Dear Neighbors:
I hope you all are healthy and safe in these challenging times. We all have a common vision for
our neighborhood. We all want to see the neighborhood, thrive, and continue to be a vibrant
neighborhood. Heritage Lakes has a lot of charm and character that makes it a wonderful place
to live. There are serious obligations and responsibilities the association has and needs to be
commonly understood by all of us. I would like to discuss those issues in this letter. Typically,
we discuss such issues at our annual Board meeting. However, due to the restrictions imposed
on us due to COVID 19, we were not able to have our meeting as previously scheduled. Below
are some points I would like to share with you:
Annual Board Meeting
The Annual HOA meeting for 2020 was scheduled for April 2, 2020. Due to the COVID-19
crisis, the HOA Board chose to postpone the meeting until further notice. The health and
wellbeing of our neighbors supersedes this meeting. We intend to have our meeting as
scheduled in 2021, assuming COVID-19 is no longer a threat.
Major Activities
– This past year the board put out for bid all service contracts to make certain we were
getting our community the best service at the most reasonable prices. Ramirez
Landscaping was selected as the landscape service provider for our community. We
believe they are doing a good job so far.
– Aqua Doc was selected to maintain the Pond. Aqua Doc treats the pond on a regular
basis and maintains the fountain.
– The HOA Board has selected Beacon Property Management as the Property Manager
for our Homeowner’s Association. Onyx Property Management was not meeting the
needs of our neighborhood and they asked for an almost 300% increase in their monthly
fees. We chose to terminate their contract.
– We removed several dead pine trees on Heritage Lakes Drive, Fairway Commons and
Impatience Park. Replacement of some of the removed trees will be completed in the
upcoming planting season.
– Maintenance of the Bridge wall by the pond.
– Maintenance of the lights at the Bridge wall.
– Maintenance of the Heritage Lakes and Fairway Commons signs.
Communication
We encourage our residents to utilize the HOA’s website www.HeritageLakesHilliard.Org. Our
website includes access to HOA’s Controlling Documents, Welcome Package for New
Neighbors, Frequently Asked Questions, Forms for ARC Requests submissions, and an online
form for submitting questions or concerns to the Board. Also, to improve our ability to get the
word out quickly, we continue to ask residents to share their email addresses with us so that we
may have a more complete and updated e-mail roster of all residents. Please feel free to
contact us through the HOA Website at https://heritagelakeshilliard.org/contact-us/ if you have
any questions, concerns or you simply would like to introduce yourself.
For New Homeowners
The operation of your homeowners association is governed by a volunteer board of directors.
The three elected Board members are elected on a staggered basis by the community.
Elections are held at the annual homeowners meeting in April. The Board is responsible for
overseeing the daily functions and financial responsibilities of the Association, and for
maintaining members’ compliance with the established rules and guidelines. Please take the
time to read through the Declarations of Covenants, Bylaws and other controlling documents.
These documents are available on the HOA’s website www.HeritageLakesHilliard.Org. You may
also find a Welcome Package and Helpful Information under the New Neighbors tab
https://heritagelakeshilliard.org/new-neighbors/. Please contact me if you would like to volunteer
for any projects or are interested in serving on the Board.
Architectural Review Committee (ARC)
The Heritage Lakes HOA has an Architectural Review Committee to help maintain the quality of
our neighborhood. Currently, there are five members serving on the Architectural Review
Committee where three of the five members are engineers. Its function is to evaluate the plans
for all exterior landscaping, repairs and remodeling (such as painting, decks, trees and bushes,
replacement roofs, etc.) in order to ensure compliance with all covenants, restrictions and
guidelines. The purpose of this review is to protect our scenic environment and maintain the
value of our homes. Modifications to the exterior of your home and property must be submitted
to the Architectural Review Committee for approval before any work begins. If work is started
without prior approval, the homeowner may be required to alter or remove the changes.
Requests for ARC approval must be submitted to the Architectural Review Committee through
our electronic form on the HOA Website https://heritagelakeshilliard.org/architectural-review-
form/. The Board asks for your full compliance with the ARC process as it’s necessary to
maintain the beauty and preserve the quality of Heritage Lakes. The time to get this approval is
before changes are started and not after they are finished.
Landscaping
During the past year, we have seen many positive changes around us. We are pleased with the
many accomplishments of the HOA Board since the transition to Ramirez Landscaping.
Common area management and landscaping continue to be our number one priority. Although
the neighborhood looks good, we still have more room for improvement. In 2021, we will focus
on the following areas:
– Weed control
– Planting of more vibrant flowers
– Adding new trees to replace the removed dead trees.
– Re-stacking some of the landscaping stones
Covenant Adherence
What makes Heritage Lakes such a great community is the fact that our early developers saw
the need to have strong covenants that would uphold both high standards of quality and
appearance consistency. Compliance with the Covenants and Community Restrictions is
mandatory, and it is the responsibility of each homeowner to be familiar and read the rules and
regulations. At the time of purchase, it’s the responsibility of the homeowner to familiarize and
read the rules. Non-compliance will result in the receipt of a violation letter, and ultimately, a
fine or lien placed upon your property if the violation is not corrected. You can view or print a
copy of the rules and regulations on our website www.HeritageLakesHilliard.Org
Lawn Care
The neighborhood looks so beautiful when all the lawns are mowed and cared for.
Unfortunately, there were several homeowners who neglected their lawns this past year. We all
want to keep Heritage Lakes a beautiful and premier neighborhood. Also, we all want to keep
the value of homes high and protect our investments. Please take care of your yard by making
sure you keep up with the neighborhood standards. Mowing, weeding, trimming and watering
as needed are expected of all homeowners. Please do your part.
Mail Posts and Mail Boxes
The maintenance of mail boxes and posts is the homeowners’ responsibility. Please make
sure that your mail box and post are painted and that the post is upright and not leaning in any
direction! Should you want to replace your mail box or post, you can find details of the
approved mail box on the HOA website https://heritagelakeshilliard.org/qa/.
Trash Cans
Homeowners are required by the covenant and Arch Guidelines to maintain your trash cans
inside your garage or behind an approved enclosure, away from public view. Leaving trash and
recycle containers at the street or outside the front of our homes after trash day distracts greatly
from the beauty of the community. Your compliance is required and is also highly appreciated.
Speeding
The neighborhood wide speed limit is 25 mph. We ask our neighbors to comply with the speed
limit and make Heritage Lakes a safer neighborhood for children at play, joggers and walkers.
Also, please ask younger drivers in your families to be safer drivers.
Street Parking
Some of the streets in Heritage Lakes are relatively narrow. In particular, the part of Heritage
Lakes Drive with the wide median makes it difficult for wider cars and truck to pass through
when cars are parked on the street. Frequently, drivers cause damage to the median when
passing a parked car. The problem is even greater when larger vehicles such as school buses
and trash trucks try to navigate through this narrow street with parked cars. The same problem
is observed on Fairway Commons roundabouts where cars are parked on the roundabout
restrict the movement of large landscape trucks, delivery truck and other larger vehicles.
Please be a good neighbor and park your car in your driveway. In many cases, when trucks
drive over the median to avoid parked cars, they cause damage to the median or to the sprinkler
system. Repairing the damage costs the HOA money that can otherwise be spent on
improvement projects. We hope that we get everybody’s compliance with this requirement.
Speaking for the Heritage Lakes HOA Board, we look forward to continuing to serve the
community. Our vision for the future of Heritage Lakes is very bright. Please do your part to
help us achieve and maintain this vision. As always, please let us know if you have any
questions or concerns.
Isam Saleh
Heritage Lakes HOA President