Spring-is update

Hi Everyone!

Wonderful, Julie. Thanks for picking up the plants. I’m super excited to see them. Drop the receipt in the drop box upfront, and Jordan will cut you a check.

I did try cutting back the trees on the retaining wall myself last fall. I did cut overhead trees along the drive as well with the 13 foot ladder too. Unfortunately, against the wall is the fire lane and it takes precedence over the trees. The law states that the fire lane should be clear from at least the retaining wall to 20 feet into the street and 13 feet 9 inches high all around. So, the whole drive on each side essentially is supposed to be clear. We will have to cut them back further or remove them all together if they interfere with plowing or the fire lane.

As far as the neighbor’s trash, there is a city form on the Oakdale page for individual property owners to make citizen reports. Here is the link. https://www.ci.oakdale.mn.us/FormCenter/Citizen-Action-22/Citizen-Action-Form-76

I suggest we each fill one out for various reasons for the Waterford Townhomes from trespassing, littering, vandalism, throwing rocks, damaging plants and the property line. Etc. There are places to indicate your concerns on the form with checkboxes, in the comment boxes and by uploading photos.

-Mary Burdick has suggested a neighborhood marsh cleanup for our property and should include the tree line all the way to the west and north. My concern is the liability if anyone were to get hurt in the marsh or on the property line. Personally, I would not participate with picking up trash in the marsh. I have been looking up companies to hire who are insured and equipped to clear debris from the trees and this type of terrain.

-A spring inspection will be completed by a new company shortly. They all insist on have an in person meetings first. I did find one that isn’t charging $1,000!

-I have looked into a few companies that can plant cluster plants by the front entrance and up on the hill. They have set pricing on plants, which are at a premium. I’m looking for someone to plant what we buy.

- There needs to be more tree and shrub trimming this year too. Anything over 8 feet above ground level requires insurance and certain gear. I did some of it myself last year to save some money.

-There will be some chain link fence maintenance this year. There are many buckthorn and cottonwood trees that need to be trimmed from them. I did this in the fall but they are invasive.

-New signs for the entrance are on the way. I’m hoping the passing kids won’t vandalism these also.

I am still working on all of this. I am in school full time and have a full time job. I think I will be resigning from the board completely in June. Someone else needs to complete the M-100 course and should study up on MN HOA and Oakdale City ordinances. I have been on the board since it’s beginning in 2010, and I don’t have anymore volunteer time left to give at this time. Honestly, I suggest we hire a management company for all the things that need to be handled. Our current rules and regulations do state that board members cannot be compensated for their work. However, MN state law does not prohibit it and we can amend that. If need be, moving forward, we can consider compensating board members as an incentive to run on the board.

Thanks,

Jen Hall