Newsletters

Also, we are once again offering one year of FREE Dues in 2024 to one lucky homeowner who comes to the meeting in person. (WG Board Members are not eligible for free dues.) Please click here to review the minutes of the 2022 Waterford Green HOA Annual Meeting.

The Board presently looks as follows and we are asking for your help to fill vacant positions and replace others who may decide to not continue on in the present position. Any ‘proposed’ replacements will be voted upon at the annual meeting.

President Murray Rose mrose366@aol.com

Vice President Chris Robbins

Treasurer Tommy Hall tommyjhall@gmail.com

Secretary Mary Barrett mbarrett.iu@gmail.com

Landscaping Jennifer Prokop jwprokop@yahoo.com

Security Kathi Troyer kathitroyer@att.net

Architectural Alex Blomeke alex.blomeke@gmail.com

Social Amy Sanders amybsanders14@gmail.com

Communications Kelsey Forry kelseytforry@gmail.com

Board Member at Large Jeff Sanders jeff@jsand4mayor.com

Lakes Chrisopher Schneider cschneider@fourwindscasino.com

Brick Road Walkway Ad-Hoc Committee Jeff Sanders

Covenants & Ballots Ad-Hoc Committee Jeff Sanders

We thank everyone for their service and support of our neighborhood.

Are you interested in joining the board? Please reach out to Murray Rose directly so he can discuss the responsibilities (mrose366@aol.com or 574-286-3038). Participation on the Board is not time consuming. We meet only four to five times per year. Thank you!

The revised covenants have been filed and recorded in St Joseph County. Thanks to Jeff Sanders and Jennifer Prokop for getting this done. Five of the eight changes are minimal and reflect the way the Board is currently operating. They cover things like the removal of Adams Road Development as they are no longer involved in the board and the addition of FCC guidelines with respect to utilities and antennas. One change is a revision to the perimeter fencing to allow for current materials and designs as fencing technology has greatly improved since our covenants were originally adopted.

The final two changes are particularly important, and they have to do with voting to change covenants. Previously it took a 75% vote of all lots to change anything in the covenants. We have never come close to getting that many people at a meeting. The change to require 51% of members of the Association in good standing was approved by the Homeowners. This change still requires the Board to get approval of a majority of homeowners to make any change.

Completion of the sidewalk rebuild was completed this year. Thanks to the effort of Jeff Sanders and Tommy Hall for giving us the confidence that this board could undertake this major cost project. The sidewalk looks great and we encourage all to take a walk and see your funds at work.

Social events have been lacking in the past years and hopefully, under the direction of Amy Sanders, the HOA will host events for the families and parents going forward. Anyone wishing to help would be greatly appreciated!

We continue to be challenged with unpaid dues amounting to $7,690.00. We are running a very tight budget and the 2024 budget is in the red. Four lots (40% of the lots outstanding) amount to 77% of the outstanding dues. This continued shortfall will result with increased fees for those who pay to allow for a balanced budget for all of Waterford Green and maintaining of the Lakes. The following lots are late in payment:

15380 Stony Run Trail

51867 Waterford Green

15027 Stransbury Court

15246 Valentia Drive

51750 Westport Court

15303 Roswell Court

15268 Roswell Court

15141 Clifden Drive

We had a tax issue as a result of a mailed notice being returned to the City and not being notified of taxes due. This resulted in the lot where the well is located being put up for auction. This did not happen but we did have to pay a fine to get this lot off the auction. An appeal has been filed and we wait patiently for it to be processed.

Looking forward we may be faced with new power sources such as solar panels and how they will affect the appearance of our neighborhood. How we enforce the appearance of our properties going forward will require input from all as the covenants provide little enforcement guidelines.

Thank you for your participation in making Waterford Green a wonderful community. We hope you have a safe and joyous fall and winter. Please let us know if we can answer any questions.

Best Regards,

WG HOA Board

Waterford Green Homeowners Association Board

President Murray Rose mrose366@aol.com

Vice President Chris Robbins

Treasurer Tommy Hall tommyjhall@gmail.com

Secretary Mary Barrett mbarrett.iu@gmail.com

Landscaping Jennifer Prokop jwprokop@yahoo.com

Security Kathi Troyer kathitroyer@att.net

Architectural Alex Blomeke alex.blomeke@gmail.com

Social Amy Sanders amybsanders14@gmail.com

Communications Kelsey Forry kelseytforry@gmail.com

Board Member at Large Jeff Sanders jeff@jsand4mayor.com

SECURITY

To date the Board is not aware of any major events that had negative action within the neighborhood this past year.

If you see something suspicious, please contact St. Joseph County Police. Please remember to lock your house doors, lock your windows, and watch out for our neighbors. If you see something suspicious, report it accordingly.

Important! Do not hesitate to call the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office in the event of a potentially threatening situation—they are our best resource to protect and serve!

St. Joseph County Sheriff: Emergencies: 9-1-1

Non-Emergencies (24/7): 574-235-9611

Please keep all these numbers in your phone contacts.

LANDSCAPING

Jennifer Prokop is the contact person for landscaping and snow removal issues. Please email Jennifer at jwprokop@yahoo.com until the end of this year if an issue arises.

The landscaping services contract between Waterford Green HOA and M.A.A.C. Property Services, LLC ends with the fall clean up. By the time of the annual meeting, the sprinklers will likely have been turned off and winterized.

M.A.A.C has done an excellent job for the last few years. That being said due diligence requires that we consider all submitted bids to provide landscraping services. In general, we would need the bid to include maintaining the landscraping at the Fir and Brick Road entrances, mowing the grass along Fir and Brick Roads and basic sprinkler maintenance. The HOA has a detail specification document that can be provided to any company willing to submit a bid. We would prefer to have the contract for 2024 Growing Season finalized by December 31, 2023. Please contact Jennifer if you can recommend the services of a new company that is interested in submitting a bid to provide these services.

Some gentle reminders:

As you know, the by-laws of the Homeowners Association provide that the purpose of the WGHOA is “To promote the general welfare of the property owners.” This means YOU! In order “to promote good neighborhood appearance” please accept this as a gentle reminder to keep properties free of debris and clean up after pets.

Finally, we have noticed that many homeowners let their sprinkler water wander into the road. Adjusting sprinkler heads to water only the lawn and not the road would save some water. Sprinkler heads are tricky, but YouTube has a lot of videos that can show you how to adjust them. If you have any questions, just let us know. Thank you!

STORM DRAINS

If you have a storm drain on the curb near your house, please keep it clear of debris including leaves, grass clippings, tree branches and garbage. If they become clogged, rain and melting snow cannot drain leaving flooded streets and yards. Please check these drains on a regular basis – they often clog with debris after any storm. Thank you for your help!

LAKES

Winter Lake Etiquette: We are beginning to develop a significant problem with geese, with many neighbors complaining of the mess, as well as some complaining of aggressive behavior. We do not want to attract more geese. Bubblers are not allowed on the lakes as they keep the ice from forming, which attracts geese. When our lakes aren’t frozen, we get all the geese. Additionally, people skate on the ice in the winter. Interfering with the natural freezing of the lakes is a violation of item 9 of the covenants “Nuisances."

Please note the regulations about tall plants by the lake shore - Paragraph #6 of the Lakes Covenants notes that there should be no protective plant screening taller than 36 inches within 40 feet of the lake shore and no screen plantings at all within 30 feet of the lake shore. We have received complaints about plantings taller than 36 inches close to the lake shore on some lakes. Please take care to review and follow these covenants if you live on a lake lot.

HALLOWEEN PARADE AND TRICK-OR-TREAT

SAVE THE DATE! 2023 St. Joseph County Unincorporated trick-or-treat hours for Granger are October 31, 2023 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. While driving, please watch for kids darting into streets as they go from house to house. Parents, please make sure your children are crossing streets safely. Leave a porch light on to let kids know they may stop at your house.

Our Halloween Costume Parade is tentatively planned for Saturday, October 28, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. We will gather at about 5:45 at Brookstone Court to take a photo with the Clay Fire Truck before we depart to march around the lake. Adults should make sure the younger children stay a few feet behind the truck and stay in the right lane. The other lane is open to traffic. Thank you for your help. Happy Halloween!

PETS

Clean up well after your pets while walking them around the neighborhood. St. Joseph County prohibits leaving animal waste on public streets. Any waste must be disposed of in YOUR OWN garbage can, not your neighbor’s.

SNOWFALL AND PARKING

After a snowfall, please do not park cars on the street until after the county has plowed the snow. Your cooperation will help the county clear the streets effectively and save you from shoveling your automobile out of a snow bank! If you have questions or complaints about the snowplowing, please contact St. Joseph County Highway Division.

SNOWMOBILES

Do not snowmobile on the knolls that border our subdivision. The noise, especially late at night, disturb homeowners. Furthermore, the snowmobiles can injure children playing outside, cause damage to the grass, walk path and sprinkler heads, raising our maintenance costs. If you see or hear snowmobiles on the knolls, please call the county police (574-235-9611). For local snowmobiles trail maps, see the Indiana and Michigan DNR webpages.

STREETLIGHTS

If you have a streetlight posted on or near your property and notice it is not working, you may report it at the AEP website: https://www.indianamichiganpower.com/outages/problem/streetlight You may also call AEP at 1-800-311-4634 to report it. Be prepared to provide the pole number or residential address.

COMMUNICATIONS / NEWS / NEW RESIDENTS!

Welcome new residents! Please go to our website (http://www.waterford-green-homeowners.com/) to input your contact information and/or contact a board member, so we can keep our residents informed of neighborhood news. This newsletter is emailed and mailed out annually.

Please join our Private Facebook Group, “Waterford Green at Knollwood HOA.” The purpose of this group is to offer another platform to share essential information with members. Thank you to Heather Cline for creating this group.

You can email the Board anytime by using the “Contact Us” form on the website (http://www.waterford-green-homeowners.com/Contact-Us.html) or emailing communications@waterford-green.com.