NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020

Don’t forget Farmstead has a website –there is a LOT of information about the Farmstead community and happenings on the page - log onto Farmstead Commons.com – if you need the Owners only password, please call the office at 358-0040. 

The Board of Directors and Management meet each month to discuss Farmstead happenings, planning, issues or requests. If you are interested in what is discussed, the minutes are posted on the website each month.   The Directors meet via Google Meet now so if you are interested in attending a meeting, you need to let my office know so you can be sent an invite.  The Board usually meets the 3rd week of each month, so letting us know in advance that you want to attend would be very helpful. 

The grounds maintenance for Farmstead was recently sent to bid. Bids were received and reviewed.  The Board voted to remain with White’s Groundskeeping for another 3 years.   We are happy to add that the new contract includes limbing of low hanging or dead branches (along walkways, near buildings etc) and the cleaning out of leaves and debris from the carport once per year!   In the spring all will be asked to have their cars out of the carports on a set day so this task can be completed – please be sure you comply so the work can be done in one day! 

Every year we remind residents that they should keep a bag of ice melt near the door for the times between treatments or when melt/freeze happens. This year, along with buckets in the carport, White’s Groundskeeping will be placing 5 gallon buckets of salt on each front stoop (two units share a bucket) to be used for sidewalk treatment by residents if necessary.  (You will need to provide your own scoop.)  Throughout the season if your bucket needs to be filled, just contact our office and we will have it taken care of! 

We are unsure how the annual meeting will be handled this year- delayed, in person or virtual.  To keep owners informed, soon all will be receiving a 2020 Farmstead update.   This report will reflect what was done in 2020, what wasn’t done in 2020 and what the plans are for 2021.  Basically this will review in a written document  all the pertinent information that would be conveyed at an annual meeting. 

It does seem that a January in person owners meeting will not be an option.  However, the Board is considering a virtual meeting of all owners via Google Meet or Zoom.  Please let us know what you think or if you have any suggestions on how to meet safely.   

Unless there is another State of New Hampshire “stay at home order”, some other form of increased interaction restriction or if we feel that it becomes unsafe;  Dennis should be available to assist with inside work in your home this winter.  If we decide to suspend his inside work, we will let everyone know. 

Winter is coming!!!   Please move your vehicles for the plows when they’re working on site so our parking lots stay clear and safe. During a storm they will continuously keep the driving areas open and sidewalks cleared. When the storm ends they will return for clean up – THIS is when you need to move your cars so all parking spaces can be cleared and treated completely.  Please remember that when you don’t move (1) you could be towed without any advanced notice – we don’t like to do that but have done it before and will do it again (2) even though you think it only affects your space when you don’t move, it affects the spaces on either side of your parking space as well.  When not able to be cleared or treated snow can freeze and become a lumpy uneven safety concern for all the neighboring spaces when a car isn’t moved. (3)  If you move your car later and the plows have to make a special trip to clear your area, you can be invoiced for the cost of the additional clean up return trip. 

When you move your vehicle you can park it in your carport (if it’s not already occupied.) You can also park temporarily in the “safe parking” area on the Entrance Road but return your vehicle to your usual parking space when White’s plows are done. 

And, while we’re on the subject of snow: if snow falls off the carport roofs, please call CBPM. White’s checks the property regularly, but snow can slide off at any time (even just after they leave) and we’d rather have four calls about fallen snow and get it removed than have the piles remain and freeze in place. 

AUGUST 2020

Don’t forget Farmstead has a website –there is a LOT of information about the Farmstead community and happenings on the page -  log onto Farmstead Commons.com – if you need the Owners only password, please call the office at 358-0040. 

Although it is August, the “neighborhood” bear is still being spotted at Farmstead. Please be sure your birdfeeders are removed and that no food or other enticing items are left on your front stoop or patio.  

As most of you are aware, a recent storm caused some tree damage throughout the property.  Several trees broke or fell onto common property and into the parking lot.  A large tree fell on Building 1 causing damage to two units.  This is being processed as an insurance claim and makes for an excellent reminder about Owner insurance responsibilities.  If an insurance claim occurs – all owners should have their own coverage for personal liability, personal belongings, any upgrades to the interior of the unit that the Association has not been notified of AND structure coverage in the amount of at least $10,000 (the amount of the deductible on the Farmstead insurance policy.)  When a claim occurs in your unit, you – as the owner – and your insurance carrier -would be responsible for the first $10,000 of any claim that occurs.  Check with your personal agent to be sure you are adequately insured.  

The tree damage to Building 1 has put a temporary hold on the painting of the building.  The work was about 80% complete – but is now stopped until all exterior siding, fascia and roofing repairs are made. 

The new roof was installed over Units 49-60 – Guyer & Sons Roofing did a great job –they were FAST and efficient!!   

Vermont Roadworks came and did some much needed asphalt repairs throughout the property - they filled all the potholes and made repairs – this work should hold until the final parking/driving area asphalt work is determined next year. 

L&G has locked in the rate for Propane for the 2020-2021 season. The price will remain at $1.39 for Farmstead customers. 

Please squish your trash to dispose of it and recycle correctly.  If you need a copy of the Recycling Guidelines, call us and we’ll be sure you get one ASAP. Have a large item you want removed? Call CBPM, we’ll arrange proper disposal and invoice you for the cost.  

The Farmstead Board of Directors has recently formed a Landscaping Committee to address the abandoned flower gardens around the property.  We have many beautiful flowers beds maintained by volunteers that contribute to the overall beauty of the Farmstead Commons grounds; however, the “orphaned” gardens need some attention.  We need to create a plan to either keep and maintain orphaned flower beds or have the beds turned back to grass. There are currently two Board volunteers on the committee; so, we are looking for some non-board homeowners to join us in an advisory role to help create the plan.  Volunteering will not take a lot of time.  Basically we need to:

• Walk around the property together

• Meet a couple times to brainstorm 

• Create a plan to submit to the Board for approval  

If anyone is interested, please reach out to Board members Judy St. Gelais at (603) 499-8534 or Lynda Sillner (603) 209-3119 as soon as possible (leave a message if no answer). There is a short time frame within which to complete the plan. 

Thank You! 

Landscaping Committee

Farmstead Commons Homeowners 

We need your help! The Farmstead Commons Board of Directors has recently formed a Landscaping Committee to address the abandoned flower gardens around the property. We have many beautiful flower beds maintained by volunteers that contribute to the overall beauty of the Farmstead Commons grounds; however, the “orphaned” gardens need some attention. We need to create a plan to either keep and maintain the orphaned flower beds or have the beds turned back into grass (🙁). There are currently two Board volunteers on the committee; so, we are looking for some non-board homeowners to join us in an advisory role to help create the plan. Volunteering will not take a lot of time. Basically, we need to: 

• Walk around the property together 

• Meet a couple of times to brainstorm 

• Create a plan to submit to the Board for approval 

If anyone is interested, please reach out to Board members Judy St. Gelais at (603)499-8534 or Lynda Sillner at (603)209-3119 as soon as possible (leave a message if we don’t answer). We have a short time frame within which we need to complete our plan. 

Thank you! 

JUNE / JULY 2020

I will be on vacation from Friday, July 17th to Monday, July 27th. The office will be up and running with both Courtney and Dennis available. Court has been here for more than nine years so she can usually handle anything. However, if you have an unusual problem that doesn’t need immediate attention, it might be easier to wait until I return.

The outside spigots are not for common use. They belong to the unit they’re near and those residents pay for the water used.

A reminder to all when recycling cardboard, please be sure to flatten the boxes and make sure it fits into the dumpster. If the container is full, please hold on to the cardboard until after the dumpster has been emptied – do not leave boxes or cardboard on the ground.

Even with the “pause” in work being done this spring Farmstead is getting quite a bit done – Units 49-60 have a new roof, Units 1-12 will be painted. Although the parking/driving areas will not have the “big” project done this year – the large holes and such will be filled shortly and those should hold until next year when the final asphalt plan can be determined.

It doesn’t happen often - but we do get emergency calls from owners locked out of their homes. CBPM doesn’t have a master key, so unless you have specifically given us a key to your home, we don’t have access. Good ideas for addressing this problem include giving a spare key to a trusted neighbor or keeping a hide-a-key in a safe spot such as your car, etc.

Now that the cooling season is upon us a number of residents have been asking about air conditioning units for their homes. The Farmstead Board of Directors approved four types of air conditioners: in-wall, portable, Mitsubishi and central a/c. The directors require the portable units to be vented using ¼ inch Plexiglas or Lexan to fill the open window gap with the hole cut for the hose near the bottom. Cheshire Glass charges approximately $100.00 for Plexiglas and Granite State Glass charges about $150.00 for Lexan. Carbone’s also offers a Plexiglas unit. The portable a/c unit with clear Plexiglas or similar material for venting of the unit is the only type that can be used in the front of the buildings. Owners wanting to install central air, a Mitsubishi or similar type unit, or a new wall unit will need to submit a request in writing to Management and obtain advance approval from the Board

At the recent Board of Directors meeting they voted to not hold a community Yard Sale this year. The decision was based on social distancing guidelines AND lack of interest and participation by residents in the past few years. Next spring, the topic will be revisited and we will send out a survey asking all who are interested and want to participate in a yard sale – if there is enough interest to start again we will.

Don’t forget Farmstead has a website – log on to Farmstead Commons.com – if you need the Owners only password, please call the office at 358-0040.

If you've lived at Farmstead for a while, chances are you've already provided us with your e-mail address so we can send you these newsletters and other important communications. However, if you're new here or you haven't already done it for some reason, please make sure we have it now. We'll only send you things regarding Farmstead. It's a more efficient way to get out information you need to know. It saves costs on printing, paper and delivery and you can also save a tree at the same time.

MAY 2020

Bears are still out. Please continue keep all birdfeeders in!! We will let you know as soon as it is ok to put them back out.

Although the Board and Management are not holding monthly meetings due to social distancing, we are communicating and keeping up to date via (almost daily) emails. If you have any questions or concerns at this time, please contact my office 358-0040 or email cbpmdiane@aol.com or you contact one of the Board members. Although I am not in my office every day, I am available by phone at all times and check my email regularly.

I’ve had a few emails and calls from residents of Farmstead concerned about other residents not wearing masks. Wearing of masks in public is not mandatory; however it is strongly suggested by NH Health Officials. Please practice social distancing while outside at Farmstead.

As the weather gets warmer, we would like to remind all that the common grounds are for the use of everyone, but please be courteous and considerate when outside. Children should avoid playing in front of neighbor units especially with balls, Frisbees, etc anything that could hit or damage a window, door or car. Bikes, scooters etc should not be ridden in the carports and no one should be playing or hanging out in carports (unless it is your own) at any time.

Although we are still on stay at home recommendations, Farmstead is moving along with 2020 repair and maintenance projects. A new roof will be installed on Units 49-60 and Units 1-12 will be painted this year. Roof work should begin at the end of this month and painting to start at the end of June. The road asphalt work is hold for a few reasons: (1) At this time, we would be unable to have a full ownership meeting to vote on the financing / funding of the work. (2) The banks we are speaking with about loans are inundated with PPP loans for small businesses. The two banks we are working with are very helpful and are gathering the information for us to review. (3) We probably won’t be able to gather the financial information and hold a meeting/vote in a timely enough manner to secure the vendor to have the work done this year. We will be sure to keep all owners posted as we progress and get closer to an informational presentation meeting being held.

The Board and Management however will be working with a vendor to make asphalt repairs throughout the driving and parking areas in 2020. Repairs to buildings will continue as time and funds allow. I am told a hunter carrying a rifle was seen walking behind one of the buildings, if you should see this happening again, please contact Keene Police 357-9815 or NH Fish and Game 352-9669. Here’s hoping everyone continues to stay safe & healthy!

MARCH / APRIL 2020

Although we are all cooped up at home, it really IS spring and the bears have woken up. In the past, bears have been seen in the back yard area and even on patios in search of food and can cause damage. Please take in all birdfeeders and other items that could attract bears to your patio or front stoop. We will let you know as soon as it is ok to put them back out.

In an effort to save some money, (as there is a cost for these to be emptied on a regular basis) the “junk mail” containers located at the mailbox shelter have been removed. Please take your junk mail and papers with you from the area and dispose of them properly. Farmstead has a recycle center area where many of these items can be disposed of.

A reminder to all that parking is allowed in assigned parking and carports only. Visitors are to park in guest spaces. At no time should anyone (owner, tenant, resident, guest or worker) be parking long term in/near the mailbox shelter sidewalk area or along the access road between Units 60 and 61.  This road must open at all times.
The Directors and I were planning the spring walk around the common property in April. This will obviously be delayed, When the walk does occur, we review the work that is needed to grounds and buildings If you see anything you feel needs attention, please contact my office and we can put it on the list to be looked at and addressed when we finally do get to meet.

Farmstead Commons has a website! Farmsteadcommons.com. There is a public section that anyone can view it shows basic information about the community. There is also an OWNER section that is password protected. If you would like the password, please contact my office.
A HUGE thank you to Owner, (and Board member) Schuyler Rice for all of his hard work and creative ideas for implementing and designing the website!!! It looks great – everyone should check it out!

Here’s hoping everyone stays safe & stays healthy!