2015 Annual Meeting Minutes
PINE ISLAND RIDGE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
OCTOBER 12, 2015
Held at Hyles-Anderson College dining hall. In attendance were 44 homeowners and 27 proxies were received. Town officials included Public Works Director Jeff Huet, Town Manager Bob Volkmann, Fire Chief Joe Kruzan, Police Chief David Dowling, Town Councilman Tom Schmitt, and Town Councilman Mike Troxell. Former board member/officer Don Guske was present.
President Hodges welcomed everyone for coming and presented the agenda for the night. Board members and town officials were introduced. A special thank you was made to Don Guske for his 40+ years of service to PIRCA.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PIRCA
- Upkeep and maintenance of 30 acres of commons area.
- Maintenance of safety and upkeep of playground equipment.
- Maintenance of detention ponds.
- Uphold covenants and by-laws.
COMPLETED PROJECTS OF 2015
Financial
- Total assessment fees collected totaled $63,640.00.
- 96% of assessments have been collected and 523 lots are current.
- 12 delinquent properties (foreclosure, bankruptcy, or estate settlement)
- 8 delinquent homeowners have been forwarded to the attorney.
- $4,300.00 in assessment and late fees have been collected.
Commons area/ Landscape
- A 2 year lawn care contract with Season’s Landscaping was secured locking in the same price as last year.
- Low areas in both commons area and Twin Lakes have been filled and reseeded.
- Storm damage has been cleaned up.
- Mulch was added to the playgrounds.
- Damaged garden area in twin Lakes has been repaired.
- Removal of infected ash trees was initiated in 2014 and is a 3-5 year project. Eighty to a hundred trees were identified and the goal is to remove 20-40 trees per year. This project is being covered under the maintenance reserve fund.
- Currently, 40 trees have been removed and 40 more are scheduled for removal in 2016.
- The contractor is required to number the stumps and provide a picture prior to receiving payment.
Playgrounds
- In May, the equipment was inspected and certificate of compliance was received.
- All of the equipment is currently in good shape.
Ponds
- A separate line item in 2014 was set up for an annual maintenance program for the 3 detention ponds.
- A control inspection is performed approximately every 2-3 weeks starting in the spring to monitor oxygen and phosphorus levels.
- Homeowners are encouraged not to put grass clippings or fertilizer in the ponds to maintain their wellbeing.
ARC
- There were 6 homeowner project reviews which included 3 fences, 2 sheds, and 1 home remodeling.
- Homeowners were reminded to contact the ARC for prior approval.
Special Events
- The Kiddie Parade was a success and had increased homeowner participation. This is a positive publicity for our subdivision.
- Special thank you to SPD, SFD and all the sponsors.
Communication
- The website is updated every month and has the covenants and by-laws posted. Key links are included and town updates as related to our subdivision are posted.
- Newsletters were mailed out 3 times along with the annual homeowner’s annual meeting edition.
- The welcome packets were developed in 2010 by Vice President Palus and are hand delivered by her to every new homeowner. Twenty-one packets have been delivered this year.
- Judy Elliott coordinated with contacting town officials for monthly board meetings. Sharon Moore coordinated with the code enforcement officer for ordinance compliance in the subdivision.
Ordinance Compliance
- 53 compliance issues which included 16 home/curb appeal(i.e. high grass), 15 illegal vehicles, 10 trash cans, 5 signage(i.e. business), 3 permits, 2 illegal dumping (i.e. furniture, tires), 1 satellite dish, and 1 fence.
- There were 35 joint (town and PIRCA violations) issues. Each violation can involve up to 25 communications between the resident, the Board, and town. Communication can include email, letters, phone calls, door hangers, and citations.
- 2016 PROPOSED BUDGET
- The proposed budget remains at $63,900.00. The only change is $1,000.00 is removed from the playground maintenance and placed in the pond maintenance/algae control.
- Juris Jauntirans made a motion to accept the proposed budget and Laura Hatford seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
- TOWN OFFICIALS
Town Councilman Mike Troxell
- Drainage upgrades, mowing of creek banks, and resurfacing of streets in the subdivision are being completed.
- Pine Island Plaza exterior has been remodeled.
- Roundabout on Cline Ave. is the first in Lake County. This was a $1.5 million project that cost the town $150,000.00 and the rest was paid by federal funds.
- 31 lots have been plotted at the corner of Burr and 93rd
- An assisted living facility is planned for the location behind the Diagnostic Imaging Center.
- Shops On Main is almost complete and there is possibility for more retail shops.
- Economic development Fund is planning on downtown area façade improvement.
Public Works Director Jeff Huet
- Any homes butting up to the planned drainage projects should have received notice.
- 300 infected ash trees have been removed in the town and 125-130 still need to be removed.
Police Chief David Dowling
- Five officers have been hired. Two are retiring and their replacements are already on the job.
- SPD has programs which include citizen’s police academy, coffee with a cop, and morning calls to check on senior citizens/ disabled.
Fire Chief Joe Kruzan
- Chief Kruzan thanked the board for the opportunity of the SFD to interact with the community at the Kiddie Parade.
- Open burning is permitted as long as it is above ground, clean wood is burned, and it is to be attended to at all times. It can be deemed a nuisance if smoke is entering your neighbor’s home.
Town Manager Bob Volkmann
- There is a tree planting program for the parks.
- Phase II of Shops On Main is in the planning commission. There is 70,000 square feet for development and an additional 4,000 square feet behind that piece of land.
- The former Paragon Restaurant may possibly become a medical office building.
- Schererville has the lowest tax rate as a municipality in Lake County.
BOARD NOMINEES
- Christina McDonald, Vera Lippie, Paula Wells, Juris Jauntirans, Richard Foreman, Neal Kostelyk, Mike Pocius, and Marc Zubeck.
- Vice President Palus made a motion to adjourn and Pam Putzell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 8:32pm.
NEXT MONTHLY BOARD MEETING
- October 19,2015- 7:00pm at Rosati’s
