n):6/)77)5 2* 7,) k-1+6*-)/( h20)2:1)56 a662’-%7-21 m ... · tom, thank you for this exceptional...

Newsletter of the Kingsfield Homeowners Association May 2010

DDeejjaa VVuu:: BBuuddggeett ii ss aa VViicc tt iimm oo ff tthhee WWeeaatthheerrPresident’s Message By Nancy Buckler

Continued on page 2

Where did Spring go? As I sit writing this arti-

cle, the wind is howling and it is chilly. After

enjoying the initial welcome of Spring and all the

beauty of the season, this is not what I had in

mind! After a challenging winter that brought us

considerable moisture in the form of snow and

rain, we have certainly been able to enjoy

vibrant green lawns and a spectacular display of

Spring flowers and foliage.

I pulled out the January newsletter for refer-

ence and see that the President’s Message

headline was “HOA Budget is at the Mercy of the

Weather.” Well...we can just paste that same

headline in this newsletter. If you attended the

April 15 HOA meeting, you heard Rick Cline dis-

cuss the extra financial burden of this past winter

and our concerns with the cost of lawn mowing

and tree maintenance.

THANKS TO RESIDENTS FOR SERVICE

For the sake of those who could not attend the

meeting and to reiterate our thanks, I would like

to commend the service of some of our residents

who have stepped down from their Board and

Committee positions over the past year.

Tom Moyer served as Board President for four

years and during this time he provided leader-

ship and direction to the Board and exceptional

service to Kingsfield. In addition to Board

responsibilities, Tom designed and implemented

a financial forecasting system that remains the

foundation for future planning for this community.

Tom, thank you for this exceptional service.

Tom Engleman served as Board Secretary for

two years and he devoted a great deal of time to

record keeping, document preparation and

recording meeting minutes. In addition, Tom

redesigned the Kingsfield Newsletter and

designed our Web site, which is state of the art.

Tom continues to publish and distribute the

newsletter and he continues to add services

through our Web site, making it a very valuable

tool for Kingsfield residents. Many thanks Tom.

Joan Pierce chaired the Sunshine Committee

for more than six years. She directed the activi-

ties of committees responsible for welcoming

new neighbors to our community, directing con-

dolences to residents who experienced the loss

of a family member, acknowledging special occa-

sions with cards and flowers, providing trans-

portation services and help with household

chores. Joan, thank you for your dedicated serv-

ice to Kingsfield and for the time you devoted to

these responsibilities.

Maggie Huber served as head of the Social

Committee for more than six years. She helped

keep us entertained with bus trips to New York

City, brought the community together for food

and fellowship at our annual pig roast and holi-

day dinner dances and helped organize the wine

and cheese evenings that many residents still

enjoy. In addition she led a group who provide

meals for residents who are recuperating from

an illness and/or caring for someone who is.

Maggie actively participates in the preparation

and delivery of meals. Maggie, you are good

friend to this community and you care for your

neighbors. Many thanks.

Any community is enriched by people who give

selflessly of their time and effort on behalf of the

whole group. Kingsfield is fortunate to have

these people who are willing to work in leader-

Kingsfield Homeowners Association Newsletter May 2010

Board of Directors

President - Nancy Buckler, 215-721-4003

[email protected]

Treasurer - Rick Cline, 215-799-2556

[email protected]

Secretary - Kathy Flournoy, 215-723-3953

[email protected]

Management Company

Grosse & Quade Management Company, 762 East

Main Street, 2nd Floor, Lansdale, PA 19446

Janice Shearer, Community Manager,

215-855-8700 [email protected]

Website

www.kingsfieldhoa.org

President’s Report: Thanks to Those Who Served the HOA

ship roles and we are fortunate to have the peo-

ple who have taken their place. Chuck and Sue

Antell are now chairing the Sunshine Committee

and Tozia Engleman is chairing the Social

Committee. Thank you for your willingness to

assume these responsibilities.

I would also like to thank Joe Nemeth who

heads the Landscape Committee and John

Jones who heads the Architectural Committee.

Both of these men have served in this capacity

for several years.

Like all organizations, things don’t run smooth-

ly or even stay the same without the attention

and contributions of many people. We live in a

lovely community and there is much going on

behind the scenes to make it lovely.

MANY THANKS TO THE PEOPLE SERVING

ON COMMITTEES CHAIRED BY THESE PEO-

PLE. There are many people whose combined

efforts make these committees work effectively.

Your efforts are appreciated by all who live here!

NEW BUSINESS

Or old...depending on your perspective.

Some of our residents asked that the Board take

another look at providing benches along the

walking path. We discussed this with the resi-

dents who attended the meeting and there was

overwhelming agreement on providing the

benches. You may recal, that this same issue

was approved a few years ago, but then resi-

dents became concerned about the location of

the benches and the project did not move for-

ward. Discussion at the meeting included:

(1) The need for benches. We are an adult com-

munity and benches would enable all residents

to enjoy the use of the walking path.

(2) Cost will be addressed by applying for a

State grant. We will determine the number of

benches by the dollars received in the grant.

Janice Shearer will process the grant application

next year as State funds have been expended

for this year.

(3) Location – we will locate the benches at

strategic points to assist walkers, depending on

the number of benches the grant will cover. We

will position the benches so that people using

them will not be in a location where privacy will

be a concern. They will be situated on common

ground and will not infringe upon any residents’

personal property.

(4) Maintenance – the benches will be of mainte-

nance free materials and installation will be

planned to provide ease of maintenance as well.

(5) Misuse of benches – residents weren’t

Continued on Page 3

Continued from Page 1

Kingsfield Committee Chairpersons

Architectural Review - John Jones - 215-723-5440

Landscaping - Joe Nemath - 215-721-7557

Social - Tozia Engleman - 215-723-3489

Book Club - Peggy Moyer - 215-723-3975

Ladies’ Luncheon- Fran Nikles - 215-721-4958

Men’s Breakfast - Ed Wuest - 215-721-4949

Golf Outing - Sam Pierce - 215-721-4658

Sunshine - Chuck and Sue Antell - 215-799-0253

Newsletter/Website - Tom Engleman -

215-723-3489 [email protected]

May 2010 Kingsfield Homeowners Association Newsletter

Kingsfield Mowing and Trimming Program for Summer-Fall 2010

Once per week - Lawn mowing.

6/15-6/30 - Prune shrubs originally planted by

the builder, except Spirea and beds marked with

red flags placed there by homeowners.

Approx. 11/15 - Fall cleanup and trim summer

blooming shrubs (including Spirea)

Once per month - Trim along walking path

4 times a year - Mow meadow

concerned that having benches would result in

trash being left in the community or undesirable

people using the benches. Based on the model

we are using (Souderton Mennonite Homes), this

has not been an issue. We all agreed that the

non-residents who use our walking path are pri-

marily older adults or young families with chil-

dren. They are all people who might enjoy

benches, as we do when we walk in the

Souderton Mennonite community. A few of the

men at the meeting volunteered to assist if any

kind of maintenance would be required in the

future. In the meantime, thanks to the residents

who leave a chair out on their patio or who offer

their deck or patio as a rest stop for their neigh-

bors. Just as Motel 8 leaves a light on for travel-

ers, you provide welcome respite to walkers.

Nice people!

A vote was taken and it was approved to pro-

vide benches in the most advantageous and

economical manner for the benefit of all resi-

dents.

MAINTENANCE ISSUESOur road surface is curing and it survived the

snow plowing of this past winter with some

issues, including some minor repairs to driveway

and road surfaces. We are getting pricing for

these repairs and also for a final sweeping of the

road to remove the remaining loose stones.

Some residents at the HOA meeting questioned

the need spend money on road sweeping. They

raised a very good point, citing our concern for

the cost of lawn/tree maintenance vs. additional

street sweeping.

We have all lived with stones in our shoes and

in our homes. And we know that our budget has

been challenged with snow removal costs and

an early start to our mowing season. We will

conduct a thorough evaluation with both cost

and consideration for the responsible care of our

community.

Several residents recently received letters from

our management company regarding the exterior

appearance and maintenance of their homes.

For your information, Janice Shearer walks our

community a couple of times each year to note

conditions requiring the attention of the home-

owner. The intention is to ensure the uniform

appearance and maintenance of our homes and

the overall Kingsfield development. This is part

of the responsibility of the management compa-

ny and we all benefit by Janice’s diligence in

maintaining the beautiful appearance of our com-

munity. Weather takes a toll on painted surfaces

and siding. Our extremely wet weather has per-

mitted mold to grow on siding and our hot sum-

mers have faded shutters and doors.

If you need to paint your shutters, there are a

couple of things to consider:

(1) Faded shutters can be replaced by the manu-

facturer. They carry a lifetime guarantee. The

manufacturer does not provide installation.

(2) If you chose to paint or have the shutters

painted, as many residents have, no alteration

request is required if you are using the existing

color. If you would like to change the color, an

alteration request needs to be submitted to the

Architectural committee. We ask that you look

around the neighborhood and plan to paint your

shutters or door one of the existing colors in our

community, preferably not the same color on

your next door neighbor’s house.

(3) There is a helpful article on our Web site

under Maintenance, submitted by Tom Moyer. It

is worth reading.

Trees will continue be a maintenance concern.

Continued on Page 7

President’s Report: Benches Proposed for Walking Paths

Continued from Page 2


KINGSFIELD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

MANAGEMENT REPORT

Prepared by: Janice Shearer

April 2010

LANDSCAPING:

The landscaping season has begun- Derstine Landscaping Company is our contractor again this year. So far

this season the following has been completed- Spring Clean up, edging of beds, pre-emgenet bed control,

mulching and one lawn cutting. The Board completed a walk thru with Derstine and the chairperson of the

landscape committee. A list of items that need to be addressed were given to Derstine for proposals, such

items as dead tree removal, bush replacements, and root shield for trees.

SNOW REMOVAL: Derstine Landscaping completed the snow removal for the season. There was minor

damage to some of the turf areas which has been repaired by Derstine. The total cost for the snow removal for

the year 2009 was $13,094.00 and the budget was $11,630.00. Therefore, over budget $1,464.00. In 2010 the

annual budget is $12,304.00 so far this year Kingsfield has spent -$15,916.00. Therefore, over budget so far

by $3,612.00 with November and December still as a factor in snow removal. Derstine was extremely fair in

their billing and has allowed Kingfield to be only slightly over budget. There was a communication issue dur-

ing one of the snow storms but otherwise they did a good job.

2009 Year End Review:

Lorraine Heil has completed the end of the year review for Kingsfield. If anyone is interested in a copy please

contact the management company and a copy will be forwarded to your home.

Property Inspection:

In March the Management Company completed a property inspection in order to assess the snow removal

damage and during the walk thru also made note of power washing and shutter painting. Approximately 20

letters were sent out. Work to be completed by June 17th.

2010 HOME SALES:

One home is currently under agreement with settlement scheduled for May 26th. The sale price was

$320,000.00

CURRENT NON-AGENDA ITEMS OF INTEREST TO BOARD

ADMINISTRATIVE:

As of 4/15/10 all homeowners but one has paid their fees.

The Board has received the most recent Financial Report for the month ending March 2010. As of 4/15/10

there is $26,008.13 in the operating account, $5,524.44 in the operating reserve account and the Capital

Reserve account is $76,023.93. The Management Company and the Board of Directors is presently researching

CD rates in order to invest some of the money in the Capital Reserve fund.

Chemical Application Program for Summer-Fall 2010

July - Grub control, fertilizer and broadleaf weed

control

September/October - Fertilize common-ground

trees

September - Fertilizer and broadleaf weed con-

trol

October - Fertilizer and broadleaf weed control


CCOOMMMMIITTTTEEEE RREEPPOORRTTSSMen’s Group Breakfasts

By Ed Wuest

The Kingsfield Men's Group has scheduled

breakfast meetings through the end of October

2010.

Breakfast gatherings, which begin at 9 a.m.,

are held twice each month, one on a Monday

and the other on a Saturday, so those who still

work can attend at least one of them.

The Spring/Summer schedule is:

Monday, May 3 - Franconia Cafe, Allentown Road

Saturday, May 15 - A&N Diner, Old Bethlehem Pike, Sellersville

Monday, June 7 - The Energy Station, Route 63, Vernfield (north

of Harleysville)

Saturday, June 19 - Heritage Restaurant, Route 113, Franconia

Monday, July 12 - Souderton Restaurant. 120 North Main Street

Saturday, July 24 - Keystone Diner, Old Bethlehem Pike,

Sellersville

Monday, August 9 - Franconia Cafe, Allentown Road

Saturday, August 21 - Doyle’s Family Restaurant, 43 N. Market

St., Hatfield

Monday, September 13 - Country Rose Cafe, Giant Shopping

Center, Hatfield

Saturday, September 25 - Heritage Restaurant, Route 113,

Franconia

Monday, October 4 - O'Grady's Restaurant, Route 113,

Souderton

Saturday, October 16 - The Energy Station, Route 63, Vernfield

(north of Harleysville)

If you are interested in attending the break-

fasts, just show up or call Ed Wuest at 215-721-

4949.

Social Committee

By Tozia Engleman

Charlotte and Bob Walker hosted a Wine &

Cheese party on February 26. There were 40-

plus attendees. Everyone seemed glad to get

out after all the snow.

Linda and Ray Trauger hosted the Spring

Wine & Cheese party on April 30, with over 30

guests.

Many thanks to all who graciously open their

homes.

The following subcommittees and their chair-

persons are:

- Book Club - Peggy Moyer - 215-723-3975.

- Ladies Lunch Bunch - Fran Nikles - 215-721-

4958

- Men's Group Breakfasts - Ed Wuest - 215-721-

4949

- Kingsfield Golfers - Sam Pierce - 215-721-

4658.

New members and suggestions are always

welcome. Please feel free to contact any of the

subcommittee chairpersons.

Ladies’ Lunch Bunch

By Fran Nikles

“Bye, bye” snow and “hello” spring bouquets to

the Ladies Lunch Bunch.

The Lunch Bunch will meet at Noon on May 18

at Caruso Brick Oven Trattoria in Souderton. If

you love Italian food, you will love Caruso's.

Parkside American Grille in Harleysville is

where we will meet on June 15. The homemade

fries are not to be missed, yummy!

If you would like to join the ladies for lunch,

please call me at 215-721-4958. Hope to see

you soon.

Window-Replacement SuggestionOver the nine-plus years since the first

homes were built in Kingsfield, many home-

owners have experienced problems with the

vinyl windows installed by the builder.

Tom Moyer wrote an excellent article that is

posted on our Web site, describing how and

why he had 10 of his windows replaced in

April.

His article and photos are at:



Landscaping Committee

By Joe Nemath, chairperson

The chairman of the Landscaping Committee

and the Board did a walk-through of the develop-

ment in early April, checking trees and bushes

that needed to be replaced. We found the follow-

ing:

1. Remove bush at 286 Surrey Drive and re-

seed lawn.

2. Remove two dead trees at 280 Westminster

Lane and replace with one.

3. Replace two trees at the rear of 294 and 296

Kingsfield Drive with maples.

4. Move the daffodils from the entrance island

and replant them by the signs at the entrance.

5. Replace the spirea in the drainage basin.

6. Replace the dead bushes behind Crown Court

along Cowpath Road.

The Landscaping Committee received two

requests for landscaping changes this spring.

Both where approved by the committee and the

Board.

Architectural Review Committee

By John Jones, chairperson

Since the Kingsfield Board of Directors meet-

ing in November, our committee has reviewed

and approved alteration requests, as follows,

from Kingsfield Community homeowners:

272 Crown Court – Approved a request to

install a DirecTV dish on the roof at a position

suggested by the TV technician.

294 Kingsfield Drive – Approved a request to

paint the garage door the same color as the sid-

ing. Also to repaint the stucco to the existing

color and to repaint the front and back door and

shutters to match their original color.

283 Westminister Lane - Approved a request

to repaint the front door and shutters from origi-

nal color of dark blue to black.

Our committee reviews the alteration requests

and makes a recommendation to the Board of

Directors, which gives the final approval for the

project. Our committee members are Gene

Razzi, Bob Ernandez, Frank Byrnes and John

Jones, chairman.

By Sue Antell, chairperson

Members of the four groups on our committee

continue to be available for our community

needs.

We will prepare meals, help with household

chores, and provide transportation if you are

unable to drive.

Our busiest sector is hospitality ... delivering

plants and cards to the ill and bereaved and

greeting new residents.

New volunteers are always welcome. Just con-

tact anyone on the committee.

HOSPITALITY - Freda Cybularz (215-799-2367)

and her committee members (Jill Manetta and

Sue Antell) continue to deliver plants, flowers

and cards to the ill, bereaved and also to wel-

come our new residents.

TRANSPORTATION - Sue and Chuck Antell

(215-799-0253) and their committee members

(Maggie Huber, Sam Pierce and Ruth Schiller).

HOUSEHOLD CHORES - Chuck Antell (215-

799-0253) and his committee members (Gerry

Peklak, Don Nikles and Ruth Schiller).

MEALS - Maggie Huber (215-723-8276) and her

committee members (Ann Byrnes, Jill Manetta,

Lois Myers, Fran Nikles, Peggy Moyer, Kathi

Stingle, Joan Pierce and Sue Antell).

Remember, if you have a need or know of a

neighbor who has a need, please don’t hesitate

to call anyone on our committees.

CCOOMMMMIITTTTEEEE RREEPPOORRTTSS

Sunshine Committee


CCOOMMMMIITTTTEEEE RREEPPOORRTTBook Club

By Peggy Moyer

The members of the Kingsfield Book Club met

on Monday, April 12, at the home of Nancy

Buckler to discuss The Piano Teacher by Janice

Y.K. Lee.

Our next meeting is Monday, May 10, at

Peggy Moyer's. The May selection is The

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan

Bradley.

You have probably noticed that Derstine

Landscaping has removed the two dead trees

near the entrance and planted one Maple tree at

this location. We will observe the growth of this

tree, and if it grows successfully we will consider

replacing the other tree that was removed. A few

other dead trees and bushes throughout the

development have been replaced as well. Last

Fall, Destine Landscaping applied a deep-root

fertilization to the diseased elm trees along

Kingsfield Drive. We will hope to see these trees

begin to recover. If that does not happen, we will

need to consider next steps.

Lawn Ornaments

Four years ago the Board have established

guidelines regarding lawn ornamentation. These

guidelines are in place to keep the number of

statues and other ornamentation to a consistent

and attractive quantity and also to restrict the

location/placement of ornamentation. We are

reprinting those guidelines on Page 8 of this

newsletter to refresh our memories and to ask

that residents refer to this information and make

any necessary adjustments to your property.

Next HOA Meeting

The next meeting of the HOA will be held in

November. The primary focus of this meeting will

be next year’s budget. Residents will be notified

of the date by mail. We hope to see you there.

As you can see from the discussion of the April

meeting, these meetings provide an opportunity

to discuss the business and concerns of our

community. Decisions, such as the benches, are

made at these meetings. Please plan to come,

participate in the discussions and vote on issues

that affect your community.

You might also consider serving on a commit-

tee so you can be aware of and informed about

community issues. Our community is aging and

things will begin to deteriorate if we are not

observant and diligent in planning for the mainte-

nance of our common grounds. Most of the chal-

lenging issues have been handled by previous

boards, so there would be only a small time com-

mitment. Guidelines have been established, most

property landscaping has been completed and

now we need to be concerned about mainte-

nance and preservation. We live in a beautiful

community and with your help we can enjoy this

lovely environment for many years to come.

As always, please feel free to discuss any con-

cerns or suggestions you have with the appropri-

ate committee or either of the Board members.

Have a great summer!

We will have our annual dinner meeting on

June 14, hosted by Fran Nikles. The book cho-

sen for discussion is The Double Bind by Chris

Bohjalian.

There will be no book club meetings in July or

August. In September we will have our annual

Potpourri night when everyone brings books that

were read over the summer.

We welcome new members to join us at any

time. Please call Peggy Moyer (215-723-3975)

for more information.

Presidents Message ... continued from page 3

Minutes of the April 15 HOA Board Meetingwill be mailed to all homeowners and arenow posted on our Web site:


The advertisement on this page alsois posted on the Kingsfield Web site:www.kingsfieldhoa.org .

As additional ads arrive they will beposted first on the Web site and thenwill be printed in future issues of thisnewsletter.

Kingsfield residents are encouragedto mention the availability of ads tocompanies that perform qualityhousehold services. They may call215-715-9809 to place an ad.


SSUUPPPPOORRTT OOUURR SSPPOONNSSOORR

The following guidelines were established and

agreed upon by the Landscape Committee and

the Board back in May 2005. The guidelines

were established in response to both written and

verbal concern by residents regarding the quanti-

ty of statuary and garden ornaments that some

homeowners display.

The Board prefers not to draft a resolution

telling residents how much ornamentation they

can have around their homes. However, we do

have an obligation to balance the personal

appeal of the individual homeowner’s taste with

the taste of the community in general.

These are the guidelines agreed upon. We

request that each homeowner review the guide-

lines and what they have in their gardens around

their home. If you have more than the guidelines

recommend, we request that you remove the

excess.

1. Only 3 to 5 garden statuary and garden

ornaments on each side of the home.

2. A reasonable number of potted plants or

potted shrubs in containers are not counted

(excluded from) in the 3 to 5 count of garden

statuary and garden ornaments on each side of

the home.

3. No more than two small garden

statues/ornaments in the mulched area around

the Ornamental Tree in the front of each home.

Some of these trees (Coventry Models) have the

Ornamental Trees in an area outside the 6 foot

area on common ground. Potted plants, wagons,

bird feeders, large garden statuary and large

garden ornaments are not allowed in this area.

4. No statuary may be placed in common

ground areas.

5. There are no restrictions for garden statuary

and garden ornaments, potted plants, grills, lawn

furniture, tables, etc for any deck or patio area in

the rear of the home.

The Board really does not want to get into the

level of managing what the residents place

around their homes. However, we receive com-

plaints about too much "stuff” around some

homes. Please consider this to be the opportuni-

ty to police your own property.

Kingsfield HOA Board of Directors

Lawn Ornamentation and Statuary GuidelinesPLEASE FILE WITH YOUR HOA MANUAL

n):6/)77)5 2* 7,) k-1+6*-)/( h20)2:1)56 a662’-%7-21 m ... · tom, thank you for this exceptional...

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