President’s Letter

By Abe Ryder | Email

Greetings Fox Point Neighbors,

We are already a quarter through the year – incredible how time passes by so fast and we are turning the corner on the weather. Soon, we will be talking about pool and tennis season. AND the annual Card Party set for April 28th is just around the corner. That is such a fun night where neighbors emerge from winter hibernation to have a great evening of camaraderie and fierce, but friendly competition. Maybe this year, I will finally get the right cards in my hand! My hopes are not high, but I can always dream!

Election season is here again. A couple reminders as we conclude this round of elections: 1) please remove candidate signs from your yard promptly after the elections on April 4th as a courtesy to the neighborhood and 2) the Fox Point Homeowners Association does not endorse any political candidate or position and as such candidate signs are not allowed on Fox Point Common Grounds. We greatly appreciate neighbors keeping signage on their private property. Thank you.

The March Board meeting was incredibly productive with many motions regarding the lake and social activities being passed. See Steve’s and Melissa’s reports for more details. Know that your Board continues to have robust discussions and debates to ensure that social activities pull in as many in the neighborhood as possible and that Fox Point Association monies are spent wisely with a long-term viewpoint on our assets in mind.

As the monument wall project concludes, we begin to plan for the replacement of the wooden fence along Lake Cook Road. The timing is to be determined, likely in 2024 or 2025. As a reminder, the Fox Point Homeowners Association has a ten-foot easement on both sides of fences adjacent to Lake Cook Road. Each homeowner is responsible to keep these fences clear of obstacles. As you begin your spring-clean ups in the yard for those along Lake Cook, please examine and remove anything directly adjacent to the wooden fence to maintain the structural integrity of our fence.  Homeowner obligations are outlined in our governing documents. See Article Four, paragraph four, “Declaration of Easements, Restrictions and Covenants”. This paragraph outlines the homeowner’s (referred to as “Lot Owner”) responsibility of maintaining this easement and clearing his or her property of any obstructions including trees and shrubs. As a reference, see the link HERE to our bylaws.

Our next Board meeting is scheduled for April 17, 2023, at 7 PM at the Village Church. As always, we welcome ideas, suggestions and feedback as we all have a vested interest in this community we call home.

Architecture

By Andrew Shwarz | Email

The Board has agreed and aligned to the idea of creating a more permanent shoreline at the Boat Landings area, and preliminary quotes from vendors are being reviewed against our 2023 budget allocation.  The goal is for these shoreline improvements to be undertaken sometime this year.

Of course, if you are considering any exterior home improvements, please contact me to understand if the project needs to go through HOA Board approval. Thanks and happy spring!

Safety & Welfare

By Bill Graff | Email

Spring is here, well kind of!  I’m sure you are getting your to-do list together to get your home ready for the fun that we call Chicago spring, hahaha! I have been working on my spring Fox Point To-Do list and already have a few things checked off!!!

Here they are…

1. New striping for the school walk will be done between April and June!  This will help those using the path to be safe and REMIND those dropping off their kiddos to please obey the rules!
2. Per the Village leaders who manage our street projects, the following road work will be completed this summer. Red Barn Lane from Old Mill Court to Old Mill Road will be completely repaved. There will also be some select curb and storm structure repairs as needed.  The exact day when this will begin is being scheduled now with the village engineers, and updates will be coming from the village and noted in this section of the newsletter.
3. Lastly, as a gentle reminder, actually not so gentle, light your lamp posts, please! The winter may have done damage to your light post and here is a vendor that many of our neighbors use to assist in this task. Grove Products – ask for Steve the owner 847-639-2544.

Well, that’s it for this month!  Enjoy the balmy 40’ weather, or what we call Spring, and have a wonderful Easter!!

Tennis Report

By Taylor Shanfeld| Email

Hello Fox Pointers! The tennis nets and windscreens will go up this month. I will notify everyone via NextDoor and Instagram once they are installed.

Our previous tennis lesson provider, First Serve, is no longer available for tennis. We are excited to partner with Barrington Area Tennis Association (BATA) to provide kids tennis lessons on our courts this summer! Lessons will likely be on Monday and Wednesday afternoons to avoid conflict with swim meets. More information to come in the next month or so.

For the adults, we are looking at forming a league for match play. If you are interested, look for a sign-up to join a team in the near future.

Another piece of very exciting news is that First Serve has offered to run an instructional Pickleball league on our 2 new Pickleball courts. This will likely include a half hour of instruction followed by an hour of play with Dana of First Serve to help with questions and strategies. Per Dana, Pickleball is a very easy sport to learn, and playing and learning strategies are key in the beginning. The plan is for there to be an online registration with payment required on the day of play. The tentative schedule is Tues/Thurs mornings and one evening each week.

Thank you to those of you who have responded to the Tennis/Pickleball Interest survey! I’d love for you to fill it out if you haven’t already. Find it HERE.

Please reach out to me with any questions or suggestions!

Social

By Melissa Pohl | Email

Are you guys looking forward to the Easter Egg Hunt (4/8) and Card Party (4/28)?  We are too!

If you opted in for our Social Event newsletters, links to the sign-ups are in your inbox, and look for details on all Fox Point social media! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and NextDoor, and never miss out on important updates.

A huge thank you to our card party committee members —Jen Moore, Tanja Trainor, and Kristin Powal—and Easter Egg Hunt volunteers Jeana Garms and Lindsey Knupp for your help! If you have the desire to help or volunteer for an event, email directly to social@foxpoint.org.

Some newsletter-worthy updates:

Our social media account is now private to enhance neighborhood security. Be sure to message me directly if you request to follow us so I can confirm your name and address.

The date is TBD but soon all events and meetings will be available on our website on foxpoint.org. We hope that makes it easier for you to access all our current event information.

Our neighborhood kids’ triathlon is set for 7/16! Mark your calendars and more information will come out soon!

Our dolphin swim team committee is underway planning and prepping for the summer season! Sign up your 5+ dolphin and be sure to message swimteam@foxpoint.org to volunteer for water polo and the dive team and ask your questions.

Lastly, we have a lot of fun things in the works coming up including a Summer Wellness Series featuring yoga and fitness classes, Fox Point Progressive Dinner, Friday Food Trucks, Flix and Floats, BBQs by the lake, and more! Stay tuned! And as always, reach out to social@foxpoint.org with any input, questions, or ideas – or to volunteer!

Common Grounds

By Jay Roberts | Email

Hi neighbors!  Every day we keep getting closer and closer to Spring!

Now that the warm weather is finally getting closer, we will start to implement and finish the final phase of the monument wall project.  All that is left at this point is the new landscaping that will be added in front of each wall.  The design will be drawn up to highlight the new walls, be drought resistant, and add some color during the seasonal changes.  It will be similar to what was there before but will not completely be up against the walls.  This will help to keep our new drainage system free of debris and be easier to maintain the overall structure of the walls down the road.

This should be completed by mid-May once this phase is started.  Once the new landscaping is implemented, this will finally complete the monument wall project.

Though it’s been a long and sometimes frustrating process, I feel we’ve provided the best overall solution in terms of cost, keeping our original structures in place, and implementing some changes that will continue to protect our investment down the road.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Civic Affairs

By Mark Villalovos | Email

Do you hear that?  What’s that sound?  Oh, a lawn mower.  The distinctive sights, sounds, and smells of Spring are here! Please remember our Fox Point Good Neighbor policy on the website under “A 50-Year Tradition of Good Neighbors (HERE) and fire up those mowers and leaf blowers at 8:00 am or later. 

Website Update

Your FoxPoint.org website is getting more interactive.  Never miss a Board Meeting again as the schedule for the remainder of 2023 is available HERE. Keep an eye out for even more social events being added here as your Board works to publish all exciting Fox Point information in one place.

Time to brush off those cobwebs and get back out into the community! A couple of notable events occurring in Barrington soon:

“I Knew I Belonged When…”: An Evening of Storytelling

April 28th, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm at the White House. Amateur and novice storytellers alike are invited to step to the microphone and share their personal tale relating to our theme of “I Knew I Belonged When…” Tickets and more information HERE.

Lunch and Learn: Birds of Barrington

May 17th, 11:30 – 12:45 pm at the White House. Don’t you just love those winged wonders that grace us with their presence every Spring?  Join local naturalist Wendy “The Nature Lady” Paulson as she explains the many beautiful birds that live in and around Barrington. For the intrepid, there’s also a little hike that follows. More information and tickets HERE.

Farmers Market Fail?

This year, the future of the Farmers Market is uncertain and the Village of Barrington is gathering community feedback in order to make an informed decision about the Farmers Market going forward. Please fill out this survey to have your voice heard.