Wheaton continues to improve

Link to City of Wheaton Website

One thing we do miss after selling our condo in December 2022 is the city of Wheaton.   There are a number of really nice western suburban cities and villages in DuPage County and Wheaton is one of them.  The City continues to invest wisely in the infrastructure and amenities. However, as far as we were concerned it is in the wrong state, and too close to dysfunctional Cook County and Chicago. 

At one time I lived in Chicago.  I left it because of the dysfunction, taxes and crappy public schools. Wheaton too has changed.  The severe problems in Chicago have come to Wheaton as Chicagoans leave that city.  That is another reason why we left Wheaton.  The Democrats destroyed Chicago, making it a divisive city with horrible public schools. It is a matter of time before Wheaton is destroyed, too.   For some idea of what this is like, just look to California.

We do visit the Midwest frequently.  My spouse did get to Wheaton in 2024, but I did not.  She was there on personal business.  I haven't visited for several years.  I am curious about how BLMH has changed.  The boards in place after our departure shut down the HOA website and it seems the only information available to the general public is via the realtors.   Attending a HOA meeting is limited to owners.  In other words, to find out about BLMH requires making a serious attempt to purchase.   When I first came to BLMH it seemed that problems were hidden from potential buyers. I attended many monthly HOA meetings and from time to time there were angry owners.  This reached a crescendo in 2007.  Some felt that they had been misled.  For example, regular financial data was provided to owners and there were short lists of reserve funds for capital projects.  What was not provided to owners were the projected costs of these capital projects.  Nor were there any reserve studies conducted by professional firms whose sole business was providing these services.  One board member ran on a simple plank: I'll keep fees as low as possible.  However, that's a subjective term and in fact, fees increased at rates of 5% or higher each and every year. 

When studies were made it became apparent there were some serious financial short-falls.  This was exacerbated by the fact that the HOA owned infrastructure including water mains, streets, curbs and street lighting.  At one time there was no budget allocation to deal with water main failures, etc.  

In 2010 things came to a head.  The streams were in disrepair and leaking expensive city water, causing damage on the property.  The streets were failing prematurely and water main failures were occurring with regularity.  There was a major roofing project barely begun.  It was a mess. 

It has been said that all things can be resolved in communication. That was one of the reasons I expanded the Newsletter. Copies were hand delivered to every on-site owner.  The others received a copy via US Mail. The newsletters were also posted on the HOA website.  This provided all owners and potential buyers with significant information about the association, its direction and future plans. Annual meetings included lots of slides and charts, etc.  Later boards phased out these types of open to the public communications, and the HOA website, too.  

When combined, the changes at BLMH, the loss of critical board members, the continuous board delays in turning the water system over to the city and the influx of Chicagoans with their very bad ideas prompted us to sell and move on. 

When we relocated we had the opportunity to purchase in a HOA and we said "No, thank you!"

Here's a link to a blog post containing older newsletters and other information.  When I left all updates ceased:

https://briarcliffelakes.blogspot.com/2021/09/blmh-newsletters.html

(c) 2025 N. Retzke