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Frequently Asked Questions

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Budgeting, Billing
  • chevron_rightHow Do I Get A Billing Question Answered?
    Contact CAMCO Services of NY at 631-476-2100  and speak to our office representative with question regarding your HOA Fee bill or other information about your account.
  • chevron_rightHow costs are distributed?
    So a question was asked by a Section I owner why should he pay more for paint than his neighbor when his neighbor has a corner unit with more exterior walls. So remember the Offering Plans I said you agreed to, consciously or not, when you bought your home. That is where your answer lies. The Builder set a formula for the distribution of costs based on ranges of unit sizes. Each range has a different multiplier as follows:
     
     
    It makes no difference how many people live in a home, how many cars they have, or how much exterior walls, they have. All is driven by the formula. There is no doubt that when you take a specific circumstance for comparison it may look inequitable, as in the painting example. But it is possible that a unit with less wall space has more occupants using the facilities and a unit with more wall space has only one occupant. In being in an HOA it is assumed that this will all average out over time with various owners and management could not possibly allocate costs based on the specifics of each ownership.
     
    In its simplest form, the factor system in the offering plan is like this: We buy a hammer and a caulking gun at Home Depot, For every $1.00 paid for by the smallest condos (factor 1.0) , the next size unit pays $1.25 the next size unit pays $1.50 (Quads included), the largest units (Malibu and Freestanding Homes) pay $1.75 towards the purchase. It's the same tool but everyone contributes a different amount to the total purchase when they get to the cash register. An unfair system? Yes, but that's what the builder left us with.
  • chevron_rightWhat are reserves for the STP?
    The STP has two reserves- 
    • One is mandated by our Environmental Permit, known as SPEDES, with NY State
     
    • The other is used to fund non-annual expenses that come up due to the need to replace major equipment and to address required upgrades as agreed to with NY State to us to continue to operate.
  • chevron_rightWhy do we have all the different reserves?
    In general, a reserve is used to collect funds over time for a specific purpose of to provide funds in an emergency. Our reserves range from the largest one contributed to by all to be able to address in a timely manner some unexpected emergency to specific reserves for the STP, and for area-specific items such as Section 1 roofs. These reserves re all dedicated to the specific purpose and funds are NOT co- mingled.
  • chevron_rightWho is responsible for exterior maintenance?
    • Connected Units - The HOA Board through the management company is responsible to ensure the required exterior maintenance is accomplished within the budgeted amounts with funds from the appropriate accounts such as common funds for common areas and area-specific funds for area specific issues such as roof.
     
    • Detached Free-Standing Homes - The developer added HOA Offering Plan Amendment 6 with the addition of these units. This clarifies that the HOA will not furnish maintenance of the roofs and the painting or staining of the exterior facades and decks of these detached homes and will not provide hazard insurance for them. The amendment also states that the detached free-standing homes will not pay HOA fees, reserves and special assessments on these budgeted items. The owners of these homes are responsible for their own homes exterior maintenance (i.e. roof repair, painting or staining) and obtaining property and liability insurance for their home
  • chevron_rightWhy do I have to pay the same for paint than my neighbor?
    See the FAQ for “How are Costs Distributed”
  • chevron_rightCan we get an accounting related to roofing assessment?
    All monies collected from the roof assessment have been spent on replacements of the outstanding original builder’s roofs. Some residents requested additional time to pay and all but one delinquent resident have completed their payment plans.
General
  • chevron_rightCan we ZOOM General Meeting?
    As part of the Communications Improvement Plan the HOA Board is looking in to the technology. Software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are being explored. Critical to any of these would be the ability to Email a link to those wishing to join remotely which is why we have the current effort to collect Emails as an initial step.
  • chevron_rightMinutes are less than comprehensive
    Current minutes document all motions, as required. The Board spends considerable time each month working to resolve resident complaints with are sensitive and confidential and cannot be put into the general minutes
  • chevron_rightPlease explain some of the common terms used at BSL?
    Please explain some of the common terms used at BSL?
    • Condo Offering Plan and HOA Offering Plan – these are two legal documents that, whether you realized it or not, you agreed to abide by when you purchased your home. The home seller was legally responsible to provide you these documents. If you never received them or have misplaced these documents, paper (for a fee) or electronic copies are available at the office.
     
    • Condo – These are homes in the courts on BPD where one owner lives downstairs, and a different owner lives upstairs. Also included are the homes on SLD that face the road and the parking lot and are of back-to-back construction.
     
    • Homes (Townhome) - All units in the courts that are NOT condos. They are one and two story, but here the two-story units are the same home with one owner.
     
    • Section 1 – Simply put the Condos and Townhomes in the Courts.
     
    • Free-Standing Homes – They are nearer to the back of Birchwood and are detached. They consist of one-story, two bedroom ranches and two-story units with either three or four bedrooms. They are NOT attached to other homes. They are all treated the same in the Offering Plan regardless of size.
     
    • Quads (Springfield Model, located in Section 3) – They are kind a cross between the townhomes in the building sense and the free-standing homes in the property sense. They consist of four homes in a back-to-back and side-by side configuration with common driveways and small side yards.
     
    • Common Charge – The portion of the budget used for common costs with all 733 homeowners contributing.
     
    • Section Specific Charges – Per the Offering Plans, the Condo’s, Townhomes, Quads and Garages have additional charges which cover expenses related to building exterior, roof and insurance. Free-standing homes pay independently for homeowners’ insurance, roofing replacement. . Therefore, the HOA fee may look lower for them, but the comparison is not apples to apples. When these other independently paid costs are added to the HOA Fee they pay the most since free-standing homes have the highest factor, 1.75, applied to their proportional contribution to common charges. (Additional explanation of weighted factor below)
     
    • HOA Fee –This is what you pay monthly. It consists of the Common Charge + Section Specific Charge (where applicable). You will note the Common Charge portion went up less than inflation this year due to long term fixed contacts which limited increases for major expanses such as landscaping and golf course maintenance. I say cheers for the former HOA Boards that worked that out! Unfortunately, for the attached units, insurance issues caused major increases in the Section Specific areas due to increased housing cost replacement. (This is separate from liability insurance which has been talked about for years. This impacts all 733 homes and is the result of frivolous lawsuits, even those that are unfounded. The moral of the story is STOP suing because, in effect, you are suing yourself and causing your own fees to increase!
     
    • HOA Responsibility – The Offering Plan assigns responsibility to the HOA Board of Directors to oversee operations and maintenance, along with the management company, and to determine and levy fees and assessments to meet the expenses of the community. Items are paid for from the appropriate Common Charge funded account or from Section-Specific accounts depending on the nature of the expense consistent with the Offering Plans.
     
    • Reserve Accounts – These are accounts funded by both the Common Charge and Section Specific portion of the HOA Fee. Those that are Section Specific are funded by contributions from the particular section (e.g. Section 1 or Quads) benefiting from that fund. (Like the painting reserve) Others, like the two reserves for the Sewer Treatment Plant, are funded by contributions by all 733 home owners through the Common Charge. Both these reserves are mandated by the regulating authorities for STP’s. Reserve accounts are kept separate and are not generally intermingled with routine operating accounts.
  • chevron_rightWhat is the History of BSL Construction?
    The developer started with the intention of continuing to build the entire complex in the same manner as we now see in the Courts. These units are described as condos and townhomes. This area is now referred to as Section I. Due to poor sales, he later amended the offering plan to add a new attached model he called Springfield, (commonly referred to as the Quads) and free-standing detached homes. This is why the Courts go 1-4 and 19-21, as the missing numbers would have been per the original plan.
Insurance
Operations & Maintenance
  • chevron_rightHow Do I Place A Work Order?
    Contact the HOA Office at 631-924-2303 and your work request will be submitted into the computer and provided to maintenance for the necessary repair.
     
    **Coming in 2024: Work Orders will be submitted on our new website- stay tuned for information! **
  • chevron_rightWho is paying for broken gates?
    The responsible party is the one who broke it! Recently the HOA Board added a standard report, produced by the Management Company, to reviews each month each broken gate incident and the status of reimbursement from the responsible party to ensure we are not paying!