The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Debbie Knapp. Board members present were Mary Ong (Vice President) and Linda Schmitt (Secretary). There were 31 homeowners present and 17 proxies received.

 

The minutes from last year’s annual meeting were read and approved.

 

Board Nomination: Linda Schmitt’s term as Secretary is ending. The floor was opened to nominations. Scott Knapp nominated Linda Schmitt to continue in the position of Secretary. Alan Tapert seconded the nomination. A verbal vote was taken and Linda Schmitt was unanimously elected to the Board for a second term of three years.

 

Old Business: The fence by the pathway to Columbia was damaged recently. Jim Hemans will repair it free of charge as weather permits (ground thaws). Materials will be paid for by the HOA.

 

The website is up and running and Tom Crisp is the webmaster. Please check the website for updates to HOA business, copies of the ACC approval form, the list of approved roofing materials, CCRs and enforcement policy. Remember, if you plan to do any structural changes to your property, you must complete an ACC approval form and fax, mail or email to the ACC for approval. Landscaping changes need not be approved.

 

New Business: As communicated in the annual dues mailing, the HOA has converted to self management due to being extremely unsatisfied with Phillips Real Estate Services. In order to hire another property management company, it will run anywhere from $1,000 upward per month. And this will not include periodic drives through the neighborhood to insure that lots are being well kept according to the CCRs. Therefore, indefinitely, the Board will manage the HOA. An evaluation later in the year will be conducted to see if it is necessary to hire a property management company. One of the homeowners mentioned that they will ask a friend who is a property manager how much they would charge an association the size of our HOA. Some homeowners mentioned that they received mailings last year from the HOA, saw the Phillips return address and discarded them thinking they were junk mail. They liked that the Board mailed the letters this year with HOA as the return address.

 

Jim Hemans took the floor to discuss that in earlier years, there had been mention that driving through the neighborhood could be construed as selective enforcement. It was argued that it could not be considered selective enforcement if the monthly drive through was through the entire neighborhood. For now the drivethroughs will continue but the Board will check with the association’s attorney to confirm what liability the HOA may be exposed to. This will occur after the Board gives him our papers that show we are operating as Harborwood HOA. It may be that the benefits of these monthly drivethroughs will outweigh the potential risks. In the past, homeowners who make complaints are upset that the Board has not already caught the issue, and therefore, expect the Board to keep an eye on the entire neighborhood.

 

The issue of the drainage water by the Columbia path was discussed and brought to the attention of the Board. The Board is aware of this issue and feels it is due to the recent Verizon construction. Debbie Knapp will contact Verizon to ask them to come out and repair. An update to the issue will be posted on the website. Further questions were discussed regarding potholes caused from the recent work and why some neighborhoods were repaved. Debbie informed the group that the repaving was a city issue and has nothing to do with the HOA.

 

A question from the floor was also posed regarding the house for sale on the corner of 104^th Street and 53^rd. Linda Schmitt informed the group that the house was currently in a real estate contract and in the process of being purchased. She has spoken to the listing agent and communicated that there is an HOA and that there needs to be approval of the ACC for any roofing changes.

 

The biggest problems noted in the neighborhood are boats and RVs in the driveways. Other issues recently noticed were rubbish and debris being stored in the driveways and elsewhere on the property that is able to be seen by adjacent properties. Currently, there are about 8-10 letters being mailed to homeowners who have these types of infractions. The Board informed the group that its intent is to send a more neighborly letter the first time. If the issue isn’t resolved, the Board will become firmer and impose fines if necessary. We all want to live in harmony and keep our neighborhood looking good.

 

Parking on the street was also a complaint by a homeowner. The Board explained that this is a city violation not an HOA violation. If a car is parked on the street for more than three days, the homeowner should call the city to complain.

 

The landscaper, Ferguson & Sons, is working out great and the Board is very pleased with the quality of work. It was determined that one time per month in the summer was not enough, so the frequency was increased to two times per month in the summer and one time per month in the winter. A homeowner complained that there were not enough flowers at the 51^st entrance. Debbie Knapp explained that there is no irrigation at the entrances and it’s necessary to use drought tolerant plants that will be hardy enough to survive.   The Board feels these types of plants are not a cost effective way to spend the association’s money since in the past these plants do not survive. The Board offered her the option of planting some flowers at the entrances but she would be responsible for watering them. However, Board approval should occur prior to anyone doing this. The Board also reminded the group that the three signed areas are barked every third year to keep the areas looking fresh. Tom Crisp brought the group back on track reminding them that you don’t have to drive very far down the road to see what a neighborhood looks like that doesn’t have an HOA and that our neighborhood is looking pretty good. 

 

 

The budget was discussed. The Board’s goal is increase the reserve account to at least $15,000-$20,000 per the advice of our attorney. One homeowner objected to Board raising dues while firing the property management company in one year. He felt that we were trying to make up the remaining balance of the reserve account all at once. The Board reassured him that this was not the Board’s intention. The Board is trying to build the reserve and save money in the event we have to rehire a firm in the future. The reserve balance is currently $12382.71. The HOA insurance premiums were reduced about $100 this year. Peter Gaul made a motion to approve the 2009 budget. Jim Boemler seconded the motion. The motion passed with 29 yes votes and 2 opposed. 

 

Debbie asked the group to confirm that one of the lots in the HOA had been condemned and now belonged to one of the adjacent properties. The group agreed that this did happen but is unclear who owns the property. Mary Ong will investigate and confirm with the Board so that the association records are current and the appropriate amount of dues can be collected from the appropriate homeowner if necessary.

 

The Board will do a spring mailing via either regular mail or email if enough email addresses are collected. The Board encouraged volunteers and received contact information from several.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Linda Schmitt

Secretary, Harbourwood Homeowners Association