SUNLAND DIVISION 17 OWNERS ASSOCIATION
Board of Directors Meeting January 14, 2015
Location: Sunland’s “The Gathering Place” Ground Floor Meeting Room
OPENING HOMEOWNER FORUM: Per established Board procedure, the meeting began with an open Homeowners Forum. One person spoke.
CALL TO ORDER: The regular meeting of the Sunland Division 17 Owners Association board of directors was called to order at 2:34 pm by President Susan Hamman.
ROLL CALL & QUORUM: The chair confirmed a quorum with three board members present: Susan Hamman, David Jelin and Tom Steffen. Absent were Terry Main and Judy Field.
REVIEW & APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Draft minutes from the previous meeting had been circulated to board members in advance, for their review.
MOTION: Tom Steffen moved to approve the minutes from the December 4, 2014 meeting as circulated, with no corrections. The motion was seconded and approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
1) Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee: Fritz Field provided an update report on behalf of the committee. He noted that the speed indicator signs purchased by SLOA, that have been located on Blakely for several months, will be rotated to Taylor Boulevard at the end of January; also that SLOA board member Randy Skoglund continues to pursue county placement of 15 mph signs for curves.
2) Earthquake Insurance Committee: John Jones reported on the committee’s research to-date on alternative sources of earthquake insurance, with additional comments from several of the committee members. The association’s current insurance provider, CAU, will not be offering earthquake insurance after our current policy expires May 1st; and for other coverage, CAU will begin offering a year-to-year policy only, rather than the three-year policy provided in the past. Current association insurance is approximately$43,000/year; the new premium, which may or may not be reduced even with earthquake coverage removed, will not be estimated until approximately March 1 (60 days before expiration of the current policy), and a firm quote will not be available until approximately April 1 (30 days before expiration of the current policy). The use of an RFP was suggested to find competitive quotes, as well as the possibility of reducing coverage or increasing deductibles and co-pays, as well as looking at alternative providers. Kevin Estes suggested contacting a state or national condominium or homeowner association for leads on other insurance providers. The committee is currently pursuing two alternative insurance companies for bids, in addition to CAU.
3) Storage Shed Investigation: David Jelin reported on two options he had looked into for possible storage of association maintenance supplies and tools: a pre-built locking garden shed, such as those available from home improvement stores like Home Depot for approximately $3,000; and a “conex box,” which is the large, heavy-duty metal container used for international shipping. Discussion included possible locations for either unit, if purchased, but no decisions were made.
4) Leak at 290 Blakely: Susan Hamman reported that the broken roof tile at 290 Blakely has been repaired, but the homeowner has still not responded to multiple informal attempts at contact to secure access to the attic, to inspect and/or repair any damage there. Preparation of a letter to be sent by certified mail was approved at the previous meeting, and the letter will now go forward. Board member Tom Steffen will also continue the board’s informal attempts at contact.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
1) SLOA Board Meeting: Susan Hamman summarized highlights from the December SLOA board meeting, including a decision by the SLOA board to make an offer on Lot #207, owned by the Sunland Golf & Country Club.
2) Website Updates: Barbara Brooner summarized recent updates, corrections and modest revisions to the Sunland Division 17 Website.
3) Vial of Life Emergency Information: Susan Hamman brought samples of the “Vial of Life” containers, available free from the Sequim fire department, which can be used to help fire and medical personnel find needed information in case of an emergency.
OFFICER, COMMITTEE & COORDINATOR REPORTS
1. Secretary’s Report: Secretary Judy Field was absent, but Susan reported on her behalf that the association will soon be distributing new Owner Contact Information Forms, which will now also provide the option for owners to list one or more emergency contacts.
2. Treasurer/Financial Report: Treasurer Terry Main was absent, but she had provided a year-end Financial Report. For the fiscal year January 1 – December 31, 2014, the association was overspent by $5,330. Contributing causes were commissioning a full Reserves Study; re-barking of all units rather than the originally anticipated 1/3; and unit exterior maintenance, both minor and scheduled, including unit re-painting. Offsetting savings were in the areas of landscaping and greenbelt costs. The scheduled 2014 Reserves contribution of $28,248 was made, for total 2014 expenditures of $240,304. The approved budget for 2015 is $238,788, including the scheduled Reserves contribution. The association has one money market account, and two CDs of approximately $20,000 each, with one CD maturing at the end of the month.
MOTION: Tom Steffen moved that the CD maturing January 28 be renewed for 6 months; the motion was seconded and approved.
.
3. Member At Large One/Water Board Update: David Jelin summarized highlights from the Sunland Water District’s most recent commissioners meeting; he will also attend an upcoming meeting where they plan to begin developing a five-year budget. The Sunland Water District has added dedicated administrative staffing (i.e., water district business only); beginning next year their invoicing will be split off from SLOA’s annual billing.
4. Member At Large Two: Tom Steffen had nothing to report at this time.
5. Architecture/Exterior Changes Update: Chair Cindy Meeks sent word that no new requests had been received during the past month.
6. Developed Landscape: Landscape Liaison Eldon Dennis sent word that winter pruning and cleanup by the association’s contracted mowing crew was approximately 50% complete, and would probably be all done by the end of January. Discussions are underway with Kevin Estes Homes re: landscape plantings at newly-constructed homes that will be more manageable for the association in the long-term. Moles—or possibly pocket gophers—continue to be an issue, with limited options for resolution. Greenbelt coordinator Tim Paschal speculated that, to the extent that the moles/pocket gophers are turning up dormant hemlock seeds, it may facilitate earlier sprouting and thus eradication.
7. Exterior Maintenance & Inspection: Liaison Richard Helmenstine stated there had been little activity during the holiday season. Susan Hamman reminded those present that the recent SLOA email about maintenance of their security light being a homeowner responsibility did not apply to Division 17, since the association maintains those lights.
8. Greenbelt Update: Tim Paschal reported that the tree-planting effort anticipated for early March 2015 is basically organized, with multiple volunteer work crews, a volunteer co-coordinator (Gerry Busch) who will organize one-hour “how to” sessions, tree purchase arranged, and even the tree protectors already prepared by neighbor Rich Taylor. Homeowner John Myer has volunteered to take over the poison hemlock spraying while Tim recuperates from shoulder surgery. Tim is looking for a few more volunteers to help prepare plastic ribbon ties that will help ensure visibility of the small trees when the field is mowed.
9. Newsletter: The Division 17 quarterly newsletter was distributed last month. Coordinator Renee Jones sent word that she will need board and committee reports by the end of March for the newsletter to be distributed in early April. A new “Volunteer Corner” is anticipated, alerting homeowners to various upcoming volunteer opportunities.
10. Welcome Committee: The two new co-chairs for this informal neighborhood group are Barbara Paschal and Barbara Gruner. Barbara Paschal thanked the outgoing committee members and announced they have ten people in the new committee. There have been visits to two new neighbors already this month.
CLOSING HOMEOWNER FORUM: One member of the audience commented.
ADJOURNED AT 3:54 PM
MOTION: There being no further business, Tom Steffen moved that the meeting be adjourned; the motion was seconded and approved.
Prepared by volunteer recorder Barbara Brooner,
for Judy Field, Secretary
January 15, 2015