10/24/2022
Bella Vista HOA Annual / 4th Quarter Meeting Wednesday October 26th 7:00 at the Clubhouse
Bella Vista HOA Director Election Thursday October 27th 6:00PM – 8:00PM at the Clubhouse –
Early voting is available, contact :
Charlie Breier at CBBreier@comcast.net
Ken Madeja at KenMadeja@aol.com
Patrick Lee at leepa05@icloud.com 630-253-0542
10/17/2022
The Nomination Committee offered to communicate information for the candidates. The following is an invite from Mike Hohlman.
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Recently I was told by several Bella Vista residents that a post was put on the “Friends” of Bella Vista Facebook site by a resident named Ray West. The post contains false information about “the new person” running for the board which is an obvious reference to me.
Since my wife and I do not participate in Facebook, I am offering to meet with the residents of Bella Vista to discuss my concerns and your issues going forward. I will be at the clubhouse from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm this Wednesday, October 19. Please feel free to join me and your fellow neighbors.
Mike Hohlman
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10/17/2022
Reminder: HOA Annual Meeting is Wednesday October 26th at 7:00 at the Clubhouse. This is a recap and status of the year/4th quarter.
Reminder: HOA Election is Thursday October 27th 6:00PM – 8:00PM at the Clubhouse vote. Candidates are current Treasurer Don Wittmer, current Secretary Lela LaHa and Mike Hohlman. Please refer to previous email/posting for election and voting details. Ballots were sent via email and posted on the website for Early voting. If you can’t get a ballot from either of those places, let me know and I will drop one off. Please vote.
Landscaping: Landscaping work is about done for the year. You may see them out and about performing Fall cleanup and various minor tasks. Various seed blankets have been put down to help with grass growth in difficult areas. More seeding is planned for spring, depending on budget.
Private to Public Road: Paused until Hartz is out of Bella Vista. Note the current “tear up” of the parking lot at the Clubhouse by the Gas company, water to follow! Active builder construction damages roads, parkways, etc. As stated previously, the HOA Board will not approach the Mayor or City Planners again until the HOA Board has total control of Balboa Circle (which we do not have yet). The “Private Roads to Public” committee has gathered a bunch of information in preparation for this undertaking. The entire HOA Board fully supports this undertaking, at the appropriate time.
Street Lights Out on Bella Vista Blvd: ComEd has been called. There is no power to those lights. Don Wittmer has a work order from ComEd. No timeframe for ComEd resolution.
Coyotes: They seem to be back. Stay away, carry a big stick, use good judgment and be careful.
Boo#ffet: Come and enjoy the food, neighbors and have some fun. Contact Lela LaHa for details.
Note: If you have neighbors that do not get HOA emails, please let us know. We don’t know “who they are” unless we are told. Thanks.
Note: There has been some reports of rumors or “incorrect information” being disseminated. Please, if you have questions or concerns regarding Bella Vista matters, please contact the HOA Board. Thanks.
10/15/2022
please find the Ballot and Proxy Assignment for the upcoming Oct 27 2022 HOA election in Documents.
Only “owners” of the townhouse can vote in the election. Only one vote per townhouse is valid. The nomination committee members will determine if an individual is eligible to vote, and their decision is final.
There are two ways to vote, ‘Day of” and “Early”.
“Day of”:
1. Simply come to the Clubhouse from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Oct 27 to vote.
2. We will have all the ballots at the Clubhouse.
3. If you want/need to assign a Proxy to vote for you, via the form attached, please fill out the form and have he/she bring the form to the Clubhouse to vote.
4. ** Important**. Please bring identification, so we can verify your identity, if necessary. Proxies need identification too.
“Early”:
1. Fill out the attached ballot and place it in a sealed envelope. Contact and deliver to a nomination committee member, both of you sign the sealed envelope on the back with townhouse address.
2. Or… contact a nomination committee member and they will come over and give you a ballot. Fill it out, seal in an envelope, both of you sign the envelope on back with townhouse address.
Risks of “Early” voting:
As with any “Early” voting, election circumstances may change between the time you vote and Election Day. That is a risk you assume and accept for the convenience to vote early. In this election, we are required (by the By-laws) to ask for “nominations from the floor” at the annual meeting, those names obviously will not be on the attached ballot. Just beware of the risks for early voting.
Note: If we receive “nominations from the floor”, the nomination committee has decided to postpone the election for a week to allow the nomination committee time to distribute additional the election information and ballots. Please note that November 1 is the start of the next fiscal year.
Charlie Breier at CBBreier@comcast.net
Ken Madeja at KenMadeja@aol.com
Patrick Lee at leepa05@icloud.com 630-253-0542
10/14/2022
The HOA Board Election will be held Thursday October 27 between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM at the Clubhouse. The Annual HOA Board Meeting is Wednesday October 26 at 7:00PM to discuss the 4th quarter and yearly progress. We also will ask for any more nominations (as per By-laws) at this meeting.
Nomination committee members are:
Charlie Breier at CBBreier@comcast.net
Ken Madeja at KenMadeja@aol.com
Patrick Lee at leepa05@icloud.com 630-253-0542
There are two ways to vote:
1. In-person at the clubhouse on Election Day
2. “Early Vote” via Election Committee member (authorized proxy)
In-person: Simply come to the the Clubhouse between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM on October 27 to vote. We will supply the ballots.
“Early Vote”: Before election day (October 27), please contact Nomination Committee members to accept your townhouse/resident ballot. A resident can drop off a ballot or use a ballot/envelope the nomination committee member will supply. In addition, if you want/need a nomination committee member to pick up your ballot at your townhouse, simply contact the nomination committee and one of us will stop by to accept/supply the ballot/envelope. Either way, the ballot will be put in a sealed envelope and signed on the back by both the nomination committee member and the resident. The ballot will be kept in a secure location, verified and combined with the ballots accepted on election day.
This election is for 2 open director positions. Residents can vote for two different names on the ballot. Only one ballot per townhouse (resident) is accepted/valid. Ballots will be counted by the committee starting at 8:01 PM on Election Day.
This election’s nominations are:
Don Wittmer
Lela (Elizabeth) LaHa
Mike Hohlman
Their nomination applications are attached and available on the website in Documents.
The nomination committee is meeting to discuss Election Day logistics as this is our first time. We will send out an “Early Vote” ballot shortly.
9/25/2022
August Financials are posted under Documents
09/23/1956
1. Bush Trimming is completed. There will be some more “fall cleanup” later on.
2. The White Flag Areas “to be addressed this year” have been selected. We could not afford to address all areas. There will be a lot of dirt and seed nets applied to the areas to improve grass quality in the coming weeks. As explained previously, we have a “dirt quantity/quality” problem in many areas of Bella Vista, hence the lack of grass and many weeds. We are attempting to address that problem with this project. Unfortunately, we will not be able to make everybody happy this year.
3. All sprinkler systems are turned off.
09/16/2022
White Flags – These are potential areas for topsoil and seed applications for the fall growing season. We will prioritize the candidates based upon “current grass quality” and cost, when the estimates come in.
Street Lights Issues – Two Mandalay street lights are out. An electrician has been called. Possible fix next week, but we are at the mercy of their schedule in this new era.
Solicitors – We were visited by two ladies from Campbell Marketing trying to get customers to switch to Verizon. They were told to leave Bella Vista and they reluctantly did.
HOA Election – If you want to run for an HOA Director position, read Lela’s email, give it careful thought and then submit your nomination.
Reserve Fund Investment – Please read Don’s email about it. The policy has been posted on Bella Vista website under documents.
Sprinkler Heads – If there are any problems, let me know. We assume they all work perfectly unless we are told otherwise.
Concrete Work – Hopefully we are starting some concrete sidewalk and mailbox work soon/today. Concrete contractors have been very unresponsive, so we won’t believe it until they show up.
Clubhouse Signin / Use – We have discontinued the “signin requirement”. Please use good judgment in the clubhouse, as it is YOUR clubhouse. Please clean up and turn off lights when leaving. We can see security footage of all areas, so we do know who you are.
Fall Landscaping Cleanup – We do NOT know when this will happen yet.
If you have any questions, let us know.
08/24/2022
July 2022 Financials are posted in Documents.
08-01-2022
They are posted in Documents. If you have any questions, please contact Don Wittmer.
07-08-2022
May Financials are posted in documents. If you have any questions, contact Don Wittmer.
06-06-2022
All new mulch beds are scheduled to be completed on Friday June 8th.
Please refer to the Landscaping Policy (in Documents on Website) for rules. Please obtain approval BEFORE planting shrubs or bushes. Thank you.
06-22-2022
Minor updates were made to the Landscaping Policy found in Documents regarding “responsibility for lights and whatever in mulch areas”. Any items placed in the mulch by residents are “at their own risk”. Landscapers and the HOA are not responsible for damages to these items, accidents may (and do) happen.
06-20-2022
Trimming is happening. The landscapers will do their best to trim bushes properly, however if you have exotic plants or bonsai trees, that may not end well. Please be conservative with your “mulch plant” selections and get them approved BEFORE planting. Thank you.
05-11-2022
Coral Gables – Borego – Zones 1 -15 – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 4:00am to 11:00ish
Borego / Bella Vista – Zones 16 – 31 Sunday, Tuesday, Friday 4:00am to 11:00ish
Mandalay – – Zones 1 -15 – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 4:00am to 11:00ish
Mandalay – Zones 16- 25 – Sunday, Tuesday, Friday 4:00am to 11:00ish
Solara – Zones 1 -9 – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 4:00am to 9:00ish
Balboa – Zones 10 – 18 Sunday, Tuesday, Friday 4:00am to 9:00ish
Note: There may be extended watering times for certain zones (normally sodded areas) during drought conditions.
If you need to know your townhouse’s zone numbers and times (although times may change as we react to watering needs), let the HOA board know and we can investigate.
05/09/2022
This is the season for “outdoor projects”, as winter has finally left us.
Please be aware of the Architectural Review process for Bella Vista. Please DO NOT assume that your outdoor project falls into the categories of “this one doesn’t matter” or “this can’t need approval” or “nobody will notice”. When in doubt, please ask.
Please fill out an architectural form for any project (as per Bella Vista Covenants/By-Laws, please review Article III, if necessary). These include, but not limited to… privacy fences, lattice, Satellite Dishes, awnings, exterior painting, concrete work, etc.
The architectural forms are available at the clubhouse or on the website.
Lela Laha is the Architectural Committee Chairperson. Please work with Lela for approvals.
Also, please keep in mind, for spring planting projects, please adhere to the Landscaping Policy documented on the website.
04-23-2022
MULCH EDGING:The Landscapers will be cutting the edges on the Mulch beds relatively soon (no exact date yet). In order to make this as painless as possible for Xfinity and AT&T customers, the HOA suggests you mark where your line comes in from the grass to the mulch bed with a very visible stake/whatever. If you need a stake, let me know as those short white stakes (that some residents are rumored to use as target practice) are perfect. The HOA has 20 or 30 (I lost count), so If you want one, let me know (offer good until I run out). If you need help, let me know.
AERATION:The recent Aeration caused about 6 or 7 residents pain and suffering as Xfinity and AT&T are supposed to bury their cables at least 6 inches deep, but they DO NOT. Our aeration cores measure maximum 3 inches, so no lines should have been cut, as 3 is less than 6, even these days. Unfortunately, the story (direct from a AT&T guy) is that they “contract out” the “bury job” and routinely bury lines 1-3 inches deep, costing AT&T millions of dollars a year to rebury lines. If your line isn’t buried yet, please tell them to bury yours deep!
Over the last few months, the HOA Board has frequently discussed the ongoing problem of “delinquent monthly dues/assessments payments”. After much discussion, we have decided to assess “late charges” for offenders. This does not mean you will get charged for 5 or 10 days late, but it does mean if there is a pattern as per policy, there will be a late charge assessed.
There are simple ways to avoid this problem:
1. Schedule an automated payment via your bank. (Push a payment)
2. Schedule an automated payment via our HOA Financial Service CSM. (Pull a payment)
Both are very secure and both avoid late fees.
Your CSM account has a full history of your payments for your reference.
The policy document is posted on the Bella Vista website under documents. Please read the policy and if you have questions, let us know. Thanks.
04-06-2022
The HOA Board has posted the Insurance-Roof Policy on the website under documents.
If you don’t read anything else in the policy, please read the following.
If you have any doubt as to what your insurance policy covers, please, please call your agent and ask, as it needs to cover 100% of the replacement cost of your townhouse, which includes the roof. Please do not assume “all is well”, as it may not be.
03-31-2022
The February financials are now posted under documents (2022-02-28 February HOA Financials). If there are any questions, let us know.
