Fox Point Update: April 2022 Edition
- On March 30, 2022
President’s Letter
By Abe Ryder | Email
Greetings Fox Point Neighbors,
Hard to believe April is upon us and we are a quarter of the way through 2022. Despite only a few months into 2022, your Board has been hard at work gearing up for spring in Fox Point and has started to implement many of the planned activities budgeted for this year. In particular, at the March Board meeting, the Board passed many motions to continue to advance the health and enjoyment of Lake Louise and of course planning for more social activities. Please see the individual reports by Steve Kipferl and Rena Slovick for more information.
A few reminders as you read the rest of the newsletter: 1) speed matters – as temperatures climb in the spring, more children will be out playing and biking around the neighborhood, so remember to take the extra moment to slow down; 2) the annual Card Party will finally return on April 29th, and 3) volunteer with Board Committees to meet new people, make an impact and keep Fox Point thriving – you can email any Board member to learn more.
Our next Board meeting will be on April 18th via Zoom. An agenda with the Zoom link will be sent out roughly one week in advance via NextDoor from myself. We welcome your attendance. As always, we welcome ideas, suggestions and feedback as we all have a vested interest in this community we call home.
All the best.
Treasurer Report
By Kyle Powal | Email
Hi Neighbors!
The last time Fox Point conducted a reserve study was in 2017. The board approved an updated reserve study to be conducted in 2022. We have contracted with Reserve Advisors and the study will kick off in late May. The study will involve an in-depth review of Fox Point HOA assets in order to project their remaining useful life and the estimated costs needed to maintain, repair, and eventually replace such assets. The report will be a key resource for our future financial planning and will be available prior to the 2023 budget season. We look forward to working with Reserve Advisors this summer!
Safety & Welfare
By Bill Graff | Email
Well, they say spring has sprung, but from my home office, I don’t see that yet! That said, I do believe once this newsletter is distributed, we will all see the telltale signs of spring, flowers blooming, longer days, and a lot more activity in Fox Point, yeah!! This time of year reminded me to share a few things as neighbors that we will want to follow as we come out of hibernation!!!
When walking and riding our bikes, tricks, scooters etc… in FP, walk against the traffic flow, that is the safest and best manner to enjoy our neighborhood.
When walking our “four-legged friends” please remember to bring your bags with you, I don’t need to go further, you get the picture!! Also, use that flashlight or reflective vest during the dark hours, it makes a big, and important, difference!
Lastly, the speed limit in the neighborhood is 25MPH! Let’s all share that critical number with ALL the drivers in your household, new and old, so we can all continue to enjoy the safe streets of Fox Point!
That’s it for now, enjoy the rebirth of Spring, and always be kind and safe to your neighbors around you!
Tennis
By Mark Johnson| Email
Hi neighbors,
I assume everyone is prepared to enter Spring with Summer to follow in a few months!
Just raising awareness that I asked First Serve in the middle of March to install the nets/windscreens as soon as administratively possible. Based on weather conditions and resource availability, First Serve anticipates our courts being available around the first week of April – perhaps around the time of this month’s Fox Point newsletter.
We’re also preparing for the summer lesson schedule. Once the schedule has been defined, it will be made available via Next Door and likely an email blast. The sign-up process will once again occur within sign-up genius.
We’ll also be exploring the possibility of extending lessons to non-residents (with resident sponsors) to close out open session slots. More to come on this front.
Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.
Architecture
By Andrew Shwarz | Email
Fox Pointers – Time to dust off that lawn care equipment, as yard waste collection by Groot has resumed for the year. Please remember that a well-maintained lawn is our neighborly duty as it contributes to the beauty of our surroundings. Also, did you know that Barrington residents may dispose of organic material (ie, food waste) in their yard waste bins? Here is more information on the composting program and other information on waste collection. When possible, please try to store yard waste bins out of sight from the road on non-collection days.
On the topic of waste management, the Board has an update for homeowners regarding the discharge of basement sump pumps. Many FP homes were originally built with a connection between basement sump pumps and the Village’s stormwater pipe. Since that time, these connections were prohibited. Recently, the Village has indicated that it is once again acceptable to connect your sump discharge to the municipal stormwater pipe. This means that if you have an existing drain pipe for your discharge, you may be able to reconnect it. There are some nuances to the rules, including the potential of fees, so homeowners are advised to contact Village engineer Heather Lis for more information (hlis@barrington-il.gov; 847-304-3461). Thank you to Jeff Dahnke for this new information.
For questions or guidance on the approval process for any exterior alterations to your home or property, don’t hesitate to contact me via NextDoor or via email. Thank you!
Social
By Rena Slovick | Email
Fox Point March Madness
Brackets are locked and loaded! May the best (luckiest/most ridiculous) bracket win! We’ll post the winners in the newsletter and all social outlets!
Fox Point Card Party
The rumors are true! After a 2-year hiatus, the Card Party is returning to Makray on Friday, April 29th!
The Return of the Fox Point Card Party will take place at Makray Memorial Golf Club from 6 pm to 11 pm. Sign-ups will take place on Saturday, April 2nd at 9:00 am. This event does sell out so mark your calendars! Please note that there will be no refunds for cancellations that occur after 4/10 as we need to finalize the headcount with the venue. Cancellations received after 4/10 will either need to arrange for replacements or forfeit the full cost paid at sign-up. SIGN UP HERE
Details:
The game is “capture the flag” (similar to Euchre… ask someone from Indiana)
Date: Friday, 4/29
Time: 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Makray Memorial Golf Club
Schedule for the evening:
*6:00 – 7:00 Cocktail hour
*7:00 – 8:00 Dinner
*8:00 – 11:00 Card Game
*11:00 – Poor Life Choices at the Doodle
Your entry fee of $70 will cover dinner, dessert, and prizes. There will be a cash bar (credit cards will be accepted). Payments will be collected via Sign-Up Genius at the time of registration. You can pre-select your foursome or ask us to assign you to a team. When you register – please make sure your entire foursome signs up! You don’t want your group to fall apart because your teammates didn’t register!
Fox Point Easter Egg Hunt will be Saturday, April 9th at 9:00 am
Sign up HERE for the Egg Hunt!
**We need an Easter Bunny! If you lost a bet or have a teenager (community service hours?) willing to moonlight as our Easter Bunny for a couple of hours I know the kids would appreciate it! Please contact Rena via email.
Fox Point Swag
New to the hood? Need proof that you live here? Fox Point Social can fix that! There are a select amount of Yeti 30oz Tumblers, 20 oz Tumblers, Wine Tumblers, & Car Magnets in stock (aka in my guest room) Click on the SUG below to order. All drinkware is in Black & White (#barringtoncolors) etched with the Fox Point logo in Silver. Kids’ Water bottles are 12oz and are Red.
Lake Report
By Steven Kipferl | Email
Exciting news to report! The Lake Committee is an open invitation to any who may want to join. Our first meeting will be this Sunday at 12:30 pm (4/3/22) at the boat dock and should just be a nice way for folks interested in the lake to catch up on the happenings of the lake and what the plans are in store for this year and next.
This year is shaping up to be a very exciting year for the lake. We are finalizing our stocking plans currently and would like to lock in low spring rates for fish stocking. The goal with the fish stocking is to reestablish the fishery to what it once was several years ago prior to the big 2017 spring kill-off. We have already seen many schools of small shad-type fish in the Lake this spring and I am very excited that are small forage fish population is increasing despite the hunting pressures from the cormorants and other predatory waterfowl in the area.
Phoslock treatments will continue this year to help continue to drive the phosphorus down. We are considering adding a product called Eutrosorb bags which act as phosphorus absorbing filter bags to be placed up near the small pond and the inlet of the lake. While it is an interesting proposition, plans are not yet finalized to execute this and we are continuing to gather as much information as possible.
Goose nesting disruption will occur this Sunday following the Lake committee meeting. Once we complete this, we will be proceeding with a brush cleanup of the island that may or may not include a partial island burn. This will obviously be weather permitting. We are currently looking for volunteers to help with the island cleanup. Thank you to those who have already volunteered!
The boat dock is a project that we are definitely looking for volunteers to assist with as well. Currently, we are attempting to match boat owners with tags and dispense new tags shortly for the upcoming year.
As you can see there are a lot of projects to be done and community involvement will only make everything easier, cheaper, faster, and most importantly more fun!
See you on the water.
Civic Affairs
By Mark Villalovos | Email
We are so excited about SPRING! Time to mark your calendar for some awesome, local, annual events. Coming soon: Rising Stars Vocal Competition! On Saturday, April 9, Barrington’s White House will present the 2022 Rising Stars Vocal Competition, and once again provide opportunities for elite high school singers to perform musical selections and compete for cash prizes. Details HERE.
The warmer weather has many people out and about. Runners and walkers, have you heard of the Barrington Mother’s Day 5K? It’s the 12th annual event with a Rose and delicious cake pop at the finish.
Another fan favorite is the 13th Annual Barrington Art Festival. Happening on May 28th and 29th 2022. Don’t miss the Barrington Cultural Commission’s Community Art Project at this year’s Art Festival. Stop by the booth at Cook Street and Park Avenue near McGonigal’s and put your handprint on a tile to be made into a community mosaic called “Pillars of Strength” reflecting our experiences from the last year.
Time to get out and enjoy the many benefits of living in beautiful Barrington, IL!
