Fall-Winter Newsletter for 2007

Fall Cleanup
October leaf clean up and gutter clean outs will be taken care of by Agricare and G&W sometime near the end of October or early November when most of the fall foliage has dropped. Please help out by tiding up your back yards so the leaves and other debris can be cleared and ladders placed to clean the gutters.

Halloween
Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year. Please be extra cautious while driving through the complex and keep your stoop areas free of clutter to prevent accidents. If you plan to pass out treats, please make sure you have adequate lighting for our little goblins. We all want a safe and happy night of treats with no tricky surprises.

Special Assessments
The Board of Directors would like to remind everyone that the special $200 assessments for 2007 must be satisfied by 12/31/07 in full or late fees will be charged.

Snow Removal
The Board of Directors has selected a new contractor for 2007. The company is Gibson Landscaping of Bristol, CT. Although most professional snow removal companies have increased their fees significantly, we feel Gibson proposed the best bottom line cost to us. We are covered no matter how much it snows this season. Winter Rules are:

1. During a storm, the contractor will plow as needed to open the main street area only.
   After a storm, the contractor will honk his horn upon arrival to alert residents to move. There is a significant fine to the unit owner if an area is re-plowed because a car is not moved.


2. Snow will be removed from front stoops, sidewalks, front of mailboxes, and around all fire hydrants.


3. Under NO circumstance is salt or a salt product to be used on any stoop or sidewalk. Only no corrosive non-salt products are allowed. If damage is caused to a front stoop because of salt use, the owner may be asked to contribute to the replacement cost.


4. Remove all front mud pads so the contractor can clear your stoop properly.

All questions, issues, or concerns should be addressed to our property manager at G&W.

Litter and Dog Care
There has been a significant improvement in the littering of our community and with residents cooperating with cleanup from pet droppings. We all know that not cleaning up after your pet is a very serious health issue especially in our community with so many dogs. Thanks for doing a Great Job. If you see anyone littering or not picking up after their pets (including Winfield residents) or letting their dogs roam or left tied unattended to their decks or porches, please report this to G&W immediately.

Maintenance & improvements
The Board of Directors is very please to report that we are making very good progress on the 3 yr plan. Projects such as Satellite TV, new fencing to 10 units, new signs, paving sidewalk outside unit 12, removal of tree, roadway crack sealing, and mulching have been completed. Because of a somewhat major repair to the exterior wall from water damage to Unit 8 and some other high cost items, we were unable to tackle the drainage issue for units 3-6 or some shrubbery along the transformer near unit 13. All these things have been accomplished without raising fees!
However, the Board of Directors will be reviewing the plans for 2008 and will make recommendations at our annual winter meeting in January. Among the many ideas that have been noted include: replacing fencing on units 1-6, re-line the parking places, chip seal the roadway, fix pot holes and culverts, install speed bumps, power clean to remove mildew from the siding, repair walkways, and start a landscaping plan. Please take the time to complete the Blind Survey attached and return as soon as possible. Please do not include your name. Your opinion is appreciated and needed.

We have all been able to do a lot this year. Our goal is to keep the momentum going and invest our money wisely back into our community. Aren’t things looking better?

Pilgrims Landing Blog
We have a community Blog which can be accessed for minutes of our Directors meetings and other special announcements. Pay us a visit by typing the following URL in your internet search.
http://pilgrimslanding.blogspot.com/

Your Suggestions
A positive way for you to get involved is to make suggestions to improve our community. Simply jot your suggestion down on a piece a paper and leave in Rick’s mailbox (6) or e-mail (pilgrimslanding@sbcglobal.net). The Board of Directors will take them seriously. Remember, this is all our community.

Money Matters
Despite spending for many capital projects, some unforeseen spending for major maintenance issues, and increased cost from other services such as utilities and insurance, it looks as though our Association will end up the current year with more in our cash reserve than at the end of 2006. With that said, it is looking like we will be able to attain our financial goals including no fee increases this year and still maintain an aggressive improvement plan. We were happy to have been able to replace our insurance coverage with only a small increase thanks to hard work by our property manager.

Corporation News
In December, the Pilgrims Landing Condominium Association will renew its corporation status with the Ct Secretary of State and will retain its legal entity as a corporation.

Christmas Trees
Many of us enjoy the annual holiday tradition of buying a Christmas tree from a local stand or farmer. However, there are some issues we need to address if we choose to buy and use a live tree.
1) Please make sure you provide for sufficient water to preserve the needles.
2) Currently, when the season is over it is YOUR responsibility to dispose of the trees responsibly. The woodlands around our buildings are sadly becoming rather congested with various forms of trash including dead Christmas trees and other decorations from seasons past. To continue to use our wooded areas as dumping grounds is very irresponsible and if left unchecked will eventually haunt us. PLEASE TAKE YOUR TREE TO AN APPOROVED LAND FILL OR A RECYLING STATION FOR PROPER DISPOSAL.

Chimney Care
We all received a letter from G&W reminding us to have our fireplaces, pellet stoves, and the like inspected and cleaned yearly. A poorly maintained chimney connection can easily cause a fire or carbon monoxide can kill very easily. Our insurance carrier requires that we also submit signed evidence of this inspection and cleaning to G&W yearly. If you do not comply and if there is ever a fire, you may very well have some difficulties in recovering a claim.

Your Board of Directors
Rick Lazarski - Unit 6 – President
George Ingala - Unit 14 – Treasurer
Jackie Lancioni – Unit 12 – Secretary
Carol Curtis – Unit 10 – member at large
Warren Dion – Unit 16 – Member Emeritus


Thank you Jeff
A special thank you needs to be sent to Jeff Byers at G&W who has worked very closely with me and our Board to help us meet our goals and to watch over our community. I know things might have been rocky in the past but it looks as though those things are history. Because of Jeff’s hard work we were able to secure a new insurance policy with minimal increase to us, negotiate a much better price on other contracts for snow removal and crack sealing to name a few. Despite being property manager for many other associations, we should all appreciate his weekly inspections he makes walking through our complex and getting us all to “follow the rules”.

Thanks Jeff for your efforts this year and we all hope you continue to give your support and understanding.

Rick Lazarski, President.


Quotable Quotes:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.
Helen Keller