Evergreen
Community Association
Evergreen
Community Association
Newsletter
December 2002
Yes, we have a website, www.evergreeninwoodbury.org. Primarily a website for the residents of Evergreen. Check out the covenants, the bylaws, the Newsletters and submit your questions or remarks. Find out who your boardmembers are and read the latest news. The website is also for people who are thinking of moving into our neighborhood.
We thank Rob Peters, who set it up and did a very good job.
From the President I. Neighborhood Alert!!! Mailbox Tampering
There
have been several incidents of mailbox tampering in Evergreen over the last
couple of months. Incidents were reported on Kenilworth Court, Donegal, Belmont
and Shannon Drive. The Post Office has sent a postcard to Evergreen Residents
alerting them of these incidents. Recommendations from the Post Office include:
Outgoing mail containing checks, account
numbers, social security numbers, etc. should be mailed at the Post Office or
dropped in a P.O. Mailbox Retrieve your mail as quickly as possible after delivery
New check orders should be picked up at your bank instead of being delivered
to your home
II. Political Signs
Please make sure all political signs are removed from display in lawns and fence along Radio Drive
HAVE A SAFE & HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!!
Bill Fetter, President
The Evergreen community Association account balance as of 11/11 was $ 13,226.63. There are still some small expenses expected for the last quarter for maintenance on the front entrance and printing expense for the newsletter. We are right on forecast for the expenses expected for 2002 although our income less expenses is falling short by $3,756.
A third notice of past due fee payments has been sent out. The shortfall noted above, can quickly be made if the few people who have not had a chance to send in the 2002 fees, remit the payments soon. This will greatly help our financial situation.
Annual Fees
We know there are some questions and concerns about fees for the Evergreen Community Association. We will do our best to answer them and would welcome any calls or e-mails if there are additional questions. Fees are mandatory, and have been since a vote from the association in 1999. We make every effort to let realtors and new residents know so they are not surprised once they've purchased a home.
What are the fees of the Association and what are they used for?
The annual maintenance fee is $ 60. The fee is used for improvement and maintenance of the Evergreen entrances, adjoining areas and for any other association approved projects.
You've seen it in action from our very busy maintenance committee. The fee allows us to keep the flowers and trees looking great, the grass mowed, the mulch replaced and the trees trimmed with lights for the holidays. In general, keeping the integrity of Evergreen as we know it and appreciate it. When possible we do have our team of neighborhood gardeners help out to save on our expenses, but that is not possible for everything.
Additionally, the fee is used to enforce the Evergreen covenants and for insurance and management costs of the Association. While these are important, the majority of the budget, over 75%, is put aside for the upkeep of our common areas, as described above.
What happens if a lot owner does not pay the annual maintenance fee?
The Association makes every effort to collect fees from every landowner. If the Association fee is in the arrears at the time the lot changes ownership, the fee is collected during the real estate closing process.
As noted in the treasurer's report, we are falling a bit short this year. We do create forecasts based on our ECA members (homeowners) paying their fees. If that does not happen, we do run into expenses being more than income and we are unable to balance the budget. We are happy to work with homeowners on payment plan if this is helpful or answer any questions you may have.
From the Maintenance Committee
With winter approaching, the Maintenance Committee has completed one of its last tasks of the year, the installation of the holiday lights on the monument and center island trees at the Pinehurst entry. These will be lit during the Thanksgiving weekend, and with some redistribution and minor improvements to the electrical supply, we look forward to having all the trees lit continuously through the winter season and not be faced with the periodic outages experienced last year. We hope that the lights welcome you home and enhance your enjoyment of the holidays and winter season.
Next year we may install major upgrades to the Pinehurst entry electrical system to insure support for the holiday lights and other equipment such as the irrigation system controls and spot lights. We've received proposals for the work and equipment and will re-evaluate the project and expense early next year.
The companies we contract for regular upkeep of the Pinehurst entry and Radio Drive frontage have completed their services for the season. Horticultural Services has done their clean up and fall plantings so we will again see the results of their work early next spring as the tulips emerge for some early color.
This was their last year of a 3 year contract so we have asked for new proposal for consideration and to plan our budget for 2003.
Allied Property Maintenance served us well by keeping the Radio Drive frontage mowed through the end of September. Faced with a challenge to knock the tall grasses down due to a late start (not of their doing) and an excess of rain this summer, they were able to address the slopes and drainage areas on a regular basis to give the frontage a more manicured look. We will invite them to continue this service in 2003 and will see if the scope of their work can be expanded. The cost of these services will be evaluated as part of the 2003 budget.
The new spruce, white birch, ginnala maple, and sumac planted by Maywood Evergreen last spring seem to be in good condition with the exception of a few spruce. Maywood will replace these yet this fall or early next spring. We look forward to the plantings from the past two springs maturing into a natural buffer between the community and Radio Drive.
The Maintenance Committee will take a break for 2 or 3 months through the winter. Meetings will reconvene towards springtime and are again scheduled for 7:00 PM on the last Tuesday of each month at the Woodbury City Hall. We'd welcome some new volunteers to help us with the 2003 activities.
From the Architecture Review Committee
The charter of the Architecture Review Committee (ARC) is defined in the Evergreen Association (Association) Bylaws. The Bylaws state that the ARC "shall be responsible for interpreting and enforcing the Restrictive Covenants applicable to all Lots and, in the event of violations thereof, to work with such Lot Owners to correct such violations…"
The Protective Covenants (Covenants) state that the ARC shall "be composed of Lot Owners appointed by the Board of Directors of the Association and shall have the authority to interpret the covenants, approve or disapprove applications, or grant exceptions as the committee deems appropriate."
The ARC was constituted this past summer and consists of six members; two Association Board Members and four Lot Owners.
| Bill Moore | Board | 735-8931 | 1338 Belmont Drive | |
| Mary Beck | 702-7507 | 1302 Waterford Road | ||
| Rick Dirnberger | 578-9546 | 1164 Kenilworth Drive | ||
| Rob Peters | Board | 738-9669 | 1285 Belmont Drive | |
| Steve Zitnik | 578-7161 | 1384 Tamberwood Trail | ||
| Tom Hickel | 739-1466 | 7826 Pinehurst Road | ||
As stated above, the ARC's primary responsibility is to interpret and enforce the Covenants. From a practical point of view this really consists of two functions; handling complaints of Covenant violations and approving plans and specifications for all new construction or property improvement.
It is important to note that the ARC does not go around looking for Covenant violations. The ARC can only act based upon the request of a homeowner or the Association Board of Directors. Once the request is received, an ARC member will contact the issuing party for background information. The request will then be reviewed at the next ARC meeting to determine if there is a valid Covenant violation. If the ARC agrees with the request, the homeowner that is violating the covenants will be contacted for remedy.
Some items worth noting regarding Covenant violations are: 1. ARC cannot accept an anonymous request.2. The ARC will make every attempt to maintain the confidentiality of all requests.3. In 1999, Evergreen homeowners voted to consolidate 14 different Evergreen covenants into a single set. As a result, something that was allowed under one of the original 14 covenants may no longer allowed in the consolidated set.
The ARC will examine and approve all plans and specifications for new construction or property improvements. Property improvements will be evaluated based upon compliance with the Covenants and the appearance and aesthetic impact to the neighborhood. Ordinary property maintenance does not require the approval of the ARC, if that maintenance does not substantially alter the appearance of the property.
Examples of property improvements that need ARC approval are:
| Home additions* | Landscape (Retaining Wall)* |
| Antenna / Satellite | Painting / Repainting |
| Deck | Patio |
| Fence (Pool Enclosure)* | Swimming Pool* |
| Fence (Yard Enclosure)* | Different Exterior Siding* |
| Hot Tub | Gazebo |
| Kennel | Permanent Playhouse |
| Landscape (Structure) |
*Major improvements
For major improvements, the ARC requires a site plan showing the proposed location of the improvements, existing structures and property lines and a complete set of construction drawings and materials listings.
In addition to the major activities listed above, the ARC is working on the following:
1 A checklist form to be used for home improvements
2 Guidelines on fence style and construction
3 Siding options
Requests can be sent to:
ARC members listed above
Email address: arc@evergreeninwoodbury.org
Evergreen Community Association,
P.O. Box 25603, Woodbury, MN 55125,
Attn.Architecture Review Committee
Please welcome your new neighbors to Evergreen! The following families have moved into the neighborhood since the July newsletter and have received the Welcome packet and directory. If you know of a new resident who has not received this information, please call Elaine Arndt at 738-6724.
Jim and Mary Angela Brophy 8136 Somerset Road
Selwyn and Ellen Burts-Cooper 8284 Emerald Lane
Immaculate Anyanwu and Ike Iwu 1337 Kenilworth Drive
John and Dayna Farquhar 7833 Sommerset Road
Michelle Soldo 8163 Galway Circle
Patti and Noe Mateo 8134 Somerset Road
Bob and Angela Peterson 7931 Pinehurst Road
Jim and Tracy Jensen 1302 Kenilworth Drive
Jim and Fern Natwick 1332 Waterford Road
Mykal Scaleth and James Hoppenyan 8167 Galway Circle
Corrections with apologies:
Blake Kolb 1325 Tamberwood Trail
Gerald Sullivan 1204 Tamberwood Trail
This newsletter is the responsibility of the Evergreen Community Association and is produced by the Communications Committee. Please send your articles in to ECA, P.O.box 25603, Woodbury, attn Newsletter, if possible on a diskette in a Word, WordPerfect or other well-known wordprocessor. You can also add them as an attachment to an E-mail to communications@evergreeninwoodbury.org