WILLOW CREEK HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
September 2022 NEWSLETTER
President’s Notes:
Oh, DEER: The DNR (Department of Natural Resources) prohibits feeding deer in Stearns County because of Chronic Wasting Disease affecting our deer population. Placing corn or other fodder for deer encourages them to gather which, in turn, allows the disease to spread. While you may think of it as an act of kindness, it truly is not. So if you’re feeding deer, please stop.
No Signs: As the political season approaches once again, please remember that no yard signs are permitted. In fact, no yard signs of any kind are permitted in your yard. This you’ll find in the Summary of Declaration (3.12) on page 8.
Annual Dinner: Be sure to mark your calendars for October 20th. We’ll be holding our WCHA Annual Meeting on that Thursday evening. Those interested in eating before the meeting can gather from 5-6 pm. The Moose Lodge will be serving a hamburger basket (with raw or fried onions) or a chicken basket (with lettuce & tomato) for $6, tip included (pay at the door). Both come with French fries or tater tots. During dinner you can ask questions of Jason (Ehlinger Lawn Service) about lawn and snow removal services. The meeting will begin at 6 pm.
Board Member Elections: The President, Secretary and Phase 2 Representative will be elected this year. We are pleased to announce that Patrick & Joan Thyen have agreed to serve as Phase 2 Reps for another term. But, President Joan Allen and the joint Secretaries Mary Schill and Mary Schwinghammer will not be seeking re-election after serving for 4 years. That means we’ll be seeking new residents to fill those positions. If you’re interested in serving, please contact your Phase Rep or give me a call (Joan Allen). It’s a great board and they need your help!
Welcome:
We have new neighbors, Raymond and Ruth Landry who have moved into their new home at 80 Willow Creek Drive (320-761-4745). We look forward to getting to know them.
Paul Sills has made himself at home at 14 Willow Creek Drive (612-802-2312). He’s still busy getting settled in. Be sure to say hello if you meet him at the mail box.
We also welcome Bruce Larson now living at 906 Willow Grove Circle in Phase 1 (612-877-0238). We hope the new surroundings have begun to feel like home.
Another new resident in Phase 1, Joan Olmsheid (320-761-2577) has been busy settling into life in Waite Park at 971 Willow Grove Circle. It’s been a busy summer but life will slow down as a new season arrives.
Harry and Sharon Rhodes (320-761-2577) moved into 932 Willow Grove Circle recently. We welcome them into the WCHA family and hope their move went smoothly
Sad Good-Byes:
We learned that Paul Schmidt passed away this winter. Paul and his wife Shirley made their home at 54 Willow Creek Drive. We’re sure that Paul’s family as well as his neighbors miss his presence.
Thomas “Tom” C. Smith (82) passed away on August 16, 2022. Born in Wadena, Minnesota, Tom married his wife Lois in 1959. They moved to St. Cloud after college where Tom taught mathematics for 34 years. Well loved and respected, Tom will be missed by his family and his dear friends.
Also leaving us is Robert “Bob” Anderson (86) of 55 Willow Creek Drive. He passed away on August 9, 2022. He owned and operated Bob Anderson Insurance Agency. He married his wife Monica on January 22, 1966. They were married 56 years. Bob was a veteran who served his county during the Korean War. He shall be missed by his family and his friends.
We received word that Walter J Kosel passed away on September 11, 2022 at the age of 98. Walt will be remembered as a former President of WCHA who served during the Association’s formative years. He lived at 958 Willow View Circle. Born in 1923 in St. Cloud MN Walt graduated from Cathedral High School. He served in the army during WW2 and became a member the Minnesota State Patrol, retiring in 1983. He lived a long and very successful life.
An update from Lou Ann Schaefer, Groundskeeper.
By the time you receive this newsletter, we’ll have reached the end of cutting season and fall clean-up will be just around the corner. We were blessed this year by a good amount of rain, so I was able to shut the water off most of August as well as several other times during the summer. Each time I shut off the pumps, we saved about $2150 to water all 3 phases. We saved a lot thanks to Mother Nature. We also completed 3 applications of “weed and feed” and 1 application of crab grass killer to benefit our lawns.
We had some major repairs this year. Pumps 1 and 3 both sprung leaks. They were replaced in July along with all new pipes. Because of wear and tear, pump #2 will be replaced after the system is blown out. We’ll have 3 new pumps for the 2023 season.
Unfortunately, we must talk about the dreaded snow season ahead. Since we have so many new residents, we need to go over the time lines which aren’t written in stone—Mother Nature can change things up! Ehlinger will begin removal of snow 12 hours after it quits snowing and the City of Waite Park has plowed the streets. Your front sidewalks and in front of your garage will be done 24 hours after it quits. City sidewalks will be cleared 48 hours after snow is done. Now, exceptions could be strong winds, cold temperatures, freezing rain or anything else that Mother Nature can think of.
We pay up front for 6 plowings and budget for 9 per season. Any more will cost $1577 per plowing, The contract states plowing after 2 or more inches, but depending on temperature or time of year, we may decide not to plow. I let the Phase Reps know if we’re not plowing, so please call them if you have questions.
As always I thank you for your patience because we can’t control Mother Nature.
(During dinner you can ask questions of Jason (Ehlinger Lawn Service) about lawn and snow removal services.)
