Winter Prep

Be prepared for icy areas on stoops and walkways.

HML will apply Salt to the roadway. They will shovel the walkways and then apply Ice Melt only to the concrete.

If additional Ice Melt is necessary Residents should be prepared. Care must be taken not to put ANY Rock Salt or similar products on the concrete since they are relatively new.

The Village supplies Ice Melt, which is the ONLY acceptable product to apply on our concrete surfaces.  There is a bucket of Ice Melt in the recycle bin at 598. You must bring your own container and remember to put the lid back on the supply can so it doesn’t harden up.   Please use a sufficient amount of Ice Melt to keep your walkway safe by spreading it evenly. Avoid dropping small piles of Ice Melt along the walkway as this could be damaging to the concrete.  Keep a small container of Ice Melt at your front door so it is available to you for the times when Icy conditions may arise.

All residents with an awning covering their patio or deck MUST have their awnings removed by December 1^st of the year.  If the awning is severely dirty it must be cleaned or replaced before re-installing it in the spring.

A reminder also to shut off your outside water valves and drain the pipes so it doesn’t freeze and burst.

Meeting called to order at 5PM   In Attendance: Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the October minutes was waived.

• Walking Trail: The MA is claiming eminent domain for 3 feet on each side of Chandler on the Franklin and Princeton side, which they want to use to make walking lanes. We are looking into this.
• PECO – They are doing work on Greenhill, trimming more trees etc. to prevent outages.
• PIPELINE: They are going to remove the orange barriers and open up the back lanes of the shopping center. They have removed the silt pot in front of the shopping center on Boot Road.
• Finance: There will be a $30 increase in the quarterly fee, $15 for the Master Association and $15 for Franklin due to increases from some of our vendors. A vote was taken to approve the budget and it was approved.
• Landscaping: We are slightly over budget due to trees coming down. HLM hasn’t finished trimming in our village and they haven’t done the rhododendrons. They should have been trimmed in the spring. Mike suggested a meeting with Chris Morris. Eric Golden is his boss and then Ed McFalls is above Eric. If they don’t finish our trimming, do we get a credit?
• Welcome Committee: Everyone has been visited except for the McCullough’s, but they have been provided with Village Rules and their welcome packet has been delivered to them.
• Pool Committee: The new pool cover hasn’t been delivered yet. Dom told CSK not to pay for the cover until it’s received.
• New Business: Last year we had 3 or 4 stack pipe leaks. There is a sleeve around the pipe that seals it and a few have cracked causing leaks. Janet recommended we wait to see if there are any more before having Leroy check all the collars.
• Signs: Some villages have revamped their signs. We are looking into following suit. Jay said we have money set aside for signage. We can discuss this at the next meeting. Springton’s sign is very attractive. Dom volunteered to paint the signs once colors are decided.
• AGENDA: Jack previewed the agenda for the Budget Meeting next week.
• Scheduled for 2021: Gutter cleaning, mulch, termite testing.
• No homes currently for sale in Franklin.

The meeting was adjourned at 5PM.

Meeting called to order at 5PM.  In Attendance:  Jack Keeley, Jay Harter, Dom Aleardi, Jay Harter, Michael Pincus, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of the September minutes was waived but there was an addendum added.

MASTER ASSOCIATION

• Addendum to September meeting notes: The Community Center renovation will include a fitness center
• No outsiders are permitted to take part in any HM activities or events due to COVID.
• They are completing the curbing work on Mill Road. They are repairing Mill Rd. and preparing to pave it.
• The study done on fixing the sewer system cost $35K and repairs to eliminate the odor will cost $40K.
• The Adelphia pipeline is on hold. They are not converting it to natural gas.
• Landscaping is done in front of Giant at the Sunoco Pipeline site. The area in front of Wellington was only planted with grass.
• The plans for the Community Center addition are moving along.  No one has seen the officials drawings yet. They are meeting with E. Goshen Twp. to see if there would be any issues if the plans are approved by the MA. They are also looking at geothermal and solar for heat and air conditioning to see how that works out.  They have to reconfigure the parking. They came up with some additional spots up by cutting additional parking spots out of the hill by Sullivan House to replace the ones lost by the addition.
• They are cutting through the woods in Devonshire to provide an entrance to Cornwallis for emergency vehicles. Franklin Village is still being approached regarding the walking trail. Paoli Auxiliary has become involved.
• It was suggested by a council member that if they want to put in a walking trail, it should put it on the other side of Chandler,
• It would not affect the privacy of the homes since they are on a hill. It would cost $50K more but they have been improving a lot of other areas (roadwork, elevator in the CS, extending the Community Center, so this would be another improvement.

FRANKLIN VILLAGE

Financials:

• We are still looking at a $10K surplus this year which will make up for tree removal costs. Several more trees came down but Jay advised there is $4K to $5K budgeted for snow and if there is no snow prior to 1/1/21, that money will cover the downed trees.
• Jay hasn’t been informed of the auditor’s fee for next year.
• We are scheduled for pest control next year. Janet will obtain their fee.
• No power washing will be done next year.
• Curt Varallo is doing garage repairs. The cost will be about $1500, some of which will be paid by residents if the damage was caused by them. CSK will pay the bill and send out letters to those who have to pay for their own repairs. The charge will go on their account and they can pay it when they submit their quarterly fee or separately if they wish.
• Repairs to the pebble board have not started. Curt will take care of that on days when the weather is good and he has time. There isn’t much to be done.
• Jay advised we are $4000 under budget on Maintenance for the year.

Architectural:

• Janet Burgess advised that sometimes when there is a private sale in the village CSK doesn’t always find out about it. She said that when she receives a request for docs on a sale, she will notify Dom so violations can be resolved by the seller.
• Curt has inspected the sagging of the pool deck. The supports on top of the footers are rotted.  He will inspect for safety. We will have to involve the township with any deck issues.

 Landscaping:

•  Jack & Dom will do a drive-around after the final trimming by HLM. They will also look at grass areas damaged by the mowers during wet  cutting.  HML trimmed but they only did half and they need to do the Rhododendrons, which have grown above the windows. Jack emailed Mike and Cole but he hasn’t heard back from either.
• Mike sent us something on the grassy areas he would like to fix and the cost is $1500, which we aren’t going to do. We will respond that we would like them to repair the areas where their tires are tearing up the grass, especially when they mow while the grass is wet.
• HML contract increase is 1%.
• Mike Pincus advised that there is a large tree branch hanging over the circle at the bottom of his cul-de-sac which needs to be trimmed because it hits the windshields of cars driving under it.

Pool Committee:

•  The new cover is in. We are putting it into a garage until next year. The old cover has been taped up where needed and is on the pool.
• 2 new pumps were installed by Dom and he will monitor chemicals in the water over the winter.
• Fencing – We may look into replacement of the fence with a wrought iron one, similar to the one in Eaton Village.
• Dom will contact the pool vendor to see if his fee is going up in 2021.
• Our contract with CSK has been renewed for 3 years.

 Other Business:

• The MA is trying to come up with something to cover the Mill with regard to power outages. They are not pursuing generators due to complexity of installing them in villages that don’t have gas. The requirements for generators cannot be met in Franklin. The generators have to be placed below a window on common ground and homeowners cannot exceed 18 inches from their units.

 The next council meeting is 11/9/20 on Zoom.  The village budget meeting will be on Zoom on 11/18/20 7PM.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:55PM

MASTER ASSOCIATION

• The Community Center is moving to 50% occupancy.
• Electricity – Following receipt of numerous complaints, PECO has been contacted regarding the outages in the Mill. They have not responded yet. Franklin’s power is returned faster than some other villages because we are on the same grid as Wellington. There was discussion regarding use of generators.  They require a permit and an architectural request form.  They cannot be placed on common ground and they must be permanent. They must be installed by an electrician.  E. Goshen Township has noise restrictions and an electrician must do the hookup up. We are trying to get the exact required specs for them.
• The MA is increasing the quarterly fee by $5 per house per month.  They are doing a lot of work on curbs and roads.  Mill Road will be resurfaced and closed for several days. The MA has increased the fees every year.
• Security – Our village is done with alarm programming.  Some villages are on a waiting list to get theirs done, some not until 2021.
• The work in Jefferson where the water was running from the pond, into and over the swale. Some of the houses were having water intrusion. Jefferson paid for a portion of the work.
• Technology Committee – Most of their work is regarding COVID and numerous emails have been circulated to the entire Mill.
• Sports Group – Had a meeting with the MA to discuss moving the Bocce courts to the front grassy area across from their present location and adding another court.
• Shuffle Board will also be moved and a rest room may be put at the site of the old Bocce courts.  The number of tennis people have decreased due to the popularity of pickle ball. They want to change to a HarTru like surface which has a built in watering system. The cost is estimated at $150K and may be a hard sell. 
• Landscaping – There have been a lot of problems with the ponds and the sewer system this year due to algae from all the rain and hot weather.  The Mill pond will be dredged this year.
• Sunoco – They are done in front of the shopping center and have moved all of their equipment out. They will be landscaping. Work will start on the Quaker-to-Paoli Pike area in January.
• Community Center – The renovation has not yet been approved and the official drawings have not yet been presented.  It will have additional rooms for meetings, yoga, Pilates, cards and a snack bar. It will be paid for by Vision Quest and will not impact our quarterly fees or their reserves. This would add 3000sf and replacement parking spaces would be carved out of the hillside.
• Cornwallis Drive –  An emergency entrance will be installed from Cornwallis Drive, a 60 home street, into Devon for access by fire trucks and emergency vehicles in the event that RT 352 has a closure. The entrance will be chained off unless needed.
• Work will be starting on the Hershey’s Mill Dam and the Reservoir Dam.  Contractors are submitting bids.
• Hope Defenders will be spraying the Mill for Lantern Flies this fall.  They recommend no more than 1 bird feeder per home (as per the By-Laws) since they attract the flies.

 FRANKLIN VILLAGE

• We will be even by the end of 2020 if there is no snow before then.
• A new awning design was approved by the Architectural Committee and Council.

•  Pool – The 2 year old pump failed.  Dom will replace it.  It’s about $100.
• Garage Trim – Most need to be repainted. We have to determine if the damage is from car bumpers, which would be the responsibility of the owner, or from snow plowing.
• Landscaping – Part of a tree fell down at 524 and there is another dead tree by 569, which may or may not be on the golf course.
• When decks are repainted, an Architectural Form MUST be submitted. Your zone leader (check your list of volunteers) will provide a “color stick” of the approved color.
• There will be an Oktoberfest on 10/21 by the pool.
• Our next meeting will be by Zoom on November 18^th.
• FluZone High Dose – Mayo Clinic advises people over 65 to get the newer flu shot, which protects seniors more than the older shot.  There are some side effects, like fever and aches.
• Council discussed visiting CSK to meet their staff. Jack will contact Janet to set up something.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:35PM.

Very little has transpired since the second quarter update, so this memo will replace our September Village meeting. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18th when we roll out our 2021 budget. We will have this meeting via Zoom, so everyone can log in on-line or phone in, if their computer doesn’t have a built in camera. We will e mail out the instructions on logging in.

Master Association

You will see a lot of road work going on in the Mill, especially near Franklin. The curbs are being repaired or replaced at the North end of Mill and Mill will be completely repaved the end of Sept. Also addl. parking spots and curb work at the Community Center.

The MA will be following the COVID guidelines from the CDC and Gov. Wolf. Still no “non resident” visitors or guests permitted at sports, meetings, clubs, facilities, or events.

The elevator -completed and stops at all three levels of the Community Center.

The MA has contacted PECO to discuss the recent power outages  we’ve been experiencing. No feedback yet.

The MA finance committee is meeting to determine the 2021 budget that makes up a part of our quarterly assessment.

Major drainage work between the pond and Jefferson is almost complete. Jefferson will pay a portion of the improvement.

Security– the MA has compiled a list of the villages that have updated  their security panels. Approximately ½ of the villages have not upgraded yet. (Franklin was the first one completely done).

Other villages are still waiting in line for the upgrade or are putting it off and purchasing new panels in 2021.

Sports Group – the MA is considering moving the bocce courts and shuffleboard courts to the grassy area on the right-hand side (Woodworking side) of the drive. Bocce would have three courts. Also there is plans for an outdoor bathroom to be built; probably where the current bocce courts are now located.

Sunoco has completed drilling in front of the shopping center so we should see some new landscaping going in soon.

Community Center addition: Plans for the potential addition should be back from the bidding architects sometime in September. The 2 story addition would be on the South (library side) and would provide for a larger meeting room on the second floor. Also, there will be dedicated rooms for the pool club, ping pong and an exercise center. If voted ahead financing would be provided from the VisionQuest Fund and wouldn’t impact our MA dues or their reserves.

Franklin Village

Financials -are tracking in the right direction with many negatives due to timing that should come back in line by the end of the year. The finance committee will be meeting soon with Jay Harter to hash out our budget for 2021, which will be announced at a Zoom meeting November 18th .

Mill Road paving–  in order to keep our new roads from getting tire tar tracks during the Mill Rd repaving we will be closing the Mill Rd entrance to Franklin for a few days (start Oct 7th). Judy Jurgan will advise actual dates as soon as they start. Use the Chandler entrance. Folks “cutting through” from the Chandler entrance will have to turn around, hopefully educating them that our road is not through traffic road.

Real Estate– There are no homes for sale in Franklin. There are only 11 homes in all the Mill for sale. Anyone selling should raise their price above prior comps based on supply and demand.

Pool– Our pool did get some use this year in spite of the virus. The water was warm for most of the season and Ann’s exercise classes were there every Mon, Wed and Fri it didn’t rain.

Quarterly fee– the one-time assessment of $300 was only for the 3d quarter so the October bill is back at $1,650.

Power washing– All units, garages and walkways (if needed) were recently power-washed. We hope to budget this every other year.

Gutters -will be cleaned in the late Fall after most leaves have fallen.

Landscaping – consisted mostly of removing trees this year. We took down approx 10-12 large trees. Some older trees on Chandler, especially the white pines need taking down and replacement with some type of screening items. Many of our trees are pushing 40 years old and many White Pines have double trunks making them susceptible to falling down.

Architectural –  When decks need to be refinished they have to be Dark Brown, so all decks in the village match. (Architectural request required). Dom Aleardi has the approved color sample sticks. The committee has picked a new style fabric for awnings. Check with Architectural for the approved styles.

​The Architectural Committee has done a survey of the side jambs of our garage doors (aluminum trim) A number are damaged from car bumpers, others have damage from snow plowing during winter plowing. We need to have theses replaced as they are unsightly. Letter from the committee will be sent if your garage trim needs replacement.

The Docs Committee  recently filed a 10th amendment to update our documents with the Chester County Recorder of Deeds. Mike Pincus handled the process saving the village an attorney’s fee. The committee also updated and distributed the current village rules.

Ice Cream Truck street party was well received. More than 50 attendees enjoyed the nice weather and camaraderie. Thanks to Jeanette for getting it off the ground. Oct.21^st is the next scheduled party. More info coming.

Next Franklin meeting Wednesday November 18 2021 Franklin Budget meeting 7 PM Dial/call-in Zoom meeting.

COUNCIL

President: Jack Keeley

Vice President: Dom Aleardi

Treasurer: Jay Harter

Secretary: Judy Jurgan

At Large: Michael Pincus

Notes from the 9-24-19 Franklin Village meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7PM.  Three of 5 of the Council members were in attendance)Joni Welliver and Jay Harter were absent

Financials (Jack Keeley)- We are currently under budget on the bottom line but our grading and drainage account is over budget by $11,763. With the deluge of rain in May to July (30”) we have 5 basements and 7 garages that will need work to eliminate that in the future. Most of these bills have yet to be realized since HMLD is behind. Jay estimates by year end we may end up with a deficit of approx. $15-20,000. With a total budget of $550,000 this works out to about 4% and will be carried over to 2020. However our Reserve fund is in Great shape at $496,000 and projected to be over a million by 2025. We begin our 2020 budgeting soon and will have to be aware of increasing drainage and maintenance costs as the village gets older.

Master’s Association– Only new member is George Earle from Yardley.

The elevator will not be completed till early 2020.

Roadwork at Devonshire and Yardley is completed railings have been installed on the latest addition of the walking trail.

MA meetings may be switched to Mondays

-Insurance Committee is looking for a volunteer with experience.

The Kane’s are spearheading a Technological Committee that will look at IT improvements as well as items like solar; and negotiating for bulk  purchases of things like electric, water etc. More info to come.

Pool good year for the pool. 900 guests, 1100 children and an average of 160 visitors a day with 12 kids.

2020 budget 2020 MA charge only $1.98 over 2019

Walking trail behind Franklin-next week Council will walk with HMLD to see the what HMLD is proposing, followed by a walk around with interested owners at a later date. If the proposal looks inviting and some owners appear to favor the proposal there will be a village vote. If not Council will, for the second time turn it down.

 Gutters will be cleaned again this Fall

Deadbolts at front doors will be checked by HM Security this Fall for access. Only A-1 Security can key for master key

Landscaping/ snow plowing– bidders for both were covered at the meeting, as well as the bid totals. We had few bidder responses, all of which were substantially higher than HMLD. Council met with HMLD and heard of the improvements they are planning for 2020. Based on those improvements Council voted to stay with HMLD with a 60 day cancellation provision if they don’t perform to our satisfaction

Dryer vent clean out- will be scheduled this Fall as recommended by our insurance carrier. Cost by owners (approx. $45-$55)

Powers washing bldgs and garages scheduled for 2020

Garage door vertical aluminum trim – damaged trim will be spotted and owners will be required to replace (approx $55).

Sun porches that have faded badly will have to be repainted by owner.

Walk-around by Architectural Committee coming.

Parking- 1^st car in garage-especially at night

2nd car in outside spot

3nd car n/a unless 3 licensed driver in household

No parking behind garage or double parking

No pickup outside at night

Only horizontal parking at 549 &569

Real Estate – all homes in Franklin are sold. Only 27 homes out of 1720 are available.

Committee updates:

Social, Decorating, Architectural, Communication–n/a

Architectural- see garage trim and faded sun porches above

Pool- switching pool companies for 2020. Having issues with the quality of the new liner. May be able to use chemicals to remediate.

Welcome- four new owners to be visited soon(555, 558, 587, 594)
Landscape- all project to be complete in 2 weeks per HMLD

Document updating-Michael Pincus- many suggested changes coming on docs and Rules/Regs

Next Village Meeting Nov. 20th—Budget meeting