WILLOW LAKE HOMEOWNERS NEWSLETTER
January 2019 VOL. 19 ISSUE 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The New Year’s Eve Party was one of the best ever thanks in large part to Ken and Dorothy Labuda, Aron and Marge Cantrell and Ray and Sandy Russell!

The Homeowners Association Purpose
The Homeowners Association is here for all residents. We encourage every homeowner, new and
old, to attend our meetings and share their thoughts to help the Board work and make sure that ELS management is aware of the needs of the community from the residents’ perspective. The Board works to educate ELS to the Willow Lake Community so they can prioritize, plan and implement improvements to make this a great place to live.

Our focus is to keep ELS aware of the community’s needs, requirements and Willow Lakes’ uniqueness, which is truly different from their other 400 properties! By discussing all our issues with management at each monthly meeting, our working relationship helps us continue to resolve issues and evolve our Willow Lake Community. This communication also helps the Board understand information that needs to be presented to the residents. The Board works to educate our residents to the benefits and requirements of living in an age qualified community with different rules, needs, and regulations. (Personally, I would like to see Willow Lake as a haven from the outside world. That once one enters this community, one is divested of all anger and hate experienced elsewhere and instead feels love, respect and common courtesy for one another.)

The best way to support the HOA and the Board is by being a member of the Homeowners Association. Your membership is evidence to ELS that we are speaking for the residents of the community.

THE SCORECARD
Homeowners 415, Renters 125, Conversion to Own 1, ELS homes 39 of which 14 are available for occupancy, New homes for sale 4 available; 4 in process by builder, Resale homes 1, Abandoned homes 4, Vacant lots 34, New home sales 0, Used home sales 1, Rent to Own homes 1, Sales to investors 0 and 43 pre-qualified buyers looked at homes

Be Cautious When Driving in the Community
With no sidewalks, residents are required to walk in the streets. Reduced visibility this time of year makes it more difficult to see a neighbor walking in the roadway, making it much more important for you and your visitors to follow the speed limit and stop at the stop signs.

Water Line Breaks
In our area of the country and our surrounding area, it is a common occurrence to experience water line breaks. When a water line breaks here at Willow Lake the community is required to shut off water to the community. To minimize the problem to residents, management has developed a process to help keep the resident’s inconvenience to a minimum. When a break occurs, repair is scheduled to be completed overnight. The water will be turned off from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am. Normally an automated call from the office will precede the water shut off. Emails will be sent to those on the email list and it will be posted on the Willow Lake Neighborhood watch Facebook page! Be sure the office has your correct phone number and note the office number in your contact list so you know they are calling and that the call is not a solicitor. There may be times when there is a major water line break and it may be necessary to turn the water off immediately. Typically there will be no notice of these emergency shut-offs. Residents need to be prepared for any interruption to the water supply by keeping a few containers of water available. The office will have bottled water available for pickup when they notify residents of water shut off. Regarding the water isolation valve project started last year, it is currently on hold! They have discovered that a 100-foot section of 6-inch line on park lane needs to be replaced. When completed, the water isolation valve installation will continue. When they are ready to complete this repair, an automated call will be sent to all residents of the water shut off. When isolation valve installation resumes, they are planning to shut the water off once each week to complete installation of the shut-off valves! Residents will receive an automated call each week advising the night the water will be off! Emails will be sent to those on the email list and it will be posted on the Willow Lake Neighborhood watch Facebook page! A boil order will be in effect after each of these shut-offs! Remember that they may knock on your door to obtain a water sample to get the boil order lifted. Your cooperation will be appreciated by all! Another important fact to remember is that there will be times that the water pressure in some areas of the community will be reduced in order to fix a minor leak that typically takes about one hour. There will be no notice of these reduced water pressure situations. If you experience reduced water pressure, check again in about one hour. It should be back to normal!

Snow Removal Strategy
Because our houses are within 3 to 6 feet of the curb, so close to the street and there are no sidewalks or parkways, it is impossible to use a regular snow plow to remove snow on our streets. If they were to use a regular city type plow, the snow would be hurled into our houses damaging the siding, windows, and yards. Therefore, it is necessary to use bobcats and push plows. The Bobcats plow first one side of the street and then the other side of the street which leaves a patch of snow in the middle of the street. This allows vehicles to be driven on either side of the street until the snow in the middle can be removed by pushers to locations where it can be stacked. Snow removal starts after a 2-inch snowfall has ended,

New Entry System Installed at the Clubhouse
Starting March 1 you will need a key fob to gain access. Your current card will no longer work. Starting June 1, new car stickers will be required for all resident’s vehicles. Effective immediately all pet(s) will need to be registered. Bring a picture of your pet(s) or bring your pet(s) to the office to have their picture taken and to get their tag(s). Before getting a fob, vehicle sticker or pet tag, residents need to take the completed Resident Update Form found in the January Golden Willows to the office. Allow 7 days for processing.

How to Get Information Regarding the Community
There are six ways for you to get information regarding happenings in this community:
1. Ray Russell’s letter in the Golden Willow Newsletter published and distributed by hand to every resident in this community.
2. The Homeowners Newsletter published and distributed by hand to every resident in this community.
3. The Homeowners Meeting held on the 2nd Saturday in January, March, May, July, September and November every year.
4. Emails sent by Ray Russell to every Homeowner who has given him or the Homeowners Association their email address. His email address is rerussell1862@msn.com.
5. The Elgin Neighborhood Watch WLE Facebook page.
6. Phone calls from the office regarding imminent activities taking place in the community affecting residents. The information is repetitive because we are trying to reach everyone in the community and there is no single way to communicate with everyone.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
Please note that our Neighborhood Watch people are your neighbors and approved to contact you. They are not soliciting. This is a good way to make sure our elderly and neighbors living alone are safe and able to cope with winter. Recently an individual living alone died and it was a few days before he was discovered. The Neighborhood Watch is another way we are working to keep Willow Lake a safe and secure community! We really need more residents to step up and become Block Captains. Contact Lorrie Davies at 630-269-1096.

HELP WANTED!
We really need volunteers to step up and help deliver the Homeowners Newsletter. Several regular routes are now open! If you would like to help, call Ray Russell at 630-745- 7755.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Friday, January 18 10:00 am – Bingo followed by Hot Dog Lunch.

Saturday, January 19, 5:30 pm – Pasta Potluck

Friday, January 25 9:30 am – Coffee and donuts is back on! There fresh and good!

Check the Golden Willows calendar every month for more activities and events!

Contact any Board Member if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or kudos.