History

Angell Brook Village (ABV) is a 55+ community, similar to the condo project at Hillside Village on Hartwell St., which were both built by Michael Staiti and his Keystone Development Company. Construction on ABV was timed to start in 2004, after the completion of Hillside Village. Some major infrastructure issues were encountered, and there were some decent size wetlands challenges, which required some mitigation and retaining wall work. Also, some ledge in the vicinity of unit ABV 147.

The community was divided into several phases of 15-20 units in each section. In 2006 the Emily Drive land was purchased and added to ABV, after getting permits to build additional units from the Town, which included 2 affordable housing units. The first sale was in late2005, after the layout and building of the roads, in particular the road over the causeway. Village construction finished in 2014 and the last unit being sold in 2015; totaling 132 units. The sizes of the units range from 1300 to 2000 square feet, with the smaller units being all one floor and the larger units having a second floor and some having walkout basements.

After completing the first 2 phases, the builder began seeking input from unit owners, which led to a 5 member Advisory Board being elected in 2009. This Advisory Board lasted a little over a year, when it was disbanded by the builder.

Initially, ABV amenities were to be a Clubhouse with an exercise room, outdoor putting green, and a walking trail that connected ABV and Hillside. The Clubhouse was completed in the Fall 2010, with no exercise toom, no room for a putting green, or any basement for storage. Hillside voted that for safety reasons, they did not want a walking trail connecting our villages.

In late June 2014, a 5 member Advisory Board was elected to provide a very critical service of researching and managing the transition from Developer to ABV ownership. They interviewed and made recommendations as to which firms to hire:

· Management Company,

· Lawyer,

· Accountant,

· Landscaping,

· Snow Removal,

· Engineering.

The first 7 member Board of Trustees were elected in the April 2015, and they officially began hiring these various services to manage and support our Village in June 2015.

During this transition, and with concurrent negotiation with the Developer, a number of home owner/Board initiatives were instituted that have benefitted us as a Village:

· Radon Mitigation

· Mass Save doing an energy audit of units and recommending/assisting with corrections

· Transom window leakage and reconstruction

· 3 Season Porch roof resurfacing

· Smoke detector battery replacement and duct cleaning, which are ongoing

· Units with Bay windows had additional insulation added to their bottoms.

· As well as many others.

Through the years many groups have been formed (Women’s Club, Sunshine Club, Travel Club, etc.) and events have taken place in our Clubhouse (Monthly Socials, Holiday Parties, Pancake Breakfast, Coffee Hours, Weekly card and game nights, etc.).

As for the West Boylston town services, we are very fortunate to have:

· Emergency services that are very responsive, punctual & professional.

· Weekly curbside trash and recycling pickup.

· A new Senior Center of which many residents are able to take advantage.

· ABV residents who have organized smoke detector battery replacement via the towns fire department.

Including other sporadic costs our condo fees cover:

· Insurance

· Maintenance of detention and retention ponds

· Maintenance of perimeter hillsides, as well as the front entranced, which needs a refresh.

· Contracts for snow removal and sanding

· Contracts for lawn mowing, trimming, fertilizing, weed killer, and shrub trimming.

· Periodic sealing of driveways and road cracks

· Removal of damaged and over grown trees and shrubs

· Periodic power washing of unit exteriors and decks

· Gutter leaf cleaning

Lastly, thanks to our Board of Trustees, our Village is solid financially and our Condo Fee remains among the lowest in the area. The unit owners are very thankful and appreciative for the countless hours these Board and Committee members spend volunteering on the behalf of our community.

Created by William Brooks, with edits from various community and Board members.