matters important to the welfare and future of this community are addressed in a satisfactory manner prior to dedication. Once dedication to the Township has been received then the BOD will address other issues such as Bus routes in and out of the neighborhood.

The Board has been active in enforcing the Declarations to ensure the high standards of the community are maintained as well as being responsive to the will/desires of the owners to make changes where appropriate. The Board has reviewed requests from homeowners to make changes to their property to ensure that the changes fall within the parameters of the Declarations. Once the requests have been reviewed and researched by the Board, a response has been sent to the homeowner in writing.

Over the past few months, a number of complaints regarding alleged violations of the Declarations have been received by the Board. The Board has reviewed and investigated each complaint and where appropriate has taken action. On a few occasions we have requested the cooperation and assistance of the Township Code Enforcement Officer.

Lower Oxford Township Mushroom Composting

Recently, the Board was contacted by members at Ovations and the Southern Chester County Concerned Citizens Organization regarding a pending proposal to construct a mushroom composting operation in Lower Oxford Township off of Baltimore Pike just south of Lincoln University. The secretary attended a meeting at Ovations on December 5th to hear a presentation by the defense lawyer for the SCCCCO.

The proposed site is about 2.5 miles due west of our development and could possibly impact our quality of life and environment if allowed to proceed. This action has been ongoing for the past couple of years and is currently going through hearings in front of the Lower Oxford Township Zoning Board. We have no official legal standing, but can provide support against the proposed site by either attending the board meetings, and/or contributing money to the SCCCCO to defend against the composting company. More information can be found at www.scccco.org.

2005-2006 Budget

In other recent developments the Board met with Shew Management to review the annual budget for 2005 and approve the budget for 2006. Going into 2006 Elk Creek Farms will be taking on responsibility for a number of costs that were previously paid for by the developer. This includes charges for fire hydrants, and the maintenance for areas such as the drainage basins. These costs will be incorporated into the 2006 budget.

The Board has invested any excess funds of the HOA into CDs, and will begin to tap into those excess funds in 2006 in order to offset the increased costs. And as mentioned in the previous newsletter, we negotiated a contract with a new lawn care and landscaping company at a significant savings to last year, and have begun to treat the frontage areas along 896 for weeds and will re-seed and fertilize these areas in the Spring.

Neighborhood Watch

The Board has received a request from a number of residents to look into the viability of implementing a Neighborhood Watch program for Elk Creek Farms. The Board has discussed the issue and our suggestion is to address this at the annual meeting to assess the interest of residents to implement this type of program. If there is enough interest, then we would want to appoint a committee of volunteer residents who would own and run the program.

Common Area Issues/Covenants Complaints

The Board has received a number of complaints regarding the proper use of the common area, specifically regarding the use of ATVs or snowmobiles. As per the covenants,(Article XI, section 11A, number 14), all residents are reminded that no motorbikes, mini-bikes or ATVs, and by extension snowmobiles shall be operated upon the premises at any time. Also, all residents are reminded that any garbage containers are to be kept inside their dwelling (garage or shed), and not outside the home where they are visible.

Future Votes and Annual Meeting

The Board will be sending out a separate mailing in the next month or so to address the need to vote on a couple of proposals regarding fencing and above ground portable pools that have been petitioned by residents as set out in the Covenants. The Board will also be looking to schedule an annual meeting in February at either Ovations or one of the township facilities depending upon the cost. We have decided to wait until later in February to hold the meeting in order to be able to report to the membership the status of the HOA after the close of 2005 and the 2005 audit.

In the mean time, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us either through the website at elkcreekfarms.org or through the secretary at chrisa119@comcast.net.

Sincerely,

Glenn Davis
Paige Willover
Chris LaPak

Elk Creek Farms BOD