Editor,
Recently, the Current in Fishers wrote an article complaining about the HOA for Windermere. While it was written as an editorial, I think there are certainly two sides to this story. First, every single resident of Windermere signed and acknowledged that they had a copy of, and would comply with Windermere covenants when they purchased their homes. These covenants specifically state they the homeowners are responsible for the curbside trees, including their replacement should a tree require removal. Over the past few years, the HOA has sent multiple newsletter’s reminding homeowners of this responsibility, along with information around the oncoming Ash Borer challenge, and how a homeowner might choose to treat and protect their trees. In addition, the HOA has provided a list of alternate trees to replace the Ash – to my knowledge they have never said a tree did not have to be replaced, and I pay pretty close attention to the HOA newsletters and communications.
Regardless of the community, there are always homeowners don’t like all the rules, but they are in place to protect the quality of our neighborhood and the value of your home. Rather than complain, I would encourage the editor to become more involved in the HOA and her community. In my experience, the level of participation in the Windermere HOA, and supporting committees, has been rather embarrassing. Each year the Windermere HOA annual meetings have few participants (I would estimate less than 15 most years, with a community of 1000 homes?). I served on the Architectural Committee for a half dozen years, two of those years by myself (talk about underwhelming participation). If you want to make a difference in Windermere, attend the annual meeting, participate in committees, and perhaps consider running for a position on the board. I’d also suggest you dust off your copy of the covenants and give them a good read.
Dan Miller
46037
