2015 Annual Report
THE LEDGEWOOD ASSOCIATION
FISCAL YEAR ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2015
Dear Ledgewood Homeowner 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 17, 2015 at the clubhouse at 7:30 p.m.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Marcia Folino President
Karen Kircher Vice-President - Architectural Review
Ronald Bender Common Ground
Carl Ventura Common Ground
Sandra Moir Clubhouse
Nancy Picard Pool
Association Employees:Jim Chmura Operations Maintenance Manager
Diane Thompson Clubhouse Manager
Carleen Sundvall Recording Secretary-Treasurer
Brittney Jankura Pool Manager
President’s Summary | Marcia Folino
president@theledgewoodassociation.com
In May we had the misfortune to have the fire in the breaker box in the garage. Improper grounding of the wires going to the garage caused us to lose the box. This could not have been anticipated; the electrical structures were the original design and caused no problems for the existence of the clubhouse and the garage. But this year the deficiencies in that design caught up with us. The electrical issues caused no problems in the clubhouse. The electricity in the clubhouse was unaffected and all scheduled events and parties took place. However, because of the fire in the breaker box the electricity to the pool pumps and the heater were lost. As soon as we learned of the fire and the damage the board began working to fix the problem. Contractors were contacted and one selected and contracts signed. We anticipated an “easy” repair. The wires from the clubhouse to the garage would be pulled, replaced, power restored, and the pool ready for the Memorial Day weekend. Not to be. Wire could not be pulled. A locating service was called to find the wires and we began to cut through the asphalt and concrete and trench to reach the wires for replacement. The biggest surprise of all-there was no conduit surrounding the wires, the aluminum wiring lay unprotected. The task to correct the electrical problems became much, much bigger. Because of the magnitude of the work required to repair the electrical issues and meet current city code it became clear that opening the pool as we had anticipated was unlikely to happen. Board members know our residents look forward to the pool opening. The board task, then, became how to minimize any down time for the pool. Working with the city we were able to come up with a plan to do just that. The contractor ran new wire to the garage AND replace the old electrical panel with a new box and bring everything to that point up to code so the pumps could be hooked up on this “temporary” (temporary = not something that would be replaced, but temporary because additional work would be required) service. While we certainly regret that we could not open on the holiday weekend, Ledgewood residents did have pool access in early June. Work continued. A new electrical panel was required at the clubhouse; this provided the necessary 400 amp and (2) 200 amp outlets to meet the city code/pool requirements. The original box was determined to have always been insufficient. This custom box was ordered from Siemens. Coordination with First Energy was required to affect the transfer to this new box. Our electrical contractor did extensive rewiring in the green electrical box by the clubhouse. This CEI equipment is now deemed a secondary system and their current policy requires that we, and not CEI, maintain it.
Done, all installed, and the city approved the work. Much effort by all board members, by our contractors and with the help of the city to make these changes happen. We are good to go! I would like to remind all residents that for this and other Ledgewood projects, work begins to resolve all issues immediately. We may not be able to start work immediately while we find appropriate vendors, sign contracts, get necessary permits, etc., but we are always actively working on the quickest resolution of any problems from day one.
Board reports of progress and any changes are accurately reported to all by Carleen Sundvall, our recording-secretary. The lawsuit filed by Ledgewood to stop construction of a home on the sledding hill based on adverse possession was ruled in favor of the defendant by the judge for the case. They are free to build on the property.
Architectural Review | Karen Kircher 2015
architectural@theledgewoodassociation.com
The Architectural Review Committee, with the help of the Strongsville Building Department, strives to keep our community beautiful and well maintained. This is accomplished in the following ways:
Annual Walk Through:
Each June three volunteers, Board Members and residents, visually inspect each single family home as they walk through the streets of Ledgewood. Condominiums do their own inspections and maintenance. If there is a safety or maintenance concern at a home, a letter is sent with the expectation that measures will be taken by the homeowner to remedy the concern. If the issue is a serious infraction of our Covenants and Restrictions here in Ledgewood, the City of Strongsville is notified and the Architectural Review Committee will continue to monitor the situation. Some homeowners continue to violate these covenants despite our best efforts.
Approval of Plans for Exterior Work:
All changes to the exteriors of homes such as fences or additions must be approved and neighbors affected by the change should be contacted prior to starting any project. Plans and specifications showing the nature, kind, shape, height, materials and location on the property must be submitted to the Board of Trustees of the Association for approval. The Strongsville Building Department must also issue a permit for any addition or permanent structure before the project begins.
Reminders of Common Problems:
Through the Ledger, our development newsletter, we remind residents that:
Lamp posts must be lit for safety! Especially as we enter the longer nights off all and winter.
Grasses and tree branches which interfere with walking safely by your homes, must be trimmed.
Plantings around the large utility boxes that are commonly shared must be maintained.
Your address must be visible from the street for emergencies.
Only For Sale signs are allowed on Ledgewood Properties. Others may be removed by our maintenance crew.
Trailers, dumpsters, vehicles for business, or construction materials visible from the street for any great length of time are not allowed.
Our properties are generally very well maintained and we identified several that were particularly lovely!
11742 The Bluffs ( backyard)
11683 The Bluffs
17488 Ridge Creek
12209 Windcliff
Thank You all for being good neighbors!
Clubhouse | Sandy Moir
clubhouse@theledgewoodassociation.com
The clubhouse event schedule has been very busy most months it is booked every week-end, Including a Yoga class every Saturday morning, and a few mid- week meetings for swim team and Board meetings. There were 74 events scheduled at the clubhouse for this year (including Nov & Dec) Diane Thompson is doing a great job scheduling the clubhouse. The on-line calendar is updated with the booked dates noted at Ledgewood’s website www.ledgewood.org The clubhouse is checked after each event to make sure it has been cleaned up as required by the contract. Any issues are reviewed by the board.
Common Ground | Ron Bender and Carl Ventura
commongrounds@theledgewoodassociation.com
Ledgewood entered into a three year contract with No.1Landscaping to perform mowing and landscaping services for the development. The three year contract resulted in a savings of over 10 percent from the previous year’s agreement. Once again a big thanks to Jim Chmura, our Maintenance Operation Manager and his assistant Alex Gojnic for overseeing day to day maintenance of the pool, tennis courts and common areas. This past year the back tennis courts were power washed and a number of dead trees were removed from common areas. The City has indicated replacement of the culvert under Falling Water Road by the Clubhouse is on their five year capital plan, but no money has been allocated for the project at this time. The board will continue discussing with the City a solution to control flooding at the clubhouse.
Pool | Nancy Picard
pool@theledgewoodassociation.com
This was a very busy year at the pool. The season began in January with three goals:
Find an experienced pool manager.
Secure the pool for residents and guests.
Update and organize pool equipment and storage areas.
When Brittney Jankura accepted the pool manager’s position, she set in motion a plan to make our pool the best in the area. Among the innovations Brittney brought to our pool is a computer time management system for all guards that is then transferred electronically to our treasurer, a regular program of guard in-service training, a thorough cleaning and reorganization of all pool equipment and storage areas and an update of all pool and clubhouse signage. Several systems were researched and a resident photo identification system was selected as our best option. Several companies were contacted for recommendations. A system was selected from a company in Twinsburg. After several trials, that system was returned for a full refund. Our long-time resident, Danylo Zadony offered to design a photo identification system based on Ledgewood housing units. There were three photo taking sessions for residents prior to the opening of the pool. Photos were also taken during the season. A total of 440 residents 5 years of age and older are registered at the pool. Brittney and the guards began meeting on April 4, 2015. Brittney and the guards cleaned, organized and updated pool safety equipment. Working with the inspectors from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, we purchased an automated chlorine dispensing pump for the baby pool. All was ready for a Memorial Day weekend opening.
Unfortunately the fire in the electric panel on May 18, 2015, squashed that plan. Working with the City of Strongsville, Building and Inspection Department, several contractors, our own maintenance staff and our pool staff we opened on Monday afternoon, June8, 2015. The Ledgepark Pirates Swim Team held swim meets on June 23 and 24. Beginning June 27, Saturday morning water aerobics classes were held throughout the summer. Learn to swim lessons were held in June. Excluding these group activities Ledgewood residents visited the pool 2368 times joined by 1468 non-resident guests.
Email Addresses
We need your email address in order to send The Ledger.
If you have not already done so, submit your email to csundvall@neo.rr.com.
If you have changed your email address, please submit the new one as well. Please return the postcard proxy if you will not be attending. We need proxies in order to establish a quorum to conduct the meeting.
See you at the annual meeting on November 17, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Ledgewood Board of Trustees