As many of you know, the Old Farm Lakes playground is starting to show its age. The equipment was installed more than 15 years ago and it has come to the Board’s attention that some repairs may be needed. Board members recently visited the playground, and based on their review, the decision was made to close some equipment based on its condition. The tall “curly slide” and the adult swing set are “closed for repairs”. Also, a few adult swings have been temporarily moved to the kiddie swing set.

The Board will discuss the status of the playground over the winter and determine next steps. The playground status and any recommendations will be discussed at the annual association meeting next spring.

Thanks for your patience and understanding as some playground equipment will remain closed through at least the winter.

OFLPOA Board

In late June, we experienced another fresh water mussel kill in Swan Lake. Mussels also were dying in Wildflower Lake which is part of the Old Farm Lakes Gardens subdivision. We estimate the loss of 20,000 mussels in Swan Lake. Fortunately, no fish kill occurred. The pattern and date are almost identical to the mussel kill that occurred last year. The OFLPOA Board notified the Illinois EPA and they sent agents from the Champaign and Peoria offices to investigate.

As with last year, a property owner in the Colonial Meadows subdivision sprayed Roundup around a wet retention basin in Colonial Meadows. When it rains, water concentrated with Roundup chemicals releases into Wildflower and Swan lakes.

The EPA agents spoke with the property owner spraying the Roundup and requested he stop spraying Roundup around the retention basin. The retention basin for the entire Colonial Meadows subdivision is practically right in the front yard of this property owner. He cannot get the city or township to control the weed growth in and around the basin. For health reasons, this property owner is unable to control the weed growth by just cutting them down. The property owner did agree to stop spraying the weeds so we can determine for sure that the Roundup spraying is the cause of the mussel kills. The Board offered to help the property owner in the future in his efforts to get the city or township to manage the weed growth without the use of chemicals are unsuccessful.

In 2013 we experienced a very large mussel kill, estimated to be 100,000 mussels. At that time, it was noted that weed killer was sprayed around a wet retention basin in a different upstream subdivision. Water from that basin also overflows into Wildflower and Swan lakes when it rains. The EPA said they would contact that homeowners’ association and request they refrain from spraying chemicals around their basin in the future.

The EPA is not certain the spraying of the weed killer into upstream water retention basins is the cause of the mussel kill. But the timing of all three past events point to this possibility. However, by the time we notice the mussel kills, several weeks have passed since the application of the chemicals and water samples taken after the mussel kill occurs no longer contain the chemicals. To be effective, water samples need to be taken soon after the chemicals are applied and water flows into Wildflower and Swan lakes.

We are hopeful if the upstream spraying stops, the mussels dying off in large numbers will also cease.

During the second week of June 2016 an asphalt walkway was installed to connect Old Farm Lakes to the Constitution Trail on the empty outlot on Prenzler Drive.  The new asphalt path is six feet wide with a flared entrance and exit.  The new walkway replaces the old dirt trail and provides Old Farm Lakes residents with improved and convenient access to Constitution Trail and Gaelic Park.

The path was approved by OFL members at the April Annual Association Meeting. A photo library  shows the installation of the new paved walkway. The City of Bloomington paid for the first 17 feet of the path connecting to Constitution Trail.  McLean County Asphalt was the contractor who installed the asphalt walkway.

The Association Annual Meeting was held April 26, 2016. Thirty households were represented at the meeting. Five Board members were elected to two-year terms:

Dan Cochran (18 Drake Court)
Randy Stege (3409 Fountain Lake Drive)
Patti Killian (2 Shoreline Court)
Michele Meadows (2 Cygnet Crossing)
Doug Verplank (604 Old Farm Road)

A full listing of all the current Board members along with the email addresses and phone numbers is available on the Board Member section of the website.

The 2016 budget was approved. The capital improvement project to build an asphalt path connecting Old Farm Lakes to the Constitution Trail on the Prenzler Drive outlot was approved.  The Annual Meeting Minutes will be posted to the website soon once they have been approved by the board.  The budget has been posted and can be found in the Board section of the website under OFL Meeting Minutes.

The Annual Garage Sale was held May 13 and 14 with several homeowners participating in the two-day sale.

You may have noticed the dying/dead Ash trees throughout the City and within Old Farm Lakes. Ash trees throughout the county have been infected with an Emerald Ash Borer worm. The effect on the trees can be slowed with chemical treatment, but the infected Ash trees will eventually die.

Most of the Ash trees are on the City of Bloomington parkways. It is very likely that the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Bloomington planted the trees and the Forestry Division of the Parks and Recreation Department will remove the dead or dying trees (at no cost to the property owner). The Forestry Division is actively surveying the Ash trees on City property and removing infested trees on a hazard first basis. They also may replace the removed trees with an alternate species provided ample space is available.

If you want to check on having your tree(s) removed and it’s on the City parkway, you can call the Forestry Division of the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department at 309-434-2260.

Note: If the dead or dying tree is not on the City parkway but located in your yard, you will need to arrange and pay for the removal of the tree. If you plan to remove a tree on your property, you should submit a plan to the homeowner’s association Architectural Review Committee prior to doing so.

The Association Annual Meeting was held April 29, 2015. Eleven households were represented at the meeting. Four Board members were elected to two-year terms:

Ron Kwasny (22 Swan Lake Rd)
Rob Mikel (29 Drake Ct)
Worth Johnson (614 Old Farm Rd)
Katie Bowars (5 Mallard Ct)

A full listing of all the current Board members along with the email addresses and phone numbers is available on the Board Member section of the website.

The 2015 budget was approved. The Annual Meeting Minutes and the budget are posted in the Board section of the website under OFL Meeting Minutes.

The Annual Garage Sale was held May 15 and 16 with more than 50 homeowners participating in the two-day sale.

Our signature windmill at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Old Farm Road underwent major repairs in November 2013.  The windmill head (blade, tailfin, and gear box) was replaced.  A photo library  shows the removal of the old windmill head and replacement with the new head assembly.

In 1987 when the Old Farm Lakes (OFL) subdivision was established, a windmill from an old farm north of Interstate 55 and east of Pipeline Road was moved to its present site at our main entrance.  The original windmill was over fifty feet tall and was cut down to its current forty-foot height before being erected.  An article in the About OFL section on the History of the Old Farm Lakes subdivision, based on an interview with OFL founder Vern Prenzler, has more detail on the windmill history.

Periodic maintenance has been performed on the windmill over the years, including lubrication, painting and up lighting.  In 2008 we were told the gears were getting bad and the windmill brake should remain on at all times to keep the blade from turning too fast.

Our Aermotor windmill was built in the 1930’s and with repair parts hard to come by the best option was to replace the head assembly (blade, tailfin, and gear box).  Paul Behrends of Paul’s Windmill & Crane Service installed the new Aermotor head.  A new mast pipe and service platform were also installed and the wording “Old Farm Lakes” was added to the new tailfin.

The tower remains in good shape and will need to be repainted in the near future.  With continued regular maintenance our signature windmill should last for many years to come.  The windmill can now be allowed to turn freely in the wind but will be locked down during high wind conditions.

Did you know that 2012 marked the 25th anniversary for the Old Farm Lakes subdivision? The subdivision was founded in 1987 and the first open house was held later that year. Want to learn more about the history of OFL? Check out the great article on the History of the Old Farm Lakes subdivision found in the About OFL section of the website. The article details an interview with Vern Prenzler, the founder and developer of OFL.