Summer 2026

LATEST NEWS
Summer 2026

A FOURTH OF JULY TO REMEMBER!
America celebrated its 250th birthday with special events all across the the nation – and Heritage Lakes was proud to be part of that special day. We'll get into more details about how the day came together a bit deeper into this newsletter, including recognizing the folks that helped make it happen and the fundraising that made it possible to do so without the use of your HOA dues!

So far this Summer, we've experienced some truly oppressive heat and humidity but we're thankful for the rain that comes with the thunderstorms those conditions spawn. If not for those storms, the drought the Upstate has endured would be worse. Just remember, if you can hear the thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning! Be safe, not sorry and head indoors during those storms. With a little luck, we'll see an end to the drought with what both the Farmers Almanac and weather experts forecast will be a wetter-than-normal end to the year thanks to a strong El Nino that has developed and continues to strengthen.

As we head into Fall, your board will be focusing on analyzing our expenses and budgeting for 2027. Included in those discussions will be whether or not we continue our management relationship with CAMS, exploring potential means of replacing them and the services they provide, forecasting needed future capital expenditures for things like an updated security camera system and potential electrical upgrades to our clubhouse and pool area.

Annual Fourth of July Parade

Special thanks to Gwinn Davis for lending his brilliant photography skills to our celebration. More pics of the event on Gwinn's Website.

THE 250th FOURTH OF JULY
WOW.... what a great day! If you didn't get to attend you can experience the day with our video recap. For those that did attend, we hope you had a memorable experience.

Our fundraising goal was met and exceeded!! A total of $6,215 was raised thru community member donations which covered the entire cost for decorations, prizes and fireworks. In addition, Community Sponsorship donations from Premier Plumbing and WOW Fiber Internet added another $4,500 to our coffers.

We'd also like to thank all the Board Members and residents who participated in decorating the grounds for the big day. We'd also like to thank our stalwart Emcee & DJ, Russ Kelly for once again doing a truly fine job from the singing of the National Anthem at the start of the day to heading up the day's pool games and competitions and closing the show with music to accompany the fireworks show. Bottomline, we couldn't do this without the help of the community... and the more of you that participate in events like this, the more your Board Members realize that what they do as volunteers matters to the people who live here. That in itself makes volunteering to serve on the Board a worthwhile and rewarding experience.

YOUR DUES AT WORK
Your HOA dues fund the lakes, pool, clubhouse, sports courts, playground, landscaping and other common infrastructure. This past year saw a significant amount of repairs and maintenance needs arise. Those included: the lifting of sunken pool deck sections; a second round of pool leak repairs that required the pool be drained; replacement of failed underwater pool lights, repairs to poolhouse and hose bib plumbing lines burst by a late winter freeze; repair and replacement of sewer lines and the replacement of electrical components for our key fob access system caused by electrical storms and subsequent electrical power surges. A busy and expensive year? You bet, but we were able to deal with these expenses with HOA funds on hand, no financing was used. That's $35,000-$40,000 worth of repairs and improvements, more than any year since the repair to the underground culvert between Lake Steeplechase and Lake Horseshoe. Let's hope next year requires less so we can begin saving for future needs like our tennis/pickleball courts.

POOL CLOSES 9/14
The pool closing comes a bit later this year as the Board approved the last open day to be September 13th. Prior years the pool closed right after Labor Day. With as hot as August has been, we expect a great many of your neighbors will be heading up to the pool for one last cooling swim or float before we close it up.

LAST DAY TO SWIM IS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH!!

BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED!!
Serve on the HLPOA Board! It's a great way to meet neighbors and contribute to your community. This year we'll be saying goodbye to Board members, Matt Laird who's helped with our pool, and Rich Chudy who tends to our website, Facebook page and outgoing communications like this newsletter.

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING - EMAIL US IF YOU CAN!!

YARDS OF THE MONTH
More examples of pride of ownership here in Heritage Lakes... and we encourage all residents to spruce up their landscapes and keep our neighborhood beautiful.

JUNE: 108 Connemara Place
JULY: 407 Andulusian Trail
AUGUST: 102 Harness Trail

Congratulations on being selected and for keeping it pretty!

Spied a particular property that goes the extra mile? Help us select the next Yard of the Month by emailing the address you think deserves it most.

CAN'T DO IT ALONE
Your Community Needs You... Will you consider volunteering? We could always use help with: Event planning, Decorating, Kids' activities, Social events, Grounds projects, Communications, Photography, Pool activities, Helping at one-time events. You don't need to be a board member so these aren't long term commitments... just a little help your community and Board could use!

EMAIL US WITH WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO DO.

BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR
We all want a safe, clean, welcoming neighborhood. But sometimes we forget to mind a few simple rules that Heritage Lakes has on the books. Things like:

Dogs on leashes when in public
No sharing pool/tennis fobs, no propping gates open
Don't leave personal possesions at the pool when leaving
Please put umbrellas down when leaving pool area
Ensure pool gate is latched when you leave
Slow down on neighborhood streets
Don't litter and keep common areas clean
Don't park on the grass in common areas

If you spot bad behavior, try a courteous conversation to stop it. If it doesn't help, try to take pics or videos of the bad behavior and send it to the Board for review - if we can help fix the problem, we will. Don't engage with an aggressive or violent person, call the police if needed.

We thank you in advance for being a good neighbor!

Google Sites

Report abuse