Fairway Meadows Patio Homes Fall 2017

Updates from your Homeowners Association By Carl Scheider, Chair Mailboxes As we publish this newsletter, our new secure, cluster mailboxes should be installed or nearly so. The US Post Office had some changes to the implementation plan, but they said to proceed with the installation of the concrete pads. We also have reached out to inform the Single Family homes that share boxes with those on Woodcrest Drive. Irrigation The City of Woodbury is very concerned about the use of water for irrigation. The aquifer we all are using is not unlimited. The city plans to adjust the rates as we go forward to encourage more efficient use of the water. It is offering a matching grant each year for Associations that undertake improvements to their irrigation system. We already have made the major investment to install smart controllers, based on the projected savings in our water expense. We also invested

INSIDE: Updates from your Chair. . 1-3 Voles and our Trees. . . . . . . . . 3 Fall Reminders. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Board of Directors and Association Volunteers. . . . . . 5

ANNUAL HOMEOWNERS MEETING Our annual meeting is coming up on Thursday, November 9th, at 6:00pm. Please make a note of it. We need a formal quorum in attendance or we will have to schedule a second meeting. When mailed, the meeting materials will include a proxy, which you can complete and either give to a neighbor or send back to the Association Manager to allow someone else vote your on your behalf. Our primary piece of business at the meeting is to elect Board Members. This year the terms of one board member is expiring. If you are interested in serving on the board or helping in any other volunteer capacity, attendance at the meeting is one way to get involved in your Association. We have a very active Landscaping Advisory Committee. They help us maintain the quality of all of our plantings. The group meets monthly with our landscaping contractor and sets the direction for all of our lawn and plant care. We would like to form a Finance Advisory Committee to help us review things like investments, insurance, and our capital reserving plan. If that interests any of you, we really would appreciate having someone who knows a bit about finance, budgets and the like. in a complete audit of our system. All of this happened before the city grant was available. The good news is that the grant money is available for the next four years, depending on the city council annual budget process. We plan to submit our proposal to upgrade our irrigation system each year according to the recommendations of the audit. But there is no guarantee that our proposal will receive a grant. The irrigation audit revealed some serious problems in the way our

system was installed initially. We also have numerous components in need of repair and replacement. The newer components are more efficient and will save us some money on the cost of the water. The contractor estimates that it will take about $1,000 to repair each zone of our system, and we have about 100 zones. Roughly speaking, we are looking at a total expenditure of $100,000 to get the irrigation system performing properly. Our current plan is to Continued on page 2

extend this repair over the next five years, spending about $16,000 each year so that we qualify for the city’s $8,000 grant. Garage Doors Our garage doors are scheduled to be replaced in 2029 – 11 years out. But a few of them have failed already. Our garage doors are an interesting problem. The Association documents mandate that the exterior doors are the property of the Association, which is obligated to repair and replace them, but that the interior mechanism and opener are the responsibility of the Owner. The intent obviously was to make sure the garage doors appear consistent in our neighborhood. But it is up to you, the Owner, to maintain the innards – with a bit of tender care and oil, etc. If a garage door does fail, we ask you to contact our Community Manager and ask for an inspection. Do NOT attempt to repair it yourself. If you can, get your vehicles out of the garage until it is repaired. The springs associated with those things are very dangerous. If the door needs to be replaced, the Manager will arrange the replacement. If you also need to upgrade or modify the interior support mechanism and opener, the Manager will assist you and determine how that cost is shared. Ash Trees No good news here. The emerald ash borer has been found in the city of Woodbury. It is just a matter of time until all of our ash trees are infected and begin to die. The board had originally thought that we could afford to treat the trees, but after more consideration, we realized that the treatment would ultimately be much more expensive than simply replacing the trees as they die. The treatment would need to be continued forever, and it would

become progressively more expensive as the tree grows. Our plan at the moment is to let the trees die, and, as we can, replace them with other species. These will obviously be smaller trees, but in 10 years . . . Reserve Contribution We had to inject an additional $6,500 into our reserve fund for 2018 year to meet the target established by our reserve study. That and other expenses will cause an increase in our monthly fee from $265 to $285. We must meet our reserve study targets for capital expenditures. As our infrastructure gets older, we will be spending progressively more on maintenance each year. The mailboxes, for example, were projected by our reserve study to be replaced in 2042 at a cost of $44,000. Needless to say, the posts did not last that long although they will cost somewhat less than originally expected. Similarly, the Capital Reserve study projected that our irrigation system would need major repairs in 2038, and 2040, at a total cost of $270,000. Given the projected life of the system, we have not reserved very much to cover the anticipated $100,000 expense which we will incur over the next five years. Members often lament the fact that we are reserving such significant amounts for the future repair and replacement of components. Many of us will not be here when the roofs 2

and siding are replaced in 2044. I for one would have to live to be 105 to see any benefit from that. But, the reserving is mandated by state law, and it actually increases the market value of our homes. Anyone looking to purchase a home in our association automatically inquires as to the state of the reserve funding. Ours is adequate at the moment, but we face annual increases every year. As noted, we have components failing long before they were planned. And we have nasty surprises like the emerald ash borer which is going to eventually destroy all of our ash trees. Reserve Funds into the Future When Pulte originally established our Association, they set the reserve contribution unrealistically low. The MN legislature also made it a legal requirement that Associations have a formal reserve study completed by a qualified firm and that we follow the recommendations in the study. When we completed our first reserve study, the reserve company stated that we were significantly under reserved for some major expenses, but they realized that it would be unacceptable to bring the reserve contribution up to snuff in one year. So the reserve study had us steadily increasing contributions to reserves at $10,000 per year through 2019. For subsequent years the increase is around $5,000. The good news is Continued on page 3

that we will be up to speed at that point, but the bad news is that the contribution continues to increase at that rate or more until 2046, or the end of the projected study. That guarantees that our monthly rate will increase by about $4.00 each year, no matter what happens to our other expenses. In 2040, the annual increase returns to $10,000, which would appear to be the norm going forward – something to do with inflation. That translates to about $8.00 / month. We realize that this is not wonderful news, but it is what it is, and there does not appear to be much we can do about it. The saving grace is that virtually every other Association has the same problem facing it. Radon Mitigation Update Radon gas is a serious issue in Minnesota. It is prevalent throughout the state, and high levels can have serious health problems – such as lung cancer. The EPA standard is 4 ppm or less. One of our neighbors found peak levels as high as 40 and an average level over 15. Another found a level of 7.5 – less serious but still requiring attention. Just because one home has this problem, it does not mean that nearby homes will be similarly affected, but a test is highly recommended. The MN Dept. of Health has a comprehensive web site with a lot of information: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/ eh/indoorair/radon/index.html. You will also find there a reference to discounted test kits which cost between $10 and $50. See: http:// www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/ indoorair/radon/radontestresults. html. Be sure to click on their link for a test kit, as it is a considerable savings over the standard pricing at either vendor’s website. You will find more information about this on our website under General Information. E

Voles and the Health of our Trees No doubt many of you have seen vole runways revealed in your yard when the snow melts in the spring. These ubiquitous rodents take shelter in the winter under low-growing shrubs and snow cover. The runways are the voles' path of travel under the snow. Voles are members of the mouse family that live in fields throughout North America and are commonly known as field mice. Attempts to get rid of these rodents are futile. These critters feed primarily on grasses, but in the winter when food supplies are scarce, they eat bark on shrubs and trees at ground level. When they eat the bark all the way around the trunk (called girdling), the tree dies after a year or so because the flow of water and nutrients to and from the roots has stopped. Voles especially like fruit trees. To date, at least seven crabapple trees in our community have fallen victim to these critters. Most of these trees were ones planted by Pulte in the rock areas of the two-story homes on Woodcrest Drive and Cottage Grove Ridge, but we have many crabapple trees in the common areas of our community that also are vulnerable. We have asked our landscape vendor for a recommendation on how to protect our remaining apple trees.

Illustration: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Research indicates that wrapping the trees with hardware cloth may help. It seems that voles also like ash trees. Several of our boulevard ash trees show signs of vole damage, likely from snow buildup along the curb giving shelter to the rodents. Unfortunately, we lost one tall and mature ash from voles girdling the tree. Our ash trees eventually will succumb to the emerald ash borer, so these trees are threatened on two fronts. E

Why an Association? This newsletter seems to be full of problems and added expenses. It's a bit like discovering that your parents are getting old and they are going to need your help. BUT - they are your parents. In our case, our Association is aging and needs our help. We are all neighbors and partners in this Association created by our builder. Our homes are more valuable simply because we live in an Association that is well maintained, and supported by our neighbors. We all thank you for that. Just remember, as Red Green was often wont to say, "We are all in this together. And I'm pulling for you." 3

FALL REMINDERS Water Your Shrubs - and Trees, Too

The shrubs planted in the rock areas near the foundation of your house are yours. The association will not replace them. So, to keep your shrubs healthy, be sure to water them thoroughly before you take in your hoses and winter sets in. You can water shrubs - and the trees need it too! - up until the ground is frozen.

Exterior Lights

It is the homeowner’s responsibility to replace any outside lights that are burned out. These lights keep you and our community safe. If you need assistance with this task, a friendly neighbor might help, so post your request on our Google Group site: http://groups.google.com/group/FMPH.org

Sump Pump Hose

To avoid a potential water intrusion problem, be sure to remove your sump pump hose and store it inside over the winter.

Holiday Decorations

Temporary holiday decorations may be installed and removed, as weather permits, from November through April. Any lights or illuminated decorations may be lit only from Thanksgiving through February 1st. To help keep our homes looking uniform, please limit decorations to the following only: trees, front exterior of the home, landscaped rock bed (in front of home only), deck or patio. All decorations must be installed with temporary plastic clips only. No nail holes, roof decorations or other alterations are allowed without prior written consent from the FMPH Board. For safety reasons, no electrical cords or other devices may cross the driveway or walkways.

Snow Removal Expectations

It is that time of year again to begin thinking about snow. The FMPH Board again has selected Early Bird Lawnscapes as the snow removal contractor for this year’s snow removal season. Here is a brief reminder: Snow Removal Guidelines The contractor is responsible for removing snow from the following locations: • Driveways (The contractor is not obligated to plow your driveway if a car is parked in it.) • Driveway apron • Homeowner’s front sidewalk • Homeowner’s front steps • City sidewalk Snowfall Parameters All snowfalls of 2 inches or more will be plowed. Snow removal will begin when substantial accumulation has ceased. If multiple snowfalls of less than 2 inches accumulate to more than 2 inches, snow removal will commence.

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FMPH ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Term Ends

Position

Carl Scheider. . . . . . . . . . . . Cleon Engel. . . . . . . . . . . . . Daryl Hintz. . . . . . . . . . . . . Al Ludwigson. . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Cavin . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy Hereid. . . . . . . . . . . . Janice Treanor. . . . . . . . . . . .

11/2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . President 11/2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice President 11/2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Secretary 11/2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treasurer 11/2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Member at Large 11/2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Member at Large 11/2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Member at Large

ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS Maintenance and Repair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Ireland Architecture Committee Representatives . Jeff Priebe, Dale Muhlenpohl, Michael Costello Landscape Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Cavin, Nancy Hereid, Kathy Hintz, Kathy Holman, Catherine Janik, Janice Treanor, Sue Watson Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carl Scheider, Nancy Hereid Finance Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . open Snow Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack McDowell Irrigation Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . open Quarterly Social Event. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . open Web Site Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . open We have many opportunities to be involved in the work of the association to protect and enhance our community. Please let any board member know if you can help. Go to the FMPH web site at www.fmph.org or our Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/FMPH.org

This newsletter is published by the Fairway Meadows Patio Homes Association Board of Directors. Woodbury, Minnesota 55129 Editors: Carl Scheider Nancy Hereid We encourage members to submit suggestions for newsletter content. We also welcome photos. Please contact us at: http://groups.google.com/ group/FMPH_org You can reach our Community Manager, Phil McDougle, via Customer Service at 763-746-1188 or [email protected].