Frequently asked questions and concerns

1. Collection Agency
The Association board has never used the services of a collection agency in the past. This year, looking at outstanding account receivables, there is a high percentage of unpaid members. As such, the board has taken steps to recover all outstanding balances. We hope that all outstanding balances will be recovered by Aug 5th 2008 so that we may avoid hiring an agency all together.

2. Contacting the Board
Because this is a voluntary board, members do not post their personal contact information. If you wish to contact the association, please contact us via e-mail or by mail to the Association's mail address. If your inquiry/concern requires a call back, please advise us accordingly and provide contact information. We will be happy to call you at the earliest possible opportunity. Thank you for your understanding in this situation.

3. The Park
When a proposal to build a neighbourhood park was presented to the board members of May 2005 – May 2006, the board felt such a decision should be brought to the community to vote upon. At the 2006 General Meeting a vote was held and it was decided to proceed with the building of the Park. Changes to the existence of the park cannot be undone, and as such the board would appreciate any Residents who have issues with this decision to understand that the time to have voiced such concerns was at the 2006 General Meeting. Any inquiries in regards to the Park maintenance should be refereed to The City of Kitchener, at 519-741-2286.

4. City By-Law infractions
Any resident who is in violation of a city by-law can be reported to the Director of Enforcement (property by-law enforcement department) at the City of Kitchener at 519-741-2330. This includes improper private: lawn maintenance, snow removal, etc.

5. What does "other events" refer to on the Membership billing letters
Other events includes the cost of the General Meeting, Annual Holiday Party, other events which the board may choose to host throughout the year, and as well includes the cost of supplies incurred by the Board members (aka paper, printing ink, mileage/gas to run errands that pertain to the association, the cost of stamps and mailing envelopes, etc).

6. Maintenance
Please review the Maintenance page of this website. Any questions or comments in regards to areas not highlighted in Pink should be referred to the City of Kitchener, at 519-741-2286, who maintains those areas. Please note that Board members of May 2008-May 2009 have met with members of the City of Kitchener on July 17th 2008. At this meeting it was learned that the City of Kitchener provides maintenance every 3 to 4 weeks, and that the requirement for the City is to maintain a grass height (not including weeds) of 3 cm.

7. Maintenance Costs for Previous Years
Please be advised that the board members of May 2008- May 2009 felt that the expenses paid for landscaping during this time exceeded our preferred spending amount for maintenance. As such the Board of May 2008- May 2009 made it our first priority to hire a landscaping company who could provide the same quality of service for a lesser price. We have accomplished this goal by hiring a company who provided us with a basic maintenance fee at half the price of last years.

8. Repairs and Damages in regards to Maintenance
The board of May 2008- May 2009 recognizes that many areas need upkeep in the form of repairs. We have already acquired numerous quotes in regards to the upkeep/repair of; The settler's Grove Entrance Sign, the right and left sides of the berm on Deer Ridge Dr, and repair of Master Court Court. We have already had the area around the Settler's Grove Sign maintained to improve visibility. Many members felt that the yellow flowers which grew in front of the sign were too tall and as such we hired a company to move these flowers to the entrance boulevard of Deer Ridge Dr and replaced them with ground creeping flowers so that the sign will always be visible. As per the other areas mentioned above, due to the time of year that these quotes came in (late June/early July) many landscaping companies advised us that optimal time of year to complete these projects is early May/June. As we wish for optimal growth and success to come from our repairs, we have placed these areas on the agenda for next May/June.

9. Billing Rotations
Currently the Settler's Grove billing rotation runs on a Aug 1st to July 31st cycle. We will be discussing with our Accounting company how to change this running year to May 1st to April 30th running year, as such a running year makes more sense ( ie billing goes out May 1st, new board members are elected in early May, a new maintenance contract is acquired in May, etc). Billing is based on the following; if you are billed on May 1st 2008, the fee has been calculated using the expenses incurred from last year. This does not mean that your May 1st 2008 billing is paying for the previous year, but rather that this payment is made to fund what the board will need to operate in the coming year (May 2008- May 2009).

10. Membership Obligation
All members are required to be active members of the Association. It is the responsibility of the current homeowner, their real estate agent and their lawyer to disclose such information to potential homeowners. Furthermore, for potential homeowners looking to buy in this area, it is also the responsibility of their real estate agent and lawyer to investigate all liabilities in which the homeowner will accept when purchasing the home. The board has been advised that these professionals have not been disclosing such information to purchasing individuals and as such the board has taken an active role to monitor the selling and repurchasing of homes in regards to e-mailing current selling agents a friendly reminder.

11. New homeowners
Please do not place fault on the Association for not contacting you upon your arrival. When a home is being sold, it is the responsibility of the current homeowner to contact the association to let us know of the change. Upon receiving this news, the association will prepare a welcome package for new members to supply them with further information in regards to the board and contact information. If the homeowner fails to contact the association, we are not aware of the change in ownership.

12. Serving on the board
All members who serve on the board do so Voluntarily. They volunteer their free time to help advance our community. Please note, board members do not get paid for their work, nor are we compensated in any material way. Furthermore, please be advised that board members also pay the same fee as all residents of the Settler's Grove Community, and are expected to pay the fees at the same due date as other members. If there is anyone who is interested in assisting the board or joining, please send us an email. We would be thrilled to hear from you!

13. The Annual Holiday Party
Many members appreciate the Annual holiday Party with an attendance of about 100 members. Each year the association attempts to gather donated prizes for draws/door prizes. This event is the perfect event to celebrate our community and meet your fellow neighbours!

14. Affiliation with the City of Kitchener
On July 21st 2008 the board of May 2008- May 2009 met with the City of Kitchener's Affiliation Department to have the Settler's Grove Community Association listed with the City. Doing so will provide the association with extra insurance at no charge, official recognition on the City's Association Website, access to city community centers for meetings and events, and updates in regards to by-laws, changes, and etc. Our application will be presented to the Chamber of Commons in September 2008 for Approval.