SVE DEN Winter 2001-2002

Riverside Park

SVE received some terrific press coverage in the Antrim County News. The article which appeared with a photo of George Johnson and Bob Ricksger was published on November 7. The article is reprinted below.

Riverside park dedicated to former president

Custer Twp. – A private park at the intersection of Schuss Mountain Road and Cedar River Drive was rededicated as the George Johnson Riverside Park Oct. 27.

The park, which is owned and operated by the Swiss Village East Property Owners Association, was renamed in honor of the immediate past president of the Association, George Johnson. The park rededication was held in conjunction with the property owners’ annual meeting. Johnson served as president of the Association for over 25 years. He was the second president in the history of Swiss Village East (Sections 1-4) which was formed in 1970.

“George has been the backbone of this Association and small community, said Allen Wolf, the new association president. “George Johnson and Swiss Village East are almost synonymous. So it is truly fitting to name one of the most beautiful sites in all of Northern Michigan after such a beautiful person.” Of his many accomplishments, Johnson said he was “most proud of the paving of Swiss Village East roads in 1999.” The road paving project was the result of a great deal of hard work on Mr. Johnson’s part, along with the Antrim County Road Commission Manager Fred Hunt, Custer Township Supervisor Bob Ricksger, Kearney Township Supervisor Tim Comben, attorney Jim Young, and many others.

The roads have helped spark a new interest in the subdivision by local residents as well as developers as far away as Vermont. Of the 245 lots in the sub, 6 are in various stages of development. In addition to Cedar River and its plentiful rainbow trout, Swiss Village East boasts of 5 private parks for its residents. The sub has a combination of year-round residents and vacation properties.

Johnson’s permanent residence is in Beverly Hills, Michigan. He worked for Burroughs Corporation for 44 years until his retirement as corporate vice president for worldwide software and hardware support. Johnson and Mary, his wife of 52 years, enjoy their frequent visits to their vacation home.

“There is no place I would rather be,” Johnson said.

Custer Township Supervisor Bob Ricksger congratulates George Johnson in front of the new sign marking the George Johnson Riverside Park Oct 27.

New P.O. Box

Our P.O. box is now in Bellaire. The new Association address is: P.O. Box 793, Bellaire MI 49615. The old post office box in Canton has been closed. Be sure to send your correspondence to the new address. Our thanks to Jerry Sommer for regularly checking the box for mail.

New Entranceway Sign

We had reported in the last newsletter that the new sign would be installed in the Spring. To our surprise, Karen and Bill Law made it happen on the day of the SVEPOA Annual Meeting. It was thrilling to see.

The new entranceway sign looks spectacular. D&D Signs of Traverse City designed and built the sign. Karen and Bill Law did some of the landscaping as well and coordinated the entire project. Our thanks to Lonne and Irene Petroskey who permitted the Association to erect the sign on their property.

The sign logo is now the official logo of the SVE Property Owners Association.

Talkin’ Trash

Thanks to the efforts of Arnie Hurst, we now have a Swiss Village East trash dumpster on a trial basis.

There are a few rules:

Household refuse only.
Only items that fit in the dumpster are allowed!! Never leave any garbage outside the dumpster even if the dumpster is full.
No harmful chemicals, liquids, household furniture, or tires.
Consult labels on dumpster for more details.
Recycle when possible.
Report any problems to Arnie Hurst.

Keep SVE clean and beautiful!

Property Sale s

Roger Fulkerson and Karen Fulkerson bought Lot 4 on the river from their friends and neighbors Tim Stone who owns Lot 3. Both Roger and Tim attended the Annual Meeting. A big welcome to the Fulkersons and Stones.

New Officers Elected

The new board was elected at the annual meeting. Re-elected were Howard Benford, Doug Galbraith, and Wayne Koppe.

Newly elected is Sue Williams. Our thanks to Judy Ofiara and Lonne Petroskey, who also ran for Board positions. We are delighted to have more candidates than positions. In the future, we will do a better job of providing information in advance of the election regarding the availability of Board positions and info on the candidates. As we go to press, Ray Bertolini just informed us of his need to retire from the Board after many years of service. Ray is involved in launching a new company. He has been an active member of the Association and Board since the founding of SVEPOA. Our thanks to Ray for all of his efforts and we hope he will rejoin the Board at a future date. Ray’s successor will be a subject of our next Board meeting.

At the November Board meeting, the following officers were elected by the Board:

President—Allen Wolf

Vice President – Heidi Lang

Treasurer – Sue Williams

Secretary – TBD

Our thanks to our outgoing Vice President, Bill Law, our outgoing Treasurer, Wayne Koppe, and our outgoing Secretary, Howard Benford.

What Permits Do I Need???

By Heidi S. Lang

Soil Erosion/Wetland Protection Officer

Welcome to Swiss Village East! I am a resident of SVE; I am on your board; and, I am the soil erosion officer for Antrim County. With all the building activity going on in SVE, I thought I would take this opportunity to explain what permits might be needed if you are building a home.

a) driveway permit - Antrim County Road Commission 587-8521

b) septic/health permit - Antrim County Health Department 533-8670

c) building permit - Antrim County Building Department 533-8373

d) soil erosion permit - maybe - Antrim County Conservation District 533-8363

e) wetland/inland lakes and streams permit - maybe - Department of Environmental Quality www.deq.state.mi.us/lwm 989-775-3436.

This list is not meant to be all inclusive, but it is a start.

When is a soil erosion permit needed?

1) Whenever earth/soil is moved within 500' of a river, lake, regulated wetland, or other environmentally sensitive area, a soil erosion permit is needed.

2) Any earth change of an acre or more, regardless of location, needs a permit.

Why is a soil erosion permit needed? We want to keep the dirt in place so it does not cause problems. We also want to help people understand HOW to keep the soil in place.

1) safety - ever hit a patch of sand on the road and have it give you trouble when driving?

2) health - soil moving off site into water bodies can carry pollution - contaminating the water supply

3) cost - dirty water has to be cleaned before it can be used

4) pleasure - soil moving into the rivers and lakes, can fill those water bodies and reduce navigability

5) fishing - sediment in our streams covers spawning beds, loads the streams with sediment increasing their temperature which hurts our cold water fisheries (trout streams), and carries pollution into the water possibly killing fish and the macro-invertebrates the fish eat.

6) There are many other reasons soil erosion must be eliminated or controlled, but I believe the most important reason for the soil erosion permitting process is to help people understand “Why?”

The above rules and reasons are not meant to be all inclusive, but are meant to be a good common sense guide to get property owners thinking about the right things and asking the right questions. Call the above number if you have ANY questions at all. The permitting process is an opportunity to learn what to do, how to do it, and why. All of our drinking water comes from ground or surface waters, and if the sources of water get contaminated and are made unsafe, then we are not safe. As soil erosion/wetland protection officer I get the opportunity to help people understand why they have to have a soil erosion permit, and if the work they want to do is within an area regulated by the State. I can help them through the DEQ permitting process or discuss alternatives with them so they don’t have to go through the DEQ process. rmits may be a pain in our sides, but in order to protect our resources for future generations, the educational process that is associated with the permitting process is important!

Property for sale

Bill Badamo is listing Lot 71 on Cory Court. He is willing to sacrifice at $5800. Call (810) 286-3944.

If you have been to SVE in the past year then you couldn’t help but notice the delightful log cabin build on Lot 52 on West Village Drive. That home is owned by Kurt & Kelley Shoecraft and was built by John Apfel. John is at it again. He has purchased Lot 75 just off of West Village Drive on Cory Court. This new project will be larger than the Shoecraft home. If you are interested in possibly buying this new home, contact John atSchwingvt@aol.com.

Bob and Gale Davis are selling lots 134 for $5400. It won’t last long at that price. Contact them at: galebob@wmis.net

http://www.swissvillageeast.com/svemap.htm

Thinking About Building?

If you are thinking about building on your lot or making modifications, be sure to carefully read the Use Restrictions. They are available on our website or by contacting Karen Law. Building restrictions will be strictly enforced.

There are presently at least 6 construction projects in various stages in SVE.

Board Members

Allen Wolf, President (248) 737-3708

Heidi Lang, Vice President (231) 587-8244

Sue Williams, Treasurer (734) 475-1684

Howard Benford (248) 338-6315

Phil Bertolini (248) 858-0810

Doug Galbraith (248) 363-2518

Wayne Koppe (734) 451-0816

Bill Law

Jerry Sommer (231) 587-8316

Mother’s Day Weekend Festivities

May 12 is Mother’s Day. Bring mom to SVE for the weekend. It will be great fun.

The Association is planning a canoe trip down the Jordan River on May 11. The canoe trip will include lunch along the River. The Board will hold its monthly meeting at 5:00 PM. In the evening we will have an Association dinner. Dinner will cost $8/person. (Why should mom have to cook??) Free for children 12 and under.

Meeting Schedule

All residents are welcome to attend Board meetings. They are held simultaneously at SVE and downstate. The schedule for the remainder of year is:

April 10 7:30 PM

May 11 5:00 PM

June 12 7:30 PM

Contact Allen to confirm location.

Water Line Being Installed

Water lines and hydrants will be installed along Cedar River Drive by Custer Township. The water line has already been

installed around Schuss. The Township received Federal funds to help pay for this program. Unfortunately, this program is not

being extended North of Cedar River Drive. Owners interested in hooking up to this water line in lieu of digging a well

can do so for a reasonable cost (under $2000 I believe). This is far cheaper than digging a well.

Visit us on the Web at: www.swissvillageeast.com

SVEPOA ANNUAL MEETING

October 27, 2001

Northwoods Lodge, SVE

(Also at the home of Sue and John Williams, Chelsea)

President Allen Wolf called the meeting to order at 10:30 AM. Prior to the meeting there was a gathering at Riverside Park, where it was rededicated as George Johnson Riverside Park, in honor of our past president. A stone plaque has been placed.

President's Report. With regard to dues collection, our expenses include roads, parks, meetings, and communications; the obligation to pay dues is included in the property restrictions. The placement of liens on properties of non-payers has been successful in increasing collections, as has the amnesty program. Local realtors and title companies are cooperating.

A new entrance sign is being installed on the day of this meeting. Thanks to Bill and Karen Law for arranging for it, and to Lonne Petroskey on whose property it is being placed.

Allen recognized the architectural committee: Jerry Sommer, Bill Law, Doug Galbraith, and Heidi Lang; the beautification committee: Karen Law; and the retiring treasurer, after 25 years, Wayne Koppe.

Sue Williams has volunteered to be treasurer. Annette Nevarez has volunteered to research playground equipment for a park.

The Association's $1M insurance policy has been switched to a local State Farm agent, at a 25% savings.

Financial Report. A detailed report will be in the next newsletter. The current balance is $36,245. Allen distributed a list of proposed projects and budget; one notable project is a boardwalk for the George Johnson Riverside Park.

Water Main. Custer Township intends to install a water main and fire hydrants along Cedar River Drive. This is in response to the TCE plume which has been spreading northwest from Mancelona. There is, however, no evidence that the plume has crossed the Cedar River.

Architectural Committee Report. Concern was expressed about the modular home which is currently lacking the enhancements proposed to, and required by, the committee. These include decks and a garage. The owner has said they will be added later. The committee is working with the owner to expedite improvements.

Jerry Sommer outlined the rules which the committee enforces. Bill Law pointed out that changing architectural rules requires a two-thirds vote of the POA. It was proposed that the architectural restrictions be published annually in the newsletter and included in new owners' packages.

Election of Directors. After a problem with the mailed-out ballots was resolved, the election results were announced. Elected are: Wayne Koppe, Heidi Manning, Sue Williams, Howard Benford, and Doug Galbraith. Our thanks to outgoing Director, Arnie Hurst.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:20. Lunch was then served.

Howard Benford

Proposed 2002 Projects/Budget

ITEM

Rough Estimate

SVE Logo (stationery, envelopes, sweatshirts)

Stationery

$500

Sweatshirts

$1,400

George Johnson Riverside Park improvement

$5,000

Children's Park

$5,000

Garbage Service (trial basis)

Enclosure

$500

Collection

$900

SVE Brochure

Design

$400

Printing

$500

SVE Map with properties for sale

Legal services

$5,000

Shoulder, Tree & Ditch Maintenance

$3,000

Road Maintenance (brushing, plowing)

$500

Insurance

$800

Social / refreshments

$1,000

Beautification

$1,000

Newsletter

$1,000

Miscellaneous (phone, supplies)

$500

$27,000

Ongoing Budget Items

ITEM

Rough Estimate

Garbage Collection

$900

Legal services

$2,000

Shoulder, Tree & Ditch Maintenance

$3,000

Road Maintenance (brushing, plowing)

$500

Insurance

$800

Social / refreshments

$1,000

Beautification

$1,000

Newsletter

$700

Miscellaneous (phone, supplies)

$500

Total

$10,400

Contact Sue Williams if you have questions.

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