January 2010 Meeting Minutes

January 26, 2010

CALL TO ORDER
Meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm.
In attendance: Joe Merlo (5), Steve Easthope (61), Michael Varinec (14), Scott Thompson (66), and Chris Lynch (Right Way Community Management)

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes from the November Annual meeting were approved as published.

HOMEOWNERS FORUM
There was discussion about the Mesa Police Department placement of the “bait car” sign at the East entrance. No one had initiated a request so it must be a proactive action from Mesa based on the recent auto break-ins.

Concern was raised about signs on the outside of house #12. Chris took the action to notify the owner that the signs will have to be removed.

FINANCIAL REPORT
The 2010 budget will be updated by Chris to reflect the changes incurred by changing to a different Management company. A motion was made and approved to add a line item to show a $500 allocation for reserve each month.

OLD BUSINESS
The plans for adding new plants at the East entrance were discussed. Chris was asked to contact Pure Green to determine what, if any, irrigation work needs to be done before new plants can be planted. Kathy has been working on the costs for new plants.

There was some discussion on the need to start painting the common walls. No decision was made at this time until the requirement can be evaluated.

The status of reprinting the summary CC&R documents was discussed. Chris was asked to get the document from Cornerstone Properties so it can be published and distributed.

NEW BUSINESS
The new Bank signature cards were signed by the President and the Treasurer.

A recommendation was made to publish a Newsletter each quarter. The goal is to publish an edition in April. Steve has agreed to assemble the inputs for this document. Please provide inputs to Steve for review.

There was a discussion of maintenance that will be required for our streets. Chris was asked to contact Regional Paving for advice on a plan that will keep our streets in good shape. This information was requested to allow the Board to plan for any financial needs in the future.
Action items from Board meetings will be documented and the status provided at the monthly meetings.

The Board requested that Chris provide the current mailing list for their reference.

There was a recommendation that pre-paid return envelopes be eliminated.

The timing of the monthly Board meetings was discussed. There was a recommendation to meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. A motion was made and approved to make this change.
Discussed the process for Chris to notify the Board of compliance inspections. The notification of violations will follow standard operating procedures. The report will enable the Board to be knowledgeable about any upcoming fines.


MANAGEMENT REPORT
A recommendation was made and approved to defer any late payment fees for January because of the late switch over to the new management company.

A request was made for Chris to provide status of outstanding balances for the special assessment.

ADJOURNMENT
Meeting was closed at 9:06 pm.

April 2009 HOA Meeting Minutes

March 31, 2009

CALL TO ORDER
Meeting was called to order at 6:45 p.m.
In attendance: Joe Merlo (5), Kathy Adamson (34), Michael Vavrinec (14), Scott Thompson (66), Steve Easthope (60), Joe Latkowski (Cornerstone Properties).

APPROVAL OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES
The March minutes were approved as published.

HOMEOWNER DISCUSSION
Joe Merlo reported that there is still watering problems along 26th street. The landscape company needs to check.

FINANCIAL REPORT
The current financials were approved.

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE REPORT
The request by home #13 for installation of a security screen door was approved by the ARC.
A memo about the ARC members and its responsibilities to the Association was approved for distribution.

OLD BUSINESS
The final revision to the R&R document is still in process.
The special assessment ballot for the street repairs has been approved. A request for a $300 assessment to cover the cost of the “slurry coating” was necessary based on the latest bids submitted.
A special meeting for all homeowners to discuss the special assessment and submit their ballots will be held on April 25 in the main common area.

NEW BUSINESS
The Board has approved installation of a street light between homes #56 and #57 in the common area. SRP has been contacted for the permit. The “blue stake” folks have marked the area. We are now waiting for the bids to install the conduit from the “J”-box to the base where the light will be installed.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board discussed management fees associated with our current contract with Cornerstone Properties. Additional research for an alternative property manager is currently under way for potential cost savings to the Association.

ADJOURNMENT
Meeting was closed at 8:05 p.m.
Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2009.

September 18 HOA Meeting Minutes

CALL TO ORDER

Meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm.
In attendance: Joe Merlo (5), Scott Thompson (66), Kathlee Admanson (34), Steve Easthope (61), Wade Albee (10), Joe Latkowski, Property Manager- Cornerstone Properties

APPROVAL OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES

The August minutes were approved as published on the blog.

HOMEOWNER DISCUSSION

Kathy Adamson is concerned that there a several homes that have “faded” screens and one home that has “damaged” interior blinds. There was discussion about if there was any course of action the board could take to rectify these concerns, as some board members felt no formal course of action could or should be initiated. As a result, a board member will approach the homeowners informally to discuss the concern to see if any changes could be made.

FINANCIAL REPORT

The current financials are on budget.

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE REPORT

There were no requests submitted for consideration. It was noted that #43 has a new screen door that appears to be recently installed that has not been painted to match the trim of the house. An ARC request will be required.

OLD BUSINESS

Planting new bushes will be deferred until mid October. The proposed layout will be “flagged” so installation and drip tubing can be installed.

An effort to inform the HOA members of the need for street repairs will be done at the annual meeting in November. The issues raised during the special assessment voting will be helpful to educate everyone on why street repairs are needed sooner than later. The board will look at the concerns raised by homeowners, and seek to address those concerns regarding road repairs.

Another special assessment vote is being evaluated. The request for new bids will be made due to the recent changes in oil prices which might impact the amount needed. There was a request made to get clarification on “eligible” voting members that can impact the amount of votes needed to pass an assessment.

NEW BUSINESS

The “pink” R&R booklet will be updated and reprinted for distribution to all homeowners. This is intended to ensure that the basic operation of the HOA is known to everyone since it is believed the HOA documents provided at the time a home is purchased are stored away, forgotten, and/or missing in many cases.

The winter lawn will not be planted this year to save costs (especially with road repairs in mind) and support the city of Mesa’s request to conserve water.

A proposed budget for 2009 was submitted by Cornerstone for review. The monthly assessment adjustment for next year is tied to the CPI which was 5.6%. This would allow a $2.91 increase. The proposed increased would be to $54 from the current $52. The details will be available for review at the annual meeting in November for discussion by all attendees.

A notification of the upcoming annual November meeting will be mailed to all homeowners.

Steve Easthope provided information obtained from SRP about installing street lights. SRP provided the power layout for the subdivision and guidelines on locations that will make it easier to install. The HOA is responsible for getting the footing and trench to the power source and the monthly fee of approximately $20-$35 for 20 years for the pole and light. The installation of street lights in the common area between #56 and #57 and in other places is being evaluated.

Next board meeting is scheduled for October 7, 2008.

MANAGEMENT REPORT

There are no homeowners in a serious situation with payments at this time.
Violation letters from the property inspection will be submitted for the “serious” violations.

ADJOURNMENT

Meeting was closed at 8:00 pm.

LOCATION CHANGE FOR SEPT MEETING

The meeting location had to be changed for our meeting this Thursday - it will now be held at the Thompson's (House #66). The time is still 6:30 pm. Please come and participate!

Thanks.

September HOA Meeting

Our September HOA meeting will be held on Thursday, September 18, at 6:30 PM. The location is house number 14 - the home of Michael Vavrinec.

Please make an effort to attend! We will be discussing the following:

1. Homeowners reports, questions, and feedback
2. Old business
3. New business
4. Voting for board positions (President, Vice President, etc)

Thanks.

The Vote Is In

The final tally for the special assessment is in. Thursday, August 28th was the deadline to submit the ballots.

The final total was: 27 "yes," 23 "no", and 1 "blank," so about 53% - short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the special assessment (one ballot was mailed in without a yes or no vote). The quorum requirement was met. Approximately three -fourths of the total ballots sent out were returned by homeowners.

Some concerns expressed by homeowners before and at the meeting and written on some ballots were:

1. a desire for more information about what a slurry seal is
2. a desire to hear about what other reasonable street repair options are out there, if any, and how much they would cost
3. tough current financial situations
4. not feeling that the streets need repair at this time
5. a desire to understand other options, if any, for funding the street repairs

The board will look at ways to address these concerns in the near future. The roads do require our maintenance, and it is important for all to know what options (both for repairs and for financing the repairs) are out there so that informed decisions can be made. The main vehicle for HOA information are the monthly and annual meetings. The board tentatively scheduled the next meeting for the week of September 15 - most likely on Tuesday the 16th or Thursday the 18th. They will shortly let the neighborhood know the exact location and time as soon as it is available. Please come and participate.

In addition, feel free to also call any board member at any time for more information. If a board member doesn't know an answer, they can find out for you. They want to encourage suggestions and help with concerns that come up.

For your information, Joe Latowski did contact street contractors about getting samples or diagrams of a slurry seal to show to the homeowners in a meeting. The contractors do not have samples or diagrams that can be provided for a meeting, but they can provide locations where people can look at slurry seal jobs they have completed, which is helpful. In our July meeting, questions came up about the speed bumps as well. The speed bumps can be modified, but any change must be voted on by the board. Removal of a speed bump will run about $1,500, and modification from a speed bump to a speed HUMP runs from $1,250 to $1,500. Joe also confirmed with the city of Mesa that we could have an independent city inspector inspect slurry seal job, should the time come.

Another thing to anticipate putting on your calendar: our annual meeting will be coming up in early November, where the budget will be discussed and determined. Please take the effort to come and share your thoughts.

HOA MEETING - July 23, 2008 - SPECIAL ASSESSMENT

Dear Neighbors and Friends -

The HOA board held a meeting on July 23, 2008 mostly to discuss a special assessment for a slurry seal repair on the streets. Other items were also discussed.

Those in attendance were:
Joe Merlo (#5), Scott Thompson (#66), Kathy Adamson (#34), Steve Easthope (#61), Joe Latkowski - Property Manager Cornerstone Properties, Leona Uptain (#9), Ryan Ricedorff (#58), David Griffy (#52), Mary Griffy (#52), Paul Dunham (#28), Rick Lehtinen (#19), Lynn Bailey (#67), and Beth Specht (#4).

STREET REPAIR

Several items were discussed, including the expected rise in costs of street repairs, the legal ownership of the streets belonging to all homeowners as a private community, the several bids received from contractors for the repairs, the desire for a contract with the contractors to lock in a price for the repair through December, the amount of a special assessment for the homeowners, the ability to get a third party inspector (possibly from the City of Mesa) to make sure the repairs were done correctly, the inclusion of the speed humps, and the timing of payment.

Two proposals submitted by contractors required rebidding, while one could only hold their price for 30 days. Two other contractors would hold their bids through December - KFM ($36,000) and Crossroads Grading ($75,000). Because the price for all of the bids is anticipated to increase above the $36,000 within the time frame required for a special assessment, the motion was made to accept the KFM bid with the condition that KFM would lock in a ceiling price at $36,000 through December, stipulating that if the cost of oil decreases during that time, the association would pay the lower market price.

The association's financials were presented to all present. The association currently has approximately $22,000 in available reserves. With the bid of $36,000, (after taxes it's $38,000) the special assessment for $300 will raise approximately $21,000 for street repairs, and the reserve would pay the remaining $17,000.

Ballots will be sent out in the next few days to every homeowner to vote on the special assessment. The next HOA meeting to tally the votes and hear from homeowners was then scheduled for THURSDAY, AUGUST 28 at 6:45 PM, tentatively at home #61.

OTHER ITEMS

Other items presented either from homeowners or board members in the meeting included:

• Addressing the need for better communication between the HOA and homeowners
• Possibility of a neighborhood newsletter
• Ideas and legal restraints for convenient submission of ballots (drop box near mailbox, etc)
• Landscaping improvements - plants on 26th street, etc
• Individual homeowners voluntarily buying sage plants, etc, to help with landscaping improvements
• A large hole needing repair in the southwest common area
• A proposal for a street light in the common area between #57 and #56
• Requesting written documentation from the City of Mesa with denial of request for taking street ownership

A street lighting committee was proposed at the end of the board meeting, headed by Steven Easthope (#61), regarding a proposed street light between #57 and #56. If any homeowners are interested in participating, you can contact Steve at (480) 335-5903. SRP leases street lights under long term leases for such situations. The committee will solicit information from SRP and from any homeowners (especially those most affected by the proposed street light) to evaluate its options.