Spring Clean Up

We have had a few changes the last few months. Brian Fromm and Jason Loscher finished their terms on the board. Destiny Rayburn, Dustin Hulet, and Jacob Peacock are now serving on the board. We have also changed landscaping companies.

The snow removal and lawn care is done by Norton Industries. They will be taking care of the lawns on Wednesdays this year. The lawns have already been aerated and fertilized! We know there are still some flooding issues. Please be patient with us as we try to address those problem areas. If you have any questions or concerns with the maintenance please contact a member of the board or the management company and not Norton Industries directly.

The pest control company has been around to spray for spiders and other pests.

There are several things we would like to address this spring. One is the front doors. They are beginning to look a little shabby. We decided this is a cost that we would like the HOA to absorb. We will start painting some doors and trim this year, and keep them on about a four year rotation. We need to look at the budget to make sure how many doors will get done each year. We will be sure to notify homeowners which doors will be painted and when. However, if you can’t take it anymore, and you would like to do the paint yourself here are the codes. These are the codes from the builder, so it won’t get any closer than this. The paint was purchased from Jones Paint and Glass (American Fork) 801-756-5282

Front door and trim:
Burnt Hickory, low sheen
DLK 5P13
YOX 0P38
OXR 1P12+
WHT 5P0

Door to the garage and back door:
Almond, satin
BLK 1P4
YOX 1P53+
OXR 0P9+

As of late we are having lots of issues with the garbage. We MAY NOT throw mattresses, furniture, appliances…in the dumpsters. The garbage company has been nice enough not to fine us, but they can if it continues. Also, if your children are taking out the garbage please make sure that it is getting in the dumpsters, and not around it. The garbage gates have broken again this year. This is something that we all pay to replace. Please make sure the gates are closed properly.

We have had a few issues with children damaging things in our community. They have been swinging on garbage gates, damaging trees, writing on the playground. Please supervise your children so that our community stays as nice as we all would like it to be.

We have had a few questions about landscaping. We have budgeted for some extra expenses this year, however we are waiting to make sure that no major sprinkler repairs need to be done before any money is spent. We are aware that trees and bushes need to be replaced as well as some bark. We have some other issues in the community that need to be addressed before we can get to those things.

2010 Annual Member Meeting Tonight!

As a quick reminder, our Annual Member Meeting is tonight at 7:00 PM at the Clubhouse. All homeowners should have received notice in the mail. As a recap, here’s the proposed meeting agenda:

1. Welcome – Brian Fromm, President
   • State of the Community
   • Review of 2010 Accomplishments
2. Financial Report for 2010
3. Discussion of 2011 Proposed Budget
   • Reserve Study
4. Annual Election of Directors:
   • Election of two (2) Directors of the Management Committee
5. Open Forum
6. Enjoy Refreshments!

NOTE: Only homeowners who are current on their monthly assessments are able to vote or be nominated. Contact Advantage Management if you have any questions about your account.

Unsolicited Pest Control Flier

A flier was recently placed on each door claiming that residents have been complaining of spiders, mice, roaches, etc. This is NOT true! The flier was a clever but misleading advertisement attempting to get business. While you are welcome to have your home treated at any time,  please know that the association pays to treat the outside of all units three times per year (usually Spring, Summer, and Fall).

As a general rule, updates from the association will come through the mail or at least be signed by the board along with a link to this website. When in doubt, please contact a member of the board or our management company.

Damaged Downspouts Replaced

A number of damaged downspouts were replaced today, the majority of which appear to have been hit by cars pulling in and out of the parking stalls. Please be careful when pulling in and out of the parking stalls to prevent further damage!

Going forward, the cost of replacing damaged downspouts will be the responsibility of the homeowner. A period of time will be given to perform the repair/replacement after which the HOA will do so and charge the amount to the homeowner’s account.

If your downspout gets damaged and you have no idea who did it, please call the police to file a report then work with the management company to get it replaced.

Park Bench Installed!

A bench was installed this afternoon right next to the south playground. We were hoping to put it inside the northeast corner of the play area, but the bark is too deep and would have left the seat too close to the ground. Its current location is the best place we could find to balance access to the playground, distance away from gates and sprinklers, etc.

We hope you will enjoy this new addition to the community!

Parking Changes

Those who have lived in our community for at least six months have experienced two extremes in parking: no cars on the street and cars packing both sides of the street. As a board, one of our responsibilities is to make sure that our rules reflect what’s best for the community as a whole, and we take this responsibility very seriously!

The HOA has deliberated parking issues intensely over the past year, and we believe we have come up with a solution that balances both sides of the debate: convenience vs. safety and accessibility. As a result, the rules regulating parking on Tamarak Circle will change as follows (see the map below for details):

• Parking will not be permitted at any time along the outer curb.
• Temporary parking of operable vehicles will be permitted within designated spaces along the inner curb.
• Vehicles must not be parked in the same spot for longer than 12 hours.
• Trailers, campers, RVs, semis, boats, etc. are prohibited.

Click on the map to see a larger image.

Over the next few weeks, “No Parking” signs, “No Parking” curb markers, and lines designating the temporary parking spaces will be installed. Once these items are in place, the new rules will go into effect and Quality Towing in Lehi will patrol and enforce the rules. Their contact information and fees can be found by clicking here.

We encourage all residents to utilize their garages and assigned parking stalls in order to allow guests, service vehicles, and delivery vehicles the ability to park in the designated spots on the street. If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please contact a member of the board or our management company.

Park Bench Coming!

At the beginning of the summer, some of the moms in the community asked if we could put a park bench near the south playground so that they would have a comfortable place to sit while their kids play. We thought this was a great idea, so we recently ordered a bench that will be installed in the next few weeks.

We appreciate feedback like this and hope you keep it up!

Reserve Study

Overview

A well-maintained reserve fund is an important part of ensuring the financial health of an association. This is especially true as the association ages, and building components need to be replaced. Many association boards, unfortunately, discover that prior boards have not been vigilant in saving for future repairs, perhaps hoping that the day of reckoning would never come. As a result, the current board faces difficult choices about how to spend limited funds when extensive repairs are necessary. Often, when expensive maintenance or replacements is needed, the board has no choice but to levy a large, painful special assessment to make those repairs.

The best way around this problem is for the association to have adequate savings so that the association will not have to pick among pressing repairs, and will not be forced to levy a special assessment, potentially forcing owners into bankruptcy or foreclosure. Recognizing that too few associations were reserving for future expenses, the Utah State Legislature passed Senate Bill 278 in March 2010 which requires community associations like ours to conduct a reserve study at least once every five years and then review it on a periodic basis.

The purpose of a reserve study is to determine:

• the need for a reserve fund to accumulate money to cover the cost of repairing, replacing, and restoring common areas and facilities that have a useful life of three years or more, but excluding any cost that can reasonably be funded from the general budget or other funds of the association of unit owners; and
• the appropriate amount of any reserve fund.

New provisions governing reserve funds:

• A board may not use money in a reserve fund:
  • for daily maintenance expenses, unless association members vote to approve the use of reserve fund money for that purpose; or
  • for any purpose other than the purpose for which the reserve fund was established.
• A board shall maintain a reserve fund separate from other association funds.

Conclusion

To ensure that we are properly preparing for the future, and to comply with the requirements of the new bill, we recently arranged for a company to conduct a reserve study of our community. As soon as we get the results of the study, we will know exactly how much money we should be saving each month. Our hope is that we are currently saving enough money to avoid having to raise the monthly assessment.