What You DON’T See at Moravian Meadows

It’s easy to see all the big improvements that have been made here in our community, the roads, the ongoing concrete replacement of the driveways and walks, and the new landscaping in the front beds along with the planting of new trees.

It’s easy to see the new street signs, the LED security lighting, and the new, wider gutters with leaf guards. If your building hasn’t been fitted with the new gutter system yet, it will be in the very near future.

Looking up, you will see our roof tops looking good after being treated in order to extend the life of the shingles for many years to come, and with a great guarantee to do so.

Look out your window in the early morning and you will see and hear the work that has been done to bring our sprinkler system out of the 1980s, into a water-saving system with today’s technology.

You might have noticed the new paint and wood replacement that is taking place and will continue until all buildings are completed.

Every time you drive in or out of our community you can’t miss our beautiful front entrance sign complete with the American flag flying high on our new flagpole with the beautiful landscaping surrounding it.

All of these things are easy to see!

What you don’t see is that Mitch and Mike, our handymen have completed more than 120 repairs and service calls in the last year-and-a-half.

What you don’t see is all the hard work Gerard and Jim have done that has saved us thousands of dollars.

You don’t see the hard work that Dolores does to keep our budget in balance and our books perfect in every way. You don’t see that every time a unit is sold that it requires so much paperwork from the lenders and title companies that we have instituted a fee of $400.00 to provide it.

You don’t see how Michelle, with the help of her volunteers Suzanne and Melanie, has brought up our communications and web site that surpasses any HOA in the state.

And last but not least, our new board member Rick Doyle has taken the bull by the horns and is already working with concrete and brick repairs.

I sincerely hope all can appreciate how this Board of Directors works hard every day to make and keep Moravian Meadows a beautiful and wonderful place to call home; both the things you can see and the things you don’t.

See you in the next post . . .

Cordially,

Ed Mroz

President, Moravian Meadows Homeowners Association

What to Expect When You Own a Pet at Moravian Meadows

Almost all condominium communities have rules and regulations spelled out in their by-laws regarding pets. Yet, the greatest number of complaints board members at Moravian Meadows get are about pets; dogs in particular, since dogs and their people tend to interact more frequently with their neighbors. If you own a pet, especially a dog, it is vital you know and understand the rules you signed up for when purchasing your property at Moravian Meadows.

Recently, there has been some confusion about whether condo associations are even allowed by law to have rules governing the ownership of pets. The answer is yes, not only are condo and homeowners’ associations allowed to set rules about pet ownership in their communities, a condo association is allowed to set size limitations on dogs and other animals. Furthermore, rulings made by courts in other states, do not necessarily apply to citizens in Michigan.

Another source of confusion about the rules governing pets at Moravian Meadows exists because homeowners have either inherited their property from a family member and didn’t get a look at the by-laws, were not taken through the proper procedures by the previous owner, or simply didn’t bother to read the by-laws before purchasing their property.

So, what are your obligations if you own a pet – or are considering owning a pet at Moravian Meadows? Let’s go over it.

First, owning a pet at Moravian Meadows is no different than owning a pet in any other community; it is a privilege, not a right. Article VI, Sections 5 (B) (1-7) and (C) on page 17 of the Moravian Meadows Condominium By-Laws spells out the rules governing pet ownership at Moravian Meadows. We recommend you read it. If you do not have a copy of the by-laws, you need one. Please contact the board at (586) 493-0591 or email us at moravian.meadows3@gmail.com so we can provide you with a copy. There is a fee for copying. But if you do not want to incur the fee for copying, there is a downloadable version on the home page at Moravian-Meadows.com that you can print for yourself.

The main points are:

1) No more than two household pets per unit are allowed;

2) There is a registration fee of $25.00 along with some paperwork required

(e.g., Macomb County license for dogs, not cats, and proof of vaccination,

for dogs and cats);

3) You must pick up after your pet immediately;

4) No savage or dangerous animals are allowed; and

5) The board can and may assess fines for violations, up to and including removal of the pet.

The size restriction for pets can be found on the Application to Keep an Animal on the Premises form, which is also downloadable at Moravian-Meadows.com.

If you currently have a pet – registered or not, please join us for a courtesy pet registration event on Saturday, September 16, 2023, between 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the gatehouse on Majestic Boulevard. We are offering this event as a goodwill gesture for our homeowners because we appreciate each of you and want you and your pet to have the best living experience possible here. Check your current newsletter or go to Moravian-Meadows.com for information about the rain date for this event.

All homeowners who presently have pets need to stop at the gate house on September 16th between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to get your Moravian Meadows pet tag. You will receive a Moravian Meadows identification tag for each pet. These tags will let us know where our furry friends are in case of an emergency. In addition to making sure our homeowners get out safely in an emergency, we’d want to rescue your pet too.

We hope you will join us on September 16th!

See you in the next post . . .

Cordially,

Ed Mroz

President, Moravian Meadows Homeowners Association

Watch the Water: How Our Water Consumption Impacts Our HOA Dues

Greetings everyone. Ever wonder how the association dues are calculated? Well, a lot of it depends on how much everything costs. At Moravian Meadows the two costliest items in our monthly budget are trash collection and water; both services we absolutely must have. While our trash collection costs have remained relatively stable, our water bills have increased yearly and continue to rise, as we see more increases from the water department.

So, is it any wonder when homeowners see other homeowners watering the grass, or washing their cars every other day, board members get complaints with demands to, “Make it stop!”? They know this could impact our water bills, and eventually effect the HOA dues. And they’re right. According to our treasurer, Dolores Hayes, “Our last (water) bill was up almost $4,000 from last month’s previous bill.” That is not sustainable. In addition to the real possibility that the increases will negatively impact our HOA dues, having to pay the increased monthly amount for water takes money out of the budget for other necessary repairs.”

Here's how our water bills look on average; For June 2023, our water bill averaged $77 per unit. The previous month of May 2023 it was only $60 per unit. For the entire community, we usually average $15,000 per month for the first six months of the year. But in June of 2023, our water bill was more than $18,000! That means June 2023 was the highest bill so far this year and it is partially due to watering vehicles.

In case you didn’t know, there is a minimum charge even if your unit is not occupied.

We do not pay sewage fees for the sprinklers, but sewage charges are affected by the water used by co-owners for washing cars and all other household uses. So – if you could wash your car using the sprinkler system, that would cost us a lot less. But of course, you can’t do that.

The bottom line is you can help keep our HOA dues down. We are asking you to please refrain from washing your cars in the driveway. And watering the grass is totally unnecessary, as we’ve spent thousands of dollars to fix and update our sprinkler system. If your sprinklers are not working, please fill out a work order and leave it at the gatehouse. For emergencies, contact the board immediately at 586-493-0591 and leave a message.

See you in the next post . . .

Cordially,

Ed Mroz

President, Moravian Meadows Homeowners Association

Board members Michelle Parnell and Dolores Hayes contributed to this article.