Turf Valley Overlook Section II Homeowners Association. Annual Membership Meeting Minutes December 9, 2015

Transcription

1 Turf Valley Overlook Section II Homeowners Association Annual Membership Meeting Minutes December 9, 2015 The meeting of the Turf Valley Overlook Section II (TVO2) Homeowners Association ( HOA ) membership was called to order by Rob Kinnear, BoD President, and 7:00 PM on December 9, 2015 at the Manor Wood Elementary School. Mr. Kinnear opened the meeting by welcoming the attendees. He then reviewed the agenda to be covered at the meeting. Mr. Kinnear then introduced the BoD members in attendance, who included Arnie Gaus Member at Large and Architectural Committee, Donald Hester Secretary, Building and Grounds, Jeff Huston Treasurer, and Jay Becker Vice President. The meeting minutes from the 2014 HOA meeting, which are posted on the TVO2 website, were approved. Mr. Kinnear s reported on activities performed since February 2015 when he was elected President of the HOA. All of the HOA s documents were turned over to him and Mr. Huston from Dick Jones and Ken Fyock, as well as, access to the HOA s financial accounts. He stated that the initial transition required numerous meetings at the bank, but they now have the authorization to pay the HOA s bills. Mr. Kinnear reported that he will be looking to utilize as much electronic communication as possible and he is becoming more comfortable in the role of BoD President. Mr. Huston reviewed the 2015 financial statement of HOA. He reported that the 2015 annual dues were collected from the homeowners, except for one home where the home is in foreclosure status. He noted that the HOA received an increase in revenues due to a higher number of property transfers in Most of the regular expenditures, such as electricity and monthly fees to Brickman stayed within budget estimates. Mr. Huston reported that in the process of the transition, he and Mr. Kinnear worked to automate payment of the bills and he is becoming more comfortable in the role of Treasurer, taking over from Mr. Fyock. Mr. Huston recommended keeping the HOA dues at their current level. Following Mr. Huston s report the HOA members voted unanimously to approve the budget.

2 Mr. Kinnear then asked Arnie Gaus to provide a report from the Architectural Committee. Mr. Gaus reported that there were no violations currently being discussed with homeowners and they re no significant issues during He noted that trees are becoming a topic of discussion as the neighborhood ages. He was asked by one of the homeowners, if homeowners were allowed to trim the trees. Mr. Gaus stated that the trees on Pebble Beach Dr. are property of the County and the County was responsible for their maintenance. He reported that the County will eventually respond to requests to have county owned trees trimmed, however, we should expect the timeframe for the County to respond to our request will vary depending on available resources and other priorities. Mr. Gaus noted that the county recently removed two tree stumps on Pebble Beach Dr. In addition Mr. Gaus spent a considerable effort to learn about the Maryland laws related to property rights and trees, since many of the trees now extend into adjoining properties. Mr. Gaus also reported working through complaints involving barking dogs. He asked the homeowners to be mindful of your neighbor and work to manage pet related noise. Mr. Gaus also brought a sample of the proposed mailbox, costing approximately $90, which is constructed of aluminum and comes in black or white. He stated that the aluminum boxes are superior to metal since they do not rust and they are less prone to denting. The recommended mailbox was favorably received at the meeting. Mr. Gaus also discussed options for mail posts which include a variation of the existing wood frame post and newer metal options. Depending on the construction of the mailbox, the costs for the newer design could start as low as $200 and go as high as $700 per mailbox plus the cost of installation. The HOA members asked Mr. Gaus to provide costs estimates for a turn-key mailbox replacements for each home in TVO2. Once the costs are known and understood for the replacement mailboxes and the pending fence, the HOA can determine whether or not to purchase new ones for all homes intvo2. Mr. Kinnear then asked Don Hester to provide a report from Building and Grounds. Mr. Hester reported that over the summer, the TVO2 HOA secured approval to replace the existing fences and repair the existing brick and mortar monuments. The HOA is now registered with the county and in good standing, with applicable county fees and taxes remitted. The fence and monuments are located at the corners of Route 40 West and Turf Valley Rd., and Pebble Beach Drive and Turf Valley Rd. Mr. Hester did not have estimate for the total cost of the project, but he estimated the retail costs for the materials at $8,000. Mr. Hester reviewed the scope work to be performed on the project which includes completely removing the existing fence boards and posts, installing a new wooden fence of the same materials, painting the fence white, and repairing the existing monuments in accordance with Howard County guidelines. Mr. Hester recommended a wooden fence because of their low repair costs, which is especially important given the numerous trees overhanging the existing fence surrounding TVO2, and because of the warping and sagging observed with vinyl fencing used in other communities. The selected contractor will also be required to

3 warranty work for at least 1 year and materials for at least 3 years, and offer an option annual maintenance plan as part of their proposal. Mr. Hester will meet with prospective fence builders in December and issue a recommendation to the BoD in January. Construction is projected to start in April and take 30 to 45 days. The HOA asked Mr. Hester to require the fence builder to add sleeves to the bottom of the fences posts to mitigate damage from grass trimmers. Mr. Gaus asked Mr. Hester to look into using epoxy based paints for the fence, as it may provide a more durable finish. After a brief discussion about the durability of epoxy based paints for decks, Mr. Hester stated that he was not familiar with this type of paint, but he will conduct more research and consider adding it to the build specification. Mr. Hester stated that the selected contractor is responsible of completing all of the requested work. Mr. Hester was asked to replace the fluorescent light bulbs used for the monuments with LED bulbs. Mr. Hester agreed to replace the light bulbs. Next, Mr. Kinnear asked the Governance Document Revision Committee report on the status of the revised covenant and architectural. Mr. Kinnear noted that the committee, with significant input by Mr. Gaus, worked over the last several months to eliminate inconsistencies found in the document presented to the HOA in 2014 to simplify wording to make the document easier to read and understand. Mr. Kinnear stated that he was pleased with the amount due diligence performed by the Architectural Committee because it protects the value of the properties. Mr. Gaus reported that the revisions include changes to the Architectural Committee s approval process, such as that stipulation indicate when the Architectural Committee had not ruled on an application within 60 days, the application would automatically be disapproved. Mr. Gaus stated that often, it requires weeks to obtain information from the County regarding compliance to building codes, to properly assess the proposed building process, to assess impact to the land and the affects to the surrounding structures. Mr. Hester and Mrs. Fleming asked Mr. Gaus to consider reducing the approval process for straight-forward proposals like decks, patios, or other common requests, which could allow the homeowner to take advantage of reduced pricing frequently offered by contractors as an incentive to expediently close contracts. Mr. Gaus said that he would consider their suggestions. Mr. Hester also expressed concerns about research performed by the committee with County officials being over-reaching and if the role of the committee should be to continue conducting such activities. Mr. Gaus stated that the current covenants and guidelines give the committee the charter to conduct the research activities for the purpose of ensuring compliance to the architectural guidelines. Mr. Kinnear stated that it is the goal of BoD to have the new covenants completed by the end of December and out for review to the HOA before March Mr. Kinnear stated that the BoD is looking into options to conduct the voting electronically to save time and printing fees. However, he indicated that if a Homeowner wishes to have a paper copy, the BoD will provide one upon request.

4 Mr. Kinnear then moved to the New Business portion of the agenda. He reported that he had no new updates from TVO1. Mrs. Maryann Reichard stated that TVO1 was funding part of playground located on Pebble Beach Dr. She proposed the HOA providing a nominal donation to the cost of the playground as a gesture of support and because many families residing in TVO2 use the playground for recreation. Mr. Kinnear agreed to contact the President of TVO1 to gather more details and determine what TVO2 can contribute to the park. Mr. Kinnear moved to adjourn the meeting. The TVO2 HOA meeting ended at approximately 8:00 pm.

5 Attendees: David Boyer Peter Dinsmore Linda Flemming Gary Gradone Frank Martin Maryann Reichard Al Sorrell Rob Kinnear Jay Becker Jeff Huston Arnie Gaus Don Hester