12/03/2021 by GOC HOA Board 0 Comments

2021 Annual Meeting Minutes

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Glens of Connemara
Annual HOA Meeting
November 29, 2021
1115 Warner Ave., Lemont

7:30pm: Welcome/ Call meeting to begin
Introduction of Board Members
Quick run through of agenda

Introduction of Mayor John Egofske and Village Administrator George Schafer
Update on Village goings-on
Lemont & the downtown area are growing
The big idea is to make sure we are getting value:
Great downtown area (family friendly)
Great schools
Public safety
And an appreciation for our deep history (Lemont est. 1836)

Current Village projects
The Downtown has added several shops/restaurants/bars in the past few years
Will continue to add quality businesses: 2 old businesses are currently getting remodeled.
Multi-story luxury apartments are going up downtown to bring more density to our downtown and support local businesses
Make sure you get to the downtown area and support local eateries and shops; they are very family friendly and perfect for a Th, F, Sat, Sun visit

Quality developments continue to be built in Lemont
Lemont is averaging 125 new homes/year
This moderate to slow growth is actually helping us to be one of the fastest growing towns in the area…. Slow and steady
Lemont property values are up approximately 20% at resale value
3 or 4 new Subdivisions are going up/being completed.
Townhomes are a hot commodity at the moment, and they are selling out before building is complete
Lemont is interested in quality development with quality builders

Lemont Park District has a scheduled plan to update all the parks in Lemont, and according to George Schafer (Village Administrator), our GOC Park is “on deck”
Lemont Park District will be in contact with the HOA within the next year or two to get our input on updates.

Introduction of Lemont Police Chief Maton
Recent crime wave
Police Chief Maton & the Lemont Police have been watching these crews for about 8months now
There is also a new FBI task force that is working with CPD, IL State Police, and local law enforcement to share info
This crime wave is not local to Lemont; it’s all over Cook County
Hinsdale, Orland, Lockport, Elmhurst, Palos, and others are all being hit too

What is being done?
Police have their hands tied when it comes to real action
Laws set in place make it extremely difficult to be effective in doing their job
Police cannot chase criminals for a property offence
Making it difficult to catch them
Kim Foxx won’t prosecute for a property crime
Which takes the fear out of the criminals
Lemont Police have started to install License Plate Readers (LPR) around the town
These would help track/identify stolen cars/ license plates that come into and out of Lemont
19 are currently deployed, 3 or 4 still to be set up
Derby and 131st is the closest to us at the moment
They want to put cameras at 131st and Bell
Stolen plates get pinged into the system and go straight to the LPD so they can dispatch the closest unit
There are still some kinks and software issues that are being worked out with this new camera system, so it’s not 100% effective as of yet

What can we do?
Legislatively:
VOTE, research candidates for local, Cook County, and State positions
The Police would need the following policy changes to happen in order for them to do their jobs more effectively:
Need the ability to PROSECUTE for property crimes
Make Property/Home theft an invasion of Person.
Add aggravation to fleeing in a stolen car
Add aggravation for committing a crime while hooded/masked/armed
Add aggravation against suspect if there is damage or harm caused during pursuit
Permission to put more cameras and LPRs on poles (owned by ComED) within our own city
The HOA will work with Chief and Mayor to come up with a talking point template if you would like to call/email Kim Foxx, or any other Cook County decision maker to try to influence change within the county.
Attend Cook County Board Meetings and voice your concerns there

In our own neighborhood:
If you see something, say something
Call the police if you see anyone walking your neighborhood who shouldn’t be
Go ahead and call 911 because it all goes to the same police station
LOCK YOUR DOORS
ALL vehicle thefts in Lemont have had one or all of the following:
Cars unlocked
Keys in car
Garage door opener in car
Elmhurst has seen use of a theft device that can mimic your key fob from inside your house
Lemont hasn’t seen that yet,
But key fob protectors (Faraday Key Fob Holders) can be bought on Amazon to help block signals from these scanners/ reprogramers for less than $20
Don’t leave your garage door open
Close your garage door so they can’t just walk in–even if you are home
HOA can look into putting cameras/LPRs at the entrances to our subdivision
We’d share the feed with LPD to help identify stolen plates/cars in our neighborhood and hopefully prevent crimes by dispatching officers
HOA can look into a hiring a private security detail for our neighborhood as added protection
George Schafer (Village Administrator) will speak with ComEd about putting more than a chain across the service road that leads to Bell Rd.
To lessen access/escape routes in/out of our neighborhood

Questions pertaining to Police matters/authority
Can the GOC become a gated community?
From George Schafer (Village Administrator): No; it would be a logistical nightmare, and nearly impossible to do.
Ruffled Feathers is the only gated community in Lemont
They planned to be gated from the start
All things are PRIVATE and PRIVATELY tended to within the gates
No Lemont Park District parks
No Lemont Village plowing
No Lemont Village repairs (roads/sidewalks/etc)
Can we do anything about unwanted (people not from our neighborhood or town) soliciting in our neighborhood?
School kids fundraising are easy to spot
Business who solicit need a permit from the Village to do so
Religions do not
If you think someone is soliciting without a permit, or might be a scammer, please call the police so they can check them out and/or chase them out.
Ask for a website you can donate to… If they are credible, they should have a website to check out.
If it doesn’t feel right, don’t give them your money; especially credit card.
Speeding is still an issue through our neighborhood.
OBEY POSTED SPEED LIMITS: 20mph
Assure that your teens are obeying speed limits within the neighborhood
Ask that any guests who come to visit do the same
We are all neighbors, and all have kids who live around us.
BE RESPECTFUL. BE SAFE.

Board Member Election
3 Board Member positions up for election
5 Candidates
Greg Cooney – 19 votes
Antara Rivera – 17 votes
Muhammad Matariyeh (re-election) – 15 votes
Mark Ranicar – 10 votes
Jeff Krupa – 7 votes
2022 Elected Board Members: Muhammad, Antara, Greg

HOA 2021/2022 Budget Review
2021 Review
No major expenses other than landscaping & fountain maintenance
2022 Projection
Looks to be the same as this year
A detailed look at the financial statement can be found in the HOA DOCUMENTS section of the Glens of Connemara website
New project ideas for HOA
Make sure that landscapers cut the easement grass on the back curve on Dunmoor (right near the walking path) on a regular basis
Fixing/repainting/replacing the front fence on 131st
Getting the front stop sign replaced because it is extremely faded
Call George Schafer about this
Talk to Village about keeping trees on 131st trimmed for better visibility
No Soliciting sign in front of GOC??
Neighborhood security
cameras/LPRs?
Private security company?
Residents are welcome to come to the HOA and start a Special Committee to help research/price out these options

Announce New Board Members
Collect contact info after meeting adjourns