President’s Letter

By Jeff Janssen | Email
309-846-0250

The new Fox Point Board is “springing” into action with our plans for 2017.  The Social Committee is completing the social calendar for the year and finalizing our plans for our annual Fox Point Card Party on March 11^th.  In addition, we are already making preparations for the upcoming pool season. 

 Our February Fox Point Board Meeting was productive on multiple levels including training for our new Board members and an in-depth discussion on potential projects for 2017.  Lynn Douglas updated us on the new Fox Point Website (great “click” results) and recommended how we could better use our Fox Point News  to keep our neighbors informed.  

We decided to extend an invitation to a representative from the Village of Barrington to come to one of our upcoming Board Meetings to update us on village infrastructure projects and answer specific questions relating to Fox Point (e.g. reduce speeding).  In order to avoid any perceptions of conflicts of interest, we will schedule their visit after the local election cycle (April 4th election).  As always, you are invited to join this meeting or any of our upcoming Board Meetings. 

If you are a consistent reader of my President’s letters, you may have noticed a consistent theme of appreciation for the blessings that this area provides.  Hopefully, you agree with my optimistic assessment of where we all have chosen to live.  Please accept my invitation to join me in sharing your thoughts by completing the following statement, “What I love about this area is …”  Maybe it is sitting poolside as you watch your toddler.  Maybe it is lounging on the patio at the new pizzeria in town.  Or maybe it is grabbing a donut at the local bakery.  Any positive note is welcome.  Please send to Jeff@TeamJanssen.com or if you prefer a more public setting, make a post to Nextdoor.com.

Please let us know if we can be of service to you.  Your Fox Point Board is committed to working to ensure that our community continues to be an outstanding place to grow families; to build relationships: and to simply experience the blessings of life.

Treasurer’s Report

By Lynn Douglas | Email

2017 Annual Dues

The 2017 Annual Assessment is $975 and payment is due by March 31, 2017.

Invoices have been mailed to all owners of record. If you have not received your invoice, contact me and I will arrange for another one to be sent to you.

Payment may be made by check or Visa Card (third party fees apply). 

The invoice also requests you disclose if your property is an owner- occupied or leased/let to a third party. If leased/let, please provide the names, contact information, and term of an arrangement. This will enable the residents to use Fox Point amenities and participate in the “pay for use” Social and Competitive Water Sports Programs.

Payment may be made by check or Visa Card (third party fees apply). 

Visit the Annual Assessment page for payment options

2017 Annual Fox Point Card Party

Saturday, March 11th at Barrington Hills Country Club

The event has been sold out for a few weeks now but we welcome anyone to the wait list and will work to get everyone playing at the event. To get on the waitlist please drop off a check made payable to Fox Point Social for $45 a person. Drop off at 100 Old Mill Road. Questions please contact Doreen Colletti Muhs (Email).

Social

By Stephanie Paine | Email

I am thrilled to be the new Fox Point Social chair!  Thanks to everyone who attended the 2017 Social kickoff meeting at my home last weekend.  We evaluated the 2017 events calendar and made a ton of progress on committees – many of your favorite events will be recurring, and we have a few new events to highlight.  New events include a Venetian Night on the lake, spearheaded by Jeff Dahnke, and the “Tennis and Tinis” round-robin event to be coordinated by the Mickeys.

Below is a summary of all 2017 events and the event chairs – final dates are listed if they have been selected.  If you would like to assist with any of these events, please reach out to me or to the event chair.  Additionally, please reach out to me if you would like to assist with any of the chair or committee needs highlighted in yellow below.

March 11 – Card Party, chairs: Doreen Colletti Muhs & Julie Gwiasda

April 8 – Easter Egg Hunt, chair: Jodi Johnson 

May-Fishing Derby, chairs: Brian Meier, Brian Paine

Memorial Day Weekend Pool Kickoff – Pig Roast, need chairs & committee members

June 24 – Tennis & Tinis, chairs: Christine & Brian Mickey (need committee members)

Family 5k – chairs: Jen Fleming, Kristin Cannon

Teen Nights at Pool, need chairs

July 4th – Pool Games, need chairs

Adult Pool Party – Stacy Boyum, Emily Colon, Lindsay Keenan

August Campout – Chairs: Mike Fleming, Greg Paris, Mike Demucci

September 9 – Movie Night  Chairs: Lindsay Keenan and Emily Colon

September 16 – Garage Sale, chairs: Rena Slovick, Cara O’hara

September 23 – Golf Outing, chairs: Marc & Doreen Muhs

Venetian Night on the Lake, chair: Jeff Dahnke & Marc Muhs (need committee members)

October Fall Fest – chair: Rena Slovick (need committee members)

November Progressive Dinner – chair: Allison Meier

December Santa Visits – chair: Jen Livingston

January 2018 Ladies post-holiday social – need chairs  

Pool

By Horace Seely-Brown | Email

As the new pool chair, I want to first thank Tammy Kerr for her prior service in the role and her efforts in making a seamless transition. Her tireless contributions certainly didn’t go unnoticed by the many of us that frequented the pool over the past few years!
 
Taking on this new role has opened my eyes to the vast amount of work that is required to prepare for the season ahead. Over the next few months, we will confirm the pool hours and scheduling with the various organizations that utilize the pool, put a plan in place to track usage so in the years ahead we can optimize pool hours, and discuss ways to enhance the overall experience of the pool (mainly the pool house!).   New pool furniture has been ordered and should arrive in plenty of time for the new season. With regards to the old furniture, we are putting a plan in place to sell (in bulk if possible) to a neighboring community which should help offset some of our costs.
 
All of this work cannot be done alone and should anyone feel a passion for the pool and want to get more involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I can be reached at hseelyb@gmail.com. Additionally, if you would simply like to share ideas and improvement suggestions, I am all ears! The pool was one of the main factors that first drove my family to the neighborhood and I am passionate about preserving and further improving its integrity.
 
With the “false Spring” weather we are having recently, it certainly feels like pool season is right around the corner. I have to remind myself we still have three months to get our preparations in order!

Architecture

By Marc Muhs | Email

Friendly reminders as spring improvements start to take shape to please have your FPHA architecture paperwork to me before our board meetings which are always the third Monday of the month. I need them by at least the Friday prior so I can take the time to review it, stop by if need be and do follow up with you if there are questions.

The form must be completely filled out and have neighbor signatures before I will review it.  Forms handed it after that Friday will not be reviewed and discussed at the upcoming meeting but will be discussed the following month. This can delay your project so please adhere to the deadlines. Forms can be found on our website.

There were no approvals done at our February meeting to update everyone on. As projects are approved monthly I plan to continue to let all homeowners know.

Finally, as stated in prior newsletters we are asking residents that are putting up signs of any sort on their lawn (elections, contractors etc) to please only keep them up for a reasonable amount of time to keep the aesthetics of Fox Point as high as possible.

If you have any questions please contact me.

Tennis

By Christine Mickey | Email

Plans are underway for a great 2017 Summer Tennis Season at Fox Point!

We are super excited to bring back First Serve Management Company to manage the Fox Point Tennis lessons and tournaments once again this year.  More information will be coming soon regarding adult lessons, cardio tennis, men’s and women’s leagues and children’s tennis lessons.  

If you love tennis and want to help plan some Fox Point Tennis events, I am in the process of forming a tennis committee.  Please email me at christinemickey@gmail.com if you are interested in joining!

Save the date for the Fox Point Tennis and Tini’s Party on June 24, 2017. 

Wear your tennis whites and play in a round-robin tennis tournament or simply come and socialize with your Fox Point neighbors and enjoy a martini.  More details to come!

Common Grounds

By Mike Moran | Email

As we approach spring our team is gearing up for another busy season in Fox Point.

The landscape team will be out in full force as soon as the weather allows and will provide the spring clean of the neighborhood which includes seed repair throughout the area, mulching the common areas, as well as replacing mulch in the playground area as needed.  My guess is we will start to see them in late April or early May.

This year we have budgeted for a number of projects in the neighborhood.  At this point, we are putting together the suggested course of action for each project and will bring it to the board for approval.  

Here are a few of the project that are on the table for this spring/summer:

• Tree trimming in the pool/tennis court complex.
• Removal of one dead parkway tree next to the pool (removal provided by the City of Barrington – I hope!!).
• Replacement of the picnic tables at the boat dock area.
•  Upgrading of the two lights and light poles at the boat dock area.  These would be the two extremely small fixtures sitting on top of the black poles. • Painting of the playground equipment at the pool/tennis court complex.
• Additional plantings potentially at the entrance and boat dock areas.

I have also been asked about the gas lights by a few folks in the neighborhood recently. These are actually owned & repaired by the Village of Barrington.  We try to keep an eye on them and let them know when they are in need of repair but at the same time, they seem to do a pretty good job of having staff come through Fox Point on a regular basis and repair them.  If you should ever see any of them in need of repair, please let us know and we will make contact with the Village.

Lake

By Geoff Ommen | Email

The early thaw and warm spell have brought the fishermen out to the lake.  It looks doubtful that we will get a full freeze over once again, much to the dismay of the ice fisherman.  There are several things going on with the Lake Committee that I wanted to update you on.

First off is the updating of the Flint Creek watershed plan.  Every so often the different watersheds need to update their plans with various government agencies.  It has been about 10 years since Flint Creek’s plan was updated, so they have taken on the task of updating it.  Lake Louise, being part of this watershed, is going to work on updating their plan as well.  The benefit is two-fold: we get a revised roadmap for what needs to happen to the lake and we become eligible for government matching funds for various initiatives that we undertake.  If we do not put initiatives into the Flint Creek plan, our opportunities for matching funds and grants goes down.  Jeff Dahnke and Henri Kokke have volunteered to be at the forefront of this project to work with the Flint Creek watershed.

Our portion of Flint Creek (runs parallel to N. Valley) will be undergoing more erosion control efforts this year.  Our vendor, Trillium, will be out along the beds periodically working on protecting native plantings, removing invasive plantings and changing the flow of the creek to prevent further erosion.  If a homeowner along the creek has specific concerns about things happening along their shoreline, please feel free to contact me.

The boat docks and landing area are going to be worked on a bit this year.  Mike Moran (common grounds) is working on replacing the picnic tables so that they are a bit more functional.  I will be working with homeowners based on last year’s “Float Your Boat” campaign to get older/unused boats removed from their locations.  This should allow us to get ample space for newer residents to store their boats for the upcoming season.

The lake committee is also working on trying to increase usership of the lake by looking into different social events.  We have proposed setting up a Venitian Night in the late summer and are looking at some other potential activities.  If you would like to get involved with organizing events on Lake Louise, the Lake Committee is ready to welcome and support you.