FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What are my annual dues used for?

A: Your annual Homeowners' Association dues are used to pay for the maintenance of our commons areas, ponds, and traffic circles, electric utilities (power for lighting our traffic circles and island planting areas), liability insurance for our commons areas, social functions, communications, capital improvements, and smaller miscellaneous operating expenses such as photocopies of Covenants and the hosting of this Web site.

Q: What are the policies regarding annual dues payment?

A: All dues are payable by cash, check, credit card or debit card within 30 days of receipt of your invoice. If dues are not paid within 30 days of receipt of your invoice, your account will be considered delinquent.

Q: There are empty lots in The Trails at Chestnut Grove that need to be mowed and/or cleaned up: What is being done about this?

A: The Covenants of The Trails at Chestnut Grove do not address yard maintenance, specifically as it pertains to the permissible length of grasses and/or weeds. However, this does not preclude any resident of The Trails at Chestnut Grove from filing a nuisance complaint with the City of Champaign Neighborhood Services Department Code Compliance Division (at 403-7070). Once a complaint is filed with Neighborhood Services, one of their inspectors visits and inspects the subject lot. If the grass and/or weeds are still excessively tall when the inspector comes out, Neighborhood Services will probably send an informational letter to the property owner, allowing him one week to mow before an official notice is issued (for first-time offenders). The official notice will give an additional 10 days to comply with City Code. Also note that Neighborhood Services personnel are a little more lenient during excessively wet periods of the year, knowing that many property owners are unable to run mowers in wet yards. If the lot owner fails to comply, ultimately, City employees or contractors will mow the lot and send the owner a bill.

Q: Do I need approval to have my yard fenced in?

A: Yes, you do. The Architectural Committee needs to approve your fence design prior to the installation of your fence. Please submit a completed Architectural Approval Form to the Architectural Committee for approval. The same necessary approval applies to home additions (please use this approval form for home additions), decks, major landscape projects, in-ground pool installations, patios, pond landscapes, porches, sidewalks, and sunrooms, as well as major maintenance projects such as roofing, siding and window replacement: Please refer to the Covenants of The Trails at Chestnut Grove for a complete list of home improvement projects that require approval from the Architectural Committee.

Q: Can I park my car, truck, recreational vehicle, boat, or boat trailer in the street every night or for extended periods of time?

A: Short-term (meaning several hours at a time) parking of automobiles and trucks on the streets of The Trails at Chestnut Grove is permitted. However, overnight parking on our streets is not permitted. As per Paragraph 17 of the Covenants of The Trails at Chestnut Grove, all property owners or residents of The Trails at Chestnut Grove shall provide off-street parking facilities sufficient for the number of automobiles in use by the owner or resident. Regarding RV's, boats, boat trailers, or other like vehicles, all property owners or residents of The Trails at Chestnut Grove shall provide an enclosed garage for the storage of all such vehicles.

Q: What are my responsibilities regarding cleaning up after my dog when I walk him around the neighborhood?

A: Chapter 7, Article I, Section 7-14 of the Municipal Code of the City of Champaign, Illinois requires that owners clean up after their dogs anywhere other than the owner's property. Be a good neighbor - please adhere to this guideline in The Trails at Chestnut Grove.

Q: Is swimming permitted in the two lakes of The Trails at Chestnut Grove?

A: No, swimming is not permitted in either of our two lakes, as stipulated in the current liability insurance policy of The Trails at Chestnut Grove Homeowners' Association. "NO SWIMMING" signs are now installed and displayed near the access commons area of each lake.

Q: Is ice skating permitted on the two lakes of The Trails at Chestnut Grove when they freeze up?

A: No, ice skating (and/or sledding) is not permitted on either of our two lakes when they freeze, as stipulated in the current liability insurance policy of The Trails at Chestnut Grove Homeowners' Association.

Q: Is ice fishing permitted on the two lakes of The Trails at Chestnut Grove when they freeze?

A: No, ice fishing is not permitted on either of our two lakes when they freeze, as stipulated in the current liability insurance policy of The Trails at Chestnut Grove Homeowners' Association.

Q: Is boating permitted on the two lakes of The Trails at Chestnut Grove?

A: Yes, as per Paragraphs 23c and 23d of the Covenants of The Trails at Chestnut Grove, boating is permitted on our two lakes, but boats must be no longer than 14 feet and no boat shall be equipped with mechanized power except for an electric trolling motor. No docks may be erected or placed in - or adjacent to - either of our two lakes. Note: All boats shall be stored long-term on the owner's lot, preferably inside the owner's garage, and not on or near the commons areas surrounding either of the two lakes.

Q: What can we do and what can't we do regarding the geese that gather and live in our neighborhood?

A: Never feed the geese. Don't attempt to confront or harm an aggressive goose or its nest: It can be dangerous, and you could be in violation of federal law. In the future, we can string a line around the perimeters of the lakes in order to discourage geese from gathering in them