2010 Q U A R T E R L Y H O M E O W N E R S A S S O C I A T I O N N E W S L E T T E R FALL

Please join us for the annual association meeting. It’s very important that we have a quorum in order to fill board positions and conduct association business. If you

are unable to attend, please complete a proxy and give it to a neighbor or a board member. The proxy can be found on

www.jkca.org under the Covenants

section. Additionally, Dave Cassin of

Hey and Associates will be making a presentation about the current pond project. Also, Larry McCotter of

Native Restorations will be giving a brief overview of native versus

nonnative species of the invasive plants of Illinois. He is very knowledgable and passionate about this subject. You will also get an update on the 2011 JKHOA

budget. Pizza and snacks will be served. We hope to see you there!

Annual JKHOA Meeting

WE WILL MEET AT: CHURCH LANDSCAPE BUILDING: W. 17950 Rt. 173

JONATHAN KNOLLS

PLEASE REMEMBER TO FILL OUT A PROXY VOTE IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING!

POND PROJECT PROGRESS

Things  are  coming  along  well  on  the  pond  buffers  project.  We  are  seeing  some  na9ve  plants  along  the  shoreline.  There’s  s9ll  many  non-­‐na9ve  plants  growing  among  the  na9ves,  though.  It  is  our  understanding  that  Hey  and  Associates  will  begin  pulling  weeds  and  non-­‐na9ve  plants  star9ng  next  season.  If  your  property  abuts  a  pond  that  is  being  treated,  please  remember  to  not  mow  the  buffered  area!  Also,  anyone  who  has  a  pond  on  their  property  should  not  mow  least  5-­‐10  feet  along  the  shoreline.  

As you may know, the Illinois gubernatorial election is set for November 2, 2010. Did you know that there will be a vote on a referendum for Millburn School District 24? Here are the facts: The Board of Education for Millburn District 24 voted to put a referendum on the November 2 ballot. It has been stated that this referendum is needed to make up for a $1.1 million decrease in state funding, starting with the 2011-2012 school year. The proposed amount is a .73 ed fund increase, resulting in the

following property tax increase based on home value:

Current Home Market Value/Increased Annual Property Tax$300,000/ $730.00! ! ! !

$500,000/! ! ! !$1,215

$700,000/! ! ! !$1,701For more information on this and other district news, please visit www.millburn24.net.

THE VILLAGE OF WADSWORTH HAS NOT YET POSTED THEIR TRICK-OR-

TREATING DATE/TIME. MOST LIKELY IT WILL BE SUNDAY, 10/31.

Upcoming Election News....

Email Dialogue between the JKHOA and the Village of Wadsworth: Q: from JKHOA:“Just wondering what the status is on the street project for Jonathan Knolls? Also, we spoke about posting a "No Outlet" sign near the intersection of Jonathan Knolls/Orchard Bluff. Any word on that yet?”

A: from village: “There is no update on the roads, though we have been patching in the meantime. We have have calls into the Senator's office to see if they can help speed up the process between IDOT and the State. I do not recall if we came to the conclusion about the No Outlet, though we did discuss it. In the meantime, we also replaced the street signs in the subdivision and painted all of the streetlights, as they were very faded. Again hopefully, we would like to do the patching this year so that the subdivision is good for at least the next 5 years or so.”

AS IN ALL ELECTIONS, YOUR VOTE COUNTS! MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NOVEMBERS 2ND AND VOTE!

Every single year you should take the necessary steps to winterize your home. This is important because you can actually save money when your home is ready for the winter. How is this possible? Well, you might be surprised because 40% of your energy bill is consumed simply by the heating and the cooling of your home. In this case, it is being consumed by whatever method you use to heat your home. If you winterize, you're going to be able to reduce that percentage in ways you never thought were possible.

So how can you winterize your home and save some serious cash?

1. Make sure you don't wait until cold weather has already set in. You want to winterize while the weather is still warm. When you do these tasks in warm weather, you are more motivated to get things done. You'll also find that the steps you take to winterize your home can also be beneficial all year round. You can look at this as a home improvement project because, let's face it, you are actually improving your home in a lot of ways.

2. Make sure you get the outside work done first just in case you can't finish winterizing until cold weather comes. Go ahead and clean your gutters. This will keep melting snow from getting up under your shingles. This can make your roof last longer.

3. Make sure storm windows are installed before the first snowfall. If you can, put them up early. This is better than waiting.

4. Take care of any weather stripping around windows and doors that is cracked or worn. This weather stripping is meant to keep cold air out and warm air in, but that is not going to happen if it isn't completely intact. Try to find drafts around windows and fill them in. If the drafts are severe, you need to have your windows replaced.

5. Check attic insulation to ensure that the thickness is okay. If you don't think it is thick enough, add some more. It is better to have too much than not enough.

6. Check furnace filters to make sure they are clean. If they are not clean, install new ones or clean the ones you have. You would be amazed how much money is lost because of furnace filters that are simply not clear of dust and debris.

7. Make sure you have good batteries in your thermostat. Better yet, make sure you are dealing with an efficient thermostat. If you're not, then you may want to try getting a programmable thermostat that can automatically control temperature. When no one is home, it can automatically lower the temperature to save money.

8. Check the age of your furnace. If it is more than 10 to 15 years old, it is time for a replacement. There are much more energy efficient models out there today. In the long run you will save more money.

9. Make sure you set your thermostat lower. You can save 3% of your energy bill for every degree that you lower your thermostat. Simply layer on clothing to stay warm and that will save quite a bit of money for the year.

10. Try energy efficient blinds. These are special blinds that let in the sun's warmth during the day and keep the heat in at night when they are closed.

You'll be quite surprised at how much cash you can actually save by doing these things. If you don't, then you are spending a lot of money that you shouldn't have to spend. Sure, it does cost money to winterize your home, but that cost is nothing compared to the cost that you may have to pay to keep yourself warm in the winter.

(ArticlesBase SC #709569)

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Ideas for Winterizing Your Home...