Canal Walk Newsletter March 2019
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Canal Walk Newsletter March 2019 From the Board of Directors I will try to make this Newsletter different from previous ones by not reporting on items which we have focused on in previous months. You can be assured that everything is under control and we are moving forward. The front entrance will be improved, approximately 40 of the new homes on Bryant Court have been sold and the first new Enclave building will be ready for occupancy by this month. Landscaping will continue, roads repaired, the outdoor pool will be open soon and our finances are in good shape, etc. Moving forward – reorganizing our Block Captain Committee. At our last meeting on January 24 th , we informed our members that we wanted to change the focus of the Committee by making it more responsive to Community needs. I serve on this committee along with Bernie Worst and Tom Merklinger. We discuss the most recent activities of the Board, and Tom reports on our improvements and problems. Our discussions are open and frank, questions are asked and answered, but we seldom receive suggestions for improvements. Block Captains The purpose of a Block Captain is to: • Keep the community informed. Augment the regular communications from the Board and Management, One Call emails, and articles posted on the Canal Walk Website including the summaries from the Block Captain meetings. • Poll your block on community issues. Contact the residents in your assigned group, face to face; telephone and email to ascertain their well-being. • Report back to Management and the Board important issues that concern your block. The Block Captain meeting is a two-way forum to provide updated community issues and discuss concerns from the residents. • Report safety and life hazard issues such as street light outages, pot holes, broken utility covers, etc. • A Block Captain will need to attend no less than 3 meetings a year. • Provide a conduit of information to/from the residents. One very important detail is that, unlike our Clubs, you cannot join the Committees, you must be appointed by the Board. However, the current members were grandfathered in when the Committee was re- established in 2012. To assist us, we have asked one of our homeowners, Steve Orosz, to help in this reorganization. He will be working with Tom, Bernie and me to identify streets without representation and to find residents who would like to join. On Another Matter: Several owners have inquired as to when the Board will be announcing the date of our “Maintenance Free Month.” Sorry to say, but that is not how it works. Our budget is approved in October of the previous year and is subject to change the following year depending on any unforeseen problems or external conditions such as unusually high snow expenses. Sometime in September of the current year, we review our financial condition to see if a maintenance free month can be budgeted for in the following year. This is discussed with our accounting firm, W&G. The Board strives to maintain our extremely low maintenance fees. We have worked hard to maintain these fees for 8 consecutive years,3 of which included a maintenance free month. I am sure you understand that, sooner or later, our maintenance fees will need to be increased. Rules & Regulations: The Canal Walk Rules & Regulations have been reviewed and updated by the Covenants Committee and the Board. You will be receiving the updated version,which will be effective April 1, 2019, in the mail. Bob Rossomando for the Board of Directors Jim Lyttle, Bob Rossomando, Nick Iorio and Bernie Worst CANAL WALK’S OWN WEBSITE Canal Walk residents can check on what activities are planned and sign up for activities right from their home computer. Just type this address and you will get to our Canal Walk Website: http://www.canalwalkhoa.com. Our Website was developed by Skip Krals, who still helps us from Arizona. The Website is managed by Howard Kliger, Elaine Whelan, Mo Kim, Fred Ford and Susan Kobren. TO SEE CLUBHOUSE ACTIVITIES ON YOUR TV: NOW ON CHANNEL 8 IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN HD CABLE BOX OR USE CHANNEL 281 IF YOU DO HAVE AN HD CABLE BOX Canal Walk Reservation For activities sponsored by the Committees and the Activity Director • Sign-ups/Reservations are required for all events and each event is first come, first served. • A reservation is only confirmed when the Event Flyer is completed, date stamped and payment in full is received (Checks Payable to C.W.H.O.A.A.F). Cash is not accepted. • Reservations are always restricted to Canal Walk residents for a period of time. This period may vary depending on the event and lead time. • Each Residence (not resident) is entitled to make a reservation for two people, one of whom may be a guest. • After the exclusive several week period for residents, the event will be open to guests. • When events are sold out, a reasonable waiting list will usually be maintained for those who have paid in full. From time to time, an additional trip for an event may be arranged at a later date. • All residents are encouraged to check the Lobby carousels and the Website regularly. Canal Walk Refund Policy • Effective March 1, 2019, the following is a revision to the Refund Policy for any and all tickets, trips or reservations made for events arranged by the Clubhouse Activities, Cultural Arts and Trips and Travel Committees and the Activity Director. • Once you register and pay for any event or trip, you have the absolute right to admission for that event. There will be no refunds for any reason. The only exception is if there is a wait list which the office may maintain. If there is a wait list, the office will provide it to you if you wish to sell your tickets.It is your responsibility to contact persons on the list to sell your ticket. This policy is to properly manage our finances and is consistent with almost all performance venues. • If you cannot use the reservation, you may sell your ticket or right to admission, or give it to someone else. The office should be advised of any changes to the reservation so that we can account for everyone attending. From the Enclave Board Mark your calendars for two important events: 1. Meet the Candidates Night – Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 7:00 pm in the Clubhouse Ballroom 2. Annual Meeting/Election – Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 7:00 pm in the Clubhouse Ballroom All Enclave residents should attend! Best wishes to all our neighbors and friends from your Board of Directors for a Happy St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) and Purim (March 21). Daylight Savings Time 2 A.M., March 10th. Time to turn your clocks ahead one hour and change your combination Smoke/CO Detector and Smoke Detector Batteries.The smoke and combination CO/smoke detectors in our homes are hard-wired (always connected to electricity) with a battery backup. Each is designed to operate by a battery in case of a power outage. The Franklin Township Fire Department recommends battery replacement twice a year. Typically a good time to do this is when we go to Daylight Savings Time and back to Daylight Standard Time. Replacing the batteries before their power is exhausted prevents the detectors from chirping at the worst possible time, such as in the middle of the night. Don’t forget to reset the system after the batteries have been changed. If you have misplaced the directions that came with the detector, call BKR Industries, the manufacturer of your First Alert detectors, at 1-800-323-9005 or the manufacturer of your current detector to learn how to reset the system. Do You Know…? • The detector will sound a chirp every 60 seconds when the battery needs to be replaced. • A detector that sounds three quick chirps may be defective. • Smoke detectors installed by Premier are covered under a 10-year warranty and the combination smoke/CO detectors for 5-10 years depending on the date of manufacture. BRK will replace for free any detector that fails during the warranty period. Should yours fail while under warranty, call 1-800-323-9005 to request a replacement. When calling, have the defective detector in hand. You will be asked for the serial number and date of manufacture information located on the back of the unit. • If recommended by the manufacturer of your detector, consider replacing the alkaline battery with a 10-year lithium battery. • Discuss replacing ionization smoke or smoke/CO smoke detectors that make a sound from cooking-related false alarm with a photoelectric detector, with Franklin Township Code Enforcement. This type of detector is less susceptible to false alarms attributable to a non-fire event. • Replace each detector when no longer covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Call Fire Prevention or the Franklin Township code enforcement if you need further assistance at (732) 873-2500 Ext. 6303. Your life and the life of your neighbors may depend on detectors that are fully operational and installed per Franklin Township requirements. • When changing the detector batteries, you should also consider changing the batteries in your thermostat. Spring Reminder for Enclave Town Home Owners As the snow melts and you begin to prepare for spring, please remember that the exterior of your town home, as well as the grounds around it, are common property owned by the Enclave Condominium Association. Therefore, no modifications to this property in any manner are authorized without submitting a Property Modification Request (PMR) form to the Enclave Covenants Committee.