Category: Villages

Dom Aleardi thanked the Council members and Janet Burgess for their work.

Rejuvenation: Dom Aleardi reported the rejuvenation looks good except for the rhododendrons.
Dom explained that if they don’t come back they will be replaced. The biggest hurdle was
dealing with Hershey’s Mill Landscape. He noted that we have a contract with them but they
lack adequate supervision and communication.

Walking Trail: A two-year contract with the Master’s Association was negotiated for the plants
along the walking trail, starting November 2021. The contract includes watering plants.

New Shed: A shed has been installed by the pool to store our Village decorations, siding, social
committee supplies and pool furniture. The shed will be landscaped and have a flagstone
walkway from the street to the door.

Village Signs:
– The directional signs have been refurbished and have new numbers.
– Village signs have been repainted.
– Guidance posts will be replaced with pressure treated wood with vinyl sleeves and
reflective stripes.

Stucco and Pebble Board: Curt Varallo has repaired the pebble board and garage stucco and is
in the process of painting the stucco. If you notice any spots that have been missed, please notify
Council.

Road Seal: The roads are scheduled to be sealed in July, pending weather. Before this is done
two sink holes will be repaired, by 563 and 593, and 2 drains will be installed, by 530 and 556.

Finance Report:
– In 2021 the utility costs were high and we had more snow than normal. The check from
the Master’s Association for trees we had removed along the walking path the year before
helped with the higher costs.
– The 2022 fixed costs were within budget and there was little snow. Maintenance is a
little under budget as there aren’t typically many projects at the beginning of the year.
– There will be no assessment for landscaping.
– We have $710,000 in reserves.
– Roofs – We have roofers looking at our roofs and repairs are made when needed.
– Franklin Village is 5th lowest out of 27 villages for quarterly fees.

Internet Demo – Margaret Callahan demonstrated how to get to the Franklin Village site and
what it contains.

Pool Committee: Bill Shipley reported that the pool is ready for the opening this Saturday. He
thanked the pool volunteers.

Communications: Bill Shipley asked the group to think about whether they wanted a spread
sheet format or PDF for the residents’ list. There are still 5 residents who get information hand
delivered to them.

Rules and Regulations:
– Mike Pincus reported that three years ago a committee was set up to review all Village
rules. He thanked the committee and noted that the rules will continue to be monitored.
He also thanked Margaret Callahan and Bill Shipley for creating the ability to be
transparent with the rules and regulations.
– Mike noted that CSK provides a paper trail that is very valuable. When a resident
contacts CSK an email is sent to Council members and the topic is discussed at the next
Council meeting.
– Mike thanked Dom and the Council for their work and transparency.

Landscape and Architecture Committee: Sandy Ogletree reported that there really wasn’t
anything to report but reminded the group to use request forms when planning any work outside
the home. Any questions should be addressed to your zone leader.

Maintenance Committee: Dom reminded the group how important volunteers are and how a
maintenance committee could save the Village money.

Welcome Committee: Louise Harter reported that Patti George had retired and the committee is
up to date on welcoming new residents. She introduced new residents Linda and Spencer
Videon at 556 and Lisa and Mike Psenicska at 574.

Social Committee: Jacki Welle shared that the committee’s purpose was to welcome new
people, provide a family atmosphere and have fun doing things we enjoy. Future activities
include a hoagie party in July, ice cream social in September, Halloween party with covered dish
dinner and Christmas party at HMGC. The next event will be a cocktail party on June 9th. Jacki
thanked the committee.

Bocce: Carolynn Hincken explained that the goal is to make Franklin Village the friendliest and
most active Village with bocce. You don’t have to know how to play bocce, it is an easy game
to learn, and you can attend just to be social. Bocce is usually the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the
month.

Decoration Committee: Michelle Cohen expressed she is grateful for the new shed and thanked
the group for volunteering and their financial support. She asked for suggestions to be directed
to her.

Council Vote Results: The following were elected for two-year positions: Margaret Callahan,
Jay Harter and Bill Shipley. Bob Gottschall was elected for the one-year position. Officers are
President-Mike Pincus, Vice President-Margaret Callahan, Treasurer-Jay Harter, Secretary-Bill
Shipley and Council at Large-Bob Gottschall.

The meeting adjourned at 8:05 pm.

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

Reading of the April minutes was waved.

Financial:  Jay Harter reported that it was too early for a report.

Architectural:  Several companies were visited to find a suitable vinyl window replacement for our current model and none were satisfactory.

Landscaping:  A review of what was missed on last year’s rejuvenation by Hershey’s Mill Landscaping and current status of rejuvenated plants was done by Dom Aleardi and Sandy Ogletree.  Hershey’s Mill Landscaping has started planting replacement plants removed because of rejuvenation.  Landscape requests were approved from Dom Aleardi, Maryann DiNunzio, Gabe Mehreteab, Jeanette Schmid and Paul and Jackie Welle, all at owners’ expense.  Walking trail plants that need replacing will be done this month.  The big sewer drains in lawn areas have not been cleared by Hershey’s Mill Landscaping.  The care of drains should be included in the next landscape contract.

Welcome Committee:  John Marchegiano and Lisa Drummond (522) were welcomed.

Patti George has submitted her resignation. Council would like to thank Patti for her service to the Village.  Current committee consists of Louise Harter and Carolynn Hincken.

Pool Committee:  The pool is on track for opening for Memorial Day weekend.  Furniture will be cleaned on May 14^th.  The pool apron will be power washed by Curt Varallo on May 13^th.

Communications:  Emails will be sent out regarding care for new plants and information about rhododendron rejuvenation.

Old Business:  A work order was sent to Curt Varallo to paint doors at 538, 585 and 564.

New Business:

• Tree pruning at 560 does not meet criteria.
• Stump removal at 570 – Dom Aleardi will talk to homeowner and AC Tree.
• Seal Coating/Drains/Sink holes – The contract was approved for Macadam Company, Inc. at a cost of $25,430 for the sealcoating and $1,700 for the 2 drains at 529/530 and 556/557. They will be asked to repair 2 sinkholes at 563 and 593 while doing the sealcoating.
• Annual Meeting is scheduled for May 25^th at 7:00. Jay will contact the Social Committee and ask them if they have any plans for the meeting.
• Directional Posts­­­­ were discussed with Curt Varallo. They should be pressure treated wood, with vinyl sleeves and reflective strips.

Council members were thanked for their work.  Meeting was adjourned at 5:15 pm.

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

Reading of the March minutes was waived

Financial:  A quote for $12,000 was received for installation of the 12×20 foot shed, with windows and electricity. This will accommodate some of the pool furniture as well as the leftover siding, Christmas decorations and anything else the Village needs storage for. The maximum to be spent on the shed was capped at $15K. This was voted on and approved by council.

Architectural:  Drains are needed at 529-530 to prevent ice buildup in front of the garage doors and the nearby trash bins.  A second drain is needed at 556 to prevent water damage on the interior corner and flooding into the garage because of high volume road runoff.

Landscaping:  An area behind the garages of 547-548 is muddy and covered in moss due to a lack of drainage.  Estimates will be obtained to see how best the situation can be remedied.  Spring cleanup will be done by HML.

Pool: An email will be circulated to everyone in the village asking for volunteers for pool duty. Margaret Callahan sent a report on the pool to Dom and the amount of work she and Bill Shipley have already done is commendable.

Documents: Updated rules of the village will be sent out by email and posted on the Franklin Village website.

Old Business: Curt Varallo will finish painting the stucco board based on the weather.

Elections: In May three residents will be elected to two-year terms and one person will be elected for one-year.

Meeting adjourned at 3:15PM

 

 

 

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