Mt. Kemble Lake
Association, Inc.
GROUNDS
Job Description
Article IV. Section D.1.b. Grounds Committee - shall have
responsibility for:
Developing
and maintaining community property, such as but not limited to: the tennis court, playgrounds, gardens, trees
and grass areas as well as the clubhouse grounds.
Maintaining all community signs and signposts except road signs.
Maintaining sight clearances on community property at road
intersections.
Contracting for and supervising services related to these
responsibilities.
Additionally:
· All committees with respect to their operations,
expenditures and policies shall be responsible to the Board.
· All committees shall report on their activities at the
Annual Meeting of the Association.
· OC Chairpersons
shall be selected by vote of the Board and must be members of the Board.
· OC members shall
serve for a minimum of two years.
· The Operations
Committees shall be responsible for herein defined maintenance and supervision
of MKL community property and activities designated
in these By-Laws to be the responsibility of the Association. Changes to community property that is owned
by Lakeshore Company shall receive prior approval by the Lakeshore Board.
·
OC Chairs
shall maintain and periodically update a job description to at least
include: responsibilities; a maintenance
and task calendar; a sample budget outline; a list of owned equipment (location
of equipment and manuals, upkeep schedule); a list of vendors with name,
address, phone, types and schedules of services.
· All Operations Committees, shall consist of a Board Member as Chairperson
and at least two additional Association
Members.
General duties:
1.
Committee Formation: Find Association Members to serve on this
committee. Due to this committee being
responsible for a number of varied areas in the community, it works well to
have sub-committees (each with their own “chair”) or individuals designated to
maintain each area (i.e,, a “tennis” committee, a
“goose patrol”, a garden “chief”; all reporting to you. It’s also useful to have one or two other
people who work directly with you on all the other areas.
2.
Maintenance of the cleanliness
and tidiness of all “grounds” areas.
3.
Alertness to behavior of users
for safety and protection of facilities.
Reporting problems to the Board
4.
Regular observation (weekly
or more depending on season and usage) of all areas of responsibility
throughout the year, including the “off season”, for signs of need,
deterioration or damage (human- or nature-caused).
5.
Goose Patrol: In January or February, submit last year’s results to US Fish & Wildlife and submit
application for Depredation Permit to addle the eggs. In March, set up a Goose Patrol group who
will regularly patrol. Inform all
residents to be vigilant on their own property as well as communal property and
to notify the Goose Patrol of the location of nests.
6. Budget is prepared for the following year
beginning in December, reviewed in January and February, and presented at the
annual meeting in March.
Maintenance:
Clubhouse Area: Maintenance of the clubhouse lot
includes lawn mowing, bush/shrub maintenance (trimming, fertilizing), deck flower planters, tree trimming, mulching,
weeding, leaf raking. Mowing is performed by an outside contractor. Leaf raking
is usually done at fall cleanup. Flowers are to be planted in deck planters,
maintained throughout the summer, and removed in the fall.
Garden: Maintenance of the garden includes:
-
allocation/deallocation of garden plots
-
maintenance
of tiller and other garden tools
o
tiller
stored in clubhouse basement
o
hand
tools in shed at garden
-
ordering
of compost (well-aged horse manure) and
sand
-
maintenance
of water system
-
maintain/repair fence and gates including vine removal
In the spring, it’s a
good idea to send a notice to all
gardeners reminding them of good garden practices, including: Turning off the water when leaving the
garden, keeping gates closed at all times to keep rabbits out, keeping hoses at
the edges of paths, keeping the areas outside the garden fence neat, using
non-toxic control products, etc.
Playground: Maintenance of the playground
includes periodic painting of the jungle-gym (every 5 years – last done in
2005), oiling of the swings, repair, replacement of components of playground
equipment as needed, periodic safety checks.
Tennis Courts: Maintenance of the tennis courts is
outsourced to a contractor. Typically they prepare the tennis court in the
spring. In addition, usage of the court should be monitored/regulated to reduce potential damage. The water system to the court should be
maintained and vines cut down from the fence around it. Winterization needs to
be performed in November, and includes:
taking up the lines, taking down the net
store lines, nets, benches and brushes in
the Clubhouse.
turn off the water in the pumphouse
drain the sprinkler system
remove water fountain
leave the sprinkler valves open.
padlock the
doors.
Lawn Areas (Beach,
Fishin’ Hole: Maintenance here includes weeding of the area and care of bushes/trees.
Lakeshore Lots:
1. Most of this maintenance is the
felling/removal of dead trees and the removal of felled or downed
trees. Trees which are to be felled include:
-
dead
trees adjacent to homeowners properties
-
dead
trees which might fall on parked cars (e.g. near beach parking lot)
-
dead
trees which could fall on recreation areas (e.g. tennis court, garden)
2. Trees to be cut up
and removed include:
-
trees
which have fallen and obstruct roadways
-
felled
trees which are adjacent to roadways or homeowners properties
3. Trees to be left
on ground (i.e. not cut up or taken away) include:
- trees which have fallen naturally and are interior to
Lakeshore lots.
Road Shoulders:
1. Maintenance of road shoulders is done in conjunction with the Roads
Committee, and consists of leaf
raking during fall and spring cleanups, small branch removal, and litter
removal.
2.
The new growth of plants with woody stems should be discouraged so they don't
get overgrown and impede sight lines for
drivers (i.e., every couple of years cutting with a strong weed- whacker or brush hog).
3. Sightlines at intersections and around curves
are to be kept clear for drivers.
Bus stop: general
maintenance.
Signs: Maintenance/replacement
of all “community “ signs including at the tennis
court, beach, Fishin’ Hole and inter-changeable signs
for the green posts (TGIF, Beach Cleanup, etc.). The latter are kept in the clubhouse
basement. Street signs are the
responsibility of the Roads Committee.
Responsibility for all “community” signs is kept to one person/committee
in order to maintain consistency in the appearance of signs throughout the
community and to simplify communication with the vendor.
Disposal Area: This area holds leaf, limb and yard
debris from homeowners’ lots. Maintenance largely entails keeping the area neat
and periodic notifications of homeowners re
appropriate usage (area is not open to lawn maintenance services). Area should have separate delineated sections
for leaves and branches. Areas may be
separated and designated by fencing with appropriate signs. Periodically hire someone with a chipper to
chip all branches. If disposal area is
behind the garden, be careful that disposed materials do not block garden
drainage. Decomposed material may be
made available for gardeners.
Miscellaneous: Tools used and maintained by the
Grounds Committee include:
-
hand
garden tools, wheel barrows – kept in shed at garden
-
tiller
(covered with secured tarp)– at garden spring, summer and fall, at clubhouse
during winter
-
chainsaw
– kept at clubhouse