2013 Road Fees Are Due

Jim McCready has asked that we all remember to send in our $100/dwelling road fee by April 1 so we can make sure the road is in good shape for the summer season. Make the check out to Jim and mail to 63 Cedarvale Estates Pvt Rd., Alburgh, VT 05440 or put the envelope in his FedEx box there at 63 Cedarvale. And in the memo, note that the payment is for the Cedarvale road fee.

Thanks, neighbors! Let's keep our good thing going!

Cedarvale Estates

URGENT Road Update 2012

by Jim McCready, Treasurer

Well, today is the 15^th April, 2012 and for a day that was supposed to rain it’s not bad. As I sit here writing this to you looking at the lake it is seasonally warm with a grey sky and lots of sun. Having said this I will now rain a little on our parade. I just spent some time with Dennis Irick (Irick Excavating) going over our road, which has its usual patch of potholes. (Jim McCready's repeated attempts to obtain quotes from other companies met with absolutely NO RESPONSE--it's Irick Excavating or none!)

Last year at the Road Meeting which many of you attended we promised that the back stretch of the road would be stoned as this had not been done for several years. After going over this with Dennis Irick here is the conclusion. First, it is going to cost more than it does to do the front part of the road as there are branches over the road that impede the use of his large truck. So, as it was explained to me, Dennis will have to bring the stone in with his large truck and then transfer this stone to a smaller truck in order to lay the stone down. (The other alternative would be for end-of-the-road homeowners to have the impeding branches cut away so the big truck can pass through, and if you are one of these and are willing to do that quickly, let Jim McCready know ASAP.)

There is a choice that the committee has to make regarding the stone to be used and so I would like to ask that those people living on the back end of the road from Alice Morgan’s property to the end of the road to please give us their input. The choice is this, if the wish it to have white stone on this part of the road it will cost approximately $2,000.and will require about 4 loads of white stone. If we use black stone, basically shale, to cover this part of the road we can keep the cost of doing so down to approximately $1,400. This is because the distance required to haul the dark stone to Cedarvale is shorter that to haul the white stone. Please note that your response is required before the 4^th May, 2012 otherwise the committee will have to make a decision and all parties will have to live with it.

As regards the front two thirds of the road--we would need to spend approximately $2,080 to bring this stretch to a reasonable condition. Please keep in mind that no matter where you live on the road you need to cross part of the beginning of the road to get to your property, which means this part of the road gets the most wear and tear.

Now down to the facts that have to be weighed in reaching a decision. We have started to receive a trickle of checks coming in for this year and we are keeping the road fee the same as in 2011, at $75. According to our records there are eight properties still owing road fees from last year (2011). We finished the year last year with $1,775. in the bank.

With checks we have received this year at the time I am writing this we have $2,175. in the bank. If all parties pay for 2012 before May 4, 2012 we will have another $1,800 to deposit, which would give us $3,975 to work with. This, in an ideal world, may give use just enough to do our road for this year. However if we still have eight homeowners who will not pay, then we will fall short by $600. Five of these eight parties live at the back end of the road. Our hope is that we will have the road done “in good faith” and that every homeowner's 2012 dues will be forthcoming. If they are not paid then you’re asking and allowing the rest of your “neighbors” of Cedarvale Estates to pay your way, which frankly is not fair, particularly as you have to make use of the road when going to your properties whether you drive, walk, run or cycle.

With the money we have in hand currently we can proceed with doing the “back stretch” of the road. In order to do anything about the front two thirds of the road we would need all money owed for 2012. Also receiving unpaid road fees for 2011 would be even better, and leave us a small cushion for emergencies. Please remember we require your input and your money by May 4, 2012. For those who don’t pay or haven’t paid you may provide your input and we will take it under advisement.

Please send your checks payable to James McCready with a note on it Cedarvale Estates Road Fee to James McCready, 63 Cedarvale Est., Alburgh, VT 05440 by May 4, 2012. Our books are available to be looked at by anyone with an interest in doing so.

COULD IT REALLY BE SPRING ALREADY?

The Fall/Winter season of 2011-2012 was probably the shortest the Northeast has seen in many a year. At least it seemed so when the last of us trundled away fron last summer at the chilly end of last September, only to find ourselves hustling back before the end of February to start taking on the "opening up" tasks for this coming summer season.

Thinking of summer in February? Indeed! The eyes and ears of Cedarvale-in-winter--those trusty, hardy year-rounders who brave the frigid months when the rest of us "almost snowbirds" head to our more southerly havens--sent out the alert that the Punxsutawney groundhog was also working his magic in the North Country and spring was just about to, well, spring onto the scene in Alburgh. 

It's a good thing Loretta Knight (#59) took a photo of the right-on-time ice up of the lake around Thanksgiving, or we might have doubted winter really came at all!

Not that anyone is complaining. It's great to see green things poking up, to wake up to birdsong and not snow plows, and to take off these itchy long johns!

True, no one has begun to think about all the extra mowing and trimming that we'll all be doing soon. Nah--let's just enjoy this unexpected gift!

And, just think, if  MUD season follows suit.........

ROAD FEE UPDATE MARCH 2012

The 2011 road fee records have been finalized, and it looks like several folks didn't contribute. Times are tough, to be sure, but if we can all afford second homes, then donating $75 for maintaining the common road doesn't seem like much to ask! Will those neighbors who forgot or decided to forego the 2011 fee please add the last year's amount to the 2012 fee--also $75.

And our 2012 fees are due by April 15 if we want to have the road re-graveled from the point to the beginning of road this year, which is the plan. The homes toward the point have foregone additional gravel for too long, so that's where the money will be spent first.

And here's an important announcement--our treasurer, Jim McCready, will be receiving and depositing the road fees, so send your payment made out to him and either mailed to 63 Cedarvale Estates Rd, Alburgh, VT 05440 OR you can put your check into the container marked "ROAD FEES" in the plastic storage box by the garage at 63 Cedarvale.

Please bring or send your checks as soon as possible. Paying your fee on time makes things a lot smoother on Cedarvale Estates Road. (OK, corny, but you get the message!)

Break-In ALERT!!

  Word has come to our Association officers from Point of Tongue Road residents regarding a serious break in that resulted in property damage and loss of many articles from a home on the northern end of that road.

It is our understanding that, two weeks ago, one or more persons broke windows to gain access to 20 Point of Tongue Road sometime between the owners' weekend visits. Much of the home's contents was taken--certainly anything of value. It is assumed that the items were stolen to be resold, perhaps through some common outlet such as Craigs List.

Residents on Point of Tongue who spoke with two of the year-round families on Cedarvale thought  that #20 may have been chosen because it was clear no one was home--there is no garage into which a resident could put a car and no car in the driveway.

With economic times being what they are, it is not surprising that thieves are looking for ways to get money--and our seasonal homes are vulnerable. Since we have five families who live year-round on Cedarvale and can be seen coming and going all winter,  we may want to take the relatively simple step of buying some large Neighborhood Watch signs to post on the road, and individual homeowners may want smaller signs to place on their properties. If this seems like a good idea, check out the Neighborhood Watch website--nnwi.org--and you'll see that plastic signage is very inexpensive. There's no guarantee it'll work, but if our year-round neighbors don't mind being the "eyes" of the road when most residents are gone, it may be a worthwhile endeavor, with the understanding, of course, that they will be doing the seasonal residents a favor and not assuming any sort of liability.

Please let us know what you think about the Association buying the large signs (plastic 12"x12" @$4.95)--and if everyone agrees, buying at least one small sign for each property (plastic 5"x5" @$2.30). We'll need to know very soon, since most folks have left for the season, and we don't want to impose the installation of the signs on the year-round residents. Of course, if you have another idea or suggestion, let us know and we'll publish it!

Call Jim Wyman at 802.793.4632, Jim McCready at 802.796.3208 or Judith Lawson at 802.796.3456.

Community Meeting Notes

On Sunday, September 4, we had our first Cedarvale homeowners meeting of 2011 at #53, hosted by Roger Broome and Judith Lawson. The turnout was exceptional with all but a handful of neighbors gathered. As usual, we had quite a feast with all sorts of tasty nibbles, thanks to the excellent Cedarvale cooks!

First, the entire gathering joined in expressing our sorrow at the loss of Ed Baluch and Pete Libby this past year, and our deep appreciation for the immeasurable contributions these two wonderful men made to the Cedarvale community. Both are greatly missed.

Selecting Officers

First among the items we addressed was selection of officers to handle the business of keeping our road in good repair, keeping everyone informed and keeping our contact information up-to-date. By general acclamatioin, Jim Wyman (#91) is our new president, Jim McCready (#63) the new vice president/treasurer, and Judith Lawson (#53) the new secretary/reporter.

Reports


Then we heard reports from several community members who'd been working on behalf of the Association in preparation for the meeting. Jim McCready reported on the recent opening of a new Cedarvale Estates Homeowners Association checking account at the Peoples United Bank in Alburgh. The account is to be the repository of the community's road fees to pay for road maintenance. Jim explained that it was necessary to open a new account because the previous account was closed and probated after Pete Libby's death. Jim indicated that he will be publishing a summary of the activity on the account in each newsletter, and any homeowner wanting additional information can contact him.

June Lantry (#4) reported that she had completed an initial update of a community directory, and sought corrections of contact information from all present. She will attempt to reach all those not in attendance to make sure their contact information is correct. She plans to have the directory available by October 1 and will be mailing copies. Watch for it!

Also, mention was made that some of the Cedarvale homeowners have asked that they not be contacted except by the Association officers on official business--so, if anyone has Cedarvale residents' email addresses in their address book, please delete them. We want to be respectful of each other's wishes and privacy.

Judith Lawson (#53) reported that she was working to establish a free online newsletter/blog for the Cedarvale Estates Homeowners Association--and here it is! Diane Libby actually set up the original site, and we thank her for her time and expertise. We hope this will speed communications and keep us in touch, especially when we're scattered to the four winds in the off-season. Feedback is welcome!!

Other Items


After the reports, we discussed several items: first, road maintenance. Our road is in reasonable shape, even after a very wet spring and several fierce storms. The "usual suspect" potholes continue to be a challenge and we discussed seeking the counsel of several contractors who maintain gravel roads. Irick Excavating has been working on our road for the last several years, and most residents seemed to think he has done fine. But we agreed that we need to take different steps to address the pothole situation--such as asking the road contractor to use larger stones and roll them in when the ground is wet to form a firmer underlayment.

We also agreed that our first priority for our next roadwork will be adding new stone "down in the woods." If funds permit, we hope to put new stone on the entire road, using larger-size white stone.

Several residents asked that all of us be more cognizant of our speed on the road. Though we have a posted 15 mph speed limit, sometimes we--and visitors to our road--forget to drive slowly. And in dusty times, even 15 mph throws up huge clouds behind our cars. We will be doing much to preserve our road surface and good-neighbor relationships if we drive no more than the speed limit. In the spirit of good-natured encouragement, here's a little quip to remind us to slow down and take better care of our road and our neighbors:

           "Every year we buy stones to level our ride--but the faster we drive, the farther they fly!"

The issue of snow plowing also came up--in the context of the damage done in the past to the road surface and with a request that the plowed snow not be piled up so that it blocks access to homes. Several residents asked that the plowman put a guard/spacer on his blade to prevent scraping too close to the surface and displacing our precious gravel, and that he angle the blade to push the snow off to the side of the road. The Association officers will see to it that whatever contractor does the plowing receives these stipulations in writing.

On the topic of the condition of Lake Champlain, the Hartls (#105) reported that they attended this summer's official water-quality meeting. And the news was rather dire, with phosphorus levels increasing dramatically by five- to tenfold with the heavy rainfall this year. The commission gave useful advice on controlling bank erosion and minimizing homeowner contribution to the declining water quality, but reported little in the way of large-scale efforts to solve the lake's problems. To obtain printed materials, homeowners can ask for "Shoreline Stabilization Handbook" from the NW Regional Planning Commission in St. Albans (802.524.5958 or nrpcvt@nrpcvt.com) and "A Cleaner Bay Starts at Home" from St. Albans Town (802.524.2415).

Next Meeting

We haven't set a firm date for our next get-together, but we agreed that mid-to-late June is preferable to Memorial Day weekend. We'll discuss particulars in the spring.  Meanwhile, have a wonderful Autumn!