Norton Lake HOA urges Campton Hills to broker meeting over nearly $250,000 punch list before La Fox annexation

Will Waldron, speaking for the Norton Lake Homeowners Association, told the Campton Hills Board of Trustees on June 17 that the HOA has a punch list of more than 18 items for common-area repairs that it values at “just under $250,000,” based on actual contractor bids. He asked the village to facilitate a meeting this week among the HOA, the builder’s representatives and village staff to seek a settlement before a June 26 annexation vote affecting nearby La Fox.

Waldron said the HOA has repeatedly tried to get the builder and the builder’s lawyers to settle and that only the builder’s lawyers have communicated with the HOA in recent months. He said the builder has performed some repairs but that they were “poorly executed,” and used the phrase “putting lipstick on a pig” to describe patchwork sidewalk fixes that he said will not be durable. He also described ongoing drainage and standing-water problems in Phase 3 common areas, documented by a resident who also emailed village staff.

Waldron asked the village to help set a meeting between the parties and said the HOA would accept a proposed 50–50 split of the repair cost if the parties agree; he urged the board to act so the issue is resolved before the annexation. He also said the HOA is prepared to publicize conditions in Norton Lake if the dispute is not resolved.

The remarks were delivered during the public-comment portion of the June 17 meeting and did not produce any formal direction or vote from the board during that session. Trustees and staff acknowledged the comment period but did not adopt a motion or resolution during the public-comment item.

Details Waldron cited included: an HOA punch list of more than 18 items, contractor-based estimate of “just under $250,000,” about 15-plus sidewalk panels that will eventually need full replacement rather than patching, and alleged misgrading and continuing drainage issues near the lake. He said HOA president Chris Ruback, a civil structural engineer, documented conditions and raised them with village staff, including Administrator Mark Rooney and Trustee/board member Barbara Rudnicki (as named in residents’ emails). Resident Frank Scotello, who Waldron said also documented problem areas, was identified in the remarks as a member of the village’s community relations board.

Waldron’s comments focused on asking village officials to convene a meeting among the HOA, the builder’s representatives and village staff to negotiate a resolution; he asked that a meeting occur before the board’s June 26 annexation discussion so Norton Lake residents would not overwhelm that hearing. He said the HOA’s “preferred” path remains negotiation and settlement but that the association is prepared to go public if necessary.

The board did not take formal action on the request at the June 17 meeting. Administrator Rooney and trustees discussed other agenda items later in the meeting but did not publicly commit to a meeting schedule in the record of this session.

Context: Norton Lake is a residential subdivision whose residents addressed the Campton Hills trustees during public comment. Residents asked the village to intervene with the builder and to avoid having annexation of nearby La Fox transfer oversight of similar issues to the village before Norton Lake’s problems are resolved.