Letter From the President (Nov, Dec 2018)
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Ahh, the last letter of 2018, is that a good thing? The year has sped by quickly. Many of us are trying to get ready for the holidays. Hectic times this time of year. Luckily the HOA is in great shape and needs only fine-tuning before the New Year.
You should be receiving or received a mailing from CMA with the 2019 ballot, budget and CMA payment coupons enclosed. Review the budget and the ballot and please vote one of the ways listed in the mailing. We need 20% of the homes to vote to establish a quorum to proceed with our Board and 2019 Budget. We will have again, all-day voting at the clubhouse on Jan. 21, 2019 from 7 AM to 7 PM. You can drop off your ballot that day if you like, a Board member will be there to assist you in your voting or take your ballot. You will need to sign the sign-in sheet when you vote at the clubhouse.
There are very minute differences between the 2018 & 2019 budgets. The Board feels that our 2018 planning was close to the actual expenditures. We were under budget and that was good. So some minor tweaking with a little more here and a little less there and wallah we have our 2019 budget. The nicest thing about our budget is there will be no increase in the monthly fees!
I will let you get back to your busy schedules with a thought on what is becoming our most complained about issue, parking in the streets. If you need to park in the street make it a short stay and have your neighbors and emergency vehicles in mind in your placement of the vehicle. Expect to receive violation letters and fines if you can’t abide by those two items. Remember large vehicles and trailers are not permitted in the subdivision and any parking of them has to approved by the Board prior to and removed promptly after the allotted time allowed.
The Board wishes everyone a Safe and Joyous Holiday season and we look forward to 2019 with all of you.
Thanks for reading,
Don Roach, President
Open Board Meetings
The December Open meeting was held on Dec. 4. This meeting combined the November and December meetings together to better fit the Board members schedules. The regularly scheduled December 17 meeting is canceled. The next meeting will be Jan. 21, 2019 @ 7 PM. This will be our annual meeting where ballots will be counted by CMA and a resident volunteer(s) and announced if we have a quorum of votes. Once that is established the 5 Board members selected will go into executive session to select the Board Officers, (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer). Only emergency types of issues will be handled by the new Board if needed. The meeting will be adjourned and the new Board will select officer titles and those will be communicated to the residents.
Some Q&A will be discussed during the counting of the votes but the normal operation of an open meeting will not take place.
New Years Eve at the Clubhouse
New Years Eve Casino Night
What – Casino Games and Board Games and Celebration
When – Dec. 31
Time – 8 PM to Midnight
Cost – $5 per person to help cut the costs of raffle prizes and casino personnel.
Where – Centennial Commons Clubhouse
Bring – Your drink of choice and a snack to share with others. The HOA will provide a ham and buns.
Games – White Tie Casino will provide 2 Blackjack tables and a roulette table and dealers.
Other Games – not casino related will be played also i.e. rummy cube etc.
Each participant will be given the same amount of chips to gamble.
The games will end at 11 PM and prizes will be raffled off and award(s) for best gambler(s) luckiest person(s).
We will watch the ball drop on the big screen at midnight and smooch our favorite person and hug our neighbors (optional).
Clean up and conclusion of all activities shortly after midnight.
Come have fun and meet some neighbors
– CCHOA Social Committee
Landscaping News
4 Seasons will likely be blowing leaves into the third week in December ahead of the 2nd pine straw distribution scheduled to start the week of December 17. The yard crew will be here only a couple of days per week for the next 3 months.
The contractor for pine straw will be hauling the bales in multiple loads in stake-side trucks and off-loading them in piles along the roads. They may spill onto the edge of the roads or the sidewalks but they will get it cleaned up as they spread them out. They will tuck the straw into your beds after the applications. We ask that you be patient as they work thru this.
Our 1st turf application of 2019 will likely be a liquid pre-emergent for weeds and that won’t occur until February.
In other news we had a contractor remove four tall Arborvitae trees on either side of our 2 entrance signs and he removed a bush that was blocking our view of Woodstock Rd. on the uphill side as you leave the subdivision for better visibility and safety.
Roofs
As I’m sure you’re aware of we’ve had problems with the roofing shingles that the original builder installed. Many residents have replaced theirs but there are many more homes that may need it to be done. The insurance companies and roofers are well aware of our issues so be careful with both. Review your insurance contract each year as some insurance companies are writing in a different coverage for roofs that may raise your deductible for a replacement. Others are insisting on partial replacements (that most likely would be unacceptable to the HOA) or temporary repairs until what time the roof runs out of life and or they will only pay a small portion of the cost. Also be very careful of whom you hire as some of these companies go out of business within one or two years and who would you go back against for poor workmanship if they no longer exist.
Other Previous Topics (previously published, but good information)
Holiday Decorations: Remember to put decorations in the pine straw. Decorations should be removed promptly after the holiday is over. Thank you.
2019 Year: We are looking for resident volunteers for committees for the 2019 Season. If you have a little extra time and would like to help, please email us at centennialcommoner@yahoo.com.
In-home Businesses: There are restrictions in our Covenants for running a business out of your home. Refer to Article 8.1 Residential Use for a detailed explanation.
Clubhouse Rentals Issues: We find that when there are children present at clubhouse rentals or when using the amenities at the clubhouse they become bored and will entertain themselves either in the hallway or enter the fitness room when they are not of age. You the parent are responsible for their behavior. Please keep an eye on your children or your guests to make sure no one is injured or property is damaged. You the key holder will be held accountable.
Dog Feces: We have received many complaints regarding homeowners who walk their dogs and do not pick up after their dog. The residents have asked us to do something about this. As much as we agree that this is a very inconsiderate action, neither the board nor CMA has any recourse to this action without specific information. In order to notify CMA to issue a violation, we must have either the dog owners name and/or address. Also, if possible take a photo and include it, would be helpful. Just a photo by itself, without any other information, renders us helpless to pursue the homeowner. All names of those filing a complaint are kept completely confidential as we protect the privacy of our homeowners.
Facebook page: Our Facebook page is the best and fastest way to get immediate information regarding the subdivision, (i.e. looking for recommendations on home issues, posting events in the community, lost dogs, found dogs, and yes, even our recent bear sighting!). If you have not already done so, please go to “CCHOA in Acworth” on Facebook and ask to join the group.
***We need to remind homeowners that this page is not somewhere to post a personal grievance that you feel the board should handle. If you want the board to act on a complaint, make sure to send an email to centennialcommoner@yahoo.com. Your email will be forwarded to the proper person to handle. (Make sure to take the time to read the conduct policy regarding all posts.)
Email: The other way to get information is to join our email list. You are getting this because we have your email information and can send you important information quickly. If your neighbor doesn’t know why they are not getting this, it’s because the Secretary, Shirley Cox, does not have their info. Tell them to drop her a line at shirleycchoa@gmail.com. And she will add you to our community email list.
Use of Amenities: A homeowner must be present with any visitors using the amenities. If you or your family brings or allows visitors to use the HOA amenities, at least one adult from your household must be present continuously while the guest(s) are using the amenities. We have had numerous occasions of visitors who are unaware of our rules and become offended when we tell them to follow the rules and procedures. Please help us with this issue.
New Game Day for the Ladies: Recently Elaine Drake set up a day once a month for the ladies to get together to chat and play games. The first one was June 28 and I heard it was fun and a success. Elaine normally posts the dates, times and particulars on Facebook. Currently, there are no new dates for 2018. Watch the calendar for the next date.
Bunco 6:30 PM: Our next Bunco is Jan 12th. Please bring $5 to play and a dish to share and whatever type of refreshment you’d like to drink while playing. Bunco is a simple dice game and can be easily learned during the playing of the game.
Tennis Court Usage: The tennis courts are made for playing tennis and pickle ball. Any other activities can result in damage to the courts, nets and fencing. Skateboarding and roller blades will result in damage to the surface.
Additionally, proper footwear is required to protect the surface and the user. The costs to maintain the courts are in the thousands and therefore we need to follow the procedures for playing at the courts. Please respect this amenity.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY!
Thanks for reading,
Don Roach, President and the Board of Centennial Commons