Letter from the President
It
has been a pleasure this year to serve as the MWHOA president. I have enjoyed meeting some of you and
talking with others on the phone or by e-mail.
I encourage you to continue to email or call with your suggestions and
concerns to keep Montgomery West the neighborhood we want to be our home.
Upon
reflecting on the range of activities required to keep Montgomery West
financially sound and beautifully maintained, the Board of Directors has
considered whether we should continue to be self managed by volunteer
homeowners or switch to professional management. Professional management of MWHOA would require us to double our
quarterly dues to $180.
Volunteer
self management is possible if two conditions are met: (1) the Board of
Directors is comprised of competent and dedicated homeowners, and (2) our 104
homeowners are willing to fulfill their responsibilities to pay their quarterly
dues and abide by our MWHOA covenants.
Currently, we experience about 10% of our homeowners failing to make
timely payment of dues and/or to abide by our covenants.
This
year the Board of Directors initiated a friendly notice approach to collect
outstanding dues and enforce our covenants.
The response to this friendly approach has been very encouraging. As a volunteer Board of Directors, it is
challenging to pursue neighbors who fail to pay their dues or to correct their
covenant violations. This failure of
response to our collection notices or covenant violation notices is a critical
factor encouraging us to convert to professional management.
At
this time, the Board of Directors believes we can continue to be self
managed. We do ask for your support by
making your dues payments on time and abiding by our covenants. We are always willing to meet with
homeowners that may be facing a difficult or challenging situation that impacts
on dues payments or covenant compliance.
We are committed to making Montgomery West a welcoming home.
Sincerely,
John
Patton
New Trash Removal Company
Montgomery
West has signed on a new trash removal company. Since the beginning of September, Ecology Services has been
servicing our community. Pick-up will continue to be the same days as before
(Mondays and Thursdays). The agreement
includes 2 bulk pick-ups a year, the first of which is scheduled for November
3.
Landscaping and Trees
One of our greatest assets in our neighborhood is our
beautiful landscaping. Our lawyer
commented at our last annual homeowners meeting that our landscaping deserves
our continued attention. Our
commitment to landscaping is reflected as our largest budget item. We have a priority to not only keep the
grass trimmed and trash picked up but also to trim our trees, replacing dead
trees as needed. Each year, we replace
about 4-5 trees that have died or have been severely damaged by storms.
Outside of our
common areas, most of the property in Montgomery West is owned and maintain by
you, as individual property owners.
Many of you share the same priority for your property as the Board
places on maintaining our common areas.
Keeping your property beautifully landscaped requires significant effort
in trimming and fertilizing the yard, trimming the trees, and replacing old or
dead trees and shrubs. Your efforts
will be richly rewarded in the value and the desirability our neighborhood has
to all of us who live here and to those who are looking for a new home. We offer a few links on the MWHOA website
giving advice on tree maintenance and encouraging you to consider the
importance of landscaping which can contribute 7-10% of your property value.
Fall Property Review
As cooler weather of fall
approaches, we ask homeowners to review their property and take any required
action:
1) Make sure your trash cans and blue recycling bins
cannot be seen from the front of your home.
2) Make sure all your fences and gates are split rail and
in good condition.
3) Make sure your satellite dishes are not visible from
the front of your home.
4) Sheds – Metals sheds are not allowed, wood and vinyl
sheds should be well maintained and painted the same color as your house
siding. Only one shed is allowed per
lot.
5) If you have removed a tree this year, please remove
the stump and plant a replacement tree.
6) Make sure there are no piles of trash, junk, or brush
on your property.
Your Board: President John
Patton Vice President Michele
Heffner Secretary Marybeth
Daucher Treasurer Thelena
Williams AERC Rep John
Patton
MWHOA Upcoming
Board Meeting Dates and Annual Meeting Oct. 9 and the
Annual Meeting Nov 13 (tentatively) All meetings
begin at 7:00 p. m. Email us at: info@montgomerywesthoa.org for
additional information. Homeowners
are always welcome to Board meetings