GM Report for Newsletter

With summer winding down there is still time to enjoy the water activities at the pools, beaches and marina. It was an abnormally hot summer, so these three areas saw a lot of activity this summer.

Along with the hot summer we also had our share of hard rains that brought washouts and ponding of water in low laying areas and/or poor drainage areas. One of the major concerns that contributes to washouts is the lack of drainage and culvert pipe cleaning. Property owners are responsible for maintaining the drainage in front and alongside their property which includes the drainage ditch and culvert pipes. We know that sometimes this can be difficult to keep clean all the time, that is why at times you will see the Maintenance Department assisting or maintaining drainage areas, especially in areas prone to flooding. If we do need to clean your ditch or culvert pipe there is a good chance that you will receive a letter from the office to let you know that Maintenance had to clean your area and to remind you that you need to maintain the area. If the problem, persist a fine and the cost for the time Maintenance takes to clean it will be charged to you. By November 15^th we expect that leaves will be cleaned from ditches which gives a chance for them to be down before the cold weather starts to set in and possibly freeze the leaves.

Another issue when it comes to washouts and flooding even before water gets to the ditches is the amount of water runoff coming from each property. This is not entirely the fault of property owners, it is a result of homes built where there are areas of the property where water cannot penetrate into the ground known as impervious area, such as roofs, decks, outbuildings, hardscaped patios and if the driveway is asphalt. Impervious areas send more water from the property to other properties, roads and drainage ditches. The more homes, garages and additions that are built and driveways paved adds to the amount of water that runs off and at the same time less trees or previous areas to absorb the water. The amount of property where water can penetrate the ground is known as pervious area.

In the last few years, we have been forced to spend a considerable amount of money to enhance existing drainage structures and add new drainage structures to handle the amount of additional storm water runoff that we have been getting. Most normal rain falls do not cause much damage, but the rains where we receive inches of rain in a short period of time cause runoff affecting property owners’ property, ditches and roads and depending on the amount of rain and how hard it rains can cause costly damage. 

According to the Association’s rules, 33% of the property can be impervious, 67% of the property must remain pervious to allow water to penetrate the ground. One area that over the years, that was not considered serious enough was the impervious calculations for stone. If the driveway is not paved it is normally stone and many property owners like to use stone throughout their property rather than having something that must be maintained. Stone is pervious to a certain degree, but when calculated the percentage is about 50% of being 100% pervious, meaning that 50% of the rain that falls on stone/gravel runs off of the property rather than soaking into the ground.

The Building Committee, Board of Directors and staff are working on new guidelines to address the use of stone/gravel for new construction and on existing homes. For existing homes, the problem arises when stone wants to be added or another improvement, which will add more impervious area, exceeding the 33% impervious calculation due to stone/gravel. The new guidelines will address proposed improvements to properties that exceed the 33% impervious calculation due to stone/gravel, the house, asphalt areas or any outbuildings. 

Other items that are being reviewed for improvements to property are current surveys on each property and showing on the survey how stormwater will be handled as it leaves the property. When an improvement is being requested and there is not a recent as built survey on file showing what currently exists on the property, the survey will need to be updated.  Depending on the improvement the as built survey may need to be done by a professional surveyor or it may be able to be done by the property owner/contractor drawn on an existing survey.   

It is important that any improvement that you are looking to make on your property, you check with the Building Compliance Officer for what you need for approval. Many improvements only need a non-fee permit with a description of the work to be performed and drawn up from your existing survey on file. The Building Compliance Officer can also recommend if you will need a township permit. 

There is an area for property owners to take their leaves and branches to, it is located at the end of Bear Trail, before you get to the ballfield and dog park. It is intended for property owners to have a place to take leaves and branches to be able to maintain their property. Due to certain circumstances property owners cannot perform the maintenance themselves and hire a contractor to clean the property. The area has been getting abused by dumping branches greater than 3” in diameter, tree stumps and mixing leaves and branches and other items that cannot be chipped. It is costing more than budgeted or anticipated to have the items removed due to the abuse. We have instituted the policy that all contractors must stop at the office before dumping, so when hiring a contractor to do this type of work, let them know to stop at the office before they dump or risk a penalty. 

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact the office.