Fall 2014 - Area J Cooperative

Park Forest Cooperative III Area J
MANAGER’S COMMENTS
Dear Members,
FALL NEWSLETTER
2014
I am humbled and equally excited to be the new property manager for Area J. I attended the NAHC Convention this month becoming a Registered Cooperative Manager by passing a series of tests including ethics, business and the history of cooperatives. Even more beneficial were the networking contacts I
have made with numerous NAHC board members and property managers. Area J's board secretary, Stephanie Winston also attended as a first time board
member. She felt the conference was very beneficial and has great information to share with the whole board.
Hopefully most of you have met our new office manager Euricka Young. She joins us from Tailor Made Property Services in Chicago where she was the
property site manager. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Kaplan University and is currently going for her master's degree in
human resource management. We are delighted to have her on board.
Rosane Krumb has been doing a great job with sales. Her experience with sales in owning her own
company has been beneficial. We currently have three sales pending. Remember to visit our website
at www.pfcareaj.com to view current home listings.
Mayra Sims, our new administrative assistant, has an associates degree in applied science from Robert Morris College. She is extremely efficient and is always ready to help. In addition to working parttime, homeschooling her two young sons keeps her busy.
Congratulations to Melody Fusinski on her retirement. She is having the time of her life in Florida with
her children and grandchildren. Also, a farewell to Mike Young who has gone back into semiretirement. Mike is still a resident of Area J and is willing to help members out with appliance repair,
etc. There will be flyers at the office.
Tania , Euricka, Rosane, and Mayra
Daniel Haynes has accepted the position as our new maintenance supervisor. He is HVAC certified.
He comes with experience in plumbing and electrical. He joins our long time loyal maintenance team Al Roeder & Larry Karns who are ready to show him
the ropes. Issac Cruz obtained his EPA certification which makes him a strong asset to Area J for HVAC repair. He is now going for his HVAC certification.
Jeff Barry, our fearless grounds leader, is hard at work as usual. He, along with Sergio are ready to tackle the fall clean up. Sergio is very handy and can fix
almost anything. Please see the grounds corner for more details.
I would like to take a minute to remember Area J members Cathleen Weinberg and Joshua Oni who have passed away. Cathleen had been a member of
Area J since 1978, and Joshua since 2003. Our prayers are with their families. Please remember to look out for your neighbors. If you have any concerns
and cannot contact them, please call the office. We will attempt to reach them.
I want to thank the members who attended our budget meeting that was held here at the office. It went smoothly due to all the preparation that was put into
it.
●This fall we will start and complete the sewer lining project scheduled for this year. The lining of our main sewers is more cost effective than replacing the
actual mains. Our maintenance staff has seen a tremendous reduction in drainage issues since the implementation of this program.
●The siding project has been completed for this year. You can see the five newly renovated buildings: four in court J-2 and one in court J-3. These buildings also had nine of their front porch flat roofs updated to newly pitched roofs.
●The flat roof project is also complete with three medium and four small newly pitched roofs. This project will continue next year on a priority basis.
●Our water main replacement project has begun. The original galvanized pipes were replaced with copper pipes in a six unit building in court J-20. This
building had multiple clamps/repairs on the main. Our maintenance staff will prioritize the upcoming mains to be scheduled this fall.
●We are preparing to schedule the clean and check on all furnaces . Notice will be sent to each member with the date maintenance will be at your unit.
While they are already at your home, all batteries will be changed in your smoke detectors and your carbon monoxide detector.
●The office will send out a robo-call to all members when the gutters will be cleaned this fall. We try to schedule this after most leaves have fallen, but before a heavy freeze.
I want to thank everyone for their patience during our transition as well as during our capital improvement projects. If you have any questions, or need clarification on anything, please contact the office. We work for you, the shareholders of Area J.
Sincerely,
Tania P. Sylvester
Property Manager
Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 2nd.
Remember to turn your clocks back one hour.
Starting November 3rd our new office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Homes Sold/ For Sale/ New Members
There have been four units that sold since the summer newsletter went out: 3 two bedroom interior
units and 1 two bedroom end.
There are currently 28 units for sale in Area J.
We held an Open House on Saturday, September 20th. There
were many potential buyers that came and walked through our
open units.
Carrying Charges
Checks
The Thomas Family Court J-2
The Overall Family Court J-8
The Mayfield Family Court J-16
The Cerda Family Court J-2
Remember, there is a $500.00
finders fee if you refer someThank you to Don White, his committee, and all the volunteers
one to Area J and they purthat made the Open House a big Success.
chase a home here!
Please make sure
that the correct
address is in on
your carrying
charges check/
money order every month.
We are currently looking for new members and fresh ideas to
promote your area. Join the marketing team!
Please remember we must have an updated copy of your H06 Insurance policy on file in the office. You can ask
your insurance agent to fax the declaration over to us, when it renews each year. Our fax number is 708-481-9297.
The House & Grounds
Committee
Will Reconvene in the Spring .
Chairperson:
Janet Young
Please Check with the office for
any changes in meeting dates
or times.
The Marketing
Committee
meets the
2nd Tuesday of
each month
@ 7:00 p.m.
here at the office.
The Board of
Directors meeting
meets the
4th Tuesday of
each month
@ 7:30 p.m.
here at the office.
Marketing
Chairperson:
Don White
Board President:
Kitty Watson
Village Activities

A Household Hazardous Waste drop off event will take place from 10 AM to 3 PM this coming Saturday, October 25 th at
Peotone High School.
The annual Safe Halloween will take place from 3 to 6 PM in Downtown Park Forest on Friday, October 31 st. The hub of
festivities will be Dining on the Green. Trick or treating in the Village of Park Forest will be between 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Kids of all ages (Must be 96 years of age or under ) stop by the Area J office on October 31st for a treat, we will be
open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A Free Veterans Day concert is scheduled for 3 PM on Sunday, November 9th at Freedom Hall. Ava Logan and her band
will be performing as part of the program.
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Maintenance Minutes by Daniel Haynes
My name is Dan Haynes and I would like to introduce myself to Area J as the new Director of Maintenance. I return to my hometown with excitement as I begin this new chapter. My background as a supervisor in the healthcare , heating & air-conditioning, and the multi-family housing industry will be a
complimentary addition to the great maintenance staff that have been servicing Area J. I look forward
to being an integral part of maintaining the community which I once called home.
First Things On My List

November 3rd we will be checking furnaces. At this time we will also be
changing batteries in smoke and CO detectors. You will receive a notice when
you will be scheduled.

As your building is scheduled for the ongoing water main project, please know that we are working
together with a local plumber to make necessary repairs within buildings. Prior to your building being chosen, you will receive a letter from the office with detailed instructions on what to expect. We
really appreciate your cooperation during this time.

This being my first newsletter for Area J, I will end it with a “thank you” for this opportunity to help
keep Area J a great place to live!
Area J Maintenance Crew
Daniel (Director of Maintenance ), Larry, Al, Isaac, Jeff (Grounds Supervisor), and Sergio.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
KITTY WATSON
PRESIDENT
JOAN FRONTCZAK
VICE PRESIDENT
STEPHANIE WINSTON
SECRETARY
HOUSE COMMITTEE
BARBARA SCHOON
TREASURER
RENEE WARD
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
LARRY GARZA
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
PAUL NARCISI
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
OFFICE STAFF:
TANIA P. SYLVESTER
MANAGER
EURICKA YOUNG
OFFICE MANAGER
Grounds Corner
The cold winter, wet spring and the massive July 1st storm was
certainly a challenge for Area J Grounds. We lost many trees in addition
to those already lost to emerald ash borer. We have been planting trees to
replace those lost and continue to work on trees that were damaged from
the storm. If you are waiting for a replacement tree it will be planted this
fall or in the spring of 2015. Your patience is appreciated.
We are spending time, before the leaves start to fall, trimming
trees. We are going to be concentrating on Fir Street and Lakewood Blvd
areas. We will be disconnecting hoses on December 1st. If hoses are left
attached over the winter, the faucet will freeze and crack which can cause
basement flooding.
Many members are concerned about the surplus of mushrooms
growing in the lawn. This is the result of having a very wet spring/
summer and perhaps not having the best drainage in the soil. This does
not concern most landscapers, although the mushrooms could be unsightly. During a normal rainfall season this is not a problem, but there are a
few precautions you could take; avoid watering at night and have a core
aeration done to the lawn.
Members are responsible for bagging their own leaves using approved bags or stickers; or rake them onto the parkway 2-3’ from the
sidewalk or mall. Please do not include small branches, twigs or other
refuse as these items will clog the intake hose. Please do not put leaves in
the mall or parkway after December 1st.
We will be picking up leaves in all the common areas and we
ROSANE KRUMB
SALES
ELECTRONIC DISPOSAL
MAYRA SIMS
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Electronic items -- excluding televisions -- may be dropped off at Village Hall. Larger electronic items, like televisions, can be picked-up,
for a fee, by calling Vintage Tech, the electronic recycling company
servicing Park Forest, at 866-631-1707.
MAINTENANCE:
DANIEL HAYNES
DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE
AL ROEDER
LARRY KARNS
ISAAC CRUZ
GROUNDS DEPARTMENT:
JEFF BARRY
SUPERVISOR
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SERGIO TAPIA
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AREA J 294 LAKEWOOD
Thanks to all the Krotiak neighbors who came together, set up, contributed
potluck hot dishes, salads, beverages and desserts. They had a great gathering called the "Pop Up Potluck".