Annual Meeting Results
The Annual Meeting was held on May 19, 2022 at the Selectman’s Chambers at the Avon Town Offices and was very well attended. Susan Franke and Katia Salokas were newly elected to the Association Board of Governors and Judy Larkin and Greg Weston were newly elected members of the Board of Directors of the Tax District. The initiative to fund the construction of a Tot Lot was defeated by a vote of 36 to 15. The Budget was passed 36-17.
Thanks for the strong participation.
Board Meetings
The next meeting of the Pond Place Tax District and Pond Place Association, Inc. Boards will be held on Thursday June 30th at 6:30 P.M. All owners and residents may watch the meetings and are invited to make comments. Hyperlinks and instructions for participation will be posted on our website the day of the meeting.
The Board of Northington Meadow, Inc., which holds title to the Stub Pond parcel, indicated it will be holding a meeting and or reporting to the community during the regular Pond Place Association, Inc. meetings going forward to provide more inclusion.
Important Issues addressed at the May 26th Board meeting
Last year many properties received notices to attend to maintenance issues such as scaping & re-staining, removal of debris or moss from roofs, replacement of rotted wood or damaged doors, etc. The Board agreed to commence imposition of fines on all properties which were cited in 2021 for these issues and which have neglected to correct them at $25.00/day commencing October 1, 2022. Homeowners will be receiving written notices and may appear before the Board to dispute findings or to request extensions of time for good cause.
This past April, White & Katzman managers conducted a very thorough inspection of all 210 homes and exclusive use areas in Pond Place and homeowners will be receiving notices in June detailing their findings. Fines at the rate of $25.00/day will be imposed on all properties cited during this inspection which are still not in compliance commencing on January 1, 2023.
Homeowners will be receiving written notices and may appear before the Board to dispute findings or to request extensions of time for good cause.
Exterior Lighting
Several homeowners have attached security lights or cameras to their dwellings or garages without permission of the Design Review Committee. Some of these are white, a color banned for exterior use in Pond Place. The Board passed a resolution at its May 26th meeting requiring that all security lights, landscape lights and security cameras, if permitted by the Design Review Committee, be either black, brown, beige or bronze in color.
Land Lease Delinquencies
In March the Board agreed to a resolution imposing interest on land leases which are still delinquent after June 30, 2022 and to refer to our attorneys for prosecution those land leases which are six months delinquent or more on July 1, 2022. Significantly the resolution excused lessees from any historic interest on their land lease delinquencies as long as they bring their leases current by June 30, 2022. Those who are behind on their land leases should make arrangements to take advantage of this opportunity. Anyone who has questions concerning their land lease balance may request a review of their account through White & Katzman.
New Land Maintenance Rule
Complaints have been received from time to time about Exclusive Use Areas that are not kept up. I suspect we are all familiar with the occasional EUA where grass is not mowed, or leaves are left around to blow on their neighbor’s EUA’s after spring or fall clean up period has passed, or no effort appears to have been made to keep shrubs pruned or dead plantings removed or stuff is left all over the place, etc. Homeowners are reminded that the Pond Place Declaration provides in Article VI Section 1 C of the Declaration: “Dwellings and the Land shall be kept in a neat attractive manner and kept in good repair.” Land refers to Exclusive Use Areas including those which encroach on buffer areas. The Board with one abstention codified this passage as a rule on October 25, 2021 and it will be added to the Rules and Regulations of Pond Place as a reminder that there is an expectation EUAs will be kept in a neat and attractive manner. Homeowners who fail to mow their lawns, weed whack as appropriate or otherwise violate this rule will be cited and fines will be levied for non- compliance starting in June. Again, those seeking additional time or who dispute the findings may appear before the Board. Owners who have tenants should understand that delegating these maintenance obligations to tenants will not excuse compliance or remission of fines in the event of non-compliance.
Service Line Maintenance Responsibility
The Board recently requested guidance from the Association’s attorney on maintenance and repair responsibility for water, sewer and gas pipes outside of a dwelling unit or other structure. His written opinion of counsel is posted elsewhere on the Pond Place website. I will summarize it as follows: Homeowners are responsible for the maintenance and repair of water and sewer pipes that exclusively serve their dwelling unit. The Pond Place Association, Inc. and Tax District are responsible for those which serve multiple dwellings. CNG currently retains full responsibility for gas pipes that extend from the foundation of dwellings outward. Homeowners are urged to obtain an indorsement to their HO6 homeowner’s insurance policy for “service line coverage”. Most insurance companies offer this endorsement for a small additional annual premium. Outside pipe breaks or ruptures can be very expensive to repair. Do yourself a favor and acquire such a rider or endorsement. The Board has been unable to obtain coverage for all exterior service line pipes in Pond Place but will continue to endeavor to do so.
Please furnish your E-Mail Addresses
In order to cut the cost of, document and speed up communication, Pond Place residents and association members who have not already done so should provide their e-mail address to White & Katzman Property Management. 58 units do not have e-mail addresses on file as of 1/24/22. Let’s improve this statistic, please. Most courtesy messages will only be delivered electronically.
Prohibition on Feeding of Roaming & Feral Animals
The Board enacted a new rule on September 27, 2021 prohibiting the leaving outside of food for feral and roaming animals as follows: “For purposes of health and safety, no member of the Association, members of his or her household, his or her tenants or residents of the Tax District shall leave any food outside the confines of a dwelling unit or in an open garage or shed which may attract or be consumed by bears, coyotes, coydogs, bobcats, skunks, possums, raccoons, roaming dogs or roaming cats. Violations shall be punishable by fine.”
FY 2020-2021 Audit Available
The Association and Tax District FY 2020-2021 audits conducted by King & King, CPAs are now available on our website.
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Speed Limit
Kindly respect the 20 MPH speed limit on all Pond Place roads for everyone’s safety, including pets.
Trash Barrels
Residents are reminded that trash and recyclable barrels must be kept in the garages or sheds except on the night before (currently Tuesday nights) or the day of (currently Wednesdays) pickup. Those who do not have garages or sheds are expected to place their barrels out of public view. It is not acceptable for those with garages or sheds to store their barrels outside. Please comply and help to keep the community sightly. Except for a handful of residents, the community is in compliance with these rules. Habitual violators will soon be subject to fines for non-compliance.
Design Review Committee
Owners and residents are cautioned that virtually any change to the exterior of a dwelling, garage or shed, including re-staining, requires written prior approval of the Design Review Committee. Find the Exterior Modification application form is available here. Those who have applications pending are advised that the committee has been reviewing and voting on applications electronically to expedite processing. Association members are urged to read the Pond Place Building Guide carefully to assure that they have submitted all necessary information and documentation required. It has been my experience many do not do so which will cause delays in approval. Insurance documentation is only needed if the Committee so requires after their review of the application. Color approvals now require submission of swatches. Most modifications of the exterior of your dwelling, garage or shed require prior approval of the Design Review Committee. You act at your peril if you execute an exterior modification without prior approval. Applications and correspondence should be sent to White & Katzman by uploading through the PILERA platform or by e-mail or snail mail to the attention of our manager, Michael Montgomery.
Management Contact Information:
POND PLACE PROPERTY MANAGER
Mr. Michael Montgomery
Managing Agent
P: 860.291.8777 x107
E: Mikem@wkmanage.com
POND PLACE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Ms. Lauren Pizzoferrato
Assistant Property Manager
P: 860.291.8777 x122
E: Laurenp@wkmanage.com
POND PLACE ACCOUNTING TEAM
Ms. Cheyna Fortson
Accounts Receivable
P: 860.291.8777 x112
E: cheyna@wkmanage.com
Reminders
Trash & Recyclables pick-up: Paine’s picks up trash on Wednesdays weekly and recyclables on Wednesdays bi-weekly on their B-Week schedule with one day delays for certain specified holidays: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving during 2022. The schedule is posted under FAQs. Your barrels need to be on the curb by 6:00 AM on Wednesday mornings and should be returned to their sheds or garages before sunrise the day after. Should new residents or owners wish smaller or larger barrels than those inherited from the prior owner or tenant they should contact White & Katzman, not Paine’s. Likewise any requests for special pick-ups or complaints regarding non pick-ups should be routed through White & Katzman.
Persons who have fallen into arrears on their obligations to the Pond Place Association or the Pond Place Tax District are reminded their delinquent amounts will be carrying a high rate of interest. It is in their best interest to get these arrearages paid off.
- FY 22-23 Dues to the Association will become delinquent if not paid by July 31st; 2022
- FY 22-23 Taxes to the Tax District are due in two installments, the first half (like town taxes) on July 1st and the second half on January 1st, 2023. Taxes become delinquent if not paid by the 31st of the month in which they are due and will carry retroactive interest at 1 ½% per month (18% per annum) until paid;
- Your land lease payment (if you have not already paid your lease off) is due in the amount of $50 on the 1st of every month. Those who are not delinquent may prepay an entire year in the amount of $519.11 and take advantage of a significant savings.
Land Leases in arrears on July 1, 2022 will carry retroactive interest at prime plus 3% from the date of delinquency.
Taxes in arrears are currently carrying a rate of 1.5% per month retroactive to the date of delinquencies.
Christopher J. Rossetti, President
