Franklin-Palmer Roads, Play Area, and Movie Night!

Road Repairs Scheduled

Franklin Palmer road construction is tentatively scheduled to begin the week of August 14th. The construction company has asked that residents park in their driveways or at a good distance from the repair locations to allow for access to the road. Also, they request that your sprinkler systems be turned off while work is occurring in front of your homes, as the excess water can fill in the holes created by on-going construction. Additional information on specific construction locations when they become available.

Background Information on Roads Grant

 In 2019, Canton offered a Roads Grant to subdivisions to help alleviate the cost of road replacement and improvement. Board President Rob McLaren and Trustees Chaitanya Kulkarni and Steve Allen filled out the lengthy and detailed grant, met with Canton’s engineers to walk the sub and discuss the needs, and followed up with communications to ensure the correct work would be completed within budget. Thanks to all of their hard work, Franklin Palmer Estates will receive $100,000 in road repairs for $10,000, with no increase in dues. While this will substantially improve our HOA’s roads, more work will need to be completed. Our HOA will apply for additional grant money next year to continue our important road repairs.

This road grant could allow the HOA to reallocate some of the funds earmarked for capital improvement for the roads and focus on other capital improvements for the neighborhood. An area that the board is focused on improving is our common area. With over 9 acres of space, the board discussed installing a playground structure, gazebo, and picnic tables, in phases, over the course of several years. At the HOA annual meeting on 7.8.20, the playground idea was shared with residents and following that, a survey was electronically sent to the residents to determine interest. While interest was high, there were many questions from residents who were not able to attend the meeting and we would like to address those in our FAQ below.

We have mailed out an official ballot to vote on the playground. The survey that was emailed earlier this month was used to determine interest, while this is an official ballot to vote on the proposed structure. Each HOUSEHOLD is entitled to ONE vote per the HOA Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions, Article III, Section 2, Class A, which can be found on https://www.franklinpalmerestates.com/about/. Households can choose to submit the paper ballot or fill out an electronic ballot on https://www.franklinpalmerestates.com/. If both a paper ballot and an electronic ballot are received for the same address, only one vote shall count. All votes are due electronically or postmarked by Aug 30, 2020. Votes received or postmarked after that date will not be valid. While there will be no dues increase for this measure, the board will use the two-thirds approval threshold found in the HOA Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions. This is the same threshold that is used to determine a dues increase. A final vote count will be shared with the residents in mid-September on https://www.franklinpalmerestates.com/ once all ballots are received and counted.

MOVIE NIGHT!!

All residents are invited to an open-area movie in the commons, the same location as the proposed playground, on FRIDAY Aug 21st, at 8:30 pm. Bring your chairs, blankets, and snacks for a socially-distanced movie night. There will be a large screen projector showing Disney’s “Onward” that will delight kids as well as adults. Hope to see you there! If there is rain, we will cancel or reschedule.

Play Structure FAQ

• Will our yearly dues increase and by how much? No, the dues currently set at $75 per household will cover the cost of the playground, any additional structures added in future years, maintenance, and increased liability insurance. Due to several initiatives taken by the HOA Board over the last few years, we have built up a sufficient balance in our capital improvement fund to be able to pay for these improvements.
• What about insurance? The board currently has insurance that covers all of the common areas. Our general liability insurance would be changed to cover injury liability ($2 million, which is standard for HOA’s) and damage coverage for these proposed structures. Adding this increased coverage would still be within our annual budget parameters.
• Who will take care of maintenance, cleaning, vandalism? While we expect neighbors will clean up after themselves, we have two Board Trustees who will serve as Park Captains. These Captains will monitor the park area and take care of necessary cleaning. If there is an excessive amount of damage or vandalism, the board will discuss next steps. The Board will have a yearly inspection by the playground company to ensure safety. The inspection report will be uploaded to our website for the residents to view. 
• Where will people park? While we expect that most residents will walk to the park, street parking is available. If someone does not follow posted signs such as parking on the wrong side of the road, residents are able to contact Canton PD to address the issue. 
• Won’t it be too noisy and have increased traffic? With the current restrictions in place with the pandemic, there have been many families who are using the common space daily. The noise level and foot traffic are within reasonable expectations. 
• How will you keep out people from other areas? While we don’t anticipate people driving into our area just to use a playground, there will be signs posted that remind everyone that the common areas are for HOA residents and their guests. 
• Where will this playground be installed? There is an attached map.
• When will this happen? If the measure is approved, the board would plan on purchasing and installing a play structure in the spring of 2021.
• I don’t have kids who would use a play structure. Why would I vote for this? The board believes that adding a play structure to our commons would add home value for all residents.