Northgrove

Northgrove News Sept. 2004

Oct 26, 2004

PLUMBING REPAIRS

With just four repairs to go, the Board is happy to announce that the PB piping repair project will be completed on time in the estimated 2 year 9 month time period. October will mark the final assessment collected for this project. The Board would like to thank every Northgrove homeowner for their patience during this undertaking. Work to repair the final four will begin in the coming weeks.

ASSESSMENTS

As the PB pipe replacement project comes to a close, the monthly HOA assessment will decrease from $130/month to $100/month beginning November 1st.

WATER METERS

Individual water meters and cut-off valves have been installed at each unit in Northgrove. The Board of Directors walked through the property shortly after the meters were installed to check for leaks, etc. Only a handful of minor problems were found and have been repaired or will be repaired very soon. Water Submetering Systems will be mailing out our first ?“sample?” bill for the 8/25 ?– 9/25 period sometime during the first week of October. This will allow residents to see how much water their household is consuming and make adjustments to their water usage where needed. The second ?“sample?” bill for the 9/25 ?– 10/25 period will be sent out the first week of November. Water usage will be monitored and a revised assessment could begin effective January 1st.

MOSQUITO FOGGING

The Board has received a few complaints of mosquitoes on the property. West Nile Virus is a serious condition, the spread of which can be slowed greatly by removing conditions that are favorable for mosquito breeding. PLEASE do not allow any standing water in your backyards, whether in birdbaths, fountains, puddles on your lawn, or in the drainage trays for potted plants.

The City of Mesa is hosting a West Nile Health Information Meeting to discuss and answer questions on how to protect yourself from contracting this virus at the following times/locations:

Tuesday 9/21 from 1:30pm ?– 2:30pm, Mesa Senior Center, 247 N. Macdonald Street
Wednesday 9/22 from 2:00pm ?– 3:00pm, Red Mountain Branch Library, 935 N. Power Road

Maricopa County fogged our neighborhood for mosquitoes the evening of Sunday, Sept. 12 and will likely fog again in the coming weeks. The Board will try to put up a notice with as much warning as possible; residents who sleep with their windows open will want to keep them closed so the pesticide doesn?’t waft into the house. Keeping pets inside overnight on fogging nights is also a good idea.

HOUSE PAINT COMPLIANCE

The deadline for all houses to be painted Sherwin Williams Creamy White with one of the approved trim colors is March 2005. This is just six months from now. Many homes have been repainted in the past year and greatly enhance the appearance of Northgrove! If you would like color chips for the approved trim colors, please email your request to NorthgroveHOA@yahoo.com.

COMMUNITY YARD SALE

It?’s time, once again, to clean out those closets and the garage! Northgrove will be holding a community-wide yard sale on Saturday, November 13th. The holidays are just around the corner and getting rid of unused items not only creates more space but also creates a little more $$$ for your gift-budget!




ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE UPDATE

REQUEST: Any homeowner who has received a written variance request approval in the past from the Architectural Committee, please make a photo copy of it and submit it to any Architectural Committee or Board member. It is possible that paperwork has been misplaced over the years and the current members do not want to cite any house for an item that has been previously approved.

Remember to paint flagpole holders to match the body of the house. Seven flagpoles that need to be painted were counted during the last architectural committee walkthrough.

Residents who still have house numbers over the front window need to remove them. Numbers should be shown only over the garage now.

Light fixtures on the first and second stories of the 2-storey houses need to match in style and color. A number of non-matching pairs were noted on the east and south sides of Northgrove. They will need to be replaced.

Those houses which have awnings: they?’re looking dusty. Remember to hose those off regularly, especially during the monsoon season.

There are a number of house roves that are collecting debris from the trees around them, particularly pine needles and dried catsclaw vines. This is a serious fire hazard. One spark from anywhere could ignite that dried material and set fire to your house and your neighbor?’s. Please clean it off.

POOL COMMITTEE UPDATE

Recently, new regulations have been passed regarding pool fencing. Northgrove is NOT in compliance and has been cited by the City Pool Inspector. The current fence must be modified or replaced with a fence that meets the city code by January 1, 2005 or we will face fines and the pool will be closed. This is not an inexpensive project. The Board is currently collecting bids. They are averaging upwards of $3500.

The lights surrounding the pool area are also sorely in need of repair. They have been non-functioning for months. If any resident knows of a licensed electrician that does not charge exorbitant prices, please let a Board member know asap or email NorthgroveHOA@yahoo.com so that we can obtain a bid.

BUDGET

Have you ever wondered why many items that seem to be ?“necessities?” such as saving for an adequate reserve fund, regular lawn and tree fertilizing, tree trimming, and upkeep of the front wall are not done regularly at Northgrove?

The answer is simple: there has not been a general increase in assessments at Northgrove for many years; therefore, these ?“necessities?” have been pushed to the back burner because there is no money in the budget for them. Costs to maintain Northgrove have risen over the years, yet we have not collected any additional monies to cover the added expense. All additional assessments have gone towards large projects. This has caused, to some extent, our community to look rundown. It will only worsen in the coming years unless we as a community are proactive and do something about it.

Many of us don?’t think about our little community in this way, but WE ARE ALL PART-OWNERS OF A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT! It is vital to keep up the appearance and property values of Northgrove.

The Board is currently working on updating the annual budget to include many important items that in the past have not been a part of regular operations at Northgrove. Homeowners will receive a report and a strategy for the financial future of Northgrove before the next annual meeting in the spring.

THE LEADERSHIP CENTRE CLASS SCHEDULE

If you are not familiar with The Leadership Centre, it is an organization that teaches classes with HOA-related topics, such as ?“HOA 101?”, ?“Landscape Maintenance & Water Conservation?”, ?“Conflict Resolution?”, ?“Communication Techniques?”, and ?“Budgets, Financial Reports & Reserve Studies?” just to name a few. A handful of Northgrove residents have attended one or more of these classes and found them to be very beneficial. For the class schedule and more information, call 480-732-7174 or visit their website: www.theleadershipcentre.org (note the spelling of ?“centre?”).