President’s Letter

By Bill Graff | Email

Happy 2024 to one and all! I want to introduce myself as the new President of the Fox Point HOA. My name is Bill Graff and my family has lived in FP since 2006 on the Southside.  We were able to raise our son in FP and gave him that “hometown feeling” that my wife and I had hoped to provide on his behalf – well it worked!  FP has proven to be a big joy in our family’s lives, and in turn, we have met some of our greatest friends/neighbors here in 60010.  Both my wife, Margaret, and I, have committed to giving back to this fine neighborhood on behalf of its current, and future neighbors!

 2024 should be an exciting year with the plans for a new playground being executed, an enhanced sea wall at our treasured dockside, new grills at the Pool House, and the beginning efforts to replace our fence on Lake Cook Road.  Additionally, plans to continue building on the strengths of our pool and tennis courts, as well as, keeping the health of our lake at the forefront, are more of our goals for 2024.  With the help of several other neighborhood leaders who are on this board, you should know, with confidence, that we have some fine volunteer representation running this 50+-year-old neighborhood!  We, and I, are grateful for their skills and commitment to keeping FP alive and thriving. To our Board members who have retired, Abe Ryder, Jay Roberts, Mark Villalovos, and Steve Kipferl, for taking on another term on the board, thank you all for your terrific work on behalf of FP, and on Steve’s behalf, continuing his work on the board, we are all grateful!   My wish for 2024 is simply to have our neighbors enjoy FP, and all its amenities, that are geared for one and all.  When you have an idea or suggestion, join us at the monthly meetings and share your POV with us all.  Your voice, and ideas, are always helpful as we continue to keep FP the best neighborhood in Barrington

Secretary’s Report

By Linsay Keenan | Email

Thank you to everyone who voted in our 2024 Board Elections.  Congratulations to Lisa Brooks (Civic Affairs), Jason Ehlert (Common Grounds), Steve Kipferl (Lake), and Greg Salter (Safety & Welfare) who were all elected to the 2024 Board.

Also, please note that the February 19, 2024 Board Meeting will be conducted virtually, as the Village Church is closed for Presidents’ Day.  Please look for an upcoming link on Nextdoor if you would like to attend.

Social

By Jeana Garms | Email

Hello Fox Point neighbors!

My name is Jeana Garms and I am stepping in as social chair as Melissa Pohl steps away to pursue a career opportunity. Melissa, thank you for all your hard work!

Part of the reason many of us moved to Fox Point is for the active and engaging environment the neighborhood provides for adults and children alike. You’ve heard the saying, it takes a village to raise kids. So too does it take a village to sustain the active environment Fox Point provides. To this end, we are bringing back planning committees who will be responsible for planning and executing each event.

Next month’s newsletter will include a Sign-Up Genius to volunteer for this year’s event committees.

Have an idea for an event or activity? Email social@foxpoint.org.

Event Updates:

Fox Point Card Party

February 23, 2024, 5:30 pm – 11:30 pm. Spots filled quickly for this neighborhood favorite but there’s still room on the waitlist! We are typically able to accommodate everyone who signs up due to last-minute cancellations so snag a spot.

CLICK HERE

Fox Point Easter Egg Hunt

March 16 at 9:00 am

Mark your calendars! Due to Easter Weekend falling during the last weekend of Spring break, we have scheduled the Fox Point Annual Easter Egg Hunt for Saturday, March 16th at 9:00 am. Details and registration link coming soon!

We are also looking for 1-2 more volunteers to round out the planning committee. To join the Easter Egg committee, email social@foxpoint.org.

Civics

By Lisa Brooks | Email

I am new to the board this year, however not new to Fox Point. Having been a resident for over 30 years, my husband David and I raised our two children from Lines School and on. I look forward to serving on the board and thank Mark Villalovos for his many contributions over the past 3 years as Civic chair.

Daylight is getting noticeably longer allowing for more evening walks around the neighborhood. I know we are all anticipating the arrival of spring! Feel free to reach me with any activities you think would be of interest to the Fox Point community at Civic@foxpoint.org.

Common Grounds

By Jason Elhert | Email

This being my first update, I’ll take the chance to introduce myself. My family and I moved into Fox Point after gut rehabbing our house (previously known as “the Haunted Mansion”) in 2020. I guess you could say I was working on beautifying the neighborhood before I even stepped into the Common Grounds role. My wife Wendy and I have two kids and spend the majority of our weekends juggling their sports schedules.

We have a few simple focuses, first being to ensure the walkways and parking lots for shared spaces stay clear of snow and ice. This heat wave (after the arctic blast) has been helpful, but (given that winter seems to last until May), our work likely is not done. Post-winter, I will start prepping for spring in the upcoming months, which will include collaborating with our vendors on upkeep for 2024. We will also begin planning and implementation for the fence to be replaced on Lake Cook Road. 

A small call to action: the village has asked residents to remove any snow or ice around storm sewers to reduce risk of flooding.

I’m looking forward to taking the Common Grounds role and helping ensure we maintain a high standard. Thank you!

Architecture Report

By Andrew Schwarz | Email

Hi everyone – as you get a head start on any exterior remodeling projects for the spring, please engage the Board for all projects as listed on the website here.

The priorities for my third year as Architecture Chair are to continue working towards getting the permanent steel seawall installed at the Boat Landing, as well as digitizing the Architecture Form/Approval process.  Please reach out if I can be of further assistance!

Safety & Welfare

By Greg Salter | Email

I am thankful to have the opportunity to serve as the Fox Point Safety & Welfare chair for the upcoming year. If you have any particular concerns or ideas, please reach out to me through safety@foxpoint.org.

As a (nearly) lifelong Fox Point resident, I have been able to witness the collective respect and responsibility our community shares for the safety and wellbeing of all of its residents. I am looking forward to working with all of you to continue that tradition and to find ways to even further improve safety within our neighborhood.

As we approach summer, I will be taking over the new playground project that was spearheaded by our new President and former Safety & Welfare chair, Bill Graff. I will provide more details on the playground timing in next month’s newsletter.

Lake Report

By Steven Kipferl | Email

Hello neighbors! Lake Committee is going to start holding monthly meetings in 2024. The first meeting will be held Monday, February 12th at 8 pm, via Google Meet (info below). All are welcome. Please continue reading for information.

Fishing on the ice has been productive with neighbors pulling largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and perch through the ice during the last week of January. There is nothing not to like about warmer weather, but do continue to be extremely careful around the ice as spring approaches. Please use a buddy system, spread out, and test before using the ice. As ice melt approaches, ice thickness frequently varies based on underwater flow. Utilize safely and at your own risk.

Permitting work continues on the carp barrier at the weir abutting Cuba Marsh. Permitting is roughly 2/3rds of the way complete at this time with no major issues with engineering design concepts noted at this time. While the final permitting phase continues, design work is set to take place in the upcoming months.

Jump into a lake committee meeting for MUCH MUCH more information.

If you want to learn about the lake, learn about what the board is doing on the lake, have an idea, lead a lake project, or just meet new lake-y people, now’s your chance!

FP Lake Committee Meeting

Monday, Feb 12 · 8–9 PM

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/qmk-zjwd-kua

Or dial: +1 317-947-5170 PIN: 728682618

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/qmk-zjwd-kua?pin=7160781809652

Meetings will be held virtually, with a phone-in option, and for those who want to visit in person let us know and we can pair you up with a neighbor. As we move into the warmer months, we will be potentially meeting in person.

Questions/Comments: Lake@foxpoint.org

Treasurer Report

By Kyle Powal | Email

Your Board of Directors adopted the 2024 Annual Budget as proposed and published in December 2023 News which can be found here 2024 Annual Budget.

The 2024 Annual Assessment is $1,500.

Our CPA, Picker & Associates, will mail invoices to all owners of record before February, month-end. The Assessment is for the 2024 calendar year and will be due no later than March 31, 2024. If your mailing address has changed or if you do not receive an invoice by February month-end, please contact Linda Smith at Picker & Associates at 847-541-4000 for a duplicate copy of your invoice.

2023 Financial Statement

We are in solid financial shape while continuously replacing legacy infrastructure and continuing our commitment to restoring the health of our lake. Since 2015, we have invested more than $3.4 million into capital projects. All these investments were funded without incurring debt and/or imposing a Special Assessment.

2023 Review:

• 409 homeowners satisfied their 2023 Annual Assessment.
• All in, across all accounts, we have $1M in cash, of which $950K is in Capital Reserves.

Operating Expenses are mostly routine, recurring monthly, or seasonal expenses. Overall, your board members were able to keep expenses in line and we came in $22K under budget!

Capital Reserves are funds set aside and accumulated for major repairs, renewal, and replacements of assets as well as funding our ongoing commitment to restoring the health of Lake Louise.  The seawall restoration project did not commence in 2023 so the board came in $64K under budget.

Capital Projects Targeted for 2024:

• Seawall – $100,000. Installation of a 50+ year seawall along HOA property at the boat landings.
• Playground Replacement – $70,000. The useful life of this equipment is approaching its end and needs to be replaced.
• Phoslock Treatment – $36,000. We remain in the early phase of restoring the overall health of Lake Louise. While phosphorus is an essential element for plant life, too much phosphorus can speed up algae bloom and unpleasant odors, common in lakes throughout the world. This multi-year treatment is intended to reduce excess phosphorus, common in lawn fertilizers that drain into the lake.
• Pool Complex Repairs – $17,500. As a reminder, the pool is eight years old and equipment to operate the pool does wear out and needs to be replaced.
• Cul-de-sac Restoration – $15,000.
• Fish Stocking – $7,500.
• Asphalt Sealing – $7,500.
• Carp Barrier – $6,000. This will prevent carp from entering the lake from downstream. This will improve the overall health and ecosystem of the lake.
• Tennis Court Cleaning and Tree Trimming – $1,000.

Further information about these projects and the 2024 budget can be found in the December 2023 Newsletter.

The 2023 compiled Financial Statement, prepared by our CPA, can be found here Financial Statement.