HOA Board

A Few Things

Announcements / By

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.

Landscaping Policy Updated

Landscaping / By

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.

Trimming

Landscaping / By

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.

Watering Schedule 2022

Landscaping / By

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.

Architectural

General / By

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.

Mulch Edging and Aeration Issues

Landscaping / By

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! 

Dues Policy

General / By

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.  

Insurance Coverage and Roof Policy

General / By

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. 

  1. It is important to mention that it is the responsibility of the homeowner to ensure that their insurance policy includes the roof of their unit. Some townhome policies may have been erroneously written as a “condo” policy which does not include the roof of the condo since in a condo building the roof is generally considered a common area item.

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.

Reserve Study Meeting and Document Posted

Financials / By

03/09/2022
The Bella Vista 2022 Reserve Study document has been posted on the Website (bellavistabolingbrook.org) under Documents. If you have problems accessing it, let me know. 
There will be a general  “Reserve Study” meeting on Wednesday March 23 2022 at 7:00 at the clubhouse to provide an overview and answer some questions. 
Please keep in mind that a Reserve Study is strictly an educated projection of future revenues, potential costs and the timing of those costs. One of the purposes of a Reserve Study is to try to avoid special assessments for known expenses over the next 30 years. 
Please compile your questions after reading the Reserve Study. While we will try to answer all questions, please keep in mind that we cannot always predict the future, even though we do try. 

Buyer Capital Contribution Policy

Financials / By

02/22/2022

The HOA has approved a Buyer Capital Contribution Policy to help defer the costs of both the HOA and CSM to register a new resident of Bella Vista. This is to offset the addition time and expense with dealing with the legal documents from the Closing. It also covers the setup of CSM and additional Bella Vista paperwork/key fobs and insurance issues. The document is posted in the documents section of this website.

Lions, Tigers and Coyotes, Oh My

General / By

02-19-2022

Feel free to skip the story and go to the summary… 

Story:

The recent sightings of coyotes in our subdivision reminds me of a true story that happened about 20ish years ago. Up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin by St. Germain, we have a family cottage. My mother and stepfather spent a lot of time up there enjoying the peace and tranquility of nature. One crisp Fall day, as summer is definitely over by Labor Day, this true story unfolded. My mother put on her walking shoes, grabbed her fly-swatter and went out for her morning walk in the woods. She was enjoying the beautiful colors of autumn and getting her daily exercise at the same time, who could ask for more? Then… all of a sudden she spots a black bear in the woods, he was foraging for berries or whatever they forage for… This black bear looks fierce and menacing, as normally you see them in their cages at Brookfield Zoo where they look sad and bored. The bear spots her and maybe snares, maybe winks, (we are not sure about that detail) as he pads through the terrain always eyeing her movements. She is very careful and decides to take a different path back to the cottage as to not upset the bear. She makes it back to the safety of the cottage and quickly tells my step-father of her alarming encounter. After some intense deliberation and careful thought, she picks up the phone and dials the Vilas County Wildlife Department (probably with one of those vicious rotary phones that hurts your index finger). She is connected to the supervisor who probably just came back from cleaning a couple of Walleye after her early morning fishing trip. After my mother details her hair-raising encounter with the black bear, she asks “what can you do about it?”. After the supervisor finishes her donut and washes it down with a swig of morning coffee, she politely responds “Well… that’s where they live, honey”. My mother, speechless for a brief moment, thanked her for the information and went on to have a wonderful day. The bear was seen from time to time, always looking happy and content, but he always watching out for those unpredictable humans, as you never know what they are going to do next…

Summary: 

Having said that, I called and talked to the Bolingbrook Animal Control person and here is the summary of the conversation:

  1. Coyotes are protected (like it or not)
  2. They hang around with family members, not packs
  3. We cohabitate (like it or not)
  4. Haze them, yell at them, call them names, stump your feet, spit at them
  5. Act big, they are afraid of big, act like you are in charge, do not show fear, do not act like prey
  6. Act crazy… they don’t like crazy, however they still may keep an eye on you from a distance
  7. Buy/use a Blowhorn, get one at Lowes or Home Depot or Amazon or your nearest Blowhorn store
  8. DO NOT FEED THEM (they love the small animals that hang around your bird feeders!) 

Clubhouse Streaming Device Switches

Uncategorized / By

02/12/2022

During the last HOA Residents meeting, the topic of “streaming devices in the clubhouse” came up. While the HOA itself DOES NOT provide the actual streaming devices (Roku, Chromecast. Apple TV, etc), we have made it easier to bring your own streaming device and get it working. 
We have hooked up a couple of HDMI switches (on the 1st floor) so you can bring your own streaming device and simply plug it in via your HDMI cable. Once it is plugged in, you simply toggle the HDMI switch so your device is now used as “input” to the TV. As such, this saves you (for example) from climbing on the fireplace, finding the HDMI inputs on the TV, plugging in an HDMI cable in the back of a dark TV, figuring out how to change the “input” on the Remote and then reversing all that so the next person could possibly get the TV working again. 

Please keep in mind that you still need to configuration your device to use the Clubhouse WIFI.
We hope this helps. Good luck

Pool Tournament Update

Activities / By

02/07/2021

The semi-final matches of the Bella Vista Pool Tournament were played this weekend in front of an excited crowd. 
Match #1: Ray Wesoloski vs. Steve Villanueva 
The first game was a battle for the ages. Neck and neck to the final shot on which Ray won, but barely missed scratching on the 8-ball, which drew a large gasp from the crowd. The second was well played on both sides with Ray taking the game, hence the match 2-0.
Match #2: Don Wittmer vs. Peter Lee (no relation to the referee)
Don came out strong with a convincing game 1 victory. Peter roared back to win game 2. Game 3 was a humdinger with the “table advantage” shifting back and forth so often that the fans got whiplash. In the end, Peter prevailed and captured the match 2-1. 

“Finals” and “Third place” matches will be played next weekend.