President’s Comments Nov 2017 Board Meeting

By Tom Sopko

The Board voted to have an Interim Treasurer.  For our Interim Treasurer, the Board has elected Jack McMillin.  Should Jack McMillin be voted onto the Village Council, as he is a candidate, and he chooses to resign from the Association, another Interim Treasurer will be chosen to start in January.

Tonight will be the second consideration of the Sexual Predator Amendment to the Bylaws.  There is a slight change in the wording to include “weekenders” who may be tier 3 sex offenders.  Before the Board votes on this again tonight, the minor wording change will be reviewed.

The Board approved a 2018 budget.  As always, it is a balanced budget.  Thanks to the fine work done by our Office staff getting more Members to pay, it appears that we may have up to $90,000 more to spend in 2018.  As you may recall, it has been a goal of the Board to reduce the number of Members in arrears.

The Board also addressed Reserves.  What are Reserves?  Reserves: “an amount adequate to repair and replace major capital items in the normal course of operations without the necessity of special assessments.”  We are one of the few HOA’s that has the right to pledge property toward a loan.  However, based on the fact that Reserves continues to be brought up, based on the fact that in the future banks or lenders may not take property for collateral, it has been decided to dedicate money to a Reserve Fund, and to do a reserve study.  Therefore the Board voted to move $50,000 from the $198,000 we have in savings to a Reserve Fund.  In addition, $10,000 from the 2018 budget is targeted to the Reserve Fund.  In addition to starting a Reserve Fund, a Reserve study will be done to determine how much should be in the Reserve Fund.  As part of approving the new Budget, the Board voted to leave the dues/assessments and any late fees the same.

A new Employee Handbook has been approved by the Board.  Copies will be available online or a copy can be picked up at the Office.

Jen Addair, of the Office, has suggested to the Board a new Membership Card hierarchy.  Her suggestions have been approved by the Board.  It does streamline the card system by eliminating the “Guest System”.  Separate from the Card hierarchy, a backup will be allowed.  The backup system is that pictures of Membership cards will be allowed to be on phones.  This means that if you want a backup to your card or your family’s cards on your phone, you will need to take a picture of your card, and any family or household members and copy it to your phone.  This will be your backup.  This new system is a one year pilot program for 2018.

Jen Addair has summarized the real estate tax meeting with Roger Corlett and Dennis DiCamillo.  The summary is on the RRA website and can be found in the email blasts.  One of the most important outcomes is that if you want an informal meeting with the County Auditor concerning your property appraisal, it is recommended that you do it immediately.  This will allow you to have an informal  meeting as opposed to a formal request for real estate re-evaluation.

The Board has discussed applying up to $50,000 from savings toward paying down the Office Loan.  As we announced at the time of the decision to build rather than rent, we would seek to pay down the Office Loan as quickly as possible.  We, the Association, have two outstanding loans, the pool & roads loan and the Office loan.  We are looking to vote to put the money toward the highest interest rate loan, the Office. 

The Lake in the Winter – Part 1

By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

As Fall moves to Winter, we see more than the change in the color of the leaves. We see changes occurring on the lake – both natural and man-made. The first, which has already occurred, is the lake turnover. This phenomenon, generated as the lake water temperature equalizes top-to-bottom, results in mixing to temporarily eliminate stratification. A previous article was written which goes into more detail on this phenomenon.

The next change that you may see is the lake level lowering. If all is going as planned, the Village will proceed with opening the spillway to allow the lake water level to drop. As past years can attest, the success depends on the amount of rainfall we experience during the fall. Typically done to kill nuisance aquatic plants which we did not observe this year, it also accomplishes several other results. It removes some of the nutrient rich water, to be replaced with either clean snow melt or the spring rains. It also gives the lake ample capacity to accept the potentially heavy spring rains without causing problems due to flooding. If we can believe the long-range forecast for the coming winter, we may experience a warmer but wetter season. So, it may be a battle! If the models are wrong, lake lowering can, to some extent, protect shoreline structures from ice damage.

But also important is that with the water level lower we have an excellent opportunity for those of us with lakefront properties to inspect the shoreline. Erosion is a constant issue that, over time, can degrade the integrity of a dock, rip-rap (rock wall) or seawall. Look for holes or other types of damage in erosion control structures and seek remedies to reinforce them. Reinforcement of shoreline barriers, confirming clear drainage channels, and checking dock supports and surrounding areas safeguards your property as well as the other residents of Lake Roaming Rock.

With the water level low, it also gives the opportunity to do some self-dredging around your dock and seawall. However, make sure that you or your properly registered contractor has obtained the proper permits from the RRA before proceeding.

The next installment will go over what happens as the water continues to cool and ice forms.

BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE

In Memoriam: Ed Baitt

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Ed Baitt. Ed and his wife Carol have been property owners since 1967. Ed was extremely involved in the community serving on the RRA Board for many years and many more with the Fishing Club. He was instrumental in getting the dredging program up and running as well as getting the maintenance garage and new RRA office off of the ground. The employees are thankful to Ed for always being someone who you could talk to if you had a problem and for helping them get health insurance. We will forever miss that twinkle in his eyes.

Obituary

Services for Edward C. Baitt, 82, of Roaming Shores, OH, will be Saturday, November 11, 2017, at 11:00 AM at Servants of Mary 6601 Ireland Rd. Windsor, OH, 44099. Friends and Family will be received from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Saturday before the service.

Ed was born on October 18, 1935, in Euclid, OH, and passed away on November 8, 2017, at home surrounded by his family. Ed was a graduate of St. Joseph High School and retired from City of Euclid. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus St. Mary Council #5589, President of Rome Rock Association, Member and President of the Fishing Club. He enjoyed spending time with his family, attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, playing the button box, and fishing.

He was a former custodian, Athletic Director and coach at St. Christine’s in Euclid. He was coach of Richmond Heights Football Team, and coach of many many youth basketball, football, and baseball teams. He was a High School Football official.

He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother who is survived by: loving wife of 61 years Carol aka Bert (Dobray) Baitt; sons Edward (Barb), James (Lisa), Michael (Lisa); sister Joann Smith; Grandchildren: Eddie (Emily), Nicole, Joey, Laura (Brandon), Brittany, Joshua, Julia, Michael.

Preceded in death by: daughter Theresa; parents Edward and Mary (Skerl) Baitt; sisters Marie Chesnic, Majorie Deason; in-laws Michelle Aster, Tom Dobray.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ed’s memory to the family to be donated to some of Ed’s favorite charities.

David C Brickman Funeral Home
29801 Lakeland Boulevard
Wickliffe, OH 44092
440-953-0505

Join the STARS!

It was a very busy first year for Roaming Shores’ newest club, the STARS (Social Times At Roaming Shores). In 2017 alone, the Club hosted Winter Fest, Dog Training Classes, Swim Lessons, the Community Garage Sale, the Mini Triathlon, a Reverse Raffle, Helicopter Rides, a Wine Tasting, and Casino Night. Additionally, the Club has taken on the responsibilities of funding and hosting the Annual Fireworks Display.

We would love to continue hosting these events and adding more as time goes on, but we can’t do it alone! We need volunteers to help plan and run events in order for them to come to fruition and be successful.

The Club will be meeting next on Wednesday, November 8th at 6pm at the Clubhouse. We will be planning events for 2018 during this meeting. If you’re interested in learning what the club is all about, or would like to share your ideas, or if you would like to get involved, this would be an excellent time to do so. Please mark your calendars!

Found: Inflatable Boat

This inflatable boat was found in a member’s cove. There was no lot number affixed. The owner can contact Terry Gilbert at tgilbert4@roadrunner.com.

Please remember that ALL watercraft on Lake Roaming Rock needs to be properly identified. Lot numbers need to be on all watercraft in 3″ numbers of contrasting colors.

In Memoriam: Nick Pahys, Jr.

Mr. Pahys was a longtime resident of the Shores. Our condolences to the family.

Nick Pahys, Jr., age 84, Howard Rd., Williamsfield Twp., died Tuesday evening at the St. Joseph Emergency & Diagnostic Center in Andover.

He was born May 18, 1933 in Cleveland, the son of Nick & Georgia (Zika) Pahys, Sr. and has resided in Ashtabula Co. the past 40 years, coming from Chesterland. Mr. Pahys was a veteran of the U. S. Marine Corp, serving in the Korean Conflict. He was married to Joanne Young on September 22, 1956 in Cleveland.
Mr. Pahys was a 1988 retiree from the Western & Southern Life Insurance Co. and was currently curator of the Presidential Museum in Williamsfield Twp. He was the Ambassador of Grand Eminence for the IBC and enjoyed playing pinochle.

Survivors include his wife, Joanne, two grandchildren and a sister, Alice Ramser of Avon Lake.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two sons, Nicholas, III & Mark, a daughter, Lecie Cargould, brothers, Tom & John Pahys and sisters, Eleftrea Pahys, Helen Kirchner & Zaferia Kloos.
Funeral services will be Saturday at 11:00 AM at the Jefferson Home of Fleming & Billman Funeral Directors and Crematory, 49 W. Jefferson St., Jefferson with Deacon Clarence Arnold of Peoples Missionary Baptist Church officiating. Burial will be in Morgan Union Cemetery with military honors offered by Geneva Post #6846 of the VFW.

Calling hours will be Friday from 5-7 PM at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Presidential Museum, 6585 Howard Rd., Williamsfield, OH 44093. Visit fleming-billman.com to view obituary, express condolences, send flowers or light a candle. The Fleming & Billman Funeral Homes and staff are honored to serve the Nick Pahys, Jr. family.

Real Estate Tax Meeting Recap

On Saturday, October 21st at the Clubhouse, the Association hosted a real estate tax meeting with Ashtabula County Auditor, Roger Corlett and Deputy Auditor, Dennis DeCamillo.

Mr. Corlett provided maps to the attendees that detailed which roads in Roaming Shores are owned by the county, townships, the Association, and Roaming Shores Village. The map also showed the boundary lines for school districts.

Regarding roads within the Village limits, Roaming Shores Village owns portions of Rome Rock Creek Road, Roaming Rock Blvd, Morning Star Drive, and Flame Lake Drive; Ashtabula County owns Rome Rock Creek Road; Hayford Rd, Knowlton, Callendar, Ketchum, and Sirrine are township roads; the remaining are private roads owned by the Association.

Residents are not currently paying a Village road tax. The Village does, however, receive monies from the gasoline tax, a portion of which goes toward road maintenance.  When registering your vehicle at the BMV, it is important to specify that you live in Roaming Shores to ensure the Village receives the funds from the gas tax as it shares zip codes with both Rome and Rock Creek. The Village also receives a portion of the real estate taxes paid by its residents for its general fund, the operation of the Village water works, and the police levy. All RomeRock Association members pay a road assessment in their Dues and Assessments. Public money has to go to public roads; private roads need to be financed privately. All monies for the repair and maintenance of the private roads owned by the Association come from the Association’s assessments. No Village or other public monies are used to pay for the Association’s roads The Village does pay the County to maintain their portion of Rome Rock Creek Rd. Should the Village choose, they can also enter into a contract with the Association for road maintenance of its other roads.

There are three taxing districts within Roaming Shores Village and everyone pays the same rate within a district, however, tax rates between districts are similar. In an effort to get more people to understand what is on their tax bills, the Auditor took some time to show residents how to navigate their website: www.ashtabulacountyauditor.org. Using the Ashtabula County Auditor’s website, residents can view many details about their properties including their current tax distribution, appraised value, access a copy of the current tax bill, and view neighborhood sales data. The auditor’s website also contains various GIS (geographic information systems) maps of the entire county. Taxes are charged in accordance to levies passed by the voters. Property owners can view this breakdown in their current tax distribution.

The Auditor and Deputy Auditor also took the time to explain to the attendees the process involved in conducting an appraisal. County appraisals differ from that of private or bank appraisals. The latest appraisal occurred in 2017, the next reappraisal will be in 2020. The Auditor’s office breaks Roaming Shores into 2 neighborhoods, on-lake and off-lake. During the last appraisal, all lots on the lake received the same percentage increase as determined by the State Auditor’s Office. In future appraisals, the Auditor’s office may take whether a lot is in an inlet or has a seawall into consideration. Physical characteristics and sales statistics are also considered during appraisals. According to the Auditor, homes on the lake are selling for about 25% more than their appraised tax value, while off-lake lots typically sell for about 8% more than their appraised tax value. There is more sales activity on our lake than in the county.

Those wishing to contest their tax valuation can file a complaint with the Board of Revision between January 1 and March 31. If you have any questions about your right to challenge the valuation of your property, you should refer to the Ohio Revised Code or consult with an attorney. The Board of Revision is formal hearing; however, the auditor’s office encourages residents to schedule an appointment with their office to speak to them informally. Reservations can be either by calling 440-576-1484 or on their website http://auditor.ashtabulacounty.us/dnn/Calendar. Please note that valuations are finalized in November. The deadline is ending soon.

President’s Comments Oct 2017 Board Meeting

October 5, 2017
By Tom Sopko

Board has voted to review how membership cards are used and required.  It doesn’t mean that any changes will be made.  What this does mean is that the Office has been asked to review membership cards.  The Board has asked that any proposed changes be made by January so as to allow time for communication and implementation. 

The Board was represented at the Ohio Lake Communities Association (OLCA) meeting at Lake Holiday in Willard OH.  As you may recall the OLCA is comprised of 22 lake communities like the RomeRock Association.  These OLCA meetings are a way for the Board to gauge how we compare versus other lake communities, and it’s an opportunity to share solutions to common problems.  Based on comparing your Lake Roaming Rock to Lake Holiday, we are in great shape.  Lake Holiday was very similar to the RRA. 

The Board and Dan Mullins met with Roger Corlett, the Ashtabula County Auditor on April 22, 2017.  Three important points that came out of the Meeting:  (1) no one in the Association is paying a Road Tax, (2) everyone pays about the same property tax rate regardless of whether you live on a Village, Township, County, or Association owned road.  (3) The Road Assessment paid to the Association is by virtue of each Association Member buying into the Homeowners Association.  Mr. Corlett will meet with the Members on Saturday, October 21, 2017, Clubhouse, 10:00am to 11:30am. Private meetings about your own real estate tax situation can be setup with Mr. Corlett.       

The Impact Fee.  The Impact fee of $1000, is a fee charged new property owners of the Association at the time of their purchase into the Association.  An Impact fee is intended to cover the cost to the Association that are directly or indirectly related to the transfer of ownership, including, without limitation, administrative expenses and contribution toward amenities that have been bought and paid for by monies collected from previous Members.  The impact fee available from 2016 property sales was $72,000, for 2017 it is estimated to be $90,000+.  Money from the impact fee goes to the Road Assessment, Amenities and the General Assessment Fund.  It has been suggested to eliminate that fee.  It is the Board’s suggestion that if you decide to eliminate the Impact fee, you also decide what you  are going to cut out or reduce, examples: pool maintenance, road maintenance, dredging, or snow plowing (examples).  Or do you want to increase dues/assessment about $70 to $80 per year to maintain what we currently have because that is what will be needed to maintain a balanced budget.

Our Financials are in terrific shape.  Although you just heard the financials, let me summarize them again.  We have approximately $198,000 in savings for which we are considering spending $50,000 on another barge to be used in the dredging.  Then we have another $233,000 available for maintenance and capital improvements for the balance of the year 2017.  The actual interest charge on existing loans has decreased through negotiating the refinance of existing loans, and the payoff period is the same.  The Board demonstrated in several publications that it was in the Association’s best interest, and the Association is you, to build an Office as opposed to renting.  Your Association Financials are in very sound shape. 

Public versus Private.  Most or all of us bought property in the Association either with knowledge of becoming and/or because we wanted to become part of a private lake community.  There are now people, some of whom are paying Members and some of whom are not members, claiming that we can maintain privacy even if all of the current private facilities and amenities were to come under the ownership and control of the Village, a public body.  The co-existence of a Village and an Association has been highly praised by other members of OLCA.  Other OLCA member communities have expressed their desire to have both a public Village and a private Association.  As an example: Hide Away Hills did away with their Dam Insurance because of the cost; each Member is now paying $4000 to pay for a $2.5million dam repair because of a Dam failure; this is because Hide Away Hills did not have a Village to help with the Dam insurance.  The Roaming Shores Village has served a valuable role in maintaining for the Community certain services that are typically provided by local government, including the Utilities, water and sewer, and the Police Force.  The Association has its role in the maintenance of its amenities and its facilities that are for the enjoyment of the members only as opposed to the public in general, including providing a venue for clubs and social activities. While it is easy to speak and write about eliminating the Association and turning everything over to the Village to be publicly owned and operated, the process to do so is a monumental complicated task.  While it always has been and remains the Board’s position that there is no good reason to eliminate the dual entities, those that call for abolishing the Association and turning everything over to the Village appear to have failed to think this process through or consider applicable Ohio law.  In order to sell or transfer all of the common properties owned by the Association for the private benefit of its members, the Board would require the approval of “75% of the voting power of the owners association.”  Even if the approval of 75% of the Members was not an insurmountable obstacle, the Board would not seek to eliminate the very association that was formed and has been maintained for the particular benefit of its Members. 

Lastly, there is no “free lunch”.  If an Impact Fee is not collected, either dues/assessments need to be raised or some amenity needs to be cut out or reduced.  If you think you want the Village as your sole management organization, then even assuming you can somehow garner the 75% approval to abolish the Association, you should first inquire extensively as to whether and how the Village can both raise the money necessary to maintain and acquire the facilities and amenities to which you have grown accustomed and maintain their privacy and exclude their use by non-residents.   If you want only the Association to operate without assistance from the Village, it may be necessary to increase dues/assessments to cover certain expenses such as the Dam insurance. 

Your Association has frugally and judicially used your money.  You can push to eliminate the Impact Fee and/or move to a single management organization, but you need to first fully understand the consequences and difficulties in doing so.  Just remember, there are things you get now that need to be paid for by either the Village or the Association.  There is “no free lunch”.   

2017 Roaming Shores Polar Bear Club Breakfast With Santa

By: Gayle Zirkle

Wow the Holidays are approaching fast! That means it is time for Breakfast With Santa, hosted by the Polar Bear Club.  This year’s event will be held on Saturday, December 9th from 9 am to 11 am at the Club House, located at Beach 1.  We would like to invite you to come have breakfast with Santa and tell him what you want for Christmas!  Every child will receive a gift from Santa when he arrives at 9:30 am.  You can also join in our other Christmas activities including decorating an ornament to take home.  The party is free to all children and grandchildren of Roaming Shores residents, age 12 and under.

We will be serving pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and mixed fruit.  We will also have an assortment of beverages.

Registration is required with a cutoff date of Saturday, December 2nd.  To reserve your seats, please email the Polar Bear Club at: joeythepolarbear@yahoo.com

When registering, please leave all of the following information:

  1. Number of Adults
  2. Number of Children
  3. Name, Age and Gender of each child

The Polar Bear Club will send an email confirmation that you are registered for the event within 48 hours.

Thank you and looking forward to seeing everyone there!  

Office Info:

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 8, Rome, OH 44085

Located at 1875 US Route 6, Roaming Shores, OH 44085

Hours

Monday – Friday
9am – 5pm
Saturday
9am – 1pm

Email Us.

Office: (440) 563-3170
Fax: (440) 563-5667

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