This is a brief update regarding Fox Fields Association, Inc., for Spring 2017.

2017 Dues

The Association’s invoices for 2017 Dues were sent out to Members earlier this month.  Payment is due by April 30.  We were able to keep dues at $375 per lot for the sixth straight year. This compares quite favorably to our neighboring homeowners’ associations. Comparative dues in 2016 were as follows (per realtor information or direct inquiry):

The bulk of our dues go to landscaping and maintaining our approximate 47 acres of Open Space:  approximately 13 cuttings of our fields during the growing season, annual mulching and plantings at our entrances and circle, bi-weekly maintenance and cuttings at the entrances and circles, tree work and debris removal as required, maintenance of the infrastructure as required, for example, repair of storm water trenches, fence repairs and rehab of entrance signs, and new plantings of trees and shrubs as required. Dues also go to liability and D&O insurance and accounting services.  This year, we will also be devoting about 6% of our budget to algae and aquatic plant management treatments to improve the aesthetics, appearance, water quality and ecological health of our pond.

Annual Meeting and Elections

As noted in the notice which went out with the dues invoices, our annual meeting will be held May 16 at 7:00 pm at the Haverford Township Community Recreation and Environmental Center.  As usual, two of the six board of directors positions will be up for election this year.  I will be running for re-election, but Frank Wesner, after long and valuable service to the community, will not be running.  As noted, in the dues notice, anyone wishing to run for the Board should submit by April 16  to Dale Larrimore, 704 Southwinds Drive, a petition signed by five Association Members (each Lot in Fox Fields has one membership), and we would recommend including a brief bio and statement of what you would like to help the board accomplish during your service.   In advance of the meeting, we will be circulating this information and an election ballot to the membership via electionbuddy.com so as to ensure broad participation in the voting. (Typically, only about 10 – 20 % of the membership attend our meetings.)

We will be submitting an agenda for the meeting as we get closer to May 16. but potential topics include getting a sense of the community on issues such as whether we should seek to persuade Radnor or Haverford townships to place speed bumps on Ramblewood Drive and/or Fox Fields Road, proposed guidelines for solar equipment installations, and discussion of potential repairs to the stone bridge and the bridge near the pond in future years.  We also anticipate that there will be a discussion of future plans for the pond, although the board believes any significant modification, such as filling in the pond or adding a well system to keep it full during the dry summer months would constitute a capital improvement requiring approval of at least 75% of the Membership (100 of 133 lots) under Section 4 of Article V of Declaration for Fox Fields.

Greenberg Amendment

As you may recall, following last year’s annual meeting we recommended a minor land swap between the Association and the Greenbergs, which would permit them to maintain a portion of their pool deck and pool fence on the Open Space (a situation which they were unaware of when the purchased their property from the prior owner).  This amendment to the boundaries of the Open Space requires 90% approval of the Membership (120 of 133 lots).  As of last September, only about 59% of the membership had voted on this proposal, although 96% of those voting (75 of 78) had voted in favor.  Before the annual meeting, we intend to solicit the votes of those Members who have not voted, initially via electionbuddy.com, and then through other means, to the extent some have not voted, to see if we can bring this vote to a conclusion.  The Board supports this proposed amendment.

We should note that all other fence issues have been resolved, and those few other fences that had been located on the Open Space have been relocated within lot boundaries.  We thank the homeowners involved for their cooperation.

A final note – if you have any updates to your listing in the Fox Fields directory, please let Gail Furman know.  She plans to deliver a printed copy to the membership this summer.

Ken Levin
Vice President
Fox Fields Association, Inc.
for the Board of Directors 

Three matters were on the agenda for the Association’s Special Meeting of October 13, 2016: (1) vote on proposed settlement with the Greenbergs and an associated amendment to the Declaration; (2) vote on a proposed amendment to the Declaration impose a term limit on the offices of President and Vice President and to change the mode of election;(2) a report on the investigation of the pond committee appointed at the annual meeting to investigate potential remedies for the pond located between Misty Hollow Court and Meadowbrook Run. Continue reading →

Note:  As of May 14, 2017, 100 members have voted, with 97 voting in favor, so we still need 23 votes for approval.

As of the Special Meeting of October 13, 2016, 81 of the 133 Lot Owners in Fox Fields had voted on the Amendment to approve a settlement with Martin and Patti Greenberg, as described below. Of the 81 who have voted so far, 78 Lot Owners (96.3%) have voted in favor.

We are now requesting the 52 Lot Owners who have not yet voted to submit their ballots as soon as possible so that we may satisfy the Fox Fields Restrictive Covenant requirement of 90% approval of the 133 Lot Owners’ (120 Lot Owners) to support an amendment.

As demonstrated by the voting to date, the clear sense of the community appears to be in favor of the Amendment, but we need all to vote to authorize the Board to proceed.

We will be sending ballots via electionbuddy.com later today to solicit your vote. Please check your spam if you do not see the ballots in your inbox. We are only sending ballots pertaining to this amendment to those who have not yet voted on it

The following is the explanation of the circumstances which led to the settlement recommendation:

The first item of business for the Special Meeting of October 13, 2016 is a vote to approve or disapprove a proposed settlement with Martin and Patti Greenberg pertaining to the location of their pool deck and pool fence.  The Board recommends approval.  Because the settlement will require a modification of the boundaries of the Open Space (though not its area), to take effect the settlement must be approved by 90% of the 133 Lot Owners in Fox Fields.

The background is as follows:

The original owner of the Greenberg’s lot (Lot H42) built a swimming pool so that a portion of the pool deck extends approximately 4.5 feet into the Fox Fields Open Space and the pool fence extends approximately 22 feet into the Open Space. The Greenbergs were unaware of this when they purchased the property.

The Restrictive Covenant for Fox Fields (“Declaration”) makes the Association the owner of the Open Space and requires that it be available for the enjoyment of all Members of Fox Field.  No lot owner is permitted to erect structures on the Open Space or to fence in and thus exclude other Members from any portion of the Open Space.  Further, in this particular case, the fact that the Greenbergs did not hold title to a portion of the land on which their pool deck and fence were located might have made their property, as a practical matter, unsaleable. Continue reading →

The second item of business for the Special Meeting of October 13, 2016 is a vote to approve or disapprove a proposed amendment to the Declaration offered by Keith Bradburd to impose term limits on the offices of president and vice president and requires a vote by the membership on the president and vice president selected by the Board.  The Board unanimously recommends against the proposed amendment as proffered.  The Board’s reasons for opposing the amendment and Mr. Bradburd’s reasons offered in support of the amendment are set forth below.

We note that this Amendment to the Declaration requires the approval of 90% of the members of the Association.  Hence an abstention is the equivalent of a “no” vote. Continue reading →

• The Fox Fields Association Meeting was held at the Haverford Township Community Environmental and Recreation Center at the Haverford Reserve on Tuesday evening, May 24, 2016.
• Apart from the six Board Members, the meeting was attended by the owners of 19 lots within Fox Fields or about 14% of the 133 lot owner Members of the Association.
• A copy of a PowerPoint presented at the meeting is attached to this report.  Click here to review a PDF of the presentation.
• The following matters were discussed:
• a description of the Open Space which we maintain and the landscaping activities we carry out; Continue reading →

Newborn goslings spotted with their parents by Meadowbrook Run in the Open Space.  In total, eight goslings (two families) have been spotted in the Open Space.  These are the first newborns that we have seen in the last year or two . 

The Annual Meeting of Fox Fields Association, Inc., will be held Tuesday, May 24, 2016, at 7:00 PM, at the Haverford Township Community Recreation & Environmental Center, at 9000 Parkview Drive, Haverford PA 19041. Continue reading →

We have added a “Documents” page, which includes the Restrictive Covenant for Fox Fields, as well as historical Newsletters dating back to 1985.

We have also updated the “History” page to include historical photos of the Fox Fields estate and farm which preceded our current planned community.

On November 7, 2012, the Board of Fox Fields Association, Inc., unanimously voted to institute deer population management measures complementary to those being undertaken by Radnor Township, and several of our neighboring homeowners associations in Radnor Township.  We have authorized  Chester Valley Deer Management Association (CVDMA) access to  the open space adjacent to the Blue Route along Ithan Creek for bow hunting to reduce the herd on our property. Continue reading →