| (–)Decrease Text | (+)Increase Text | |
Archived Headlines | |
| December 2011 | |
| Our Annual Christmas Decorating Contest | |
| May 2011⁄August 2011 | |
| Muskrats and our ponds…how can we control the damage? | |
| What caused the paint damage to our streets? | |
| Tree Maintenance & Replacement Program | |
| March 2011⁄April 2011 | |
| Remembering the Blizzard of 2011! | |
| Snow removal, freezing temperatures, and the challenge of landscape lighting and outdoor decor… | |
| August 2010⁄November 2010 | |
| Townhome Painting & Special Scheduling Requests… | |
| Have you strolled over to our new park yet? | |
| Wondering what happened at our September Board of Directors Meeting? | |
| We LOVE Informed Residents… | |
| Announcing New Architectural Guidelines for Single Family Homeowners… | |
|
December 2011: Our Annual Christmas Decorating Contest | |
| Our community is beautifully decorated to welcome the holiday season, and to thank our residents for this gift of Christmas cheer, we would like to remind everyone of our Christmas Decorating Contest. This year, "Santa’s Helpers" will be out–and–about Crystal Tree on the evening of Thursday, December 22nd, searching for the best and brightest expressions of this merry season. Be sure to keep your lights on that evening, to catch the attention of these most discriminating elves. Two winners will be chosen from each of the following categories: Single Family Residents and Townhome Residents. Fine dining certificates will be awarded to the lucky winners, so if you’re eager to spread Christmas cheer you’re invited to join in the fun. | |
|
May 2011⁄August 2011: Muskrats and our ponds…how can we control the damage? | |
|
Early this spring, during an inspection of the work being done at Lake Ridge Park, we
became aware of a problem that a population of muskrats is causing to our pond and its
banks. Through inquiries and research, it became evident that though some
people would consider them a natural wildlife addition to our ponds, it would be
negligent of us to ignore the considerable damage that they are doing to this
environment.
The biggest and most damaging feature of muskrat inhabitance is their excessive burrowing habits. They burrow into pond banks, their burrows beginning below water level and continuing in an upward angle into the surrounding banks. As the water level rises, they continue their burrows ever deeper into the banks, eventually causing the collapse of the surrounding earth and landscaping. You can imagine how out of control this can get, as muskrats belong to the rodent family and are prolific breeders. These abandoned burrows can become a personal hazard to our residents as they walk near the water and suddenly the earth collapses beneath their ankles. Muskrats are an industrious rodent that can cause considerable damage, a little at a time. They feed on lawn grasses, garden and ornamental plants, and all this activity can cause root damage to desirable vegetation. So what is the solution to our "muskrat dilemma"…What should we do??? To tackle this situation now remains the best solution. To continue to ignore it in its earlier stages will just increase the damage and raise costs to the repairs. Once the damage to our landscape would become obviously evident, it only means that this undermining of the banks had been going on for a long time unchecked. If we can maintain control early, we can eliminate a great deal of erosion to our pond banks. Currently, we have contracted licensed trappers to remove the muskrats from our ponds. This will do a lot to control their future populations and preserve our investments, as we continue to maintain and beautify our park and ponds. | |
|
May 2011⁄August 2011: What caused the paint damage to our streets? | |
| We recently discovered a damaging mishap to a portion of our streets in Crystal Tree. A paint trail was spattered upon our new streets, and has caused a problem and a concern. The problem is that there is no way to remove the paint spatter without structurally damaging the pavement. Any attempts to remove the paint using solvents, power washing, etc., will only serve to deteriorate the pavement and the bonding surface, hastening "potholes" and the premature aging of our new streets. Our only recourse is to patiently wait until this paint spatter is worn off our streets in time. The concern is that someone had discarded some unwanted paint in an improper manner, leaving it for garbage pick–up. As the trash was compacted by our garbage service, unintentionally a trail of leaking paint was dispensed from the back of the truck as it worked its way down our streets. Please be reminded and aware that there is a proper way to discard paint, and it does not include the simple placing of the paint, with your trash, on pick–up day. In addition, paints and other hazardous waste should never be poured down any drainage systems such as sinks, storm sewers, etc. (Note: Did you know that our storm sewer systems drain into our ponds and hazardous waste would contaminate the ponds?) Below is some general information, but remember, when in doubt of how to discard hazardous waste, bulky items, etc., please contact our service provider, Waste Management, as follows: Waste Management⁄Customer Service
Oil–based paint is accepted at Hazardous Waste Disposal sites. Recent research shows that latex paint can safely be put in the garbage if it’s dry or solidified first. Residents should dry out latex paint and put it in the garbage. There are three ways to dry out paint before disposal:
Once the latex paint has hardened or solidified, put the can in your garbage container and leave the paint can lid off so the garbage truck driver can see that it is empty or contains only dried paint. Our community is important to all of us, and if these procedures are followed, it will prevent future mishaps from occurring. We ask your cooperation and appreciate your compliance in this matter. | |
|
May 2011⁄August 2011: Tree Maintenance & Replacement Program | |
Why are we removing established trees? We have recently evaluated the established trees in Crystal Tree as part of our Tree Maintenance and Replacement Program. After initiating the advice of several experts in this field, we have found that we must make some realistic decisions. Though the thought of removing large, established trees along our parkways and within our vistas can often be an emotionally charged decision, after careful consideration we have found that we have no choice but to approach this issue realistically. You can be assured that the Board’s concern for safety within our community and the prudent use of our future funds weighed heavily into these decisions. Several of our Weeping Willow trees are showing signs of distress, such as dead branches and decay. For these reasons, we have already begun to remove several Willow trees this year. They will be replaced with European Black Clump Alder trees, a much hardier tree that is an excellent species for pond locations. To show the degree of decay affecting our Willows, we have included illustrations (see slideshow of photos above). As you can see, once the trees are downed it becomes obvious how badly decayed they have become and confirms the safety hazard that they present. Problems with a few parkway trees have also surfaced. Both Clarence Davids and Homer Tree Care, Inc. have confirmed that a small number of our Green Ash trees have suspected infestations by the Emerald Ash Borer. Though these infestations may not be obvious at first glance, upon inspection this summer it has been noted that leaves on these trees were beginning to wilt and the tops of various branches in the canopy were becoming bare. We have researched spraying the trees to rid them of this infestation, but it is quite costly, we have quite a few Ash trees in our subdivision, and all Ash trees must be sprayed every year to control this problem. Finally, there is no guarantee that these trees can be saved in the long term. The costly gamble of spraying to "wait and see" does not seem to be the correct solution. It would be better and less expensive in the long term, to begin removing these susceptible Ash trees now and replacing them with a hardy parkway species. For more information about the Emerald Ash Borer, you can click on the following link: http://www.orland-park.il.us/index.aspx?NID=1177 In the spring of 2011, we will again be moving forward with phase II of our Entryway Makeover plans. The west side of our entryway will be refurbished, and the remaining problem–prone Bradford pear trees will be removed and replaced with the hardier species of Cleveland Select pear trees. In the future, when a decision to remove a mature tree will affect the adjacent parkway or immediate vista views of nearby homeowners, we will do our best to proactively inform those residents, in order to prepare them in advance with this information and the reasoning for these necessary decisions. | |
|
March 2011⁄April 2011: Remembering the Blizzard of 2011! | |
|
Ahhhh…SPRING! Nice to think that all that snow will soon be behind us.
Schools were closed along with many places of business, and most of us were safe and snug in our homes,
watching out our windows and waiting for Mother Nature to finish showing us who was boss. Having experienced
the Blizzard of 2011, I think we can all agree that it was quite a challenge to the entire Chicagoland area and
beyond. At times like these, we are reminded of the dedication of our own snow removal team. This was a very
difficult snowfall to manage, and they did their job extremely well, with many working diligently over 32 hours,
throughout the night, while we slept. Their protocol is to first address our roads, keeping them continuously
cleared for safety at a 1” snow accumulation, next (after a 2” accumulation) to clear the townhome driveways for
access, and once they have these issues under control, they return to the townhomes to shovel front door
sidewalks and stoops. Not an easy task under such demanding conditions! Hats off to Clarence Davids for a job
well done!
Thanks to all our neighbors who showed patience and understanding as this massive snowfall was being dealt with. Thank you to those who followed proper procedures, by not parking vehicles on our streets during snow removal efforts. Your cooperation greatly assists our snow removal team, and also helps those neighbors that find it necessary to maneuver the snowy and icy streets during these conditions. By following proper procedures, you will prevent your vehicle from being “plowed in” during snow removal. Please keep in mind that the salting of driveways, sidewalks and stoops is not part of our snow removal contract. Therefore, the Homeowners’ Association provides 25 lb. bags of salt as a courtesy to our homeowners. If you find yourself in a situation where you are in need of Ice Melter for your driveways or walkways, you can pick a bag up at the Guardhouse. As we look forward to spring, let us take a moment to appreciate those that work to keep things running smoothly in our community all year long, making Crystal Tree a safe, beautifully manicured, and pleasant place to live. | |
|
March 2011⁄April 2011: Snow removal, freezing temperatures, and the challenge of landscape lighting and outdoor decor… | |
|
As we all begin to step outdoors with the warmer temperatures, eager to welcome the first signs of spring, please take into consideration the following…
Please realize that it is nearly impossible for our snow removal crew to see landscape lighting and other decorative outdoor
accents beneath snowcover. This can cause an occasional mishap and unintentional damage to these items when snow removal becomes
necessary. In addition, many outdoor items are adversely affected and damaged by freezing temperatures and⁄or the weight of piled
snow. Though reasonable care is taken to avoid these occurrences, it must be understood that Clarence Davids cannot be held
responsible when accidental damage occurs to outdoor elements that are placed so close to driveways and walkways, or when
harsh winter conditions cause damage to outdoor decor.
Homeowners are reminded that the installation of outdoor décor assumes a reasonable risk. Please take responsibility to assure that your property is protected by removing and storing these decorative elements away from sidewalks and driveways prior to the winter season, whenever possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. | |
|
August 2010⁄November 2010: Townhome Painting & Special Scheduling Requests… | |
| In fairness to all townhome residents, please note that the painting of townhome units will be followed as scheduled. These Painting Schedules are listed on our website (see “Townhome Painting” in the navigation menu). Simply put, the granting of “special requests” is unfair to your neighbors and our community as a whole. There will be no exceptions to this painting policy.
|
|
|
August 2010⁄November 2010: Have you strolled over to our new park yet? | |
| Lake Ridge Park opened during the summer for your enjoyment. Though still in its first stages of development, the park is a beautiful setting. Don’t forget to keep your eye on this community project as we continue to enhance it into the future. Oh…one more word…
Click here for an important message from "Man’s best friend".
|
|
|
August 2010⁄November 2010: Wondering what happened at our September Board of Directors Meeting? | |
| If you weren’t there to join us, we missed you! We thought you’d like to know some of the topics of our open discussion. Community Spirit Issue: An idea was brought forward for discussion — future Recreation Building As you know, as a prelude to our scheduled Board of Director’s Meeting, an article presented by our Association’s President, Mark Burns, was mailed along with the usual announcement of the date, time and place of this meeting. The intention of this article was to encourage thoughts on how we could improve our sense of neighborhood and increase our community spirit…a cause that would enrich the social atmosphere in Crystal Tree. With this outreach, he had hoped to inspire a good attendance to our meeting in an attempt to hear our neighbors’ views on this topic, and to discuss the beginnings of an idea that has been circulating: the possibility of an Association recreation building on Lake Ridge Road sometime in our future. Would the idea of a recreation building interest our membership as a means to facilitate our meetings and house a variety of neighborly social gatherings? The attendance to this meeting was mostly composed of our usual, loyal group of interested Crystal Tree homeowners, although the topic in the article did result in a small increase in overall numbers. At our meeting, various opinions were presented to the Board. Some members expressed a need for more information regarding the cost to build and maintain a recreation building, the location, the design, as well as the benefits to the community of this proposed idea. Concern for parking considerations were voiced, along with the architectural effect on neighboring townhome owners. All of these are very important points, and would have had to be explored further, as well as presented to our membership for consideration, as part of a complete analysis to our homeowners. A vote was taken from those in attendance, by the raising of hands, as to the initial interest regarding the possibility of this future improvement. As it stands, the vast majority of those in attendance to our Board Meeting were not in favor of this idea at this time, thereby concluding any additional time and effort of the Board into the exploration, or any further analysis, of this topic. Website: A resident brought into the discussion the possibility of having a community forum on our website to promote communication between residents and enhance community spirit. This suggestion will be taken under advisement and discussed at the next Board of Directors Meeting, and the outcome will be announced at the next open Board Meeting. Community Safety: Speed Limit safety within our community was discussed. The approved purchase of 2 speed detectors was confirmed, to act as safety reminders to our homeowners. Residents attending this meeting also requested increased police presence to help to resolve the ongoing problems with speeding in our community. Children’s Play Area at Lake Ridge Park: A resident questioned whether a children’s play area was being considered as an additional improvement to Lake Ridge Park. A small tot lot is in the future planning. Estimated cost to do a small tot lot would be approximately $65–$70 thousand dollars. There are budgetary constraints at this time. We presently have an agreement with the Developer of Lot 101 that a percentage of the Developer’s Park Impact Fees, upon development and as permits are issued, would be allocated to the CTHOA to be strictly used for this park project. The Village of Orland Park had previously approved this action. |
|
|
August 2010⁄November 2010: We LOVE Informed Residents… | |
| We are always trying to find ways to keep our community informed and updated. Since the launching of the
Crystal Tree Website, we have been very pleased with its progress and the continuously increasing list of email registrants to our
website. That has been encouraging, but our work is not done! Many of us have realized the importance of this
option for community alerts and updates, and we hope everyone has taken a tour of the website and has found the wealth of information
that is easily available online. We would like to take this time to encourage everyone to visit the website regularly and to read those quarterly Newsletters. Many topics that are important to our community are introduced and explained in these seasonal publications, and we will be keeping a full year’s worth of Newsletters archived on the website just in case you’ve missed a copy. We often receive questions from our neighbors that could have been answered before they are asked, if everyone utilized the information made available to them. We love informed residents, so we will continue to do our best to bring this information to you and we hope that you will continue to encourage our efforts by taking a few moments in your busy schedule to find out what’s being planned and what’s happening in our neighborhood. |
|
|
August 2010⁄November 2010: Announcing New Architectural Guidelines for Single Family Homeowners… | |
| The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that single family homeowners now have the option of roof replacement with asphalt shingles, keeping within the specific guidelines of choice and quality. Please keep in mind that you must have a written Letter of Approval from the Homeowner’s Association before proceeding with any exterior
improvements, and that there is a specific Request Form for Roof Replacement for Single Family Homes. (To view this new Request Form and its guidelines click here.)
|
|