Greeting Neighbors! We have a couple of updates that we wanted to get in your hands before the yearly newsletter in April.
Recent Board Change
Bryan Bockert who has served on the HOA Board since the beginning in 2013 as Vice-President and more recently as Co-Treasurer, has stepped down from his position, freeing up time for other obligations. The board has appointed Alana Sigg (708 W Ironwood) to fill his seat for the remainder of his term, which is then up for election in May 2024. Alana has accepted and is excited to join the board. Please welcome Alana and thank Bryan for his DECADE of service to our neighborhood! Thanks Bryan!
Bus Stop / Front Landscaping
The neighborhood paid to have the landscaping by the sign repaired this summer. It was fairly well ripped up at the end of the school year by kids kicking the mulch and tearing up the weed screen. If you have children at the bus stop, or are otherwise around those at the bus stop, please encourage them to stay off of the mulched area by the Ironwood sign. We want to keep dues down as much as possible, and paying to have this repaired yearly is a waste of funds, so let’s help our littlest residents understand how to respect the property. We understand it may be confusing having a mulched area at school be a playground, but the mulched area at a bus stop be off limits, so we are asking parents to address this with their children.
Grass Clippings in the Street
We are coming to the end of grass mowing season with only maybe a month or two left. Please DO NOT blow grass clippings into the street or gutter. If you do, you are expected to blow them back into your yard. Grass clippings left there wash down into our storm sewers and can clog the drainage during heavy rainfall events. We have not issued HOA citations for this in the past, but may do so in the future if it is a continued issue.
Property Maintenance
The HOA Board this summer has hit another milestone. First we formed in 2013 with the bankruptcy of the original Developer, and it took a few seasons to get properly formed with Bylaws, Restrictions, etc filed with the county. Second we went on a path of development, approving plans and seeing the neighborhood be built-out to completion. Now we find ourselves with all lots filled and are transitioning into maintenance mode.
I think we’d all agree our HOA is fairly laid back (especially if you’ve ever lived in neighborhoods that have severe restrictions). We don’t regulate or police things like what style of blinds you can hang in your windows, how many weeds are in your yards, or whether or not you can leave your garage door open for more than 30 minutes at a time. Our goal has been to protect property values, keep dues low, and not to police how you live.
That said, we do have an agreed upon set of standards, and a formal citation process for issues that may arise (peeling paint, missing trees, or other items that don’t meet Restrictions). If you are found in violation of code, you will be sent a letter allowing 30 days to remedy the issue. After 30 days a fines accrue monthly and ultimately a lien may be placed on the property. Our goal here is NOT to make this a “money maker” for the HOA, rather we are fulfilling the purpose of having an HOA, protecting home values. We’ve had a few homes sell lately and were informed through the process that some buyers walked away from the neighborhood because it was “looking run down” or “going downhill” and that definitely isn’t the impression we want to leave.
If you have a tree in need of trimming, paint in need of repair, weeds in need of removal, or other items, please address them ASAP. We will be sending out letters soon.
Well that’s it for now. Thanks for reading. We are looking forward to a great Fall and will be in touch in April 2024 with the annual newsletter.
Brent Pirolli
Ironwood HOA, Board President