The red Help button at the upper right of the web site home page now links to the APM Portal. Now, when you click on the button, you'll be directed to the Portal gateway page where you can log in to your personal account (if you have already registered), or register to set up a new account.

The Help button has been in place for some time now as a fast way to make a maintenance request, but the new link provides additional information and services to unit owners. Moreover, we have welcomed several new residents to our community in the past year, so the Help button will be new to some of you.

If you have a maintenance request, simply click on the maintenance tab after logging in, fill out the request form, and click on the submit button when done.

The Portal offers additional features compared to the old maintenance request form: while you are logged in, you can also review and edit your personal contact information, make payments, view the payment status of your account, and access other features, some of which may be added in the future.

If you are uncertain about how to proceed, or have questions or a problem, call APM at 330 722 3000, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

New residents may have aditional questions about Portal. Please see the next article, originally published in August 2017, for a Portal Q&A.

Thanks

Clothes dryers should have their vents and vent pipes inspected and cleaned at least annually. Heavily used dryers may require more frequent cleaning.

The accompanying image shows a two-year accumulation of lint removed from a smooth-walled vent pipe connected to a gas dryer in one of our units. The amount of lint removed from this 10-foot length of pipe is substantial.

Ribbed accordion-style flex hoses are even less forgiving, since the ribbed walls catch and accumulate lint deposits even faster than smooth-walled pipe. Common complaints of lint buildup include reduced dryer efficiency (more time needed to dry the clothes). Heat backup in the dryer due to poor venting can also burn out thermal overload fuses in dryers, shutting them down completely.

In some cases, lint accumulations result in house fires.

Whether you do the work yourself, or hire a contractor to clean them for you, dryer vents demand periodic attention to ensure safe, efficient dryer operation.

We are often asked why we require a formal written Request for Change before approving a satellite dish installation.

The reason is simple: When it comes to slipshod installations, dish companies are perhaps the most irresponsible of all public utilities. They are worse than traditional cable companies, if you can imagine that.

The image to the right speaks volumes. The dish installers draped the cable between the main box and the closest gutter. In their laziness and complete disregard for our community, they then ran the cable through the gutters of three adjacent units before installing the dish—three doors down. (We have enough problems with leaves and gutter overflows without adding cables to the mix.)

This week, we called the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Attorney General of the great state of Ohio seeking some relief from these ham-fisted pirates. Both agencies told us that they are powerless to assist us, and that customers using these services are the only ones with any leverage to get these issues resolved. We'll follow up with the FCC, but don't hold your breath on that one.

The same companies routinely drill holes in roofs, feed cable through downspouts, and generally look for the fastest, easiest, and most unsightly way possible to run cable and mount hardware.

You might want to think about all this before signing up with the Pirates of the Cablestreamin'.

The Siver Valley Homeowners Association has received permission from the Munroe Falls Police Department to fire a loud pistol to scare away the geese. It will be fired twice daily: in the morning after 9 a.m. and again in the evening.

To eliminate confusion about which outdoor light replacements are approved by the Board, a page at the end of the new Rules and Regulations provides several samples of acceptable styles and sizes.

For quick reference when shopping, please download the style sheet.   (A     permanent copy of this document has also been added to the Get Help page for future reference.)
 

Please remember to file a Request for Change form before replacing any exterior lights.

Thanks.

Owner Information Forms

The Association has a legal obligation under state law to gather and periodically update owner and resident information in a master database. This information is never shared with any third party, and is used only for internal administrative use and communication, especially important in the event of an emergency.

There are two ways to complete the form:

1. We will mail paper copies to all units. Fill them out; mail them USPS in the enclosed, stamped envelope.
2. Download the editable pdf. Type the correct responses into each cell. Then save and email the saved pdf to APM as an email attachment. See instructions below.

How to complete and return the Online Information Sheet:

• download the file (Owner Information Form.pdf) NOTE: The browser may open the file online, and you will not be able to edit the pdf in the browser window. Click the "download link" in your browser to save the file to your local device.
• fill in the editable fields. Free pdf readers that support editable forms include Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader. Some third party pdf viewers will not let you to fill in forms.
• save the file to a location on your PC or mobile device where you can find it easily. (We suggest you use your address as the file name: example: 275 Lake Terrace.pdf).
• email the completed file as an attachment to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Note: double-clicking on the email link in the pdf automatically opens the mail program on most computers and mobile devices.