It has come to our attention that VIP inspectors have listed the association as the contact number for questions regarding CalFire Inspections. This was done incorrectly.
The association and CalFire are completely independent of one another. The association has no control over these notices, it doesn’t even receive a copy of them. Therefore, we cannot answer any questions about them.
If you received a Cal-Fire Notice that your lot is out of compliance, please contact Nancy Longmore at (209) 754-2744.
The lack of rain and snow and several days of heavy winds this past winter has left a lot of debris on the ground in Lilac Park this year. It’s expected that the lack of precipitation is a precursor to high fire danger in our community for the coming summer season.
For the first time in several years, ALPHA does not have a board member participating in the VIP program therefore we cannot answer any specific questions regarding the upcoming inspections. Please note that ALPHA and the Cal-Fire VIPs are completely independent of each other, though ALPHA supports a fire-safe community and urges homeowners to prepare their property according to Cal-Fire mandates.
Cal Fire VIP first inspections are scheduled from May 29 to May 31and second inspections are from June 18 to June 22. If you do not have your lot cleared to Cal-Fire standards by May 29, be prepared to receive a notice in the mail, but don’t wait for that notice to get your lot cleaned up appropriately.
If you receive a notice from Cal-Fire, don’t ignore it, act on it. The first notice you receive is a courtesy letter to inform you that your lot isn’t fire-safe. If you receive a second notice, this too, is a courtesy to remind you that your lot doesn’t meet Cal-Fire standards. There are no third notices and more than one homeowner was fined last year. A few homeowners indicated that they never received anything in the mail, so your best bet is to get your lot(s) prepared before 5/29/12. These fines can be stiff, require an appearance in court, and can be time consuming to resolve.
VIP Inspectors are expected to adhere to specific standards. If anything about your property is questionable including property lines, appropriate foliage, or clearances, ALPHA encourages you to contact Cal-Fire directly for more information or clarification of their mandates. The number to dial is 209.428.1131.
For a printable PDF copy of Cal-Fire’s most current lot clearance guidelines, click the link below.
The change in weather is upon us. The warmer temps no doubt signals the coming of summer and all of the activity that the season brings.
This is going to be a busy month for emailed information from the Board of Directors as we have been feverishly working on a number of projects and have several important dates to pass on. Watch your email or check back here often to see what’s coming up.
Weather permitting, the ALPHA pool is scheduled to open on Friday, June 1st 2012. We’ll be installing the solar panels this month and hope to have them installed early enough so that the water is warm on opening day.
However, there is still a lot of work to do in order to get the pool ready and we could use your help. The Spring Clean Up Day has yet to be scheduled, but it’s coming very soon. If you can lend a hand in the month of May, even for just an hour or two, drop us a note.
The Spring 2012 edition of the Treetop Times has been published to the web site. You can view the newsletter by clicking below. For those who visit the web site regularly, the articles in this edition of the newsletter will be familiar, though there is some new content as well.
The Treetop Times is published in Adobe PDF format, which requires the Adobe Reader, found HERE.
To fill the vacancy left by Frank Samuelson’s delayed recovery from a fall last year, the ALPHA Board of Directors has named Mark Carlson as President of the Board.
Well, that’s me. In case you’re wondering who “me” is, I’m the one who writes the posts / articles on the ALPHA web site and sends the email updates.
I accepted Mike Willemsen’s nomination for board president because I saw a need to make a few changes to how the board of directors operates and to bring the ALPHA into compliance with state law.
So what does that mean?
With a background in the technology industry, I saw an opportunity to modernize many of the procedures and workflows that will allow the board to operate more efficiently and hopefully provide you, the homeowner, with the most positive experience possible when you have contact with the board of directors.
Over the last year, the ALPHA web site and email have become key communication tools between the board and you. Since we launched it in January 2011, we’ve received a number of positive comments regarding the site and the automatic updates you receive when a new article is posted to it. We look forward to the continued use of these tools in the future.
The board is currently taking steps to formalize a collection policy and with the number of homes for sale in Lilac Park, an architectural review policy is also coming. The purpose of these polices is simply to provide clarity to those already-existing elements of the CC&Rs/ By-Laws, and many are required by law.
While change is coming to the board, we also look forward to bringing back some traditions that have been forgotten in recent years. Beginning later this spring, ALPHA plans to organize and host a number of social events at the pool.
Sue Lynch has agreed to chair the Social Events Committee and together with Karen Nelson and Ahna Brown, they’ve got some great ideas for events including root a beer float socials, movie night, kids’ swim night, and wine tasting and finger-food-potlucks. Nothing is set in stone yet, so look to the web site and your email for more information as the weather warms up some.
We look forward to a great year in 2012 with a few planned improvements like new solar panels for the pool, some new paint, and a few other updates. Personally, I look forward to swimming in warm water this year.
Anyway, as your board, we’re here to serve you, the homeowner’s association, so if you if you have any questions or comments, please email them to me at info@arnoldlilacparkhoa.org.
Many of you are aware that Frank Samuelson, ALPHA’s President for the last several years, was injured in a fall at his cabin here in Lilac Park last September.
Shortly after his fall, Frank underwent surgery to repair a broken hip and is currently in a rehab facility in Concord. Frank’s recovery has been slow-going over the last seven months, with some improvements and some setbacks.
According to Mike Willemsen, ALPHA’s Vice President, Frank’s slowed recovery will prevent him from fulfilling the duties of the office of President of the Board anytime soon.
As a result, the Board of Directors unanimously moved Frank away from the office of President and has named him ALPHA’s first “Honorary Board Member for Life” in recognition for all that he’s done for Lilac Park over the last 25 + years. While there are certainly other homeowners in Lilac Park also worthy of this recognition, the current Board of Directors wanted to recognize Frank and thank him for his leadership and past contributions to our community.
The board of directors is asking ALPHA homeowners to send Frank a card or note of encouragement to the address you will be receiving via email. For Frank’s overall privacy, we did not want to publish it here.
Thanks for all you’ve done, Frank. We appreciate you.
The 2012 Pro Forma Budget has been published. You may access it by clicking on the Homeowners Only link above or just click here.
You will need the homeowner password for the web site to access it. It is in Adobe PDF format, which requires the Acrobat Reader. (click here to get it)
The 2012 Pro-Forma Budget is nearly completed. It is expected to be published on Tuesday, December 27, 2011.
If you receive email billing but would prefer to have a paper copy of the pro-forma budget mailed to you via USPS, please send us a note to info@arnoldlilacparkhoa.org. The board of directors will be happy to mail it to you, but please keep in mind that the budget packet is fairly thick and postage costs per each-copy-mailed are high. Anyone who does not receive email billing will automatically have a copy sent via USPS to the address on file with the board.
The board of directors will publish the electronic version of the pro-forma budget to the web site in .pdf format which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. (get it here for free) Once published, notification of how to access it will be posted here, on the ALPHA web site. You will need the homeowner password for the web site to view it.
If you indicated your preference for this in 2010, please be aware that the board is continuing to update records in our Member Database with your individual billing and notification preferences as we have them, but this process is ongoing and won’t be completed by the 12/27/11 date of the pro-forma publication.
If you have any questions, please contact the board at info@arnoldlilacparkhoa.org or leave a message at 209.795.3807.
Hi ALPHA Homeowners!
To fill the vacancy left by Frank Samuelson’s delayed recovery from a fall last year, the ALPHA Board of Directors has named Mark Carlson as President of the Board.
Many of you are aware that Frank Samuelson, ALPHA’s President for the last several years, was injured in a fall at his cabin here in Lilac Park last September.
