Gayton Glen Homeowners Association, Inc.
November
18, 2009
Dear
Gayton Glen Homeowner:
This
year property values of well maintained homes held their own in Gayton Glen,
despite market concerns around the nation. We are fortunate to live in a community
where the Homeowners and Association are consistently improving our
environment. This has made Gayton Glen
one of the most desirable communities in the Far West End. While other associations are burdened with
huge special assessments and dues, our dues remain comparatively low with no
special assessments.
However,
it is important to note that if you wish to sell your home in Gayton Glen (or
any other place for that matter) buyers have a lot of homes to choose from and
they will typically choose the home that needs the least repairs and updates. If
you intend to sell in this market, it’s prudent to make sure your home has a
fresh coat of paint inside and out and clean or even updated flooring; even
simple updated light fixtures can make all the difference to a prospective
buyer.
The
Association’s Board of Directors has continued to do its part to improve the aesthetics
of the community with updates, improvements, and good normal and preventive maintenance.
We will also continue cost saving measures and sound spending decisions which
continue to increase Gayton Glen’s bank accounts and have kept dues low for the
past seven years. This too is a great
marketing point when selling your home. Buyers
want to know that the Community Association has an innovative and cautious
spending approach with Homeowner contributions, especially in this time of
economic uncertainty.
The
future continues to be bright for Homeowners in Gayton Glen.
Finances
of the Association
By
paying less for management, buying with our volume discount, hiring good local
contractors, and sound financial management, the Board has built Gayton Glen’s Reserve
Accounts to the highest levels in our history.
Countless
homeowner dollars are saved each year due to the many hours contributed by
volunteers who keep the signs and lights in good repair, working with
contractors and assisting with management duties. By encouraging homeowner participation we are
better able to keep operating costs down and save the community tens of
thousands of dollars. As you can see,
we look for every opportunity to make your dollars stretch and make
improvements to the community which increase your property values.
Roads and sidewalks
Before
this year is up and again in 2010, we will install new concrete entry aprons at
Berman and Charlesfield Courts. This will improve the appearance of those areas
and help save money on asphalt repairs. Additionally, a new concrete drainage
area will replace continuously cracking and deteriorating asphalt on Smithers
Court this year.
You
can also do your part to lessen the deterioration of asphalt and save the
community money by making sure you do not allow oil and other petroleum
products including antifreeze to leak or spill from your vehicles. By working together on these small items
we can continue to keep our dues low.
Additional items of
note
Class
1 roofs will be cleaned in 2010. The
cost has been included in the 2010 budget for those homeowners.
This
year all the chimneys in Class 1 were reconditioned for a very low price due to
the use of Gayton Glen’s “Economies of Scale”.
This
year street lights, posts and electronic eyes were renovated and updated where
needed in order to continue cost savings by “preventive maintenance”.
In
preparation of upcoming roof replacement in Class 4 (estimated to begin 2013)
and in an effort to avoid special assessments in Gayton Glen we increased the
funds going into the reserve account for 2009, 2010, and will continue to do so
in upcoming years.
Harrison
& Lear our current Management Company
In
2004 a smaller and older management company was recommended. As part of our
agreement, the Board asked that Harrison & Lear join with SmartStreet in
order to offer our Homeowners more ways to pay monthly assessments and offer
internet access to do so. This was another first for our Association.
Also,
as part of our agreement we were able to hand pick our Association Manager,
Pam Lawrence, a Vice President at Harrison & Lear.
With
Pam’s top notch staff we have also been able to increase the overall
accuracy and projection capability of our own accounting system.
Grounds
Keeping at Gayton Glen
We
completed aerating and over seeding the entire community. We are currently
reaping the rewards of recent heavy rain falls as seen in the beautiful lush
lawns throughout Gayton Glen. Let’s hope
our luck holds out into spring.
This
year we continued with new plantings in Gayton Glen by planting more trees and
shrubs in the common areas leading to the townhouses. We also cleaned up areas
of dead and dying shrubs, replacing them with more drought resistant
plants. It didn’t stop there; we
prepared the grounds in Class 2 of the community for new trees in 2010.
Please,
if you would like to help out with water or “effort”, don’t hesitate to contact
Pam at Harrison & Lear (800.229.6214), she will sit you up with contacts to
get you started.
General
Building Maintenance
In
2009 Western Pest Control agreed
to continue to provide treatment in Classes 1 and 2 and further reduced the
cost as they have in prior years. In 2010 Western will reevaluate this
area and lower our cost once again. Should you see this pest now through
2010, please do not hesitate to contact Jackie at Western (804.794.8667)
and report it ASAP. It’s important we stay on top of this very harmful pest.
Fences
The
transition from stockade to new shadowbox fences (homeowner portion) has almost
been completed by most Ryan homeowners and has remarkably improved the
appearance of the Ryan townhomes area (Class 4). Thank you to all the homeowners who continue
to invest in their property and Gayton Glen in this way. The 11th Annual Home and Garden Tour was
more beautiful than ever this year, thanks to all of you.
Safety
and New Street Lights
In
an effort to make Gayton Glen a safer place to live, an additional street
light was installed on Berman Court this year. The Board also added 2 new lights at the
front entrance, which are less susceptible to vandalism. Please remember to report any vandalism or
any possible suspects to the Henrico police at the non emergency number,
804.501.5000.
Revised
and Improved Association Documents
In 2005, Amended and Restated Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and
Restrictions
were provided with the 2005 Annual Homeowners’ Package. In 2007 the Board and
Architectural Review Committee (ARC) presented a revised COMMUNITY HANDBOOK CONTAINING THE RULES AND
REGULATIONS OF GAYTON GLEN. The ARC members and especially their
chairperson, Barbara Long, along with Property Manager, Pam Lawrence and your
Board members spent countless hours over 2 years on the revision. The new Handbook
replaced the old outdated one of the 90s and has been included on the Community
Website. We tried to answer any and all
questions you might have about Homeowner’s and the Association’s responsibilities,
maintenance, improvements, administration, and much, much more. Please become
familiar with the new Handbook and if you should have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact Pam Lawrence (800.229-6214).
Eleventh Annual Home and Garden Tour
What a wonderful team effort demonstrated by
our Architectural Review Committee the newly formed Events Committee and the Board.
The Azalea
Mall Garden Center provided
demonstrations, educational ideas and door prizes to our residents. The event was also catered by Moe’s Southwest Grill. Committee members are always looking for
gardens to feature and homes to show. We look forward to your participation
next year.
Currently, there are a number of positions
open for any interested Homeowners on all our committees. Give it a try--join up--your time and service
will be greatly appreciated by your Community.
New
Homeowners in Gayton Glen
Welcome
and thank you to all 15 new homeowners in Gayton Glen this year. We are
happy to have you here and appreciate the many improvements you have made to
your homes in your short time with us. Your
improvements benefit us all. This Board
of Directors continues working hard to also make improvements which will benefit
the entire community through increased property values and enhanced aesthetics.
We want hope you will enjoy living and relaxing in your new community.
Community
Participation
The
Board encourages community participation by supporting existing committees and
establishing new committees. Our current committees include the Architectural
Review and Landscape, Communications (Newsletter and Website), Neighborhood
Watch, and newest addition, the Events Committee. We continue to
welcome all who have the time in their schedules to join up or participate.
Community
Website
Don’t
forget to visit the community website often, www.gayton-glen.org.
The site was updated and upgraded last year and many new features were added. You
will find direct links to many services and area retailers. We also have
listed many service providers, contractors of every sort, etc., recommended
by your neighbors for their dependable and good work. The Board does not allow any individual or
company on those pages without a copy of their business license and proof of
insurance. Please contact me at
804.916.8290 or Pam Lawrence if you would be interested in helping out with the
website or the quarterly newsletter. The Board thanks everyone for
your continued support and your continued patronage of the community website.
Thank
you
Our
GREEN SCREEN would not be green if not for the watering provided by so many of
our neighbors. And many thanks to all
who participate on our Architectural Review and Landscape Committee chaired by
Barbara Long. Countless homeowner
dollars are saved each year due to the many hours contributed by volunteers
keeping the signs and lights in good repair, working with contractors and
assisting with management duties.
Finally, thanks to those residents who keep us safe with their vigilance
and support of the Neighborhood Watch Committee. These things have made our
community a stronger, more pleasant, and cohesive unit.
I
appreciate the time and effort you have given to reading through this
letter. The Board will be answering
homeowner questions at the upcoming Homeowners’ Annual meeting at 6:45 PM, Wednesday,
December 2, 2009. The meeting will end
at 8:15 PM. Come early if you wish
to sign up for comments during the “Open Forum” portion of the program. The Annual meeting is a great place to meet
and visit with your neighbors and Board members, and by all means, bring your appetite.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Oh,
by the way, please get those Proxies/Ballots in as soon as you possibly can. It is extremely important to get a quorum to
hold the Homeowners’ meeting on December 2nd.
If you need another copy of this document, please do not hesitate to
contact the management company or any Board member. All numbers are posted on
the community website or the attached Homeowner Package, containing the
2009 budget.
Sincerely,
Gayle