FAQ's
These are the most commonly questions asked.
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1. Why is there an Association?
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Genstar, the developers of Dufferin Park, created the Homeowners Association based on the City of Savage requirement for cul-de-sac's to have islands within them (City Code, Section 904.04-1c). The restrictions state that there must either be an active Homeowners Association to maintain the plantings, etc. in the cul-de-sac or deeded restrictions on all lots adjacent to the cul-de-sac to share ownership. The developers chose to form a Homeowners Association to address the issue with the intent to also create covenants to maintain the look and feel of the development and its property values.
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2. Where is it written?
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Look at your mortgage/deed. There should be a box checked that the deed has a rider for a "Planned Community". The rider is attached to the back of the mortgage deed and states that there is a homeowners association that has covenants. If you can't find this box, or it is not checked; contact Scott county and they will confirm this with documents filed there.
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3. Can we dissolve the
Association? |
The dissolving of the HOA would require an 67% approval of each addition in the entire association. This may resolve the feelings of some, but would not benefit the rest of the association and help retain the quality that makes Dufferin Park a beautiful place to live.
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4. What are the benefits of the
Association? |
You will have beautifully kept homes, grand monuments as you enter the neighborhood, clean yards free of plight that plague other neighborhoods in older communities. The end result will be higher property values and a more prestigious neighborhood to live in.
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5. Are the annual fees reasonable?
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There are many costs that affect the annual fees. There are many other associations (similar to ours) around the country that have fees that are 4X - 20X more expensive. (Revised 2017)
Four of those communities are: *Willows of Aspen II in Brooklyn Park $75/year (113 homes) www.willowsofaspen.org *Hamilton Hills in Savage $100/year (81 homes) www.hamiltonhillshoa.com *Hamlet at Southbridge in Shakopee $225/year (279 homes) http://www.hamlet-southbridge.com/ *Riverside Fields in Shakopee $540/year (x homes) Insurance of the monuments, and common areas are necessary and they protect everyone. $4/month is a very minimal fee, and compared to the values of our homes, it really is practically nothing. Compared to the other associations, our cost is much less. If you feel that changes are needed, there are positions on the Board every year. Please feel free to volunteer your time to help! |
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6. Can we amend the covenants?
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Dufferin Park is comprised of 13 separate "additions" which are governed by their own separate Declaration.
In order for the Covenants to be changed or terminated, one would need the approval of 75% of homeowners in each of the 13 additions, and each addition would need to vote and pass an amendment. The covenants can NOT be "streamlined" into one, and have to remain each separate documents. If the vote passed, it would cost a $46 Scott county filing fee to have it attached to each lot within the addition. It would also require an attorneys fee on top of the $598.00. Other costs would include admin and copy costs which could be around $900. If a group of HO's are interested, they would need to create a task force to move forward. The task force will need to focus on a finance plan and educate the property owners. If you're interested in the task, please let us know. (Revised Aug 2017) |
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7. What are the most common
(average) costs of the association? |
Grounds Maintenance .................$ 9,200.00
Grounds Improvements...............$ 4,000.00 Management Fee............................$ 5,526.00 Management Addt'l........................$ 3,600.00 Insurance .........................................$ 2,500.00 General Office & Misc...................$ 2,300.00 Annual Meeting Expense.............$ 1,600.00 Reserve (Replacement Items)......$ 1,000.00 Website Fees....................................$ 600.00 (Revised 2017) |
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8. What do I need to know about
replacing my mailbox? |
Standards for the DP mailbox have been established. You can download the documents HERE on this website, for the purpose of doing it yourself.
Raw Materials can be found here: Scherer Bros Lumber Co http://www.schererbros.com/wood_specialty_products/mailbox_posts.php (Materials Only) or Association One 617 Industrial Drive SE Lonsdale, MN 55046 Hire a VENDOR: If you don't want to attempt this yourself, you can contact several vendors for replacement: Association One 617 Industrial Drive SE Lonsdale, MN 55046 If you need to replace the mailbox itself, you may purchase it here: Association One 617 Industrial Drive SE Lonsdale, MN 55046 Home Depot Mfg: Gibraltar Mailboxes: Elite Large Premium Steel Post-Mount Mailbox in Black Model # E1600B00 Internet #100211572 Store SKU #438673 Store SO SKU #1000669873 Menards Gibraltar Industries® Elite Large Premium Steel Rural Mailbox Model Number: E1600B00 | Menards® SKU: 2156927 (Technically this mailbox is Size 1 1/2, per Postmaster specs, but this model is simply labeled "Large Size".)
(Revised August 2019) |
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9. Why are there so many trash
haulers in our area? |
The city of Savage does not have a city contract for trash collection. Therefore, all residents must contract their own.
We as a HOA tried to arrange for one garbage collector, in an effort to reduce traffic in our neighborhood. We also negotiated a quantity discount for this service. These are the prices below. These are the benefits of having One hauler in our neighborhood. 1. One truck in the neighborhood instead of 4 or 5 during the week, every week. 2. Price discount with the hauler. 3. Safety for children playing in the streets. After careful review of the comments from the homeowners and the amenities of the different haulers, we decided to switch our recommendation to Buckingham Companies. Contact number 952-226-6441 We hope you feel that having ONE hauler in Dufferin Park is a benefit for you financially and increased safety for the entire neighborhood with less truck traffic and noise. Rates: Check with Buckingham for current rates. (Updated Aug 2021) Value Added Benefits They offer single stream recycling; each resident will be provided with a 65 gallon recycling cart. If a resident would like a 35 gallon or 95 gallon recycling cart, they can provide them as well at no additional charge. **Fuel surcharge may vary, it is calculated off of the fuel rate for the month, which is currently at 12.0%. (Updated Nov 2018) Compost Service: Check with Buckingham for current rates. (Updated Aug 2021) Will Call Service - $4.00 per bag, pick up on the day of your service. All customers would have to do is call our office and let us know that they will have compost bags out with their trash. Recycling Center: Drop your compost off at our Recycling Center for _*FREE*_ if you are a customer. All customers can bring up to 5 bags or 5 bundles of brush per day for free to our Recycling Center in Prior Lake. Anything over that is just a flat rate of $5.00. Buckingham also has a Recycling Center that can take your "hard to get rid of" items, such as computers, TV's, appliances, etc. for a discounted fee to our customers. They can also pick these items up curbside for a fee as well. |
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10. What are the common areas of
the development? |
This is a document created for our maintenance of the common areas within the development. This is also valuable information for the common property owners as well. We have created a viewable PDF file for download.
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11. What happens if I don't pay my
annual assessment? |
The Dufferin Park Board has taken steps to recover past due assessments that have gone UNPAID from previous years. We have written a collections policy and put it "in place" as of 2004. The detailed process allows homeowners 3 opportunities to pay the assessments. If you do not uphold your responsibility to the HOA, your account will be forwarded to a legal team to for collections and possibly a "lien" against your property. All expenses incurred in the process of collections are the responsibility of the homeowner and are assessed at the time of submission to the attorneys. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
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12. Do I need to shovel my
sidewalk? |
According to the City of Savage ordinance; All sidewalks in the city are the responsibility of the abutting property owner and must be cleared within 24 hours of a snow event of 2 or greater accumulation, City Ordinance 4-1-2-A.
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13. Where can I store my garbage
can? |
Garbage containers must be placed inside of the garage, at the side or rear of a residence, when not being set out for collection.
According to the City of Savage ordinance; 4. Placement of: Where no alley exists, the container shall be placed near the rear door of the building to which it relates. In that case where the container may be placed at the front property line for collection, but shall not be placed before 4:00pm the night before collection and shall be removed by 8:00pm the day of collection, City Ordinance 4-6-4-C. |
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14. What are the most common
covenant violations? |
9. Repair Mailbox
8. Home is an eyesore. 7. Several houses are without required trees (violation of city codes for new homes). 6. Grass and yard not being maintained. 5. Owners do not get permits or architectural approval for additions to property. (covenant violation) 4. Motor homes in driveway. (covenant violation) 3. Cars in driveway and not being used - not operable. (covenant violation) 2. Cars or boats parked next to garage. (covenant violation) 1. Boats are parked in the driveway. (covenant violation) |
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15. What are the utility companies
for Dufferin Park |
Gas – Centerpoint Energy
Electricity – MVEC or Xcel Energy Water / Sewer – City of Savage Internet / Cable – Media Com or Nuvera (other options) Garbage – Buckingham (other options) Let us know if there is another utility not listed. |