1 2 SR2: Through the Woods Subdivision News Update 2017 Stoneridge Woods (SR2) Through the Woods News You Can Use Editor: Angela Koski Homeowner s Association Dues One of the more frequently asked questions the Homeowner s Association (HOA) Board receives is: what are the HOA dues used for? Let us share the answer to that question with you now. Yearly dues are used to mow our two subdivision parks, Highbury and Cliffside, and maintain our common areas. Dues are also used to place new woodchips on the paths throughout Highbury Woods and when needed Park Restorations Benches placed in Highbury Park. Page 2 clear any fallen or hazardous trees in the parks. The HOA Board pays for insurance on these common areas to protect all the homeowners in the case of accidents or injuries. Dues also help support our subdivision activities such as the Easter Egg Hunt and Continued on 4 Treasurer s Note Budget HOA Treasurer, Dave Schafer, breaks down specifics of the annual subdivision budget. Page 3 Dave Schafer writes to inform you further about subdivision dues. Page 5
SR2: Lorem Through Ipsum Dolor the Woods Subdivision News Update Spring 2016 2017 Nature s Wonders in Highbury Park Even in suburban areas, nature is present. Below we have listed items you can find in and around our neighborhood, specifically Highbury Park. If you are not familiar with items on the lists below, do some research and see if on your next walk you can identify more of the natural wonders around us. And remember to leave only footprints and take only pictures in park areas. Flowers: Spring Beauty Mayapple Wild Geranium Trout Lily Trillium (protected, Do Not Pick) Animals: White Tail Deer Coyote Fox Skunk Opossum Squirrel Woodpeckers Crow Robin Nuthatch Tufted Titmouse Goldfinch Great Horned Owl Hawks Trees: Sycamore Black Cherry American Beech Oaks Red Maple Hophornbeam Tuliptree (Tulip poplar) How To Be a Good Neighbor Follow City of Troy water regulations, underground sprinklers should be used between 11pm-5am. Clean up after your dog, while walking on sidewalks and in the woods. Do not blow leaves and grass clippings into the road, this could clog the drains. During cold months, keep your sidewalk cleared of ice and snow. Help your neighbor shovel their walk if they are unable. Recycle plastic, tin, metal, glass, paper, cardboard - the City of Troy is reimbursed, by weight, for recycled items and pays for trash pick-up. Compost grass clippings, yard waste, contents of flowerpots Refer to Troy Today, City of Troy website for questions on both recycling and composting. Volunteer to help, with subdivision social events. Report suspicious activity to the Troy Police. Thank you for all that you do to keep our neighborhood clean, safe, and fun. Highbury Park Restorations New benches adorn Highbury Park, thanks to an Eagle Scout project by local Boy Scout, Mitch Wochoski. The three original wooden benches were all replaced with low maintenance composite benches. In addition to the benches, vegetation at all four entrances to Highbury Woods was trimmed. Mitch, a senior at Athens, is a scout with Boy Scout Troop 1705, the same Troop that assists us with our annual Easter Egg Hunt. After the HOA Board approved his project, Mitch set up a GoFundMe campaign to fund his project. In early August, a dozen scouts came together at Highbury Park and spent the entire day digging the old benches out and installing the new. The Stoneridge Woods (SR2) HOA would like to give a big thank you to Mitch and Troop 1705 for a job well done! And to everyone that helped with the project in the form of a donation or other support, thank you for your efforts! 2
SR2: Lorem Through Ipsum Dolor the Woods Subdivision News Update Spring 2016 2017 Budget Money in PNC Bank as of December 31, 2016 Balance Checking Account $16,428.83 Balance Certificate of Deposit $11,293.40 Total Cash in Bank $27,722.23 Accounts 2016 Budget 2016 Actuals 2017 Budget INCOME Annual Dues $10,125.00 $9,745.00 $9,750.00 PayPal Fees $0.00 ($86.04) ($100.00) Lien Recovery $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Interest $10.00 $93.40 $125.00 Voluntary Donations $1,200.00 $1,730.00 $1,600.00 TOTAL INCOME $11,335.00 $11,482.00 $11,375.00 EXPENSES Administration Dues & Fees/Software $300.00 $199.99 $100.00 Insurance $2,500.00 $2,391.00 $2,500.00 Legal & Liens $2,500.00 $0.00 $1,000.00 Non-Profit Registration $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 Office Supplies $50.00 $0.00 $50.00 PO Box Rental $60.00 $60.00 $60.00 TOTAL $5,430.00 $2,671.00 $3,730.00 Communication Printing & Mailing $1,300.00 $762.00 $850.00 Website $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 TOTAL $1,300.00 $762.00 $850.00 Outdoor Maintenance Lawn Care $4,350.00 $4,302.36 $4,450.00 Landscaping $500.00 $438.70 $500.00 Tree Cutting/Removal $2,000.00 $750.00 $1,000.00 TOTAL $6,850.00 $5,491.00 $5,950.00 Social Events Annual Meeting Room Rental $0.00 $25.00 $25.00 Annual Meeting Dues Drawing $25.00 $25.00 $25.00 Easter Egg Hunt $250.00 $223.60 $250.00 Halloween Parade $225.00 $306.96 $200.00 Ice Cream Social (net) $30.00 $73.47 $100.00 TOTAL $530.00 $654.00 $600.00 TOTAL EXPENSES $14,110.00 $9,578.00 $11,130.00 Profit (Loss) ($2,775.00) $1,904.00 $245.00 3
SR2: Lorem Through Ipsum Dolor the Woods Subdivision News Spring Update 2016 2017 HOA Dues Continued the Halloween Parade. These events help to create and maintain a friendly community for present and future residents. Our dues are capped at $25 per household per year and are mandatory. Because of our low dues, it is vital every home contributes so we may meet our yearly budget. The following homes have unpaid dues for 2017: 2091 Adrienne 2108 Adrienne 2116 Adrienne 2139 Adrienne 5725 Bingham 5813 Bingham 5825 Bingham 5771 Cliffside 5840 Cliffside 2032 Highbury 2056 Highbury 2097 Highbury 2112 Highbury 2128 Highbury 2168 Highbury 2215 Highbury 2263 Highbury 2271 Highbury 2313 Highbury 2323 Highbury 2331 Highbury 2344 Highbury 2010 Jeffrey 2090 Jeffrey 2110 Jeffrey 2115 Jeffrey 5594 Larkins 5650 Larkins 5653 Larkins 5681 Larkins 5723 Larkins 5772 Larkins 5820 Larkins 2006 Laurel 2039 Laurel 5549 Mandale 2197 Michele Ct 2205 Michele Ct. 2140 Michele Dr. 2180 Michele Dr. 2245 Michele Dr. 2182 Rutgers 2216 Rutgers 2122 Topaz 2176 Topaz Remember, you can now pay online through our website, www.stoneridge2.com. Or you can download the Dues Invoice off our website and mail in your payment (further instructions located on the form). Unpaid dues can impact your ability to refinance or sell your home, and may even result in a lien placed on your property. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at: stoneridge2hoa@gmail.com Thank you for your support! 2017 Board Members: President - Kendall Wochoski Vice President - Vic Olah Treasurer - Dave Schafer Secretary - Hank Schwab Director at Large - Joy Esdale Social Chairperson - Susan Fobear Parks Chairperson - Marie Koski 4
SR2: Lorem Through Ipsum Dolor the Woods Subdivision News Update Spring 2016 2017 A Note from your Treasurer, Dave Schafer Greetings to all 409 of my neighbors here in Stoneridge Woods (SR2)! I ll always remember that there are 410 households in our subdivision from the first time I was the Treasurer of our Homeowner s Association. That was decades ago, and pre-computers, when I inherited several long green spreadsheets to manually keep track of dues payments. I m happy to be Treasurer again. See the budget on page 3. To review, here are some of the things that your $25 per year dues pays for. Weed control and grass cutting on our Cliffside Park, Highbury Park, and the John R entrances. The parks are available to all homeowners, as long as dues are paid. Maintenance as needed on entrance signs and the plantings at each. Annual events such as the Easter Egg Hunt and Halloween Parade. This newsletter! To keep you informed about the activities in our subdivision. A word about paying your dues, and doing so on time Ample notice is given to every household in the subdivision via first-class mail that next year s dues are due and payable on or before December 31st of each year. On the form we encourage you to consider sending some extra money, to help pay for our activities. Many of you do, and we THANK YOU! We try to be neighborly, and allow households that miss the deadline a grace period to catch up, and we do follow up reminders. But when a property is delinquent for a long period of time, we have no alternative other than to ask our legal firm to begin a lien process. Please send the form and your money to our PO Box as soon as the form arrives this Fall. After all, it is easy to avoid the unpleasantness of a lien by making your one and only annual payment of $25. Renters if you rent a home in our subdivision, PLEASE FORWARD DUES NOTICES TO THE PROPERTY OWNER. Please email the HOA board at stoneridge2hoa@gmail.com to give us the property owner s name and address so we can send the notices directly. Thank you! Highbury Park Stoneridge Woods (SR2) is very fortunate to have Highbury Park. Cliffside, Bingham, and Rosebrook Dr. create the borders for this park. We have this woods through what is known as the Open Space Agreement. When the subdivision was platted, the lot sizes were made a little smaller than the norm in order to provide a Green Space (Open Space Agreement). The agreement requires the space to remain natural land. Trees cannot be damaged or cut unless they are a hazard. Dead trees that are not hazards need to remain standing as habitat trees. As well, no structures can be built in the woods. Experience the beauty of Highbury Park through the four seasons by taking a walk along the paths. Remember to follow the guidelines on page 2 of how to be a good neighbor and help keep this space clean and safe for everyone! 5 5
SR2: Through the Woods Subdivision News Update 2017 Stoneridge Woods (SR2) Calendar -- 2017 Annual subdivision activities - Egg Hunt April 15, 10:30 am in Cliffside Park - Park/John R Entrances Clean Up April 22, 10 am meet in Highbury Park - Garage Sale TBD - Ice Cream Social July 25, 7 pm in Highbury Park (Rain Day July 26, 7 pm) - Halloween Parade October 29, 2 pm start and end at Wass Elementary School - Annual Meeting November 14, 7 pm Evanswood Church Stoneridge Woods (SR2) [Postage] PO Box 335 Troy, MI 48009 [Recipient]