The newsletter comes out via email the first Friday of each month.

Keeping in the Loop

BUDGET 2025

The 2025 budget process is underway with first budget meeting being held on October 2nd. Developing the budget is one of the most important, and time-consuming, responsibilities of your Board of Directors and it is not taken lightly. Every line item in the budget reflects careful thought and consideration, ensuring that we keep costs as low as possible in this time of high inflation while upholding the quality of life we all cherish in Forest Lakes.

There are three major elements involved: The annual operating budget covers "everyday" needs, such as landscaping, community management, utilities, insurance and many other detailed items. The capital spending plan covers major long-run maintenance and improvements (which are funded from our separate replacement reserves account and are based largely on projections from the independent reserves study). Homeowner assessments are set to cover the annual budget spending plus the fixed annual amount that has been established to deposit into the replacement reserves fund for major capital project spending.

A draft budget and draft list of capital expenditures from the October 2nd meeting are now available on the Forest Lakes website under password-protected documents. We encourage all homeowners to share their comments or suggestions regarding the budget, including any specific items they wish to add or remove. Please reach out to the FLCA office preferably before the next budget meeting on October 23rd, and our staff will ensure your input is communicated to the Board.

There will be a community input session during the October 23rd Board meeting from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. You are welcome to attend, share your thoughts, and leave if you wish—there's no need to stay for the entire session. Please note that, due to the focus on the budget, we will not have time for general Q&A. A budget work session will follow any community input. This meeting on October 23rd is expected to be the final budget meeting.

FOREST LAKES FALL FEST

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12th

NORTH FIELD

3:00 to 6:00pm

LISTEN TO THE

"MUSIC THAT TAKES YOU BACK"

by the musical group

SOUTH CANAL STREET

South Canal Street's music is mostly from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, including Motown, Funk, Soul, Rock, Pop and Country and much more!

Bring a chair or blanket along with your favorite snacks and beverages and spend an afternoon dancing with your neighbors!

We'd love for some volunteers to bring their cornhole sets as well (touch base with Grace at the office, 973-4596).

Cross your fingers for good weather!

Hope to see you there!

BULK PICK UP

The FLCA semi-annual bulk pick up is tomorrow, Saturday, October 5th. Please have your items out on your curb tonight! For details on what will and will not be collected, please click HERE.



LEAVES, LEAVES, GO AWAY!

It’s that time of year (again) - leaves are falling and the joy of raking has begun! Please respect our common areas and do NOT rake or dump your leaves onto ANY common area or stream. Even if you think it won’t matter or “won’t be seen” … it does matter and it will be seen. Piles do not decompose as fast as you may think and are unsightly, and our streams get clogged and bogged down when leaves are dumped into them. GLF will take up to 10 bags of leaves per trash pickup. This goes for sticks and branches too. Sticks must be cut down to a length of 3 feet and bundled for GFL to pick them up.

If You've Lost It, We've Probably Found It

We've collected quite an assortment of lost items in the FLCA office - from bikes to cell phones to keys to pickleball racquets. Please check with us if you've lost anything, we'd love to find their owners. We also keep a running list of anything you've lost (but hasn't been found yet) just in case it's turned in to the office so we know who to contact.

DIRECTORIES

Would you like to be in the Forest Lakes Directory? If so, and you HAVE NOT filled out a DIRECTORY FORM before, please do so and return to the FLCA Office. If you are in the directory, please make sure your information is up to date. Many of you still have only home phones listed and obsolete emails. Not sure? Fill out another form and send it our way. We plan to have new directories in the office in January 2025.

HALLOWEEN IS COMING!

Trick or Treating will be here before you know it! While we have no set-in-stone times for trick or treating in Forest Lakes, our first ghosts and goblins start around 5:30 and the mummies and skeletons wrap it up by 8:30.

We need volunteers for judging our annual Halloween Decorating Contest on Saturday, October 19th. Call Grace at the FLCA office, 973-4596, if you'd like to be a judge!

FIREWOOD DELIVERED - THE AHS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM FUNDRAISER

Many members of the AHS Cross Country team live right here in Forest Lakes and will deliver bundles of firewood to your home - chilly nights are coming! For details click on this FLYER. The team thanks you for your suppport.

OUTDOOR YOGA

SATURDAYS

SOUTH FIELD - through October!

Join instructor Tarti Djakaria for

outdoor Yoga

9:00 - 10:00am

cash or Venmo

$15/person

Punchpass $75 for 6 classes

for information, contact Tarti at

tdjakaria38@gmail.com

"

TENNIS and PICKLEBALL NEWS

Hello all!

Help/volunteers needed/wanted: Saturday, Oct 5

If anyone is available Saturday from 11-1 pm to help get the courts back into better shape please come. We will get some small projects done and will also need help laying product on court 5, under my direction. I will supply lunch and snacks for anyone who helps. Let me know or just show up. The more the merrier and we can get it done quicker and we can eat! Anyone can help, even kids, especially those who can use community service hours! Note: I need to leave by 2:45 pm as I have another commitment. 

Events coming up: 

Oct 12-14 Boy's 14 Open National L4. Can use volunteers to help with concession, sweeping/lining courts in between matches, court monitors. Play is at North Saturday until 1:30 pm then moves to South. Sunday and Monday play is at North. This is some very good tennis to come and watch, but would love to see our top players here to compete in this premier event. Hope you can help in some capacity. Email me ASAP to get involved. 

Oct 18-20 Forest Lakes Karaoke Kick-off Party (Oct 18) and 2024 Battle Royale!! 

This is the biggest event of my year! Events include Pickleball Adult and Junior singles and doubles (Saturday only), Adult Tennis doubles and Junior singles/possibly doubles (both days). All levels are included. Major email with events and details coming out from my gmail account. If you are interested in receiving info, email me ASAP! 

October 26 Forest Lakes Junior and Adult Halloween social 2-4 pm! 

Best dressed will win an award, with the top prize a FREE Racquet (JR Performance or Adult). We will play some round robin tennis and I will provide food, drinks, dessert. 

November 16: Forest Lakes Turkey Bowl! 1-4 pm

Inventive pickleball and tennis games with 3 players getting the TURKEY! Very fun and unique social event. Meet some new players! 

Thanks and serve it up!

Rob Johnston

Director of Racquets Forest Lakes Community Association

Johnston Tennis Academy

(434) 974-5567

October Dates to Remember

Oct 5 Bulk Pick Up Have your things out on the curb the night before

Oct 12 Forest Lakes Fall Fest 3-6pm North Field

Oct 23rd Board of Directors Budget Meeting, 6:00 Pavilion

.....and looking ahead

Nov 23rd Holiday Market, South Pool Parking Lot

Dec 10th Santa at the Pavilion

Dec 14th Holiday Market, South Pool Parking Lot



NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES

• The next regular FLCA Board meeting will Wednesday, October 23rd at 6:00pm in the Pavilion. This will be a budget meeting.

• Need a babysitter or petsitter list? Call the FLCA office. Want to be on the list? Call the office!



• For information on Pickleball, Yoga, Libraries, and Parents group click HERE
• Forest Lakes Book Club
• Forest Lakes Board of Directors
• Community Forms and Documents
• FLCA and Sub-Association contacts

"We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!" –Humbert Wolfe, British poet

Nola the Office dog wonders if you can guess what she's going to beeeee for Halloween?? (looking thrilled....)