News | 1050 Grand

Summer Update – 2024

This is an update on two initiatives that the Board announced at the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM – June ).

On August 6 a contractor (Gerry Pancott) will be installing new lights on each garage to replace the current lights. The new lights will have the same feature of being activated by a solar panel so that they will automatically come on when it is dark. As in the past, it is requested that you leave the outside light switch in the on position so that the lights activate each night. The lights also have a replaceable light bulb, but the new bulb should last for several years.

In order to make use of the old lights, the Board is pleased to offer the old lights to any owner who wishes to install one on their back patio. If you want one of these lights please advise fredpincock@sympatico.ca of your interest. You will be responsible to install this light at your own expense. While we will endeavour to give you a light that is operational, there is no guarantee as to how long the light will last. We may have extra replacement parts as well.

The second initiative that the Board has authorised is the repainting of all mailboxes on the front porches. This initiative will start in the coming days to repaint the mailboxes the same colour as the front doors. The contractor (Matt Smith) will take five mail boxes at a time to refurbish. You will be without your mailbox for a few days while this work is being completed.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

This is just a friendly reminder that the Annual General Meeting will be on Thursday June 20, 2024.

The meeting will be at the Southridge Room, Iroquois Ridge Community Centre. Registration will start at 6:15pm and the meeting should start about 6:30.

You will have received the meeting package in the mail recently including the agenda, Financial Statements for 2023 and Minutes of last AGM.

The Financial Statements you received in the package were draft and not signed by the Board of Directors. The Statements, signed by Directors, will be posted on this site, but are the same as the draft you received.

All Owners are encouraged to attend. In the event that you cannot attend, it would be appreciated if you could provide a proxy for a replacement. The proxy form looks complicated, but there are instructions on completing the form in your information package.

Hope to see everyone at the meeting on Thursday.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

This is just a friendly reminder that the Annual General Meeting will be on Monday August 14, 2023.

The meeting will be at the Southridge Room, Iroquois Ridge Community Centre. Registration will start at 6:00pm and the meeting should start about 6:15.

You will have received the meeting package in the mail recently including the agenda, Financial Statements for 2022 and Minutes of last AGM.

Hope to see everyone at the meeting on Monday.

Summer Update – 2023

There has been a lot of activity in our community this spring and summer.

Community Gardens

The community gardens have now received new soil and mulch. They are looking ‘blooming’ great!!! A special thanks to Judi and Tawni for their continuous support for our community gardens and organising the soil and mulch initiative.

Much thanks to all the volunteers who came out to help – Brian, Fred, Pat, John, Siobhan, Jamie, Brandon, Srbo, Vicky, Maria, Kiara and Jodi. Thanks also to those who may not have been able to physically help but provided much appreciated encouragement, refreshments, and praise!

As the season progresses, feel free to pull some weeds or ‘dead-head’ some flowers as you are walking by admiring the gardens!!

Tawni and Judi also request that if anyone is splitting perennials in the fall, please consider donating new plants to the community gardens. If you have any donations please contact Judi or Tawni.

New mailbox

The Board has contracted for the replacement of our worn out mailbox. Unfortunately a Canada Post mailbox (with their nice design) cannot be located on our property. However the new mailbox, in the same location, will have a parcel pickup slot. We expect delivery and installation within four weeks. Arrangements will be made to distribute new keys to Owners at that time.

Dead Tree

Regrettably, the large spruce in the garden at the Grand Blvd. entrance is dead and needs to be removed. The Board is obtaining quotes for this work and other tree trimming in the community. It is also necessary to obtain a permit from the Town for this tree removal. It is anticipated that the tree removal will be completed in the coming weeks.

Hampton Entrance Sign

As many people have noted the sign at the Hampton Street entrance is faded and virtually unreadable. The Board has investigated many options to repair this sign and has decided the best option is to etch the sign into the stone. This will then be similar to the sign on Grand Blvd. and once etched should last indefinitely.

Annual General Meeting

The next Annual General Meeting has been scheduled for Monday, August 14, 2023 at the Iroquois Ridge Community Centre. Look for your official notice in the mail in the near future. Mark the date on your calendar and hopefully everyone can attend.

Update – March 2023

Well you wouldn’t know it by the weather, but in a few days it will be spring.

Even though it is not spring, wildlife has been active in our community. In mid-February when we thought spring was coming early, two of our units were disturbed all night by raccoons trying to invade the units. There was some shingle damage, but fortunately the raccoons left with no other damage. This is the season when raccoons are active and we encourage all owners to contribute to a safe community by not putting out food or other items that will attract wildlife.

In this regard we have also had visits from raccoons on Thursdays when people put out their garbage for Friday pickup. Owners are encouraged to only put out their garbage on Friday morning – not Thursday night – to discourage these visits from raccoons.Here is a picture of the mess that can occur.

The Board has also been thinking about spring. The initiative last year to distribute earth around all the gardens and trees was a big success, thanks to many volunteers. A similar initiative this year would be distribute mulch in the same fashion. In order to encourage participation, we hope to organise a “community day”. While some work will be expected, we intend to provide refreshments and snacks.We have not established a date for this event, but more news will be provided in the near future. Hope to see everyone out for a great day.

Update – December 2022

As we come to the end of the year just a note to provide some highlights of the year.

We don’t like to think about it, but hopefully this winter will be better than last year. We had some heavy snowfalls, one in particular, when it took some time to clear the roads, Our snow plow crew does a good job, but in extreme weather situations we cannot expect an immediate response. We hope everyone understands that in major snowstorms our contractor is working hard to clear the roads in a timely manner.

Then the spring came and the raccoons arrived. We had two units with raccoons nesting in the attics. With the help of experienced wildlife contractors we ensured that mother and babies vacated the units. As a further preventive measure, we invested funds to install screens all vents to hopefully prevent future raccoon problems. Owners are requested not to put out food scraps as well as bird feeders which, in addition to attract birds, also attract undesirable wildlife.

On May 31 we had our Annual General Meeting. In addition to the normal business issues there was a good discussion on issues in the community. The draft minutes are posted on our web site at https://hcc372.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/agm-minutes-2022.pdf

There was a discussion at the Annual General Meeting that we should investigate obtaining a group arrangement for removing snow from driveways during the winter.

Our current contractor for snow removal, Cedar Grounds, was requested to provide this service. However they have declined to offer it, as they have not been able to hire sufficient staff for this extra work this winter. Regrettably, the Board must advise you that it is unable to find a contractor that would be available to provide this service for those units that request it. It is therefore suggested that any Owner that wishes this service will have to make their own arrangements.

The Board was planning to place mulch on all the garden beds in the spring. However due to contracting issues this did not occur. Instead with the help of a volunteer group of owners, garden soil was added to all gardens and front hedges and trees. Thanks to all the volunteers who came out to help.

During the year many other maintenance projects were completed. These included fence repairs, replacing windows with broken vapour seals as well as window and eaves cleaning.

You will have recently received in the mail, the notice of the budget for 2023 as well as the amount of Owners monthly fee for 2023. In addition the Board, as required, contracted for a Reserve Fund Study. After reviewing the completed study the Board agreed with the recommendation to implement the funding plan as outlined in the study. This report known as “Notice of Future funding” (NOFF) has been provided to all Owners and will be posted on this website.

Now that winter is here, we would like to provide some reminders to all Owners, but especially those who might be taking a winter vacation.

HOLIDAY SEASON also means that we will have more visitors than usual. Please do not use visitors’ parking in order to leave room for our guests.

MAY WE WISH EVERYONE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

WINTER IS HERE, and it is time again for a few reminders:

close off your exterior water tap and drain the line
make sure that your propane barbeque tank is stored outside and not in the garage or basement
keep your garage door closed at all times (this will help prevent frozen pipes)
test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
make sure your dryer vent is clear
if you are putting up holiday decorations, please remember to take them down again before the end of February

If you are planning to go away for some of the winter, the following are some suggestions for a checklist (all may not be applicable to your unit)

turn the thermostat down to 15 degrees Celsius
empty a bowl of water into your dishwasher and leave the door slightly ajar
remove all spoilable items from your refrigerator
turn off the taps at your sinks and toilets
open all the taps and run them hot and cold until the water stops running
place pins or wood/metal rods in the inside track of your sliding doors
lock all windows
leave some lights on or use timers
lock all doors
have someone check your house every few days and clean out the mailbox
lock all vehicles, even in the garage
have someone park in your driveway
leave contact name and numbers with Orion Management in case of emergency

Please remember that FROZEN PIPES are your responsibility and that you must call your plumber if you have a problem. It is also your responsibility to keep driveways, unit walkways and front steps free of ice and snow at all times. Please use icemelter, NOT ROCKSALT. Also shovel snow onto the lawn and not into the roadway.

Update – October 2022

We hope everyone had a good summer.

We did not have any major projects this year scheduled, but have completed a lot of maintenance work. As we had significant raccoon issues in the spring, we installed protective screens over all the roof air vents.

We still have some outstanding projects that the Board continues to pursue. We have been unable to obtain approval from Canada Post for a new mailbox. While we are continuing to pursue this option, in the meantime we plan to paint the mailbox. We are also looking into painting the hydro box beside the mailbox.

As many have noticed, the address sign on Hampton is fading and is virtually unreadable. Unlike the sign on Grand Blvd, the sign has no engraving. It is now planned to buy some stencils and try to repaint the sign.

We continue to receive complaints about the condition of the lawns. We did fertilise in the spring and will apply another application of fertiliser this fall. We will consider aerating the lawns next spring.

Thanks to a lot of work by volunteers our gardens are looking much better. As this is the time of year to throw out annuals and clean up flower beds, it is requested if you have any perennials that would be good for our gardens, please drop them off to Tawni Bland (Unit 1) and they will be added to our gardens. At times, some annual planters include plants such as ivy and other perennials. With luck these can be kept over the winter and enhance our gardens.

We are enjoying the good fall weather and this has allowed workers to continue to complete projects that we have scheduled.

Update (3) – July 2022

July has certainly been a busy month as well as a very hot one. As you will have noticed a large load (8 cubic feet) of soil was deposited in our parking lot near Grand Blvd. While the Board purchased the soil, the initiative to enhance our gardens, hedges and trees was suggested and organised by two owners; Tawni Bland and Judi Powell. They agreed to take the lead on this initiative and to recruit volunteers to spread the soil throughout the property. Tawni and Judi also obtained 14 bags of mulch to distribute under the trees beside Unit 6. This initiative by Tawni, Judi and their volunteers has improved the property’s appearance and saved all owners money by keeping our maintenance fees low. To hire a contractor to do all this work would have been very expensive and not possible within our current budget.

Thank you to Tawni and Judi for their leadership and hard work. Thanks to all the volunteers who came out to help.

As commented previously, we now have sprinkler systems on the major gardens on the property. To improve the growth of the hedges and grass, it is requested that owners water their front hedges and lawns, especially when there are draught periods.

Update (2) – July, 2022

Several owners have reported rodents, including rats, in and around the buildings and gardens. The Board will engage a pest control company to install bait stations in appropriate places. If you see any of these bait stations please do not disturb them. It is further requested that owners not put out any food scraps for the wildlife. While it is nice to see squirrels, chipmunks and birds any food left out will also attract undesirable pests.

The Board has also arranged for a large load of garden soil to be delivered on Wednesday, July 20. The soil will be deposited in the parking lot closest to the entrance on Grand Blvd. The soil will be used to enhance the gardens and around trees on the property. Volunteers are welcome to assist the group to distribute this soil. If there is soil left over, it will be made available to owners for their own use.

The Board is also pleased to announce that a new sprinkler system has been installed for the gardens beside Unit 11. This will enhance the appearance of this garden as new plants are added.

Update – July, 2022

Please be advised that Skyview Window Cleaning will be on site during the week of JULY 5, 2022 between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (weather permitting) to clean the windows for all units.

Residents are requested to close their window blinds/curtains for privacy reasons and ensure all windows are locked. Please make sure to just keep your patio screen door unlocked so that the contractors are able to clean both parts of the patio sliding door.

Rafsan Kamar

Property Manager

Update – June, 2022

News Update – June 20,2022

At the AGM there was a discussion about Owners putting mulch on their exclusive use areas. As a result of a show of hands, there was interest in using black mulch. The Board investigated further and were advised that black mulch is not environmentally friendly. As a result the Board will only use natural mulch. While Owners can use black mulch on their patios if they wish, the Board will contract to put natural mulch on all trees in the front of units.

The 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held May 31, 2022. There was an excellent turnout for this meeting.

The draft minutes of the meeting will be posted on this site when they are available in the near future. The draft minutes will be presented at the next AGM and after any modifications will be approved at that time.

During the meeting an election was held to appoint the Board of Directors. While there was a proposal on how the Directors’ terms would be decided (number of votes) a closer reading of the Declaration determined that this was inappropriate. The terms of the Directors would all be three years, but calculated from the expiry of their previous terms. The result of the election appointed the following Directors as shown;

Fred Pincock 2020 – 2023
Maureen King 2021 – 2024
Chris Lehigh 2022 – 2025

A number of repair items were identified by Owners which were duly noted by the Board and the Property Manager. These will be addressed in the coming weeks.

We are also pleased to announce that all units’ windows will be cleaned the week of July 4 – 9.

Two improvement projects that were identified by Owners at the meeting which will be actioned by the Board;

the mailbox is rusted and old. The suggestion was made to install a Canada Post box similar to the other street mailboxes. This will be investigated to determine if Canada Post will agree to such a mailbox.
it was suggested that a sprinkler system be installed for the gardens beside unit 11. The Board recently agreed to such an initiative and the installation is scheduled for June 28.
the new sprinkler system will enhance the great work done by Tawni Bland and her volunteers to upgrade our gardens. In this regard, it is not too late to divide any perennials that you may have. Please advise Tawni if you have any contributions to make.

The Board of Directors

Winter Reminders

WINTER IS HERE, and it is time again for a few reminders:

close off your exterior water tap and drain the line
make sure that your propane barbeque tank is stored outside and not in the garage or basement
keep your garage door closed at all times (this will help prevent frozen pipes)
test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
make sure your dryer vent is clear
if you are putting up holiday decorations, please remember to take them down again before the end of February

If you are planning to go away for some of the winter, the following are some suggestions for a checklist (all may not be applicable to your unit)

turn the thermostat down to 15 degrees Celsius
empty a bowl of water into your dishwasher and leave the door slightly ajar
remove all spoilable items from your refrigerator
turn off the taps at your sinks and toilets
open all the taps and run them hot and cold until the water stops running
place pins or wood/metal rods in the inside track of your sliding doors
lock all windows
leave some lights on or use timers
lock all doors
have someone check your house every few days and clean out the mailbox
lock all vehicles, even in the garage
have someone park in your driveway
leave contact name and numbers with Orion Management in case of emergency

HOLIDAY SEASON also means that we will have more visitors than usual. Please do not use visitors’ parking in order to leave room for our guests.

MAY WE WISH EVERYONE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS