ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS

WHAT IS THE ANNUAL ASSESSMENT AMOUNT FOR ASLAN HEIGHTS?
The annual assessment is set each year by the Board of Directors. In 2009, the annual assessment is $125.

WHY DID THE ANNUAL ASSESSMENT INCREASE $5 FOR 2009?
Please see the full page article included in the Spring 2009 newsletter for details. The newsletter was mailed to all homeowners and is available on the web site (www.aslanheights.com).

WHERE IS THE MONEY COLLECTED IN ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS SPENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR?
The annual assessment collected each year pays for all expenses incurred by the Association. Some of those expenses include: mowing, weed control, repairs and maintenance of common areas and retention ponds, taxes, liability insurance, legal fees, administrative expenses (office supplies, postage, web site hosting, etc.), landscaping, etc.

WHEN WILL THE ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS BE REDUCED OR ELIMINATED?
The annual assessment amount is set by the Board every year based on the current account balances, anticipated expenses, and future vision of the Board. Should those factors indicate a reduction is prudent, the Board could certainly consider an assessment lower than the previous year. The annual assessments will probably never go away completely. As noted above, the Association incurs expenses every year that must be paid.

CAN THE ANNUAL ASSESSMENT INVOICES BE SENT WITH MORE NOTICE THAN THE 2-WEEK NOTICE PROVIDED THIS YEAR?
Yes, the Board has noted the desire for more notice on the annual assessment invoices and will strive to provide more notice in the future.

ARCHITECTURAL APPROVAL

WHEN DO I NEED TO REQUEST AN ARCHITECTURAL APPROVAL?
According to the Covenants, ANY exterior modification must be approved. To be clear, this includes any and all changes visible from the exterior whether they are structural changes or landscaping changes. This is not a complete list, but simply some examples of changes that would need approved: replacement of doors/windows, changes in any colors (siding, shutters, trim, roof, etc.), any structural changes (adding/changing deck, adding porch, etc.), any significant landscaping changes, addition of playground equipment (including trampolines), addition/alteration of shed, etc. We asked that homeowners use reasonable judgment on this. The Board is not interested in reviewing/approving minor activities like planting some annuals, adding a flower pot to the porch, or trimming some shrubs. The Board is charged with enforcing the covenants, and the architectural approval process is a proactive way of doing so. If exterior changes are made without approval, this is a violation of the Covenants. If an unapproved change is deemed inappropriate by the Board, the homeowner could be forced to return the exterior of the property to the prior condition. Also, the Board is periodically contacted by homeowners concerned about an exterior project on another property. If the Board has approved the project, the inquiry can be resolved quickly without involving the homeowner making the change. If the change was not approved, the Board will contact the homeowner pursuing the unapproved project to get the matter resolved. At this point, a Covenant violation has occurred and could be treated as such until the project has been approved or restored to the prior condition if denied. NOTE: During the summer of 2008, a severe hail storm struck our neighborhood and caused significant damage to a large number of homes. In the interest of easing the repair process, the Board waived approvals necessary to repair that damage as long as the repairs were done with similar materials and colors.

HOW MUCH DETAIL IS REQUIRED IN THE ARCHITECTURAL APPROVAL REQUEST?
The short answer is that the more detail you can provide, the quicker the response can be returned. If details are lacking, the request is returned for additional information. In some cases, an assumption may be made about missing details that causes the request to be rejected. Here are some general guidelines to ensure you include with your request: dimensions – for structure or landscaping, exact location of the project, materials, color, if related to a structure specify how the change will match or complement existing materials and colors, price – while some feel this is an inappropriate question the Covenants state this must be provided.

HOW DO I HANDLE A SITUATION WHERE I NEED AN EXPEDITED RESPONSE DUE TO SIGNING CONTRACTS, ETC?
The Covenants require a response within 60 days. If the request contains all the necessary information, the response is typically returned much sooner. If there are special circumstances where you need an expedited response, please mail the request according to the normal process. Then contact the Board either via the contact form on the web site or via phone to the Association secretary. Convey your circumstances and the deadlines you are facing so the review committee can attempt to accommodate your timelines.

COMMON AREAS

CAN THE LANDSCAPING ON COMMON AREAS BE BETTER MAINTAINED?
The contracts that include maintenance of these areas will be reviewed to ensure that our mowing and weed control contractors know the expectations of maintaining these areas. If these areas are not being maintained, please inform the Board of your concerns. Property owned by the Association should be held to the same standard as every homeowner.

WILL MORE MONEY BE SPENT ON ADDITIONAL LANDSCAPING ON COMMON AREAS?
The 2009 budget did include some funds for additional landscaping. The results from the survey indicated the majority of homeowners thought the current landscaping is fine. Several homeowners felt more landscaping is necessary while a small number felt too much landscaping already exists. The Board will consider this input and decide how to proceed.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

IS A “BLOCK PARTY” OR COMMUNITY DAY AT COUSLER PARK IN THE WORKS?
This is something the Board had briefly mentioned as a possible activity to bring our neighborhood together to catch up with neighbors or meet new neighbors. While there are no immediate plans, the survey included with the annual assessment wanted to gauge the interest in such an event. The interest was very high and several people expressed an interest in helping to organize an event like this. The Board will discuss in more detail and let you know as more information develops.

CAN THE YARD SALE BE BETTER ADVERTISED THIS YEAR?
The Association has traditionally paid for the advertising in the newspaper each year and placed signs throughout the neighborhood. New signs were needed in 2008, so the placement of the signs was later than ideal. The signs would typically be placed about a week prior to the yard sale. Since the Covenants restrict the placement of signs in the neighborhood, the signs are only in place for a limited time to benefit this neighborhood activity.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT DOGS AND CATS THAT ARE LEFT TO RUN LOOSE?
The Covenants allow domestic animals if permitted by and maintained within Manchester Township regulations. Manchester Township requires that pet owners be responsible for controlling their pets on their property. Stray dogs will be picked up by the Dog Enforcement Officer. According to the Manchester Township web site, you should call 911 to contact the animal enforcement officer.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT DOGS AND CATS THAT LEAVE WASTE ON ANOTHER PROPERTY?
The Covenants allow domestic animals if permitted by and maintained within Manchester Township regulations. We would hope that pet owners have respect for their neighbors and pride in their neighborhood to take steps necessary to prevent or address this situation. If that is not the case and the issue continues, the Manchester Township web site indicates that animal nuisance prosecution can result only when an individual files a formal complaint with the District Justice.

CONTACTING THE BOARD

HOW DO I CONTACT THE BOARD?
The Board can be contacted via any of the methods below:

Web site contact
http://www.aslanheights.com/contact.php

Phone
Association Secretary at 717-767-4417

Mail
Aslan Heights Homeowners’ Association
PO Box 7038
York, PA 17404

CLEAN-UP DAY

CAN MORE NOTICE BE PROVIDED FOR CLEAN-UP DAY?
Yes, the Board has noted the desire for more notice on the clean-up day and will strive to provide more notice in the future.

CAN CLEAN-UP DAY BE SCHEDULED FOR A DIFFERENT TIME OF YEAR?
The clean-up day is difficult to schedule. Traditionally, early spring has been selected to enable clean-up from the winter weather. It is typically scheduled after the major threat of snowstorms and hopefully before the heaviest spring rains. Likewise, the desire is for the weather to be reasonably warm, but not too warm to bring swarms of insects and thickets of vegetation to life. The Board would certainly be open to suggestions on when would be a better time, or if someone would like to organize a second clean-up day for another time of the year.

SHOULDN’T THE ANNUAL ASSESSMENT COVER PAYING FOR CLEAN-UP DAY?
The clean-up day efforts have always been provided by a small number of volunteers. Since the number of volunteers had been extremely limited in past years, one possible solution is to pay someone to perform this service. This would be another expense added to the list of annual expenses incurred by the Association. Each expense needs income to cover the cost, and the Association’s primary income is annual assessments. If sufficient volunteers are not available, the Board could consider adding this expense into the budget when setting the annual assessment for the year.

COULD CLEAN-UP DAY BE A SERVICE PROJECT FOR SCOUTS, STUDENTS, ETC?
The Board would certainly be open to a proposal to allow a civic group to handle clean-up day as part of their community service. If you know of an individual or group that would be interested, please contact the Board to discuss the details.

RESALE CERTIFICATES

WHY DO I NEED A RESALE CERTIFICATE?
A Resale Certificate is to inform the buyer of any violations, overdue assessments, or liens against the property. They are required in any community that has an Association such as Aslan Heights.

WHAT IS THE COST OF THE RESALE CERTIFICATE?
The cost of the Resale Certificate is $15.

HOW DO I OBTAIN A RESALE CERTIFICATE?
A Resale Certificate can be obtained by contacting the Board and indicating your need for a Resale Certificate. If you need more information on contacting the Board, please see the FAQ on How to Contact the Board.

RESERVES

WHY DOES THE ASSOCIATION HOLD SUCH LARGE RESERVES?
The purpose of holding reserves is to protect all homeowners from an unusually large expense. The most prevalent example for Aslan Heights has been the installation of sidewalks. If Manchester Township would require Aslan Heights to install sidewalks, the Association would need to pay for sidewalks on all Association-owned property. In 2007, the cost to install sidewalks on Association-owned property was estimated to be $60,000. If this needed to be done and the Association was not holding the reserves to pay for this, a special assessment would need to be assessed on every homeowner at that time. In addition to the several hundred dollars each homeowner would pay towards the Association sidewalks, each homeowner would also be responsible for the full cost of installing sidewalks on their own property. The Board has always believed it more prudent to hold that money in reserves rather than risk that scenario for every homeowner. The remaining reserves provides for unexpected expenses such as retention pond repairs or sudden increases in normal expenses, such as gas prices in 2008 driving up mowing costs. In all cases, sufficient reserves provide a financially solid Association that will remain strong for many years ahead.

SIDEWALKS

WILL SIDEWALKS BE INSTALLED IN ASLAN HEIGHTS?
When Aslan Heights was developed, sidewalks were not required. Manchester Township now requires sidewalks in all new developments. In past discussions with Manchester Township, no plans are in the works to retroactively require sidewalks to be installed, but that possibility could not be ruled out. If Manchester Township decided Aslan Heights must install sidewalks, the Association would be responsible for the cost of installing of sidewalks along all Association-owned property, not any property owned by individual homeowners. Each homeowner would be responsible for the cost of installing sidewalks along their property. While Manchester Township is unlikely to force sidewalks to be installed, the possibility always exists.

SPEEDING

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THE SPEEDING ISSUES IN ASLAN HEIGHTS?
The streets in Aslan Heights are owned by Manchester Township and enforced by Northern York County Regional Police Department. When contacted by the Board, a representative from Manchester Township suggested the best approach is for homeowners to contact the Manchester Township Supervisors and the Northern York County Regional Police Department in writing to express the concerns and desired actions. The contact information is listed below:

Northern York County Regional Police Department
1445 East Canal Road
Dover, PA 17315-2798

Manchester Township
Board of Supervisors
3200 Farmtrail Road
York, PA 17406-5699

CAN SPEED BUMPS (HUMPS) BE INSTALLED ON THE STREETS IN ASLAN HEIGHTS?
Since the streets are owned by Manchester Township, this would need to be addressed with Manchester Township. The Association has no authority to modify the streets. The best approach is for homeowners to contact the Manchester Township Supervisors in writing to express the concerns and desired actions. The contact information is listed below. Manchester Township Board of Supervisors 3200 Farmtrail Road York, PA 17406-5699