One Nature View Drive, Uxbridge, Massachusetts, 01569

Trustees

Romeo Berthiaume

Tom Fermi

Andy Habe Roger Lange

Marianne Williams

S e m p e r a d M e l I o r a

newsletter@oldecanalvillage.org www.oldecanalvillage.org

October 21, 2011 Volume XI Issue II Circulation 72 Su

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T he State of the Trust is fine with one exception. That exception, as we all should know, is the devastating winter and the first of the year snow

storms, with ice dams causing severe and costly roof leakages in 27 of our homes. Faulty roofing and building workmanship by the builder, is the pri-mary cause of the severe internal damage and the costly external roof re-build and repair.

The internal damage costs were covered by OCV Insurance and the deductible by the individual homeowner insurance company. The external roof repair and re-work is costing upwards of $60,000 and will just about eradicate our Reserves. We are preparing for legal action and will proceed if our legal advisor presents a rea-sonable assurance that we can win the law suit.

We are also preparing for legal action due to improper installation of underground water pipes from the roadway to each homeowners unit. It has been necessary to repair a total of six units on Nature View Drive with a cost to repair of $12,000. We feel that the builder's improper use of dirt as fill, which included rock, is the cause of the pipe line breakage. They should have used sand and pea gravel. The builder paid for the first repair but started citing water pressure and other issues as the cause. The 6th breakage occurred in August this year at a cost of $2700 to repair.

The builder's responsibility is mitigated by the fact that the building statute of limi-tations has run out. We are finalizing a letter to Tony Marinella with pictures and a descriptive report from our roofer outlining the fact that water leaks could have been prevented with proper roof flashing and ice shields. This letter will be used in negotiation or legal actions.

We are taking these actions to obtain a deserved financial settlement from the

builder. (continued on Page 2)

Wine improves with age. I improve with wine.

One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up

being governed by your inferiors.

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. - Carl Zwanzig

H umans are complainers. It’s our nature to kvetch about everything and one we espe-

cially like to gripe about is politics. Legally, com-plaining is one of our rights as American citizens under the Constitution’s First Amendment, The Freedom of Speech .

Morally, and in my opinion, you have to earn the right to complain, and when it comes to the democ-ratic process, if you didn’t vote, don’t complain. This town has a terrible record of election-day-turnout.

I don’t know about you but I’m tired of listening to people complain in light of a recent election statis-tic. In a recent election about a prop. 2½ override to collect $5M to build athletic fields for the new

school, only 1,999 people cast a vote. That’s 1,999 peo-ple out of a popu-lation of 13,022 of which 10,012 are registered to vote. This means that 20% of the registered residents of Uxbridge determine if, how, and when we spend our money. The most recent election had nearly the same stats.

Does that sound right to you? Are you satisfied with this statistic? Do you think the town is prop-erly represented by only 2000 voters? Are those that vote in Uxbridge a good political cross section of the whole town? I rather doubt it. So get out and vote. Due your duty.

We are in process of determining the financial approach to rebuild our reserves that will replace common area elements in our Financial Reserve Study. A $20 per month condo fee increase starting in January of 2012 with no special as-sessment is presently planned.

There is also good news for Olde Canal Village. We are now down to one unit up for sale. This is great news because there are so many condo associations that are in dire straits from unsold units, foreclosures, nonpayment of condo fees, renting and leasing ofunits to help cover costs and special assessments, causing trustee boards to take commercial bank loans for operating costs of their associations.

We are not facing these obstacles and our condo fees are among the lowest around.

Real estate people talk about the beauty of our property and how well it is main-tained and managed. It is a selling point that they use with their customers, particu-larly in these tough selling times. One of our new homeowners told me how their visiting friends commented on how well kept and wonderful the place looked. It is always nice to hear. Your Trustees and homeowners work hard at keeping it a beautiful and friendly place to live.

The Board thanks you for your continued support and involvement in controlling operating costs.

Our next homeowners meeting will not be until February 8, 2012 and so we wish you a great Thanksgiving, a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new

F rom Operations: We continue the work of repairing roof water leaks due to this past winter’s ice dams. Buildings #9

and # 10 have been completed, and they have begun work on

building # 7. Expected completion date is late fall.

We have received the quote from our road sealing contractor and are still in the negotiating stages. Plans are to seal the roadways only and not the driveways or walkways in 2012. This will save us about $4,600. Sealing the roadways every four years will save our roads from pot holes and the need to replace our roads at a

cost of near $170,000 in about 12 years henceforth. We also fill road cracks to help preserve our two roads

and circle.

In an effort to reduce our water cost, we have adjusted our lawn water days to twice a week from every other day. This is a normal procedure at this time of the year. We also have adjusted the mowing height to 3 ½ inches in July so that we would not experience burnt lawns. As weather cools, we will lower the mowing

height.

Carlino plans to aerate and seed our front and side lawns in early fall, and applying compost to build up our

lawns as they do not have a good foundation of loam.

Carlino will also be renting or purchasing a front-end loader this year. This will allow him to speed up the

snow removal process, especially the driveways and walkways.

We continue to save money by repairing and adjusting our sprinkler's heads. We are the only community in

this area that repairs their lawn watering system. You can thank Wilson. He does an outstanding job.

We have inspected our outside building sump pumps and they are all in working order. We have added this to our maintenance schedule and they will be checked every year. - Property Management/Trustees

I had an uncle that loved me once but she died.

Why keep aspirin by your bedside? About Heart Attacks There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently. Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack. The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up.

However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep. If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. (Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve under the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets)

Afterwards: CALL 911

• say "heart attack!" • say that you have taken 2 aspirins .. • phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by • take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and ...

DO NOT lie down