April/2012
Welcome Spring!
tennis
Rolling Ridge Farm HOA Spring Update
 
 
Happy spring! We hope that everyone is doing well as we head into our spring season.  As a board we are excited about some repairs we have planned for this year. We are tackling a couple large (and expensive) projects and are asking for everyone's help. We are a neighborhood full of intelligent, thoughtful, and multitalented people. As we discuss some of the plans and projects going forward, any ideas based on your own experiences and thoughts would be outstanding.
Treasury Update                   calculator     
 
Like most families, businesses, and associations in the world, we are limited by our budget and need to look closely at priorities for any given year. 

As an association, the time has come when we need to make some repairs to our existing infrastructure. Between the weather, vandalism, and the hands of time, there are several areas where much needed repairs would be welcome.  The association currently has roughly $30,000 dollars saved. The amount of "free cash" we have at our disposal is significantly less.  At the absolute minimum, we need a base of $10,000 to carry forward year to year. Ideally our reserves would be much higher. Out of the $30,000, the association has $10,000 set aside for the covenant application process to pay when the paperwork finds it's way through land court. This leaves us with roughly $10,000 to spend on necessary repairs this spring/summer.
 
The annual income (based upon fiscal year 2011) for our association which comes from HOA dues and other fees amounts to $23, 826. ($23760 dues+$66 fees).

The annual expenses that include: annual meeting expense, bank charges, dock removal and repair, mailing out dues and subscriptions, insurance, landscape maintenance, office supplies and maintenance, postage, repair and maintenance (signs that are knocked down by vandals, etc), and sanitation expense (pora potty at the pond), amount to: $20,838.66

Our net income for any given year is approximately $2987. This number is assuming that every household pays their annual dues. If only 16 out of 141 households do not pay their dues, the association loses money. 
As mentioned above,  the association is aging and has some much needed repairs. At this time we are breaking even with annual base costs. Insurance and landscaping costs alone well exceed $15,000 annually. In order to have enough money in reserves to maintain the association in regards to future repairs, we are looking at an increase in dues begining in the year 2013. This will officially be voted on in the fall at our annual meeting, but as a board, we would appreciate any thoughts, input, and ideas that you may have. Some of the future renovations include, finishing replacing necessary boards and posts in the split rail fencing, and beach renourishment.
 
Repairs that have been targeted for this year, include:the tennis courts, the gravel road heading into the beach area, and the repair of some split rail fencing.

Repairs 

 

Tennis Courts: Despite a tight budget, this appears to be the year we need to fix the tennis courts.  We believe that the courts add considerably to the association as a whole. They provide a wonderful place for families to play tennis and interact, especially since the number of maintained courts in town are dwindling. We also believe that the courts are a wonderful asset to our association from a real estate perspective. As the tennis courts sit now, we feel that they are not only unsafe and unfit for play but they also detract from the appeal of our association. 

 

This winter, we contacted companies that repair tennis courts. The lowest  bid for the tennis court work we received was from Cape and Island Tennis and Track. Their bid was $8,250. This company also came with the best referrals. At the next meeting, we will vote on whether or not to proceed with the tennis court maintenance.  We would love you to attend and share your input and concerns. One concern that we have as a board is that it will cost a significant amount of money. On the other hand, we have also been advised that if the association wants to keep the courts, this is the time to do the repairs. If we wait much longer, the repairs will be much more extensive and ultimately expensive.

 

Split Rail Fencing: With whatever money we have left over out of the $10,000 from the tennis court budget, we are going to start to pick away at the deteriorating split rail fencing throughout the association. We will get a start on in this year, but will likely need to finish it another year.

 

Road work: We are in the process of getting a further assessment of the road going into the beach area. If repairing the road is simply a matter of leveling the ground and spreading additional gravel, we have an association member with a tractor willing to provide the labor to fix the road. The association will buy the gravel and supplies needed.

Spring Cleanup Weekend

May 19 and 20, 2012 


We are holding the annual spring cleanup on May 19 with overflow/raindate being on May 20. We are hoping for a great turnout as there are many projects that we are hoping to get completed. We will have a more formal list as the date gets closer, but projects include: trash cleanup, overgrowth trimming, tree work, trail maintenance, and fence repair.
Looking for volunteer hours?

We are still welcoming anyone who needs volunteer hours for school, church, or other organizations.
 

Next  meeting April 26, 2012

  We will be meeting at at

43 Popple Bottom Road   7:30 pm  

 

Please feel free to come with your ideas and suggestions. We know that there is a wealth of knowledge and experience throughout our neighborhood!

Our website has been updated !   

  Rolling Ridge Homepage/website

 

Rolling Ridge Farm
In our new and improved website, you will find the following:

* Newsletter archives
*Contact info for committees and board members
* Printable forms (architectural change requests, group function applications, key registration forms, map of walking trails, and a copy of the covenants)
 

Like us on Facebook
 

Help Wanted
We are still looking for someone to head the trail committee! Please contact us and or come to the April meeting if interested! 

We are still waiting to hear about street representatives. We have had no volunteers so far although this strategy has been recommended to us by approximately a dozen members. Any takers?

Rolling Ridge Farm Home Owners Assoc.