Category: Franklin

Meeting called to order at 2:00pm
In Attendance: Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Mike Pincus, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan, and Janet Burgess

Financial: The most recent snow will probably cost around $5000 but we will still be ahead so far on the snow budget.

In December we had a water leak and we spent
$5000 to repair it. The water bill had gone from $700 to $1800. We did not have a surplus last year and ended up just about even.

Landscaping: 542 – Dom Aleardi submitted a Landscaping Request for rejuvenation planting work to be done at the front of his home. He will be paying for the work himself and the request was approved.

The trees near 530 will be removed and the area regraded which should stop the water from running down in front of the garage door area.

The new plantings will be reviewed on Thursday during the walk around. We would like to get the plants ordered so they can be put in early.

Rejuvenation: This is finished other than fourteen trees that have to be removed. The tree estimate is around $11K for the removal.

New Residents 522 – John Marchegiano and Lisa Drummond

Pool: Margaret Callahan and Bill Shipley are working on the pool to prepare for the opening. An email will go out in late April, early May to ask for volunteers to take a week
tending to the pool needs. Once again, any week without volunteers will result in the pool being closed for that week.

Documents: Waiting for approval to send them out.
Committee List for 2022: The list is incomplete due to lack of volunteers. Committees without a chair person and volunteers may be inactive. The Village needs residents to
step up and take care of and have an interest in our Village.

Old Business: Lint Doctor completed cleaning vents for those residents who responded to their calls. Several owners are away and should contact Lint Doctor on their return. The consensus on Lint Doctor’s work was mostly satisfactory.

Parking lines: These will be done in warmer weather

Rackover Suit: In Discovery – nothing new to report.

Walking Trail – Some additional plantings are needed for extra privacy and it looks as
though several items are dying and may need replacement. This will be discussed with Ed McFalls and HMLD

New Business:  Some front doors/entrances are in dire need of painting.  Architectural Committee will be asked to inspect all door/entrances and report back to Council which homes may need sprucing up.

The MA paid the bill to repair the FV lights at the North Gate corner including the lights for our Village Wall. Two of the pole lamps on Mill Rd are still tilted and need to be straightened. This is also a MA responsibility.

CSK will send be sending out the candidate forms in the beginning of April. The forms completed by those who wish to run for council will then be sent out to the village. The election will be held at the May open meeting.

The next council meeting is 4/4/2022 at 2PM

Meeting called to order at 2:00pm

In Attendance: Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Mike Pincus, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan, and Janet Burgess

Reading of the minutes from 1/10/22 meeting was waived

Financial: Last year’s numbers revealed that we broke even due to the water leak, which deleted the surplus we expected. We have spent over $9000 in snow/ice removal and salting so far this year.

Architectural: There was a discussion on the painting of exterior doors. Some doors in the village need it. Also, there is stucco under decks requiring pressure washing, patching and painting. The Architectural Committee will do a walk-around to determine the need for these items. We may have to set up projects for these items for next year.

Landscaping:  Items that have to be removed or rejuvenated have been identified and in some cul-de-sacs, they have been marked. Due to the age of the Rhododendrons in the village, many of them are not able to be rejuvenated. They will be removed and replaced. The Landscape Committee still has no chair person. There are still items that need to be addressed regarding the Walking Trail. Dom has been in touch with Ed Mc Falls regarding these items and the promises they made to Franklin when they asked for permission to proceed with the trail.

All ground cover that grows up to and around shrubs and trees, has to be removed at least 2 feet from the roots of the shrubs/trees. Leaving them in place will result in the strangling of the existing trees and plants. This is the responsibility of the unit owners.  Replacement of any plants that die as a result of ground cover will not be paid for by the Village. Many owners have not complied with the fall cleanup. All annuals have to be pulled out and all perennials cut back in the fall to insure their growth in the spring.  If you have not done so please have it done by April 1.

Pool:  The pool has been turned over the new co-chairs, Bill Shipley and Margaret Callahan. Dom has given them all the paperwork and advised that he and Jeanette will be available to help them for the first year.

Documents:  Recently revised Rules of the Village will be sent out to the village by email.

Parking: Striping of certain parking areas will be addressed when the warmer weather arrives.

Lighting:  CSK has contacted Ed Mc Falls with regard to the Mill Road lighting on the Franklin side of the road, the lighting on the Franklin Wall at the corner, and the exposed wiring. He has given CSK permission to engage John Panelli of Camo to resolve these issues.

Old Business: The attorney assigned to the Rackover law suit advised that Hershey’s Mill has been released from the law suit. The initial investigation that was done revealed there was nothing wrong with the walkway and the weather was clear at the time she fell.

Storage:  The village has a lot of items (siding, Holiday decorations etc.) which are currently being stored in the garages of some residents. We need a place where we can house these items. Dom is looking into the cost of putting a shed behind the fence near the shed/concrete seating area. This is an exploratory issue at the present time.

 

The meeting adjourned at 3:20PM

The next Council meeting is 3/14/22 2PM

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting called to order at 2:00pm

In Attendance: Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Mike Pincus, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan, and Janet Burgess

Reading of the December minutes was waived.

Financial: We haven’t received our year-end result yet. Janet advised that we had a high reading for water due to a leak in front of 588-Hammerschmidt.

Architectural: The addition at 536 – Peggy Covatta is going well. The contractor is doing a great job.

Landscaping: We received the bid from AC Tree regarding the remaining rejuvenation of the cul-de-sacs. We are planning a hard trimming rather than rejuvenation. So in other words, the rhododendrons won’t be cut down to the nub. Perennials are required to be cut back in the fall. Landscape Committee will be doing a walk around to make sure it has been done.

We also have a problem with ground cover in several locations. Residents will be notified that they must remove ground cover from around bushes and trees by 2 feet and not be invasive to structures. According to the Franklin Village Landscape Guidelines, no ground cover is and never was allowed to be planted. If not done, Council will have it removed at homeowner’s expense. If a bush or tree dies because of ground cover invasion they will not be replaced at the Village’s expense.

Welcome committee: A welcome packet was dropped off to Mary Curran and Margaret Dolan at 539. Linda and Spence Videon 556 and Lisa and Michael Psenicska 574 have not moved in yet.

Pool committee: Dom Aleardi and Jeanette Schmid will schedule a meeting this month with Margaret Callahan and Bill Shipley to discuss management of the pool.

Documents: Mike advised that we should go over the Franklin Village rules to see if any up-dating is needed. The last review was in 2020.

Old Business: We still have parking issues in the Upper cul-de-sac. Council is considering painting stripes in the problem areas. The lights at Mill and Chandler near our wall were not working at times. The light pole by the walking trail crossing is out. We also discussed the leaning poles on Mill Rd. This is a Master Association responsibility and was informed months ago. Dom has been in contact with Ed McFalls about this issue and was told it will be corrected. We are still waiting.

New Business: Rackover law suit – they have requested a jury trial. The Association’s insurance carrier has assigned counsel. Said Counsel will be in touch with CSK for any pertinent information needed.

An email was sent reminding residents that Christmas trees can be put out for trash pickup this week. The new vendor, Blosenski, has started collecting our trash and recycling. So far there have been no complaints.

Snow Removal: HML’s fees for snow removal will now be based on the number of inches per snowfall rather than per event. Franklin Village will also be billed separately for each specific service such as salting, shoveling and cleanup.
Janet noted that HML can return after snow has been cleared to do a follow-up cleaning, only with approval of council.

Meeting adjourned at 2:25 PMThe next council meeting is 2PM 2/14/22 at Sullivan House, barring any new Covid restrictions?

 

Meeting called to order at 2:00pm

In Attendance:  Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Mike Pincus, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan, and Janet Burgess

Reading of the November minutes was waived.

The Council meeting schedule for 2022 was approved

Financial:  Jay Harter reported there are 3 delinquent accounts for the last quarter’s fees.

We may break even this year if there is no snow before 1/1/22. We will end up with somewhere between 8K and 12K surplus. Jay suggests we use that for the rejuvenation next year. There is 15K in the 2022 budget for landscaping and $10K for trees.

Architectural:  Deck replacement for 536 has started. Paul Day bid $1100 to eliminate water in 2 basements at 596, 597 and 598. The work was approved by council.

Landscaping:  The throughway in Franklin is done. Two trees will be moved but they have to wait until spring.  HML has not been doing things the way they were asked to do them.  Flags were put where things should be planted and they would take up the flags and put the plants someplace else. They were supposed to deep water the plants after they were planted but they did not comply. We have contacted AC Tree regarding a bid for the three remaining cul-de-sacs.

Lighting: We have street lights that are leaning. The light on the corner of Mill and Franklin has been out for months. These problems have been reported to Ed McFalls but nothing has been done to date.  So far this year 36 garage bulbs have been replaced.

Pool:  We have potential volunteers for the Pool Chair and Co-Chair – Bill Shipley and Margaret Callahan. Dom will meet with them to discuss the particulars of the duties of the chair people.

Old Business:  We have a parking issue with units 538 to 541. We may have to stripe these spots to show where parking is allowed. This would allow 3 cars to park in the area.

New business: CSK will send a letter to Ed McFalls about the light poles on Mill

Road. Effective 1/1/22 our new sanitation company will be Blosinski.

The meeting was adjourned at 3PM. The next meeting is 1/10/22 at 2PM.

Meeting called to order at 2:00pm

In Attendance:  Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Mike Pincus, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan, and Janet Burgess

Reading of the October minutes was waived.

Financial:  Jay advised that some residents are behind on their quarterly fee payments. Janet Burgess stated that is due to the slow mail delivery.

Rejuvenation: We haven’t paid HML yet because the work is not completed.  We have their proposal but not their final bill. Cost for replacement plants after the rejuvenation this fall is still undetermined. Also, we won’t know until spring how many rejuvenated plants will not survive and require replacement

Budget:  The 2022 Budget was brought up for discussion. The quarterly fee will go up $50 (3%) due to the increases in our expenses. Trash alone is up 26%. Aqua has applied for a 17% increase but it is not likely to get that. There are more trees in Franklin that need to be taken down. There are still some grading and draining issues that will have to be addressed.

A motion to approve the operating budget was made and voted on. 3 were in favor and 2 were opposed.

Architectural:  Deck painting – some of decks are not the required color.  All decks should be the same color.  Enclosed porches that have faded should be painted.  One porch has been done and it looks nice. Another problem is repair of steps. If the resident put the steps in, (this includes the prior owner) the responsibility for repairs remains with the current owner.  If Franklin Village put in the steps, repairs are paid for by the Village.

Landscaping: There are trees that have grown over the tops of some roofs. We will check with AC Trees to see if they will trim trees for our village. A committee has reviewed plants that will be planted along the walking trail and will review new plants in the rejuvenated area.

Welcome Committee: Trudy D’innocenzo of 587 was visited by Patti George.

Diane Kratsa of 585 was given the material distributed by the Welcome Committee.

Pool Committee:  There is nothing new to report other than we still need a Chair and Co-Chair. Ideas were discussed, such as filling in the pool and creating a gathering place, perhaps with a tent over top to hold social events during warm weather.

Documents: The proposal for the continuation of the rejuvenation was signed and approved by council. A copy is part of these minutes.

Old Business:  Parking continues to present issues.  A little courtesy towards your neighbors goes a long way.

Work Orders:  An area of roofing needs replacement to prevent further interior water damage in one unit.  Another work order was issued for repairs to siding at one unit that is damaged.

The Capital Improvement increase will go up effective 1/1/2022. It will require buyers to pay 2 quarterly fees when purchasing a unit in Franklin Village. This can be negotiated between the seller and the buyer. The amount will be $3460. This is in addition to the Capital payment to Hershey’s Mill HOA.

The next council meeting is 12/13/21 at 2PM.

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MOTION FOR THE REJUVENATION OF THE VILLAGE LANDSCAPE

On the 1st day of November 2021 the Franklin Village Council unanimously approved a multi-year Motion for the Rejuvenation of the Village Landscape. The Rejuvenation will continue until completed and approved by the Franklin Village Council.

The cost of the Rejuvenation Project will be paid for by the following funding streams and approved by the Franklin Village Council which may include one or any combination thereof:

• The Reserve Funds
• A Special Assessment
• An Increase of the Quarterly Fees

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Meeting called to order at 4:00pm

In Attendance:  Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan, and Janet Burgess

Reading of the September minutes was waived.

Master Association Minutes will be on the hersheysmill.org website.

Finance: We don’t have our 3^rd quarter report yet. Jay called them today. There are 20 working days from the end of the month, today is the 11^th. You’re looking at 10/20 so they should be out this week.  Jay asked about power washing. It is done every other year. Architectural will check to see if it’s needed.

Architectural:  Jeanette reported that there is nothing of import to discuss.

Landscaping:  The fall walk-around will be done soon.

Rejuvenation – A walk around was done and a list made of things plants that should be removed and rejuvenated. There are about 250 plants along the road through the village. Some of the work that should have been done at the time of the spring walk around is still not done.  Work will be checked before approving payments. Plantings will be done some time after the rejuvenation.

Janet has recommended that we renew with HML for snow removal.

A letter or email will be sent out to villagers explaining that it is their responsibility  to maintain ground cover and plants/shrubs etc. in the rear of their units.

Pool: To date there has been no response to a request for someone to take over the pool duties.  As mentioned, if there is no chair person and co-chair, the pool cannot open next year.

Documents:  Mike Pincus is working on a document for insuring the continuation of the rejuvenation project.

New Business:  Unit 574 has undergone remediation for termites. Unit 530 has multiple areas of siding that has been damaged. Unit 541 will have a new gutter installed to prevent further water damage.

The meeting adjourned at 5:20PM

The next council meeting is 11/1/2021 at 2PM

THE ANNUAL OPEN BUDGET MEETING IS 11/9/2021 AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER AT 7PM

Below is an update from the FV Council regarding Village projects:

Pebble board repairs are complete.  Please notify your Architectural Zone Leader if yours is incomplete.

Garage stucco is now being addressed.  Curt will repair the stucco and return at a later date to paint it.

Village signs have been updated.

The first phase of tree removal has been completed by AC Tree Experts.  By going out to bid we saved approximately 1/3 the cost.

A rough cut out of the walkway has been completed.  The original plan was to direct walkers into the street at the corner of Mill and Chandler.  We all know this is a busy intersection, so for the safety of walkers it was redirected to behind the wall.  A committee has been selected to oversee the plantings along the walkway.

Our Village is 37 years old and our original plantings are in need of attention.  Please be patient during this rejuvenation.

HML is far behind in their contractual maintenance of our Village and other villages.  HML will be doing the pruning, rejuvenation and removal of some plants in the colder months.  Green ribbons represent rejuvenation and white ribbons removal of plants.

As a reminder, if you have annuals and/or perennials planted, such as hostas and day lilies, it is time to maintain them.  Also ground covers are the responsibility of the homeowner and must be kept away from the base of bushes and trees by 2’ and are not allowed to grow up the exterior of structures.

This ongoing work will keep our Village looking great for years to come.

Franklin Village Council

Meeting called to order at 4:00pm

In Attendance:  Dom Aleardi, Michael Pincus, Jay Harter, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the August minutes was waived.

Master Association Minutes will be on the hersheysmill.org website

Franklin Village

Financial:  Three units are behind on Quarterly fees.  FV insurance has increased by 4%, HML has increased 4+% and Trash has also increased their fees. We are awaiting Verizon’s contract to see their increase.

Architectural:  The committee will be checking decks to see if any of them are original to the unit.  They may need repair or replacement due to age. A recent purchase was delayed by the township due to the condition of the deck.

An approval has been granted for a stick built porch at unit 593. Council approved this, pending specs and drawing from the contractor.  Unit 583 will replace the retaining wall next to the shed and the owner is paying for it. This has been approved. Unit 539 requested a railing on their walkway. Architecture and Council have approved the Architectural request.  We are waiting for the contractor’s insurance information.

Maintenance:  The village is in dire need of a maintenance committee to handle minor issues that we would otherwise have to pay to have done. This does not require professionals.  It would include things like painting trim around garage doors, replacing garage and street lamp bulbs, replacing missing numbers from mailboxes, etc. Materials will be provided or reimbursed by CSK.

Landscaping:  598 has requested to have 3 shrubs moved, paid for by the owner. Unit 541 has had water entering the window well.  They requested to have a holly and an azalea removed. The azalea roots have been damaged due to putting in a trench for drainage, so it will be removed.  The Holly is not near the trench, so the village will not pay for its removal.

The walk-around done by Dom, Maggie Thompson and Chris from HML to review the rejuvenation of some of the plants, did not get too far before realizing that this is a HUGE undertaking. The rejuvenation will involve cutting older shrubs down to their nub and allowing them to grow back. After some discussion, it was decided to get a quote from HML to do the fronts of all units.

Then council will decide how to proceed and whether or not a special assessment will be necessary.

Pool committee: The new cover will go on this week. A tarp will be purchased to cover the some of the furniture outside for the winter. Dom advised we will need a Chairperson and Co-Chair to head the pool committee next year. The current Chair and Co-Chair will assist the new volunteers to get them started. Council is looking for volunteers. The pool can’t open without a committee and new volunteers.  Financial planning is required to handle the replacement of the apron around the pool and the fencing, which will be needed soon.

New Business:  Unit 570 has had water settling on the patio up against the rear of the house.  An end cap was put on the diverter to resolve this.  There is a tree in front of the unit that is diseased but not in any danger of falling. Unit 550 – we have 3 estimates for repairs to the top flag stone and riser of the stoop.

Walking Trail: Binding agreement for the Walking Trail has been signed. Work should start this week.

Storm Damage:

524, 541, 595, 598 and 602 have water issues from all the recent storms. These problems have been turned over to HML and will be addressed. The storm drains were unable to handle the huge amount of water runoff.  Mulch and debris blocked some of the drains causing even more problems.

Meeting adjourned at 5:20PM

The next Council meeting is 10/4/21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 quarter 2017 update

(Much of this was covered at the 5/23 meeting

that was attended by almost 80 owners. I’ll just recap

the meeting notes and add any new items since then.)

Master Association:

Bob Bonner, Priscilla Burt and Rick Herschel re-elected to board

 

• Center is completed and meetings are being scheduled in the new meeting room. Pool is open for the season.
• Walking Trail completed to Devonshire. The next phase to Zephyr should be completed this year. A small portion may be added from Inverness to Sullivan House to complete the 360 degree trail.
• Clickers/swipers will be a thing of the past soon. Letter from security sent out with explanations. Each home will be called to determine how many of the new “Proximity Cards” they get based on number of clickers and swipe cards they have listed now. When completed, automobile built-in openers will not work. All this is being done for better security.
• A wall and fence combination will be built soon to replace the current chain-link fence from the East gate to Inverness. Also the current fence/wall along Greenhill will be spruced up and have the shingles on top replaced.
• An update on the Sunoco pipeline project from Joe Bove, president of Quaker was sent out. You can visit the East Goshen web page for additional info, including traffic updates.
• The changeover to Verizon is moving ahead. The infrastructure plans have been in the works for a few months since the contract was awarded, and now signed. Early plans have the fiber optics coming in from the North gate so preliminary plans have Heatherton and Glenwood being the first two villages outfitted with fiber optics and Franklin Our installation should start on July 5^th.

The meetings by the telecom committee spokespeople, the Kanes, have been well attended and informative. For anyone missing their village meeting the committee has scheduled 2 open meetings at the Community Center June 15^th at 7pm and June 22d at 2pm.

• The June concert has been postponed until June 25 because of potential rain.

 

Franklin Village

• Mulch replenishment should start wk of 6-11.
• Mildew power washing scheduled for summer
• Gutter cleaning budgeted for Summer and Fall
• The fill and grass seed around the new asphalt is complete. Please water daily any areas near your unit, if you can. If not, please contact a council member so we can try to arrange for alternate watering if we get a dry spell.
• The Franklin sign on Mill will be relocated for better viewing.
• Stop signs from the 3 cul-de-sacs to the main road are on order.
• Moyer termite control will be testing each residence and the village will pay for any remediation if termites are found. From now on the inspections will be the owner’s responsibility. It is suggested for owners to schedule an inspection every year or two since the village pays for termite removal, but not any damage caused by termites.
• The garage door exterior trim program is finalized. Owners will pay just $55 to have it done and will be billed the $55 along with the next quarterly bill.
• We will be replacing all the mail boxes soon and will be removing the extra mail box for printed info as most owners now utilize e mail.
• New Architectural and Maintenance regulations were handed out at the meeting. If you didn’t get a copy contact any of your council members for
• The pool is now open and some get-togethers have been planned by Eileen Rackover and her Social Committee. The pool has been cleaned up and new furniture ordered. Thanks to Dom and Jeanette and the cleaning volunteers for a job well done.
• With our major expenses now behind us our reserves should be in good shape for the foreseeable future per Jay Harter. We are currently conducting a survey as to the shape of our 15 year old roofs (40 year warrantee) and hopefully they will be good for at least another 5-10 years or more. With the shape of our roofs, vinyl coated siding, concrete walkways, new garage doors and newly asphalted street and new mail boxes we look great and still have one of the lowest quarterly fees of all our peer villages.

Meeting called to order at 4:05pm

In Attendance:  Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan Sandy Ogletreeand Janet Burgess

Reading of the July minutes waived.

Financial:  Jay reported that we were about $4000 over budget for June. Two water bills were paid instead of one and we were about $3000 over because of the pebble board and signs.

Architectural:  556 is sold.  The deck needs to be replaced.  The township denied a Certificate of Occupancy until the deck is replaced and some electrical issues are resolved.

Going forward, owners will obtain information, specifications and photos for replacements of windows and doors and present the information to the committee. They must look the same and conform to the standards already in place. The committee will review the information presented for approval.  Requests will be presented to Council for final approval. Council has approved the replacements at 552. Unit 522 may need a new downspout. Council is looking into it.

Landscaping:  Sandy, Dom and Mike met with Chris from HML. They discussed the ground cover issue.  HML covers that in our contract. Ground cover that grows up to trees and shrubs will eventually kill the trees and shrubs and must be cut back. That is why we have many dying trees and shrubs. We have informed HML not to put mulch up against the trees and shrubs. Another problem we have is that the work being done by HML is not checked afterwards by a supervisor. Rejuvenation projects will be estimated and put into next year’s budget.

Our insurance agent advised us to trim trees at the corners of the 527 and 548 cul de sac for safety reasons. These trees will be limbed up to provide visibility for vehicles turning into the cul de sac and for people walking there.

Pool:  The pool will close 9/13/21. Social events may still take place until the end of September, weather permitting.

Work being done: Curt is patching the missing stucco at the bottoms of garages. The cul de sac address signs are done and will be installed by Curt Varallo. He is also painting the Speed Limit Signs.

Walking Trail:  Ed McFalls has not responded to our proposal on the walking trail yet but has  indicated that the proposal appears to be in order.

Parking:  One issue that was presented to council has been resolved. If you do not own a vehicle, you may rent your garage. If you own one vehicle, you must park your vehicle in your garage according to the Village Rules

Documents:  Mike reported that his research and conversations with Attorneys support the position taken at the open meeting on June 24th that absentee voting pursuant to By-Law Section 11.1 Amendments will not be accepted. Every homeowner should have the opportunity to participate in an open discussion for or against the By-Law Amendment before casting their vote. By-Laws were crafted as the governing documents relating to the operation of HOA and Community Associations and as Legal opinions indicate in By-Law Section 5.4 permitting Absentee Voting does not apply pursuant to By-Law Section 11.1 Amendments. Mike Pincus spoke to a real estate Attorney who represents 2 of the largest Real Estate entities in the 5 County Areas in Southeast PA. His legal fee is $375 per hour with a minimum requirement of 10 hours to issue an opinion letter to state what I just reported and what I tried to explain at the June 24th meeting. In my opinion spending $3750 on a legal fee regarding this matter is not fiscally responsible. We are in the process of rejuvenating our village landscape where the $3750 would be best applied.

The Rules Committee will be meeting to review the Parking Regulations.

The meeting adjourned at 5:50 PM. The next meeting will be September 13 at 4PM