Below is a copy of the newsletter that will be mailed to all co-owners on or around Friday, February 9, 2024.
Hello Neighbors! We hope you had a wonderful holiday and wish you a very happy new year. Please take the time to review this newsletter to understand what is happening in our community.
Annual Meeting 2024: March 5 at Mitchell Elementary
Registration begins at 6:15pm, Meeting begins at 6:45pm
In 2020, as a consequence of the pandemic, public bodies were required, and later allowed, to hold meetings remotely. Our understanding at this point is that we now cannot allow co owners to attend virtually, so we must meet in person. Two board members will be up for election and the meeting is the best place to hear about the state of our community and meet your neighbors. Please stay tuned for further notifications regarding Annual Meeting.
New Community Manager: John Lehr
Since December 2022 we have been contracted with KS Management to provide management services. Our first community manager Jon Bennett helped us get off to a good start, but has recently made a career move and is no longer with KS. As of November 2023 our community manager is John Lehr. The board is working with John and others at KS for a smooth transition, monitoring our financials, and planning projects for the year ahead.
Note from the Board President
Dear neighbors,
This management transition mentioned above marks our sixth community manager at our third management company over the last 5 years or so. These transitions were due to staff turnover and/or insufficient management. As you can imagine this lack of continuity adds layers of complications and delays to our communication process, improvements and ongoing maintenance projects. While we have made some significant headway over the past year (new lawn care vendor, completed painting, shutters, road repair, etc.) I do acknowledge that there are some tasks that have been going unaddressed for too long, and I am sorry for any inconvenience this has caused our co-owners.
The masonry repair project has been particularly problematic, starting in 2022. There is a shortage of available, affordable masons. We do have a contract with a new vendor (U&S) to proceed and have now done a test run with them on Buildings 1, 2, 7, and 8. And if the work is approved by our engineer, we will continue with the rest of the project in the Spring.
Other items that are on our priority list are the northeast fence repairs, tree trimming and removal, replacing the aging lighting fixtures, and porch repairs for those that did not get replaced during our larger concrete project in 2022. Thank you for your patience as we get back up to speed with our new manager (again!), and kick off our 2024 agenda.
In the meantime, please take the time to respond to our priorities poll (see last page) so we can be sure our priorities are aligned with the needs of the community at large.
Kind regards,
Katie F.
2024 Budget
You should have received a budget mailing and email by the time you get this newsletter. If you are a co-owner but have not received the mailing, please be sure to contact KS.
Each year the board works with our management company to review our YTD budget, discuss upcoming projects and priorities, and produce a new budget for the next year. Our goal is always to balance the needs of the community, our financial health, and the costs of upcoming maintenance and improvement projects, while avoiding special assessments. The HOA fee typically is raised only the amount necessary to achieve these goals, mostly increasing in parallel with inflation. For 2024, since the reserves are healthy. We decided on a minimal increase of $5/month, (+ 1.8%). We have also decided to increase our operational expenditures for landscape and maintenance, and lower the amount transferred to reserves. If you have questions about your payments, please contact KS Management.
Seasonal Decoration
We appreciate your festive show of holiday spirit, adding cheer and color to our neighborhood. Keep in mind that we do ask that seasonal decor should remain up only as long as it is relevant. For holiday-specific decor, we ask that co-owners decorate no earlier than a month before the holiday and remove the items within two weeks of the holiday’s end.
Insurance Reminder for Basements
In 2023, there were a handful of basement leak repairs required. In the event of a leak from the exterior, the Association is responsible for repair and restoration only up to the original state of the unit, which were all originally built with unfinished basements. With this in mind, we’d like to remind you that your condo insurance is meant to cover other items like replacing carpet or furniture or other belongings. Please be sure you have the condo insurance you need to cover foundation leaks, sewer/drainage backups, and similar situations. Ask your insurance agent if you need an additional ‘endorsement’ to cover the cost of finishing your basement to the condition prior to the situation that caused the damage. See also: Bylaws Article IV re: Insurance; Co-owner Insurance Fact Sheet on myturnberry.com/documents-forms.
Winterization
Remember, from each October 1st through April 15th of the following year, all vacated units within the community must be winterized. Precautions include:
- Keep your thermostat set at 55-60 degrees.
- Drain toilets of water and keep faucets open to prevent pressure buildup.
- Keep cupboards open to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
- Turn off the water in your unit.
- Unplug all appliances to prevent fire hazards.
- Close fireplace damper to prevent animals and rain from entering.
- Store your vehicle inside your garage so snow removal is not inhibited.
- Be sure your smoke detectors have good batteries and are in working condition.
- Have a neighbor or friend check in occasionally.
See Winterization Policy on myturnberry.com/documents-forms/
Garden Policy Reminder
Looking ahead to Spring … In 2023 we rolled out our new Owner Tended Garden Policy. Please remember to complete the form if you have not already, and you intend to care for your own front garden beds. This is important as it allows the board to direct the landscaping needs to units that are not caring for their own and allows you to opt out of the standard mulching if you prefer to provide and apply your own mulch. Download at myturnberry.com/documents-forms.
Thank you for your time.
— Your TVC Board of Directors
