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Apparently, some folks just don't really care about anything,
much less others in the neighborhood ... and that
lack of care is always at
the expense of those who do! |
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Take A Look At Your Landscaping, Bushes and Mulch ...
hopefully the bush trimmers will
have more experience this year. New mulch will not be put
down in 2009 ... you can rake up the old in most areas to give a
fresh appearance. ___________________________________________
A Home Owner continues to eject a liquid from his property into the
roadway on Muir Lane. Not
sure what it is, but it is obviously damaging the asphalt roadway.
It does cause concern
from other owners as a puddle of liquid (occasionally frozen) is difficult to walk on when
approaching the mailboxes without causing a hazard This is a
liability issue! Perhaps, it would have been a more wise
decision to eject the liquid to the rear of the property (unless
it is caustic).
__________________________________________
There are concerns about
water running into and damaging the roadways
from the lawns of several homes. This long time problem could easily be
resolved by the installation of inexpensive French Drains ... of
course it should be the offending owner's cost as they aid to
have the sprinkler systems installed. Road repairs have
now been required twice since 2004.
__________________________________________
Speed Bumps are fun! You
can drive around them through a lawn unless someone puts large
rocks around the ends. You get a minor bumpety-bump if you
speed across at an angle. The noise of hitting a speed
bump vibrates into the nearby homes at all hours of the day or
night. Water flow damages the asphalt roadway and creates
deep chuckholes. The snow plow guy tears up his plow.
All this is caused by stupid, inconsiderate people (mostly
our own homeowners) who drive through the roadways with vehicles parked
improperly at the side of the roadways with speeds over 25 mph.
Such a shame, but I guess that's just a fact of life.
__________________________________________
Blowing Trash is
always a problem in our community.
Folks apparently just don't understand that newspapers,
magazines, pizza boxes, whatever must be INSIDE trash bags
before being placed INSIDE trash containers. Or, maybe,
they just don't really care... and the trash blows everywhere!__________________________________________
Exterior Lighting is a serious Security Issue.
You are responsible for the exterior light bulbs at your
property.
This outside lighting at your
garage and your walk way or porch is very important for the
safety and security of your home as well as for the
neighborhood. If you are not concerned, this issue could
easily become a necessarily forced issue from the Home Owner
Association and your Board of Directors resulting in a charge to
you for replacement of those light bulbs. How much would
you be willing to pay to have the bulbs replaced on a, perhaps,
once monthly basis? $5.00, $10.00 per bulb? Or, perhaps
you could
do it yourself
... or have a neighbor assist
you.
Notifications have been placed on Garage Doors in the past to assist you in
determining that your exterior lighting is not functioning and
requires repair or bulb replacement. Apparently some folks
can't read! ... or just don't care! |
| Trash cans are
not to be out until after DUSK the night before collection and
are to be taken INSIDE by 6:00PM the day of collection.
Outside storage of Trash Cans is prohibited. Obviously, some folks can't tell time or just don't care. Perhaps someone
could arrange to have the offending trash cans removed to the
club house parking lot. The owners could then pick them up
at that location for a small fee rather than at the end of their driveway.
A Note: If you have trash for pickup that does not fit into the
approved container, you should contact Republic for a special
pickup ... whether you do or not, you will ... they usually won't pick
it up without the call. |
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__________________________________________ Parking
in the Roadways is becoming less of a problem over time
except North of the Clubhouse on Muir Lane and on the
turnarounds.
It is a fact that the roadways were designed
for driving and not
for parking. There are no curbs and the roadways were not
designed to be wide enough to become parking lots.
Vehicles parked in the roadways should have their Emergency
Lights on at all times. Some
people apparently don't have enough sense to know where the
roadway ends and the lawns begin, thus damaging the lawns with
tire ruts. Visitors and contractors cause many of these
problems. I was personally informed by one owner that 'as
he paid the monthly fee he could therefore park in and damage
'his' lawn if he wished!' (The home owners expect the Association to repair the
damage for free ... the Association is US!) |
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__________________________________________
Two Car Garage plus a Drive Way equals 4 vehicles.
Muir Woods was designed to provide 4 parking spaces per owner
PERIOD! Guess where your Guests should park? In the driveway and
not on the roadway!
There is additional parking at the Club House or, perhaps, even
in a neighbors driveway if you ask. And, what happens if
you have 5 vehicles? Park the extra vehicle in the Club
House parking lot (temporarily) until you can arrange for
off-premise vehicle storage. Vehicles stored temporarily
at the Club House should be parked toward the rear as a
courtesy to the people desiring
to use the Clubhouse, the Pool and the Exercise Room. There is no parking
on the turnarounds on Muir Lane, Wadsworth, Huxley or Winslow.
__________________________________________
Commercial Vehicles are
never permitted for overnight
parking in Muir Woods. The Association should have them
towed away promptly at the owner's cost. By the way,
putting lipstick on a pig results in a pig with lipstick.
Covering up the name of a commercial vehicle with a blank
magnetic sign is pretty much the same thing. |
| Pet
Urination and Bushes don't go together. Why would
anyone allow a pet to urinate on a bush and then call the Home
Owner Association to have the dead bush replaced? Why do
some folks allow their pets to urinate on other folks bushes?
Drive through the neighborhood and look at the damage ... this
is your money! |
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__________________________________________ Dog Waste
is the problem of the dog owner. It must be removed by
the dog owner (the dog doesn't have any hands). If it is
not removed properly and promptly, perhaps the Association
should hire someone to place the dog waste neatly outside the
homeowner's front door or at least invoice them for the job.
There is at least one lawn in the neighborhood that is nearly ruined by
an owner who refuses to pick up her dog's waste. Mr. Biscuits
at 381-9395 picks up dog waste for a fee. The
Association should contract with him to remove offending dog
waste for a fee and then charge the dog owner a premium fee. The
problem would soon be solved. It is probably a better
solution that having fresh dog waste dropped on your porch or
patio in the middle of the night.
__________________________________________
Over
Zealous Lawn Sprinkler Systems are causing considerable damage
to the roadways in Muir Woods. The property owners who
have these systems installed should have also had French drains
installed to dissipate the excess water that is damaging the
roadways. At least, they could have the sprinkler heads
diverted to control the amount of water flowing onto the
streets ... or, they should be assessed annually to repair the ongoing
damage. No lawn in Indiana requires daily watering unless
it is a golf course green. Daily watering promotes short
roots and lawns that cannot handle drought even with daily
watering. Once or twice weekly watering promotes long
roots and a better lawn ... and saves the association a lot of
money for the community water. The Indianapolis Water
Company states that daily watering should never be done. People who water daily and
damage the roadways are just plain inconsiderate.
__________________________________________ |
| Christmas Lights
should never be turned on until after Thanksgiving and should be
removed completely by January 5th. Nailing or screwing into or
altering the exterior of your condo without advance written permission
is a violation of the Rules and Regulations of Muir Woods.
You will be assessed the expense for the repairs as may be
necessary. |
__________________________________________
How can someone drive over a street light in a 15 miles per
hour zone? It appears to the writer that the particular street light was
a target (perfectly centered between the front tires of the
vehicle). It also appears that the offending vehicle got stuck in
the mud when trying to back up and flee the scene. The Fishers Police were called,
the offender located and an insurance company has reimbursed the Home
Owner Association for the damages. The new street light was
installed and now has a large rock protecting its' base.
All lights should have one or two large rocks placed on
either side of the pole toward the roadway. |
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| Regarding the
School Zone issue, isn't it interesting that the School
Zone Ends sign for east bound 106th Street is hidden behind a
large, very dangerous sprouting tree stump for much of the
drive. Keep in mind that the School Zone is in effect
every day Monday through Friday year round without regard to
holidays or school days. Have you noticed that the cop
seeking to give out tickets parks his vehicle in our PRIVATE
driveway ... I am not at all sure that this is at all legal. Something else
about School Zones - who do they protect? The kids, the
so-called soccer moms, or are they just places that cops can
give tickets! School Zones run from 20 mph to 40 mph,
control different time frames, control different days of the week,
and have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the children the
laws were designed to protect. Why would a school that
sets 500-1,000 feet from the roadway with a fence around it need a school zone?
Especially when the kids play at the back of the school!
Obviously, there are many useless laws out there designed
without thinking about the costs of gasoline or the costs to the
violators of rather outlandish placement of School Zone signs.
Have you ever driven through a School Zone where you could not
even see the supposed school ... is it really there? Is a School
Zone with a start sign but no end sign actually legal?
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Tips and Information for you ...
Most Baldwin Owners have problems with the owners living overhead in
the Chateau models.
Hills representatives LIED when they stated verbally that only an occasional loud thud might be heard from
upstairs neighbors if something was dropped or perhaps a heavy object
was moved ... or perhaps someone keeled over dead. Apparently, that was not ever the case and Hill's knew very well that it
was not ever not the case ... they just plain lied and have
apparently gotten away with it! The standard Hills purchase
contract stated that nothing verbal would ever be considered for any
reason whatsoever. This is, in effect, a fraudulent cover-up
... and yes, they did get away with it! It
has been reported that some of the folks living in the Baldwin
homes
can and do hear loud
music especially with a heavy bass, loud
conversations as well as noise from vacuum cleaners (please don't sweep
carpeting at midnight), dishwashers,
out-of-balance washing machines and out-of-balance dryers (again a problem at midnight),
water softener re-cycling in the middle of the night, furnace blowers, stereo
systems with earth shaking bass speakers, radios and TV’s, hard soled and high heel shoes, closing
of front doors and sliding doors, closing of drawers, voices and even bedroom activities, barking
dogs and their toe nails on the floor, the neighbor’s garage door opening and closing, outside water
spigots turning on and off, and believe it or
not the blowing
of one’s nose as well as the tinkle, tinkle of using the bathroom.
Owners have the legal right to
be free of unreasonable levels of noise. You do have to put up with some
reasonable amount of normal living noise. Most owners of
condominiums know this fact ... and it is really no big deal; however,
expensive LEGAL ACTION is always a possibility. The owners and tenants
of the Chateau units must take care to minimize interference
with their neighbors below. Water flowing from a Chateau into a
Baldwin from refrigerator, water heater or washer leaks can and will result in
legal action against the Chateau owner. Complaints to offending owners or
tenants and owners must first be put in writing to those owners. You
should also contact
the Fishers Police to get their assistance. In most cases, your
written complaints plus intervention by the Fishers Police will solve
the problem. If you are forced to move due to excessive noise, you may
be entitled to receive compensation from the offender in Small Claims
Court or even Superior Court. Privacy is just not what
you may think it is. The writer presented a low cost workable solution to the
problem to Hills ... it was ignored completely. There still is a
solution, the spraying of sound deadening foam into the 18" space
between floors, but it would be rather costly to implement at this time.
Hills knew of this solution, but refused to spend the few bucks it would
have cost to resolve the problem.
For the record, if you live in a Baldwin and you have water from
above in your entry ceiling, the upstairs neighbor's refrigerator is
leaking. If you have water from above in your Master Closet, your
upstairs neighbor's shower is leaking. Your upstairs neighbor is
responsible for the repair of the problem and the repair to the damage
done to your property. Your insurance probably does not cover the
damage. You have a legal right to access that
owner's insurance and, as a last resort, file suit for compliance.
______________________________________
There are 172 homes in Muir Woods. From a financial
standpoint, this means that it costs you, personally, $1.00 each time
the Association is required to spend $172.00 for anything whatsoever.
That is what your monthly Association Fee is for. Excessive
expenditures can and will result in Special Assessments. A Special
Assessment could be necessary to pay for un-budgeted snow removal or
perhaps the cost of the insurance deductible for roof replacement caused
by a serious hail storm or even repairs to lawns caused by folks who
leave vehicle tire ruts in those lawns.
_______________________________________
Pursuant to the reported problems with failing Water Heaters
and the potential damage that will be your responsibility,
you should consider having your Water Heater replaced by someone
other than the company who did the work in the first place (did they
damage the unit by rough installation?). By
the way, second floor water heaters and washing machines should have had a
metal drain pan
installed under them to keep water from flowing to the first floor units
(potential poor quality and possible code violation for failures of this
necessary installation!). The writer recommends Hamm & Sons for honest and reasonable work.
While you are thinking about plumbing, it would be a good idea to check
under your kitchen sink and bathroom sinks to insure that the various
fittings are tight ... prevent leaks when you can and before an
expensive service call is required. Another thought ... your
kitchen sprayer assembly was probably installed without the required
leak-proof gasket ... the result is water under your kitchen sink and a
rotting cabinet base. And yet another thought, if the idiot
plumber hand tightened the collar on your garbage disposer, you may have
a water leak into the cabinet base ... make sure that it is tight.
One or two taps from a small hammer should resolve that problem before
it becomes a problem.
If you live in a condo with another unit above, talk with your
insurance people about coverage for water leaks ... this can be a
disaster ... you need either insurance coverage or a good attorney and a
lot of time!
_______________________________________
Please do not ever use salt on your driveway or sidewalks. Salt
and other such chemicals will damage concrete and create unnecessary
expenses for everyone. A little bit of sand or even cat litter
will do the job rather efficiently. A suggestion, if your garage door
bottom weather seal sticks to the concrete, clean and wipe it dry with a
cloth and then spray something like WD-40 on it ... problem solved.
_______________________________________
Vandals in the neighborhood HAVE COST YOU MONEY! I use
the term, vandals, loosely as these folks are little more than
relatively ignorant people who are attempting to show others just how stupid and
idiotic they really can be. Driving though lawns, tearing down
speed limit signs, and breaking Stop Signs with concrete blocks is nothing more than some poor
soul trying to get some small satisfaction out of their sad and
apparently useless lives and be recognized
(yet they hide under cover of darkness). Such a shame! If more
of the exterior lighting had working light bulbs, it would be easier to see
these folks and call the Fishers Police. I personally offer a $100.00 cash reward to
anyone who provides information about these people that results in a
conviction for their actions.
_______________________________________
In the Summer months, you should not allow the lawn care people to blow
grass and debris into and around your outside A/C unit. Clogging the unit
will cause premature failure ... repair or replacement will be at your
expense. The writer thinks that 30 mile per hour speed limit signs
should be posted on the lawns for the mower drivers. Perhaps they
should
be required to have IRL licenses to drive their equipment?
_______________________________________
Your Patio or Deck Enclosure is not covered by the Muir Woods
Home Owner Association insurance policy. You must secure an
addendum to your Personal insurance policy for coverage. Please note
that these additions, including awning additions, must be approved in
writing by the
Home Owner Association. Deck Enclosure approvals will require a
structural report.
_______________________________________
Don't you just love all of the Tall 'Rat Nest' Grass landscaping toppling
over and blowing throughout the neighborhood every Fall and Winter and
Spring. This
debris should
be removed in the Fall. It always costs more to collect up and
destroy (and it is not nice to kill rat babies). Evergreen bushes do not require that kind of maintenance.
_______________________________________
If you see someone pushing the large landscaping rocks around
with their vehicles,
please record the license plate number and type of vehicle and then
report the person to the Board of Directors or just call the Fishers
Police.
_______________________________________
Having trouble finding 16x25x3 Furnace Filters. Check out
www.simplyfilters.com.
They charge $20.08 to ship one, $42.34 to ship 3, and $72.55 to ship a
case of 6 to your home. They have just about every filter size you
could want.
OMNI Management.
Refer items requiring attention to your Board of Directors through
Jessica McCoy at Omni Management at 541-0000 as
needed to resolve your problems. The emergency after hours number
is 1-800-215-0023. If you do not receive a prompt reply, please
contact a Member of the Board of Directors IMMEDIATELY!
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