September 2007 Meet Your New Webmaster Contents New Webmaster 1 The WHOA association Board invited HO Laurie Grasso to the August meeting as she had expressed a willingness to look at the existing website and to possibly become the new webmaster. Laurie examined the current website and concluded that she would be able to work with it. Laurie volunteered to do the following: Contact the current webmaster Paul Ludenia (former Woodlands resident now living out of state) to see how the task of webmaster could be turned over to her. Update the current webpage. Make additional improvements. The Board directed Laurie to use her own judgment about improvements. Jan Hewitt, Woodland s secretary, agreed to work with Laurie to add some features like Board minutes and copies of the Warbler to the webpage. Laurie had questions about how the current forum was being used and if anyone knew the philosophy of why it had been started. The Board was uncertain if the forum was used much and was aware that many homeowners had reported difficulty accessing it with the complex password system it used. The Board agreed the forum could be dropped until a clear need for it became apparent or until it had a clear philosophy. Laurie requested that if residents have ideas about content for the website to please contact her. Fifth Addition Work Project 1 Path Update 2 Welcome 2 Letter from the WHOA Board Re: Dues 3 Kid s Page 4 Updated WHOA Phonebook 5-6 Fifth Addition Work Project The Fifth Addition Work Project has been scheduled for September 15, 2007, starting at 7:00 a.m. Please contact Joel Rademacher at 856-1086 or rads5@connections-etc.net if you have questions. We will be laying sod and weeding the pond and shrub areas. We need as many people as possible. Resident students who volunteer their time will now receive a certificate for volunteering in their community. Students seeking hours for community service or looking for volunteer opportunities, be sure to check in with Joel the morning of the 15 th so that we can be sure that you are issued a certificate. 1
Path Committee Update and Work to Begin Over the past several months the path committee made up of Phil Hanson (chair), Matt Timinski, Anders Ruikka, and Dave Hewitt have done a lot of work assessing the needs of our trail system. Their preliminary work included: Making an accounting of the trails. Mapping the trail counting cracks and measured repair areas. Contacting five companies to get their recommendations for trail maintenance. Submitting specs for pricing. Receiving and reviewed pricing. Based on their work the committee made the following recommendations: 1. We should spray a weed killer on the grasses and weeds growing in the cracks in the path. This would stop additional cracking and will make future crack repairing easier. 2. September/October of 2007 Make repairs to bring the trail to like new condition using Bergman Companies infrared patching system. This system creates a joint free integral patch. The area is heated with infrared unit, the old blacktop is racked and at least 20% new asphalt is added to the patch, rolled and compacted with a vibratory roller. The process takes about 15 minutes per patch. This process is unique to Bergman Companies, Inc. The estimated cost is $8250 for the 75 repair areas that were marked by Gary Wheaton of Bergman Companies on June 28 th. This process has been used at the Wells Fargo Bank, MacDonald s, and Menards in the Elk River area. 3. In the spring of 2008 routing and crack filling using Astech Asphalt Surface Technologies Corporation. All the cracks would be routed ¾ x ¾ to 1 x1 x as needed. All cracks are to be blown clean by means of compressed air 125PSI minimum. All cracks are to be filled with hot pour rubberized crack filler. Traffic will not be allowed on the area until material has cured properly. The cracks will be covered with a single ply paper to prevent tracking. At the August meeting the WHOA Board discussed and then recommended accepting all three of the recommendations of the trails committee. Anders Ruikka volunteered himself and Brian Carley to undertake recommendation number one if the Board paid for the supplies. Phil Hanson volunteered to contact Bergman and Astech regarding commencing work. Residents will begin seeing path work commence this fall. Finally, the Board would like to publicly thank the path committee for all the work they have done. We welcome the following new home owners to the Woodlands of Livonia Homeowners Association: The Richard and Sujatha Roberts Family, 26230 Woodlands Parkway 2
Important information concerning Association Dues Homeowners of the Woodlands of Livonia, as you all know, we live in a very beautiful and unique development. We chose to live here because of our neighbors, the homes and the quality of life that our development provides. To maintain this quality of life, the association is completely dependent upon association dues. We have many expenses in maintaining our development, most of which demand a timely payment. The Board has noticed a disturbing trend, which is requiring an excessive amount of board attention as well as additional work for the association treasurer. Many homeowners are not submitting their association dues in a timely manner. This is causing the association treasurer to have to send out letters, assess late fees and additional bookkeeping duties. The Board has also had to retain an attorney, take legal action against one association member and have the attorney send a letter to a second association member, notifying the homeowner of pending legal action. Your timely payment of association dues is essential to the well being of our development. Association fees are due on the first day at the start of each quarter. It has been discussed by the board and agreed upon that in the future, all homeowners that have received a past due letter requesting association dues payment will have their names posted in the next issue of the Warbler. In addition, all homeowners that are more than one quarter behind in their payments will have their name posted as well as the amount owed to the association. The board regrets having to take this action, but in order to pay our expenses in a timely manner and to effectively maintain our development we see no other choice but to move in this direction. The last two quarters, our treasurer has attempted to call those who were about to receive past due letters and remind them to submit their payments immediately. However, we do not have telephone numbers for all homeowners and really, the treasurer should not have to make reminder calls. We are all responsible for paying our own bills. Further, if you have circumstances that are affecting timely payment of your association dues, contact the Board of Directors and explain your situation. Do not simply ignore the matter, as it will only compound the problem, cause additional work for all involved and ultimately result in additional expenses for you due to late fees and any legal fees incurred by the association. Therefore, we ask that all homeowners be deliberate in their payment of association dues on time. Thank you Woodlands of Livonia Board of Directors Jim Katter, President Scott Fildes, Vice President Tom Crippes, Director 3
For all Ages!!! See if you can collect leaf samples in the Woodlands of all five of these common deciduous trees. Oak Species: Quercus Leaf edges: lobed. Fruit: acorns. Location: mostly in central and southern Minnesota. Uses: firewood, furniture, railroad ties. Fall colors: brown, yellow, red purple-red.minnesota species: black, bur, chinkapin, northern pin, northern red, swamp white, and white oak. Maple Species: Acer Leaf arrangement: opposite. Leaf edges: lobed. Location: throughout Minnesota, most dense in central part of state. Uses: maple syrup, firewood, furniture, floors. Fall colors: bright red, orange, yellow, gold. Minnesota species: black, mountain, red, silver, and sugar maple and box elder. Elm Species: Ulmus Leaf edges: doubly toothed. Location: American elm grows throughout the state; other species are found mostly in the south. Uses: boats, furniture, farm tools. Fall colors: yellow. Minnesota species: American, rock, and slippery elm. Ash Species: Fraxinus Leaf type: compound. Leaf arrangement: opposite. Leaf edges: smooth or slightly toothed. Location: throughout Minnesota, except in the west. Uses: baskets, furniture, posts, sports equipment. Fall colors: usually yellow. Minnesota species: black, green, and white ash. Birch Species: Betula Leaf edges: doubly toothed. Fruit: nutlet. Location: generally found throughout Minnesota. Uses:pulp for making paper, flooring, firewood. Fall colors: yellow. Minnesota species: paper, river, and yellow birch 4
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