From the Office
Boy, what a busy time of year! Maintenance is still working on trees, any tree issues reported that are considered a non emergency will be put on the 2025 tree list. Concrete issues are currently being looked at. We have a budget every year for repairs, all issues are graded 1-10 with 10 being the worst. So, those most in need of repairs will be at the top of the list and less severe will be at the bottom. Then we’ll need to get bids from contractors and once a contract is signed, we’ll get put on the contractors schedule. We’ll do as many issues as the budget allows.
Opening of the pool is also in the works, we tenatively plan to have it opened the week prior to the holiday. Once we get the okay to open, we’ll post the information on Facebook. If you’re new to the community or need to review the pool rules, they are on the Cadgewith Farms website or if you have any questions, feel free to call the office.
This newsletter is a shortened version, with the most important updates. However, if you go to the Cadgewithfarms.info website after the newsletter is published, you’ll see an expanded version with more details and updates.
The office will be closed on Memorial Day, May 27th. Like always, if there’s a park related emergency, you can call the office (517)371-1101 and follow the prompts to leave an emergency message. You’ll receive a callback usually within 30 minutes.
May CFA President’s Letter
It’s good to be back and hit the ground running! It was wonderful seeing a lot of your familiar faces at the association meeting!
Among the topics of discussion were:
Neighborhood Watch: Roger Jacquette reported that many of our NW members received their CPR certifications over the win-ter. Thank you for keeping our community safe.
John and Ruth Mochel (352) 467-4831) are working tirelessly on the new “Senior Prom” dinner and dance coming up May 18th. I was at their committee meeting and it’s going to be lots of fun! Get your tickets as soon as possible, as there are not many left.
Phil Bartlett (990-4830) announced the Annual Spring garage sale will be June 6, 7 and 8 with residents only on Thursday the 6th from 5-7 and open to public on Friday and Saturday 9-3. We will be renting clubhouse tables for $5 each if you need one or two for your sale. To reserve your table, call Phil.
We’re working with Emily to help keep our residents even better informed by introducing a new community texting system that would reach a maximum amount of residents instantly. How can we help? We’ll need you to contact the office with only one cell phone number from each household.
Check May 20th at 6:00 pm on your calendar for a new and fun game night open to all residents! You won’t want to miss this one. It’s called Card Elimination and it’s easy and fun for everyone! We play this game during the winter in Texas every week and we always attract at least 70 people.
As always, I’m open for new ideas and suggestions, so don’t hesitate to talk to me if you see me walking Sophie or call or text me.
God Bless!
Denise Hartman, CFA President
Download the link below to print.
From this point on is the expanded form of the newsletter and not printed. You are welcome to print it yourself, but due to printing restrictions the association is not printing all the below.
Community Texting for events
The office is asking for your help. We are working on a texting system to help notify all residents of events or community emergencies. Please stop in or call the offic eto verify one phone number per household that can recieve text messages.
Memorial Day Parade
There will once again be a Memorial Day parade. The Parade will start to line up at the Office on Monday May 27, 2024 at 12:30pm. Everyone is welcome to participate, golf carts, vehicles, classic cars, bicycles, or anything you'd like to decorate.
Parade will try to make it down everyroad, with the exception of culdesace if you are wanting to watch please come out and wave. In on a cul-de-sac, please come out to the main road to enjoy the show. Family also invited to come enjoy the parade. Cook out in the Clubhouse will follow after the parade.
Peddlers, Solicitors, Transient Merchant’s In Cadgewith Farms,
Cadgewith Farms is does NOT allow Peddlers, Solicitors, Transient Merchant’s
Per the townships guidelines: No peddler, solicitor or vendor shall enter upon or call upon a place of residence or business within the township after having been expressly notified by the occupant that no solicitation is desired, or where the owner or occupant has displayed a "no soliciting," "no peddlers," "no solicitors," "no salespersons," "no trespassing" or similar sign or containing words of similar
meaning on the premises; Cadgewith Farms has posted at the entrance coming into the community NO SOLICITATION is allowed.
If a solicitor comes to your door you may ask them to leave the community it is posted no trespassing and solicitation within the community upon entrance. Then you may also call the police at 911 and let them know there is a solicitor within our community and that you would like an office to come speak with the solicitor.
Political Canvassing from:
Does political canvassing count as soliciting? Or is campaigning soliciting?
Often, people mistake political canvassing for soliciting. However, political canvassing has been distinguished as different from commercial solicitation by law.
The First Amendment protects non-commercial speech. That includes discourse that “does more than inform private economic decisions and… provid[e] information about the characteristics and costs of goods and services…”.
What are the laws regarding political canvassing on private property?
Canvassing is often done on private property—at the doors of individuals. To ensure volunteers are not disobeying political canvassing laws, here’s what they should know:
Field canvassers are legally allowed to be on private property and knock on doors. This includes homes or neighborhoods that have “No Soliciting” signs. But beware, not everyone understands the difference between soliciting and canvassing. You may have to be very patient with such houseowners. If they insist that you are not welcome, it’s best not to push your luck.
If a property has “No canvassers” or “No Trespassing” signs, you do not have the right to knock on that door.
You have legal rights to offer campaign literature to voters and supporters.
Political canvassers are legally permitted to knock on doors, interact with voters, and distribute literature without any ‘solicitor’s permit.’
You are not required to give prior notice before canvassing neighborhoods.
The Supreme Court has ruled that municipalities cannot restrict canvassing between 9 am and 9 pm on all seven days of the week.
When is it illegal to canvass?
Apart from the laws mentioned above, here are some illegalities in canvassing:
Volunteers are restricted from canvassing if “noncommercial advocates” are added to the list of “No Peddlers or No Solicitors” by a town council. Among others, California, Kansas, and Louisiana include religious and political canvassers in their list of “No solicitors.” To know where your city or state stands on this front, read this article.
Is political canvassing trespassing? You hold the right to enter the property with no obvious sign only until you are asked to leave. It can be termed trespassing if you stay on the property even after the owner asks you to leave.
Submitting false registrations is a felony. If you submit a registration with a false name or without the consent of a voter, you are treading on illegal territory during canvassing efforts.
What does this mean for Cadgewith Farms Residents?
This unfortunately is vague, we are a private community with only one entrance that is posted with NO trespassing, No soliciting, and No canvassing. If you have someone enter the community and come to your door. You may ask them to leave the community politely and tell them we are private and it is posted to not solicitation or canvassed. You may ask them to leave and call the police (911) have the police handle the situation. But they may also have the legal rights to the first amendment of free speech. You as the homeowner also have the right to listen to what ever they want to tell you. Though the township does have a permit requirement for solicitors, Cadgewith is private community and does not need the permit because we are posted that none of the above is allowed. Management or staff of Cadgewith Farms may not be available to come ask a person to leave. We advise you to ask the persons to leave and call the police.
WEED N FEED
In 2023, residents were informed weed n feed would no longer be applied by Cadgewith Farms. You are still able to do the service yourself, or have an external company spray and maintain your weed control. But Cadgewith Farms will NOT be doing a once a year application any longer.
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FROM DEWITT TOWNSHIP NEWSLETTER
Mowing and Grass Clippings
Spring is here and it's time to fire up those lawn mowers! Please avoid discharging your clippings onto the roadway, if possible. If you do, please remember to clean them up. Leaving grass clippings in the road is dangerous for cyclists and motorcyclists, it's bad for the environment, and it is also against the law! Let's look out for each other and keep those clippings in the yard.
Clean Sweep by Dewitt Township
The popular Clean Sweep program is underway. This program provides DeWitt Township residents an opportunity to discard household refuse items for free from April 26th through May 8th at Granger Waste Services. A voucher is required. Only one voucher will be issued per residential household. The voucher can be obtained, in person only, from the Township Clerk’s Office with proof of residency. The voucher can be used Monday through Friday, 7am to 3pm at Granger Waste Services. There are limited appointment times for Saturday, April 27th, and Saturday, May 4th. Any questions about the Clean Sweep program can be directed to the Clerk’s Office at 517.668.0270. Don't delay as the deadline to sign-up is April 19th - NO EXCEPTIONS. No vouchers will be issued after April 19th. The Clean Sweep program is available to DeWitt Township residents whose property is residentially zoned.
Tornado Safety
The months of March through May are known as the Spring Severe Weather Season. Severe weather can activate Tornado Watches and Tornado Warnings.
Michigan has an average of 16 tornados per year, and most occur in the late afternoon and evening hours. A tornado is usually on the ground for less than 10 minutes. In Michigan, tornado speeds can reach 70 mph.
A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms and tornados. The National Weather Service will issue a watch for a large area covering several counties to watch and prepare for a possible tornado.
A Tornado Warning means that Doppler Radar, or a reliable ground source, has detected a tornado. You need to take action and seek shelter immediately.
Home or Small Business – Go to the basement or a small interior room such as a closet, bathroom, or interior hallway without windows on the lowest level.
Large Business, School, or Shopping Center – Go to the designated shelter area. If no shelter is available, go to an interior hallway on the lowest level or small room. Stay away from gyms and large open areas.
Mobile Homes – Get out and take shelter in a sturdy building or storm shelter. If you cannot leave, take shelter in the most interior room with no windows. Use a bathroom or closet.
Always try to protect your head and neck from falling debris at any location. Flying glass and flying debris will also cause serious injuries. Take notice of the watch and warnings for your safety.
Tornado Sirens - Clinton County will be testing the tornado sirens during the months of April through October. This will take place at noon on the first Saturday of every month.
Choosing the Right Contractor or Doing It Yourself (DIY)
Spring is here and it is time to start thinking about your summer construction projects. The first decision you will have to make is "Do I really want to do this?" Construction projects can be problematic and stressful. The question is - do you want to do a DIY project or hire a contractor?
If you have chosen to be your own contractor and attempt a DIY project, here is a little food for thought. First, starting a DIY project without collaborating with your local Building Department and adhering to applicable building codes and regulations can pose significant safety dangers such as structural instability and insufficient fire safety elements. Plan review, permits, and inspections are critical in renovation and construction projects. These processes are essential to ensuring a safely built project and protect against catastrophic events for homeowners, neighbors, and the community.
As a homeowner obtaining the permit, you become 100% responsible for accidents occurring at the job site such as structural collapses, construction site fires or personal injuries while working on your job. If you use sub-contractors, it is imperative that you collect a copy of each sub-contractor’s workers comp and liability insurance policies. It is also highly recommended that you hold your own construction liability insurance policy. It is possible that your project will encounter a problem and as the general contractor for that project, you should count on dealing with at least one major setback.
If you are considering the option of hiring a contractor to manage your project, here are a few tips for choosing a qualified one:
Draw or have drawn a detailed plan representing the entire scope of the project. Make sure this is what you want and use only this plan for bidding purposes. The only way you can be sure you are getting the best quote is to have apples-to-apples bidding. Read all the small print of the proposals looking for exceptions or deletions from the scope of work.
Before signing the contract (never hire a contractor without a contract), make sure you are holding copies of the contractor’s license and workers comp insurance policy.
If the contractor is licensed, they will have no problem obtaining the permit for the work. If they want you to apply for the permit, there may be a problem. That scenario should set off a red flag! You may choose to hire another contractor…be patient!
Many of the larger companies will sell the job with a professional sales associate and then send the crew with the most availability and lowest bid. It is always best to know that the individual selling you the job is also managing it.
Always ask the contractor for a written timeline with benchmarks for each phase of the project including a completion date. Although all projects are subject to delays beyond the control of the contractor, the written schedule will give you a starting point.
The Building Code is the minimum standard for a complete project in the eyes of the inspectors; however, if your expectations are to exceed the minimum standard, make sure you document that in the contract.
Finally, do not pay the entire fee up front. Always hold enough back to cover the unfinished work. Wait until the Building Department has approved the final inspection, and all of your contractual agreements have been satisfied, before paying the final draw.
We are fortunate in the DeWitt area to have many professional, highly skilled, and honest contractors to choose from and these tips will protect you and your contractor from problems and disputes. Please call the DeWitt Township Building Department at 517.668.0278 with any questions.
2024 Park Rentals in Dewitt
It’s not too soon to reserve a park pavilion for your spring, summer, or fall event. Pavilions are available for 4-hour time blocks and rent for $65/residents and $90/non-residents, plus a refundable $50 security deposit. The rate includes covered accommodations for 75-100 people, picnic tables, electricity, and the use of a charcoal grill.
Search for available dates and submit a rental request online from the Indoor and Outdoor Rentals page, at dewitttownship.org.
PICKLEBALL
The Dewitt Township Recreation authority has drop in pickle ball! Drop in for $3 Mon, Wed, Fri 8am-noon at the Valley Farms community center 16101 Brook Rd, Lansing, MI, United States, Michigan. Ladies drop in $3 Tues & thurs noon-2pm. Soon this will be moving to the new outdoor courts located at granger medows park.
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