1 June 2015 WHATS NEW? New Members Join Board; Officers Are Chosen e first Montgomery Walk Executive Board meeting, held aſter the May 5 election to fill two vacant positions, took place on May 9, 2015. New members Claire Bruno and Rich Sorrentino joined current Board members, Bruce Greenawalt, Joe Tranchida and Mario Cabe at this session. Bruce and Joe will maintain their posi- tions as Board president and vice president, respectively, and Claire will serve as treasurer. Former Board member, Louise Braksator, will serve as secretary, in accordance with community by-laws. In a typical meeting, the Board may deal with action items in- volving the pool maintenance and heater, lawn sprinklers, fitness equipment, security monitoring, community rules and regulations, and landscaping or snow removal. Informational issues discussed may include fire extinguisher in- spections, deck power washing and sealing, insurance and transi- tion, and Clubhouse cleaning and carpeting. e Board also deals regularly with architectural requests, delinquencies, home re-sales, by-laws violations, and resident correspondence. New business items are addressed prior to confirmation of the next meeting date. Meetings generally last from two to three hours before adjournment. Newly elected Board members (left to right) Rich Sorrentino and Claire Bruno joined Mario Cabe, Bruce Greenawalt and Joe Transchi- da at their first Board meeting together on May 9, 2015. Wine Club Recesses Until Fall e last Montgomery Walk Wine Club meeting of the current season, held on May 15, 2015, featured Dolly Freeman and Rob Chorney, who represented a segment of the world of red wine with a review and tasting of Malbec. Most regular attendees would agree that the club’s inaugural season was successful, informative, and enjoyable — and look forward to future meetings, which are scheduled to begin again in October. “We are looking to expand on our first season and perhaps find some speakers to increase our knowledge of purchasing and enjoying wine and the foods paired with wine,” commented Group organizer Mike Lyons. Contact Mike or Rob to get on the mailing list for information about the meeting date in October. Book Club Discusses The Girl on the Train Members attending the May 21 meeting of the ird ursday Book Club discussed e Girl on the Train, a novel by Paula Hawkins. Most present at the meeting enjoyed the book, though they gave it a “three out of five” rating. Some readers of the book, a mystery set in England, found its skipping from one character to another as well as jumping quickly from one scene to another made it somewhat annoying. “But those who like the mystery genre seemed to enjoy the book more, myself included,” said club co-leader, Marlene Harrison. e book selected for member reading and then discussion on June 18 is Dead Wake, Erik Larson’s story about the sinking of the Lusitania, which some believe, led to World War I. “Men may find this book especially enjoyable, as was e Boys in the Boat about Olympic sculling,” Marlene added. “Remember, all opinions — whether good and bad — are welcome. We hope to see you on the ird ursday at 7 p. m.” Contact Marlene or Luci Goldberg for more information.
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June 2015
WHATS NEW?New Members Join Board; Officers Are ChosenThe first Montgomery Walk Executive Board meeting, held after the May 5 election to fill two vacant positions, took place on May 9, 2015. New members Claire Bruno and Rich Sorrentino joined current Board members, Bruce Greenawalt, Joe Tranchida and Mario Cabe at this session. Bruce and Joe will maintain their posi-tions as Board president and vice president, respectively, and Claire will serve as treasurer. Former Board member, Louise Braksator, will serve as secretary, in accordance with community by-laws.
In a typical meeting, the Board may deal with action items in-volving the pool maintenance and heater, lawn sprinklers, fitness equipment, security monitoring, community rules and regulations, and landscaping or snow removal.
Informational issues discussed may include fire extinguisher in-spections, deck power washing and sealing, insurance and transi-tion, and Clubhouse cleaning and carpeting. The Board also deals regularly with architectural requests, delinquencies, home re-sales, by-laws violations, and resident correspondence.
New business items are addressed prior to confirmation of the next meeting date. Meetings generally last from two to three hours before adjournment.
Newly elected Board members (left to right) Rich Sorrentino and Claire Bruno joined Mario Cabe, Bruce Greenawalt and Joe Transchi-da at their first Board meeting together on May 9, 2015.
Wine Club Recesses Until FallThe last Montgomery Walk Wine Club meeting of the current season, held on May 15, 2015, featured Dolly Freeman and Rob
Chorney, who represented a segment of the world of red wine with a review and tasting of Malbec. Most regular attendees would agree that the club’s inaugural season was successful, informative, and enjoyable — and look forward to future meetings, which are scheduled to begin again in October. “We are looking to expand on our first season and perhaps find some speakers to increase our knowledge of purchasing and enjoying wine and the foods paired with wine,” commented Group organizer Mike Lyons. Contact Mike or Rob to get on the mailing list for information about the meeting date in October.
Book Club Discusses The Girl on the TrainMembers attending the May 21 meeting of the Third Thursday Book Club discussed The Girl on the Train, a novel by Paula Hawkins. Most present at the meeting enjoyed the book, though they gave it a “three out of five” rating. Some readers of the book, a mystery set in England, found its skipping from one character to another as well as jumping quickly from one scene to another made it somewhat annoying. “But those who like the mystery genre seemed to enjoy the book more, myself included,” said club co-leader, Marlene Harrison.
The book selected for member reading and then discussion on June 18 is Dead Wake, Erik Larson’s story about the sinking of the Lusitania, which some believe, led to World War I. “Men may find this book especially enjoyable, as was The Boys in the Boat about Olympic sculling,” Marlene added. “Remember, all opinions — whether good and bad — are welcome. We hope to see you on the Third Thursday at 7 p. m.” Contact Marlene or Luci Goldberg for more information.
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A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENTFirst of all, I want to congratulate our new Board Members, Rich Sorrentino and Claire Bruno, whom residents elected on May 5, 2015. They have already begun activities that are benefitting our community and the Board. For example, they have made a list of items that need attention in the Clubhouse and are pursuing ways to address them. Just a few of these issues include reupholstering four wicker chairs, cleaning the sofas,
steam cleaning the tile floors, replacing dead bushes (which has already been done), organizing the kitchen, and some painting. Rich, Claire and I chose fabric for the wicker chairs, which we were able to purchase at wholesale cost (from my family business), and we have selected an upholsterer, who will recover them shortly.
Our thanks go to the Landscape Committee for beautifying our front entryway with perennials and annuals. It looks great, and I know it took a lot of time and plantings. In addition, a special thanks goes to Rich Sorrentino and Arno Witt. Rich bought and Arno planted the five new bushes around the Clubhouse pool.
The Board is currently working on a number of other items, though we have not yet made a final commitment to many of them.
■ To start, I have received several estimates for removing about 20 trees along the PECO power lines off East Kennedy Road that are in possible danger of falling near some of our homes. These ash trees are diseased, and about five of them are already dead. Several companies have advised us that all trees will be dead within the next two to three years, so we would like to remove them in the Fall. This project would cause little, if any, damage to the foliage that residents have planted, since the contractor would use one-inch thick rubber mats for protection. We would also get a 10 percent discount by completing this project in the Fall.
■ Claire has done some research and found that we could transfer our Reserve fund into insured CDs at First Trust Bank where our rate of return would be almost double our previous rate. Joe and I recently visited First Trust Bank and have now secured new, higher-rate CDs.
■ I have been getting estimates on painting the Bilco (bulkhead) doors for future maintenance. The first estimate was $50 per unit for sanding and applying two coats of paint.
■ We are all very glad to see, finally, after countless e-mails and phone calls, that Court I has been paved. Other courtyards will take longer because the paving company has informed me that, until they are paid by the Cutler Group for doing one job, they won’t start another. Can we blame them?
■ I have been looking into getting a gate system to secure both of our entryways. Our goal is to stop non-residents from using our property as a cut-through. I have been hearing increasing complaints about non-residents speeding through our complex, which is becoming a liability. Since our roads are private, we are liable for the cost of their upkeep. Long term, the less traffic on them, the less wear and tear they endure. Board member Joe Tranchida has been talking to the township police and engineer about our roads to find out if we can do anything other than installing a gate system. I will keep you updated on this matter.
■ Also, Joe has been working very hard to get the Lincoln Drive sod project completed. This effort has been delayed because the Cutler Group won’t provide a date for paving Lincoln Drive, and we don’t want to install sod before the paving is done.
■ Once again, the pool heater has been a “hot” issue. Most of you have been courteous in the presence of Board members, but a few still complain. And some even come to our houses to complain or tell us that the pool is “too hot” or “too cold!” WE KNOW! However, the panel board controlling pool temperature has now been repaired! A special thanks goes to Arno, who engaged an engineer friend to complete the repair — free of charge! Last year’s estimate for repair was $1,000! Hopefully, we will hear no further complaints during this pool season!
■ Last week, Arno and I spent over four hours cleaning out and then building two shelving units for the main downstairs closet at the Clubhouse. This was a much needed addition — and long overdue. Thanks very much to Arno for his time — and to Stan Morganstein for the moral support.
■ We know we have some areas or spots of grass that are dead or brown. Thank you(?) for all the pictures and e-mails about this problem! Please remember that we have had the driest Spring on record, and it is taking a little longer than usual to get the sprinklers working properly. We are trying to get our sprinkler company, Green Estates; landscape contractor, Arrimour; and chemical applications company Moyer, to fix the spots, caused by a combination of excessive chem-icals, lack of water and dogs. Rich is working on these issues with the three companies.
Wishing you all a relaxing and enjoyable summer!
Bruce GreenawaltPresident, Executive Board
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Pool Opening Party – May 30, 2015The set-up, the food, the beverages, the conviviality, the lovely floral plantings, and the perfect pool temperature made it a wonderful evening. A very special thanks goes to the Social Committee (Rich Sorrentino, Paula Daley, Luci Goldberg and others including Kathy and Rob Chorney, Mike and Karen Lyons, Geri Axler, Doug Goldberg, Louise and Skip Braksator, Dave Scherer, Joanne
Maier, and Kathy Shahin), for planning the event, moving furniture to set up tables and seating, and making sure everything came together so well; and to Paul Klein for the wonderful buffet. It was a great time!
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CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
Mary Baumberger, Tracy Bleakney, Louise Braksator, Doug Goldberg, Luci Goldberg, Bruce Greenawalt, Marlene Harrison,
Larry Hill, Mike Lyons, Barbara Saxton, Rich Sorrentino, Gary Stempler, Joe Tranchida, Arno Witt, Maria Witt
COMMUNITY REMINDERS
■ The Men’s First Thursday Breakfast Club will be meeting Thursday, June 4 at 8:30 a.m. at the Clubhouse parking lot for carpooling to Broadway Joe’s Waffles and Eatery in Lansdale. Those res-idents wishing to join the group should contact Doug Goldberg at 267-419-8221 or by e-mail at [email protected]. All are welcome!
■ The Tuesday meetings of the Project Linus group, both afternoon and evening, will be suspended for the summer months, beginning June 2, 2015. They will resume in September.
■ Before going into the pool, residents MUST shower after working out or playing tennis. The Board has already received a number of complaints regarding this issue.
■ The last person at the pool each night MUST be sure that all pool gates are locked.
■ The last person at the Clubhouse each eve-ning must make sure that all doors are locked. IMPORTANT: the patio entry door, which re-quires a key fob, also needs to be secured from the inside with the Allen wrench found on the wooden key holder. The Allen wrench will lock the horizontal door handle when used at each side of the handle bar.
■ The Landscape Committee is developing a sched-ule of volunteers to water the potted plants at the front of the Clubhouse and around the pool. Please send an e-mail message to Maria Witt or Ana Maria Hartman if you are willing to help with the watering several times throughout the summer months. They will provide volunteers with a schedule.
THANK YOUOur thanks and appreciation go to Louise Braksator and Larry Hill for their four years of service on the Montgomery Walk Condominium Association Board.
Court O Enjoys Progressive DinnerResidents of Court O planned, held, and enjoyed a progressive dinner on May 9, 2015. Shown at the dinner segment at the Nolan’s home are (left to right) Mary Doherty, Nancy Lanard, David
Thomas, Donna Ross, Mary Baumberger, Marty Baumberger, Vince Ross, Bruce Whiteman, Betsy Whiteman, Joe Nolan (standing), Barbara Merriweather, and Jimmy Ghee. The photo was taken by Fiona Nolan, and Charlotte Franciosca was unable to attend. The group enjoyed hors d'oeuvres at the Whitman's, salad at the Musgrove's and dessert at the Baumberger's.
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MONTGOMERY WALK EXECUTIVE BOARD
Bruce Greenawalt, PresidentJoe Tranchida, Vice PresidentClaire Bruno, , Treasurer Mario CabeRich Sorrentino
Louise P. Nicholls,* RealtorBerkshire Hathaway Home ServicesFox and Roach Realtors550 N. Main StreetDoylestown, PA 18901w 215-348-1700m [email protected]
ListThe following is a partial listing of contractors who have com-pleted work for Montgomery Walk residents and have been suggested as possible sources of services. Residents must take responsibility to determine a contractor’s suitability for their particular needs. Neither Montgomery Walk residents nor the
Montgomery Walk Condominium Association make any specif-ic recommendations. Do ask for referrals!This list was originally compiled by Karen McPoyle, who will continue to take your contractor suggestions, or you may contact this newsletter.
