Your Comments Are Encouraged

Anonymous comments are now allowed on this website. I've decided to turn off comment log-in requirements in the hopes of encouraging more reader participation. 

Although the Victor Gardens News website, VG News Facebook page, and associated email lists are not "official", many of our neighborhood's board and committee members read them.

I hope we can use these comments to connect with each other and improve our community.  Enjoy!

- Mark

Communicating with Residents

There have been a few recent complaints that this VG News website, VG News' Facebook page, and related neighborhood calendar and email subscription services aren't providing as much information as they should.  My goal for these services has always been to provide as much information as possible in a time frame that is relevant to readers. Even though these services have never been an official, sanctioned arm of any association, a number of people have found them helpful.  Although there have been a few others that've helped post items in the past, I've largely taken this task on by myself.

Recently, I failed to post on the blog that a Master Board of Directors meeting had been rescheduled for Jan. 5 due to the December meeting's lack of quorum.  On Jan. 5, the Master Board briefly discussed the status of the Victor Gardens North Village 5th Addition sub-association.  With Rottlund Homes going out of business, these residents are going through an uncertain time, and I'm sure they would've been interested in attending.  Although I think the meeting had been posted on the VG News calendar for awhile, I didn't specifically post details about the rescheduled Master Board Meeting on the blog until one day before the meeting.

Afterward, a resident insinuated that I or the Master Board had conspired to keep Victor Gardens North Village 5th Addition residents from these meetings. That's just not the case.  

I completely understand the frustration that residents feel when they're not getting the information they want.  Poor communications from Victor Gardens' Developer, CPDC, is what prompted me to start this website way back in 2006-2007.  Since then, I've added services to reach as many people as possible.

As a busy volunteer, I'll try to do better.  I'll redouble my efforts to get every notice and update posted to the blog that I can. I can definitely use help if anyone is interested in volunteering! 

Residents are always welcomed and encouraged to attend Board and Committee Meetings. If there's a topic that's important to you, contact our Community Manager, Kari Miller to ensure that you have time to speak at the next Master Board meeting.

-Mark

Authors/Writers/Updaters Needed

I'm inviting residents to participate and become authors for Victor Gardens News.  I don't always have the time to update the site as much as I'd like to. Especially since a recent addition of our Victor Gardens News Facebook page, it would be great to have a little extra help updating and writing posts.

Our neighborhood has seven active sub-associations with hundreds of residents who regularly hold meetings, host get-togethers, or have announcements to make.  If you'd like to start a club, write about things going on in the City of Hugo, offer Board updates or nearly anything else, we'd like to hear from you.  

As you already know, I'm not much of an author myself.  If I can do it, anyone can! Posting updates is easy, and it helps keep your neighbors informed.  Please email me if you'd like to write for our neighborhood blog.  Thanks!

Mark

Victor Gardens News is Now on Facebook

 
Victor Gardens News continues to connect and inform residents as Victor Gardens News is now on Facebook.  Some of this website's highlights will be posted to Facebook, but you'll usually find the most details here on victorgardensnews.org  Now there are even more ways to connect with your neighbors and your neighborhood.

Disclosure

Paid Ads or Freebies?

In the past, a resident asked if I received free services for placing posts about window washers, painters, snow removal, lawn services, etc. It's a very fair question. The short answer is no. I do not ask for and have never received any form of compensation for these kinds of posts.

There are two reasons I post the messages. First, most of us value word-of-mouth recommendations from our neighbors. In a crowded field of contractors it's good to hear of others experiences (good or bad). If a neighborhood discount is offered- that's a bonus. Second, I like to support local entrepreneurs and small businesses. In a tough economy, a number of small jobs can make a difference in someone's bottom line.

I'm always willing to post a message for recommended contractors and local businesses. If you'd like to share a good experience with a babysitter, or a neighborhood shop, I'll be happy to share it on the website. Just please make sure, however, that you have some experience dealing with these companies before we recommend them in a post. Email me for suggestions.

About this website:

Another resident asked me how much this website costs our Victor Gardens association. The short answer again is nothing. Google (Blogger) hosts victorgardensnews.org free of charge. Renewing the domain name and email account each year is a nominal expense paid by me. No residents dues pay for anything associated with this website or the emails I send out periodically.

Residents should know that this is not an official website of any Victor Gardens association. I started the site a few years back in response to a lack of resident communication with our neighborhood's developer. Sometimes the posts have been controversial, but I'm convinced that the website has led to important and positive changes. It's successful even if it's helps us get together for our Victor Gardens events.

- Mark

Volunteer Help needed for Welcome Packet

The Single Familly Board is looking for volunteer help. The Board would like to produce a welcome packet/folder/brochure for homeowners just moving to Victor Gardens Single Family Village.  In the early days of our neighborhood, the former developer CPDC, gave new homeowners an informational packet.  It included some basic facts about Hugo, the neighborhood, amenities, events, local resources, and info to help homeowners understand our covenants.  The Board thought since it had been a number of years since the last packet was sent, it would also be helpful for existing homeowners.  The information collected would also be a great addition to this website.  If you're interested in helping, please let me know.  Thanks!

Website & Calendar Improvements

Victor Gardens News has been updated and reformatted. Among the improvements, the new site can be expanded to accommodate wider screens, making reading the posts easier. Upcoming events and meetings are now posted within a much better Google-hosted Calendar of Events. Readers can view it in traditional calendar view, and in an "Upcoming Events at a Glance" list found on the right side of site's home page. Tech savvy residents can subscribe to new posts and import calendar events into Outlook, iCal, or other popular programs.

To make the information more searchable, many of the old site's pages have been reformatted into posts. Master and sub-association PDF documents, financials, minutes, ARC info, etc can be found by following the "Association Info" links on the home page's right side. Nearly three years of "old" content has been archived, and will be more searchable than ever before.

Inevitably, the upgrades will create some broken links. If you find any or notice any other problems, please report them. Suggestions for improvement are also welcomed.

As always, reader comments are encouraged in the posts. Many of the topics discussed in those comments have made their way into Board and ARC meetings. They have led to improvements at the pool, planting areas, parks and more.

Upcoming Master Board/ARC Meetings

For those interested, especially those homeowners who advocated greater transparency at last night's meeting, I will continue to announce the dates and times of future Master Board meetings. I will also begin to announce dates and times of future Master ARC meetings. Neither has meetings scheduled at this time, but when information becomes available, announcements will be posted on this website.

Website Updated

Victor Gardens News website's Master Association page, Single Family Village page, and Villas page have been updated with meeting minutes, updated financials, and contact info.

The Master Association page now also includes minutes from a recent ARC meeting. Going forward, Master ARC minutes will be posted to the page in the future.

Website Updated - Association Pages, Contact Info changes.

The Association Details section of the website have been updated to include new contact information, and other information.

Website Updated - New Pages, Maps, and Digital Copies of Governing Documents Added

Our Victor Gardens website has been updated with new information and other improvements.  I've also recently included a few new website pages. These changes should help residents more easily find information they're looking for.  

Some include:

- Although a lot of digital copies of documents are available on the master and sub-association's pages, some of the more important Governing Documents, like Bylaws, Covenants, etc. are now also placed also on the new "Association Documents" page.  

-Re-introduced a separate "Contacts" page (link here) for frequently requested contact info.

- Updated the "Maps" page (link here) to include a new ownership map of the remaining empty lots in the Single Family Village.

- Upcoming events and upcoming meetings will be published via blog posts, email announcements, and on the left site of our site's front page. 

- Other general information such as the Pool announcements can also be found on the left side of the front page.

VG's Intranet Site deleted

The original Victor Gardens "Intranet" site and the Victor Gardens original marketing website were apparently both recently removed from the internet.

In recent years the Intranet site had not been updated much, except for the Activity Center's calendar. A few months ago, the Intranet site was essentially abandoned. At this point, it's unclear why the site was removed.

Website Improvements

As a result of suggestions by residents, I've made some improvements to our resident website http://www.victorgardensnews.org .  Important documents, contact information, website links and financial statements are now categorized by association.  This new organization replaces the older Financial, Contact, and Documents pages.  Hopefully these improvements will help residents avoid confusion and find relevant information quickly.  Click on the new Associations links to see the new pages.

Question About VG's Websites

Question:   

On Apr 6, 2008, at 11:17 PM, (name removed) wrote:

Here all along I thought I had the correct website for information but I guess not.  Please remove the old Victor Garden website or else there are others who are also going to be having problems with this.  I signed on to the other site about 6 months ago.  I found a note attached to my door otherwise I would not have known it was different.

Thanks

Answer:

Thank you for your very good question.  The answer needs a little background explanation.  

Unfortunately the information on the http://victorgardens.lightblast.net site has been outdated for about two years now.  You might not have realized the posts are old because there is no year clearly attached to the postings.  If you read through them, most posts and other HOA documents are over a year old and no longer relevant.   From what I know, the only thing that the "Intranet" site is used for now is to publish the Neighborhood Activity Center's Calendar.

If you had been relying on information from the lightblast "Intranet Site" you would have missed a lot of news and announcements from the last year or more.  The Developer put that site in place in Victor Gardens' early years for marketing reasons and to inform residents at that time.  Unfortunately with budget cutbacks, no serious effort to update that site has happened in years.   A similar condition can be found in the outdated content of the marketing website for the neighborhood,  http://www.victorgardens.com  The "Intranet Site" is also expensive for the Master Association to host ($660.00).  For this and other reasons,  I believe in the next year, the old, original "Intranet" site may be taken down permanently.  

A year ago, after complaints from many residents I decided to do something to improve the situation.   I started a new website,  http://www.victorgardensnews.org   and have since regularly updated it with current neighborhood news, information, events and announcements.    Since then Jason Lanpher and Nikki Lanpher have been instrumental in continuing the effort to improve communications.  They've built a new resident-based email subscription list website.   Residents serving on a proposed new Master Board along with the various new Committee Chairs will use these lists to deliver their news and announcements right you your inbox.  Debra Bean and Matthew Collins, also part of our "Communications Group" volunteered to distribute the flyers you found at your door.  Our hope is through these efforts, residents will do a better job informing residents.  

I invite you to sign up, and register your email address with our resident-based http://lists.victorgardensnews.org .  Register for the lists that interest you.  You can also view current and past news articles and events notices published on our resident-based website:   http://www.victorgardensnews.org     To be clear, neither of these new sites rely on any Master Association funding. They're free for our residents.

Thanks again!

Mark

Website Upgrades

Victor Gardens News has been improving since it began last year.  Features have been added, speed has increased, and navigation has been simplified.  Opinions and comments are easier to add than ever before.  Many new search options are available too. Keyword browsing and a search field at the top of the site connects readers to the information they want. We hope you like using the new site.  

Pages of our old site are being phased out in the next few weeks. You may see a mix of both for a little while while everything is migrated over.  There is always room for improvement so please report any bugs or broken links to mark@victorgardensnews.org 

Subscribe to Victor Gardens Email Announcements

Feel like you’re not getting enough information on what’s happening in Victor Gardens?  

We’re trying to solve this problem by creating an email subscription system to keep everyone informed.  We ask that ALL residents register and sign up to receive email updates that are important to you.  Visit http://lists.victorgardensnews.org to register your email address.

WHY REGISTER?  

    Why have my dues increased?

    Will the Pool open this Summer?

    Why don’t I ever hear about social events?

By registering, you’ll find the answers to these questions and more.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE LISTS THAT INTEREST YOU:     1. Announcements List             Everyone who subscribes to this list will receive:                 Important meeting notices                 Parties & events invitations                 Committee news                 Occasional updates meant for ALL Victor Gardens residents.     2. Town Homes List             Subscribers to this list will receive information relevant to Town Home residents     3. Single Family Homes List             Subscribers to this list will receive information relevant to Single Family Home residents

STAY CONNECTED: Once you’ve registered, your neighborhood representatives will use the subscription lists to keep you informed.  They’ll phase out their old email lists and use email addresses collected by the new system. Of course, your information will be kept private.  It will not be sold or shared.  If you choose not to register, you won’t receive email announcements.

TECHNICAL NOTE: Please keep in mind that this is an all new system.  It does not share information with the old Victor Gardens Intranet Site.  Residents will have to subscribe and set up a new account. Your old Victor Gardens Intranet Site’s user name and passwords will not be recognized by this new database.  Even if you currently receive neighborhood emails, you’ll still need to register with the new site to receive future announcements. 

Thanks to Jason Lanpher, a Victor Gardens homeowner and President of Stealth Networking, Inc. who designed and hosts this new website. 

Please take a few minutes to complete the simple registration process. Soon after you register, your account will be activated. The subscription site's address is: http://lists.victorgardensnews.org

Web Site Upgraded- New Content Added

Over the last week, http://www.victorgardensnews.org has been upgraded.  

1. Documents Page: A large amount of current and historical material has been added to the Docs (Documents) page. Includes a new organizational chart designed to help residents understand how VG’s stakeholders and homeowners fit into the big picture.  Also includes historical documents, covenants, architectural design guidelines, and other related documents.

2. Contacts Page: An expanded Contacts page includes many more phone numbers, email addresses, and website links than before.

3. Financials Page: Look for updates in the Financials section in the next few days for the latest statements.

Gables Association Newsletter 2007

The Gables Association, one of Victor Gardens townhomes associations has released a letter for its residents and owners.  Thanks to Charles Kirk, the President of the Gables Association for sharing this with all of us.  The newsletter, along with other documents, minutes, etc. is posted on the Gables Association’s website:  http://www.victorgardens.org

Please click the following link for the 2007 Gables Association Newsletter

http://www.victorgardens.org/mf/letter2007.pdf

Dear Gables Resident, 

The Board would like to take this opportunity to give you a quick update about your homeowners' association. Please read all of the following as there are important matters for the Board to convey at this time. 

Gables Association Update: 

*  Financial Health:  We are pleased to report that our Gables townhome association is in excellent health. Earlier this year, the Board hired an outside audit and review of our financials which confirmed that the association is in solid financial shape. 

*  Cost Cutting Efforts:  While facing uncertain economic times and problems in the housing market, the Board has made extensive efforts to limit and reduce our expenditures as much as possible while keeping the association in good shape. Rising costs and unpaid dues within the association have caused us to adopt a very conservative approach toward our spending. 

*  New Landscape Company: The Board made extensive efforts this year to find a new firm to serve the association. After a lengthy bidding and review process, a new landscape company was hired recently. The Board is optimistic that the new provider will provide a higher quality service at a more competitive price. 

*  Landscaping Issues:  The Board is aware and concerned about the appearance of the association and will be taking extensive efforts in the coming year with the new landscape provider to make some improvements. For example, the major flowerbeds in the association will be redone next Spring and we are looking forward to these 

improvements. 

Master Association Update: 

As a Gables resident, part of your monthly dues goes to the Master Association whose primary responsibilities are the upkeep and maintenance of the parks within Victor Gardens as well as the Activities Center and Pool. The Master Association has a separate Board from your Gables’ townhome association. These two associations are entirely separate from each other and have completely separate budgets and responsibilities. In addition, while your Board is comprised entirely of residents and has its own budget, the Master Association's board is comprisedprimarily of members of CPDC or Community Property Development Corporation. As residents we have absolutely no control over what the Master Association does regarding their budget or expenses. As some of you are already aware, CPDC is in financial trouble due to declining housing market. After defaulting on several of their bank loans this year, CPDC is in the process of reorganizing and refinancing their debt. Because of this, CPDC HAS NOT MADE 

ANY FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS to the Master Association in 2007. While those developer contributions are not required by law or by contract, developers like CPDC often provide substantial financial support for many years to associations BEFORE full their full buildout or completion. This is done not so much out of benevolence, but so that residents can enjoy the full benefits of the association prior to the full development and so the developer can sell the remaining property at a higher price due to the benefits of the association. 

Financial strain at CPDC and very poor housing market conditions have created a problematic situation forresidents at Victor Gardens because the development is far from completion. At last review, the Master Association has accumulated a large amount of debt (approximately $60,000) and has depleted the majority of the financial reserves. Please keep in mind that the decisions to spend money and to go into debt in this manner were entirely CPDC’s decisions, not residents’ or your townhome association's Board. Without a major change in either ownership or control of the remaining property and developer contributions, the Master Association will be unable to function. Fortunately, a group of concerned residents has formed an advisory committee to work with both the CPDC and the City of Hugo & Washington County to find a solution to this problem. Regrettably, as your Board, we must inform you that all residents at Victor Gardens will likely face substantially higher Master association dues and/or special assessments in the coming year. Currently, $20 of your monthly dues goes directly to the Master Association. In addition, services the Master Association has paid for in the past (like holiday lighting, for example) will not be provided because there is no money to pay for those services. Looking ahead, it is also entirely possible that the Master Association may not be able to open the pool next year and/or reduce or eliminate most if not all of their services. 

The Gable's Board is aware of the situation and is monitoring it closely. All residents are invited to keep on top of these developments as they occur by visiting the Master Association's website - Victor Gardens News at http://victorgardensnews.org. For those who may be interested, opportunities to participate in advisory committees are available and your input is welcome and highly encouraged. There will be future meetings to discuss these issues more in detail in the future, so please visit that site often to stay on top with the latest developments as they occur. 

FUTURE BOARD MEETINGS & IMPORTANT MATTERS: 

*  Board Meetings:  All residents are welcome to attend our Board meetings. They are 

held every other month at the Activities Center. Dates for upcoming board meetings this 

year are the following - so please mark your calendars! 

7PM on Wednesday, December 19, 2007*  GABLES ANNUAL MEETING 

7PM on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 

7PM on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 

7PM on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 

7PM on Wednesday, August 20, 2008

7PM on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 

7PM on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 

* Improved Communications:  To improve communication throughout the neighborhood, some have suggested email newsletters or more frequent mailed newsletters. Please let us know which you prefer by attending one of our upcoming Board meetings. Your input and opinions matter to us. Remember, also, that the Gable's association has its own website at http://www.victorgardens.org. Information concerning upcoming meetings, special announcements, minutes and financials from our meetings, etc., are put there for your review. 

* Garage Doors:  Under the current rules & regulations, you are required to keep your garage doors closed. In addition to security concerns, if your garage door is left open in the winter, there is a potential that pipes will freeze. The association is not liable for any damage caused by leaving garage doors open so please keep them closed. 

* Renting Your Townhome:  Residents who lease their unit must notify our property manager. It is important that we make renters aware of the association's rules & regulations. Please also keep in mind that property owners are 100% responsible for any and all damage renters do to the property. We have experienced problems in the past regarding this and your help is appreciated. 

* Resident Participation:  Participation at our board meetings is very low. Unfortunately, we need your input and opinions to make sure the association performs up to your expectations. Please take time to attend a future board meeting this year. 

CONCLUSION 

All in all, it has been an interesting year. I know from talking to many of you that you love living here as much as we do. While we are greatly concerned about the financial condition of the Master Association, we are heartened by the solid condition of the Gables Association. We believe in due time the concerns with the Master Association will be sorted out and that Victor Gardens will remain a wonderful place to live. As a personal note, due to increased workload and the potential for more travel in 2008, I informed the Board earlier this year that I will no longer be able to serve as the association's President when my term comes up for renewal in December. While I'm happy to serve on the Board in a diminished capacity, I believe it is time for new leadership for the association. Fortunately, your association has many Board members who are capable, dedicated, and determined to continue all of our efforts in making this a truly wonderful place to live. 

Most sincerely, 

Charles E. Kirk

Volunteers Begin Work to Improve Communications

A small group of volunteers including Jason Lanpher, Debra Bean, and Matthew Collins have begun work to improve communications with allresidents of Victor Gardens.  We’re working towards an automated method of collecting email addresses.  An announcement will be made when the system is up and running.  Thanks to our volunteers!

Volunteers Needed to Create email List

A comprehensive email list is needed to improve communications among all Victor Gardens residents.   It’s especially important now because there’s less money available for printing and postage of VG social events and other neighborhood updates.  Most email addresses are known for Single Family Village homeowners, but the Association needs to include as many Townhomes residents as possible in future email communications.  We’re asking for volunteers who may have a tech-savvy approach, or can expand our existing simple Excel database.  The method by which the email addresses are gathered would be up to the volunteers to decide.

If you have good ideas, and you’re willing to lead the effort - or just help out, please let me know.  mark@victorgardensnews.org

Thanks,

Mark