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