Dec 18th Lombardo meeting

At last evening's meeting, Greg Windingland of Lombardo Homes, Inc. gave a presentation using the information shown on the slides contained in this PDF file.

It is Lombardo's intent to proceed with getting the necessary approvals to develop the "Combined" subdivision layout proposal shown on Page 11 of the PDF.   The new subdivision would be called "Lancaster at Central Park" and it would have approximately 117 lots with nominal dimensions of 60 by 120 feet.  Lancaster would have its own homeowners association and would become the fifth sub-association belonging to the Central Park Master Association.

The "Combined" proposal has numerous advantages over the "Stand-alone" proposal shown on Page 10 of the PDF, however it requires an expansion of the previously defined bounds of the Central Park Planned Unit Development.  Therefore, Lombardo Homes must seek approvals from the boards of the five current associations in Central Park, Grand/Sakwa (the original developer of the Central Park Planned Unit Development) and the Shelby Township Planning Commission.

The discussion following his presentation focused on the following issues:

(A) Types of homes planned to be built - same or similar to those offered at their Lake Arrowhead subdivision near 22 Mile Rd. and Card Rd.; full basement, 2 car attached garage, full brick on all four sides of first level.

(B) Start of Construction - construction of units 1-4 and 16-25 could begin in the second quarter of 2014 since they are the same lots that were previously approved by the Township in 2011 for the original 53 unit Lancaster subdivision. That approval has since expired but Lombardo can get re-approved for these lots without having to wait for the remaining approvals.

(C) Impact on school enrollment and attendance boundaries - Utica Community Schools has an Enrollment Distribution Advisory Committee (EDAC) consisting of parent volunteers which, under the direction of the Director of Pupil Services, receives newly-approved subdivision plats from the Township and analyzes the future impact on enrollments in the elementary and secondary schools. If necessary to avoid overcrowding, the EDAC could recommend that the new subdivision be assigned to different schools than the adjacent subdivisions.  These recommendations would be presented to the School Board and if approved, they would go into effect before the first home is sold in the new subdivision.  In this situation, since the EDAC has already looked at the enrollment impact of the previously-approved 53 unit Lancaster subdivision, they would only be addressing the increase from 53 to about 117 homes.

(D)  New entrance on Van Dyke - will this be a Lancaster Association or CP Master Association commons area?; will it have streetlighting and a decorative wall(s) similar to the entrance at North Central Park?; will the wall contain any signage?; will construction traffic be limited to using this entrance?; can the eastern-most end of the roadway be boulevarded?  It was agreed that these issues will be discussed and worked out in Jan. 2014 between Lombardo and CP Master Association Board members.

Meeting Notice

Meeting Notice

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Shelby Twp. Municipal Building “Board Room”, 52700 Van Dyke

Subject: Lombardo Homes Inc. proposal for a new subdivision within Central Park

All Central Park residents are invited to come and hear Greg Windingland (VP – Lombardo Homes, Inc.), who will make a presentation and answer your questions about their plans to:

• Add an approx. 13 acre parcel (“B” on the map below) to the Central Park Planned Unit Development. Parcel “B” is the location of the old baseball fields and is immediately east of parcel “A” (the previously approved “Lancaster” sub which is still an overgrown lot with underground utilities and piles of sand)
• Develop parcels “B” and “A” as a single family residential subdivision, which would have its own, new homeowners association that would also become part of the Central Park Master Association. 

Mr. Windingland will show alternative street layouts for the proposed new subdivision, which will have an exit onto Van Dyke just north of the Shelbydale Medical building.  Lombardo Homes is providing this information as a “heads up” to our residents prior to finalizing their proposal and taking it to the Shelby Twp. Planning Commission for approval sometime in early 2014.  While the Township approval process will include a public hearing, the Dec. 18th meeting is your chance to join your association board members in learning about Lombardo’s proposal in an informal setting with the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback while their proposal is still in its early stages.

Signed,

Central Park Master Association Board of Directors

Mike Oakie (Manors)

Harry Blanke (Kensington)

Brian Pesola (Gardens)

Mike Malone (Meadows)

Groundwater Contamination Update

Work has begun on the construction of a Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) that is located on the former Visteon plant property and which when completed, will neutralize the TCE contaminants in the groundwater before it leaves the property and flows beneath the adjacent residential area.  More information and photos can be found by clicking on these links:

Permeable Reactive Barrier Work Plan

Permeable Reactive Barrier construction progress

Trenching Equipment arrives

Construction started on new skilled nursing facility

Photo of the construction site taken on Nov. 14, 2013 (click to enlarge)

Construction recently began on Ciena Healthcare's "Regency of Shelby Township" skilled nursing facility, which is on the north side of 22 Mile Rd. just east of the entrance road into Central Park.  Upon completion, the 74,000 square foot facility will contain 116 beds and will offer skilled nursing to long-term patients as well as those needing short-term rehabilitation following surgery.

Ford Field in Shelby Township Found Safe

From the Shelby-Utica Patch:

Ford Field in Shelby Township Found Safe

There are no signs of chemicals from the former Ford-Visteon plant at the Ford Field complex in Shelby Township. (click here to read the entire article)

Board of Directors Election Results

At the 2013 Annual Membership Meeting on April 10, 2013, two new members were elected to the Central Park Master Association's Board of Directors:

• Harry Blancke was elected to a two-year term as the representative of the Kensington Condominium Association, replacing Ted McCoy who declined to run for a third term.
• Mike Oakie was elected to a two-year term as the representative of the Manors Condominium Association, replacing Mike Grobbel who declined to run for a third term.

The new Board held their first meeting on April 29, 2013 and elected their officers for the upcoming year:

• President: Mike Oakie
• Vice-president: Mike Malone
• Secretary: Harry Blancke
• Treasurer: Brian Pesola

Click here to view their contact information along with a map showing the locations of the Kensington, Manors, Meadows and Gardens as well as the Community Areas maintained by the Central Park Master Association.

Groundwater contamination update & meeting notice

Shelby Township will be holding a "town hall" meeting at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 to present the results of the environmental testing performed at the former Ford/Visteon site. The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Shelby Twp. Municipal Building at 52700 Van Dyke and the general public is invited to attend.

Shelby Twp. Supervisor Rick Stathakis will provide introductory remarks and both Shelby Twp. Attorney Rob Huth and Dr. James Dragun will make presentations. 

Mr. Huth says that the meeting aims to:

• help disseminate the information contained within the thousands of pages of reports regarding the spread of contaminated groundwater from the former plant site
• answer the public's questions
• update the community on the status of the lawsuit filed by the township against Indiana Metals, Inc., the firm that demolished the buildings that formerly occupied this site.

Mr. Huth told the press in announcing this "town hall" meeting that, "I would urge anyone with any interests in what is going on at the former industrial complex, and what will be done there, to attend this meeting. We will stay until everyone has had their questions answered."

2013 Clean Up Day and Garage Sale Dates

The 2013 Central Park Community Clean Up Day will be held on Saturday, April 27th beginning at 9:00 AM.  Meet at the walkway path next to the South Pond (the one closest to 22 Mile Rd. ).

The 2013 Central Park Community Garage Sale will be held Thursday-Friday-Saturday May 16, 17 & 18, 2013.  Times are 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM.  All residents of the Gardens, Meadows and Manors communities are welcome to participate (Kensington residents cannot participate because of their Bylaws and lack of parking).

Please click on this announcement flyer for more details:

2013 Annual Membership Meeting

The 2013 Annual Membership Meeting of the Central Park Master Association will be held on Wed. April 10, 2013 at the Shelby Twp. Municipal Building.  Sign-in begins at 6:00 PM and the meeting will start at 7:00 PM.  If you are unable to attend, please fill out the General Proxy you recently received in the mail and return it to either Kramer-Triad or give it to a neighbor who will be attending so that we can use your proxy to count towards making the quorum.

 CENTRAL PARK MASTER COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

Gardens at Central Park      Kensington at Central Park

Manors at Central Park         Meadows at Central Park

http://centralparkassociations.blogspot.com

Annual Meeting of Members

April 10, 2013

Shelby Twp. Municipal Building

Board Room

6:00– sign in, 7:00 PM – call to order

AGENDA

1.   Meeting called to order
2.   Introductions
3.   Establishment of Quorum
4.   Approve the Minutes of the 201 Annual Meeting
5.   Nominations to Master Association Board of Directors:
          (1) position representing Kensington at Central Park
          (1) position representing Manors at Central Park
6.   Introductions of nominated candidates
7.   Selection of Election Inspectors
8.   Balloting (by all co-owners):
          Elect (1) Board member to a two-year term representing Kensington
          Elect (1) Board member to a two-year term representing Manors
9.   Board of Directors Update
10.  Election results
11.  Q & A
12.  Motion to adjourn

Minutes of the March 25, 2013 BoD Meeting

Central Park Master Association

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

March 25, 2013

(unapproved)

1. Meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM; a quorum of members was present: Mike Grobbel, Mike Malone and Brian Pesola.  Ted McCoy was absent.  Also in attendance was Ryan Dorner of Kramer-Triad.

2. The Board approved the Minutes of the Oct. 15, 2012 Board Meeting as presented.
   
   
3. Old Business

1. Damaged streetlight replacement at Heyward and Kingsland: underground wires were also damaged and must be repaired after the frost is out of the ground; wire repairs and streetlight replacement will be made as soon as the weather warms up.
2. Status of fountain installations in the three detention ponds: the Board approved and signed a contract providing for (a) the necessary electrical work to be performed by RB & Sons Electrical Contractor ($6,610) and (b) the purchase and installation of three Aquamaster brand, Master series ½ HP fountains with Lakewood spray nozzle by MCI Aquatic Management Co. ($9,300); expectation is that all work is to be completed before the start of Summer.
3. Groundwater contamination update by Mike Grobbel: “Step 1 Summary Report, Oct. 17, 2012” was received on Jan. 15, 2013 from Dragun & Associates. This report contains test results of groundwater samples taken from temporary monitoring wells located just inside the eastern property line of the former Visteon plant.  These monitoring locations were drilled at 13 different locations along the property line extending from the northwest corner of the Manors at Central Park north towards 23 Mile Rd. Testing of the groundwater from these 13 locations indicate only 3 locations where groundwater was found to be contaminated by amounts of TCE in excess of the EPA drinking water standard of 5 parts per billion.  These 3 locations are in an area that is between 850 and 1,100 feet south of the center line of 23 Mile Rd. and the water samples were obtained at a depth of about 25 ft. below ground level.  These TCE levels and the location where the samples were obtained are just west of the area where similar TCE levels were measured in April 2012 on the adjacent property that is owned by Grand/Sakwa.
   

"No Soliciting" ordinance

Recently there have been a number of salespeople going door-to-door within the Central Park community.   Direct Energy and Kirby Vacuum have been the most recent and they are quite aggressive.  While Direct Energy is a legitimate business, their sales tactics can be very deceptive.  Do not sign any kind of paperwork with Direct Energy unless you are fully aware that by doing so, you are agreeing to change your supplier of natural gas.

If you are tired of salespeople knocking on your front door, there is something you can do to reduce their numbers.

Shelby Township has a "No Knock" ordinance which allows you to put your address on a "No Soliciting" list that restricts most solicitors from knocking on your door.

According to the information provided on the Shelby Twp. Clerk's web site, there are three ways to put your name on the list:

1. call the Clerk’s Office (586) 731-5102, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and leave your name, address and telephone number
2. visit the Clerk's Office, which is located in the upper level of the Shelby Twp. Municipal Building on Van Dyke, just south of 24 Mile Road
3. use this form and email the information to clerk@shelbytwp.org

If you choose the second option, you can also pick up a free sticker to place on your door as a reminder to solicitors that you prefer them not to knock.  If they knock anyway, you may call the Shelby Twp. Police Department at (586) 731-2121 to report the incident.  However, please note that the "No Knock" ordinance does not apply to the following types of solicitors:

• out-of-state vendors
• scout troops
• religious groups
• charitable organizations and political groups protected by the U.S. Constitution.

For more information, visit the  "No Soliciting" ordinance information web page.

The Central Park Master Association's Board of Directors does not authorize anyone to solicit residents of the Central Park planned unit development.  Some salespeople might try to make it sound like the Board knows they are soliciting here or even that they approve of them as a solicitor.   If they try that "line" on you, just ask them to show it to you in writing.  If a solicitor attempts to open your storm door and/or step inside without your approval, tell them to leave as you shut your door in their face and then call the Shelby Twp. Police Dept. at (586) 731-2121.

Ciena - Shelby Township

"Ciena -Shelby Twp." property is shown in red.

UPDATE: The Shelby Twp. Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved both variance requests at their March 7, 2013 meeting.

Back in 2010 "Ciena -Shelby Township" obtained rezoning and site plan approvals to build a 120 bed skilled nursing and rehab facility on the north side of 22 Mile Rd., just east of the Central Park entrance [2010 rezoning request details can be viewed here].  Their construction plans were subsequently put on hold while they built and opened an identical facility in Grand Blanc.  Now that their Grand Blanc facility is up and running, Ciena's Shelby Twp. project in back on the front burner.

Using operational and market demand "lessons learned" from their Grand Blanc facility, Ciena has made a number of revisions to their 2010 plans.

Whereas the 2010 plans called for 50/50 percentages of skilled nursing and short-term rehab beds, the new plans have a higher percentage of rehab beds, which has also driven an increase in the total number of parking spaces. The new plans have enclosed the courtyards on each wing and the rooflines will have a steeper pitch.  A sunroom has been added onto the west side of the building (shown in yellow on the 2013 site plan, below) and the exterior cladding includes more brick and stone.  The new landscape plan has been amended to provide greater amounts of landscape buffering along the west property line near the west wing of the building.

2013 site plan (right-click and then open to enlarge)

Detailed view of 2013 site plan (right-click and then open to enlarge)

The addition of the sunroom and the other changes require Ciena to obtain approval of two variance requests from the Shelby Twp. Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). 

Ciena representatives will present their variance requests at the March 7, 2013 meeting of the ZBA, which begins at 6:30 PM in the Shelby Twp. Municipal Building, 52700 Van Dyke Ave. Residents are invited to attend this meeting where during the public hearing, they will be able to receive a direct explanation of the variance requests and have the ability to address the ZBA and comment for the record.

Specifically, Ciena is requesting these two variances from the ZBA:
1) perimeter setback encroachment (50 ft. required, 24.17 ft. requested)
2) increase the maximum allowable building length (180 ft. maximum, 255 ft. (south elevation) and 248 ft. (east elevation) requested).

The sunroom that was added to the west side of the building encroaches 25.83 ft. into the 50. ft. setback distance, and if approved,  would allow the sunroom to be no closer than 24.17 ft. from the west property line (the 10.83 ft. encroachment shown on the 2013 site plan (above) erroneously assumed a 35 ft. setback requirement).  The revised landscaped buffer that will be planted along the west side of their property will serve to shield the west wing of their building and sunroom from view by the Gardens residents to the west.

The variance to the building length requirement was approved back in 2010 and because of the various changes to the site plan, it must be approved again.  The low profile of their building and the multiple projections and architectural details on the building elevations work to minimize concerns about the additional building length.

Based on the entirety of this information which was shared with the president of the Board of Directors on Feb. 28, 2013, the Board feels that these changes will not negatively impact the residents of the Central Park planned unit development and therefore we will not oppose Ciena's variance requests.
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Note that the 2010 web page [click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page] mentions proposed changes to the retention pond maintenance responsibilities.  Those change were ultimately incorporated into a new agreement which was signed by the Board of Directors and Ciena.  While the new agreement has relieved the Central Park Master Association of much of its former responsibilities for maintaining that pond,  the Board and Ciena agreed that until such time as construction started on their site, the Master Association would continue maintaining the pond and Ciena would reimburse the Association for their share of the costs.  The Association has received a $1,378 reimbursement check from Ciena in 2011 and again in 2012.

Where Does Your Recycling Go?

WHERE, OH WHERE, DOES YOUR RECYCLING GO?

So you’ve decided to recycle. You proudly rinse out your cans, flatten your Cheerios boxes, toss those paper towel tubes into your green "We Recycle"  bin and roll it out to the curb for pick up. The giant truck comes by, some nice person picks it up and tosses it into the back of the truck …. And then what? Where does it go? Why is it that all of the sudden I can put all my recyclables into one bin when I spent the last decade meticulously separating my paper from plastic, my metal from my cardboard. Hold on to your horses, we’re off to see where your recycling goes…

Key Ceremony articles, photos and video

Macomb Daily article with photos and video:
Shelby Township neighbors welcome disabled vet to ‘dream home’

Shelby-Utica Patch article with photos and video:
 Wounded Warrior and Family Move into Shelby Township ‘Dream Home’

Shelby TV's "Shelby This Week (1.18.2013)"   (13:00 through 14:40 minutes)

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Below are photos I took today of the Key Ceremony (see related post) and welcome given to Sergeant First Class (ret.) Anthony Patchell, his fiancee Amanda and their daughters Molly, Emily and Grace.

1:34 PM - the family, along with their possessions, arrive in front of their new home on Heyward St. while about thirty of their new neighbors wait to greet them.

Click on any photo to view them all in a slide show format.
To view a photo in its original size, right-click on the photo and select "Open in a new window/tab".

Foundation Donates Home on Heyward Street

At 1:00 PM on Jan. 17, 2013, as the result of an initiative by the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Chase Bank, Sergeant First Class (ret.) Anthony Patchell and his family will receive the keys to their new, mortgage-free home on Heyward Street in the Meadows at Central Park.

Tony, his fiancee Amanda and daughters Molly, Emily and Grace are moving here from their native Altoona, PA.

SFC Patchell was injured by an IED blast in Baghdad in the fall of 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom and subsequently received a permanent disability retirement from the U.S. Army.  Tony and Amanda volunteer as Staff members with Family of a Vet, a national 501(3)c nonprofit that works with families and veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brainstem Injuries (TBI). Tony is also an NRA certified Instructor and certified gunsmith.   

Please join us at the corner of Heyward and Blackwell at 1:00 PM to welcome Tony and his family to our neighborhood as they receive the keys to their new home.

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Military Warriors Support Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting combat wounded veterans during their transition to civilian life.  Their Homes4WoundedHeroes program awards mortgage-free homes to wounded heroes injured during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The homes are for families who have severe and/or unique circumstances due to their injuries received while serving our country. In addition to the home, the families will receive 3 years of family and financial mentoring.

Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Company, a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.2 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Chase serves consumers and small businesses through 5,200 bank branches, 16,200 ATMs, mortgage offices, and online and mobile banking as well as through relationships with auto dealerships and schools and universities. Chase also has issued more than 90 million credit cards.