THE VERNON WOODS OWNERS ASSOCIATION
2021-2022 ANNUAL REPORT
Dear Owners:
The VWOA Board of Directors has scheduled our annual meeting on May 24th, 2022, at 7:00 PM at the Riverwoods Village Hall, 300 Portwine Rd.
Your attendance and input are very important. We need at least 20% of the Association members to be present by attending in person or by submitting a proxy.
This year, Kate Levinson and David Shimberg will be stepping away from the Board. Kate has been the Vice President and launched our neighborhood Facebook page. She also worked on our new owner welcome letter. David has been very active as a Board member and is currently the president of the Riverwoods Preservation Council. New members with fresh ideas are always welcome. We’ve had quite a few new neighbors move into the area. Joining the Board is a great way to meet your neighbors and to better serve the community. Please consider becoming a Board member in the future. We want to thank Kate and David for serving as Board members. Their input will be missed. Pam Anderson and Steve Svoboda, two relatively new owners, have volunteered to be elected to the Board.
Budget
We were under our total budgeted expenses this year. All surplus funds are added to our reserve account. Snow removal proved difficult this again year with the first snowfall being extremely heavy and wet. This caused some severe icing which Herb worked tirelessly to remove. Over the summer, we patched many places on the roads. These two items make up most of our expenses each year. The actual income and expenses will be reviewed at the Annual Meeting as well as our projected budget for 2021-2022. As of this writing, only one property is in arears from the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The association has filed a lien against this property. We anticipate that most assessments for the 2022-2023 year will be paid by the time of the Annual Meeting. The Board has decided to maintain the dues at $500 for the 2022-2023 year. The assessment invoices were sent out on May 1st and are due by June 1st. Late payment fees will be assessed beginning on June 2nd.
The Roads
Once again, Herb Regan provided us with excellent snowplow service at a reasonable cost. As always, there were some challenges with ice this year and the winter though mostly mild, was hard on our roads. Many small potholes have appeared and will need to be patched. In May, we will examine all of the roads and get quotes for the necessary patching. We may perform some large overlays of asphalt since in a few areas we are starting to patch around the patches. Our roads were last resurfaced in 2008 and have held up fairly well. The Board is working on creating a plan to repave our roads on a rotating basis as opposed to repaving all of our roads at one time. Last year, the Board approved the cutback of vegetation along the roads. This year the Board will review the vegetation again, and, if necessary, have it cut back once again.
Many residents continue to have their landscapers park their vehicles and trailers on the side of the road. Besides being hazardous, due to the narrowness of the roads, this also hastens the deterioration of the pavement as the shoulders break away. Roadside obstructions, especially along Thornmeadow, have made snow plowing more difficult as it was not possible to push the snow away from the edge of the road due to the various logs and rocks placed within inches of the edge of the road. Obstructions such as boulders and logs within 3 feet of the road will be pushed back by the Association. Notices will be issued to all lots that are in violation and if the obstructions are not moved within 30 days, the association will move the obstructions at the owner’s expense.
Drainage Ditches
The original design capacity and functionality of the storm water ditches throughout our subdivision have been altered due to years of forest litter decomposition and the increased demand on the system from sump pump water pumped into them. The result has been flooding on some properties. The ultimate responsibility for cleaning the storm water ditches and driveway culverts remains with each homeowner. There is a Village ordinance regarding this issue. Last year the Village cited at least two owners for having drainage ditches that were clogged with debris or blocked by other obstructions. Owners that do not comply with the Village’s request to properly maintain their ditches will face administrative hearings and fines by the Village.
Culverts
The maintenance of culverts under driveways and other locations on private property is the property owner’s responsibility. They need to be free of debris and not collapsed. The Association maintains the culverts under the roadways. Two roadway culverts will be cleaned and/or replaced this year. Village permits are required to replace culverts. Corrugated metal culverts are no longer allowed to be installed by Village ordinance.
Lot 1
The Board contracted to have the paths in Lot 1 mowed on a regular basis. Fallen trees were also be cleared. We hope to continue the clearing of invasive plants on Lot 1 and would welcome volunteers.
Building a Community
The Board hoped to have an in-person event for all Vernon Woods residents in the summer of 2021. However, COVID concerns stopped that from happening. The Association held an event in 2019 at the Village Hall and it was a lot of fun. The Board will attempt to plan for an event sometime in August or September. We will keep you posted as plans progress. The Vernon Woods Facebook group currently has 32 members, which is about one-third of the Association’s members. Search for “riverwoodsvwoa” in Facebook to join.
Municipal Water
Not much has changed on the Municipal water situation. The Village is trying to find a way to have municipal water available to all homes in the Village. As things develop, the Board will attempt to keep everyone informed.
Board Meetings
Standing Board meetings will be scheduled on a specific day of each month. If a meeting is cancelled for lack of business or lack of a quorum, a notice will be posted on the Vernon Woods Owner’s Association website, www.vernonwoodsowners.com. We would love to hear your input on the above or other matters, and we welcome your attendance at any of our Board meetings. The Board meeting schedule for the 2022-2023 fiscal year will be set at the May Board meeting which will immediately follow the Annual meeting on May 24th.
New Residents
There continued to be a lot of home sales in 2021-2022 within Vernon Woods. Welcome to all the new residents! The Board has developed a “Welcome Letter” that will be sent to all new residents beginning May 1, 2022. A copy is included with this report so everyone can see what the new residents are receiving. Please take time to read the letter as there is a lot of information that many of us may have forgotten or never knew. We hope that as the weather warms and more people are out and about, new friendships will develop.
Finally, we are trying to reduce our paper usage requirement and to communicate efficiently with the VWOA members. Emails save the board time and money. Almost of the members have given us permission to conduct association business, such as invoicing and communications, via e-mail. If we don’t already have it, PLEASE provide us with your email address and permission to use it when you pay your annual assessment. Other non-business association communications are also sent out via e-mail. If we have not received your permission to send these communications to you via e-mail, you will not receive them. We respect your privacy and will use your email address only for the communications you have authorized. We would like letters to be distributed via email unless a specific request is received. Be sure to let us know if you change your email address.
2021-2022 VWOA Board of Directors
Rick Jamerson, President 847-370-6565 rickjamerson22@gmail.com
Kate Levinson, Vice President 847-602-0701 klevinson1@gmail.com
Esmina Perdiew, Treasurer 312-953-2427 esmina@whitelakepartners.com
Anthony Wedyk, Secretary 847-562-6475 wedyck79@gmail.com
David Shimberg 847-274-0276 dshimberg@gmail.com