Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
Neighborhood News
Fall 2016
Working Together for a GREAT Neighborhood
President’s Message – Guy Karm of the neighborhood. As you may know by now, Treasurer Mary Crook is not returning next year as our Treasurer. Thank you, Mary, for all of your work over the past years as a Board Member and as Treasurer. We will all miss you. At the same time, welcome and thank you to Amy Pritchard, who will be replacing Mary on our Board as our Treasurer.
Well, another summer has passed, but it was a great summer in Plum Grove Estates. A few thank yous are in order for the great summer that we all enjoyed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rich Olsen for his continued hard work in the area control department. As we all know, in the past, area control was somewhat out of control. Rich has managed to get things in order so that the neighborhood is returning to the way it should be. Thank you Lauri Mitchell for all of your hard work and efforts in welcoming all of our new neighbors and making them a part
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expensive so that most of our financial reserves were spent in completing these items. Also, there will be some additional electrical work needed at some point in the future at the frontage road entrance ways. Therefore, the Board of Directors voted to increase the yearly dues for 2017 to $250.00 for the next year. I have lived here for 11 years now and this is the first increase in the amount of the yearly dues.
A big thank you is in order to the Finally, I would like to thank all of members of the Preservation and the Board members: Gary Dindia, Beautification Committee: George Past President; Dave Freeman, Reichl, Dave and Sue Knowling, Vice-President; Mary Crook and Lauiri Mitchell, Mary Crook, Lynn now Amy Pritchard, Treasurer; Meinzer, Rich Olsen, Terri Susan McDonald, Secretary; and, Manfreda and Nancy Groch. They Lynn Meinzer, George Reichl, were instrumental in improving Steve Sperling, Lauri Mitchell, the entrance ways, including the Rich Olsen, and Rich Coha. All of tuck pointing of all the stone work these neighbors spend a at the entrance ways and updating tremendous amount of time and bringing to code all electrical working for you, without any at the entrance ways. The compensation. It is truly a Committee is also working on a pleasure to work with all of them three year plan to make improvements in the Continued on page 2… neighborhood with a focus on the main gates, the main islands and the smaller common islands. Newsletter Contents Thank you all for your continued Community Events..………..………2 effort and a job well done. Board Members Reports……..……..5 General Meeting Minutes…….….…8 Unfortunately, the tuck pointing Kick Off to Summer photos…...…. 10 PGE Calendar………………………12 and electrical work was very
Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
…Continued from page 1 and their effort and hard work make Plum Grove Estates a wonderful place to live. In closing, I hope to see all of you at the Holiday Party in December. Guy Karm President PGEPOA
Community News Think Twice About Tree Maintenance Late this summer a new property owner in Plum Grove Estates decided to remove some oak trees from his property. Many of the trees were very large and mature. Unfortunately, the property owner did not follow the Cook County ordinance regarding tree removal and he now faces citations from the County. Dave Freeman from the PGEPOA board contacted the County, and here is the complete text of the county’s reply with the pertinent county code following the letter: Attached for your General Information are the Cook County Building and Zoning requirements that apply to existing trees. The building and Zoning requirements are very specific on the limit for
removing trees and insuring proper replacement of trees Keep in mind any Landscape or Tree Removal Company should be made aware of these conditions to avoid permit penalty fees. Plum Grove Homeowner’s Association currently has a very good relationship with the Cook County Building and Zoning Department and we wish to maintain that relationship to the benefit of all homeowners in our neighborhood. Below is the contact information in the event of future tree removal concerns. Thank you Ethel Cutrano Executive Assistant Bureau of Economic Development Department of Building and Zoning 69 W. Washington, Suite 2800 Chicago, IL 60602 P: 312.603.0504 Ethel.currano@cookcountyil.gov
Attachment on following pages
2016 PGEPOA Officers/Directors President Vice President and Architectural Control Secretary Treasurer Area Control Civic Affairs Membership Communications Social and Landscaping Audit Past President
Guy Karm Dave Freeman Susan McDonald Mary Crook Rich Olsen Steve Sperling Lauri Mitchell Rich Coha Lynn Meinzer George Reichl Gary Dindia
Craft Club Interest? A talented PGE new neighbor is interested in forming a neighborhood craft club. Any interested person may email Terri Manfreda: terri1714@comcast.net.
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
Sec. 126-1. - Purpose. Chapter 126 - TREE PRESERVATION, Chapter 126 - TREE PRESERVATION, LANDSCAPING AND SCREENING ARTICLE I. - IN GENERAL
Sec. 126-1. - Purpose. The provisions of this chapter are intended to preserve existing trees, establish regulations limiting the removal of trees, insure the replacement of trees on public and private property within unincorporated Cook County and safeguard the ecological and aesthetic environment of the community. This chapter is further intended to prevent the unnecessary clearing and disturbance of land so as to preserve, insofar as is practical, the existing natural vegetation with plant material indigenous to the Cook County region, and preserve existing landscape buffers to minimize the impact of adjoining differing land uses, and to enhance and protect the integrity of roadway corridors and reduce the surface heat and negative visual impact of vehicular use areas. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, art. I, § 1.0, 11-6-2001.) Sec. 126-2. - Enforcement and penalty. The Commissioner of Building and Zoning shall be responsible for enforcement of this chapter. Any person, firm or corporation, or their agents, employees or contractors who violate, disobey or refuse to comply with any provision of this chapter shall be subject to fines, penalties and injunctive relief as provided in Article 13 of Appendix A to this Code. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, art. II, § 2.5, 11-6-2001.) Sec. 126-3. - Exempt properties. Parcels having an agricultural designation, park districts and properties owned and maintained by the County Forest Preserve District are exempt from this chapter. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, 1.1.3, 11-6-2001.) Secs. 126-4—126-30. - Reserved. ARTICLE II. - TREE PRESERVATION
Sec. 126-31. - Tree removal.
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
(a) Approval requirements. A deciduous tree having a trunk size of six inches or greater in diameter, as measured six inches above the established grade and evergreen trees measuring ten vertical feet or more in height shall not be removed from unimproved, partially improved or improved land without written approval from the Commissioner of the Department of Building and Zoning. A written statement indicating the reasons for removal of such trees and a general description of the tree(s) to be removed shall accompany the application for tree removal. (b) Conditions of approval. The Commissioner of the Department of Building and Zoning shall approve all requests for tree removal if one or more of the following conditions are present: (1) Trees pose a safety hazard to pedestrians or vehicular traffic or any building or structure. (2) Trees are diseased, infested with pests or have been seriously damaged by fire, lighting, storm or other injury. (3) Trees are dictated by good forestry practice for removal when beneficial to remaining trees. (4) Trees have been designated for removal on an approved landscape plan. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, art. I, §§ 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 11-6-2001.) Sec. 126-32. - Protection of existing trees. (a) Integration of existing trees. Every reasonable effort shall be made to retain existing healthy trees and to integrate trees in landscape plans into the development of all property in unincorporated Cook County. (b) Tree preservation plan. A tree preservation plan prepared by a registered arborist or landscape architect indicating location, species, size and condition of existing trees shall be submitted in conjunction with all building permit applications. The plan shall indicate the location of the trees to be preserved and the methods which will be used to preserve the trees. (c) Preservation techniques. Preservation techniques required are as follows: (1) Temporary barriers. Temporary barriers necessary for the preservation of existing plant materials as approved by the Department of Building and Zoning shall be installed prior to the issuance of any land development permit. (2) Grading and construction equipment. Grading and construction equipment is prohibited from encroaching on the drip line of any tree to be preserved. P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
(3) Runoff of detrimental material towards trees. Crushed limestone, or any other material which may be detrimental to trees, shall not be discarded or placed within the drip line of any trees nor shall material be located at an elevation which would contribute runoff of such material toward tree(s). (4) Storage of materials or equipment. Materials or vehicles shall not be stored, driven or parked within the drip line of any trees. (5) Barriers at periphery of tree's dripline. Wooden lath snow fencing, brightly colored plastic construction fencing or other alternative barrier approved by the Commissioner of Building and Zoning shall be installed at the periphery of the tree's drip line or beyond. The barrier shall be a minimum of 48 inches in height and must be securely anchored to fence posts a minimum distance of five feet on center. (6) Utility lines. Utility lines shall be augured to prevent damage to tree root systems when an underground utility line is to be located within five feet of the trunk of a tree designated for preservation. (7) Pruning or thinning of trees. Trees to be preserved which have been subjected to activity within the drip line should be selectively pruned or thinned ten percent by an arborist or tree surgeon skilled at the selective thinning procedure. All dead wood shall be removed. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, art. I, §§ 1.2.1—1.2.3, 11-6-2001.) Sec. 126-33. - Preservation methodology. The methods proposed to preserve trees shall be clearly specified on the applicant's tree preservation plan. If, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Building and Zoning, the necessary precautions are not undertaken, all work on the site shall cease immediately until appropriate measures have been taken. Failure to institute and observe tree preservation techniques shall constitute a violation of this article. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, § 1.2, 11-6-2001.) Sec. 126-34. - Replacement of damaged trees designated for preservation. (a) Deciduous trees. Deciduous trees designated for preservation which are destroyed or severely damaged shall be replaced with a new tree at a rate of three inches in caliper to each one inch of removed tree. All fractions of an inch shall be rounded up (b) Coniferous trees. Coniferous trees designated for preservation which are destroyed or severely damaged shall be replaced with a new tree at a rate of three -4-
Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
vertical feet for each one foot of removed tree. All fractions of an inch shall be rounded up. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, § 1.3, 11-6-2001.) Sec. 126-35. - Minimum size of replacement trees. (a) Deciduous trees. Deciduous replacement trees shall be a minimum trunk size of 2½ inches in diameter as measured 12 inches above established grade. Any combination of tree sizes measuring three inches in diameter or larger may be used for tree replacements. For example, one 18-inch tree may be replaced by three fourinch trees and two three-inch trees. (b) Coniferous trees. Coniferous replacement trees shall be a minimum height of six feet. Any combination of tree sizes six feet in height or greater may be used for tree replacement in a manner similar to that for deciduous trees. (c) Approval of replacement trees. Species of replacement trees shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Building and Zoning. (Ord. No. 01-O-31, § 1.4. 11-6-2001.)
HELP WANTED Do you enjoy the Kick Off to Summer and Holiday Parties sponsored by the PGEPOA each year? Now is your chance to contribute to their continued success. The PGEPOA board is looking a new Social Chairperson to lead the organizing efforts for these parties. You can count on help from board and association members as you coordinate the refreshments, decorations, activities, and other functions for these events. Anyone interested in contributing their time twice a year in this role should please contact George Reichl at gcreichl@aol.com P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
Board Member Reports Landscape Report – Lynn Meinzer The continuous work of maintaining the entrances and ‘islands’ or medians – the common areas of Plum Grove Estates, is going into the dormant season now. We have had a beautiful and colorful fall this year with good weather, including life-giving sunshine as well as necessary rain. Some work needed to be done after the pillar tuck-pointing and electric work was finished. Some areas are often ‘a work in progress’ until the best combination of plants thrives in an area that may be sunny or shady, have good or clay soil, space to grow or too crowded. To prepare areas for next season, shrubs and perennials are being cut-back properly; starter fertilizer and grass seed spread in areas where grass was burned out. One of the three ‘Trinity’ Pear Trees at Brookdale Lake has struggled for the last two years and is being replaced with a new one. Next season more work will be done to keep the PGE common areas well-maintained and growing for the enjoyment of all.
Membership – Lauri Mitchell October 19, 2016 Membership Report, Lauri Mitchell It’s exciting to see so many new families moving into Plum Grove Estates! Please take time to welcome the following new neighbors to our neighborhood. Jon Kinyun and Rick Vandersnick : Son Jonathan (8) 258 South Brookdale Gina Stefanelli: 342 Meadow Lane -5-
Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
Jason and Nicol Maher: Colette (5) 269 South Circle
Charlize (4)
Manish & Ana Matta : Diya (15), Senal (13) 2276 Longacres Brent Tweeten: Clarice and Parker (College students) 348 South Elmwood Sammy and Terri Manno 2283 North Circle Gary and Genevieve Sotello 305 Briarwood Bob and Hollie Pavic 346 South Circle Dean and Paula Hewson 2010 Crestwood Lane Donald Olson and Venus Whiting 327 North Elmwood Lane
Social Report – Lynn Meinzer The Annual Plum Grove Estates Holiday Party ‘Jingle and Mingle’, this year, will be a nice time to gather together to greet neighbors, toast the season and enjoy dinner. Special desserts, brought by residents for sharing, are always a highlight of the party. In the ‘Spirit of Giving’ this is also an opportunity to make a donation, of any amount, to the Palatine Township Needy Family Fund. The Social Committee Members, who get together to work out the details of the party and do ‘the footwork’ before the event, are always grateful to residents who give a call offering to help with the all-important setup and cleanup parts of the party. Many hands actually make the work – fun! P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
‌Board Member Reports continued We look forward to seeing many residents on December 4th this year. RSVP to attend and Notice of cancellations are needed, as well. Happy Holiday Party! The Beautification Committee : Sue Dindia and Lauri Mitchell
Our committee is comprised of four board members and four neighborhood residents who are interested in beautifying Plum Grove Estates. We communicate to the board our concerns and suggest improvements regarding landscape appearance and safety issues in order to preserve and update the overall public impression of Plum Grove Estates. This year we focused on preservation and safety when we tuckpointed, straightened and cleaned all the pillars. We hired Walter Grzebieniak--a well respected building maintenance company to complete this task. We also replaced all the broken and rusted light fixtures using all LED light fixtures. We added LED landscape spotlights and ground lighting. We had three sample pillar lights up and posted a Facebook invitation to owners to select a neighborhood favorite. Almost unanimously, neighbors cohse the one you see on our pillars
today. We also hired a licensed, insured and bonded electrician to bring our electricity up to Cook county electrical code. This was a massive and expensive project. Our electricity hadn't been updated in over 50 years and required extensive electrical work above, underground and "understreet" repair. Extensive trenching was required to replace old, twisted poly conduit and electrical lines using outdoor landscaping conduit. I'm happy to report that this work has finally been completed and the Cook County inspector certified and passed the work according to the code requirements. Our committee board members are George Reichl, Lynn Meinzer, Mary Crook and Lauri Mitchell. Our neighborhood residents are Dave and Sue Knowling, Nancy Groch and Teri Manfreda. Nancy, a new member of our committee, is a graduate of Botanic Garden's Master Gardener program which requires many volunteer hours. She is bringing many great ideas to our committee. We meet bi-monthly and are all volunteering our time. Our current focus is to develop a three-year plan which will be introduced to the board. Please contact any of us (we are all in the directory!) with your ideas, feedback, questions or concerns.
PREVENT THIS:
Young Parents Plum Grove Estates has welcomed many new young families in the past few years. Those newcomers and Plum Grove neighbors interested in starting a Young Parents' Club please contact me via e-mail at Laurimitch@comcast.net . This idea was presented to me by one of our new residents and I thought it was a great idea. If there is enough interest in such a group I will pass it on to all who responded. They can then organize their group accordingly. -7-
Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
Tell your family, friends, neighbors, visitors, and contractors not to park on the grass. P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
The annual election for the Plum Grove Property Owners officers was held at the October general meeting. The following board was elected below for 2017. President - Guy Karm Vice President - Dave Freeman Treasurer - Amy Pritchard Secretary - Susan McDonald Directors: George Reichl, Steve Sperling, Lynn Meinzer, Rich Olsen, Lauri Mitchell, Rich Coha, Past President:Gary Dinda
Join us on Facebook!
Go to the Friends of Plum Grove Estates and ask to join the private group.
See pages 10 & 11 for photos of this year’s Kick Off to Summer Party Many more pictures will be posted on the web site, www.pgepoa.org
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
PGE POA General Meeting Minutes (pending approval) Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Call to Order – The general meeting of the Plum Grove Homeowners Association was called to order by President Guy Karm at 7:35 PM on Wednesday, Oct 19 at the Plum Grove Park.
Board Attendees Guy Karm, Lynn Meinzer, George Reichl, Rich Olson, Rich Coha, Susan McDonald , Lauri Mitchell and Gary Dindia, Dave Freeman Absent Board Members - Mary Crook
Resident Attendees Rick VanDerSnick, Jon Kinyon, Kenneth Flobeck Jr., Pauline Pohl, Adam Gimpert, Andrea Brennan, George Manthey, Nicole &Jason Maher, Bob Pavic, Mannish and Ana Matta, Jill Sperling, Kevin McDonald, Terry & Steve Manfreda, Glen Prezembel, Irene Vinyard, Brent Tweeten,Eric Berls, Jill Berls, Dan Mullen, Ann Mulholland, Steve Sopocy, Randy Mitchell, Sue Dindia, Joanne Olsen, Dawn Amon, Erica Puglisi, Mary Jo Hoadley, Dave Knowling, Susan Knowking, Brooks T Giles
President’s Remarks
President Guy Karm thanked everyone for attending the meeting and discussed the electrical and tuck-pointing work on the entranceway pillars. He explained that since little quality work was completed on the entranceways since the 50’s, the cost for repair has accumulated in order to get the electrical up to code to pass the county inspection. The cost of this has depleted our cash reserves. Because of this depletion the board unanimously approved an increase of 2017 dues to $250.00 per year. There was a little discussion about where are dues now and some questions in regards to the electrical and tuck-pointing work.
Preservation & Beautification Committee Lauri Mitchel reviewed the purpose of this committee which is to improve the safety and enhancements of the neighborhood. She explained that the inspector will be returning next week to review all of the electrical improvements to make sure they pass code. There was some discussion on some new residents joining the committee and discussion on when and how the lights will be installed on the bridge.
Architectural Control New Residents The following new Plum Grove
Estates families were welcomed. Each stated their interest in moving to the neighborhood and introduced themselves to the meeting attendees. John Kinyon and Rick VanDerSnick Anish and Ana Matta Brent and Clarisse Tweeten Bob and Hollie Pavic Jason and Nicole Maher
Approval of Minutes Kevin McDonald motioned and Dave Knowling seconded the approval of the May 18 General Meeting minutes and was unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report Mary Crook was absent but George Reichl reviewed the report, Dave Freeman moved, and Rich Olsen seconded the treasurer’s report to be moved into records. This was unanimously approved.
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
Dave Freeman reminded attendees that it is required to attain a roof permit application to Cook County when installing a new roof. Dave Freeman asked everyone to take the information on the table regarding the removal of trees policy for Cook County. .
Area Control
Rich Olsen reported that it is the season where we find boats, RV’s, and motor homes parked in driveways, which is against our covenants. There is about a four day grace period before he will start visiting the offending homes. He reminded us that the max park load for cars in the driveway is four. His process for monitoring is a personal call, a letter and then a call to the county if the first two steps don’t remedy the violation. Rich is continuing to monitor the perimeter fence. There is a portion of the fence that is now down. There were some homeowner questions regarding where the P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
‌Meeting Minutes continued
financial responsibility lies for replacing AND repairing fencing. Rich and homeowner will carry the conversation outside of the meeting. There was some discussion regarding the home that seemed to have been a taxi cab haven. The home has been evicted and is now in foreclosure.
Civic Affairs
Steve Sperling announced that the Palatine township has leaf pick up until Nov 22. Please leave six inches from the top of the bag. Halloween Trick or Treat is slated for Monday Oct 31 from 37PM. Nov 3-8 is Mail in Voting. You can contact cookcountyclerk.com to locate your polling location.
Old Business
Most of the existing officers were voted unanimously for 2017 to include Guy Karm, President, David Freeman, Vice President, and Susan McDonald, Secretary. Amy Pritchard was voted in as the new treasurer replacing Mark Crook. Also Lauri Mitchell was voted in for another three year term as Director of Membership.
New Business
Sue Dindia moved and Lauri Mitchell seconded a motion to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned with a unanimous vote at 9:10 pm. Susan McDonald-Secretary
Landscaping – Lynn remarked that she continues to work with Roland Sachs, Palatine Township Road Supervisor on landscaping issues regarding PGE to include the removal of some lamp posts, plants to use, sod planting and watering. Flowers are doing well at most of the entranceways. The Fall Clean Up has started and a dead evergreen tree has been removed. It is bid time for Landscape companies as we are on the final third year. Eight landscape companies have been sent Request for Proposals with a deadline of Nov 14, 2016. The Holiday lights will be installed before December 4.
Social Committee Planning has started on the Christmas party which will be held Dec 4 from 4:30 to 7:30PM. She reminded that reservations are required by phone or email. She mentioned that the contract with Rolling Meadows has changed. It is more complicated, requiring a $1000.00 security deposit, from which a number of fee penalties will be enforced and deducted. I.e. climbing fences, exceeding the time limit, and about a dozen other restrictions. She noted we may want to look for an alternative site for the future.
Communications/Newsletter Rich Coha reported that if anyone wants to add something to our PGE website send him an email.
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
Plum Grove Estates
Summer Celebration June 15, 2016
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
PO Box 2568 Palatine, IL 60078-2568 www.pgepoa.org
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Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association
P.O. Box 2568
Palatine, IL 60078-2568
www.pgepoa.org
PGE POA Board Meeting
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