Sterling Woods Newsletter · 2018. 9. 9. · Sterling Woods Newsletter page 2 Call Camco The best...

2017 Annual Meeting – Monday, Feb. 13, 7:00 PM – Comsewogue Public Library

Sterling Woods Newsletter Volume 15 #2-3 April 2017

After Holiday Party On Sunday, January 15, many residents of Sterling Woods enjoyed the festive holiday lunch at Amici’s

Restaurant marking the 15th anniversary of Sterling Woods. The highlight of the event was listening to Joe Cumia

(#55) serenade us with a wonderful selection of songs. Joe is the president of Brother Joe Entertainment, Inc. He

promotes, manages and maintains the smooth operation of two successful, full time tribute bands. "2U - The

Worlds 2nd Best U2 Show" and "Almost Journey-The Journey Tribute Show", as well as performing as "The

Solo Joe Acoustic Show.”

Sterling Woods Newsletter page 2

Call Camco The best way to insure a proper response to a question or problem 631 476-2100

Annual Meeting The Board of Managers would like to thank forty-one residents who came to the Annual Meeting on Monday,

February 13, at the Comsewogue Public Library. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cookies and cake were available

while owners socialized a bit before the meeting started. During this time, a PowerPoint slideshow, Sterling

Woods through the Years, was on display on the big screen. Again, Diane Venturini baked her extra special crumb

cake for the coffee social that preceded the meeting.

Our quorum, which requires that thirty-one homes be represented, was satisfied with the representation of

thirty-seven units either by the presence of the owner or by proxy. After enjoying the coffee and cake, the meeting

began with the reelection of Jeff Napoleon to the Board of Managers. Immediately following the election, the

Board announced that they decided to continue the following positions: Rich Ciotta – President, Jeff Napoleon –

Vice President/Treasurer, and Pat Hanham – Secretary. Rich Ciotta announced that our Annual Financial Report,

prepared by our certified public accountants, Berger, Macdonald and Rand LLP, would be mailed to all

homeowners within the week. The presentations by our three guest speakers, Robert Minizzoi, Mickey Romeo,

and Rich Heyder were quite lively and well-received by the audience.

SCENES FROM THE 2017 ANNUAL MEETING

Mr. Minizzoi, Operations Manager at General Security, explained the differences between the three types

monitors that are located in each unit and advised that, ‘if you do not know if it is time to replace the battery in

the detector, then it is time to replace it.” In addition to answering the many questions about the fire alarm system

and the Fire Apparatus Control Panel (FACP closet), he stressed that the Town of Brookhaven requires that every

unit be inspected by General Security once each year (between 9 AM and 4 PM) to make sure that the devices

are working. He also explained that if the control unit in the FACP closet is beeping, you may turn it off by

entering 1 2 3 4 on the panel, but this does not reset it. Therefore, in addition to shutting off the beeping, you must

call Camco Management at 476-2100 and report the malfunction.

Mr. Romeo from Industrial Coverage (Sterling Woods new insurance agency) explained how Sterling Woods’

policy dovetails with your individual condominium owner’s policy (an HO6 policy). Since, in case of fire, Sterling

Wood’s insurance covers restoring the units to the basic construction provided by the builder and does not include

any of the upgrades. Therefore, you will have to have additional insurance covering any improvements and



betterments that you may have made. For example, many of you had the builder install hardwood floors or

upgraded kitchen cabinets, but these original improvements are not covered by Sterling Woods’ policy and also

not by your HO6 policy unless you made sure that your insurance agent included them. Likewise, new remodeled

kitchens or bathrooms and upgraded appliances are not covered by your HO6 policy unless you increased your

coverage to include these items. Mr. Romeo also suggested that you have your own general liability and umbrella

policies.

Rich Heyder, owner of AllTech Services (631 698–7298), discussed the comprehensive service contract that

his firm offers and the annual HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system check that is included. He

explained what the contract does and does not cover. In replying to some home owners’ questions about the

HVAC system, Mr. Heyder stated that booster fans used to increase the heating or cooling of the second floors

will not work as expected on the system that the builder installed in our units. Several of our owners use AllTech

and are very satisfied with his service and the cost of the contract.

Why we did that … If you thought the streetlight by unit 16 looked

different than the others, you are right.

We were having problems with the light and, for

not much more money than it would take to fix it, we

were able to convert it to use LED (Light Emitting

Diode) bulbs.

A recent article in Newsday reported that many

Long Island towns and municipalities are converting

their streetlights to LEDs because they “…consume

less electricity, last longer and cause less harm to the

environment than traditional bulbs…”. The estimated

life of LED streetlight bulbs is 40,000 hours. Towns

that have already converted report low maintenance

costs and dramatic savings.

We have fourteen streetlights on Gettysburg Drive

and it is the board’s hope to eventually convert all of

them to LEDs.

Common Charges At our last Budget Meeting two questions were

raised concerning the budget. They are legitimate

questions which the Board attempted to answer on the

spot but thought it would be a good idea to address

them in a more comprehensive way here.

The first asks why our common charges aren’t

much less than some other communities since we have

no amenities.

The second asks why our landscaping budget is as

high as it is, consisting of 20% of our total operating

budget.

The answer to the first question involves many

factors including:

• We are a small community of only 61 units. This

has some advantages but also some disadvantages.

Because we are so small, every expense is shared

by only 61 homes.

• While we have no clubhouse or pool, in a very real

sense our serene, park-like setting with our

commons area IS our amenity. Support for this idea

was strongly delivered by our homeowners in our

survey of a few years ago where beautification and

plantings with “more color” were preferred over

amenities. And the board has tried to follow

through on that concept.

• When comparing our community with others, we

must look at the total financial cost to live in the

community. For over ten years now our common

charges have been the homeowners’ full financial

obligation to the community. In most other

communities that we know of, that is not the case.

o Many larger communities actually were built in

sections and have both a condominium board

for their section and a homeowner’s association

for the larger common grounds. Both boards

collect common charges for the services they

provide.

o The services provided as part of the common

charges are not the same as those provided by

Sterling Woods. Home owners in many

communities are responsible for some aspects

of landscaping and irrigation around their unit,

snow removal for driveways and walkways,

and some maintenance as separate charges.

o In addition, their common charges may not

include their water bills, multiple trimmings,

dryer duct cleaning, power washing of

buildings, etc.



o Not all communities have to pay a separate

sewage disposal charge like we do, since they

have town or county sewer systems.

o Because of our regular and continuous pursuit

of tax challenges on behalf of our homeowners,

the real estate taxes we pay are among the

lowest of any community we know.

o Some communities do not budget sufficiently

for reserve funds or have any reserve fund at

all. We budget 10% of our operating budget for

reserves which is actually not an expense but,

rather, a savings against future expenses. This

is part of the common charges.

o And, finally, many communities we know of

have frequent special assessments to balance

their budgets or to handle specific repairs,

improvements or projects. These special

assessments are very common, sometimes

occur more than once a year, and are in addition

to the regular common charges. We have

managed to avoid special assessments for over

ten years in a row.

The answer to the second question also involves

several factors.

• As mentioned above, the homeowners in our

survey of several years ago, clearly expressed a

preference for beautification, plantings and color

over amenities. The desire for enhancing our

serene, park-like setting was very strong and we

have followed through on that theme.

• We have a large amount of land relative to the

number of units.

o We have a large central open area with trees

and a pond.

o We have plantings, trees and landscaping in

front of every unit.

o We have plantings at the entrance, on the

berms, and in planting beds throughout the

community.

o In addition, we have a large number and variety

of trees throughout the community as well as in

our natural wooded buffer on three sides of the

property.

1 An exclusive-use part of the common area is an area

that is reserved for the sole use by the unit residents

but is owned by the association.

This is much more area and landscaping per

property size and per unit than any other community

we know. All of it requires care and attention to keep

it neat and attractive and to keep the community from

getting an unkempt, old overgrown look.

The number one fiscal responsibility of the Board

of Managers is to protect and grow the value of our

homes and the community as much as possible and this

is how we attempt to do it.

We have often stated that it is important to compare

“apples to apples” but over the years we have found

that there is actually no such comparison – each

community is different and unique.

The Board Dictates As has been mentioned in previous issues of the

newsletter and at our community meetings, if an owner

wants to make a change to part of the common area or

to their exclusive-use part of the common area,1 the

Board must approve the plans first and has the absolute

right to dictate who can or cannot do the work. The

purpose, of course, is to ensure the use of licensed and

qualified professionals. The association is trying to

protect itself from Uncle Joe, Billy Bob, or the owner

from doing any type of work in an area that is owned

by Sterling Woods. The vendor’s license and insurance

papers, indemnifying both the owner and Sterling

Woods, must be on file with the management company

in addition to the Hold Harmless and Request to

Modify forms. If an owner wants to do the work

him/herself, then he/she must also satisfy all of the

required insurance specifications.

If any repair is going to involve the common area

or the exclusive-use area, it is the owner’s

responsibility to contact in writing both Camco

Management and the Board to find out the

expectations. For example, if an owner wants to install

a new energy efficient furnace, it may require the

installation of a new venting system. This means they

have to "break the envelope" of the building with one

or two new holes. Since the owner owns “sheetrock in”

and not the building itself, he/she is required to contact

the property manager, provide all the necessary

documents, and wait for Board approval.

Communication is a must between the owner, their

WARNING: It is against the law to store your barbeque grill propane tank in your home, garage or basement. In case of a fire, it could be a bomb waiting to explode. Even an empty tank might still have a little liquid propane inside.



vendor, and the Board any time work involves

common area elements. In other local condominiums,

some owners have done this without following proper

procedures and were required to redo or to remove the

installation, including repairing the building, at their

cost. This also applies in the situation where an owner

wants to change the plantings (other than the planting

of small annuals) adjacent to his/her walkway and/or

unit.

Additionally, if the use of a dumpster is required,

whether it is for interior or exterior work, management

and the Board must be notified well in advance of the

project. Placement and size of the dumpster must be

cleared by the Board. It may not be placed on the

driveway, but must be placed on the roadway so that it

does not damage the roadway. Likewise, storage of

materials and equipment on site must also be discussed

with the Board. (Adapted from the Communities

Association Institute topic: HOA's dictating who

homeowners can use for a service provider.)

Your Board’s Philosophy The following is a condensed and edited version

of an article from Common Ground Magazine, the

magazine of CAI (Community Associations

Institute). We are printing it here because it reflects

the general philosophy and guidelines that we try to

follow in running our community.

Value Drivers by Robert M. Nordlund

Location, location, location is the age-old adage in

real estate, and it’s hard to dispute. While community

associations can’t do anything about location, boards

can and should do many things to help enhance the

value of owners’ homes. By running an efficient,

effective, transparent association and taking steps to

become a community residents are proud to call

“home,” boards can maximize values and make a large

and lasting difference for owners.

Follow these 10 tips:

1. Budget accurately and honestly. A realistic,

balanced budget is the foundation of a board’s

ability to boost home values. An association needs

an operating budget that reflects the cost of running

the community and maintaining common areas day

to day, and a reserve budget that offsets long-term

maintenance costs.

2. Avoid deferred maintenance. Deferred

maintenance is the unfortunate practice of

postponing repairs, often to create a false

appearance of financial solvency. Repair,

replacement, and refurbishment all need to happen

sooner or later. When these tasks are postponed,

the cost is almost always greater.

3. Maximize curb appeal. Curb appeal is the

impression that a property creates with current and

prospective residents. A community that looks good

instills pride in residents. Meanwhile, a community

that looks a little worse for the wear can turn off

potential buyers and real estate agents, especially if

they’re seeing it for the first time.

4. Create a culture of transparency. Homeowners

appreciate it when a board conducts association

business transparently, making it easy to see what

has been done and why. Transparency builds trust,

and trust translates into a reputation that attracts

good offers when homes go on the market.

5. Adhere to your association’s Rules and Standards.

Nobody likes rules – except, perhaps, when they are

invoked against others. However, rules and

architectural standards are a necessity of community

life, especially for neighbors who share common

space. Rules exist to protect and build up the

community – not to annoy or punish others.

6. Avoid Special Assessments. Most special

assessments can be avoided by adequately

budgeting reserves. And a strong reserve fund

reassures prospective buyers they are joining an

association that is well managed and encourages

them to pay top dollar. Sound budgeting may

require higher regular assessments in the short run,

but in the long run, it raises the value of all homes.

7. Build community. Smart association leaders invest

time, energy, and money in building connections

with and among homeowners. Refreshments at

meetings, parties, and events create a sense of

community.

8. Educate yourself and fellow board members.

Effective boards don’t happen by accident. They

attend training, trade shows and seminars, read

publications, and join appropriate associations.



9. Use professional managers. Running a community

is complicated and important work that calls for

industry-related help.

10. Team up with knowledgeable business partners. To

guide the community toward a successful future,

board members need a team of specialists, includ-

ing an accountant, attorney, insurance agent, etc.

Upcoming Events Port Jeff Health & Wellness Fest 2017: The

Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce is

sponsoring their 7th annual Health and Wellness Fest

on Saturday, April 22nd at the Earl L. Vandermeulen

High School, 350 Old Post Road in Port Jefferson,

from 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Free and open to the public.

The purpose of the Fest is to promote good health

for all in the greater Port Jefferson area. Here you will

have the opportunity to receive information that will

help you to meet your health and wellness needs. Over

sixty health and wellness professionals will be

participating including our three major local hospitals

and sponsors, St. Charles, John T. Mather, and Stony

Brook Medicine.

The new tag line this year is ‘Eat Well, Live Well’

emphasizing we are what we eat! Therefore, many of

the vendors will be highlighting healthy eating

including St. Charles Hospital’s Executive Chef and

staff. They will be providing FREE make your own

healthy breakfast, lunch and dessert – ‘Come dine with

St. Charles Hospital’.

10th Annual Antiques and Garden Weekend:

Village Center, 101-A East Broadway, Port Jefferson

NY 11777, co-sponsored by the Village of Port

Jefferson and the Suwassett Garden Club.

Spring is in the air and that means it’s time for the

return of the Port Jefferson Historical Society’s largest

fundraiser, the Port Jefferson Antiques and Garden

Weekend Show to be held the weekend of April 29 and

30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All three floors of the Village Center will feature

vendors with items for sale including antiques,

collectibles, rare books, vintage objects of all types,

estate and antique jewelry, quilts and linens, folk art,

country primitives, glassware and garden items, etc.

The Suwassett Garden Club will again have their

magnificent booth filled with hanging baskets,

perennials and patio planters.

Refreshments will be available on the third

floor Waterview Cafe along with the Garden Club's

not to-be-missed homemade baked goods. The café

promises an enticing menu of sandwiches, sides and

drinks. Lunch with your friends in this sunny setting

overlooking the harbor area.

The popular 50/50 raffle and donation table will

offer some attractive prizes from vendors, advertisers

and society friends. The raffle will be drawn Sunday

afternoon. Proceeds from the Antiques and Garden

Weekend will go to the Port Jefferson Historical

Society for the maintenance of the Mather Museum

Complex.

Admission to the event is $6.

Port Jefferson's Spring Shopping Crawl: Port

Jefferson will come alive from noon until 5:00 PM on

Saturday, May 13th with a Spring Shopping Crawl

event.

The best way to insure a proper response to a question

or problem is to call Camco, 476-2100 ext. 206.

Important Contact Information

Sterling Woods Condominium,

62 Gettysburg Drive

Rich Ciotta, President, 331-2197

[email protected]

45 Gettysburg Drive

Jeff Napoleon, Vice

President/Treasurer, 473-5617

[email protected]

2 Gettysburg Drive

Patricia Hanham, Sec. 476-5979

[email protected]

33 Gettysburg Drive

Industrial Coverage

Mickey Romeo, 631 736-7500

x115 (Condominium Insurance

– call for the insurance

certificate if your mortgage

company needs it.)

Maggio’s M & P Carting Service

696-6300

Camco Management

Carol Fishberg, Prop. Mngr

476-2100 ext. 206

[email protected]

For correspondence or

payments without coupon:

Sterling Woods Condo.

c/o Camco Services, Inc.

PO Box 990,

Port Jeff Station, NY 11776

For payments with coupon:

Sterling Woods Condo.

PO Box 5802

Hicksville, NY 11802

After Hours Emergency

Number: 476-2100, press1 and

then1 again (weeknights 5 pm

to 8 am and 24 hours Saturday,

Sunday and holidays)

Back issues of the newsletter are available on Sterling Woods’

website: sterlingwoodspjs.weebly.com

mailto:[email protected]




Sterling Woods Newsletter · 2018. 9. 9. · Sterling Woods Newsletter page 2 Call Camco The best...

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