Category: Franklin

Meeting commenced at 4:02PM

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

Reading of June 14^th minutes waived.

President’s Report: The Master Association’s meeting notes are on the internet.

Republic Trash: They are still dropping oil in our village when they collect trash. Dom called Ed Mc Falls and the MA and neither has gotten back to him with any information.  Janet suggested having a rep from Republic come to meet with us at the village. She will send an email asking for an on site meeting with a rep. Republic covers all the villages. After their truck left Franklin they went to Princeton and left oil and green paint on the roadway there.

The lighting on Mill Road from Chandler to Franklin has been out for over 2 weeks. We don’t know if it’s related to the outage of lights from 521 to 526 in Franklin. Ed McFalls notified Janet that the lighting problem on Mill was turned over to Steve Converse who is the MA electrician.  We also have 2 lights that are leaning. That was included in the message Janet sent to Ed.

Dom sent the proposal for the walking trail to Ed McFalls and we have not heard from him. They were in a hurry to get started on the trail but they have not gotten back to us.

Financial: Jay reported that the gutter cleaning charge, $2268, was booked to the wrong account. It should have gone to gutter cleaning.  The $1640 for signage was for moving the sign on Mill Rd. near the North Gate. We had money in the reserve for new signage but I don’t think it will cover for the restoration. We have a $24,000 budget for landscaping and we haven’t spent anything yet but $1000. He had one tree vendor come in with prices: we had another 2 that didn’t show up and one more coming next week. The tree removal may come to over $10K but that still leaves us with money.  Dom said we will have limb-up to do and planting.

HML gave him a price of $5600 for some of the tree removal, those deemed to be the most dangerous. There’s another $1500 to limb up some of the trees and for some other landscaping issues. We’re waiting for Jay’s tree proposals so we can move forward.

Regarding the Capital increase some villages are proposing. If times get a little tough, we’re asking people to put up $5000 before they even buy a house. Janet reported that you can go up to a years worth of quarterly fees. Most villages charge 2 quarters and we charge one. The Mill charge is around $2300.  Everyone thought it was a good idea to raise the Capital increase.  Janet suggested doing it in January. We should send out a notice about the increase. It becomes a negotiable item between seller and buyer.

No one thought it would negatively affect sales. The vote was 4 to 1 for raising the quarterly contribution fee to 2 months effective 1/1/2022.

Architectural: Sandy advised a resident wants to paint her storm door.  Dom looked at the door and it is in bad shape. She was willing to pay Curt to paint it. Curt has done doors in the past and they look nice. As long as the doors are painted professionally, it should be allowed.  The architectural committee will have to insure the architectural request form is within the guidelines and advise the resident if so. Everyone voted in favor of approving.

A resident wants a patio enclosure in a new color that matches the siding. Going forward Architectural will only approve colors that match the siding as close as possible. The deck cannot exceed the property’s metes and bounds. Motion to approve the new color was made and seconded.

The Architectural Committee is considering privacy screens.  Council wants to allow this on a case to case basis. The resident should have samples of the material being used when they present their architectural request.

The Committee is looking at less expensive requirements for windows and doors. If we allow vinyl or composite materials, it would be a lot less expensive. This should determined on a case by case basis which puts the onus on the homeowner to get the information and then the committee can review the architectural request form info to see if it meets quality specs, matches our style and is the proper color.  This item is tabled for further investigation.

When a committee sends a list of things that residents must do and they don’t comply, the issues are sent to council for disposition.

A resident wants to replace the rotted railroad ties along the edge of their patio. It forms a bank and it needs to be replaced.  We should get an estimate on the cost from Curt. If the estimate over $500, Council should review and vote on it.

Landscaping:   We were notified by HML on 2 occasions that many residents have ground cover growing into their shrubs and trees. This will have a negative effect on the shrubs and trees, eventually killing them. A letter will be sent to homeowners who have groundcover growing up to shrubs and trees advising they must remove the groundcover. One unit has ivy growing up onto the garage. They have to cut it back from the shrubs and trees. If they fail to comply by the end of August, we will have HML do it and send them the bill. They will be directed to call Dom Aleardi if they don’t understand this directive.

Welcome committee: Patti George advised 561 went to settlement on 7/15. The new owner is Patricia Uphoffss.  Unit 539 – 2 ladies are moving in. Margaret Dolan and Mary Curran

Pool Committee: The weather has been better for swimming and the exercise classes. The volunteers and the pool company are doing a good job.

Dom requested that anyone sending information to him regarding unit/s should send separate emails for each address since they are stored in different folders.

New Business: Proposal for the spring walkabout: $5600 estimate received for the work HML proposes to do. This is for limbing up trees, removing dead branches, cleaning around the pool, trimming things that are hanging over the roadways.

The tree proposal is for taking down: A White Pine behind 556 and grinding the stump, a Norway spruce located down the first cul de sac from Mill, and a Maple tree on the left side of the Norway spruce should come down but 583 residents are asking us to leave it. HML will only cut down the dead branches. On the other side of the street, 593 has a Spruce tree and the roots are pulling up, creating a water issue for the unit, so we will take that down instead of the Maple at 583. We are waiting for Jay’s tree proposals on all of this work to see if they are comparable to HML’s.

In the fall we will do another walk-around to see what other trees should come down. There is a tree between 596 and 598.  598 would like to have it taken down and will pay 50% of the cost.

Termite Inspection: $4600 – The vendor walked around the village and did not notify anyone they were going to do the inspections. $4600 seems to be exorbitant. They never went into the houses. Moyer always went into the basements before. This time they came around outside, no one knew they were even there. All they did was check around the outside with a screwdriver. Janet said they would only check exteriors and if there was no infestation evidence they would not go inside. Back in 2019 it was made the responsibility of the homeowner to pay for termite inspection if they wanted one.  Then it was decided that the homeowner pays one year and the village the next year.

Signs: The $1600 bill was for Curt to move the sign on Mill Rd further down towards Franklin Way so it was more visible.  Goshen Signs gave Dom a price of $45 each to paint the 4 privacy/speed limit signs for our entrances. The 3 signs denoting the units located in each cul de sac are $45 each to paint, and $85 each for the new section of the signs which will be reflective and more visible.

Work Orders Log: Contractor contacted on 5/6 for weed whacker damage by HML to unit 604. This was fixed. Regarding 550, the flagstone issue, Janet found a mason who will do the work but he is behind in his schedule. He was the only person she found who would do the work. This is a big safety issue. Someone could easily fall off the slab. She will try to get back in touch to see how soon he can get to it.

570 had a grading issue in the rear. Water was getting onto her patio from the roof. Leroy installed a diverter on the roof and the problem appears to be resolved

601 had a roof leak in the bedroom. Leroy said he was caught up so this should have been taken care of. Dom will check.

Insurance:  Three units have not complied with submitting their insurance certificates to CSK.  Letters will be sent advising that they will be fined if the certificates are not received within 10 days of the date of the letter.

Next council meeting 8/9/21

Janet will set up our next meeting at Sullivan House in the dining room.

Meeting adjourned at 5:20PM

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 May minutes was waived.

Master Association Minutes will be on the hersheysmill.org website

Financial:  There are no outstanding owner payments due. The May results were reasonable. A couple of items have timing problems where we are under budget but haven’t spent the money yet. We’re okay until November, when we could get some snow.

Architectural:  Jeanette is chairing Architectural. There is a slider issue with one resident who had a sliding door installed. The color is okay. The door is not to FV guidelines but the construction is a material which is strong, doesn’t rot and looks the same as our current sliders. A request form was submitted after the work was done but has not yet been approved. Architectural is investigating the validity of updating the current requirements. If the installed doors are an acceptable replacement, the doors will be approved.

Landscaping:  Dom, Sandy Ogletree, and Maggie Thompson did a walk-around with Chris and Jason from HML. Chris will attend our general meeting on 6/24/21. He will explain the current condition of our village and what needs to be done going forward. He is suggesting we do rejuvenation: Cut down to the nubs and wait for everything to rejuvenate rather than tear things out and replace them. This would then be budgeted over several years.

We are still waiting for HML’s proposal following the walk-around noting items that are needed so we can prioritize what requires immediate action. It is in our contract that things that impede ingress and egress in our village need to be addressed immediately. There are a lot of walkways that are blocked by overgrown shrubs. Some of these items are clearly in our contract with HML but haven’t been done. There are quite a few trees that have to be taken down. We can obtain bids from other tree removal companies instead of having HML use their sub-contractor, Arader Tree, to do this work. The Landscaping committee’s zones are now coordinated with the Architectural Committee’s. HML trucks and equipment have been driving through Franklin in the early AM hours on their way to other villages. We have asked HML to tell their drivers not to cut through Franklin if not working in our village. They also need to stop discarding their trash near their work areas and putting cigarettes out in the mulch and roadways. We have a 90-day cancellation clause in our contract with HML if they are not performing to the contract specs. However, we would then need a new landscaper and snow removal service. We will look into vetting some contractors in the event we need to invoke the cancellation clause.

One request was received to plant a red maple tree to replace shrubs that were removed 2 years ago. The homeowner is paying for the tree and FV for the planting. This was approved by committee.

Welcome Committee:  One new resident has moved in.

Pool committee: Weather has not been great but the pool is open. The exercise group has started their weekly classes.

Documents:  By now homeowners should have received the proposal regarding the 11^th Amendment to the By-Laws. The two areas to be discussed are repeal of Exhibit D which is the specifications for the installation of the patio enclosures and deck enclosures. We want to wipe that out and allow homeowners who wish to do something like that apply to the architectural committee. A vote will be taken on that issue. The 2^nd Amendment Article 6.4 regarding a vacancy to the village council should be filled temporarily until the next annual election is very vague. It should read: “If a vacancy to council should result from the death, resignation or removal of any member, even though less than a quorum is present, and by majority vote, a replacement should be appointed to complete the term of the council person who has died, resigned or was removed.

Mike received a certified copy of the 10^th Amendment and will send a copy to Janet Burgess.

Walking Trail:  Ed McFalls sent us a copy of the diagram of plantings to be put in by the HOA if approval is given by FV to put in the trail. The diagram includes numerous flowers, which FV does not want.  We want shrubbery and trees that will provide privacy for the unit owners on Chandler. We do not want any flowers.  We also want the HOA to maintain the plantings for at least 2 years so they can then become established and survive on their own with Mother Nature watering them. We should not have to make residents drag hoses up the hill to water new plantings. The HOA should also maintain trimming of the plantings. The area where the trail will go is very narrow. We want to know where the trail will go behind foliage that is already there. What will happen if after the trees are removed the area is a lot more open than previously thought?  Another question: Will HML be able to handle this monumental project and complete it, including putting in the plantings before winter?

General Meeting:  Dom would like council to meet before the general meeting to firm up an agenda.

Old Business:  Unit 550 has damage to the front facing and stoop at the entrance. CSK is waiting for a proposal.  Part of the work is the responsibility of the owner. We can possibly notify them that we are having a contractor do the work and then send them a bill for their portion of the work. We can provide the amount to them prior to the work being done.

New Business:  J B Contracting has started cleaning out the gutters and eaves.  The three-directional signs in the village denoting the house numbers in each cul-de-sac are in need of repair. Dom is waiting for a proposal on this work from Hogan Signs.

One unit has water pouring onto their patio due to grading. HML will take a look to see what the problem is and if it is part of the HML contract to repair it.

Pet Rules:  Village pet rules are established and will be sent by email to residents of Franklin.

Insurance: Copies of residents’ insurance policy Declarations Page, showing owners are covered for the Village’s policy deductible, are required every year.  Owners should inform their agents they should send a copy to CSK when their policy renews.

The meeting adjourned at 5:20PM

The next Council meeting is 7/12/21 – We can meet at the Ardmore upstairs at the Community Center. Janet will call to reserve the room.

Meeting called to order at 4:00pm

In Attendance:  Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the April minutes was waived.

Financial:  1 unit has not paid their HOA fee.  We are $3000 over budget due to snow removal.  We won’t know until December if that amount increases.

Architectural:  Several decks are not in compliance with the allowed color and have to be painted. A letter will go out advising that all decks must be painted dark brown. The front of 550 has to be repaired and a letter will be sent advising owner to repair the step and mortar. After the step is repaired, the village will fix the bottom.  Moving the Franklin sign on Mill away from the trees was approved.

Landscaping:  We were supposed to walk with Chris from HML tomorrow and he is tied up for the week, so it won’t be done until next week. A couple of trees have to come down and there are bushes that need to be replaced.

Welcome:   Unit 525 is now occupied and 538 will be occupied after 5/24. Units 556, 539 and 561 will be going on the market soon,

Pool:  The pool is ready to go. The cover will be removed and the pool cleaned up on 5/24, weather permitting.  Tables and chairs are already out.  HML needs to pay attention to the landscaping around the entrance to the pool.  We have a full list of volunteers for the summer. We are waiting for the MA’s rules regarding the usage of the pool by guests and children.

Documents:  Mike is in the process of preparing to delete the section regarding the enclosures from the By-Laws. We have to bring that to a vote by the homeowners. A notice has to go out in the mail to homeowners.

Walking Trail:  A meeting of the residents on Chandler to walk the area of the proposed  trail was held on Saturday 5/8.  Ed McFalls and Chris from HML attended. The residents walked along Chandler and discussed planned removal and replacement of trees and shrubs.  After the walk, we agreed to have a meeting at the pool to go over the proposal submitted by Ed and Chris.  We will have the meeting on Wednesday 5/19/21 at the pool. Dom advised Ed and Chris that we want a 3 year guarantee of the plantings.  We also have to get everyone to sign off on the trail so we don’t run into issues later.

Election:  Following the meeting, council took the annual vote of president and vice president.  Dom Aleardi was nominated and seconded as president and Mike Pincus as vice president.  Jack did not wish to remain on council and resigned.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 PM.

The next council meeting is 6/14. There will be an open general meeting on 6/24 at the Community Center.

MASTER ASSOCIATION and FRANKLIN VILLAGE – COUNCIL MEETING NOTES – April 12, 2021

Meeting called to order at 4:00pm

In Attendance:  Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the March minutes was waived.

Master Association Meeting

Community Center:  The drawings are coming in from George but they are rudimentary sketches. There will be a portico over the steps, so people being dropped off won’t get wet if it’s raining.

Covid 19:  HM will proceed along with Governor Wolfe’s rules, 25% indoors and 150 people outdoors.  The pool will operate pretty much as it did last year.

Sports Group:  The bocce courts have been groomed so they can be used this year while they put 3 new ones down by the Wood Shop. When they do this work, they will try to put in an outdoor restroom. It appears they may approve a different kind of cover for the tennis court. The grass that they have now is about 7 or 8 years old. It’s supposed to last 10 years but every time they groom it, the sand takes up more and more space. They can rent a machine that can dig up some of the sand and make 2 of the courts back to where they were originally.  Then they will add 2 clay courts, with underground water.

Technology Committee:  The new website is close to being complete. It’s easier to handle and change the text and pictures ourselves. It also has a new section called “services” for info on our sewer system, landscape company and HMTV station. The new support company is also half of what we are paying now.”

Storm water Concerns:  They have proposals for Springton, Devonshire, Merrifield and Chatham. They will be spending money trying to keep the water out of these villages and into the golf course.

Sunoco:  They are pretty much done in front of Hershey’s Mill. As far as restoration is concerned, they won’t be putting in any trees but they are trying to get some berms put in. The problem is they won’t let us put them on top of or near the pipeline because they say the maximum amount of dirt is 6 feet and the berm would be too much. So they may put the berms in front of and behind the pipe line. The Adelphia pipeline that runs by Franklin is being worked on right now. They may be pumping oil up to Allentown in about 6 months. They had to change a few things because they are piping something different now. They did a lot of work on the treatment for the lagoons and besides adding chemicals they are adding aeration which would keep the smell down.

Dog Exercise Area:  Would be located at the corner of Chandler and the Stop sign behind the 13^th hole. It will have plastic picket fencing and screening inside. The rules are that you can bring your dog for exercise, but only 1 dog is allowed at a time for 15 minutes.  You have to sign a release and then call to schedule your dog’s appointment.

MA Election:  The candidates that have applied so far are the same ones we have now, Carol and Boyd.  If no one else applies, we won’t have to have an election.

Franklin Village Council Meeting

Financials: We only budgeted $19,000 for snow removal, but as we know, we have $30,000 in expenses.  We will see what the fall weather brings and hopefully there will be no snow until 2022. If the trail is approved by Franklin Village, we will be reimbursed the $9000 we spent in 2019 to remove the dead trees on Chandler.  That will help defray the snow removal expenses from 2021.

Architectural:  A resident wishes to tear their porch down to the ground and rebuild it and we are working with them to determine the different aspects of permits, insurance and see if the contractor is on file.  We have a question about the color. The committee believes we should find a vinyl siding type of color, something that will blend in with the siding.  The bronze color, when it fades, is horrible. So we think we should go with an off white color to match the siding if it’s a first floor addition.  We are talking about the patio enclosure made of aluminum frames with the sliding doors and windows.  The enclosure will match exactly what’s there now. They are not changing the roof line

Landscaping:  We are going to do a walk-around with Chris from HML.  Due to the poor job HML is doing and the many complaints that have been received, perhaps we should find a new landscaper and a new snow removal company. HML did not do a good job of snow plowing.  The workers have no supervision and phone calls are not returned. Workers are smoking on the job, which is prohibited and cigarette butts are put out on the ground. Ed McFalls is going on the walk-around, and hopefully Chris will be able to answer our questions at that time. Our current contract with HML is until 2023.  It can be terminated if they do not meet our contract requirements.

Welcome Committee:  A new resident moved into 525, Joanne Galczenski.

Pool:  Curt installed the new gate. .The deck was sagging on the outer end and he raised the deck as best he could and replaced wood pilings and other wood that had dry rot.

Documents:  We have to square away the docs that specify the porches.  Jack said that a few people are looking to put in Blue Bird houses.  They have to go through the Master Association since the number of houses allowed is limited.

Termite inspections:  CSK had a call from Moyer about doing the termite inspections which are due this year.  They will start 4/24 through the beginning of June.  They will contact homeowners directly to set up the inspections.  The village will pay for them.

Power Washing:  Was done last year and paid for by the village.

Chimney Caps:  They were replaced 8 years ago and Jack will ask Leroy to check them to see if they are up to code. We’ve had no problems with them since they are stainless steel and many fireplaces aren’t even being used.

The next meeting is May 10^th.

The meeting was adjourned 5:10PM

Meeting called to order at 4:00pm

In Attendance:  Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the February minutes was waived.

MASTER ASSOCIATION

PECO: 2 new switches have been installed to direct power to 2 different areas if one is out of power, which could reduce the time electricity is out in one of our 4 PECO areas. More trees will be removed or trimmed on Greenhill Rd.

HM Bus: The bus is not yet making trips but once it does, approximately 15 people will be allowed on the bus at one time. They are waiting on the Governor’s update.

Community Center Addition:  The drawings are not done but they have sketches that will be taken to the Township to see what E. Goshen will demand with regard to different construction regulations. There is a possibility that because it’s an addition to an original building they might require sprinklers. Preliminary drawings will be ready in a month.

Covid 19: Karl Gretz updated everyone’s concerns. Right now they are following Governor Wolf’s guidelines of 10 to 15% occupation. 150 are allowed at an outdoor activity. I brought up the concerts and if the governor increases the number above 400, we could have concerts. However, he is still calling for people to be 6 feet apart. They are looking into putting a generator in the Community Center so if the power goes out, people using oxygen can go there and heat will also be available. Another option would be solar panels that would allow for battery back-up for a while.

Technical Committee:  They are working with Paoli Hospital and Chester County Hospital to get a group vaccine here at HM. But we are not an assisted living facility. Since they are still working on inoculating occupants and workers at all the assisted care facilities first, by the time that is complete many of our owners will have already scheduled their shots.

Sports Group:  There is a problem with moving the bocce court over to near the Wood Shop because of impervious coverage issues with E. Goshen. There are 5 villages right now having problems with water. The villages have to build retention basins to hold the water so it doesn’t flood the villages which will offset the coverage issues with the new bocce courts. Several trees were removed by the current bocce courts in the area where they hope to be put a restroom.

SEWER & LAGOON:  They are going to treat the lagoon and the sewer system itself. Primarily it will be done with air dispensers and chemical treatments. New directors have been elected to the Greenhill Sewer Association.

FRANKLIN VILLAGE

FINANCIAL: We haven’t received the last snow removal bill but it appears that there may not be a need to have an assessment since we had sufficient money budgeted.

Architectural:  There will be no change in the awning that was previously approved.

Roadways: The seams in our road joints are starting to open up and need to be sealed. It will be scheduled this year. Janet Burgess made some recommendations of whom to use for this job.

Landscape:  HML is finally trimming the shrubs. Two units had trees removed and they will be replaced with shrubs. Our village will be mulched this year. It will probably be done in the next month or so.

Pool:  The pool was drained. Curt will be putting in the new gate and repairing the decking as weather permits.

Sales: Unit 525 has been sold.

The next council meeting is 4/12/21, also on Zoom.

Meeting adjourned at 4:55PM

Meeting called to order at 4:00pm

In Attendance:  Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the January minutes was waived.

MASTER ASSOCIATION

Community Center: A survey was taken to determine the items residents are interested having in the Community Center addition.  The most requested item was a fitness center.

Covid Update: HM is following the guidelines of the State.  The Paoli Room holds 12 people and the maximum number allowed is 10%, which is 1.2 people! There are a few villages still holding meetings at the Community Center and they are doing them in the 1^st floor main room.

Drainage Problems:  There are several villages having drainage problems, Springton, Devonshire, Chatham and Merrifeld. The MA is getting proposals to repair the problems of water going into villages from the golf course.

Sports Group:  The MA approved moving the Bocce and Shuffleboard courts over to the grassy area next to the Wood Shop. The area where the Bocce courts were previously located may be used for a outdoor restroom. They are also planning to put some bushes and trees there on Chandler by the sports area to provide some privacy from traffic.

Sunoco Pipeline:  They are done by Quaker and working with the MA to get the area where Quaker abuts Boot Rd. redone to provide privacy. They can only have 6 feet of dirt on top of the pipes.  The MA would like an earthen berm between Quaker and Boot so this may be a problem.

Treatment Plant & Lagoon: The studies are done and they are waiting for the results. They are going to try to prevent the odor that comes from both areas in the summer when it is warm. Primarily it is a matter algae and getting air into the water. They don’t know what it will cost and they are waiting for the results

Dog Park: There was a discussion about a dog park. There isn’t a large enough area that would allow use by a large number of dogs. They are looking at the area to the left of the Stop sign after driving into the Mill from the main gate, near the golf tee. It would only allow 1 dog there for 15 minutes. A reservation would be needed. The request was considered due to a number of inquires from dog owners, but was not found to be viable,

Community Center:  The preliminary plans are not yet complete. They will be in the next couple of weeks and we may have copies by the next meeting.

Financial:  We did have income of $4,100 but were short of our $10,000 goal. We had two surprises: The utility company AQUA gave us a bill for $3,200 because one of our meters was not functioning. It apparently did not function for 18 months. I reviewed charges for this meter and we were charged minimum charges of $50 for those 18 months. The meter in question is located outside of unit 602. The other surprise was snow expense. We were billed over $7,000 and did have $4,000 budgeted. Therefore instead of 10,000 income we had $4,100 as noted. I do not believe we have to make any adjustments or assessments for this small amount. Mike Pincus knows someone at the water company and he will call him to discuss the $3,800 bill and see if we can get a reduction.

2019 Audit: There were no big problems but there were several bills that did not get paid on time, so we made an adjustment for them.

Architectural:  We will be having a meeting with the committee and I should have a report at the next meeting. Jeanette contacted Jack to let him know that she will be needing a new awning this year. We had chosen a new color for awnings but the awning company told her that the one we chose shows dirt very quickly.  He proposed a number of other colors. She is getting samples from him and maybe we can take a look at them at the next meeting.

Welcome Committee:  Unit 525 was sold, going to settlement in March. We have no information on the buyer. Units 538 and 556 will be on the market soon.

Pool Committee:   Dom received a proposal from Curt Varallo for a new gate and latch. The amount is $1,100. The gate will be aluminum with a magnetic lock. He will put support posts into cement. The proposal was approved by council.

Updating of security boxes: We are okay for now. The problems in our village are mostly due to dead batteries.

Monthly Digest & Guide:  Wednesday a decision will be made as to whether we deliver the March Guides or trust the PO to deliver them.

Walking Path:  There will be a discussion on Channel 970 or 971 regarding the trail. They are still looking at taking 3 feet from each side and making a “walking lane” on Franklin’s side of Chandler. The MA promised us a proposal. They never provided any proof that they are legally able to proceed with the trail on Franklin’s side without our permission. They need to prove that the walking trail is an improvement. Unfortunately the attorney representing the insurance has recommended a walking trail as walking in the street past Franklin is a hazard.

Snow removal:  Jack advised HML not to come back after they have plowed and shoveled for the purpose of moving the snow. They will come by in the evening and spread salt so the snow runoff doesn’t all freeze.

Annual meeting will be done on Zoom. Mike and Jack are running for council this year. Next council meeting is scheduled for 3/8/21.

Meeting adjourned at 4:45PM

Meeting called to order at 4:05pm

In Attendance:  Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the December minutes was waived.

Master Association:

PECO:  A two-hour meeting was held with Michelle Truitt, the Township Supervisor who has an “in” with PECO. PECO is buying 3 or 4 new switches by spring for $250K. They will also spend $4M on surveying the neighborhood for trees that need to come down due to proximity to their wires.

GENERATORS:

• Putting a generator at the Community Center for when power in the Mill is off was discussed. This would be especially important for those with disabilities requiring the use of oxygen or other medical equipment.
• Set up an HM medical team of resident volunteers to assist those who require help was also brought up.

COMMUNITY CENTER:  The consensus is that more are in favor of the Community Center addition than against it. Troon Village is against it. 8 Villages did not circulate the request for suggestions regarding the activity rooms to be established in the addition.

• The Bocce Court and Shuffleboard will be moved in the spring

Sewer System:  The smell is gone. A study was done and procedures were recommended for   the sewer system and the lagoon.

Architecture:

Landscaping:

Another tree fell in front of 584 and tree branches were blown down on 597.

Janet Burgess of CSK attending a meeting with Hershey’s’ Mill Landscaping.  A lot of excuses were made for not trimming the Rhododendrons.

They do not have enough crew. They go to a “pool” to find workers for landscaping and snow removal. Due to virtual learning there are no high school or college students available for landscaping or snow removal. There were not a lot of positive responses from HML. The snow removal was not great during the most recent storm.

Unit 571 is experiencing issues with mud in their garage.

Pool:  The new pool company is doing a good job so far.

Documents:

Mike Pincus reported that the specs for the “sunrooms” has to be removed as the 1986 specs no longer apply.

Dom will do specs for the proper paint applications.

Walking Trail:  The Master Association will present a firm proposal for the walking trail. A meeting will be held, including the residents who reside on Chandler to determine if and how we move forward.

Lift Master:

Franklin Village will purchase the batteries for the garage doors, figure out the labor for installing them and sell them to residents.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:45PM

Meeting called to order at 3:30PM

In Attendance: Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the November minutes was waived.

• Garage Doors – Since Dom’s last inspection, more garage doors are showing damage at the bottom. There has been no snow plowing, so that wasn’t the cause. A lot of the plastic trim moldings were ripped when he first looked at them, before they were repaired. A portion of them were replaced by the homeowners and landscaping. Once the coming storm is over, he will check them again to see if the plows damaged them. We don’t know how the bottoms can be damaged by the homeowners. Dom will take photos of the ones that are damaged. If the damage is at fender height, there will be no question about the cause. We should check with Curt as to his opinion of the cause. We are waiting to hear from Curt about the minimum number of garages needing repair to see if it is worth his time to come in and do it.
• Sunoco did not put in any trees at the shopping center, just shrubs.       Regarding the Adelphia pipeline 2 residents heard hissing noises by the corner of Chandler and Franklin and they saw a spout of water shooting out of the ground. We don’t know the cause. Ed McFalls was notified.
• Landscaping: The tree hanging over the street in the 580-596 cul-de-sac still has not been trimmed. Janet Burgess is also having problems with HML with non-responses to phone calls and emails. Chris Morris has to start acknowledging inquiries. There are multiple issues everyday at various villages and no response. Chris’ administrative assistant is receiving all the emails sent to Chris and there is no response from her either. Janet has scheduled a meeting with both of them and with Jarrod, their boss. Janet will bring up some of the contract issues at her meeting. We have an out if landscaping is not meeting their contract conditions with us.
• Pool: Curt is working up an estimate for the gate and shoring up of the pool deck. We received the pool cover and the check was sent out by Janet Burgess.
• Rules: A new form for new owners spelling out the HOA rules and items they can and cannot due will be incorporated in to the handout forms from the Welcoming Committee

• Solar power: This was looked into by various villages but the biggest problem is that they won’t install the panels unless the roofs are brand new, due to the weight of the panels.
• Walking Trail: The MA advised the walking trail has to stay on the Franklin side because it continues on the same side as Kennett.
• They didn’t think putting a yellow line through Franklin Way would solve the problem. He reiterated that if we agree to the trail on our side they will replace the trees and shrubs that are removed. Otherwise, due to the cost of the trail being put in the street, they will not provide any landscape privacy screening.. Mike and Judy said the MA cannot remove privacy barriers that affect residents without replacing them. Mike noted that the By Laws and Covenants state that the MA cannot invoke eminent domain without allowing the residents to oppose them. They can’t “bully” our village to get our approval. The common area behind Franklin on Chandler has been in place since 1984 and they cannot just declare eminent domain. The MA still has not provided proof that they can take this step. Jack also talked to the MA about not going behind the North Gate wall which grossly affects Weber’s property. Mike Pincus stated that we have already turned down the offer to the MA more than once. We own the property. They have to prove this trail is an improvement to the Mill and that they have a right to invoke eminent domain.
• Signs: Our signs are showing a lot of wear. Dom will upgrade the colors, sand the signs down and repaint them. The one on Mill near the North Gate has to be moved 20 feet so that it can be seen by drivers. The new signs for Eaton and Springton are a little too contemporary. Dom will start with the sign on Mill Rd.
• Covid vaccine: The MA is working on trying to get Paoli Hospital to send people to the Mill and administrate the Covid vaccine at some point.
• Next Meeting on Zoom 1/11/21
• Meeting adjourned at 4:45PM

FINANCIALS:  Jay showed the village’s budget for 2020, which included information on the water leak which cost $2K or 3K in water bills but over $20K to fix.

Pest Control: We did not pay for inspections this year but we did pay for 2 remediations, so we’re about $1K over budget.

Maintenance: We had 2 or 3 water problems in the beginning of the year along with the water leak mentioned above.

Alarm Update:  Back in January and February we found out that everyone had to update their alarm system due to FIOS. We were the first village to do it, however it wasn’t in the budget so we were over budget $5K.

Power Washing:  We were going to power wash homes only but ended up doing the homes, garages and walkways so we were over budget.

We were about $14K over budget. The above items are the reason for being over budget.  We knew back in March or April we would have this problem so we came up with an assessment in April which was due in July. The assessment was $300 for homes which came to $26K.  This left us with a surplus of $11K.

Budget:  Fixed expenses were mostly the same as last year.  There were some increases from vendors. We are still budgeting $30K for snow.

The Master Association gave us an increase of $5 per month per home, which is a $15 quarterly increase. Our insurance went up and Management went up slightly but the new amount is good for 3 years.

Power Washing won’t be done next year. Pest Control will be done in 2021. Pool expense remains about the same. Landscaping was increased due to a number of trees that had to come down. Gutter Cleaning is done twice a year, $2K. So in essence, our expenses will go up about $10K and the village fee will go up $15 a quarter for a total increase of $30 per quarter, including the MA increase.

Reserves: Our reserve fund is $596,000 and by the time we get to 2025 we will be well over $1M. The roofs will be done sometime between 2025 and 2028.  Brighton was recently assessed $5K for their roofs. We have one of the lesser quarterly fees, at $1680.  A lot of people want to know how much of that amount goes to the Master Association.  The total we pay is $191 a month or $575 a quarter, 34% of our quarterly assessment of $1680 for 2021.   34% of the MA’s budget goes to telecommunications, phone, internet and cable, as per the contract we have with Verizon. A lot of people moving into Hershey’s Mill say that their reasons are the grounds, the maintenance, and the openness of villages. The grounds maintenance is $461K and #2 Security, $627K.

Upgrades:  Elevator up and running to all 3 floors.

Technology Committee:  They have secured the PECO energy audit for us for free.  You get light bulbs and power strips from PECO. Kanes are updating our dot.com marketing page and our dot.org web page. One of the things we will be able to do is set up our own village web page and not have to pay for it.

Pipeline:  They are done in front of the shopping center.  The MA is going to get the parking lot back to the way it was without the top 2 rows cut off.

The Adelphia pipeline was on hold for some issues but it will start to work again.  No drilling or digging will be done by us. They are merely changing the direction of the product movement.

No open houses until further notice.  There are only 10 homes available right now.

MA has been circulating the COVID updates from the governor. The new issues that came out a couple of days ago will be implemented soon.

PECO outages: We had another outage and the MA was in touch with PECO.  Some of it was due to trees and some due to transformers. 2 weeks ago they were working on both the lines and transformers on Greenhill.

If you drive past Devonshire you will see the new road there. It’s an emergency road from Cornwallis which had only one access. It won’t be used except for emergencies.

Painting and paving: The West Gate and North Gate are done. The Community Center parking has been re-configured and a number of additional spots added. The speed bump on Mill Rd. is going to be enlarged,

Tech Group has had a number of calls about phone scams.

Sports Group: They may be moving the 2 bocce courts to the grass area by the shuffleboard courts, adding a 3^rd bocce court and moving the shuffleboard courts to grass area near the wood shop. They are also adding a fire pit and outdoor bathroom.

Community Center:  They are contemplating a 2 story addition on the library side to add more rooms for meetings, pool, ping pong, Pilates, yoga, a cash bar area and a fitness center. It is in the preliminary stages right now. Funding will come from the CIF funds – when someone purchases a home here there is an entrance fee of $1650 and it will now be $1680 for Franklin and the MA gets $2280 in their CIF fund.

That money will finance the Community Center for the people who moved here in the last few years and those moving in here in the future. They are talking about taking out a ten year mortgage. They get $2280 for every new sale and they budget for 80 sales a year for $182K. Since this started in 2014, every year has averaged at least 110 homes for sale. So they are pulling in 250K. There is currently $350,478 in the CIF fund and that is what they are using the for the CS addition. On a monthly basis, if they were to borrow 2M they estimate the monthly bill would be about 11K and they are pulling in $15K.  There would be plenty to pay off the loan and have a surplus. The drawings aren’t done yet but they wanted more work on the fitness center. About 3000 SF would be added n each floor. It would take out some of the parking, so they would get additional parking by cutting into the hill by Sullivan House. They wouldn’t lose any parking spots.

This is pretty preliminary. They just approved the architect and we’ll be getting some schematics in a month or two. This is a project that will not be built if the presidents don’t approve it. If they feel that any of the money going to this project would have to be charged to the quarterlies it won’t be built. They are very adamant that they can get this done without affecting any fees that we pay the MA.

Upcoming:  Gutter cleaning will be done in late fall, when most of the leaves are down. We get mulched every other year and we are due in 2021. Termite testing is paid for by the village every other year. If remediation is needed, the village pays for that. We didn’t pay for testing this year but we did pay for 2 remediations. Franklin Security boxes have been updated.  The new ones in the future will be wireless and less maintenance.

Signs:  Some of the villages have upgraded their signs. We thought we should upgrade ours, but we found that Eaton got 2 new signs and they were $5400. Since we need 3 signs, it would cost over 7K.  Dom and I looked at all the signs. Dom is a former paint company owner. We think we will upgrade our signs, taking them down, sanding them,  cleaning them and repainting them in the HM colors of red and gold. The one sign on Mill by the North Gate will be moved about 20 feet south so it can be seen by people entering from the gate.

Homes for sales:  None are currently for sale in FV but we do know that 525, a Donegal will be up for sale soon. In the entire Mill there are only 10 houses for sale, prices are going up. A Marlboro in Eaton just sold for $550K.

Social Committee:  Plans all our events. Hopefully, we will be able to look forward to better days. We had an Ice Cream Social and an Oktoberfest and Bocce on Thursday. We still do not have a chair person but we have some new people on the committee.  We are talking about the possibility of having an event in the spring. We had to cancel our yearly Holiday Party. Social Committee members:  Peggy Covatto, Mary Ann DiNunzio, Louise Harter, Carolyn Hinckin, Lynn Kocher, Kathy Kroos, Martha Marshalak, Linda Tordone, Jackie Welle and Hope Wood. Many of them are new residents. We could use a few more people on our committee. If you are interested, please contact any of the people list.

FV Volunteers – We have always been one of the better villages in the Mill due to our residents volunteering for committees.

Pool:  The pool is closed unless you feel like ice skating. It was a disappointing turnout this summer, due to health worries. The exercise classes took place in spite of small turnout. The new pool cover was not delivered. They re-installed the old cover, patching it up so it survives the winter. We have not paid them for the new cover and won’t until it’s installed. The water at the pool is now turned off. The pool cost to residents is about $20 a quarter. If you don’t use the pool, you may still attend the social events held there.

Communications:  About 14 people are still not receiving the HM Technology emails so Judy is sending them out to these people individually and trying to get them posted on HMTV.

Architectural: We’re doing well trying to get the village to the point that our decks and patios, etc look the same. Again, anything done to the outside of your unit, front or back needs an architectural request form to be submitted to the committee.

Landscaping: We cancelled our walk-around due to the virus. We took down 12 trees, removing the stumps and putting down grass and mulch. We had 2 large trees come down at the end of summer, so we were just slightly over budget.  We met with Chris Morris, who replaced Mike Neale. Mike left rather abruptly, so Chris is not up to par on what is waiting to be done. They will be trimming some of our shrubs that are growing up above windows. If they don’t get this done, we will expect a credit towards our spring work.

Decorations:  Michelle Cohen put up the Halloween decorations with the help of Peg Wolcken. We got a nice response to our request for donations. I have already restrung 5 wreaths and bought lights for the snowman. I put lights on the trees on Chandler because of the nice weather. We have 3 volunteers right now.  We are going to spread the decorations around so people don’t have to go in Anne Fussell’s garage to get them. We will get some nice greens for the sleigh. There’s about $135 left for spring decorations. We have no committee, just volunteers. It would be nice to have a committee to meet and decide about decorations for the different yearly holidays. If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact me.  Please come out at 11/28 11AM to help. Thanks to everyone who donated.

Welcome:  We are up to date with one house remaining to be visited.

Michael Pincus:  Mike has handled the update of the rules for 2020 and reviewed the bylaws, covenants, easements. They were filed with the county.

Issues: Some people have had problems with rubber washer hoses.  They should be replaced with metal enforce ones. They are not expensive and they last forever. Rubber hoses wear out and can leak. If you leave your unit for any length of time, please turn off your hot water heater. Water heaters should be replaced every 10 years. Set light timers and let Security know.

If you have not removed your annuals, please do so before winter and cut back your perennials. If you have hoses outside and there is water in them, they will freeze up and burst. If you have an exterior bulb on your garage or one on the roadway that is unlit, please contact Rich Jurgan for replacement.

If you have a bathroom in the basement, flush it once a week. We had about $3K in extra water bills due to a leaking toilet in a basement.

If you have to leave home early during snow, you can obtain snow melt from the trash bin at 598, just bring a container and shovel or scooper.

Walking Trail:  Judy Jurgan attended the MA meeting in my absence. The MA wants to finish the portion of the trail behind Franklin. From our legal counsel we learned that the MA can approve this without a village vote. We turned them down twice. They are pressing us again, sending out a blog to all presidents from Glenwood regarding our reluctance to approve. The insurance committee is recommending a walkway for safety. I had some comments from a few presidents who already approved it. The pressure is on.

Some points against: The walking trail is miles long and there is more than 1 trail in the Mill, it doesn’t make sense that we need one to go all the way around.  (Over 5 miles)

Walkers that are currently walking through Franklin Way would use the trail behind Franklin:  probably not.

Walkers from Eaton, Kennett and Springton would walk up the hill to the new trail to get to the big pond, probably not.

Walkers that walk in through Franklin now would be safer with 24 feet wide streets than a six ft. trail, Yes

People passing each other on the 6 foot trail would still walk in the street to get by – probably.

Princeton folks currently walking through Franklin Way would switch to the walking trail.  Probably not.

The screening provided for Franklin would save the village money.  Probably

Would the screening provide more privacy for those on Chandler than currently exists. Yes

Are there residents on Chandler who do not object to the walking trail. Yes but they are in the minority.

Would striping a 6 foot walking trail on Franklin Way save our village and the MA $100K.  probably

The new proposal is to increase the width of Chandler from 26 to 33 feet wide, which they say they are allowed a 33 feet width on Chandler and that, technically they have a 3 foot easement on each side of the street. So they could take 3 feet from Franklin and 3 feet from Glenwood and establish a 6 foot walking trail on the Franklin side for walkers.  They would provide striping for safety. They would not provide any screening for Franklin.

Council has discussed this.  This will not happen this year because asphalt companies close down for the winter. We are waiting to see the legal document stating they have the right to do this.

“Discussions” ensued but there was no resolution or agreement.

The meeting was adjourned.