August 2008 | The Ledger
President | John Rady
president@theledgewoodassociation.com
Ledgewood Homeowners Association
A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you what time it is. During the month of June, your trustees are like a consultant who reminds you what needs attention with your property. As if you needed to be reminded.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Annual Walkthroughs, it’s the process whereby the trustees walk around the neighborhood and evaluate everyone’s property to see if they are in compliance with our covenants and restrictions. For your convenience, I’ve attached the evaluation form so that you can see what is reviewed for each property. For those that are in compliance, nothing else happens – although I firmly believe we should send a ‘Thank You’ letter to each and every one of you in this category. Let this Ledger represent your THANK YOU letter.
For those homeowners not in compliance, you receive a letter from the board stating what needs attention. What happens next generally falls into three categories;
Acknowledgement – the people that fall into this category recognize the issues, informs the board that they intend to fix the problem, provides a timeframe when they expect to complete the work, and then fulfills their promise.
Reluctant Compliance – this group of individuals generally intended to fix the problem all along and they are miffed that someone (such as a board member) would have the audacity to point out a flaw. For those of you in this category, I encourage you to attend the clambake in October and let me know your thoughts. As long as you correct the infraction, feel free to give me an earful (note: I’m hard of hearing in one ear!).
Intentional Neglect – unfortunately this group has no intention of fixing their infraction(s). They assume that the Association doesn’t notice or care. For this group, we are actively working with the city of Strongsville to remedy these properties. Mayor Perciak is passionate about homeowner’s upkeep of their property and has pledged to work with the board to target this group.
Finally, if you are a TENNIS PLAYER, we are going to hold a town hall meeting to discuss our options to repair the omni-court. As many of you know, last year’s sewer project has left a mark on our courts. We are working with the city to remedy the situation and we have a couple of options. We are seeking input/feedback from the tennis community and we’ll hold a meeting on Wednesday, August 20, from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the clubhouse.
See you at the pool, August pool party or October clambake!
Architectural Review | Marion Tomasko | Dick Lowrie
architectural@theledgewoodassociation.com
The Walkthrough Assessment is complete and almost all letters have gone out. It is a daunting task to go through the entire community, scrutinize each individual house and inform the homeowner that improvements need to be made. These are our homes and no one wants to be told they have room for improvement.
Thank you to all who acted quickly to resolve the issues brought to their attention. Those of you with improvements still outstanding, please take the time to make the necessary corrections. Keep in mind it is in your best interest as well as that of the community. Failure to comply will result in further action by the Board. This means the Board retains the right to appoint someone to do the work for you at your expense. We sincerely hope it doesn’t come to this.
The Board is diligently working to keep the overall look of the community to an acceptable standard. More letters have gone out this year than in previous years thanks to a well-organized approach and a more thorough checklist. It is a monumental task to keep on top of the maintenance list and see that all issues are resolved. Remember, it takes all of us working together to keep Ledgewood a beautiful and desirable place to live.
Pool | Sue DeFauw
pool@theledgewoodassociation.com
All has gone well this summer. The lifeguards and Liz, our pool manager, have done a great job in keeping the pool clean and safe. We had one minor accident, but it was handled well and appropriately. Expenses have been reasonable. We have had a couple of issues, one with the filter, which was handled quickly and efficiently, thanks to Jim. The baby pool appears to have a leak in a valve and we are in the process of getting that looked into and hopefully fixed. The only other expense we are planning to incur is to have the caulking fixed at the edge of the pool. This will be done after the season’s over and before the covers is placed on.
It appears the attendance has been very high this summer due to the great weather and great surrounding we have. Thanks to all for your support.
Common Ground | Bob Cantu
commongrounds@theledgewoodassociation.com
Summer has been kind to our surroundings and the common grounds are in good condition. Our community garden looks great and I would like to thank everyone that contributed to its success. Expenses have been limited to budgeted items, except for the removal of several dead trees and clean-up resulting from wind damage. The Board anticipates making some improvements to a few of our street corners this fall and we are in the process of evaluating our options with respect to correcting a few areas of concern at the tennis courts. Please let the Board know if you identify any common ground areas that are in need of attention.
Clubhouse & Social Events – Janeen León – Save the Date!
August 23rd Family Potluck Picnic at the Pool, 6-10 pm (see announcement in this Ledger)
October 25th Clambake
December 6th – Make-a-Gingerbread House Party
Watch future editions of the Ledger and street signs for more information as the dates approach. Please consider volunteering to help plan and/or assist at an event. The more volunteers – the more likely social events of this type will continue. Call Janeen León at 440-846-1393.
3rd Annual Meet Your Neighbor Wine and Cheese Party
The 3rd annual Meet Your Neighbor Wine and Cheese Party on June 20th was enjoyed by approximately 95 Ledgewood residents. Special thanks to Ledgewood residents Brad and Linda Sieber, owners of La Chateau Wine and Martini Bar in the Staples plaza, for suggesting and organizing the wine tasting and donating gift certificates as door prizes. Joe Bucci, former Ledgewood resident and owner of J. Bella Restaurant also donated gift certificates for the event. I am grateful to the organizing committee for their time and effort -- Rick Berger, Curt and Margie Harler, Jay and Denise Coniam, Margaret Bosela, and Diane Revels – THANK YOU!
Neighborhood Food Drive
The June 21st Neighborhood Food drive was a great success. While the board has traditionally taken a position to not “sponsor” this type of event, we encourage and individually support the benevolent activities of our homeowners. Below is a note passed on by the organizing families of the food drive.
The families involved with the collection of food for a local hunger center would like to thank everyone who participated in the Neighborhood Food Drive on Saturday, June 21st. Your generosity enabled us to collect well over 100 plastic grocery bags of food. The pantry director, her clients, and all of us are deeply appreciative.
It was gratifying to witness the outpouring of support from friends and neighbors. We heard from so many of you that you were pleased to have the opportunity to help those in need. We applaud your kind and generous spirit.
Clubhouse Reservation Announcements Clubhouse Reservations – Jain Baruth – 440-230-3099
At last count there are 95 reservations listed for 2008 on the online calendar (including board meetings and clubs)! To make Jain Baruth’s job a little easier, I’m highlighting some upcoming rental policy changes and some oft forgotten current rental policies.
A few minor changes are being made in rental policy and documents for future reservations (current confirmed reservations are not affected). These include the following:
The clubhouse will typically be available no earlier than 10:00 am to allow sufficient time for cleaning between events. If earlier access is required, this must be approved and arranged with Jain Baruth in advance.
Events are to end by 12:00 midnight. Renters have until 1:00 am to clean and vacate the premise following event.
If a reservation is made within 1 week of the event, deposit and trash/cleaning/miscellaneous fees must be paid by money order. Late reservations do not allow sufficient time for checks to be deposited and clear.
Checks may not be dated in advance. If any check is advance dated, the check(s) will be returned to renter and the reservation will not be confirmed (date not held).
Remember that in order to secure a clubhouse reservation, a resident must be in good standing, pay their annual assessment in full, complete a rental application AND rental contract, and provide two separate checks – one check to cover the $500 deposit and one check to include $75 for trash and cleaning fees plus additional fees when applicable for lifeguards (required during pool season) or snow removal (winter). Please note that checks are deposited. Rental application and contract forms can be obtained from Jain Baruth (phone number above). The clubhouse availability calendar is accessible for viewing on the Ledgewood website (www.ledgewoodassociation .com).
Ledgewood Family Summer Potluck Picnic at the Pool
Saturday August 23rd, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Main Dish will be provided from 6:00-7:30
Bring your bathing suit and a dish to share! Kids bring a plain white T-Shirt to tie dye!
Admission is $1.00 per person
Please RSVP by August 15th to Margaret Bosela 440-268-0457 Grandchildren are welcome!
John Rady | President – 440-572-4354
Bob Cantu | Vice-President | Common Ground – 440-878-9917
Sue DeFauw | Pool – 440-572-5621
Marion Tomasko | Architectural Review – 440-268-9303
Dick Lowrie | Architectural Review | Common Ground | Secretary | Treasurer – 440-238-6224
Janeen Leon | Clubhouse – 440-846-1393
Jain Baruth | Clubhouse Manager, contact for Clubhouse Rental – 440-238-3099 or 216-401-7871,
Carleen Sundvall | Recording Secretary | Assistant Treasurer– 330-887-5753.
