MINUTES of the Indian Hills Homeowner's Association September 12, 2007 SUMMARY A meeting of the Indian Hills/Glen Eden Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors was held September 12, 2007 at the Community Center. In accordance with Article VIII, B of the by-laws, at least five directors were present when the meeting was called to order. See the attached agenda. ATTENDEES President,
Sophia Phillips, 1656 Comanche, 410 757 5906 Homeowner, Kurt Riegel, 115 Blackfoot, 410 507 2999 DISCUSSIONSThe minutes of the July 19 Board Meeting were approved as submitted. I Informational & County ItemsA community yard sale will be held Saturday, September 15. The County dumpsters will be in the community from September 20 through the 22. Tracy Kruk agreed to monitor their fullness and coordinate emptying with the County. Note that if residents fail to comply with unacceptable materials it could mean no dumpsters next year. Andrea George will identify those asphalt curbs needing repairs for the next board meeting in October. Lighting. All repairs have been done on the day/night sensors and fixtures around the community center. Sophia will see what the extent of the problem with dog’s droppings is and recommend corrections. Treasurer’s Report The annual audited financial report is due to the County September 30. Jim has lined up Laurie Lashgari, Amanda Tesoni, and Brenda Collins to serve as auditors. The County changes to the 2006 filing has been requested; and the tax form is being prepared. Performance Bond. Bill A will contact the surety agent on moving the period of performance to match the Community fiscal year, and determine what the next bill is, what has been paid. Pool Committee The new bidder for pool services contacted the pool committee, but the bid has not been not received yet. The standard renewal contract has been received from the incumbent. Open hours will be on Friday to 9PM and on Sunday to 8. The bid price has increased due to increases in the minimum wage and increased costs. The incumbent handled maintenance, lifeguard issues, general clean-up issues very quickly during the year, with no complaints. This has been the best year in a long time. The contractor has been very responsive. Residents had the opportunity this year to get acquainted with Mike Kessler, the DRD representative. The contract renewal must be renewed by January 1. An extension to the pool season will be proposed as option. It’s not clear if the option cost would be part of the annual Community price. Delaying the season means also delaying cleaning and winterizing. A flat daily rate has been proposed, but it needs to be made clear if the rate is contiguous or ala carte as mutually agreed. The committee will determine how the pool will be maintained during closed weekdays and address the issue at the annual community meeting. Bids are being solicited for shade structures for the kiddy pool area. A sun shade would be attractive and provides kids shade while making the corner more serviceable. This will be addressed by the Pool Committee over the winter and funded within the approved budget. Clean Up A community fence painting party is scheduled for Oct 13. Outside pool members will be informed and invited to join in. We have the paint but need some rollers. Also needed are tarps, roller handles and brushes for fence posts. Rust will be removed at least a weekend before painting. III Current Budget ExpendituresThe community center locks have been replaced per County health department direction. The ‘06 expenses for playground landscaping have been committed. Tennis Court – one bid has been received from Tenniseal for $4,300, but it has expired. Sophia will get Tenniseal to refresh it. The tennis net will run about $300. A court roller or broom is also needed. Drainage control around the clubhouse. Estimates run $7,000 for a full job with less than $4,000 budgeted. Bids will be requested to focus on the playground area with less emphasis on the Chautaugua frontage. The Board needs to ensure funds remain to cover unforeseen expenses through June. Homeowners will be solicited for sweat equity to reduce the cost. Sophia will request the Landscaper contactor to produce an overall plan and procure the plants; we’ll get homeowners to do the labor. Carpeting for the Clubhouse. One bid was received, from Empire. Melissa will solicit more vendors to get a better cost spread. The Board needs to explore more options to ensure there’s a solid approach to minimizing the live acoustics with regard to professional cleaning and clubhouse use for meetings, parties, dancing. Consideration will also be given to other noise absorbers on the ceiling, and drapes. Renters generally haven’t complained about the noise levels, just resident. Jim Gooding will research the options and identify solutions. By unanimous vote the Board approved spending up to $5,000 for re-surfacing the tennis court plus net and roller if funds allow. The water drainage control landscaping is not defined well enough for Board approval. More detail will be provided at the October meeting. June 07 – May 08 Budget Jim will start to draft next year’s expenses based on this year’s actuals and projecting future expenses. Childs maintenance ~$4,000 Jan-Dec, use as planning for next year’s budget. Gray will draft the pool budget including expenses, cash in flow, planned maintenance. Bill will draft a long-term plan for the community, including the cost basis, book value, and maintenance. Security Melissa will check the price, maintenance, and operation of security camera(s) for the pool area and bring it to the October meeting. Features should include a visible indication of operation (ON light), and motion detector sensors. We must avoid the risk of an appearance of complacency which could result in the vandalism spreading. The Board encourages homeowner ideas, input, and diligence. If improper behavior is seen or suspected, call the police. Constellation Energy/BGE has responded to our April letter and has agreed to send a representative to the October 25 general meeting. Bill will make sure the representative is not just a customer service rep, but also knowledgeable about the feeder routing, distribution circuits, distribution and load knowledge, outages, repair, maintenance, etc. Special Tax District Seminar Report Sophia attended a County seminar on special tax district reporting requirements, and summarized what was presented. The property tax submittals will be posted on the IHCA web site. A non-compliance was noted for IHCA: the “Principle Office and Resident Agent” is registered as Fred Skove, who was the designated IHCA recipient for official papers as of 1970. The requirement is that this person must be a community resident. Sophia will get the record changed to a Board member. The budget has to be presented to the County based on the original Community Purposes stated in our charter: construct, operate, and maintain, the tennis court, basketball court, and log cabin (now the community center), The submittal dates for IHCA information to the County are very firm. Under no circumstances can County funds be mixed with communal funds – separate bank accounts are required. Bill will ask the County for a listing of all assessed values. Constellation Energy rep at Oct 25 board – not just a customer service rep, but also maps, tech knowledge, outages, repair, Open vs Closed Board meetings In general, Board meetings are open to all homeowners. Board meetings can be declared closed by the President for discussion of specific topics. Kurt Riegel voiced strong concern that well-being of the community is threatened by closed Board meetings; input from homeowners is valuable. Kurt cited his other association memberships, and said all those meetings are open. He suggested putting periods on every Board agenda for speakers. For example, to discuss the Chesapeake Bay Trust offer of $10,000 for plantings. Kurt perceives there is a vacuum of communication between the Board and the homeowners. It was noted that in the past, most homeowners will not come to meetings nor contribute to discussions. The Board noted that for the past few years there has been no response from the homeowners, no queries, no volunteering. A continuing issue at Board meetings is how to solicit issues from the membership. For example: the fence painting was raised years ago, it was put on the agenda, budgeted, and now is about to be done – a slow process, but responsive to the community needs. Miscommunication and misunderstandings in recent emails and phone calls were discussed. The Board tries hard not to keep the homeowners in the dark. Board members are out in the community all summer, some are long term residents, well known, but no contact or feedback is received. While homeowner participation is encouraged, it always comes down to a small number of the same folk. But accusatory scrutiny and confrontational questioning is very off-putting to those volunteering for what is essentially thankless work. Most homeowners don’t want to be involved in the details, they just want it fixed. A lot of concern on democratic Board functioning was expressed, and (well-intentioned) mistakes were admitted; apologies offered. It was noted that open attendance at Board meetings could slow down getting work done if everyone and anyone is allowed to expound. Board members don’t have all night for meetings. Kurt requested a slot at each meeting be set aside for input from the floor. The Board agreed, and noted that new issues raised would not necessarily get immediate attention, and may get deferred for more research and a spot on a future agenda. Next Board meeting will be after the general meeting October 25.. ADJOURNThe meeting adjourned at 21:00. Respectfully submitted, Bill Anselm |