Frequently Asked Questions
- How much are annual association dues?
- I just purchased a home in Old Farm Lakes. How
can I get acquainted?
- I'd like to volunteer to help around the
neighborhood common areas. How can I get involved?
- How do I request a Dues Paid Letter when I sell
my home in Old Farm Lakes?
- What is the Architecture Review Committee and
what do I need to know about it?
- Can I boat on or swim in Fountain or Swan Lake?
- Can I fish in the lakes?
-
How far is it around the lakes?
- I have a dog and a cat. Do I have to keep them
on a leash?
-
How can I become a board
member?
- Will the city help plant trees in front of my
house?
-
Where can I find information on garbage
and landscaping material pickup for the City?
-
In the winter, can we walk or ice skate on the
lakes?
- What types of signs can I display in my yard?
-
Which Ward of the City is Old Farm Lakes
in?
-
Is there a complete list of the streets in
Old Farm Lakes anywhere?
-
Street light out?
-
When
and where does the Book Mobile come to Old Farm Lakes?
-
Can I have an open
fire on the common grounds?
-
How long can advertising
signs be displayed?
- Where do I vote?
-
How to report problems?
-
How can I check if there are any sex offenders living
in Old Farm Lakes?
-
Are above ground
swimming pools addressed in the Covenants for Old Farm Lakes?
-
How can I find
homes in specific subdivisions that are for sale?
-
May I park my trailer in the on the street or lot?
-
Are there hours when the playground is closed?
-
Does Bloomington
have a Crime Mapping System?
Annual dues for the OFLPOA are $150 per year. Homeowners receive a
notice to pay in January each year. The due date will be listed on the
invoice.
NEW HOMEOWNERS WELCOME LETTER
When you become aware of a new homeowner moving
into the subdivision, please notify Nancy Haarstad at 663-2033, or any other
member of the board listed on the web page. With your help we can provide new
members of our community with a letter containing key points of the covenants.
Also, be sure to click on Covenants Corner for a quick overview of some
important covenant points.
The Covenants are available in PDF format on the Association website. If you
need a printed set of covenants, please contact Board President Ron Kwasny at
662-4995, or any Board member listed on this website.
In the September 10th Pantagraph, there was a front page article on
volunteerism. The article noted that “…hundreds of residents donated food,
school supplies and blood, and did service projects at the fourth annual
ShareFest”. The volunteerism discussed in this article was based on the 9/11
event and was focused on helping others. There are other forms of volunteerism.
This past summer many people in Bloomington came together to construct a
fabulous new playground area at Washington School. Many residents from Old Farm
Lake provided leadership in making that effort a big success.
In the September newsletter, you may have noticed several notes of thanks for
Old Farm Lake residents who have volunteered their time and energy to help make
the subdivision a better place for us all. In this newsletter, you will find a
thank you note to Dianne Troxel, who took it upon herself to clean up the area
around the Old Farm Lake entrance sign. It doesn’t take a lot of effort
sometimes. For example, while walking around the subdivision, just picking up a
piece of trash along the way helps.
Sometimes these are bigger efforts such as moving dirt to fill in holes around
Fountain Lake or erecting the shade umbrella in the playground area. When ever
we can get anything done by homeowners volunteering their time and effort, we
save the Association money. This in turn keeps the annual dues at a very
reasonable level. As an aside note, we have extremely low dues compared to many
other homeowner associations’ around the Bloomington/Normal area. Ask around.
You will be amazed at how low our dues are especially for all that we maintain.
To keep our dues at these levels requires a lot of volunteer help from time to
time. Over the years, a lot of the volunteer work has been done by Board members
but they too live very busy lives and free time to do chores for the Association
is sometimes hard to come by. When we can’t get the volunteers, we have to hire
help to get the work done.
The Board maintains a list of many small to medium tasks that need to get done.
If you would like to help, please contact a Board member.
SELLING YOUR HOME?
At closing time you usually will need a letter from the OFL homeowner
association stating that your annual dues have been paid. Contact Treasurer
Dan Cochran.
A letter
confirming that your dues have been paid will be provided to you. To ensure that you have the letter
when you need it, please give allow at least a week's notice.
Thank you for your consideration!!
Please follow this link to the Old Farm Lakes
ARCHITECTURE REVIEW COMMITTEE POLICIES
Back to Top
SAFETY on the LAKES
Fountain Lake -- Boating on Fountain Lake is not
permitted. Getting near the fountain while it is operating or touching
the fountain that has electricity running to it could be dangerous.
Swan Lake --
Paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, jon boats and inflatable boats are allowed on Swan
Lake. No gasoline-powered motors are allowed. Passengers must remain in
the boats at all times while on the water. All State and Coast Guard regulations
should be followed. We especially encourage the use of life jackets. Boating
after dark is not allowed. If someone got in trouble on the water after dark, no
one might notice in time to assist them. The Board feels the liability of
allowing boating after dark is too great a risk.
There will be NO SWIMMING or WADING in either lake. Being around water can be
dangerous. Proper behavior and safety precautions are necessary at all times.
Those not willing to do so may have their use of the common area facilities
restricted.
Storage of Boats
The Covenants require that boats be stored in a garage or other suitable
shelter. The idea behind Item Q on page A-21 is that large recreational items,
such as boats, should be stored out of sight except when in use. Several
homeowners have canoes, paddleboats, kayaks, jon boats, and inflatable boats
that they use from time to time on the lakes. These must all be stored out of
sight at the end of each day.
We continue to have good fishing in our two lakes. There is significant
fishing pressure on the lakes so only good conservation practices by everyone
will preserve our continued fishing enjoyment.
The following "rules" and "guidelines" are being enforced to ensure quality
fishing for years to come:
- Fishing is for OFLPOA members and guests only.
- Guests MUST BE accompanied AT ALL TIMES by an OFLPOA member.
- Clean up all litter. Never leave trash around the lakes.
- Only fishing poles are allowed.
- We highly encourage the practice of "Catch and Release" to preserve our
fishing population.
- Returning fish to the water immediately increases the probability they
will live and remain healthy.
- Fish kept on a stringer or in containers, that are later released, often
die.
- We do not know how safe it is to eat fish from the lake. It is extremely
expensive to have them tested.
- Remove only fish that you intend to eat.
- No fishing is allowed from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM
Size and daily catch limits:
FISH MINIMUM SIZE DAILY LIMIT
- Bass 20" 1
- Catfish 18" 3
- Crappie 7" 5
- Bluegill 6" 10
We do closely enforce the above rules. Non-members are responsible for the
most abuse of our stock of fish and litter problems. The Board asks your help in
ensuring the above rules are being followed. Don’t hesitate to question anyone
you observe violating these guidelines. If you don’t recognize someone who is
fishing, politely ask them if they are an OFLPOA member; it is also a good way
to meet your neighbors. We find that most of our fishermen appreciate it that we
are trying to protect this great asset. If uncomfortable doing so, please notify
a Board member ASAP so we can address a problem.
We also have some residents who fish the lakes for food on a regular basis.
They frequently keep many of the small fish as well. The Association pays to
have the lakes stocked for the fishing enjoyment of the homeowners and the
stocked fish are not intended to be a food source for someone on a regular
basis. If you want to eat fish from the lakes, you are expected to follow the
daily limits on how many fish you can keep.
The question whether a fishing license is required in order to fish in our
lakes often comes up. According to the Illinois Department of Conservation, a
fishing license is required for anyone 16 years of age or older. We certainly
don’t check licenses but the State Department of Conservation officers could do
an inspection at anytime.
Please be safe and courteous of others who are also trying to enjoy the
lakes. Respect the private property of your neighbor’s who live near the lake.
Take a child fishing and share the experience!
Back to Top
For all you walkers, runners, cyclists, roller-bladers and trivia buffs:
* The distance around Swan Lake is 1.02 miles
* It is .9 miles on the Constitution Trail from Eddy Road to Hershey Road,
making a round-trip 1.8 miles.
* The distance around the edge of Fountain Lake is 1/4 of a mile.
City ordinances require pet owners to keep their pets on leases and to pick
up the waste from their pets. We have many very responsible pet owners who do so
diligently. We also have some who don’t. Cats, as well as dogs, are allowed to
roam the neighborhood or to be off lease while walking with their owner. Some
pet owners, even when they have their pet on lease, allow the pet to go into
neighbor’s yards where they urinate on the plants and grass. Please respect the
property of your neighbors and their right to feel safe when out of doors by
keeping your pets on lease and controlling where they do their business.
It’s easy to become a board member and openings come up on a fairly regular
basis. If you have time to serve, get involved now and let a board member know
that you're interested. You may be able to fill a vacant seat between elections
or run when the next elections are held in the spring. Every year either 4 or 5
of the 9 seats are up for election. Contact a Board member to get more
information.
City tree planting program is not being offered at this time.
Tree Pruning. . .
Trees along the street in front of your house should be pruned once a year.
Cut off branches that divide/split the trunk, also trim damaged or dead limbs. A tree will gradually straighten
its trunk, even a 90 degree bend. More importantly, a single trunk is much
stronger then two or more branches that grow out from the same point. A tree
with a central trunk is much less likely to break or split in high wind. Pruning
now could save hundreds of dollars if the tree is
critically injured and must be removed. If you’re not comfortable pruning a large tree
yourself, look under Tree Service in the yellow pages.
Visit the City of Bloomington website at
http://www.cityblm.org/
Winter Safety Reminders
When the lakes freeze over, walking and skating on the frozen surface is a very
exciting and fun thing for some people to do. This is not an activity that the
Association endorses and you are doing so at your own risk. Each winter we post
signs around the lakes warning of the dangers of going onto the ice. All the
subdivision’s sump pumps and street drains empty into the lakes at numerous
places. This warmer running water can weaken the ice above where it flows into
the lakes. It is not obvious were all these inlets are located. Also the ice
should be very thick overall before venturing out onto it and you should never
go onto the ice alone. We suggest you discuss this with your children and that
safety be practiced at all times when around water, ice or no ice.
Rocks....When the ice
starts to form each winter and as it starts to thaw in the spring, it is a very
tempting time to throw the large shoreline rocks onto the ice to see how big a
hole they will make. Every year a significant amount of river rocks are thrown
into the lake this way. It costs the Association around $8,000 each year to
replace the shoreline rock. We really would like to see our Association dues
going to the improvement and maintenance on other things. We ask parents to
continue to talk with your children about this issue. We ask everyone to make it
your business to monitor the situation. Please don’t hesitate to talk with
anyone you see throwing the rocks into the lake or onto the ice about why it is
important to leave the rocks in place. The rocks serve the purpose of protecting
the shoreline from erosion.
Fire hydrants....Please take note where the fire hydrants are located
near your house. Should we get a lot of snow fall or there is a lot of drifting
of the snow, the fire hydrants can be covered up. This will make it difficult
for the firemen to locate the hydrants should an emergency occur. Please keep an
eye on the situation and uncover the hydrants near your home should they get
covered up.
Child Safety....Many of our children play out of doors during the winter, especially
when it has snowed. When the roads are covered with ice or snow please drive
cautiously through the subdivision. Our streets have a lot of curves and this
can make steering difficult. Please be safe and enjoy the winter season.
The Old Farm Lakes (OFL) Covenants state that no billboard or advertising signs are allowed in
the subdivision, except those permitted by City ordinance and the usual
contractor or real estate signs and promotion signs for the OFL Homeowner
Association. The Board asks that all allowable signs be placed in the
homeowner’s yard (not on the parkway or common property). City ordinance
regarding signs also call for limited displaying of such signs as well as size
and placement of the sign. Business advertising signs, other than the exception
listed above, are not allowed in the subdivision.
....Contractor signs
should be displayed only while the construction is occurring at the property.
...Election signs should be displayed only for an appropriate time period and
removed immediately after the elections.
New City Ward Map
For many years, the Old Farm Lakes subdivision has been in Ward 8 of the City of
Bloomington. This has primarily been an area of the City south of Oakland Avenue
and east of Mercer Avenue. The City has grown significantly and based on
population the City, in 2006, needed to add a ninth ward. Most of the Old Farm
Lakes subdivision is now part of Ward 9. The only exceptions are Weathervane
Court, Hayloft Road, and Cumbria Drive which have always been in Precinct 33.
The rest of the Old Farm Lakes subdivision is in Precinct 25. This was not an
issue before regarding city aldermen representation because all of Old Farm
Lakes was in Ward 8. Now about 95% of the subdivision is in the new Ward 9,
while residents on these three streets are still in Ward 8.
Reference the new Ward map at the
City of
Bloomington website. Note that most of Ward 9 is north of Oakland Avenue and
east of Hershey Road and Airport Road. Along with the Old Farm Gardens,
Waterford Estates and White Eagle subdivisions, we are somewhat isolated from
the rest of the new Ward 9. Hopefully, we will not be treated as the forgotten
child by our new City alderman. The election of the new alderman will be
forthcoming. We will want to pay close attention to who is running for this
position on the City Council and be sure they are aware we exist and carry
sizeable voting clout with 375 homes.
Certainly!, there are 375 homes in the OFL subdivision on the following
streets:
Blue Lake Court
Cumbria Drive
Cygnet Crossing
Drake Court
Eddy Road
Fountain Lake Court
Fountain Lake Drive
Harvest Court
Hayloft Road
Joslin Court
Lexis Court
Mallard Court
Minks Court
Old Farm Road
Prenzler Drive
Shoreline Court
Stark Circle
Swan Lake Road
Teal Drive
Weathervane Court
Windmill Road
If your street light is out contact
Cornbelt Electric.
 When and where does the Book Mobile come to Old Farm Lakes?
Book Mobile
schedule.
Can I have an open fire on
the common grounds?
Open fires on common grounds are a liability to the Association and to
homeowners, therefore, the Board voted to not to allow open pit fires on OFLPOA
common grounds. This includes all common grounds in the Association, including
the open area between the lakes.
How
long may advertising signs remain in yard?
The Covenants state
advertising signs may be displayed in yards as allowed by City Code. Homeowners
may display a sign that advertises the company doing work in their home
during the repairs or construction and for a few days after the work has
completed.
Where
do I vote?
The residents of Old Farm Lakes subdivision, vote at Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church at 3615 White Eagle Road (east of the OFL subdivision
via Streid Drive or White Eagle Drive).
How
to report problems?
Whenever you see something suspicious occurring in the
subdivision or a criminal act has occurred, report it immediately to the Police
Department. If you feel it is a non-emergency, call 820-8888, otherwise call
911. Vandalism often goes unreported and unfortunately the police are not
aware of the need for stepped up patrols in our area of town. Please report
all such events.
The Board of Directors also asks that you notify us
whenever anything happens. There may be a reoccurring pattern or a wide spread
problem shaping up that hearing from several homeowners will make the Board
aware of and we will also communicate with the police. The Board also often
sends out email alerts to all registered homeowners when these things come to
our attention. Use the contact tab in the
www.oflpoa.org website or call a Board member.
Back to Top
How
do I know if there are any sex offenders living in Old Farm Lakes?
Look up your address on the
State of
Illinois web site.
Back to Top
Are
above ground swimming pools addressed in the covenants?
The OFLPOA Covenants clearly state that there shall be no above ground
swimming pools under any circumstances (reference Item R. on page A-21 of the
Covenants and Restrictions). Inflatable kid's "wading pools" have been around
for years and we have allowed these "wading pools" to be up during the summer.
They are usually small (under two feet in height and no more than eight to ten
feet across) and obviously a temporary recreational facility. Today you can buy
an inflatable pool at a very reasonable
price that is three to five feet tall and 12 to 18 feet across and contains a
built in filtering system. They also come in many sizes in between this and the
traditional "wading pool" described above. The Board has defined what will be
considered an "above ground pool" in regards to the Covenant restriction. The
City of Bloomington considers any structure intended for swimming or
recreational bathing that is designed to hold water over 24 inches deep to be a
swimming pool. The Board feels that this is a good criterion and will use the
same definition for an above ground pool. Any above ground pool that can contain
water over 24 inches deep is not in compliance with the OFLPOA Covenants. It
does not matter how much water is actually in the pool. It is what the pool by
design is capable of holding that will be the criteria.
How
can I find home in subdivisions that are fore sale?
Use this web site and search by subdivision, Subdivision is the second drop down
box in the center of the web page -
ForSaleChoice.com .
Back to Top
Can
I park a trailer on the street or in my lot?
Article IX Section Q (page A-21) of the Declaration of Covenants and
Restrictions of Old Farm Lakes Property Owners Association restricts the parking
of trailers of all types on the street or on the lot in the Old Farm Lakes
subdivision for more than 24 hours. The Board of Directors realizes that
homeowners with recreational vehicles or trailers need some time to load and
unload the vehicle or trailer so we allow for the vehicle or trailer to be
onsite for a day or two for this purpose. If the vehicle or trailer is on site
longer than this the Board must request that the vehicle or trailer be removed.
According to City of Bloomington ordinances, at no time can anyone sleep or stay
in such vehicles or trailers while on the street or on a lot. The same guideline
is true for boat trailers and utility trailers.
Back to Top
Are
there hours when the playground is closed?
The playground area is not lighted. It is not safe to be using the equipment
after dark. The playground is closed from dusk to dawn. Loitering is not
permitted.
Back to Top
Does
Bloomington have a crime mapping system?
RAIDS Online is
a public crime mapping system that allows the Bloomington Police Department to
share crime information with the community to reduce crime, improve public
safety and enhance neighborhood-police partnerships. Users of this site can
utilize the interactive maps and data dashboards to become better informed about
criminal activity.
Back to Top | 
