3 1
3
December 2016, Issue 8
From the President
Rick Sturm
1
Where did the year go? My thanks to all of the HOA Board members for all of the work they accomplished during 2016!
I’m very grateful to Ed Aluck, Tiffany VanCleef and Alison Stoll for their hard work and contributions to our community during their time on the Board. Also, I thank Mary-Alice Lynch for her contributions. Lastly, I thank all of the owner volunteers who help at the HOA meetings and for diligently working on their selected committees!
I’m pleased to announce your 2017 Board of Directors and their offices:
Rick Sturm, President – term
expires 12/31/2017 –
rsturm@nycap.rr.com
Janet Amedio, Vice President
Compliance – term expires
12/31/2018 –
jcafarelli1@nycap.rr.com
Matt Posniewski, Vice President
Architectural Review – term expires
12/31/2017 –
pos92@nycap.rr.com
Charlie Ducar, Treasurer – term
expires 12/31/18 –
cducar@nycap.rr.com
Sandeep Gupta, Board Secretary –
term expires 12/31/2018 –
sgen@yahoo.com
The Board and I are grateful to each homeowner for taking time to maintain their mailboxes, properly mow their lawns and maintain their landscaping beds. A few owners ave been asked by the Board to improve their home sites. The Board is grateful for their cooperation to bring their homes into compliance with the Declaration.
As we morph into the winter season, the Board and I would like to remind you:
• • Holiday decorations are allowed but for a limited time. They should be removed at the conclusion of the
holiday season, weather permitting
• • Please remove snow from fire hydrants located near your homes
Please avoid parking on roadways during snow emergencies so that
ber is visible at all times to first
responders
• Please pay your annual $350 HOA assessment by March 1, 2017 to avoid the 10% late fee. Payments should be payable to Southwick Meadows HOA and mailed to PO Box 5143, Clifton Park, NY 12065. These payments can be made now if you wish.
During the year your Board oversaw many improvements to our community. The Chatsworth common area landscaping beds have been improved and landscaping has been added to the Chatsworth Cul-de- sac.
Your Board is interested in receiving suggestions for future work. One such idea is the removal of poplar trees near the drainage
ponds and removal of debris from these ponds. The Board will explore this and other suggestions received from our owners.
On behalf of myself and the Board, we hope each of you and your families are healthy and that you enjoy the holiday season!
The Board and I wish you and yours all of the health and happiness associated with this time of year!
You will find a copy of the final HOA budget for 2017 on page 5. As you will note, the Board has been able to maintain the annual assessment for 2017 of $350.00 per parcel. Individual assessments will be sent to each homeowner in January
2017. Payment is due any time before March 1, 2017 to avoid the 10% late fee of $35.00.
Please be sure to add Charlie Ducar’s email (cducar@nycap.rr.com), your new HOA Treasurer, to your email list as the majority of the invoices will be sent electronically via your waiver submittal. For those that have not accepted the email option or for whom we do not have a current email address, a hardcopy will be mailed. However, please consider the electronic option to save your HOA funds by contacting Charlie or Rick Sturm (rsturm@nycap.rr.com) to request a waiver document.
Please contact me, Charlie or Rick if you have any questions regarding the budget and Happy Holidays!
Tiffany VanCleef
Southwick Meadows HOA Newsletter • Southwick Meadows HOA Newsletter is published quarterly in
January, April, July, and October. Your newsletter editor is Jo Anne Robbins. All articles and photographs should
be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to the month of publication.
• We prefer Microsoft Word format. The deadline for submissions for the next issue is March 15th. Articles should initially be submitted o Sandeep Gupta, Board Secretary – sgen@yahoo.com
HOA WEBSITE
Our thanks to Hiren Pathak who has been working on our HOA website, http://southwickmeadows.org, and it is available for your convenience. To date, we have created the initial site, and have added sections on our Board members, membership meetings, Architectural Review forms, and newsletters. I’m sure other areas will be developed in the near future. Access to the website can be gained quite easily through user names and passwords. Your user name is based on your address; for example, mine is SM64CH. This stands for Southwick Meadows, my street number, 64, and CH for my street, Chatsworth Way. The user name cannot be changed.
Your initial password is the same as your username plus the last 4 numbers of your telephone that the HOA has on file for you.
Upon logging on, you will be taken to your profile page where you can Enter personal information if you like and change your password. For privacy, you should change your password after the first time you log in to the web site. If you have any difficulty logging into the website, you may contact Hiren directly at hirenpathak@gmail.com. The Board and I appreciate Hiren for his work.
Rick Sturm
of the Clifton Park- Halfmoon Library Announce the Winning Book of the year Vicki Pompa
Announcing…
The Voters’ Choice 2017
NOON AT TIFFANY’S
Historical Biographical Novel
by Echo Heron
Basing her story on a recently discovered cache of letters written between 1888 and 1944, New York Times bestselling author
Echo Heron artfully blends fact with fiction to draw the reader into the remarkable life of one of America’s most prolific and
extraordinary women artists: Clara Wolcott Driscoll, the hidden genius behind the iconic Tiffany lamps. “It is heartbreaking that Clara did not get any of the recognition she so richly deserved during her lifetime. This book ‘rights’ that wrong in compelling fashion. It’s a remarkable story and a terrific read.” – lizard (Amazon customer review)
Community Activities begin in January 2017.
To read more about the Friends of the Library activities, please
visit: http://www.friendsofcphlibrary.org/
Sonny and Perly: The Great American Songbook
Sunday, January 22, 2017
2:00 PM- 3:15 PM in Program Rooms A-D
Registration on the Library Website Calendar
Much of the music written between the 1950s and 1970s is etched into our hearts and minds in a nostalgic way. Baby boomers and their parents remember the theme songs from many Hollywood films and Broadway musicals that became standards, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s ~ Moon River, The Sandpiper ~ The Shadow of Your Smile, The Sound of Music ~ My Favorite Things, A Little Night Music ~ Send In The Clowns. Also included are significant songs of the era considered as standards.
Happy New Year!
Our TTOB Community
Friday Morning Free-For-All
1/27/2017, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Program Rooms A & B
No registration required
Researchers Mary Liz and Paul Stewart of the Underground Railroad Project will explore the people and places involved the Underground Railroad right here in the Capital Region. Tiffany Treasures, a delightful presentation by Michael Barrett, Executive Director of the Burden Iron Works Museum, kicks off Two Towns-One Book’s sixth community read celebrating this year’s winning book. Noon at Tiffany’s by Echo Heron is an historical biographical novel based on a recently discovered cache of letters written between 1888 and 1944, artfully blending fact with fiction to draw the reader into the remarkable life of one of America’s most prolific and extraordinary women artists: Clara Wolcott Driscoll, the hidden genius behind the iconic Tiffany lamps. Michael Barrett will share the rich history of the famous Tiffany Company. Learn about local Tiffany treasures including the glorious windows of St. Paul’s and St. John’s Churches in Troy. The “Vision of the Holy City” is a world famous window that made the cover of the NY Times when it was unveiled in 1899 in St. John’s. Around 4:30 PM, when the sun is coming through the window, “you can almost see God.”
Other programs are being planned including Books and Lunch at the Edison Club on Saturday, March 18th at 1:30. There will be a panel discussion about women in jobs formerly held by men. There will also be a bus trip to NYC to see Clara’s lamps at a Queen’s Museum on Saturday, April 8th.
Also being planned, a bus trip to Troy, NY to see the treasures of Tiffany. You can check out photos of some of those windows right here. Books for the Kids Read, Too! Program are being selected and programs planned including participation in Clifton
Park Winterfest and the Shenendehowa School District’s Science Fair. Check the Two Towns – One Book website for further details later this month.
SOUTHWICK MEADOWS 2017 BUDGET – ADOPTED
REVENUE
Beginning Checking 1.1.2017 $8,589.31
Association Assessment for 115 parcels $40,250.00
Past Due Fees $0.00
Fines $0.00
Total Revenue $48,839.31
EXPENDITURES
Property Maintenance $25,595.09
Insurance $950.00
Property Taxes $125.00
School Taxes $500.00
NYS Franchise Corporate Tax $95.00
Accounting and Audit Review $1,500.00 (Note 1)
Administrative Costs (supplies, copies) $150.00
Post Office Box renewal $85.00
Website renewal (names.com) $15.00
Legal $2,000.00
Replacement Shrubs @ entrances & circle $1,500.00 (Note 2)
Unanticipated expenses $2,500.00
Total Expenditures $35,015.09
CAPITAL RESERVE $5,750.00 (Note 3)
Projected Ending Checking 12.31.2017 8,074.22
Total Expenditures, Checking & Reserves 48,839.31
Association Assessment per home is $350 per parcel
Note 1: 2017 requires a review of the accounting records by the CPA (~$1,500 yr)-done every 2 years. A regular compilation is ~$700, done in the off year.
Note 2: Subject to annual analysis by the Board each Spring; 2018 tree trimming, bed cleaning & replacement shrubbery ~$5,000
Note 3: Comprised of $50 per (115) parcel deposited to the reserve fund.
Sat 4th Feb, 2017 will be…
Take Your Child To The Library Day We have a great library in Clifton Park. If you and your children do not have library cards, simply go to the circulation desk at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, 475 Moe Road, to register for your free cards. Our library offer fabulous resources and lots of interesting activities for adults and children. Check out the library website for resources that you can access from home.
DISPOSING OF CHRISTMAS TREES
Clifton Park Town Residents have two ways of disposing Christmas Trees this holiday Season
Residents of the town of Clifton Park can place their unbagged, non-artificial Christmas trees at the curb to be picked up by
County Waste the week of Monday, January 9th thru Friday, January 13th, 2017. Please have your trees out on the evening of Sunday, January 8th.
Trees will be mulched and therefore must be free of any lights or decorations (to include tinsel). Any trees larger than 7 feet will
need to be cut down to a smaller size. Residents are asked to keep trees in an accessible location and free of snow. Trees should be placed at the end of your driveway. Residents can call County Waste at 877-7007 with any questions regarding this program.
Additionally, Clifton Park residents can bring non-artificial, un-decorated Christmas trees to the town’s Transfer Station on
Vischer Ferry Road. A permit is not required and there is no fee. Trees will be recycled with other yard waste. “The Town Board is pleased to provide these two Christmas tree disposal options free to residents and at no cost to taxpayers,”
Town Supervisor Phil Barrett said, “County Waste has generously offered this service to our residents and the Clifton Park Transfer Station is also available for anyone who wishes to dispose of their Christmas tree.”
WINTER IMPACTS OUR PETS!
When harsh winter weather hits, it can affect pets as much as it affects people. However, with the proper protection and pets can safely spend time Outdoors amid the snow and cold. When the temperatures drop low enough for people to wear winter coats, it may also be time for pet owners to bundle up their pets before heading outside.
“Many dogs enjoy walking outside in cold weather and playing in the snow,” Dr. Erin Wilson, medical director Of the ASPCA, said. “If dogs seem uncomfortable, then a sweater or jacket can be very helpful,” Wilson said.
Even dogs with thick winter fur can benefit from coat or sweater during an outbreak of arctic air. If pets do not have the proper protection from the chilly air, they can face heath risks similar to humans that are unprotected from the cold. “Pets are sensitive to severe cold and are at risk for frostbite and hypothermia during extreme Cold snaps,” according to the Humane Society of the United States. “Exposed skin on noses, ears and paw pads can quickly freeze and suffer permanent damage.”
If an animal is showing signs of frostbite or hypothermia, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. Booties are another form of clothing for pets to not only keep their sensitive paws from getting frost bitten, but also to protect them from
harmful chemicals, such as rock salt.
First Night is NY’s largest New Year’s Eve event
outside of NYC!
Approximately 12,000 people are expected to attend this year to bring in 2017! 2017 Entertainment
• Live music from dozens of bands covering a full range of genres
• Comedy from improv troupe Mop & Bucket Company
• Mind arts with mind reading, levitation, and agic
• Extended hours at shops and restaurants
• Preface and countdown by Mayor Joanne Yepsen
• Annual First Night 5K Run at 5:30pm
• First Night events kick off at 6:00pm
• Fireworks at Midnight
Find a full guide of events here to best plan your evening. First Night Saratoga 2017
May Your Holidays be Filled with Many blessings!
Winter storms can bring snow, sleet and freezing rain across the entire United States and its territories. Even Hawaii gets
snow in its Big Island, and major cities as far south as Atlanta and Dallas have been paralyzed by snow and ice. Blizzards
occur when strong wind causes blowing snow and whiteout conditions, making roads impassable. Thousands of people
are injured or killed every year in traffic accidents related to slippery roads from winter storms.
The National Weather Service website is designed to teach You how to stay safe before, during and after a winter
storm. You will find information on winter alerts, science and hazards, snow coverage maps, and information
describing the different types of winter storms. It’s a very Interesting website packed with information for adults and
children.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a winter storm, please share your story so they can prevent others
from becoming a victim. When you write, please note that the NWS has permission to use your story and, if possible,
let us know the town and state you were in and the year the event took place.• Read about winter weather survivors.
§ 2016-17 Winter Weather Outlook
§ Weather Prediction Center Winter Weather
Forecasts
§ NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
§ National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing
Center, NOAA Snow Information Source
§ NOAA Snow and Ice Information
§ Weather Awareness Safety Events in Your State
Stay safe and warm and enjoy our crisp, cold winter season!
The National Weather Service