A Lil More Dog Park Information

Cass of Springfork Drive writes:

I'm extremely in favor of converting the tennis courts to a dog park. It would be wonderful for me and my dog. A dog park would much more of benefit than tennis courts or even basketball courts. 
The wood mulch is a great ground covering. It seems to work well at the Town of Cary dog park. It would also be nice if an Edgehill park could have a bench for humans, a water fountain/bowl for dogs, and bag stand with trash can for waste pick-ups.

I hope we can make the dog park happen!

Edgehill Farm Master Association Board Member, Sue Kear, writes:

Hey, guys,

I do love his idea. I  did mention to Kelly that we need to get a written and signed statement from our insurance company about exactly how much our insurance would go down. I can't think of how a dog park would lower insurance rates.

Having the dog park, besides the advantages, rids EF of a huge eyesore - an area which screams neglect - not a boon to our property values!!!

I'll do whatever I can in terms of person-hours. Like make brownies and lemonade? Bring beer? Whatever.

Kelly, if you have a list of worker bees and their hone numbers (probably more efficient than emails) along with dates/times that you'd like the project to be worked on, I'd gladly call the volunteers to remind them.

Sue

Kelly writes:

Sue's is absolutely correct about obtaining written confirmation from the insurance company about potential effects to our premium rates.  Currently, we're paying for the "risk" of having tennis players on our property despite not having a functional tennis court.  I'll get to work on that on Tuesday.  I've missed the business hours of the insurance company that past two times I've called.  But, our property manager called them two weeks ago and received a verbal confirmation that a dog area, with proper signage and disclaimers, isn't much different than tennis activity on the HOA property....which is YOUR property.

This coming week could provide the information we need to proceed or delay the proposed dog park.  I'm now convinced that a majority of our residents are supportive of an off-leash area as compared with a defunct and useless tennis court - which is still touted by realtors as an amenity when listing houses, town homes and condos for sale in the neighborhood.

I've spoken with the the Town Planner and a Town of Cary water quality specialist, so we're covering all our bases up front in terms of any city gov't requests or requirements.

So, What Do We Have At The Present Moment?

We have 21 volunteers who say they're willing to lend "sweat equity" in terms of volunteer hours.  This is unprecedented in my four years of living in Edgehill Farm.  I mean, NOBODY cares about HOA or community amenities, it seems, unless something goes wrong - then folks go way outta their way to complain or demand action!  

The more volunteers willing to step forward, the more projects we can plan.  Hiring contractors & vendors is EXPENSIVE and sometimes us amateurs can do the work!

This is awesome that we can bring condo, town home and single family homeowners together! 

We are finalizing a plan to determine how to best fund this project and officially "green light" it.  There are a few options out there.  Interestingly, simply asking the Edgehill Farm HOA (the one you pay $37.80 per month) to pick up the complete cost is out of the question at this point.  The reason is that we're maintaining a huge grassy park, paved walkway, clubhouse and in-ground pool (kept to Wake County Health Dept. standards) and really have to watch our costs because our cash flow isn't abundant - adequate for current costs, however.

But, we're working on alternative means....hang in there!

If you're new to paying attention to HOA business, read below.......

Earlier this decade the pool underwent a necessary overhaul that cost about $80,000.  You weren't assessed because a bank was willing to finance a loan and our cash flow could pay it back while paying the other bills.  The HOA had that original loan nearly paid when the clubhouse overhaul became necessary because the insurance company didn't like the clubhouse's physical condition.  That meant refinancing the pool loan while adding $46,000 to it, leaving the HOA (you) with a five year loan @ 7.25% for $63,150 (give or take).  So, we're paying that loan while socking away a little extra into our savings account so the HOA will hopefully have enough cash in the bank when the next BIG financial project hits.  

I know this is beating the proverbial "dead horse," but our recent maintenance and renovations have slowed us in restoring other amenities - like creating dog parks or even restoring tennis courts.  The Master Association Board must be commended for using sensible leverage for big ticket repairs while preserving the existing budget and cash flow.  For you folks who may be following the HOA's activities for the first time, this tidbit of information is "Lesson One."

I appreciate Cass and Sue and Amy emailing in on Sunday.  The more ideas we generate, the more efficiency, savings and benefits we'll conjure before starting the proposed project.

Let's hope everything goes our way and THANKS for reading the Edgehill blog!  Email me and I'll add you to the list.  When I update this site, I send a quick email.

Don't forget the "Dog Park" email address:  edgehilldogpark@yahoo.com.

Either way, if you touch base, I'll keep you informed.

Kelly McCullen

Edgehill Farm