Entrance Monuments
For the last four years the Board of Directors has worked tirelessly on maintaining the common areas in Darien Club. One of the most prominent markers of our subdivision are the monuments on Darien Club Dr. for both the Cass Ave and Fairview entrances.
For two years, the board worked with the management company to find a mason that would repair and tuckpoint the crumbling brick.
It was the opinion of all the masons that the monuments should not be repaired but instead a replacement should be considered.
At that point the board started working extensively with Oak and Dale to determine the design, cost and timeline for replacing the monuments at both entrances.
After two years of gathering designs, reviewing costs, and addressing other design concerns such as brick color, lighting and replacement plants – The new construction on the monuments is scheduled to start on April 15th, 2019.
Since the foundation of the monuments was in great condition and it was only the bricks that needed replacement, the board decided use the existing foundations and just incur the cost of the brick replacement.
In addition, the lights on top of the monuments have been replaced several times and continue to be an issue. The board decided to remove the lighting from inside the monuments and adjust the lighting around the monuments to keep the entrances sufficiently lit.
Thank You Dan
At the 2018 Darien Club Owners annual meeting, Dan Marszalek, President and our Scott Levitt, Treasurer, decided to end their tenure on the board.
The board would like to take a moment to thank Dan Marszalek for his 15 years of service on the board. During his tenure his leadership was instrumental in revamping the mailboxes, installation of the cobblestone on the islands to reduce expenses, and the replacement of the monuments on the Cass and Fairview entrances. His goal during his tenure was to find creative ways to maintain the aesthetic of the subdivision without increasing cost to the home owners .
In addition, Dan was often using his woodworking skills to replace many of the “No Trespassing” signs on or near the water features; installing and removing holiday decorations on the monuments and replacing light bulbs to keep the entrances lit. Dan managed to accomplish all this while still balancing a demanding career in finance and starting the new generation of Marszalek’s. We are extremely grateful for your years of dedication and wish you all the best. We hope to see you at a board meeting when you have time.
Sincerely,
Pat Coutre’
Site Re-Launch
Hello Homeowners!
We are in the process of re-launching our HOA website. Due to very busy schedules of the board members; the website was unable to be maintained. But, the board recognized the value of more frequent communication with the home owners and hopefully drive up interest in attending the meetings moving forward.
We have new posts planned for the next couple of weeks and are seeking input from home owners for ideas for the site as well.
If you have an idea or a topic you would like addressed or have a question please send an email to DCHOA2014@gmail.com.
Please come back and visit. New posts coming soon!
Happy Memorial Day
Happy Memorial Day weekend!! This is the weekend we honor all the men and women who lost their lives fighting for ours. We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy memorial day.
Suspicious Activity
ALERT!!!
The Darien Police were in the neighborhood today and alerted a few of the residents of suspicious activity. There are people traveling in pairs one pair is selling pest control services and the other claims to be there to test the water.
In one incident on Holly the pair entered the home of an elderly person and while one tested the water the other person rummaged through the house. Police are cautioning residents about this and requesting that you contact the police immediately if you encounter either pair.
Spring is here
I am back posting after an unexpected hiatus. To be honest, the winter months there is really nothing to say other than “Stay warm”. So here we are in spring with all it’s glory and maintenance that starts this time of year. We are focusing on several items this year and I will share more details about each of those in future posts.
Now that the weather is finConally staying nice and above freezing hopefully, please take the time to look at the outside of your home to see what cleanup, maintenance or replacement of landscaping and/or hardscaping needs updating or maintenance. The board has a list of items that we are monitoring during the nicer months to ensure that our neighborhood stays looking it’s best. We are looking at the following:
- Holiday Lights
- Foundation Landscaping
- Signs
- Parkway Trees
- Trees in front yards
- Rusty/broken equipment
- Broken/non-functioning vehicles
- Condition of Front Lawn
Warning letters will be going out on May 15th, 2016. If you have any questions regarding the rules that govern these areas, you can review them in the Association rule book that is posted on this site.
Annual Meeting
Just a reminder that our Annual Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 @ the Darien Police Department in the Training Room. We have two board members up for election. Come volunteer for the board and make a difference.
I look forward to seeing new faces.
- The DCHOA Board Members
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the homeowners for all the hard work they put in this year in keeping up their homes. As we move into this season I would like to say I am VERY grateful that the mailbox effort has really paid off. We start off this spring with 93 mailboxes out of compliance and we had only two that still needed some work by the beginning of July. The contractor for this project worked out great and did a really nice job and those who used them I am super excited to see how well they last.
As we get closer to the end of the year, I would like to encourage home owners to consider volunteering for the Board or at least attending the board meetings. During our annual meeting in December we like to plan out the meetings for the whole year. Check back in late December for next years meeting dates.
June Happenings
Please excuse the title of this post but it is unlikely I will get another chance to post until July.
Rain
The amount of rain we have received this month seems crazy. When there is that much rain our lawns and trees and shrubbery seems to grow at an alarmingly fast pace. Please take a little time to look around your yard and make any necessary adjustments to stay on top of maintenance. Also, I noted that Darien Club Dr. flooded around the islands in front of 1512. When this happens please check to make sure the storm drains on the streets in front of your homes are clear from debris. While I suspect that this was just due to the heavy amount of rain in the short amount of time, I thought it was worth mentioning.
Wetlands
As noted earlier Pizzo & Assoc. were on site on Friday June, 19th. They spent an entire 8 hours working on the wetlands and providing some clean up. If you happened to see them let me know how it looks. Since there is more rain forecasted it is unlikely I will be making a special trip anytime soon to take a look.
Parking
Summer is a great time to celebrate and have parties. Please remind your guests that there is no parking on the street by the islands. The dues paid by homeowners goes toward maintaining those islands. In the last week I have noticed traffic driving over the side of the islands in order to avoid hitting illegally parked cars. If this continues, the board will contact the police department and request additional patrols specifically catch offenders.
Management Company Changes
Cynthia Sipka is no longer our point of contact at Oak & Dale. I have updated the site as of today. If you need anything please contact Dennis Brugh directly.
Let us know what concerns you have or if you have questions on this post, please contact us at DCHOA2014@gmail.com OR post a comment at the end of this post.
Landscape Maintenance
Wow! Can you believe summer is here already?!? All the children are finally out of school and the landscape trucks are a regular occurrence in the neighborhood. I would like to call your attention to the speed limit on local streets. While I recognize not every car that drives on our street belongs to someone in our neighborhood, I am noticing an increase in traffic and speed on Darien Club Dr. Please watch your speed as you drive through the neighborhood.
Maintenance
As we walk through the neighborhood, I have noticed that there are several homes that could use some maintenance on their yards. The board is looking at homes that do not meet the standard design requirements such as “blue grass blend” for the front lawn and permanent plantings around the front and sides of the foundation of your home. Also, we’ve noticed that there are many planting beds and foundation landscaping that could use trimming and/or cleanup, More detailed information can be found in the design requirements and bylaws which are posted on this site.
Landscape/Architectural changes:
Many homeowners may not be aware or may have forgotten, but any changes to your landscape or any architectural changes to your home must be approved by the HOA board. While I know everyone is very busy, I am working on a document that will define a process by which homeowners can submit questions and requests electronically. Right now, if you have any changes that need approval, please submit an electronic copy to DCHOA2014@gmail.com. Your submission should include the following:
- Plat of survey
- A sketch or drawing showing the changes.
- Timeline of when they should be completed
The board will get back with you within two weeks. Remember, this approval does not replace the necessary approvals you may need from the Village of Darien. So please check local building codes before starting any new projects.
Darien Club Owners Association 