Important Year End message from your President, Joy Fossel
Hello Castle Parkers!
I’m writing to extend to you the good wishes of your board as we close out 2023 and gear up for 2024, and to let you know of a number of developments and proposals that are in the works.
First up: things we have put in place. These relate to the 2024 budget, revisions to the rules for usage of golf carts in the Park, and to our ongoing repairs to the Castle.
The 2024 Budget
We approved a 2024 budget of $509,197. Dues for the year will be $4,285, representing a small increase of approximately 3%. An email will be sent out when 2023 year end reports are posted on the website later in January. Many thanks to Rae and Doug Vahey for the hours of work they put into the budget. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.
Golf Cart Task Force
Following last summer’s serious accident, the board convened a golf cart task force comprising Jim Carr, Peter Keehn, Dick Shepard, Jeff Webb, and Tim Griffin. Their purpose was to review our existing rules for the use of golf carts in Castle Park and to evaluate and propose changes that would increase our golf cart safety. The group looked at everything from Michigan law to best practices over the course of several months.The Revised Rules (attached) that the task force developed were presented to, and adopted by, the board at its November 2023 meeting. Some of the new provisions include a limitation on the capability of the speed at which a cart may travel (ie, 15 MPH, though traveling under 10MPH is preferred); a curfew between midnight and 6 am; registering the cart with CPA, including an attestation that the cart’s maximum speed cannot exceed 15 MPH; displaying the family/cottage name on the cart and keeping a CP cart rules sticker on the steering wheel or nearby; maintaining adequate insurance to protect CPA against any claims that may arise from the use of a cart within Castle Park; and certain requirements for your renters. As was always the case, only validly licensed drivers are permitted to operate a cart and no horseplay or overcrowding is allowed, The success of any rules, of course, depends on our willingness to abide by them, to be willing to be accountable to our friends and neighbors, and to hold each other accountable to keep the community safe. I want to thank the golf cart task force for the yeoman’s effort they put into this project as we work to ensure that Castle Park remains a safe and respectful community for all.
Castle Repairs
In 2024 Building & Grounds anticipates completing a second section of repair to the Castle crenellations on the northeast portion of the Castle, including the turret where the flagpole is located. In addition, we have had two more of the Castle’s basement windows replaced as they were failing. The respective costs are approximately $84K for the crenellations and $20K for the windows. Funding sources for these repairs are under discussion, but the work has been approved by the board.
Next up: proposals for future work. In this regard, the board believes that when a proposal for a significant change to a Castle Park asset is under consideration, and when possible/appropriate (ie, not an emergency repair or basic maintenance), the proposal should be circulated for comment/questions/concerns amongst the membership. We do this not only for transparency’s sake, but because we want to ensure that Castle Parkers have the opportunity to express their views, both positive and negative, and we want to optimize the success and general acceptance of any project in advance. Certainly, if there were general consensus that a project should not be undertaken, we’ d need to know that. Currently, we have three proposals in various stages of development that warrant “socialization.” The first relates to a Building & Grounds proposal for the basketball court near the tennis shop. The second is related to the first in that Beautification would like to replace the damaged concrete in front of the the tennis shop with the aggregate material used outside the Barnswallow. And the third relates to improvements to the upper rooms of the Castle to allow for remote use.
Basketball Court Proposal
I have attached the proposal from Buildings & Grounds to reconfigure the basketball court. As you can see from the photoshopped pictures (thank you Rae!), the Court will be replaced and reconfigured, or reoriented. You may recall that a year or so ago, the board sent out a survey to the membership, to determine whether the old court should be repaired or removed altogether (as there was a Beautification proposal to remove it at that time). Those that replied to the survey wanted it kept as they felt it was still in significant use, but at that time, the board did not have a viable proposal for repair. We appreciate Buildings & Grounds, and Rae and Mark’s work, in developing the attached proposal, and we will be anxious to hear member comments on this issue. In that regard, we would appreciate hearing from you in the next 30 days (ie by January 29th) so that, the board will be in a position to vote on the proposal and, if passed, schedule work for next spring. The roughly $11K-12K cost for this project would be absorbed in our 2024 budget.
Tennis Shop Sidewalk Replacement Proposal
Beautification proposes that they redo the broken concrete on the south side of the Barnswallow/Tennis Office with exposed aggregate that will match (as closely as possible) that which surrounds the Barnswallow entry. The project may also include the possible addition of a small round patio in the dead space on the southwest corner of the Barnswallow. Beautification would use the same contractor as Buildings & Grounds proposed for the basketball court and has received a bid of $8821 which would be paid through the memorial fund, and not our general budget. Again, your comments by January 29th would be welcomed.
Upper Rooms in the Castle
As many of you know, Susan Muzzy and Ted Parker organized a great clean out of several of the upper rooms of the Castle previously. They have now proposed further work on these three rooms (eg, painting, electrical, etc) so that they may be used for remote work and other activities. While many details still need to be fleshed out, the proposal has intrigued the board and it is working with Susan and Ted to identify and address any issues prior to bringing this up for a board vote. As a preliminary matter, we are in the process of ensuring that the work would not present building code issues or other significant concerns. To that end, we hope to have an inspection scheduled in early 2024. In the meantime, however, we felt it appropriate to share Susan and Ted’s general vision with all of you to get your feedback, comments and thoughts as we look at the details involved.
And one final update: the Baldy development
As many of you know, a small site on the top of Baldy was acquired some time ago by a private individual (and/or one of his entities) who planned to build a cantilevered house that would extend over the dune. While the CPA, itself, was not involved, several concerned Castle Parkers came together to research the issue as this is critical dune area, access is extraordinarily limited, and a number of concerning activities had come to light over time. A number of Castle Parkers voiced their concerns to state and local officials about the project which, at that point, had already received approval for a septic system and had made an application to the DNR (now EGLE) for approval to build. Ultimately, the septic permit was revoked, and, at least at the moment, that appears to have halted the project. Whether the project is functionally at an end remains to be seen.
So, long story short, as 2023 comes to a close and 2024 gets set to launch, Castle Park has much to look forward to. We are all very blessed to share such a unique, warm and welcoming community and I am grateful for everyone’s efforts to make Castle Park as special as it is. I especially want to thank Rae and Mark for all of their efforts and commitment throughout 2023 and now into 2024, to thank all who participate on our committees that drive so many of the opportunities that we all enjoy, and to thank each and every one of you for your patience in reading this, and for your anticipated comments on the proposals above.
Happy New Year everyone!
Joy
