1

All calls/e-mails relating Unit Owners Issues/needs are to be di-

rected to Community Management Professionals (CMP). These

go directly to Sarah Perry (snperry@cmpmgt.com 412-489-6862).

Sarah will do the initial fact finding with the Unit Owner and utilize

any standard procedures to handle the Issue/need. Items such as

garbage/recycle pickup, water not available, contractor issues will

be handled with the appropriate organization. Items such as Alter-

ation Requests, Unit sale documents, clubhouse rentals, new

storm doors, new patio installations, or satellite TV installations,

have documents, or procedures that will be directed to the Unit

Owner to follow. Sarah will advise the Board of the action taken.

Otherwise, Sarah knows the appropriate first responder to direct

the Issue for resolution.

Most times this will be directed to a Committee chair. All Board

Members are copied. The Committee chair will typically select a

member of the Committee to do the fact finding associated to the

Issue, or handle it themselves. Once defined, the Issue’s resolu-

tion may require the full Committee to discuss the recommended

action to be taken. Each Committee meets monthly or communi-

cates via e-mail if a more timely action is needed.

In many cases, the Committee member will be able to resolve the

Issue. If the resolution of the Issue requires an expenditure of

funds, and the Committee has approved Budget, they will direct

CMP to proceed with the resolution and copy the Board. If there is

no Budget, the Board is advised of the circumstances and the cost

of the resolution and asked to approve the expenditure. In some

cases, no further action will be the resolution. When the Issue is

resolved, the Committee Chair advises CMP and the Board. CMP

conveys the resolution to the Unit Owner… Cont.

Villas Of Arden Mills Volume 12, Issue 12

December 2018

VILLAS EXPERIENCE

Special points of interest:

• Social Committee …….3rd

• X-mas Gala………………...7th

• Cards Luncheon ……....14th

• Finance Comm ….………17th

• Grounds Comm…...…….17th

• 1st Day of Winter……....21st

Villas of Arden Mills — Effective January 1, 2019

Processes that are in place to insure the timely response to Issues/

needs raised by Unit Owners:

Inside of this issue

• VOAM - Processes…….1 & 2

• Social Committee ..…….. 2

• Buildings & Roads ……….. 3

• Grounds Comm......………. 3

• Water System Event…...4&5

• Clubhouse Comm…………..5

• Villas Corner……...…. ……..6

2

Should the Unit Owner not accept the resolution offered by this process, they are invited to direct their concerns to

the Board, either in writing or at the next Board meeting. Should the Issue be an Emergency, as determined by

CMP, they may dispatch a contractor to resolve the Issue and advise the Board and Committee. For example, a roof

is leaking into a unit, or a snow removal situation is required for an emergency vehicle. All reported Issues are dis-

cussed in the Committee meeting to determine if this is an isolated incident or if this Issue has potential to occur in

multiple locations, or whether a Newsletter article to inform the Community is required, or if this needs to be dis-

cussed at a Board meeting. The Committee Chair keeps a list of Issues. This list is reviewed in the monthly meeting

until resolution is achieved.

VOAM—2019 Processes……. Cont. Ron Richards

Social Committee... Kay Richards

Friday, December 7th is a truly special event when the Social Committee hosts the holiday party for our community.

We look forward to the evening as we celebrate the last social of 2018 with our friends and neighbors. A scrump-

tious dinner has been arranged and excellent entertainment provided by The Light Touch

will set the stage for a wonderful evening. A basket has been prepared for our usual raffle

with items that, while they might not be essential, will definitely be things that one can enjoy

and find to be useful and fun. If you care to, you may dress up in your finest since there are

seldom occasions to do so in our daily life. As you may know, we just encourage you to

wear whatever is comfortable for you as you will see all manner of dress at the event. The

doors will open at 6:45 p.m. but, rest assured, there will be plenty of seats for everyone.

Please be sure that you have paid for the Gala prior to coming that evening; we will be sell-

ing tickets for the basket at the door and it would complicate matters if you try to pay at that

time.

Soup Night was, again, a success with 77 people signed up. Nine wonderful ladies volunteered to make

the soups and their generosity is so appreciated, not only by the Social Committee, but by all who attended the so-

cial. Many thanks go to those of you who provided the soups as well as those committee ladies who baked the beer

bread. As always, everyone appreciated the salads by Ron. Soup Night continues to please our community as

much today as when we first initiated it.

As I informed you at Soup Night, the time has come for me to step aside from the Social Committee. As I

stated then, my body has turned 80 this past summer and I find It does not want to perform as well as it has in the

past. I feel very strongly if I am not able to bring 100% of my efforts to this task, I believe it is only right that some-

one else steps in and gives it their all. This Committee has been my heart and soul since moving here and it is with

tremendous sadness I step aside. However, I am convinced your Committee will go on and continue to provide

events you enjoy and probably do it even better. The ladies who serve in this capacity care very much for the com-

munity and it will be very evident in the months and years ahead. I want to thank you all for the support you have

given our Committee these many years and tell you what a heartfelt pleasure it has been for me to work with you

and our Social Committee’s angels. I can never thank my ladies enough; they have been extraordinary in their con-

tributions – both financially and physically. I love each and every one who has served on this Committee through

the years. We owe them a lot. I just realized this will be my last newsletter article, as well. Well, my love and af-

fection go out to all of you. Thank You for the many, many good times.

3

How do you find a leak in our approximately 3 miles of piping that comprises our Water System when the

only visible parts are in the Water Meter Pit at the entry and where the service line emerges from the slab in

each of our Units, and the rest of the System is around 12 feet below ground for the main line and around

five feet below ground for the Building service lines? This was the task undertaken by the Buildings & Roads

Committee during our recent Water System event. We sent an email to the Community, indicating there would be

no water service available at a scheduled time. Utilizing the Engineering Drawings of our Water System, and using

existing valving, we isolated various sections of the Community. We used shutoff tools previously purchased for

this situation, which we store in the Clubhouse. The leak was isolated to Phase II. Next, we had to shut off the

water to all Buildings in Phase II by closing the curb box shutoff valve to each building. This valve is located in the

front yard and is identified by the blue paint that we had applied several years ago to assist in finding these curb

boxes. At that time, we also painted a blue line on the street curbing to further assist this finding process. With all

service lines turned off, we then turned each building back on, watching the meter at the same time. We were able

to identify that only one building caused a significant increase in water usage when the curb box was turned on.

This was Building 41. We then turned the water back on to the Community and scheduled a plumber to perform

the repair. (See related article on the repair.) We were very lucky during this event. If the leak were in the main

line, the process would have been more complicated with a longer outage for the Community. Thanks to Jim Hazi,

Gerry Phipps, Denny Dembrak, Arnie DiGregorio and Ron Richards for the teamwork during this event.

Community Assist Requested – During the identification process to determine the cause of our recent substantial

increase in our water bills, the Pa. American Water Co. representative indicated that leaky toilets were a significant

factor at other locations. We sent an email to the Community asking you to perform a Dye Test on your toilets and

report the results to Ron Richards via email. We have only received 50 responses from our 136 units. If you have

not already done so, please report your test results to kayrichards50@comcast.net. The reports to date indicate

that 11 of the 50 had to replace one or more faulty flushing mechanisms.

Gutter Cleaning & Roof Leaf Removal – Left Side of Fair Meadow Drive in Phase II - Mow, Mulch & More was

contracted to do this work this year. They provide this service to other Communities they serve. The work was

completed on November 20. It is difficult each year to determine the timing of this activity. The oak trees tend to

hold their leaves, and many do not fall until spring. We can’t wait too long because the gutters will freeze. This

year we trialed using a blower on the roof to blow the leaves, which accumulate in the valleys, and blow out the

gutters. Downspout clogs that were visible from the top were removed by hand.

Buildings and Roads... Ron Richards

Grounds Committee —- Reminder... Tom Bruker

For those residents who have already had their juniper plants removed,

please respond to Tom Bruker or Patty Dembrak by Dec. 31, 2018 with

your choice for your juniper replacements as described in the letter that

you have received.

4

The latest water line Event was a break in the service line to Building 41 at Unit 518. The break occurred just be-

yond the curb box in the front yard at a depth of about 5 feet. After excavation, an unusual configuration was en-

countered. The original plumber added an extension from the curb box to the copper service line. The copper ser-

vice line is normally directly connected to the curb box. This extension was made up of PVC pipe and a series of

compression clamps. The use of PVC caused the break. Our plumber replaced this extender with a brass one.

(The below pictures will show what was encountered and what the replacement looks like.) The excavation was

rough backfilled which will require landscaping in the spring. Expenditure to date is $3,150.

Buildings and Roads — Water System Event... Ron Richards

Pictures During Repair

Bossong Plumbing excavation exposing the copper line and curb box. Depth 5 feet.

Non-standard extension removed from between the curb box and the copper line. The bottom piece is the connecter

to the copper, the middle section is the extender, and the top piece is the connector to the curb box.

5

Over tightened compression clamp in left

hand distorted the PVC to out of round. Weakness.

PVC indented from the compression clamp. Break

occurred here.

Replacement brass extender – bottom fits into

curb box, top connects to the copper line.

Clubhouse Committee... Donna Sweet

The Clubhouse committee has some changes in its members. Gerry Phipps, due to other commitments in our communi-

ty, had to resign although he will be our go-to man in case there is a mechanical problem with the furnace or air condi-

tioner. Frank Huffman has joined our committee and will take over the regular maintenance chores for the Clubhouse.

We welcome him to our committee.

We have decided to remove the soap dispenser in the Woman’s Restroom as it seems to be difficult to use and creates

a mess. We will supply regular hand soap dispensers instead. A wall decoration will be placed over the spot the dis-

penser now occupies.

Our committee would welcome any input from the community for improvements or ideas for the Clubhouse.

6

Need your computer repaired? Many of our residents have called Tom Montalto

to do the job and are pleased with his work and prices. He will be setting two

Saturdays aside each month to come to the villas for repairs. December dates

will be the 15th and the 29th. All you need to do is call him Mon thru Fri 8-5 or

Sat 11-4 at 724-557-0171 to schedule an appointment. We can give you an up-

date each month as to when he will be here if people are interested. If you can-

not wait for the scheduled dates please call and he will work with you.

Villas Corner ...

Computer Repairs … Sharon Rdaosevich

Every fall the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry publishes a “Winter Finch Forecast” and, based on

the data for 2018-19, the short version of their article is: keep those feeders filled and your eyes open for any unusual

bird species!

Their forecast is determined by the abundance of seeds available for the various resident species that move around in

the north searching for winter food. Quoting from the general section of the report will indicate why we are excited.

“This is an irruption (flight) year for winter finches in the East. Cone and birch seed crops are poor to low in most of

Ontario and the Northeast. It will be a quiet winter in the North Woods. Expect flights of winter finches into New York

and the New England States, with some finches going farther south into the United States.” Washington County would

be included in that last reference, as we have had, although admittedly only rarely, winter sightings of several northern

bird species.

There are eight finch species that are possible in the county, with varying degrees of likelihood. Pine Siskins and Pur-

ple Finches are the most likely, and we observed both of these briefly at our feeders in late October. Be sure and

check your field guide for the subtle differences between these species and the American Goldfinch and House Finch,

respectively.

Two groups of very interesting possible northern visitors are the grosbeaks and crossbills. The bills of the former are

not particularly gross, but, the latter’s are definitely crossed, which enables them to pry out the seeds from cones,

spruces, and firs. Evening Grosbeaks were regular visitors to the County through the 1970s and 1980s, but have been

recorded only three times since 1990. However, they have been seen during November in Bedford County and sever-

al other locations not that far away. The two crossbills are not as likely, as the White-winged has been observed only

two winters in the County, 2008 and 2012, and the Red only once, in 1975.

Of the rarer finches the two redpolls may be the most likely, as the Ontario forecast predicts “this will be a flight year

for redpolls…with first arriving individuals seen in weedy fields and when niger seed feeders are discovered, feeding

frenzies will result.” The subtly different possible species are the Common and Hoary, with the latter being much rarer.

So, keep watching and let us know if any unusual birds visit your home.

Possible Northern Visitors … Roy and Judi Ickes

Tuesday Dec 13th 6:30 –8:30 pm at the home of Karen Neubauer 537

FM. Come share, learn, & contribute your skills and friendship! All are

welcome.