Important Announcement: HOA Assist Onboarding

Dear Craneridge Homeowners,

After extensive research over the past year, the Board has decided to contract with HOA Assist to enhance our community’s operational efficiency. HOA Assist will provide professional financial management services, reducing the workload on our volunteer leadership and will replace the Executive Secretary role and the Patriot software we were using for our finances.

Effective January 1, 2025:

  • The Executive Secretary role and use of Patriot software will end on December 31, 2024.
  • HOA Assist will take over management of many of our financial and administrative services.

What to Expect:
You will receive onboarding emails from HOA Assist soon. These emails are legitimate and will provide information on setting up your new online portal and assessment payment options.

For more details, visit: www.hoa-assist.com

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

— The Craneridge HOA Board of Directors

Important Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Update: December 2024

What You Need to Know

  1. HWA is now widespread: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is now affecting many trees across Craneridge. Untreated trees die within 4–10 years. Most of these trees have early infestations and can be targeted for treatment in the spring and fall in 2025 and beyond. However, the numbers we are now dealing with will require further prioritization and planning.
  2. Treatment limits: We’ll continue treatment of Hemlocks larger than 10” in diameter in Spring 2025. Based on limits set by NYS and the EPA, only 14–16 trees per acre can be treated annually. Treatment lasts 5-7 years.
  3. Partnerships in action: Collaboration with local experts and initiatives, like Laricobius beetle releases, will aid control efforts but will take several years to impact HWA.
  4. Community role: Residents can report HWA (SUBMIT THIS FORM), join HWA ID sessions, or volunteer as knowledge-keepers to support ongoing efforts.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is now widespread across western New York and New York State. Learn more about Hemlock Woolly Adelgid here

What We are Doing:

  1. We have a strong partnership with HWA expert Joshua Konovitz from Ecos Cooperative. Joshua is also our Erie County Parks forester.
  2. To date, we have treated approximately 150 Hemlocks throughout Craneridge. We carefully record all treated Hemlocks with location and date, so we can monitor success and re-treat, if needed, in 5-7 years.
  3. Through our connection with Cornell’s Hemlock Initiative, Sprague Brook Park benefited from a bio-control release of 1000 Laricobius beetles (they love to eat HWA) in October. Our hope is that they move into Craneridge in the years to come.
  4. We have the beginnings of a Craneridge tree nursery starting from seed, and within a few years, we plan to have hundreds of native tree and shrub seedlings to replace smaller Hemlocks that are not treated.

What You Can Do:

  1. If you find HWA on your property, Submit this form. We’ll come onsite to assess your trees and tag for potential treatment.
  2. Attend scheduled Hemlock Woolly Adelgid hunter sessions, which will be upcoming in January.
  3. If you are interested in becoming an HWA knowledge-keeper and are willing to meet with neighbors to share basic information about HWA and treatment, please contact Gwen at gwenalegre@gmail.com. A BIG thank you to Matt Gregory and Bill Rugg who have stepped into this volunteer role in 2024.
  4. Please be patient. With the Craneridge BOD’s full support, we are doing the absolute best we can for our Hemlocks. Sadly, we won’t be able to save them all.
  5. Looking toward the future, this is the best chance we’ll ever have to diversify our unique wooded habitat, which is critical for healthy forests.

Questions? Concerns?

Should you have questions or concerns, please contact Gwen Alegre at gwenalegre@gmail.com or Sam Lewandowski at slewandowski92@gmail.com.

Next BOD Meeting – Monday Dec. 2nd @ 6:45 pm via ZOOM

Monday, Dec. 2 2024  @ 6:45 pm
Via Zoom– This meeting will be held online via Zoom and is open to all community members. This meeting is password protected. To obtain the link and password for the online meeting, please log into the Craneridge Homeowners page: https://craneridge.org/homeowners-2/

Mission Statement: Enhance our living environment through woodlands stewardship, shared property maintenance, and community building.

Outcomes [or Intended Results] for this meeting: 

By the end of this meeting we will accomplish the following: 

  • Understand the latest developments occurring within our committees;
  • Update BOD on the progress made on “Actions we agreed to complete” that are outside of the committees;
  • Discussion and understanding of the different street lighting options available for Craneridge to ensure a well-informed decision-making process 
  • Discuss the adoption of HOA Assist platform to significantly streamline our operations and improve efficiency in managing the association’s finances.
Sections and TopicsLeaderTime (minutes) 
CONNECT – Check-in Shannon5
COMMENTS – Member’s Public Comments WelcomeN/AN/A
Meeting Minutes Meeting Approval for November 2024Shannon5  
CONVENE – Quick review of Outcomes, Agenda, and rolesShannon5
CONSENT AGENDA – Officer & Committee ReportsPresident, Vice President, Secretary, & Treasurer/Finance ReportCommittees Executive Secretary Officers, Committee Chairs & Executive Secretary 1 minute each

(~10)
CONTEXT – Review Follow-up Action Plan Template ItemsShannon5
CONTENT – with “open,” “narrow,” or ”close”
Street Lighting Options and Homeowner Preferences – Discussion of the results of the Homeowners vote. [N,C}Sam10
Discuss the adoption of HOA Assist platform to significantly streamline our operations and improve efficiency in managing the association’s finances.  [C]Shannon10
Any other Topics that need to be Discussed N/AN/A
CONTINUE & CONCLUDE  – Summarize, Action Plans, Next MeetingShannon5

NOTES: ONC label meanings
O = Open (Talking about it for the first time & opening the discussion)
N = Narrow (Focusing on Options & narrowing down the discussion)
C = Close (Making a decision and closing the discussion)

Street Lighting Survey Now Open!

A survey has been opened to get community feedback on how to proceed (or not) with lighting. This will remain open throughout the month of November with the intent to provide consolidated results in the December monthly Board of Directors meeting.

Please go here to find information about the lighting options, view the full Zoom meeting from 11/11, and complete the survey for yourself. (Please one survey per lot)

This information and survey is open to current Craneridge residents in good standing with the Association. If there any questions, please reach out to Sam or Cory (contact info in the link above).

Craneridge Cookie Exchange on December 11 @ 6:30 pm

The Holiday Season will soon be here. Cookie Exchange is back so come and join us for an evening of fun and laughter. Meet your neighbors and make new friends. Ina will also have a small Christmas shop open for those looking for unique Christmas gifts.

It’s easy to join the fun. Make 5 dozen of one variety of cookie or candy (for those who need gluten free). Set aside one dozen on a plate to share with everyone at the exchange.

Divide the remaining four dozen into wrapped packages/bags of six cookies each. (Suggestion: use Dollar Store goodie bags or Ziplock bags or be creative with your packaging.) Bring your cookies in a basket or box so you have something to take your ‘new’ cookies home in.  You can keep your new cookies, share with a neighbor or relatives or take them to work. 

Want to attend but not participate in the exchange, that’s  OK. Come anyway for a little holiday cheer.  Wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available.  
Questions – Please call Ina Randall 716-592-7065.

Date: Wednesday, December 11 2024

Time:  6:30 pm

Place:  The Randall’s – 82 Hardwood Dr

RSVP:  Ina Randall   716-592-7065

Craneridge Dinner Nite – Open slots! 11/16 @ 6:00pm

So far we have 18 people signed up for the November 16th, 6:00pm Dinner… and we are trying like to try to generate a few more participants. At this point we have 3 Host-couples… with two two-some slots unfilled in the third group. We are looking to fill those two positions… and perhaps even engender enough interest to form a fourth Group. We have opened the Event up to singles also.

The Form is: https://form.jotform.com/243009024261040

Heads Up: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) Treatment Resumes

Starting this week (Nov. 3, 2024), we’ll be tagging trees for treatment and resuming HWA treatment, which will include trees with known infestations. We’ll also proactively treat large healthy Hemlocks along Hardwood between the mail center and the 4-way stop sign. 

In the spring of this year, we treated about 120 Hemlocks. This month, we hope to treat an additional 75-100. All treated trees are recorded with GPS coordinates and tagged with a unique number. Treatment is overseen by forester and HWA expert, Joshua Konvitz.

A highly effective liquid treatment (Imidacloprid) will be applied directly to the base of the trees and will last for 5-7 years. There will be NO spraying. Left untreated, HWA infested trees will die within 10 years. Sadly, we will not be able to save all our Hemlocks.

DETAILS, FAQs, TREATMENT STEPS, and MORE
If you love Craneridge and our Hemlocks, you’ll want to spend some time exploring this page. https://craneridge.org/take-a-stand-against-hemlock-woolly-adelgid/

QUESTIONS? CONCERNS?
Should you have questions or concerns, please contact Gwen Alegre at gwenalegre@gmail.com or Sam Lewandowski at slewandowski92@gmail.com.

Lighting Update & Informational Meeting – Monday Nov. 11th @ 6:30 pm via ZOOM

With the gas lights now removed, the time has come to finalize the next phase in the future of street lighting in Craneridge.

A document has been compiled summarizing our options and next steps. Please find it in the members only section for review here: https://craneridge.org/street-lighting/

Also, plan to bring you questions and feedback to a special informational town hall style meeting .

Monday, Nov. 11, 2024  @ 6:30 pm

 This meeting will be held online via Zoom and is open to all community members. This meeting is password protected. To obtain the link and password for the online meeting, please log into the Craneridge Homeowners Street Lighting page: https://craneridge.org/street-lighting/

Next BOD Meeting – Monday Nov. 4th @ 6:45 pm via ZOOM

Monday, Nov. 4, 2024  @ 6:45 pm
Via Zoom– This meeting will be held online via Zoom and is open to all community members. This meeting is password protected. To obtain the link and password for the online meeting, please log into the Craneridge Homeowners page: https://craneridge.org/homeowners-2/

Craneridge Association BOD Meeting Agenda
Mission Statement: Enhance our living environment through woodlands stewardship, shared property maintenance, and community building.

Outcomes [or Intended Results] for this meeting: 

By the end of this meeting we will accomplish the following: 

  • Understand the latest developments occurring within our committees;
  • Discussion and understanding of the different street lighting options available for Craneridge to ensure a well-informed decision-making process 
  • Discuss the adoption of an online financial services platform to significantly reduce the workload of the Treasurer and improve efficiency in managing the association’s finances.
  • Discuss the replacement of basketball court lights and electrical system
  • Review and Discuss Compliance Steps for the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and Board Member Responsibilities
Sections and TopicsLeaderTime (minutes) 
CONNECT – Check-in Shannon5
COMMENTS – Member’s Public Comments WelcomeN/AN/A
Meeting Minutes Meeting Approval for October 2024Shannon5  
CONVENE – Quick review of Outcomes, Agenda, and rolesShannon5
CONSENT AGENDA – Officer & Committee ReportsPresident, Vice President, Secretary, & Treasurer/Finance ReportCommittees Executive Secretary Officers, Committee Chairs & Executive Secretary 1 minute each

(~10)
CONTEXT – Review Follow-up Action Plan Template ItemsShannon5
CONTENT – with “open,” “narrow,” or ”close”
Street Lighting Options and Homeowner Preferences – Discussion and understanding of the different street lighting options available for Craneridge to ensure a well-informed decision-making process that aligns with community preferences and prevents unnecessary expenditure of time and resources. [N]Sam10
Discuss the adoption of an online financial services platform to significantly reduce the workload of the Treasurer and improve efficiency in managing the association’s finances.  [N,C]Shannon10
Review and Discuss Compliance Steps for the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and Board Member Responsibilities  [N]Shannon 10
Any other Topics that need to be Discussed N/AN/A
CONTINUE & CONCLUDE  – Summarize, Action Plans, Next MeetingShannon5

NOTES: ONC label meanings
O = Open (Talking about it for the first time & opening the discussion)
N = Narrow (Focusing on Options & narrowing down the discussion)
C = Close (Making a decision and closing the discussion)