2017 Annual Report
THE LEDGEWOOD ASSOCIATION
FISCAL YEAR ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2017
Dear Ledgewood Association Member:
The Board of Trustees presents the following summary to inform you of the financial condition of your Association and its achievements during the past year. These items will be discussed at the annual meeting on November 16, 2017 at the clubhouse at 7:30 p.m.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Karen Kircher President
Melissa Mimbs Vice-President/Pool
JoAnn Nesbett Architectural Review – Secretary
Mary Ellen Hill Architectural Review
Mary Ventura Common Ground
Carmella Zingale Clubhouse
Association Employees:Eric Schmiedlin Common Ground Manager
Diane Thompson Clubhouse Manager
Carleen Sundvall Recording Secretary-Treasurer
Brittney Jankura Pool Manager
President’s Summary | Karen Kircher
president@theledgewoodassociation.com
The Covenants and Restrictions describe, “the Association formed for the purpose of maintaining and administering the Common Properties in The Ledgewood Subdivisions”. It is the duty of these volunteer Trustees to provide for the execution and discharge of the functions and responsibilities of the Association set forth in the Covenants and Restrictions”.
Most of the issues we dealt with this year are explained in individual reports below, but I want to assure all of you that we will be following the planning procedure for the 82 development closely and working with our councilmen to make sure that all concerns of Ledgewood are addressed.
This development is 49 years old and we are always maintaining our investments with due diligence calling on as many resources as we can to make the most informed decisions. Ledgewood is a beautiful development with an amazing location and outstanding amenities, and with everyone’s support it will remain so.
Pool | Melissa Mimbs
pool@theledgewoodassociation.com
Date Pool Opened May 27th 2017 - Date Pool Closed September 5th 2017
Pool Closure for mud May 29th 2017 and reopen date was June 14th 2017. Many residents took advantage of Meadowood’s kindness to share their pool. Approximately 100 Ledgewood residents/guests used Meadowood’s pool.
Pool Staff:
1 Pool Manager – 9 Ledgewood Guards
4 Meadowood Guards ended up helping out since many of the Ledgewood guards ended up not working the number of hours that initially said they could. Some of this was as a result of the pool closure during May 29th thru June 14th.
Total Lifeguard Hours:
Last year, we had 2,963 lifeguard hours. We also opened the pool a week earlier to coincide with Strongsville City School's schedule.
This year, we had 2,258 lifeguard hours, that's 705 hours less than last year, however, some of those hours were rolled into maintenance hours for pool maintenance, garage cleanup and landscaping of flower beds around the pool.
Pool Sound and Security:
Sound system, Wi-Fi, and security cameras were all upgraded/fixed. A big Thank You to Jim Kenzig, a resident, who repaired and updated the system.
Pool Area Landscaping:
The board approved funds to upgrade the landscaping of the flower bed in the pool area and out front near the entrance of the clubhouse. The Pool Manager Brittney picked out the items and Alex (one of our Lifeguards) planted them.
Pool Outdoor Furniture:
Many Residents were asking for additional table seating and we listened! We added 6 bistro sets purchased from Costco. 6 bistro tables and 42 chairs and umbrellas for shade. Many residents expressed their appreciation for our new outdoor furniture.
Events:
• Memorial Day Picnic 5/29/2017 at the Pool that was cancelled due to the mudslide into the pool.
• Back To School Splash 8/19/2017 with Hot Dogs, Chips, Pop and pot luck for salads and desserts
• Thank you to Swim Team for hosting a 4th of July Party and Late Night Swim/Movie Night for our residents. There was one swim meet.
• Water Aerobics – Attendance was low this year. On an average, we had 3 people each week.
All Events were advertised by signage at the Ledgewood Clubhouse and were emailed to residents who have signed up to receive emails. To sign up to receive these communications, please go to www.ledgewood.org and subscribe to the email list.
Common Grounds | Mary Spratt Ventura
commongrounds@theledgewoodassociation.com
Thanks to Eric Schmiedlin, our new maintenance man, who has been diligent and dedicated amidst a variety of challenges this year. He has kept a positive attitude through road construction, blocked culverts, an ice storm, a flood, sink holes, falling trees, a smashed fence, collapsed walls, rotten wood on signs, rusted posts, and electrical outages...as well as daily maintenance issues that demand attention and flexibility. He has completed the painting of all fire hydrants, and reflective tape will be added in October. Please take some time to express your appreciation for his initiative and effort to improve our neighborhood.
Our City Councilmen including Mike Daymut, Joe DeMio, and Matt Schonhut have been instrumental in working with Eric and board members to remediate problems related to water flow and aging infrastructure that have affected Ledgewood. We are thankful for the rehabilitation of Falling Water Road including the addition of a crosswalk at Windcliff. City service workers have removed a large tree blocking the Falling Water culvert, repaired a sink hole on common grounds, used cameras to survey our drain pipes, flushed silt from clogged storm drains, and dredged the creek to improve water flow. They have also replaced rip rap rocks that have eroded from the cement and wood walls bordering our creek. Special thanks to Joe Walker and Mike Gallagher who have overseen these projects. Expanding the culvert under Falling Water and replacing the cracked and bulging concrete walls is scheduled for 2019 completion. In addition, Jennifer Milbrandt has been efficient meeting with board members to recommend erosion prevention measures and to identify diseased trees for removal in common grounds as well as by individual homeowners.
The Board ensured that we had competitive bids for all major projects including tree removal, landscaping contracts, fence repair, and replacing deteriorating retaining walls. Utilizing this process, we have saved thousands of dollars as well as assured quality work using resources such as the Better Business Bureau, Angie's List, and online rating systems. The tennis court fence was repaired, mulch was added to the playground, and over 20 trees were cut down in common areas. Six contractors have submitted landscaping maintenance proposals for 2018. There are currently three proposals to replace deteriorating walls behind the pool and create additional drainage.
Data has been collected all season regarding tennis court usage. The Novagrass courts (112 times) have been used four times as often as the asphalt courts (28 times) from June through August (even though the split seams in Court 1 were unable to be repaired until we had a week of dry weather in late July). The courts were used 72 out of 92 days during the summer. Residents of 18 households in Ledgewood used the courts as well as guests from 22 households.
Finally, there are ongoing issues with residents dumping debris in common areas. Please use free City resources to dispose of all trees, branches, landscape materials, etc. Piles of limbs, dead bushes and trees provide habitats for skunks and other critters which impact the quality of life for all in Ledgewood. Working together, we can enhance and protect our unique neighborhood that we call "home."
Architectural Review | Mary Ellen Hill & JoAnn Nesbett
architectural@theledgewoodassociation.com
The annual walk about was conducted June 26, 27 and 28, 2017.
During the walk about two board members and one resident volunteer evaluated every single family home. Condominium and cluster units are evaluated by their respective associations. From the walk about 117 letters were sent to homeowners. Formal complaints were made to the City of Strongsville concerning maintenance issues at 6 homes. We continue to send letters as issues arise and follow through on complaints made in previous years. This is often a long and difficult process.
In general it is easy to keep our neighborhood looking beautiful if you follow these simple guidelines:
• Everyone needs to do their part by keeping all public sidewalks accessible, no plantings growing over the sidewalk perimeter and tree branches should allow a 6 foot tall person to walk without brushing the branches.
• All vehicles must be parked on hard surfaces - not rocks or grass.
• Remove dead trees, limbs, branches and shrubs. They are unsightly and can fall and cause damage to people and property.
• Please keep all trash cans and other junk in your garage or behind your fence or house. No one wants to see your trash cans.
• Do not display signs on your property including: Reserved Parking, Beware of Dog or any/all vendor signs. The ONLY signs allowed are real estate.
• If you have a construction project at your home you may need the use of a dumpster or storage pod. Please do what you can to limit the time this large box is in your yard. This is not the look your neighbors enjoy.
• Please do not store any vehicles with expired license plates in your driveway. Trailers of any type are never allowed in driveways or where they can be seen on your property.
• Many residents are installing/replacing fences,, decks, etc. All need to be approved by the Board. If approved, building permits must be secured from the City (strongsville.org/departments/building).
We look for examples of well maintained yards. If you see these homeowners, please tell them we appreciate their efforts. This is just a short list of homes that we noticed on the walk about:
18165 Falling Leaves 18336 Falling Water
12259 Moss Point 12263 Moss Ridge
12206 Park Cliff 11888 Ridgecliff
16991 Ridge Creek 17339 Ridge Creek
17488 Ridge Creek17178 Ridge Point
11742 The Bluffs12184 The Bluffs
12194 Woodridge
We would like to give a big "thank you" to everyone that has made an effort to maintain their property.
Clubhouse | Carmella Zingale
clubhouse@theledgewoodassociation.com
There were 61 parties this year consisting of birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, graduations and family get togethers. 5 weddings, 14 Homeowner’s association meetings, 5 swim team events.
Eric, our maintenance man, has done numerous repairs to the clubhouse. The Clubhouse will not be available in February for bookings as the interior will be painted.
Email Addresses
If you have changed your email address and have a new one, you can go to www.ledgewood.org to add the new email address. Or if you are not on the email list, but have an email and would like to receive messages from the Board or The Ledger you can subscribe or unsubscribe on the website. On the left side of the home page, it says subscribe or unsubscribe from The Ledger Newsletters.
