Newsletters
A newsletter on the happenings of Muirfield
Food Truck and Music
Sunday Shindig
Sunday June 24, 3-7pm
See menu at the link below!
July 4, 2018
Meet at the corner by the second entrance for our bike parade with Cottleville Fire at 9:50 AM. The Fire department will parade through the neighborhood and end at the pool parking lot where they will spray their hose. Join us for a potlock lunch after the fire truck activities around 11:00. HOA will provide the main course. Bring a dish to share.
Friday August 3 from 5-9PM
Join your neighbors poolside for Steel Drum Band Entertainment!
Bring your own Picnic dinner and Relax to some great music!
More information and to sign up can be found on the link below.
May 18-19, 2018
(See our upcoming events for information)
DIVE IN MOVIE
What: “Moana” at the Muirfield Pool
When: Friday, August 11, 2017
Movie starts at 8:00pm
Where: Muirfield Pool
Who: Muirfield Residents and their guests
Bring your pool floats, drinks, and join us for a “dive in” movie to celebrate the first week of school ending! The HOA will provide popcorn, but please remember there is absolutely NO food in the pool!
SUNDAY SHINDIG
Sunday, July 30 2017
4-7
Pool side! Enjoy the Music stylings of the Lenny Frisch Steel Drum band and Food from Wing Nut! Cash and Credit accepted!
Hope to see you there!
Wingnut is a family owned/operated food truck that specializes in jumbo split party wings (drummies and flats) deep fried naked (no breading) and covered with your choice of over 20 different sauces. They are known for wings, however, their chicken tenders and loaded fries or nachos and ALL of their appetizers are a close second!
Jeff and Michelle Lawlor-Creek View Drive
Ethan and Rachel Houser-Creek View Drive
Dustin and Whitney Cole-Muirfield Spring Ct.
Becky and David Gajewski-Muirfield Spring Ct.
Sandra and Nathan Davenport-Muirfield Spring Ct.
Ann and Aaron Copeland-Muirfield Hill Place
Brittany and Brandon Deshon- Muirfield Hill Ct. South
Jamie and Ryan Radar-Towers Creek
Joseph Giabla-Muirfield Court South
We owe our freedom to those who serve. Not only do the put their lives at risk to protect our freedoms, but they sacrifice time away from their families. So take a moment this 4th to thank an active duty serviceman or veteran.
Bike Parade, Pot Luck & Pool Party!
Parade starts at 11:00am at the second entrance with Cottleville Fire Truck leading the way. Bring a side dish for Pot Luck BBQ Pork. Kona Ice truck will be at the pool lot at 3 PM.
HOA providing BBQ Pork, Soda, and Snow cones! Hope you can make it.
In December 2000, the president signed into law The National Moment of Remembrance Act. "The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation," the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website says.
Pool Opening and Pot Luck Party
Bring a dish or a dessert to share with your neighbors
11-2 PM Monday, May 25, 2015
Burgers and Hot dogs to be provided by Julie Moran of Coldwell Banker Gundaker
Bounce House (parental supervision required) sponsored by Key's Property Management Professional Lawn & Landscape
April 1, 2015
We are excited for the 2015 summer swim season. Swim team is a fun experience and kids LOVE it! Join us for a sense of community and an opportunity to improve your swimming skills.
Swim Team registration is open. See website for more information: https://muirfield.swimtopia.com.
Summer is around the corner and we are excited to open registration for the Muirfield Marlins 2015 summer season! Please log in to https://muirfield.swimtopia.com to find 2015 registration information. Coaches Kelli and Sam will be our Head Coaches this year!
As a reminder, grandchildren of Muirfield residents receive resident rates and should register as residents.
Please email any of us through the website if you have any questions. All registrations and checks are due by May 5th.
We are looking forward to a fun swim season. See you at the pool!
Thank you Bonnie!
The Board of Trustees would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest thanks to Bonnie Beuke, our wonderful neighbor, for her years of service to the Muirfield community as Landscape Coordinator and Committee Chairperson for the subdivision. Bonnie stepped down from her position last year as she prepared to bid farewell to her neighbors and friends in Muirfield but continued to be a steadfast volunteer, aiding in every landscape improvement project undertook during 2014.
Her attention to detail and regular monitoring of landscape issues in the subdivision were instrumental in creating and maintaining records of work needed and performed, and she repeatedly stood watch on “Mole Patrol” during the mole invasion at the pool area grounds throughout 2014. Bonnie kept watch over newly planted areas, maintained receipts to ensure any landscape items that died under warranty periods were returned or replaced in a timely fashion and coordinated annual startup and shutdown of our sprinkler systems. She was also responsible for our beautiful monument wreaths during the past few years, adding a beautiful touch to our entrance monuments during the holiday season.
While we believe it is truly a team effort working to keep Muirfield a beautiful place to live, we cannot overlook the individual contributions she brought to this challenging position.
Bonnie, we will miss the enthusiasm, dedication and cheerful disposition you brought to all your efforts in the neighborhood. We wish you and Mike all the best and hope you’ll stay in touch.
Thank you again!
Lesli Holyfield, Bridget Switzer, Rich DelGallo and Terry Eberwine
Subdivision Garage Sale
The subdivision sale this year will be Friday April 17th from 5pm to dark and Saturday April 18th from 7am to noon. There will be a rain date of May 17th & 18th, incase it rains the weekend in April. Again, Julie Moran from Coldwell Banker Gundaker will be sponsoring our subdivision sale. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lisa Roemerman slroemer31@gmail.com or
314-651-3592.
2014 Annual Meeting
Mark your Calendars! The Muirfield Home Owners Association Annual
Budget Meeting will be October 23, 2014 at 7pm at the Kisker Road Library.
Bike Parade & Pool Party was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated!
Snow cones follow at the pool courtesy of Susan Brewer!
Thank you to our Firefighters!
Bill and Debby Hotzmann of Towers Creek Place
The Gentry Family of Creek View Place
Marino & Christiane Parra of Cross Timbers Lane
Parking
As a courtesy, it is better to park on your driveway off the main road and streets. Parking on both sides of the street is to be avoided if possible. This will hopefully eliminate possible damage to your car and one way traffic problems and complaints. Emergency vehicles must be able to get by on the road! The parking issues related to the swim meet are being addressed.
Pittman Hill Road Closure
The St. Charles County Highway Department will temporarily close Pitman Hill Road between Windcastle Drive/Summit Ridge Place and Pitman Trails beginning Wednesday, June 25, 2014. The closure, which is expected to last six weeks, is a continuation of the effort to reconstruct Pitman Hill Road between Windcastle/Summit Ridge and Greens Bottom Road.
Let us remember our soldiers this Memorial Day Weekend!
Land of the free, because of the brave!
Monday May 26, 2014
Pool Opening was a success!
Thank you to everyone who came out to play and enjoy the day!
Games for the kids were a hit!
See our photo section titled Summer 2014 for some great
pictures of the day!
Cannonball Contest
Noodle (horse)race
Beach-ket Ball
Due to the storm, the Kona Ice truck will be rescheduled for a later date.
Our raffle basket will be on display for upcoming swim practices this coming week! All proceeds will benefit the Muirfield Marlins and new equipment.
Improvement Projects Update
Due to weather this year, the retaining wall company is backed up, but we are on their schedule. We will repair the parking lot after the retaining wall work is completed. This will not happen before the opening of the pool season. Please be patient when the work starts. We will keep you updated as we learn more information and get the dates firmed up.
Swim Team Season
We are excited for the 2014 summer swim season. Swim team is a fun experience and kids LOVE it! Join us for a sense of community and an opportunity to improve your swimming skills. Go to our swim team section for all the details!
Practice is starting the week of May 27. See the website for the entire schedule.
Successful Neighborhood Garage Sale
Thank you!
Contact Lisa Roemerman to participate at SLROEMER31@gmail.com
(314) 651-3592
April 2014
HOW ARE COMPLAINTS ADDRESSED?
There are different avenues through which complaints and violations are addressed through the HOA, each situation being handled on a case-by-case basis. Nick Epley is our current architectural and indenture compliance volunteer and will decide on a method of addressing an issue. As in the past, he may choose to communicate with a resident regarding a complaint or violation using letters, phone calls, face-to-face discussions or filing complaints through county agencies. Communications between the HOA and Muirfield residents regarding complaint and violation resolutions are confidential between the HOA and the individual neighbor.
Concerning any loose pet issue, specifically: The HOA can send a letter or speak with a neighbor concerning a loose pet. However, if it is a safety concern of an aggressive dog chasing your children, there is no evidence for us to investigate after the fact. Remember, we will need your written or emailed complaint to process and resolve issues. Although the HOA would like to be alerted to issues concerning crimes or danger to people and property, so we can keep the neighborhood on alert, this specific issue falls under the jurisdiction of the St. Charles Animal Control at
636-949-7387 or St. Charles County Police Non-Emergency Department at
As a caring community we rejoice in our friends and neighbors celebrations and offer comfort and support in times of sorrow.
What does the Caring Committee do?
The primary focus for at this point will be to coordinate delivery of dinners for families in the neighborhood to ease the burden of cooking, shopping and preparation of meals and allow them to focus on healing and to let them know that the neighborhood is here for them in some small way. If you would be interested in taking a turn at providing dinner for a night, or you and another neighbor would like to do it together to share the cost and work, please email us. If you know of those you think may be in need of The Caring Committee's assistance, please let us know that too. We want to acknowledge that this committee is also for those experiencing a celebratory occasion as well. If you know of a birth of a child, a new family, adoption or a new neighbor moving into the subdivision that could use a welcome basket of cookies let us know.
Thanks for your caring and concern for all of our residents and for reaching out to help.
THANK YOU PAUL COOK!
The current board of Muirfield and the members of the HOA would like to take this opportunity to express a sincere thank you to Paul Cook. His continuous service to our neighborhood over the last decade has contributed to making Muirfield a top neighborhood to live in. Paul has served with a true dedication and diligence for improving our neighborhood. Paul is a very involved member of our community and has contributed to our present dynamic state. While we believe it truly is a team effort and takes a village to make our subdivision better, we cannot overlook his individual contributions through the years, and leadership that he brought to this community. The HOA meeting on March 27,2014 will be Paul's last official meeting as a Muirfield trustee. However, we know we will be able to turn to him for his experience and guidance when needed. Thanks for being there and for your service to Muirfield, Paul!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
As spring is upon us, I know we will see more neighbors out and about around the subdivision. We could use your assistance in maintaining our beautiful community. We have many volunteer opportunities that are available for you to help out. You will see emails coming soon for specific ways to help, but we are asking that if you can lend a hand now or have a special technical skill that could assist us, please let us know. Many hands make for a lighter workload and an overall strong team! We have listed the committees and volunteer initiatives below.
There will be sign-up sheets at the HOA meeting. If you are unable to make the meeting please feel free to email us if you can help out in any way. We encourage you to get involved and make a difference in our community!
MAINTENANCE ASSISTANCE
Many small jobs pop up related to maintaining our subdivision and keeping Muirfield operational. We are in need of a few neighborhood volunteers to serve as volunteers for the HOA to contact as issues arise. Examples of situations that need attention from time to time include painting, changing light bulbs, storing pool furniture, placing and returning pool area garbage cans curbside on trash day and other small maintenance tasks.
SPRINKLER SYSTEM CONTACT
Muirfield has sprinklers systems that irrigate both of the monument planting areas in Upper Muirfield, the entire pool garden area and the open field at the corner of Muirfield Drive and Pittman Hill Road. We are in need of a few neighborhood volunteers to serve as points of contact, along with Lesli Holyfield, in the event of emergencies and to assist with periodic tasks. Volunteers would assist with shutting down sprinklers in the event of an emergency or impending utility action, marking sprinkler heads when needed prior to certain planned landscaping and maintenance actions and setting/resetting sprinkler zones as needed depending upon weather conditions.
DETENTION BASIN MONITORS
There are detention basins throughout Muirfield Subdivision that are required to pass periodic county inspections. We are in need of a few neighborhood volunteers to visit and inspect the basins on a monthly basis and to give a report on the general condition to the HOA. The Board would need to be notified as soon as possible in the event that trash or items have been dumped or that tree limbs and leaf debris have accumulated in the basins. Proper cleaning and maintenance is currently being scheduled on a regular and an as-needed basis in order to ensure proper storm water drainage. Failed detention basin inspections can result in fines and serious expenses if the county decides to remove the care and maintenance costs of the basins from Muirfield’s control.
POOL VOLUNTEERS
Terry Eberwine has been handling all things concerning Muirfield pool operations for a number of years. Volunteers are needed to assist Terry in working with Bi-State, our pool management company, to ensure the continued smooth operation of our subdivision pool. A few areas in which your help are needed include assisting Terry in coordinating scheduled pool operations with Bi-State if needed, monitoring the pool and pool gate lighting for burned out bulbs or malfunction of the gate lights timer and alerting Terry or any HOA board member to pool issues that require attention. In addition, help is needed annually to clean, maintain and store our pool furniture. Also needed is a Muirfield Marlins Swim Team League Representative.
LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS
Landscaping and common ground maintenance costs account for a large portion of the Muirfield HOA annual budget. Scheduled yearly maintenance activities and planned projects/improvements require monitoring and attention on a regular basis. Muirfield has extensive landscape areas, including the pool area gardens and grass, six monument and entrance plantings, and over thirty individual cul-de-sac planting areas.
SOCIAL AND CARING COMMITTEES
Throughout 2013, numerous activities were organized by the Social Committee to promote fun and camaraderie within our subdivision. The Muirfield Caring Committee offered condolences and support to neighbors in times of sadness and extended congratulations and kudos during times of cheer. Volunteers are needed to assist Social Committee Co-Chairs Glenda Hanstein and Christie Tutschulte with planning and producing Muirfield Subdivision social events throughout the year.
LOWER MUIRFIELD REPRESENTATIVE
The Muirfield Subdivision HOA is in need of a few representatives from Lower Muirfield to assist with keeping the board informed of conditions in Lower Muirfield. Volunteers would be asked to contact HOA board members regarding issues and concerns in Lower Muirfield that may require attention.
We invite you to share your celebrations and life cycle events with us! As a caring community, we rejoice in our neighbors celebrations!
Animal Problems
Contact St. Charles County Humane Department at 636-949-7387.
More information is on the link below and on our indenture section.
Neighborhood Complaints
The Neighborhood Preservation Division of St. Charles county (a.k.a.- code enforcement) will handle complaints pertaining to our subdivision. If you would like to file a complaint, you may contact the office by calling 636.949.7346 or you can copy the link below and submit your complaint on this form by e-mail. Complainant name and phone number are requested in order to obtain more information, if necessary, but are not required. The Muirfield Board of Trustees will also make a complaint on your behalf if it meets the criteria below. Remember, a little kindness will go a long way. Some of the complaints can be handled with a neighborly touch. Every complaint filed with the division is investigated by an inspector to verify regulations adopted by the County Council are met.
Most common property maintenance code violations include rubbish, weeds & tall grass, derelict and/or unlicensed vehicles, general building disrepair, and zoning violations. The Neighborhood Preservation Division is committed to preserving the quality of our neighborhoods and provides information on these common violations. See our indentures section for more information.
Neighborhood Preservation contact information:
1/20/14
The Digney Family on Cross Timbers Ct.
The Wappelhorst Family on Muirfield Dr.
The Ryerson Family of Muirfield Woods Ct.
The Bredensteiner Family on Upper Muirfield Ct. N.
Thank you Dax!
1/6/14
The current board of trustees would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest thanks to Dax Nieders, our outgoing President, for his continuous service to our neighborhood over the last few years. Most people feel a general reluctance to join a neighborhood board of trustees and HOA. In general most feel a reluctance to get involved at all. However, this does not describe Dax. He served with an endurance and responsibility most residents probably would not have had. Dax was a very involved member of our community from the start and has helped it to grow into its present state. While we believe it truly is a team effort and takes a village to make our subdivision better, we cannot overlook his individual contributions, dedication and leadership he brought to this sometimes challenging position.
We will miss your enthusiasm, expertise and the sheer dedication you gave to our neighborhood. You have left your mark on Muirfield, but we hope you have gained personal satisfaction and that the residents of Muirfield have left their mark on you. We wish you only success and happiness in your future endeavors. May they be all that you hoped for!
For now the current board of trustees will continue to handle collectively what needs to be done until a replacement can be appointed. We sincerely hope a great leader will step up and continue the current vision for a continued improved neighborhood, who also has the generosity of spirit and commitment.
We will announce our annual home owners meeting date next month.
Thank you again!
Kevin and Lesli Holyfield, Bridget Switzer, Paul Cook, Bonnie Beuke, Terry Eberwine
December 30, 2013 Pet Policy
Please remember to pick up after your pet and do not let them roam the neighborhood! We have had several recent complaints of dogs running free in the neighborhood. This is not just a one time-"I escaped my yard" occurrence. Most recently a black and white dog was spotted throughout the day! Besides being a safety concern for the dog and our neighbors, it is a nuisance to have to clean up after someone else's pet. According to our indentures, Article VIII, section 8.3: Each owner shall be responsible for any damage to person or property done by his pet, shall clean up after his pet and shall maintain the pet on a secure leash at all times the pet is outside the Lot. For the complete rules see the website at www.muirfieldstcharles.net
Please be responsible and most of all be a good a neighbor!
Winter Swim Team Fundraisers
Let’s Light Up Muirfield
And Help Raise Money for Our Swim team
The Muirfield swim team is offering a kit of 10 luminaries for $10.00. We will deliver them to your home once payment is received. All you need to do is put them out on Christmas Eve and light them at 5:00 pm. If you will not be home on Christmas Eve, the Mazzarini family has offered to light all that are out in front of the houses.
Five Below Shopping!
Never too late to start holiday shopping, and you can get a lot of stuff without breaking your budget at Five Below in Chesterfield Valley and support The Muirfield Marlins in the process. If you shop anytime between Friday, December 6th thru Sunday, December 8th and present this flyer attached (you can print, show it on your phone and text to friends to do the same) 10% of your sales will be donated back to the Marlins Swim Team. (see upcoming events section for flyer)
Please feel free to share with friends, family and co-workers and help us raise what we can to support the Team!
Holiday Shopping in our Neighborhood
Mary's homemade jams, jellies, relishes, along with ready-to-give gift baskets (great for teacher, hostess gifts) and fabric items (thread catchers, table toppers). Also, Cindy's homemade cakepop's in various flavors. New this year just in time for the holiday are Christmas and Thanksgiving-themed cake pops. Gift Bouquets also available and on display! Cindy will be taking orders for holiday and plain (sprinkles) pops. - many flavors, colors available. Come by for a tasty sample! YUM!
Where: The Gardner's at 114 Creek View Dr.
Info:
314-614-3485
Caring Committee Formation
Nov. 11, 2013
One of our neighbors has experienced the tragic loss of a child this weekend, and we also have some neighbors with serious illness in their family, cancer treatment, major surgeries, etc. This has led several neighbors, members of the social committee and friends to want to volunteer some form of help for these families.
We are creating a new committee we... are calling The Caring Committee. The primary focus for now will be to coordinate delivery of dinners for families in the neighborhood to ease the burden of cooking, shopping and preparation of meals and allow them to focus on healing and to let them know that the neighborhood is here for them in some small way. If you would be interested in taking a turn at providing dinner for a night, or you and another neighbor would like to do it together to share the cost and work, please email us. If you know of those you think may be in need of The Caring Committee's assistance, please let us know that too. We want to acknowledge that this committee is also for those experiencing a celebratory occasion as well. If you know of a birth of a child, a new family, adoption or a new neighbor moving into the subdivision that could use a welcome basket of cookies let us know.
Thanks for your caring and concern for all of our residents and for reaching out to help.
Tennis Court Timeline
At this time there is no plan or committee to rebuild the tennis courts. We hope you will take advantage of other opportunities in Muirfield.
Nov. 5, 2013
Dan Mazzarini will no longer be able to dedicate the time needed to the tennis court project mentioned previously. If anyone would like to take over for Dan on this project he will transfer you all his notes, documentation, and assist if he is able. The board of Muirfield would like to thank Dan for all his time and effort he put into this project. His dedication to this project shows why our Muirfield neighborhood is a desirable community to be a part of.
October 30, 2013
Budget and board meeting note: Dan Mazzarini proposed to the Board of Trustees a financial proposal for rebuilding a tennis court. He announced the formation of a tennis committee! This group of people would like to see a court replaced in our neighborhood. They see the value of having a tennis court and a pool to our subdivision. See the October 30, 2013- board meeting minutes for more information or contact Dan directly to get involved.
August 2013
Tennis courts and retaining wall are in very bad shape, due in part, to ground shifting as the courts were not properly built on compressed soil. Tennis courts have been in need of major overhaul/replacement for quite some time. Muirfield board has held meetings, gathered contractor data and estimates over the past two years. Because the courts were not properly constructed on compressed ground to mitigate changes in temperature and water/ice in the ground (as determined by professional soil core samples), the courts where subject to cracking as the soil shifted beneath it with temperature and water level changes. Various patching fixes have been applied over the years but ultimately they could not handle the longer term shifting of the ground beneath it. Also, the retaining wall that is holding up the far right rear of the courts is rotting away. The cost to rip out the courts, fences and retaining wall and the dig some 4 ft feet down and replace with compressed foundation and replace with a new court (1) & fence, and regrade the far right of the area, thus removing the need of a retaining wall was on the order of $150K-175K. Both courts and a new retaining wall would be ~ $225K. These figures would require a special assessment to be approved by the subdivision. In accordance with Muirfield Indentures Section 7-3 C, a letter was written on April 8, 2013 (See Notices Section of this website http://muirfieldstcharles.net/notices.php) and sent out to all Muirfield owners with a write-in ballot to vote for a special assessment of $350 for each household, to rebuild 1 court or just get rid of courts, regrade the property to remove the need for the retaining wall and turn it into a green area. 99 votes were cast and 70% voted AGAINST the special assessment. As a result we had three qualified bids to remove the courts. Cost is $43.5K and the contractor will commence 9/4/13.
June 2013-Update
What is the status with the Tennis Courts?
Some residents had asked about the decision to tear down the tennis courts and the votes cast*. Dax Nieders responded on June 25th to one resident that sums up the situation as follows:
"The vast majority of the subdivision wanted to remove the tennis courts and wanted no special assessment.
[* See votes cast below.] ... Based on this feedback, we have nearly completed the revised drawings for the contractors to bid out the work to remove the courts. Since it will be much easier now, we will have roughly 10 bidders for the work. Again, bid packages will go out in the next 2 weeks and work will start right after Labor Day. I am hoping the construction costs will be lower than expected so we can make some additional improvements around the pool including more landscaping, replace some/all of the pool furniture, umbrellas, starting blocks for the swim team, etc. There are quite a few things that need attention besides the tennis courts.
We have had a committee looking at this for almost 3 years now. It's been a long drawn out process looking at many different options that people have brought up. We're finally at the point where we are about to get started. The courts have been in bad shape for a long time and the courts are devaluing our property in their current condition (setting aside our increased liability from having a hazard in the middle of the courts). The "new ideas" brought up at the meetings all fell through. Keep in mind, we are not doing anything that would prohibit a single tennis court in the future. We would just need a majority vote on a special assessment in the future or to build in this money into the budget over a number of years (but this also means increasing our yearly dues to cover these costs). People already get upset when we raise the dues $30 per year just to cover our current costs, I think we would get a lot more pushback if we raise the dues an additional $75/year (above normal increases) for 5 years to pay for the new court. The residents just don't want to pay for this. I appreciate your interest in helping with the tennis courts but we are basically done with the planning/scope of work. There is not a lot left to do except attend the bid meetings and oversee the construction. We have several people on the committee that have a lot of construction experience so we have adequate supervision for the project. If you would like to start a long term committee to replace the courts in a couple of years, that may work out great. Our rate adjustments are locked by cost of living adjustments so the extra money to replace the court will also need to be voted on. Again, based on the votes we received, I don't think people are going to vote themselves a rate increase. We had several people bring up at the meetings the fact that there are several free tennis courts in the area like Francis Howell Central, etc. One resident asked why he should pay for a new court when you can drive 5 mins and play for free. I had to explain that I wasn't making him pay for a new court, we were asking his opinion with the last mailed notice. You can guess which way he voted...
Hope this helps.
Dax"
* 99 Votes were cast (Special Assessment would require 149 votes out of 223 for required 2/3rds vote)
69 votes: Pay with reserves only, NOT willing to pay special assessment.
3 votes: Pay with reserves but would pay with assessment if majority wanted it.
24 votes: Replace 1 court and willing to pay assessment.
3 votes: Replace both courts and willing to pay $1000 assessment.
February 2013
We are getting bids from contractors to determine how much it will cost to redo the tennis courts. It is expensive, probably on the order of 100K to do it correctly. One of the major problems is that the ground below the courts is not re-compacted, and as a result the ground shifts and large cracks appear on the courts. Further, with two tennis courts it requires a retaining wall which is about 10 ft at its highest point. The wall is in bad shape and either needs to be replaced, or work with a smaller surface area with one tennis court (closest to Pittman hill) and grade the hill so no retaining wall is necessary. We will send out a letter to residents once we have the bids in place and have a special meeting on what to do with the tennis courts. We have to make a decision soon.
June 2009
The tennis courts are in need of repair. We have replaced one of the nets, but the surfaces are in bad shape. You can check out the Trustee meeting notes in February for more details in the "Documents" section of our website. I have spoken with a number of residents and have received a few emails. The following is an email response to one resident that is fairly representative of the current situation.
Email response to a concerned Muirfield resident on the tennis courts, dated June 9, 2009:
Hi,
Now that you are on board with the website, I see you have extracted a sentence on the tennis courts from the meeting notes in February, in section 5a. At that meeting I questioned who uses them? Really? It is obvious that the courts are in disrepair and a looming question is do we really want to spend up to $78K to fix them? It seemed like a waste to me. Honestly.
It is true, that the tennis courts, by their very nature, cannot handle any where as near as many people, per square foot, as the pool. And we spend $40K a year, (half the budget) on the pool, year in and year out, and by a large measure, it is worth it. The tennis courts, by steep contrast, have been the poorer cousins, with almost nothing done with them - and after 20 years, it shows. Residents that I've talked with personally, who do play tennis, no longer want to bring their friends here, because they are in such deplorable shape and frankly, find it embarrassing. And this condition is made even worse by having an open gate to non-residents, usually teenagers, with skate boards, bikes and dogs rapidly wearing out any perceived luster the courts may have once had. A death spiral with the tennis courts that are becoming a liability rather than a draw? Perhaps.
But what if the tennis courts could be corrected for a great deal less money? What if the brute force method of spending $78K was bought down by perhaps an order of magnitude using new crack repair methods that allow for natural court expansion without cracking, and resurfacing them could be done with new court paint and colors that could be applied by us? What if we put in place an electronic card pass system that would allow only residents in to the tennis courts (and pool) and for normal "business hours" only. What if we placed in security cameras that monitor the cabana, parking lot, pool and tennis courts 24/7 to minimize vandalism and post their picture on the website if they are caught - making it a very uncomfortable place to hang out and cause trouble? What if - with the courts back up to snuff - we sponsored tennis clinics and tennis lessons and made it a draw again? (BTW, reading old newsletters, that was once done.) What if we made it a place in which residents wanted to be and were proud of once more?
As it turns out, we are already doing the security aspects of what I mentioned above. And we are mitigating a myriad of problems with teenagers in the cabana area after dark, but it has built in benefits for the pool and tennis courts as well.
While I was a skeptic initially of the tennis courts, ultimately I believe perception is reality, and while these courts will never be used by as many people as the pool, it has a place in this kind of community, as evidenced by nearby Whitmoor and the Vineyards. If we can be creative and spend some time to fix the problems rather than throwing a suitcase of money at it, I would venture to say, it will be worth the effort in the long run.
-Paul Haug
February 2009
Muirfield Tennis Court Cracks:
The following is a link to a new material for fixing cracks as large as ours (2"), and worse, that shows some promise at $20-30 a linear foot: http://www.armorcrackrepair.com/
Court resurfacing can be done by us, here is an example: http://www.tennisuniversal.com/product/159/0/28/Tennis_Court_Base_Coat.aspx
Let me know your thoughts. I would like to pull together a small team to review and tackle this problem.
-Paul Haug
A note from the Board of Trustees
In an effort to promote environmental and economic health of our neighborhood, the Muirfield board of trustees has launched our go green initiative. This has been mentioned before. We can save money to our overall operating expenses by limiting mailings you will receive in the future. We have advertised on the entrance sign boards to sign up on our website. All residents have received flyers about upcoming events in their mailboxes and encouragement to get involved in Muirfield. All residents who have currently signed up are receiving regular email communication about important neighborhood information. These include safety alerts, budget and board meeting information, as well as social events happening throughout our subdivision.
For those residents and home owners that are still not signed up on our website, they personally received a hand delivered notice that we needed to keep them informed in September. We have worked hard to maintain an updated website on the happenings of Muirfield so you may know what’s going on around the subdivision and to bring this community together. All information is kept confidential that the board receives.
Going green is not only good for our community, but it is good for our operating budget. Using fewer resources and recycling takes less money and leaves more for savings that can be designated for other projects. By taking this one small step, you will contribute to our overall bottom line by reducing costs. All of us can do more to encourage environmentally responsible behavior, but for our neighborhood it just helps our future economic growth.
We look forward to hearing from you and keeping you up to date on what is happening in the neighborhood. All residents will be receiving notification with their yearly assessment that we are taking this step and will be eliminating unnecessary mailings.
Thank you
Dax Nieders, Kevin and Lesli Holyfield, Bridget Switzer, Bonnie Beuke, Terry Eberwine, Paul Cook
Winners!
First Place: Bridget Switzer-Fall into the flavors
Second Place: Scott Ballard-Carnivore's Delight
Third Place: Joy Homeo-Everything Chili
Thanks to all our entrants! They were delicious!
Thanks to Cottleville Firemen for judging!
Remember to check out our facebook page for more pictures from the festival! Thanks for sharing this day with us and making it a success.
Pumpkin Contest Winners!
First Place: Sally Ballard 
Gene Simmons
Second Place: Mitch Relling 
Skull in a pumpkin
Third Place: Christie Tutschulte (photo above) Baby Harper
See all pictures from the event at our photo album section!
More to come soon.
LOOMS4LEUKEMIA!
MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
These girls over fall break decided to raise a little money for a great cause! The hottest craze---Looms! Necklaces, Rings, Bracelets all made from small rubber bands.
Collecting for Leukemia were Emily and Abby Eberwine!
Thanks for all the hard work and turning a fun hobby into a way to help others!
October 2013
Fun for the whole family!
Muirfield's Fall Festival
October 27,2013
Our 1st ever Chili Cook Off and Pumpkin Decorating/Carving contests were a great success. The local Fire Department was on hand to judge the entries. We also had caramel apples, hot dogs, popcorn, a cake walk, bounce house for the kids plus entertainment by Juggling Jeff. Thanks to Summit Produce and Neighbor Dan Mitchell for providing pumpkins for decorating for the kids.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS and VOLUNTEERS!
SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS, WITHOUT WHOM, THIS FALL FESTIVAL WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO PATRONIZE THESE BUSINESSES AND LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY. MANY OF THESE BUSINESSES ARE OWNED BY NEIGHBORS, AND SEVERAL DONATIONS WERE MADE BY INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORS OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS. WE HOPE YOU WILL EXPRESS YOUR THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS, AND THE MANY OTHERS WHO DONATE OF THEIR TIME, MONEY AND EFFORTS TO MAKE (AND KEEP) MUIRFIELD SUCH A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD. ~ THANKS TO ONE AND ALL! ~
Neighbors Jon Heisel and Lesli Holyfield
Neighbors Bob and Robert Lass
Social committee event planners- Christie Tutschule, Glenda Hanstein, Sally Ballard and Bridget Switzer
See our sponsors page on the left hand side for more information on any of these businesses!
If you are interested in helping sponsor a future event or know a business that would be willing to sponsor in exchange for advertisement on our website, Facebook and Twitter, please contact Christie Tutschulte at ctutschulte@hotmail.com or
314.960.1285.
This is a great opportunity to help our neighborhood and promote your business!
If you would like to help out the social committee in any way please contact Christie Tutschulte at
ctutschulte@hotmail.com or
314-960-1285! All help is appreciated. This is a neighborhood community event. We look forward to seeing you there.
Tennis court transformation completed! Hello grass! See all the pictures at the following web address:
Thank you Bruce Barth for all of the work and pictures you took.
Welcome to the Neighborhood:
on Muirfield Woods Court: Jeff and Melissa Hyatt and Family
on Muirfield Crest Court: Debbie and Jon Heisel
PLEASE KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN!
There are several homes in the neighborhood for sale. Recent feedback from potential buyers and current
sellers suggest that our community upkeep needs improvement. The Muirfield Board of Trustees and Home Owners Association realize that it has taken longer than thought to reconcile with insurance companies for recent claims from the tornado and storm damage that occurred this summer. Please be thoughtful of our general community and your neighbors. We have just finished the tennis court project and will be looking at further improvements to the neighborhood. We will be doing pool clean up these next few weeks as well. Don't forget the Fall Festival coming up! We have lots of great things in the neighborhood to look forward to and great people that are a part of this community. It does take a village to get it all done. Thank you to everyone who is lending a hand to help with the Landscape, Pool, Tennis and Social Committee's. We can not do it without you. It is a constant project to make our neighborhood better. We are always looking for improvements and volunteers. Please contact a member of the board if you can help or have a suggestion. As a reminder, please take your trash cans and recycle/yard waste containers in after pick up day. The Board is working on those few homes that have violations.
Congratulations Mitch Johnson and Brody Johnson
Labor Day Doubles Tennis Tournament Winners!
Labor Day Doubles Tennis Tournament. Start time for the first four teams was 8:30 AM. There was a great turnout for the final Labor day tournament. Everyone enjoyed playing for one last time and had a lot of fun!
See all the pictures in our photo album section of this great event!
Thanks to Mary, Phil, Sandy, Lesli and Bonnie for volunteering at the pool commons area last week
We appreciate all you do!
August 2013!!
FIRST ANNUAL MUIRFIELD TRIATHLON
AUGUST 16, 2013
Muirfield Fitness Event – 2013
The first annual Muirfield Fitness Event was a huge success. 32 people participated in the event with many others helping as volunteers. The event started with 20 laps in the pool, then a bike ride down Towers, and finished with 3 laps around the neighborhood. The event offers the option to compete as a team and many families did just that. The Bauers, the Viviannis, the Johnsons and the Nicholsons made the event a “family affair”.
Congratulations to all the participants and a very special thank you to our own Julie Moran who sponsored the T Shirts and to the all volunteers who made the event possible.
See you next year on Saturday, August 2, 2014.
SEE PHOTO ALBUM SECTION FOR MORE PICTURES!!
Everyone was a winner!!
Saturday Night Dive in Movie's
Saturday nights were busy at the pool this summer. Starting August 3rd and continuing until the pool closed the Social Committee decided to have Dive-In Movies as a fundraiser for the Swim Team! Congratulations to all who planned these successful events. Your hard work was noticed!! We can't wait for the new equipment next year! Ice Cream Floats and concessions were sold.
Movies shown were of a wide variety appealing to the younger and older crowd. 
Stay tuned for more information this fall. Movies under the stars coming this fall and spring!
July 4th,2013
Our second annual Fourth of July Parade was held. Thanks to the Cottleville Fire Department for coming out and all the generous donations to the department! They do a great job and we are happy to support our communities first responders!
The Snow Cone truck made an appearance again this year. Thanks goes out to the social committee's donations and planning!
Everyone had a great time at the parade!
Tornadoes Hit St. Charles
July 2013
(Updated July 4th)
Three tornadoes slammed region; more than 100 St. Charles County homes uninhabitable.
In St. Charles County, one of the hardest areas hit, officials late Saturday afternoon June 1st, had declared more than 100 homes uninhabitable because of major structural problems. An additional 100-plus had low or moderate damage. Numerous trees in Muirfield were ripped apart during the violent storm on May 31st (See figure below).
Graffiti on Muirfield and Austin Ridge Entrances
The Muirfield Board Needs a Few Responsible Volunteers!
Folks, Dax Nieders, Sher and Paul Haug have been at the Muirfield Board for 5 years (whom of which joined the board just weeks from moving into Muirfield) and Paul Cook is at 7 years! These are two year positions! We need some responsible and dedicated people to pass the torch on to. If you can help, please contact any of the above board members. Thank You!
PDF of Back Issues of the Muirfield Messenger Newsletter:
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