Bentwood Farms - Mallard Pond Homeowners Association

The June 2000 Newsletter

Nov 18, 2000

(Until we can get the time to format this to look like our newsletter, it will be in text form. The content is the same as the newsletter, but this issue does not have the ACC guidelines, which will be posted permanently elsewhere.)

Notes from the President
By Jim McGrath

You may not realize it, but there is a lot going on in our neighborhood! Besides the constant change of residents, and trying to keep the homeowner list up to date, we are attempting to make improvements to our neighborhood. It doesn't help when an entryway gets knocked down (the Harmon Road entrance), but it will be fixed during the summer.
We now have a web page for the Association, and an e-mail address. Please go to "www.neighborhoodlink .com/pickerington/bfmpassoc" and don't forget to "bookmark" the page. There are lots of helpful links on the site, including local phone numbers for officials, police, etc. as well as weather radar and other tidbits of information. As we get time, we will begin loading our Homeowners' Regulations, deed restrictions, ACC information, and other helpful data such as the pond update, monthly meeting times, and even our newsletter. If you have suggestions, or other comments that need to be addressed, you can e-mail me from that site. Another nice feature is that you can post your own calendar of events. Not only can we put subdivision info on the site, but if you are having your own garage sale, or selling a car/ boat, etc., you can post that as well.
We as trustees are here to help make this Association one of the best. We want your suggestions and feedback, which includes coming to our monthly meetings, normally scheduled to occur on the first Monday of each month at the Violet Township offices.
Don't forget to RSVP for our first "Homeowner's Picnic", to be held on
Saturday, June 17. The deadline for registration has been extended, see articles elsewhere in the newsletter.


Homeowner's survey results
By Nick Lacy

Question #1 How do you feel about speed bumps?
58 For, 157 Against, 11 No Opinion

How do you feel about Stop Signs?
168 For, 53 Against, % No Opinion

Question #2 What are your feelings about streetlights at busy intersections?
120 For, 86 Against, 20 No opinion
*On this question many of the residents wrote comments that it was not clear whether the question meant Traffic Lights or street lamps. (We meant decorative street lighting.)

Question #3 Would you like to see picnic tables placed (and secured) in the pond or other appropriate common areas within the neighborhood?
109 For, 93 Against, 24 No response
*On this question many of the residents were very concerned that a picnic table would encourage congregating by teens from inside and outside of the neighborhood and that it would not be used for the purpose intended.
Please use our website for any feedback, comments or suggestions on the results.

Communications Committee

Trustee Sharon Lach has been trying diligently to pull our community together. She has formed a Communication Committee to help improve the lines of communication between the board of trustees and the homeowners. Please thank the following people for volunteering to walk or ride the various newsletters, flyers, and phone directories to your door or mailbox. Carla Searfoss, Jim & Jennifer Hellmich, Billy Kelly, Lori Goddard and Kim Wright. We have a small group of ladies on the Social Committee. More volunteers are needed for both groups. Please thank the following ladies eager to help, Director- Andrea Turner, Co-director Sharon Lach, Brenda Blais, Denise Denunzio, and Lynn Foltz. Our technical advisor is Tammy Shvach. Anyone interested in either group, please call Sharon 861-0325. Sharon is also our grounds trustee. She is responsible for ensuring the grass is cut and the flowerbeds maintained. Recently there have been some concerns over the dandelions in the common areas. Every effort is being made to kill them. The weather must be favorable for the weed killer to work. If you notice any vacant houses where the grass is not being cut, please call her or another trustee. If you have any questions or concerns, please call. Her ongoing projects include updating the community map and phone directory.
Many thanks to all those who helped with the Easter Egg Hunt. It was a very successful challenge. Our community picnic is June 17th. The children's Halloween party will be October 28th at the American Legion hall. If you would like to help on a one-time basis, volunteers are needed to decorate the hall. There has been substantial growth in the community since the last social committee 4 years ago. More helpers are needed to make these activities happen.

Welcome Wagon
Sharon is still trying to locate our 5-foot wooden birth announcement sign; "It's a Boy". Call if you've seen it. If you have any new neighbors, contact Sharon so they can receive our Welcome folder.

Social Director
Andrea Turner

Thank you to everyone who attended our 1st annual Easter Egg Hunt. It was a huge success. It would not have been possible if it wasn't for the following social committee members: Sharon Lach, Brenda Blaies, Denise Denunzio, Lynn Foltz, Jackie Hogan. The committee would like to give a big thank you to Jeff Kerbler for being the Easter Bunny and Joe Hutterly for lending the costume for us to use. I would also like to thank the following businesses and people for their donations: Big Bear, Kroger, Rite Aid, ABJ Toys and Hobbies, The Discovery Store, Zambutos, Domino's Pizza, Taranto's Pizza Barn, Pizza Hut, Grapevine Pizza, Claprood's Florist, Tammy Shvach, John Lach, Craig Turner, Curt Anderson, Kim Martin, Tammy Dierksheide and Mr. And Mrs. Kasey.

Our next event is the community picnic on June 17th. If anyone is interested in joining the committee or helping us on a one-time basis, please call me at 577-9311.
Remember to turn in RSVPs for the Block Party. The date has been extended to June 12.

From The Architectural Control Committee

Jim Miller 575-2237(H) 868-5554(W)
Joan Huey 860-1161
Craig Turner 577-9311

If you're planning any changes to your home's exterior, please remember to call a committee member listed above. As outlined in the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of Ownership for our neighborhood, most exterior changes require approval of the Architectural Control Committee; such as a deck, fence, swimming pool, play set, or major landscaping. If you would like to review details in your copy of the document, refer to Article I: "Architectural Control".

Please provide a drawing of your lot showing easements (a photocopy of your plot plan works nicely), position of your house, and a detailed description of the changes. The committee will meet to review your plans, and respond as promptly as possible - usually within a few days. Thank you for cooperating.

Know Your Neighborhood

Your most important document about our neighborhood is the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of Ownership. As the name implies, this legal document outlines the general rules and restrictions of our neighborhood. It applies to every lot in both Bentwood Farms and Mallard Pond. Often called simply "the deed restrictions", it was written for the original developers before any homes were built. All home buyers receive a copy (along with lots of other papers) during the closing phase of their home purchase.

Many homeowner activities are covered in the document, so every homeowner should review it regularly. If you rent your home here, or if your copy is lost, please contact any Homeowners Association Trustee and we will provide another copy.

What's in Your Driveway?

The Homeowners Association has received several complaints about vehicles being stored in driveways. The subjects of complaint are usually boats, trailers, trucks, or inoperable cars. If we cooperate, and abide by the rules we accepted when we bought our homes, we can keep our neighborhood attractive.

According to our Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of Ownership; Article II, Sections 7 and 8:
"Any truck, motorcycle, boat, bus, tent, house, car, camper, trailer, or other similar housing or recreational device, if stored on any said lot, shall be housed within a garage building".

"No portion of any residential lot, except the interior of the residential dwelling located thereon and appurtenant garage, shall be used for the storage of automobiles, trailers, motorcycles or other vehicles whether operative or not?…"

Translation: Don't store any vehicles in your driveway. We understand that circumstances sometimes create problems. For example, if you bring your boat home on a Thursday to prepare for a weekend outing, and then take it back to storage by Tuesday, that's OK. But if it's going to be unused for more than a few days, please remove it. Please be reasonable about it and considerate to neighbors.

Lost Phone- a V-tech 900mHz cordless handset was found on Mallard Pond Drive! Call Jim McGrath at 575-1854 to claim it. UPDATE- WE LOCATED THE OWNER after publication of the newsletter

Advertise in the Newsletter

To help defray the costs of distributing our newsletter, we will be accepting ads for limited space in future newsletters. Rates are for a three newsletter period and include a free posting on our web-page too! Rates are as follows:
?½ page- $50
?¼ page- $30
business card size $20
Residents (not businesses) who want to advertise services on the web page will be free (babysitting, lawn mowing, etc.)
Call Jim McGrath for ad space, 575-1854.

Pond Update

We are attempting to "shore up" the pond wall along the creek at the back side of the pond. It will be a major expenditure for our Association and is anticipated to be complete sometime this year. We are currently working with a surveyor and will be generating the engineering documents to provide the fix to the problem of erosion. Once the pond is fixed, we will be adding a layer of crushed stone to the path to make it easier to enjoy the pond. Please help us to keep the pond clean and neat by using the provided trash receptacle.

Speeders- Do you see the "SLOW" signs? We do, and so does the Sheriff!