Hunter Creek HOA Newsletter
The Annual Meeting of the Hunter Creek HOA will be held on Wednesday, October 17th from 7:30-9:00 PM at the Strinestown Community Center. The address is 5765 Susquehanna Trail – directly behind the United Brethren Church, across the street from the Strinestown Fire Station – (the same place you go to vote). We hope to see you there.
The HOA Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, Article V, Paragraph 5.9 regarding Vehicles and Boats reads as follows:
No unregistered, inoperative or uninspected vehicles and no buses, boats, recreational vehicles, trailers or commercial trucks shall be stored at any Unit unless it is stored inside of a garage with the door closed. No tractors, trailers, motor homes, commercial trucks are to be stored or parked in the development.
In the past, the board has chosen not to enforce this policy, as there were few violations, but it has been getting out of hand, as more and more of these items are showing up in the community, and this reduces property values. We will discuss this at the annual meeting.
We also wish to discuss fines for violations of our leash and pet clean-up policies. We know there are residents who are not cleaning up after their pets, and a few who even let them run loose in our community. We have tried asking for their cooperation, and now we feel we must resort to fines in order to have full compliance. We will need proof – in the form of a photo of the incident. Most people have cameras on their cell phones, so have them ready if you see any violations. You will need to make a written complaint to the matter and sign it as well. The fines we are considering are $25 for the first violation with an increase of $25 for each additional instance. (For example, a person’s 4th violation would cost $100.) Just a reminder that if you are having problems with pets coming into your yard or any other problems with someone’s pet please contact the Local Police. This is something that the board cannot do on behalf of a homeowner. The Police have told us that the persons with the complaint must contact them.
Reminder of fines already in place:
Leaving garbage cans sitting out beyond “trash day” $50.00 per occurrence.
Failing to get prior approval from the Board when putting up a fence or deck $100.00 per month and you will be required to take down the fence or deck.
Returned check fee $30.00 per each occurrence.
Property not properly maintained, specifically lawn mowing and trimming in accordance with the by-laws, will result in a $70.00 fine the first occurrence; each occurrence after that will be $100.00.
If you want to put up a deck or fence please contact Marcie Garbarino @ 266-2030.
She will assist you with the appropriate forms to be filled out for HOA Board approval before you can put up the fence or deck. Please remember to do this in a timely manner as the board has 30 days to reply – Plan accordingly.
Most of the homes and lawns in our community are well kept and present a nice neat appearance. We would like to see improvement in a few, again this affects property values. And, please be aware that you must also mow the strip between your sidewalk and the street and remove weeds curbside.
Please remind your children that Conewago Township has a noise ordinance that requires quiet from 10:00 PM until 7:00 AM. We have noticed groups of teens gathering and talking very loudly at night when people are trying to sleep. A notice of no trespassing has been placed in a homeowner’s yard due to children sitting and hanging out on electrical boxes. Additionally, please remind your children that they are not to violate private property, for example walking or riding their bikes through homeowners yards.
Our budget has been getting tighter due to increasing costs. Last year we were close to going over, as some people did not pay their annual dues. Unfortunately, we have had to take more legal action against homeowners who do not pay, including liens against their houses and sheriffs sales, but the courts are slow, and it takes a while to recoup costs. We will press on to ensure everyone pays what they owe. Your fees pay for the street lights, lawn service, snow removal and operating procedures; each mailing for example costs over $50.00 so we try to conserve as much as possible. Our budget is small and inexpensive compared with most HOAs. In order to conserve funds, we went with a less expensive lawn service this year recommended by one of our homeowners. There have been some problems, but we are trying to work them out, as we are saving money compared to the old contract.
We are also responsible for stormwater maintenance, and that will be quite expensive if a problem occurs. We are keeping a larger reserve balance to offset these costs, so we can avoid raising dues or imposing special assessments in the future. Finally, as a reminder your board saves you at least $200.00 a year by not having a management company and does the taxes gratis each year that in the past cost us $400.00, which means probably $500.00 now.
If you are considering selling your house, you will be required to provide a “Resale Packet” to your purchasers. As soon as you have a contract on your house, have your real estate agent contact Linda Baublitz at 885-0071 for this packet.
If you choose to rent your house, make sure your tenants get a copy of the HOA Bylaws and Covenants. Everyone was issued a copy of these at settlement. If you need another copy, you can purchase one from the HOA for $10. Call Linda Baublitz at 885-0071.
We would also like to remind you again to be a good neighbor by keeping your pets on a leash when walking through the neighborhood, and by cleaning up after them. The HOA is constantly receiving complaints from irate homeowners finding remnants on their properties. It is important to remind your children about this as well.
