News Update 9-28-2016

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Created: Wednesday, 28 September 2016 13:20

Waiver Letters Mailed
APM has mailed waiver ballots for fully funding the reserve fund, based on estimates generated by our 2016 Reserve Study Update. We published all related documents on the web site earlier this year, so unit owners have all the data the Board has regarding this important vote (click the Reserve Study tab in the menu above to view them). If you have not received your cover letter and ballot, please contact APM as soon as possible to receive your copies. Then VOTE!

Get Help Faster
We're all busy, and phone calls for assistance can eat up valuable time. That's why the Board and APM have set up an email contact form that lets you send your request for assistance electronically to the property manager. Just click on the Help Button of the Silver Valley web site home page, and it will link directly to the APM online maintenance request form. Fill it out: send it; and go on with your day.

Mulberry Mailbox Topples
The mailbox on Mulberry Lane toppled over this week due to a broken concrete base.  Since this is a shared mail box, APM is working with our neighbors at Falls River Crossing to remount it.

Here Is Your 2016 Reserve Study Update

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Created: Tuesday, 31 May 2016 19:21

The 2016 Reserve Study Update from Reserve Associates is available for download - Reserve Study 2016.pdf (6.6mb).

Download links for additional reference materials—including the previous 2011 Reserve Study—were posted in a news article on this site on May 19, 2016.

Please review these documents and use the information they contain to cast an informed vote on fully funding of the reserves. Ballots will be sent to all unit owners later this year.

Processing Requests for Change

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Created: Tuesday, 24 May 2016 13:13

Here's an explanation of how Request for Change forms are processed.

• The Board meets monthly (except in May and December).
• The property manager gathers all Requests for Change as they are received, and then adds them to the agenda for the next scheduled meeting.
• The Board may elect at its discretion to review and vote on a Request for Change between meetings. The Board discourages this approach: by Ohio law, all email votes require unanimous Board approval; a motion to approve a Request for Change at a regular Board meeting can pass with a simple majority.
• Please submit all Requests for Change to the management company at least one month before the project is to begin (two months is better); if an expedited vote is needed for special circumstances, please specify the reasons—in detail—to the property manager when making your request. Do so in writing; email is the fastest and easiest way.
• All changes to the common area or unit exterior require a Request for Change.
• Please fill out the Request for Change completely, and sign it. Requests for Change that are not signed by the unit owner will not be considered. NOTE: The Board is less likely to approve any request that is short on specific details, and may return it to the unit owner for clarification.
• Any Requests for Change that involve structural changes, repairs, or additions (e.g. decks, doors, and windows) require detailed drawings/explanations. Where needed, the project must also be submitted to the city for permits and inspections.
• There are 111 units in our Association. Your request is probably not the only one the Board is asked to review and approve at any given time. 

This article is also being posted on the Get Help page for future reference.

Trimming and Mulching

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Created: Tuesday, 24 May 2016 12:47

Here's the tree trimming and mulching schedule for 2016, weather permitting.

• Pruning: May 31 to June 3.
• Mulching takes 2-3 days; it follows pruning, and should begin on or about June 4.

Several other landscaping projects will be continued.

Annual Meeting - Reserve Study Update - 2016

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Created: Thursday, 19 May 2016 14:32

First, the Board wishes to thank all who showed up at the May 18, 2016 Annual Meeting of the Silver Valley Condo Association, and offer our appreciation for your thoughtful and polite participation.

One of the important topics discussed at the meeting was the 2016 update to the previous 2011 Reserve Study. We had hoped it would arrive in time for the meeting, but it did not.

The update will be published online as soon as it arrives.

Meanwhile, we are posting several background documents about reserve funds. Just click the download links to open each portable document file in a new window. You can then download and store any or all of them to your local mobile device or computer.

Document One: What Is the Reserve Study.pdf This brief overview explains why Associations like ours pay professionals to conduct a Reserve Study at regular intervals.

Document Two: Reserve Fund 2011.pdf This is a brief slide show that shows the funding estimates from the last study, and reserve fund balances from 2014-15 for comparison purposes. It also discusses Ohio Condo law in this matter, and explains the concepts of fully funding versus fully funded.

Document Three: Reserve 2016 Slides. pdf This pdf document details the recent capital asset repairs that have taken place over the last 30 months, here at SVCA.

Document Four: Reserve Cover Letter.pdf This cover letter was attached to the slide show sent to Reserve Associates earlier this year when the 2016 study was officially requested. It asks them to include our recent improvements, and weigh them against future repair costs specific to our local market. It is our hope that the new study will offer us more realistic—and manageable—funding estimates.

We are also setting up a new web site category tab, dedicated to the Reserve Study. A copy of this and other reserve study articles will be placed there for ease of access.

See you soon.

Garbage, Garbage Everywhere

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Created: Sunday, 24 April 2016 15:13

Please put all your waste items inside a suitable garbage container before placing them curbside for pickup.

Too many residents are putting out their garbage in flimsy plastic bags or open boxes.

Various wild animals and birds find these containers "easy prey," tear into them, and spread the contents around the street and driveway, creating an unsightly mess and a lot of extra work for the waste disposal crews.

The Board is reluctant to get heavy-handed and start issuing fines to offenders, but the situation seems to be getting worse, and cannot go on.

The waste collection company has done a great job of collecting our refuse cleanly and efficiently; let's show them some respect.