Autumn Lakes
Recent News
and
Upcoming Events
Recent News
and
Upcoming Events
Autumn Lakes Officers - May 2023
Madonna Esposito and Mark Gavan were elected to the two open trustee positions.
Shah Smith - President
Laura Farkas - Vice President
Retta Morcom - Secretary
Madonna Esposito - Trustee
Mark Gavan - Trustee
Madonna Esposito and Mark Gavan were elected to the two open trustee positions.
Shah Smith - President
Laura Farkas - Vice President
Retta Morcom - Secretary
Madonna Esposito - Trustee
Mark Gavan - Trustee
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES
The Vendor Craft Fair will be rescheduled in the Fall.
Autumn Lakes residents will be eligible for early booth reservations,
then the booth reservations will open to the public.
The Autumn Lakes House and Garden Tour that was to be held on Saturday, June 10th will be rescheduled.
If you are particularly proud of your home improvements and gardening abilities, let us know you would like to
have your unit or garden included by emailing the Social Committee or calling Shah Smith 314-960-6620
for more information.
The Vendor Craft Fair will be rescheduled in the Fall.
Autumn Lakes residents will be eligible for early booth reservations,
then the booth reservations will open to the public.
The Autumn Lakes House and Garden Tour that was to be held on Saturday, June 10th will be rescheduled.
If you are particularly proud of your home improvements and gardening abilities, let us know you would like to
have your unit or garden included by emailing the Social Committee or calling Shah Smith 314-960-6620
for more information.
2023 SOCIAL EVENTS
The Autumn Lakes Social Committee has several events planned for 2023:
Autumn Lakes’ Ladies’ Luncheon - Saturday, April 22nd, attended by 26 ladies.
Ice Cream Social - Sunday, June 25th, 1-4 pm - Reservations appreciated, but not required.
Email the Social Committee or contact Stacey Diefenbach 314-277-7799.
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To make reservations, make suggestions or ask questions email the Social Committee
ALSocialComm@gmail.com or contact the person hosting each event.
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Social Activities for the fall are still in the planning stages. Suggestions so far include a fall festival-
possibly at the large lake, a Beer-Wine-Whiskey tasting, a Trivia night, and a Holiday Decorating contest.
Email the Social Committee or contact Madonna Esposito 314-358-1191 with your ideas, or to serve on the committee.
The Autumn Lakes Social Committee has several events planned for 2023:
Autumn Lakes’ Ladies’ Luncheon - Saturday, April 22nd, attended by 26 ladies.
Ice Cream Social - Sunday, June 25th, 1-4 pm - Reservations appreciated, but not required.
Email the Social Committee or contact Stacey Diefenbach 314-277-7799.
----------------------------------------------
To make reservations, make suggestions or ask questions email the Social Committee
ALSocialComm@gmail.com or contact the person hosting each event.
------------------------------------------------------
Social Activities for the fall are still in the planning stages. Suggestions so far include a fall festival-
possibly at the large lake, a Beer-Wine-Whiskey tasting, a Trivia night, and a Holiday Decorating contest.
Email the Social Committee or contact Madonna Esposito 314-358-1191 with your ideas, or to serve on the committee.
Autumn Lakes Master Policy Documents Moved
The insurance coverage for Autumn Lakes Master Policy renewed in November.2022
The premium has gone up about $20,000 for the year. .
We will re-visit insurance coverage in 2023 to see if we can improve the situation.
The deductible is now $15,000, this is an increase from the previous $10,000 amount.
You will need to contact your insurance company to increase your Loss Assessment coverage to $15,000.
You should also provide the Master Insurance Policy documents to your insurance company in case your other
coverage needs to be updated.
The Master Policy documents have been moved to More....Master Insurance Policy Documents.
You should be able to print or download the documents from that page.
Have you signed up on TownSq yet?
SMG and Autumn Lakes has been using TownSq since June. Have you setup your account yet?
TownSq is an app you can access on your computer, tablet or phone.
Once you have an account on TownSq you can submit work orders, see your financial records, make online payments, ask questions on the Forum, review Autumn Lakes newsletters, rules and financials, and submit Architecture Requests or Landscape Requests.
If you would like your Autumn Lakes newsletter emailed, you need to setup your account on TownSq
and provide your email address.
SMG sent out letters/coupons with the account numbers used when you make payments that also need to be used to access the app, You can call SMG Customer Service or email service@smithmgmt.com to request your new account number
so you can setup your TownSq online access.
Most of the Autumn Lakes forms, rules, newsletters and other documents have been loaded on TownSq
.
You can call SMG Customer Service at 314-394-4200 or email them at service@smithmgmt.com with questions or problems.
SMG and Autumn Lakes has been using TownSq since June. Have you setup your account yet?
TownSq is an app you can access on your computer, tablet or phone.
Once you have an account on TownSq you can submit work orders, see your financial records, make online payments, ask questions on the Forum, review Autumn Lakes newsletters, rules and financials, and submit Architecture Requests or Landscape Requests.
If you would like your Autumn Lakes newsletter emailed, you need to setup your account on TownSq
and provide your email address.
SMG sent out letters/coupons with the account numbers used when you make payments that also need to be used to access the app, You can call SMG Customer Service or email service@smithmgmt.com to request your new account number
so you can setup your TownSq online access.
Most of the Autumn Lakes forms, rules, newsletters and other documents have been loaded on TownSq
.
You can call SMG Customer Service at 314-394-4200 or email them at service@smithmgmt.com with questions or problems.
REQUEST FORMS
The Architecture Request and Landscape Request and Owner Information forms have been
added to this website at More....Request Forms.
The forms should be sent to service@smithmgmt.com when they are completed.
The Architecture Request and Landscape Request and Owner Information forms have been
added to this website at More....Request Forms.
The forms should be sent to service@smithmgmt.com when they are completed.
Change of Management Company
Beginning on January 1, 2022, the management of Autumn Lakes will move from Association Management Company (AMC) to Smith Management Group (SMG). A letter from the Board was sent out in November to highlight why the change is being made and how this new approach will best serve Autumn Lakes. Residents will soon receive a letter from SMG introducing some of the changes in communication as well as where to send Association fees for 2022.
Some of the changes this brings include online tracking of work orders for all residents, moving the maintenance of the lakes, pool and landscaping to licensed professional vendors. The board also took a look at the current work order system to determine how the current groundsmen are spending their time and to evaluate the need to have two full time workers. With the structure of the new management company’s maintenance program, it was determined that Autumn Lakes would move to a part-time worker on property three times a week, with many work orders being handled by the SMG Maintenance/Repair team. The Board will continue to re-evaluate work orders to determine if more or less onsite assistance is needed.
The website for SMG is smithmgmt.com. Once you setup your account you can see your account, work orders and find forms.
The phone number for SMG is 314-394-4200. Hit 0 to get to Customer Service. Their office hours are 9 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday.
Beginning on January 1, 2022, the management of Autumn Lakes will move from Association Management Company (AMC) to Smith Management Group (SMG). A letter from the Board was sent out in November to highlight why the change is being made and how this new approach will best serve Autumn Lakes. Residents will soon receive a letter from SMG introducing some of the changes in communication as well as where to send Association fees for 2022.
Some of the changes this brings include online tracking of work orders for all residents, moving the maintenance of the lakes, pool and landscaping to licensed professional vendors. The board also took a look at the current work order system to determine how the current groundsmen are spending their time and to evaluate the need to have two full time workers. With the structure of the new management company’s maintenance program, it was determined that Autumn Lakes would move to a part-time worker on property three times a week, with many work orders being handled by the SMG Maintenance/Repair team. The Board will continue to re-evaluate work orders to determine if more or less onsite assistance is needed.
The website for SMG is smithmgmt.com. Once you setup your account you can see your account, work orders and find forms.
The phone number for SMG is 314-394-4200. Hit 0 to get to Customer Service. Their office hours are 9 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday.
Autumn Lakes Clubhouse Rentals
The Club House is open for rental reservations.
There will be a small sanitizing fee that will be added to the contract.
Renters will still need to be responsible for cleaning up the space when they are completed.
Club house capacity is 70 people.
Renters will be responsible for maintaining a list of attendees and contacting attendees
if there is a COVID-19 exposure event.
The clubhouse will only be rented to Autumn Lakes owners who are current on their HOA fees and
who must be present for the pre- and post- inspections and for the entire event.
You can request your date on TownSq or by calling 314-396-4200.
See the Rules and Regulations page for the current rules and reservation form.
The Club House is open for rental reservations.
There will be a small sanitizing fee that will be added to the contract.
Renters will still need to be responsible for cleaning up the space when they are completed.
Club house capacity is 70 people.
Renters will be responsible for maintaining a list of attendees and contacting attendees
if there is a COVID-19 exposure event.
The clubhouse will only be rented to Autumn Lakes owners who are current on their HOA fees and
who must be present for the pre- and post- inspections and for the entire event.
You can request your date on TownSq or by calling 314-396-4200.
See the Rules and Regulations page for the current rules and reservation form.
Condo Association/Owner Responsibilities
There is a document on the Rules and Regulations page - Condo Association/Owner Responsibilities.
This document lists many of the items around the condos that may need repairs or that owners may want to change.
The list identifies who is responsible for maintaining each item, when approval is needed to make changes,
and whether permits are required.
If you have specific or detailed questions you should contact the SMG office at 314-394-4200
to find out which trustee could best answer your questions.
There is a document on the Rules and Regulations page - Condo Association/Owner Responsibilities.
This document lists many of the items around the condos that may need repairs or that owners may want to change.
The list identifies who is responsible for maintaining each item, when approval is needed to make changes,
and whether permits are required.
If you have specific or detailed questions you should contact the SMG office at 314-394-4200
to find out which trustee could best answer your questions.
Permits – Heads Up
Maryland Heights requires a permit for many home projects (windows, basements, bathrooms, kitchens, decks, HVACs, hot water heaters). During the sale of a house/condo or if an inspector sees a contractor truck in your drive, they are sometimes checking with Maryland Heights or St. Louis County permit departments to see if a permit was requested and the work was properly inspected. This can result in a fine and in some cases demolition of the job if there was no permit. Warning: It does not matter with an occupancy inspection whether a violation was missed on a previous sale, you can still be fined.
For general information about Maryland Heights permits go to: www.marylandheights.com/residents/index.php To be safe -- contact Maryland Heights Code Enforcement prior to planning or starting any work or appliance replacement.
The Maryland Heights’ Guide to Home Improvements booklet can be found on the Maryland Heights’ web-site at https://www.marylandheights.com/Document_Center/Department/Community%20Development/Building%20and%20Code/HomeimprovementguideFINALc.pdf
Maryland Heights requires a permit for many home projects (windows, basements, bathrooms, kitchens, decks, HVACs, hot water heaters). During the sale of a house/condo or if an inspector sees a contractor truck in your drive, they are sometimes checking with Maryland Heights or St. Louis County permit departments to see if a permit was requested and the work was properly inspected. This can result in a fine and in some cases demolition of the job if there was no permit. Warning: It does not matter with an occupancy inspection whether a violation was missed on a previous sale, you can still be fined.
For general information about Maryland Heights permits go to: www.marylandheights.com/residents/index.php To be safe -- contact Maryland Heights Code Enforcement prior to planning or starting any work or appliance replacement.
The Maryland Heights’ Guide to Home Improvements booklet can be found on the Maryland Heights’ web-site at https://www.marylandheights.com/Document_Center/Department/Community%20Development/Building%20and%20Code/HomeimprovementguideFINALc.pdf
Rental Reminder
Autumn Lakes Condos is an owner occupied complex. This allows us to meet lending criteria when selling, and it
keeps up our property values. This means that unless you were grandfathered in (ownership prior to September 2009)
you cannot rent your unit.
There is an exception if you are “renting” to your parents or your children, or if you are renting to a roommate
while you are still living in the unit. Just as all owners require an occupancy permit from Maryland Heights,
you are required to get a new occupancy permit each time the occupants change.
A copy of the lease (which can be open ended for family) needs to be on file in the SMG office as well.
Owners who do have rentals are responsible for the actions of their renters, and any fines levied
go to the homeowner. Just a reminder if you are renting - a legal bedroom requires
access to the outside (walk out or egress window), a closet and a private door.
Non-walkout basements can not use the lower level as an extra bedroom.
Maryland Heights and Autumn Lakes do not allow Air BnB or VRBO type short term rentals.
Smoke Detector Reminder
Firemen from the Maryland Heights Fire Protection District visited with residents at the Maryland Heights' Nite Out. The officers encourage changing smoke detector batteries, including backup batteries, annually when we change our clocks. They also recommend replacing the entire detector every 10 years. If any resident needs help changing smoke detector batteries please call 314-298-4400 and the fire department will coordinate getting them replaced. If you need help installing new smoke detectors the firemen will also help with that. Their recommendation also applies to carbon monoxide detectors - replace them every 10 years.
Firemen from the Maryland Heights Fire Protection District visited with residents at the Maryland Heights' Nite Out. The officers encourage changing smoke detector batteries, including backup batteries, annually when we change our clocks. They also recommend replacing the entire detector every 10 years. If any resident needs help changing smoke detector batteries please call 314-298-4400 and the fire department will coordinate getting them replaced. If you need help installing new smoke detectors the firemen will also help with that. Their recommendation also applies to carbon monoxide detectors - replace them every 10 years.