2014 Annual Property Owner Meeting

It is again time to invite you to our annual meeting on December 2nd, 2014.  All homeowners are invited to attend the meeting.  If you cannot make the meeting you can use the attached proxy form.  This is an important meeting since we have wetland issues that affect everyone.  All households require the proper drainage that the wetlands afford.  Next year will be our communities 20th anniversary!  Come participate in the discussion about all the changes: past, present and future.  Please use the attached proxy form if you cannot attend in person.

When: Tuesday, December 2nd from 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM

Where:  North School Lunch Room – 500Woodstock St. Crystal Lake

Agenda:  

• Wetland Maintenance Issues
• Annual Budget and Financial Reports
• Board of Director Elections
• Open Discussion

Financial Reports, Covenants and Forms now on-line:

We have posted the 2014 financial reports, the 2015 budget, director nomination forms, and the CC&Rs on-line in our BPOA Google Drive.  If you want to review or access any of the forms, please visit the BPOA Drive at:  http://goo.gl/PtRSfi.  Send questions or issues getting to the reports to bpoa.admin@gmail.com.

Drain Ponds Update:

We are presently rethinking the extensive excavation that we have been saving for.  According to our experts, excavation would only be a temporary fix as silting continues to occur.  An alternative to this silt removal would be to change the plant makeup of the wetlands to afford better drainage and silt flow.  Some excavation may still be necessary to remove the twenty years of silt accumulation, but continued silting would be minimal.  At the meeting we will discuss this proposal and explain in greater detail what it entails.  

If you have questions, you can e-mail us at bpoa.admin@gmail.com.  We look forward to seeing you at our annual meeting at 7PM on December 2nd at the North Elementary school cafeteria.

Sincerely,

Your 2014 BPOA Board of Directors  

Mark Des Biens, Milan Diklich, Mike Marchyshyn, Paul McPherson, and Philip Zack

2014 Property Owners Association Update...

The 2013 flood demonstrated just how important it is for us to keep the system maintained and in good working order. When our homeowners called the city this summer about the rising and then standing water, Crystal Lake correctly told them that it is our association that is responsible for the drainage in our two ponds. The reason for the increases both in 2010, and in 2014 were to help maintain the two drain ponds. 

The 2010 increase was in order to clear the woody species and to allow us to do regular burns and prevent the invasive species from returning again to the two ponds. The 2014 increase will be used to do additional needed maintenance around the drains and to add to our capital reserve fund.

The board prepared and presented the reasons for the increase in detail at the November annual homeowner meeting. The $75 increase voted on by the board in 2013 will be used as follows: $50 will go to directly towards maintenance to clear the partially blocked drains, this will allow the rest of the system to flush and give us the ability to better inspect the drains moving forward. And $25 will go directly into the Capital Reserve account. This is the long-term fund that will be used to repair or replace the drain tiles sometime in the next 25-50 years when they fail.

Unfortunately, it is the cost of living in the community we live in. I do know that our neighboring communities using professional management companies are paying 3-5 times the amount we pay in annual dues. Your Board has taken many steps to keep expenses as low as possible, while still doing the due diligence required in our association charter. Please email or call the board if you have any questions regarding this information.