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To: Signature Homeowners
From: Signature Homeowners Association Board of Trustees 07-03-07
We want to thank everyone who responded in some form or fashion to the communication we sent out last week regarding the speed bumps, gates, landscape maintenance and other community-related items. We received a number of additional questions, comments, suggestions, etc. and wanted to provide comment to the entire Association on at least the most common items that were communicated to us. If you have further questions or feedback, please continue to let us know.
Q: Have we found out what happened to the speed bumps and what is going to be done about it?
A: Thus far, we have received no information on what happened to the speed bumps. Barnett Management filed a police report as soon as we were aware they were stolen, but no information has surfaced. We do plan to prosecute the perpetrator if we ever find out who stole them. No decision has yet been made on what to do with the speed bumps going forward.
Q: Instead of speed bumps, why can't we get the Solon police to patrol and ticket for speeding and other traffic violations? Isn't speeding an issue in lots of other neighborhoods in Solon.
A: Since Signature of Solon is a private community, there is no enforcement of traffic violations such as speeding, stop signs, no parking, etc. The police do patrol and they are here to enforce all non-traffic laws and criminal activity. But, unlike all the public streets in the city (but similar to other private communities in the area) the police don't write tickets for traffic violations in Signature. Unfortunately, there seem to be residents who are aware of this fact and take advantage of it.
Q: Why weren't the homeowners surveyed and/or a vote taken before installing the speed bumps?
A: The Streets & Safety Committee determined that speeding was a problem and speed bumps were the best solution to, at least on a trial basis, curb the speeding. The Board agreed with that assessment. Warnings about speeding and the possible installation of speed bumps if the speeding didn't stop were made via email, the web site, and on signs as we all entered the community, for a few months prior to speed bumps being installed. Not one issue was raised about the possibility of speed bumps from all those warnings, prior to their installation. The Board has been tasked to make many decisions on behalf of the Association and specific committees have been formed to assist in evaluating and recommending those decisions. We aren't able to solicit the opinion of the homeowners on every single decision and the installation of the speed bumps was a decision made based on the need to help make Signature a safer community.
Q: Why don't we have cameras installed on the gates so that we have a record of who is causing damage to them?
A: At the November 2005 Homeowner's Meeting, a proposal to install cameras on the gates was brought to the property owners, at a total cost of $46,000. A separate assessment would have been needed to pay for the cameras, the proposal was brought to a vote, and it failed. The idea of installing cameras may be brought to the property owners again.
Q: Are the gates ever going to work properly? Why don't we just get rid of them?
A: Good questions! We are the process of trying to put together another group of residents to assess the gate situation. We've had a few people raise their hand and volunteer to help, but we encourage anyone else interested in helping find a solution, assess alternatives, etc. to reply to this message or contact someone on the Board. Among the ideas that have been suggested and are to be evaluated include installing a whole different gate system, cutting out part of the gates to make them smaller/lighter, installing cameras, and hiring a private service to patrol the community. Obviously, all have a cost that must be evaluated and in most cases would need to be brought to the Association for a vote before assessing for that cost.
Q: Cars have been seen driving on the path that leads to the pool. Also, people have noted a lot of littering, particularly in common areas.
A: Obviously, cars shouldn't be driving on the paths. And, who knows why someone would litter and make a mess of our community. As homeowner's, we have a responsibility to self-police our community. If anyone sees any activities that they feel are out of line, they should report them to Barnett Management, ideally with a license plate number. We may be looking for volunteers to help develop a community-led task force in this area.
UPDATE
From: Signature Homeowner's Association Board of Trustees
To: Signature Homeowners 06-26-07
As many of you are aware, speed bumps were recently installed on a trial basis in Signature One, in an attempt to help slow the excessive speeding that has been noted by many residents. While we are aware that a number of residents were not thrilled with the installation of the speed bumps, the Board has fielded numerous complaints from residents who felt the speeding needed to be addressed as it presents a significant safety issue, especially to the children of the
neighborhood. Not one member of the Board was excited to install the
speed bumps in their community. But, after a number of warnings over the past few months, no change in driving behavior was noted and the installation of speed bumps was determined to be the most effective way to try to slow people down, at least on a trial basis. While there were complaints after their installation, there were an equal number of residents (if not more) who were happy to see something being done to address the speeding issue.
Unfortunately, on Monday night, someone took the liberty of removing half of the speed bumps that were installed. At this time, those speed bumps remain missing. While as of yet we have no idea who was responsible, an assumption can be made that it was a resident who was unhappy with the decision to install them. It is very disconcerting that someone would vandalize our property that way and it is a continuation of a pattern of lack of respect for our community that a small number of residents have exhibited.
While the gates are definitely an issue, part of the problem has been cars pushing/bumping the gates. We have property owners who haven't adequately landscaped their properties, even though our Covenants state properties must be fully landscaped within one year of occupancy. We have property owners who aren't adequately taking care of their lawns and property. We have property owners who leave garbage cans at the curbside for days. We have property owners who don't abide by many of the provisions of our Covenants.
All of this is costing us money, both in our Association dues needing to be used for unplanned property maintenance and in potentially reducing the market value of our homes. If Signature of Solon is to become the type of community we all know it could and should be, we all need to do a better job of making sure our residents all do their part to maintain their properties and the community as a whole.
The Board will soon be communicating a series of procedures that have been developed by our Rules & Regulations Committee. These procedures will outline a communication and penalty structure for homes/properties that are in violation of one or more of our Covenants. The penalty structure will include both fines and assessments for non-compliance that in some cases are quite significant. Hopefully, having these enforcement procedures in force will have an impact in getting those property owners that are out of compliance to take action.
We are still a very new community and many of the issues the Board is facing are much more complex than they may seem on the surface. But, we are working hard to try to address the issues and concerns that have been expressed. We welcome and appreciate the input of the residents and encourage anyone with any concerns, questions or suggestions to contact a member of the Board.
Sincerely,
The Signature of Solon Board of Trustees
From: Signature Homeowner's Association Board of Trustees
To: Signature Homeowners 06-16-07
Speeding is still a problem in both Signature One and Signature Two and because the Board is concerned about everyone's safety, speed bumps have been installed in Signature One on a trial basis. Please slow down and obey speed limits to avoid additional installations.
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