WELCOME TO HIGHLAND CREEK!  INFORMATION FOR NEW RESIDENTS – Updated 1/2024

Highland Creek is a condominium association of 76 units along with a clubhouse and pool. The first units were built in 1999. The following was compiled to assist new residents in their transition to condominium living at Highland Creek and answer frequently asked questions about living in the community. 

GOVERNING DOCUMENTS
The Highland Creek Condominium Association (HCCA) is governed first and foremost by the Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5311. HCCA’s individual governing documents are its Declaration and Bylaws (including amendments) and its Handbook of Policies and Guidelines (2020). The Declaration and Bylaws takes precedence over the Handbook of Policies and Guidelines and may only be changed following the amendment process. The Handbook of Policies and Guidelines may change as directed by the board. All residents should have copies of these documents and review them regularly.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Highland Creek Condominium Association (HCCA) is governed by a board of directors that meets the second Wednesday of each month. Board members are volunteers who serve three-year terms. Elections are generally held at the annual meeting in June. Along with the board, there are committees whose members also serve on a voluntary basis. Contact information for board members and committee chairs is available on the print version of this document or contact the board secretary at highlandcreeksalem@yahoo.com.

“OWNER/RESIDENT INFORMATION” SHEET
Ohio law requires unit owners to provide the association with the following information: owner’s name, ALL occupants’ names, home addresses, telephone numbers, and names of any who manage the Unit as an agent of that owner. New residents must complete the Owner/Resident Information sheet as soon as possible and place it in the drop box on the office door in the clubhouse. The board should also have a key to your condo in case of emergency.

The law states that any change in the information must be provided to the association’s board, in writing, within thirty (30) days of said change. If an individual moves in with you, the name of that individual must be provided to the board within thirty (30) days.

MONTHLY ASSESSMENT
The current monthly assessment is $330.  The HCCA Board may increase the amount from year to year, depending on increasing costs (maintenance, repairs, utilities, trash, insurance, etc.) and/or the need to replenish the reserve fund. The monthly assessment is due the 1st of the month and is considered past due, incurring extra charges, if not received by the 10th. 

If you pay your monthly assessment by check, make it out either to “Highland Creek Condo Association” or to “HCCA.” The monthly assessment may also be paid automatically from your bank account. If you are interested, please fill out the brief form included in this packet and also available in the clubhouse, and leave the form along with a voided check in the office mail slot. The ACH payment will start for the following month on the 5th or the next business day after the 5th. If you have questions, please call the board treasurer. 

UNIT REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS
The unit owner is responsible for costs related to the inside of the unit plus repair or replacement of your windows, doors, and garage door. IF you, or the previous owner, attained an easement to build your patio and patio fence, you are also responsible for their repair. In cases of replacement, items must conform to the architectural elements and colors that already exist and must be approved by the board.  Please see the Handbook of Policies and Guidelines for details. 

COMMON ELEMENTS/LIMITED COMMON ELEMENTS
Please review definitions found in the Handbook. For both common elements and limited common elements, any landscaping, exterior change, addition, modification, decoration, etc. must be approved by the Board unless permitted by the Declaration, Bylaws, or Handbook of Policies and Guidelines.

SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE ASSOCIATION (funded by monthly assessments)

·      Water and sewer

·      Trash (weekly)

·      Snow removal & salting of drives and sidewalks

·      Lawn care including grass cutting, weed control, fertilizing, and edging

·      Landscape maintenance including care of shrubs

·      Operation and maintenance of the clubhouse and pool

·      Lighting of the entry and grounds

·      Maintenance of roads, driveways, and sidewalks

·      Maintenance of the exterior of condominiums with these exceptions: doors, windows, garage doors, and those patios 
    and patio fences for which easements were attained are the unit owner’s responsibility

·      Maintenance of a reserve fund for future exterior repairs and replacements

U.S. MAIL
Each residence has an assigned mailbox opened with the key you received when taking ownership. If another key is left in your mailbox, use it to open one of the larger compartments at the bottom of the mailbox cluster to obtain your larger package. Leave that key in the lock. There is a slot for outgoing mail. 

EMAIL
Your current email address should be on file at the Highland Creek office.

The HCCA Board will email board-related or community-related announcements, messages, or reminders from the address highlandcreeksalem@yahoo.com. You may use this address to contact the board, although you are welcome to call the individual board members by phone if you prefer. The secretary of the HCCA Board monitors this email address.

NEWSLETTER
The newsletter is emailed every other month: January, March, May, July, September, and November, usually about 3-7 days after the monthly board meeting. Update any change of address at highlandcreek44460@yahoo.com. Email this address if you had a problem receiving the newsletter or if you want something put in the newsletter. The newsletter editor monitors this email address.

A printed newsletter can be obtained at the clubhouse or from the plastic holder on the side of the mailbox cluster. Please contact the editor if you would like to be added to the list for delivery to your unit.

ACTIVITIES
Activities at Highland Creek are announced on the website, by email and/or newsletter, and by a white board sign in front of the clubhouse and include:

·      Monthly Coffee Hour held mornings at the clubhouse

·      Pool opening and closing gatherings

·      Annual Holiday Open House held in December

·      Game nights

·      Weekend events and get-togethers

CLUBHOUSE
Residents receive a code for the front door to the clubhouse. When leaving, check that the door latches shut and is locked. Located in the clubhouse foyer are a suggestion box and various forms such as maintenance request forms and forms to request ACH for your monthly assessment.

There is a library/exercise room. Books and jigsaw puzzles may be borrowed, no sign-out required, but please return items.  A treadmill and stationary bike are available to those residents who wish to exercise. Please follow posted rules.

The clubhouse may be rented for personal events. A rental agreement must be signed. For availability, pricing, rules, and the rental agreement, contact the Clubhouse Committee.

TRASH
Trash is usually put out Thursday evening for an early Friday morning pickup. Please check with your neighbor about where to place your trash as it varies throughout the development.

If your unit did not come with a trash company container and you would like one, contact a board member. Place garbage bags in cans to avoid scattering by raccoons or crows.

There are two nearby locations where you may recycle—1) upper parking lot at Kent State-Salem Campus and 2) behind and next to the Salem City Fire Department.

PLUMBING
Water bills are a shared expensive. Fix plumbing problems as soon as they are detected. The shut off valve for the water in each unit is normally located in your utility room closet. If you experience leaks with a washing machine or ice-making refrigerator along a shared wall, notify your neighbor in case that unit has been affected.

Residents can save the association costly charges incurred by clogged sewers or damage at the pump station by monitoring what is flushed down toilets. If you have guests or a cleaning person, please inform them of this shared concern.

TRAVELERS AND SNOWBIRDS: Please shut your water off when you leave.

SMOKE ALARMS
Keep smoke alarms in good working condition by regularly installing fresh batteries. If your smoke alarm is “chirping,” check the battery. If the battery is good, the alarm may need to be reset. To reset, undo it from the base, remove the battery, and hold the button down for 15 seconds. This should reset it.

According to the fire department, most smoke alarm devices are made to last 10-12 years, and merely installing a new battery may not stop the ‘chirping’ that occurs when the device goes bad. If your unit has the original smoke alarms that are hard-wired into the electrical system, replace them all at the same time for the best results. This is a homeowner’s expense and not a board expense. 

DRYER VENT CLEANING
Residents will be informed by email and the newsletter when signups are held for dryer vent cleaning. Lint build-up is a common fire hazard. Sign up is encouraged but this service is at the owner’s expense.

INSECTS
Please check your eaves and doorways occasionally and report beehives, wasp nests or wasp mud tubes to a board member.  

COYOTES AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS
Coyotes have been heard and spotted, mostly near the tree line but occasionally closer. Please be careful especially if you have small pets. If animals (raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs etc.) are damaging HCCA property or pose a threat, please notify the board.

ICICLES 
Residents should use caution in deciding to knock icicles from your gutters. Knock them outward and away from the siding. If the icicles hit the siding, damage may occur. Contact the maintenance committee (see FORMS) with concerns.

ROADS
The posted speed limit is 14 mph.         

At the “Y” in the road there is a three-way stop. Ignoring or coasting through a stop sign can be especially dangerous
for your fellow residents who have driveways near the intersection may be backing out.

When turning into Highland Creek from Lincoln Avenue, decrease your speed and be on the alert for pedestrians, bicyclists, golf carts, scooters, motorcyclists, etc.

Exercisers may walk or jog on the roads and side roads but not in other residents’ driveways in the area from the garage door to the edge of the building. 

EMERGENCY NUMBERS                                              If you have an emergency, call 911.  

Perry Township numbers:

Police 330-332-1000 (emergency)                           Fire  330-332-3000  (emergency)

            330-337-7836 (regular phone)                               330-337-4676   (regular phone)