1/1/2026

Hello Homeowners!

We hope everyone had a good holiday season!  First, take a moment to review your 1st quarter invoice.  Please let us know if you have any issues or questions.  Also, as a reminder, if you haven’t updated the HOA mailing address for your automatic dues payments, please do so right away.  In January 2026, the post office will no longer forward mail which has been sent to our old PO Box address, which will result in delays to payments that have been sent to the old address. 

Next, the ballot results are as follows:  Agenda Item #1, “Proposed 2026 Operating Budget” has passed; Agenda Item #2, “Boat Parking” is PENDING.  We are going to extend the deadline for homeowners to submit their vote on Agenda Item #2, because we have not received enough total votes to make a valid determination on the issue.  The new deadline is 23 January; please take a moment to submit your vote on the issue.

Lastly, a few reminders for all homeowners:

• Parking on the street after a snow fall of at least 3 inches is prohibited by the City of Medical Lake. This allows the snowplows the space needed to do their jobs safely.  Also, some of the streets are narrower than others, so parking on the street can be hazardous.
• After a snowfall, homeowners are responsible for clearing the snow off their driveways and sidewalks bordering their homes.
• Homeowners are also required to clear the snow around the community mailboxes. The Post Office carriers will not deliver mail to boxes that have not been cleared.  Additionally, parking a vehicle within 15 feet of a community mailbox is prohibited.
• Prior to starting a project on your property (i.e. fence installation, building sheds, solar panel install, etc.), please submit the appropriate request form either through the HOA email address or website. There is no cost to the homeowner associated with the request, and it will ensure that your project is in compliance with the HOA’s CC&Rs and Bylaws.  Failure to adhere to this policy can result in financial and/or legal ramifications.
• We have received questions from a few homeowners regarding the HOA policy on workshops being built on their property. Our CC&Rs provide limited details required for a storage shed (i.e. color, materials, shingles, not a living space).  I would like to solicit the thoughts of our homeowners on the subject.  Please provide your inputs to foxridgehoaboard@gmail.com .
• The price of FEDEX Express shipping has increased to approximately $50. This is the service the HOA uses to ensure proper delivery & signature for delinquent homeowner account notices.  This new cost will be added to the offending homeowner’s account.
• Additionally, the HOA will be increasing the Late Fee charge to $25 on delinquent homeowner accounts, beginning in January 2026.
• Do you have ideas that would make our community better? The HOA is seeking volunteers to join the Board.  New faces bring new viewpoints on making our community a great place to live and/or raise a family.  If you are interested or have questions, please contact us for information.

We thank you for your time and attention to these areas!  Again, please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.  We are happy to help in any way we can.

Your Fox Ridge HOA Board

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12/18/2025

Hello homeowners!

The “Proposed 2026 Operating Budget & Ballot” documents have been sent out for your review and vote.  There are 2 agenda items on the ballot.  Agenda Item #1 is the proposed operating budget for 2026 and Agenda Item #2 deals with homeowners requesting a change to the boat policy for our HOA.  More specifically, they are requesting that they be allowed to keep their boats on their property during the summer months (Memorial Day to Labor Day), making it easier for those who utilize their boat frequently during the summer.  Specific guidelines will be required if the agenda item is approved by Fox Ridge homeowners.  Please mark your votes for both agenda items on your ballot and return them as soon as possible.  You can either mail your ballot to the HOA address or email your completed ballot to foxridgehoaboard@gmail.com.  As always, if you have any questions, please contact us for clarification.  Also, be watching for your 1st Quarter 2026 HOA Dues Invoices, coming soon.  We hope you have a very Happy Holiday!

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6/26/2025

Good morning homeowners!

I would like to thank the homeowners who contacted us to let us know about the ongoing issues we are experiencing with our sprinkler system, especially the section between Fox Ridge Rd and Justin Ave.  The water to that section has been turned off, awaiting parts needed to repair/replace some of the components.  So, we are aware that section is turning brown, but we are working on the issue and appreciate your patience on this matter.

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6/18/2025

Hello homeowners! 

Please take a moment to look over the meeting minutes from the June 14, 2025 Annual Meeting.

Annual HOA Board Meeting Minutes / June 14, 2025

A meeting of the Fox Ridge HOA Board was called to order at 4:02pm on 14 June 2025.  Board members present:  Dana Dvorak (President) ; Mitch Hardin (Vice President) was unable to attend the meeting due to his son’s college graduation / there is currently 1 vacant position on the board which needs to be filled.  There were 25 homeowners present at the meeting (20 homes represented).  A quorum was not established. Introductions were made.  The following agenda items were discussed:

• Dana briefed homeowners on the 2024 Financial Status, 2025 YTD Financial Status, delinquency/VF Law update, and the Reserve Fund/Savings account status.

• Dana provided the homeowners with a briefing on the pending common area sprinkler system upgrade project. (CSI Landscaping quote) More information to come.

• Dana discussed the recent CC&R compliance drive throughs (Approximately 95 first notices and 75 second notices), and most common issues identified.
  • The requirement of fencing around pools, for safety. CORRECTION:  It was briefed during the meeting that the required height of a fence enclosing an above or below ground swimming pool needed to be 6 foot in height.  In accordance with the City of Medical Lake municipal code 17.16.040, the required height is “at least 48 inches high with a locking entry gate”.
  • A homeowner asked about changing the rules regarding the parking of boats “in your driveway” when using them weekly, to alleviate the need to park/store it outside the community. Another homeowner suggested the board contact local storage companies seeking a discounted rate if multiple homeowners are seeking to store their boats/trailers with their company. This issue will be examined further, with the goal of sending out a ballot to homeowners asking to amend the current policy or provide other alternatives.
  • A homeowner asked about who is responsible for the maintenance/repair of the sidewalks throughout the neighborhood. Dana relayed that the individual homeowners are responsible for the maintenance/repair of the sidewalks bordering the individual properties, and the HOA is responsible for the common area sidewalk along Graham Rd.

• Dana addressed the issue of CC&R amendments (i.e. process, quorum, number of homeowners needed to vote for the proposed change, etc.). Also addressed was the request from multiple homeowners regarding the current policy on having chickens on their property. 

• Homeowners questioned the board regarding the proposed entry monument project, the process the board took to seek approval, project information/cost, voting results (22 Yes / 52 No / 74 Total votes submitted). Carl Munson tried to provide answers to the questions received and an explanation of the potential benefits of the project.  Ultimately, the Variance application was not approved by the hearings officer, and the majority of homeowner’s who submitted their ballots voted No, so the entry monument project will not move forward.  Dana attempted to address some of the misinformation that had been provided to homeowners during the campaign to stop the project from moving forward (i.e. sidewalks, vinyl fence replacement, sprinklers, landscaping costs, etc.).  There were several side discussions taking place among the homeowners regarding the project.  One homeowner made a motion that the board not be allowed to seek further approval for this project at a later date.  Since there was not a quorum present at the meeting, the motion was denied, and a vote was not taken.  To which there was a comment made by a homeowner, “So are you just going to be President of the HOA forever?”.

• Dana requested homeowners complete an E-mail Contact Authorization letter if they agreed to receive correspondence from the HOA Board via email.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:24pm.  Next meeting date TBD.  Thank you for your attendance!

///SIGNED///

Dana Dvorak

President, Fox Ridge HOA

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5/26/2025

Hello fellow homeowners!

            I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend!  Over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of information put out to our neighborhood regarding the proposed entry monument project and several other potential projects for you to consider.  However, not all that information was accurate, and some of it was downright deceptive and implies that the HOA Board has not been doing things in the best interest of the community we serve.  So, I would like an opportunity to address a few of these issues:

• The entry monument project started in 2022/2023. It had been suggested by several homeowners over the years, but with an all-volunteer board, no one had the time to take on the extra work required to see the process through from beginning to end.  Mr. Munson, volunteered to take on the project and do all the leg work to get us to the point we are now, which is simply waiting to hear if the City of Medical Lake would even allow the HOA to do the project at all.  The city owns the islands at the entrances to our community at Fox Ridge, Justin, and Tara Lee.  “IF” the city granted approval, the matter would then be brought to the homeowners to decide if you approve or disapprove the project.  An update on the project was placed on the HOA website, including the updated cost estimate, after the variance meeting had completed on 14 May.
• The HOA irrigation system is old and does need to be upgraded. CSI Landscaping has been doing maintenance and repairs to our system for the last several years and is working on a proposal to make our system more efficient and reduce water usage.  His proposal will be available at the annual meeting.  His “ballpark estimate” is in the $40K – $50K range, and that is not a complete replacement.  We have not made any definitive plans on how we will implement the irrigation system upgrade because there has not been any determination on what the homeowners want to do with the common area grass/trees, to make the area more cost effective (lower cost for maintaining the landscape).  We did not want to spend a large amount, only to turn around and change up the common area as a whole.
• The info regarding sidewalks that was mentioned in the flier is misleading. The HOA is responsible for the maintenance, repair and/or replacement of the “common area” sidewalk which runs along Graham Rd.  It is not responsible for the sidewalks which run throughout the interior of our community.  Per the City of Medical Lake, “the responsibility for sidewalk repairs and replacements falls on the property owners adjacent to the sidewalks”.  As for L.I.D.s (Local Improvement District), you may want to research what that entails.  First and foremost, “Once the LID is formed, property owners within the district are assessed a portion of the project’s cost based on the value of their property”, as a special assessment.  Your HOA dues go up!
• The older portion of our HOA’s (gray) vinyl fence is not as “aesthetically pleasing” as the upper portion, which was installed in 2017/2018. The newer portion of vinyl fencing was put in to replace our deteriorated wooden fence.  That project cost our community approximately $70K (in 2017/2018) and was paid for by levying a special assessment on all the homeowners in our HOA, which lasted for about a year and a half.  The white vinyl fence is approximately half of the total length of the entire fence.  So, consider the fact that if half of our fence costs $70K to replace it in 2017/2018, how much do you think replacing the other half is going to cost, in today’s prices?  Another special assessment, and your dues go up!
• Every spring we fight the issue of weed (dandelion) management. Most homeowners take action to treat their lawns to get rid of the dandelions.  There are a few homes in the neighborhood who do not act quickly to eradicate them, and the seeds spread to their neighbor’s yards, and we must retreat our lawns.  It is a hassle for those of us who have a sense of pride in how our properties look.   However, should all of the responsible homeowners be forced to pay more in dues, because a few homeowners are slow to act?  Research the cost of this service through Senske or any other similar company and then apply that cost to the 180 homes in our community. 

Bottom line is that if you the homeowner want the board to adopt almost any project or additional service (ie. spraying everyone’s yard for weeds), there will be an increased cost associated which “COULD” result in the increase of homeowner dues.  As the flier you recently received states, the list could go on and on, and at the end of the day, the homeowners decide whether a project is approved or disapproved and how your dues are spent.

I have been a part of the HOA Board since 2011, and I have always tried to act in the best interest of our community.  I have seen our HOA nearly bankrupt, thanks to WEB Properties.   I have seen homeowner account delinquencies at over $37K (total), down to less than $2K today, with a surplus in the bank.  Our HOA dues have not increased since 2011 because the board has worked hard to find alternative means to getting things done and dedicated to keeping expenses as low as possible.  Since we moved away from WEB Properties in 2019, we have tried everything we could think of to get more involvement from our homeowners.  Meeting attendance is usually around 12 to 18 people, not including the board members.  When I send out ballots for the operating budget each year, I usually get roughly 20 ballots back.  We have 180 homes in our HOA.  I regularly mention in the quarterly newsletters that go out with the HOA dues invoices, that we need homeowners to step up and volunteer to join your HOA Board.  Yet the bulk of the work remains with only a couple of us.  So, I do take offense to the implication by a few individuals that we are somehow keeping the homeowners in the dark and trying to circumvent you to carry out our own agenda.

I get it, everyone has a busy life with work, family, hobbies, etc.  I am quite aware that regardless of the project or issue brought before the 180 homeowners of our community, the chance of everyone agreeing on the same solution or course of action is slim at best.  However, I do believe that most of our homeowners want to live in a well maintained, beautiful and peaceful neighborhood.  As always, if any homeowner has questions or comments, please reach out to us!  I am happy to discuss any topic, and if I don’t have the answer, I will track down the correct answer for you.  I hope to see as many of you as possible at the annual HOA meeting, 14 June @ 4pm.

Your HOA Board

(509)565-0302