Newsletter :

Walnut Grove Forest Hill Association

Ledic Management Group · 5855 Ridge Bend Rd · Memphis, TN 38120
901.435.7700

2006 State of the Association

The following is a report compiled by the President as a review of our 2006 Associations activities:

An Overview: Our Association management was passed to the “Homeowners” from Boyle Investment, the original developer, in 2001. At the transition of the management, the activity level of the Board of Directors was substantial due to the “problems” left facing the Association. Today, the demands are substantially less as the building of new homes has slowed drastically and our areas mature. Your Board is now experiencing a new set of challenges like long term planning development and the refurbishment/replacement of our original installations.

Fiscal: Understanding the problems associated with association financial management, the original Walnut Grove Forest Hill Association Board of Directors made it one of it original priorities to create a “financial set aside” to protect against potential future financial woes. After almost 6 years of “Homeowner Management”, your Board can report that your Association has met that goal. Our dues income last year was just slightly ahead of our expenditures and we are please to report that we were not forced to dip into our reserve. Our reserve account today stands at $122,373, which is just slightly above the Boards goal for the reserve account and we are on sound financial footing.

Common Area Maintenance: This area was headed by a committee of Guy Joyner, Ken Netherton and Bruce Kronberg. The year began with the hiring of a new maintenance company, Echo Systems. The year was active for this committee reworking entrances at the Bluffs, Gardens and Meadows as well as addressing issues like the deer “munching” the flowers at the entrances, cars hitting trees, etc. The committee regularly addresses on going issues like tree care and replacement, lighting, irrigation, entrance and fixture maintenance and so on. Special thanks should be given to this hard working committee!

Architectural Review: Ken Netherton headed this area and from the outset…let me say, Ken should be congratulated for a GREAT JOB! This committee is responsible for assuring the “aesthetics/look of our neighborhoods according to our Covenants and Restrictions”. He addresses the enforcement of the Covenants and Restrictions surrounding the maintenance and construction of new and existing homes. This is a “thankless job” and often has put Ken at odds with builders and construction workers and sometimes, homeowners. Last year Ken addressed more than 25 architectural issues for our association. In closing, Ken reports that one of our major issues, is people who start digging pools and starting a construction project without approval and asks for your help in policing this most important situation. Again, when you see Ken, please say a special thank you for a great job.

Website: Last year, your association brought on line its own website…wgfha.com. If you have not visited the site, you should take a minute to do so…you will be proud! The website is up and running due to a lot of hard work by Bruce Kronberg! Bruce continued this year to improve the site. Why not check out the site and give us your thoughts and suggestions? Bruce is to be congratulated for his work!

Dues: The dues for 2006 were set at $210 by the Board following the assessment of the 2005 expenses and obligations which left us in the black by approximately $7,000 which translates to about $14 per lot. It should be noted that the apartment community on Walnut Grove prior to its construction was made by Boyle Investment, the developer, a “non-voting dues-paying member” and pays $11,400 per year in dues to our association! Also, for those who have not paid their dues, they are due on January 1st and become delinquent 30 day later on February 1st.

Action Taken By Your Board: Your association was forced to seek “collection actions” against 10 members/homeowners during 2005 for non-payment of dues. It should be noted also that 6 homes in our combined subdivisions were “Foreclosed Upon” during the year. To make matters worse, one home that was involved in a foreclosure had to be “set out” and their belongings were placed on the curb and remained there for days forcing your association to implement “our own cleanup” due to the MESS!

Plantation Oaks Entrance @ Sanga: This project has met with major obstacle after major obstacle and at present is in a state of “impasse”. Bruce Kronberg, project chairman, has now become mired in a position between two government agencies each demanding that “its’ issue” must be addressed prior to going forward. Unfortunately, one issue can’t move forward without the others implementation! It has become a “long and tiring issue” for Bruce the Board. At our last meeting, Bruce reported that an independent engineer has said that at this stage, the completion of the project may not be able to “reasonably be completed”. Bruce is making one final attempt to bring the parties together. Presently, Bruce has scheduled a meeting with the homeowners on the two lots involved to bring them up to speed.

Long Term Planning: The Long Term Planning Committee has identified these issues to be addressed:

• Fence replacement along Walnut Grove from the cemetery to Forest Hill
  
• The replacement of the Bradford Pear trees along Walnut Grove
  
• Upgrading of our irrigation systems
  
• Repair of Entrance Walls sustaining foundation erosion
  
• Upgrading of landscaping at entrances
  
• Upgrading of entrance lighting
  
• Upgrading the trees and shrubs along Forest Hill our
  
• Establishing coordination with other subdivisions for remainder of Forest Hill
  
• Establishing a “pro-active public relations program” for our area
  

Annexation Issue: As many of you know, we were about to be annexed by the City of Memphis when a group of your neighbors got together and decided to fight theannexation. The group got out and walked the neighborhoods and raised money and got petitions signed to address the fight. The city went forward and the group filed a court action to stop the annexation and as of today, the action is still in the court. The groups attorney advises that the city must now proceed to annex areas “under a new law” recently passed in the state legislature and to date, the law has yet to be tested. The attorney says the new law may prove to be beneficial in the court battle. Predictions surrounding the outcome of this action are difficult at best. It is safe to say that the neighbors of our area are united in this effort and DO have a viable war chest for the fight. Further, the group vows to “go to the well’ to raise whatever additional funds that may be needed to wage the battle. Gene Cochran of the Gardens is spearheading the effort. A BIG thank you to Gene and his wife for their hard work and commitment. By the way, without their actions, you would have begun paying city taxes 2 to 4 years ago.

New Area in Development: Grays Creek is a new development of approximately 1,000 homes further out Walnut Grove on the south side. The development comes west to touch the back of The Bluffs so we have been included in the “notifications” by the Land Use Control Board. We had representatives at the hearings and made our positions known. The project got extensive coverage on both TV and in the newspaper prior to their approval. The project made it just “under the wire” for the moratorium the County put in place. Still a major question and still yet not addressed is the “traffic burden” that will be placed on Walnut Grove in the section east of Forest Hill.

The New Development @ Walnut Grove & Forest Hill NE Corner: Ken Netherton, your Architectural Review Committee Chairman, recently visited with Boyle Investment regarding the NE corner of Walnut Grove and Forest Hill-Irene across street from Walgreen’. They feel the out parcel will be a bank and if that falls through, a restaurant may replace it. Behind that, north on Forest Hill Irene is planned a commercial development and continuing north on Forest Hill-Irene there are planned some attached homes to be built (2,700 to 3,200 square foot range). Boyle feels construction of the homes should proceed some time in 2005 or 2006. They say the entrance to the residences will be nice.

Ken was also told by Boyle (On 3/7/05) that the commercial developments (On both sides of Forest Hill) are on hold until Forest Hill Irene is cut through to the north. Presently, there is no firm date for that construction. (On a previously discussed issue and the Walmart Neighborhood Market and the strip center behind Walgreen’s has been approved and are on hold for the same reason mentioned above)